Changwon 0 – 1 Gimhae FC

A goal of mine on this GSE trip to South Korea was to attend a professional soccer match in one of the cities we visited. Each time we arrived in a new destination I would ask several people: “Do you like soccer? Is there a team in Ulsan/Masan/Jinhae/Changwon/etc? Do you know their schedule?” But I was rebuffed again and again. People would express an interest in the sport, mention the 2002 World Cup (which was held in Korea & Japan), and then move on.

Last Saturday though, we arrived in Changwon and were blessed with two beautiful things at once: a day of gorgeous sunshine and a full 6 hours of free time. Don jumped into action, asking the concierge if there were ANY sporting events being played in Changwon on this sunny Saturday. His answer was no, and we were almost resigned to leaving Korea with no authentic sporting experiences. After checking in to our rooms, though, we made an attempt to navigate the Hangul language webpage of the Korean Football Association, and found that there was a second division match being played in a town 30 minutes away…and the game would start in an hour. Springing into action, Don, Alex & I were ina taxi within minutes and on our way to see Gimhae FC take on Changwon in Gimhae Stadium.

We arrived about 45 minutes before match time and wandered about looking for a ticket office. Never spotting one, we just walked up the stairs to the stadium to a group of people near the entrance. They handed us our tickets – raffle tickets, that is. Admission to the match was free. Sweet! After finding some shaded seats, I decided to explore the grounds. There was a tiny snack bar but no team shop. The player entrances and team benches were right out in the open and I watched the teams warm up for awhile. When I returned to Alex & Don at our seats, I spied a few uniform-clad fans behind the south end goal setting up flags and banners. Ahhhhh, kindred spirits. I headed right across the field and introduced myself with my limited Korean. There were less than a dozen supporters in this “rowdies” section, and we hit it off right away.

The game was fast paced – Changwon dominated in the first half, creating lots of chances and forcing a few tough saves from Gimhae’s goalkeeper. It was looking like Gimhae would never get a serious shot on goal. Then, about 30 seconds before the halftime whistle blew, Gimhae scored and the tiny crowd went wild. It was fantastic.

Throughout the game, we chatted with our new friends, drank a couple of American beers (which you’re allowed to bring into the grounds…super-sweet!), drummed, waved flags, and chanted along. I taught the supporters an easy chant from my supporters club, the Timbers Army, and we all signed up to be on the Gimhae FC Supporters email list. We also purchased home team jerseys for souvenirs.

As I learned more about the team, the similarities between Gimhae FC and my Portland Timbers were striking. Gimhae FC was established just this year, and 2008 is their very first season. There are a half-dozen or so core supporters who are working hard to drum up interest and enthusiasm in the new local club. The Timbers Army experienced a similar birth from a small & dedicated group when they re-joined the United Soccer League in 2001. The supporters at Gimhae Stadium were mighty passionate and I know that their numbers will grow quickly! They can certainly count this Portlander among their first foreign fans.

The second half of the game produced a few good scoring chances on both sides, and Gimhae put another ball into the back of the night but the goal was rescinded on a late offsides call. Final score: Changwon 0, Gimhae FC 1. Victory for the home team – what could be sweeter?

As the crowd cheered the result, the team started towards the south end of the field in another familiar gesture – the players were walking to the tiny supporters section. They arrived glowing with their victory, bowed, and gave a round of applause to the group of fans who numbered even fewer than the players on the team itself. Gimhae FC! I will follow this club with interest and keep in contact with my new friends from the stands. I love the international language of passion and sport, and am grateful that it helped us make this unexpected and exciting connection in Korea.

Jinhae Marketplace

We spent only two days in Jinhae, but they were fantastic and fun-filled. On Thursday our hosts treated us to Jinhae’s version of Saturday Market, complete with stalls full of unique goods, street performers, and a huge variety of foods. It made us all feel very at home and definitely created some great friendships as well.

Here is one stall you’ll never see at a Portland market: umbrellas!

This is Mr. Kim, a very lively character and helpful shopping partner. I was looking for local goods and he was my advisor…when I showed an interest in a stall he would helpfully whisper in my ear “Made in China!” and carefully usher me to the next more authentic shop.

We were lucky to catch a great show by these enthusiastic performers who sang, danced, drummed, and sold rice candy to the crowd. Not pictured here is the fishnet wearing transvestite who was the star of the first show.

It was a very windy day at the marketplace…..the balloons were dancing and waving ‘hello’.

We were in Jinhae at the tail end of the Cherry Blossom Festival. We saw some beautiful trees and also met a Rotarian who owns the bakery which make the traditional cherry blossom shaped cakes, filled with sweet bean paste. Yum!

Rocky Top Changwan

The Changwan contingent took us up a tall mountain on Saturday which we completely loved.  The Koreans were very concerned about our well-being up the mountain, stopping often to rest and, of course, eat.  We did manage to let them know we were doing quite fun by just continuing to head on up the trail.  We, GSE Team 5100, won that mountain.  It was a wonderful sight 500+ meters above the beautiful city.

 

Changwon

Changwon is a beautiful, planned city along across the bag from Masan.  A young city model built 30 years ago after Melbourne in Australia, it boast clearly defined residential areas, shopping, and industry.  The main streets were build to land airplanes on and seem unique in Korea due to their size. 

We each are enjoying individual homestays for the first time allowing us to navigate language and our needs without the help of each other.  I am staying with Dr. Park, the former 3720 District Governor in 2005-2006.  He is a dentist, loves golf (is off today doing that favorite activity), and enjoys being a Rotarian.  Mrs, Kim is a professor of art, an artist herself with beautiful work in carving, acrylics, and printing. 

My first day in Changwon was the prelude to what I knew would be a great time.  First, the pace was less hectic, giving us a chance to not only see new sites but to enjoy them and conversation as well.  We choose to walk a bit, enjoy some tea in a beautiful home and see pictures of the former GSE Team from India.  On the bus ride we enjoyed singing and especially the talents of our hosts as they sang and dance – giving us laughter. 

That night several of woman’s rotary group, Changweon-Chowon took Don and I to the (jingiban) bath house, where we enjoyed hours of sauna, ice rooms, oxygen room, massage chairs, and the rock room.  With the help of our translator, Kevin (son of one of the members of Changweon-Chowon), we managed lots of laughs and relaxation as we sweat out the toxins.  I do enjoy the jingiban and know it helps me manage the hard beds and sitting on the floor!

Communicating with someone is always a challenge when there in not a common verbal language.  We can manage food, bathing, cleaning clothing, time to go, or time to return.  It is much hard to communicate when ill or about topics of meaning.  I have had the opportunity to practice both with Mrs. Kim.  She had to care for me the past days as the fatigue, motion sickness, cold – all packed together to put me in bed for the day.  Letting go was easy with her and I appreciated her nurturing. 

Today we conversed in a combination of English and Korean with phrase books and dictionaries about religion, faith and our families.  Even though I know I did not understand all that was said, I found deep connection in what I understood and in the openness of the effort.  Cultural exchanges are about these connections, learning and listening to others in deep and meaningful ways.  I do believe we are generally given the opportunity to connect in our daily lives but often we must be in uncomfortable or new situations, where our standard behavior does not work, in order to fully engage ourselves in these opportunities.  I do feel engaged here in Korea!

 

full circle

 

Tonight, in Masan, the city with the beautiful name, the circle was completed.  Yes, that is the lead singer of a Philipino cover band rocking Stairway To Heaven in a Korean Hotel basement bar wearing my Illinois jacket.

 

buds

We are developing a deep appreciation of the Buddhist tradition during our Korean experience.  Some more than others.

 

Out-takes

While much of our schedule is filled with serious meetings, corporate tours and professional chit-chat, we certainly don’t want readers of our blog to think that our trip is without a little fun now & then. In fact, we’re having a great time and we do capture some of the levity in our photos. A select few from our recent misadventures:

There is a national election being held in Korea on April 9th, and one of the main methods of campaigning seems to be loudspeaker music with accompanying dancers. Usually we hear these lovely sounds around 7am outside our hotel window. The other day as Alex and I wandered the streets of Masan, we encountered them in an up close & personal way:

Alex poses with the singing & dancing campaigners for candidate #2.

When we travel between cities we are usually transported in a fancy minibus, which draws a few stares when we climb out of it at our desintations.  As we checked into the Hotel Savoy in Masan, a wedding party saw us and the young people approached us to ask if we were celebrities.   We assured themthat we were not, but when they saw our slick GSE 5100 brochure they weren’t having any of it….they demanded an autograph from Don:

 

We have had many great interpreters along with us on our trip – we get so much more out of our interactions with their help.  When we first meet them, they can be very serious….sometimes it takes a little coaxing to get them to loosen up & laugh with us.   Here’s Susan hamming it up and getting a mega-giggle from our current interpreter, Mrs. Kim:

When we’re very good during the day, our hosts will sometimes treat us to a night of norae-bong (karaoke) and “discotechque” (awesome dancing). Here I am cutting a rug with Mr. Shin, who happens to be one of Korea’s most famous ceramic makers.

Finally….while we enjoy Korean food VERY much, there comes a time when every red-blooded American wants french fries & a Coke. With much determination, we found our monthly dose of grease & sugar at the LotteRia across the street from our hotel. Here, Don & Katherine bask in the smells & tastes of home:

That’s all for now, folks. We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled updates soon. ‘Til then, take it from these students who helped at a Rotary service project in Ulsan: peace out!
 

Spiritual Sustenance

 

    OK, after long delays, I’ll be sending a flurry of communication over the next couple of days.  Stomach illnesses have finally brought our dizzying schedule to a break, so now as I regain my strength, I will catch you up on some of my experience to date.  In this first post, I’ll talk a little bit about our experience with a 2 night stay at a small temple in the Yangsan region (see also Kari’s post below).  This means that my posts will be out of order, so I’ll come back to the busy times in Ulsan later.  That will give you better context for the need for a relaxing breath of sweet mountain air.

     Arriving at Panyaam temple, we were met immediately by the irony of arriving at a Buddhist temple with a great deal of material goods.  I am not the lightest packer to begin with, but when you add the multiple gifts we have received on each day of our trip, the load was quite silly looking.  Fittingly, we were informed that our lodging was located “over the mountain” and accessible only by foot up a steep path.  It felt great to have to lug our earthly burdens to our resting point, as during most of our stay, we have been catered to, to an incredible degree (although we did get some help from our Yangsan regional Rotary hosts).  Lucky for us, “over the mountain” only meant a couple hundred yards journey and not the epic journey I was envisioning.

     We were whisked back into the cars almost immediately for a trip to visit with Korea’s most famous potter, Mr. Shin, who showed us his amazing home-made kiln and demonstrated some of his considerable skill.  His late father was one of Korea’s “National Treasures” and his pottery is some of the best regarded in the world.  He explained that the process of firing the kiln to its full temperature of around 2,000 degrees F, takes 3 days of constant attention, after which he takes some time to drink before attending to the rest of his work.  At dinner later that night, he joked that he knows 2 things, drinking and pottery (I replied that I knew one of the two).  However, we know that isn’t true, as he is a warm and brilliant man who has also recently completed a documentary in Japan about the abduction of Koreans by the Japanese in the 18^th(?) century.  It is very important to him that Korean history is recorded accurately and thoroughly.  Later at our first “Western Style Dinner” (read: Steak and forks), Mr. Shin’s spirits were roused by our rendition of the Korean folksong “Arirang” which I have come to use as an icebreaker with each new group after being taught early on by Mr. Kim in Ulsan.  For my efforts, I was awarded a “beer bowl” which was created by Mr. Shin.  We then of course did Norae-bong with both Korean and English songs and Mr. Shin showed off his considerable dance moves, providing me with my first dirty dancing experience in Asia.

      We finally arrived back at the temple for sleep on some small cushions and blankets on the floor.  I was not ready to let the night pass without some initial time experiencing my surroundings, so flashlight in hand, I headed down the hill and made my way to a small peaceful pool and waterfall behind the main temple.  After I began to write, the main assistant to the “High Priest” (as the translation goes) came by to see who was out after hours.  I greeted him in my limited Korean, and he assured me that I should enjoy myself.  The peace of that place was so wonderful after all of our amazing and hectic urban schedule.  Please forgive the unedited nature of writings by the moonlit pool that first evening.  That seems like the best way to present them:

Motion all around,

My heart calls out for peace and stillness,

 

Beckoning in the hills,

A place of wonder –

Simple and beautiful,

Beautifully simple;

 

Peace, sing to me!

Stillness, be my guide,

Bring me back to sweet breath,

Show me your wonder,

Show me your truth,

Lay me down by still waters

As ancient truths speak without filters or agenda,

 

One drop without the taint of greed,

One universe without desire for power unattainable,

Dip joyously in the stream of goodness,

And live or die with the smile of the bubbling brook,

Live or die behind the humble, mighty Buddha,

 

She watches without judgment,

He embraces sweetly all that is,

Breathes in smog and soot,

Exhales pure delight;

 

Bring me contentment

That I may pass it to my neighbor,

Bring me health

That I may pass it to my family,

Bring me sweet earth

That I may share it with my lover;

 

Playful dancers gliding toward the water,

Frolic as you will

And let me witness burdenless joy,

Teach me as I sit in ignorant curiosity,

Judge me or not,

If you shall receive me in the spirit of growth;

 

Allow me a chance to taste the sweetness of your being.

 

     The next morning, one of our Rotary hosts, Mr. Quan, arranged for us to have a visit in the quarters of the High Priest, who had been his teacher.  He served us green tea in his humble accommodations, filled with the books of a scholar and the technology of a man engaged in the world. 

      After some inevitable challenge in getting the conversation started as we gauged the amount of shared language, we had a conversation ranging from politics to Buddhist philosophy and his travels abroad.  I asked him what was one thing that we in the U.S. could learn from Korean Buddhist teachings.  He responded by saying “cause and effect”.  This also led him to talk about President Bush’s lack of understanding of cause and effect in his decisions in the world.  Don asked about his thoughts on the situation in Tibet, and the wave of sadness in his spirit was palpable.  Again “cause and effect”.  Words to ponder in all areas of life. 

       Just before we left, I asked if it would be appropriate for him to give us a Koan to ponder for the remainder of our trip.  Once the language gap was bridged with some explanation, he gladly obliged, beckoning me toward him as he sat strongly in lotus position behind the ancient slab of wood which was his tea table.  He asked me to stretch my hand out, whereupon he grasped it firmly in his left and turned it palm up, his left underneath.  He then wound up with his right arm and brought his hand down hard on mine, creating a great clapping sound.  Putting my trust in him and in this experience, I did not feel the need to flinch.  It was as though he had kissed my hand.  Looking at each of our hands, he said “My hand….Your hand….Where did the sound come from?”  As with any koan, meditating for understanding can be a lifelong journey.  We will ponder as our journey continues.

       Later that same day, we were once again blessed to visit with the high priest of another very small temple.  Perhaps fittingly, I am not finding the literature on it right now, so it will remain nameless for the moment.  Upon entering his office, we all got onto the floor and bowed to him.  He served us wonderfully light green tea, and after a bit of small talk, he went into didactic mode and gave us many things to think about.  These paraphrases were through our wonderful graduate student interpreter Jae-ook:

      “You and I are the same.  There is no difference.”

      “You can experience the whole universe in this cup of green tea.  Earth, wind, fire and water.  These are the big 4 concepts in Korean Buddhism.  And, we have each of these elements within us.  Fire in our temperature; water in our tears, urine and saliva; earth in our bones and skin; wind in our breath.”

     “I am trying to find myself, to learn who I am.  Do you know yourself?  You can find out all you need to know by drinking a cup of green tea.”

      He had also mentioned something about where we are before we are born and after we die.  Don asked if he knew whether those were the same place.  He replied, “If you learn where you were before you were born during your life, then you will be in the same place after you die.  If you do not learn where you were born before you die, then you will go to a different place.”

 

      We finished off the day at the main Tongdosa temple where we went to the evening chanting service.  There were probably 100 monks there chanting beautifully (in contrast to the 4 monks in residence at the tiny temple we stayed at), and we all gamely tried to keep up with their up and down bowing.  We had received training earlier that day from our Rotary hosts.  Kari, Don and I had gone on an impromptu mountain climbing excursion during a brief couple hours of free time that afternoon, so our thighs were burning quite thoroughly.  But, I think that is the point to this sort of experience.  If you aren’t feeling it deeply, dig a little deeper.

    

 

Follow-up: Live octopus

By popular demand, we present here a short video of Mr. Don W. Frank and his first experience with live octopus:

 

Big Dreams of Regular People

 

On the mornings we are transferred from the care of one Rotary group to the other, it is a time of melancholy and possibility.  The group that we have been with is there to see us off and the new group is there to pick us up.  We have grown attached to the people we just spent so much quality time with.  As we were leaving the beautiful Tongdosa Temple, which incidentally, made many of us consider shaving our heads, Kari found a lonely soccer ball.  Mr Park, pictured here with excellent style in both fashion and kicking, really seemed to enjoy the chance to shed his serious businessman mindset and return to the age of children, where many of us feel more comfortable.

 

We have visited a few schools in Korea now and these are some of the highlights of our trip.  Most of the kids speak at least a smidge of English and greet us very excitedly with, “Hello Hi.”  The kids also wear school uniforms, which not only help them look sharp, but in theory, helps with discipline and studying.  We visited a school in Haman where the class was learning to bake cake.  Alex and the rest of the team jumped right in to the activity and crossed all cultural boundaries.  The kids are quite drawn to Alex as he is a Tall Douglas Fir.  

 

 

Our visit to Haman reminded Katherine of her hometown of Nampa Idaho.  The people, the geography, the commerce, it all had that feel.  As we visited a water treatment plant, our second of the day, Katherine stepped aside to feel the wind in her hair.