Thanks for checking out the blog again, folks! It's been a while, and having been back in Korea for 3 weeks, I'm ready to get the blog rolling. Officially flew back on August 29th, after spending just over 20 hours in transit. Hopped in a late-night, hour-long shuttle from the airport to my new city (and yes, the driver even had a card that read "Samuel Hurd" at the airport...always wanted that!) and arrived at my apartment around 10:00 pm. My co-teacher and her husband, who coincidentally have previously rented this apartment out, were waiting for me at my new home for the next year. After reviewing some apartment procedures, I proceeded to not sleep for what seemed like days. Of course, I was asked to report to school immediately the next morning, where I met some of the staff and handled some new paperwork. Over the next few days, I failed to sleep, but successfully eked out a new work visa, new ID card, and made some new friends. So began my time in my new city, 평택.
My new city, Pyeongtaek, in all its glory. This photo was taken from atop AK Plaza,
which is the catch-all name for the train station and 10-floor shopping center of downtown.
So what is there to tell you about my new home? First of all, it's called 평택, pronounced PYEONG (think "p" + "young") TAEK (think somewhere between "tech" and "take"). Pyeongatek, in Korean, translates, more or less, to something flat. And that holds true; whereas my older home of Hampyeong, like most of Korea, was extremely mountainous, my new home lies on a relatively flat plain with few mountains in sight. This is a bit of a strange concept in a country comprised 70% of mountains.
As you can see, the flat plains extend to the very edge of the city. That's one thing that has
been very comforting so far: for all the resources and excitement that come with living
in a larger city, a 5 minute walk lands me right back in the rice fields.
What else can I tell you? Pyeongtaek covers quite a bit of ground, bounded by the main highway artery toward Seoul on the east side, to the Yellow Sea on the west side. In the most recent census, Pyeongtaek was declared home to just under half a million people. Pyeongtaek consists of 2 "eups" (읍), or towns, 7 "myeons" (면), or villages, and 13 "dongs" (동) or neighborhoods. I live in the main "eup," which contains the train station as well as downtown, in Hapjeong-dong. Here's what the Wikipedia article about Pyeongtaek. I don't know just who wrote the briefing on Pyeongtaek for that page, but here is the vital information they chose to include:
Pyeongtaek was founded as a union of two districts in 940, during the Goryeo dynasty. It was elevated to city status in 1986, and is home to a South Korean naval base and a large concentration of United States troops. The Korean government plans to transform Pyeongtaek city to an international economic hub to coincide with the move of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) to Pyeongtaek. During the Korean War it was the site of an early battle between US and North Korean forces, the Battle of Pyongtaek.
As you can probably tell already, Pyeongtaek is predominantly known, in Korean circles, for its military history. If one travels throughout Korean, and one lists "Hampyeong" (my previous residence) as one's stomping grounds, a look of pure confusion, disgust, or nostalgia emerges on the faces of Koreans. Sometimes all 3. If one travels throughout Korea and expresses loyalty to Pyeongtaek, on the other hand, only one question seems to surface immediately. "Are you a soldier, or a teacher?"
Of course, locals here seem to know the difference, as it largely goes without saying--the haircut, the dress code, maybe the Korea savvy, who knows. Anyway, it was only a concern of mine because, in certain areas of Korea, suffice it to say that United States military personnel don't retain the staunchest support and good will of all. There are 2 military bases within a stone's throw of Pyeongtaek (Camp Humphreys, southwest of town and Osan Air Base, north of town), though they're pretty well situated in the countryside, such that you don't just see soldiers walking through town...hence the pretty relaxed attitudes of the locals with regard to the matter. While there are various reasons for that, into which I refuse to delve for now, I remember thinking: well, time to really grow my hair out so as to make that difference crystal clear.
Where was I? I was telling you about my new home. And here is a good place to start:
AK Plaza, which contains 8 tracks of trains that run to nearly every
corner of Korea, as well as 10 floors of coffee shops, restaurants,
shopping and public space. It's no mistake that it's the focal point
of the city, and really what put Pyeongtaek on the map in the first place.
This is AK Plaza, which is more or less the driving force of Pyeongtaek. Years ago, this city was nothing more than a train station. In 2012, that train station has been transformed into 10 floors of shopping, eating, movie watching, and just about any kind of entertainment under the sun. It's a busy place, and a pretty solid walk from my apartment, so I don't venture inside as often as many, but it's nice for its practical uses.
In front of AK Plaza is a large
public space, where taxis can
be summoned, buses can be
taken, and traffic flows. All
public transportation generally
flows past the train station. On
the right is a picture of the scene
just outside of AK Plaza. It's
about a 25-minute walk due
straight west of my apartment,
so I more often take a bus or a
taxi. Public transportation in
Pyeongtaek, as well as most
parts of Korea, largely rocks.
Here's one more broad look at the city, from the "Sky Garden" (스카이가덴) atop the 10th floor of AK Plaza:
This gives you a good feel for what the city architecture looks like. Although
dominated by concrete like any other Korean city, there are some cool structures
of glass that shake things up a bit, and countless, similar looking apartments
farther away from the downtown area. As a relatively new city with lots of new
wealth, Pyeongtaek actually doesn't maintain a lot of old, traditional architecture.
The next practical part of Pyeongtaek I should definitely show you is Tongbok Market, or 통복시장. I'm not positive on the total area of Tongbok, but let's just say you can find anything you need. I've probably exhausted many of you with pictures of stomach-churning and mouth-watering (sometimes at the same time!) food from Korean markets, so here's a look at just one of Tongbok's countless long wind tunnels of market vendors:
Fresh fish, fresh vegetables, and plenty of household products. Everything
you would want from a Korean market, and plenty of things you wouldn't.
I say this every time I walk into a Korean market, and it really rings true:
for as shy as Koreans can be about speaking to a foreigner in public whatsoever,
they are incredibly keen to chirp incessantly if they see you so much as bat
an eye at their collection of fermented fish or bean paste.
Tongbok is only about a 10 minute walk from AK Plaza, and the area between is littered with great restaurants serving up old, cheap Korean classics, from dumplings to hangover soup (I can explain those in a later post). I only opted to buy some green onions for a stew, but they were, of course, of the hulk variety--alas, I could not find enough uses for green onions in 3-4 days' time. Tongbok Market is open 7 days a week, as far as I'm concerned. Some of the personnel even opt to sleep the afternoon or evening away inside these vending stalls when pedestrian traffic is low.
The sun is setting on Tongbok Market. Here's a look at one of Pyeongtaek's
many busy intersections, from inside the market. Food tents and fresh fish
make it a pretty inviting place.
While there is plenty happening in Pyeongtaek that is worth discussing, the downtown area around the train station and market really dominates the "things to see and do" conversation. So I believe it's time to show you where I really live.
Like any big Korean city, Pyeongtaek maintains pockets of large, downtown areas as well as quieter residential areas of small, old houses and high-rise apartments. I'm somewhere in between, in a neighborhood that offers a good balance of apartments and houses, without any giant skyscrapers obstructing views and blocking good sunlight. As one walks due east of the train station, Pyeongtaek gets quieter and quieter. About 2 kilometers later, my neighborhood comes into view.
Leaving the downtown area for quieter streets.
A prototypical street in my neighborhood. This photo was
taken at dusk, just after some torrential rains. The end of
summer is a pretty tumultuous time, weather wise, in Korea.
It was difficult to find much favorable weather in which to
photograph my new home. You can see some apartments
and neon signs indicating karaoke halls, restaurants, grocery
stores, and pubs.
My neighborhood is relatively standard, as far as Korea-scape goes. A few small grocery stores, convenient stores, karaoke halls, and plenty of restaurants. It consists mostly of older couples and young Koreans who generally call Pyeongtaek home whilst studying or working elsewhere. As far as I know, there are no other foreign teachers within about a 6-block radius, and that has made for some surprising conversations with the locals thus far. Nice, quiet people in this nice, quiet neighborhood.
Here's a view of my street from atop my apartment.
I'll tell you this: housing in Korea, whether you live in a palace of an apartment or a crumbling house that is centuries old in tradition (still plenty of these, though found more often in places like last year's haunt of Hampyeong), is often not pretty. Concrete architecture dominates, and a certain uniformity and simplicity in design prevails. However, in Korean maybe more so than any other place I've been, looks aren't everything, and there is certainly more than meets the eye. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is my apartment complex...the Hapjeong Art Billa.
See? Nothing to really write home about--though, ironically, I am currently doing
just that. I'm on the 2nd floor, right in the middle; if you squint your eyes, you might
see my backpacking gear. As far as I can tell, I'm the only person who actually lives
here throughout the week. I think most residents are in and out, depending on the
day, week, month, or even year. One thing that is a little charming is the view I get
immediately outside my window, that of a small garden maintained by this friendly
dude. Some tomatoes, peppers, corn, and pumpkins as far as I can tell! This little
garden space separates my apartment from one of Pyeongtaek's many west-east
routes, but things stay pretty quiet throughout the day.
Here's the view from the rooftop, looking down on the garden patch and the main
street. Just in this 20-meter stretch of road and patch of street view, 4 restaurants
are housed. And that, my friends, is one of the small beauties of Korea: anywhere
you may be, there is surely good food within just steps.
So those are the vitals on Pyeongtaek--surely enough to get you started on imagining life here. I'll save a later post for some introductory pictures and explanations of both my apartment and my school. I apologize for the lag in updates, but for my friends and family, that should be nothing new. I always vow to improve this, and I will keep doing so. Maybe there's just more to do here, and that necessitates more blogging. Maybe once you've lived here for a year, you feel the need to dig into things that don't just include enticing food pics and old temples. That stuff is still pretty cool, though.
I'll leave you with a parting shot from my rooftop, looking west toward the setting sun and downtown Pyeongtaek just after a storm last week. All is well for now. Thanks so much for reading about my new home, and be sure to keep checking back for more stuff.
안녕히계세요!
