Korea Has Tamed the Beast!

This past Friday, I mustered up the courage to get my hair “magic permed”. Here, whether you’re going for a straight or curly look, everything is called a perm. In my case I went for the straightening treatment. I am fairly certain it was the same process I had done when I lived in Japan two years ago. My hair was not poker straight nor did it dry that way, but the frizz was gone and it became much more manageable than the lion’s mane I had to deal with before.

This time I went in to a salon near my apartment after work at 5:30pm. About four hours later I emerged looking fab with super straight, super long hair. Honestly, I have had many different hair styles in my life (short, long, medium, bangs, no bangs, curly, straight, etc.), but it has never been this long before. Lately, my hair’s unruly nature made me sweep it up in a bun or messy ponytail, so I guess I didn’t realize how long it had gotten.

All Diana Ross after a blow dry (pre magic perm)

The poor salon workers must have had a heart-attack when they saw all my hair. It really has a life of its own, like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors going “feed me!” I was asked twice if I had a perm (curly) but I assured them it was natural, to which they responded in a chorus of oooohs and aaaaaahs. It was like they honestly couldn’t believe a person could possess curly hair like that naturally, as if everyone on the planet has straight hair. Oh Korea. Well, I certainly made them work. To be fair, I told them I didn’t have an appointment and asked if I could still have it done that day. They could have had me come back in the morning, but hey, they went for it.

There was a moment of panic in the beginning where I thought, “What if they think my foreign locks are so alien that they leave the chemical on longer than usual and I walk out with broken hair that’s falling out in clumps?!?!?” Even though I have a TON of hair, each individual strand is medium to fine, so a chemical as strong as this could be quite damaging if done wrong. Thank goodness I was in the experienced hands of the Korean equivalent of Vidal Sassoon (not really) but it all worked out. I had three people blow drying my hair at one point and it still took about 15min. I also had two people flat-ironing inch sections of my hair which took FOREVER! And I mean forever. Imagine the kid in the movie The Sandlot repeating the words “forever” over and over. Seriously, it took about two hours just for the flat-ironing.

"magic"

In the end though, my sore bum was a small price to pay for having silky smooth, manageable hair. And I am thankful to say the price hardly left a dent in my wallet. In the states, a treatment like this would have set me back at least $500. Some places charge up to $1000 which is absolutely ridiculous. In Korea, I only had to shell out a hundred bucks. Can’t beat it! If there is anyone out there with hair like mine considering this process, I say go for it! Who wants to waste hours of their life fixing their hair? Thank you Korea, for saving me the time and money. Thank you.

Savor the Moment

Last Friday I was fortunate enough to go on a hiking trip to 보경사 (Bogyeongsa Temple) with my co-workers from school. We left work early and headed about an hour outside of Pohang to this temple sanctuary nestled at the base of the mountain far far away from the chemical clouds of Posco.
We first had to make our way through the small town lined with quaint shops and cherry blossoms. Even though the weather was a bit cold and rainy, it couldn’t dampen the beauty of this place. As I crossed the first gate onto temple grounds, I felt a calm and peaceful feeling wash over me. It might sound hippie, but nature is my first love, and I always feel one when I am in and surrounded by it. I couldn’t soak it up enough; the fresh air, the beautiful scenery, the feeling of blood pumping through my veins as I worked my way up the mountain. I felt so alive.

There are several waterfalls at Bogyeongsa, and we were able to see a few. The first was a bit small, but made for great photos, and I loved the flowers that were clinging to the rock everywhere. Their bright purple buds made a great contrast to the grey sky and cliff wall. It was difficult though to observe all of the scenery because I constantly had to watch my footing on the trail. Most spots had no railing, so one slip and you’re toast. Needless to say I had to really focus until we got to the next set of waterfalls. Legend has it that dragons sleep in this part of the mountain. I didn’t see any but next time if I come across them you’ll be the first to know. The view in this section was absolutely stunning, and the size of the cliff face was breathtaking. There was a bridge that led to another waterfall tucked away in the corner. Really, the pictures speak for themselves.

Monks meditate here

On our way back down we stopped to investigate a giant boulder with many small pebbles stacked on top in little piles. One of my co-workers told me that I would have good luck if I could balance a stone on top of a particularly haphazard pile. It was tricky but I did it. Afterwards he told me to put my hands together (Buddhism-style) and pray. While I was sending out the good vibes, I had for just a moment an otherworldly experience. I felt completely in sync and in tune with the universe. Time stopped and everything was perfect. I kind of didn’t want to move but I knew we needed to head back, so I gave my thanks and finished the hike.

Before

Juk

After

We ended our little adventure with a fantastic dinner of boiled chicken (that actually tasted like chicken) and of course all the Korean side dishes. I also had 죽 (Juk) for the first time. It’s a rice porridge usually eaten when one is sick, but wow was it good! Most Korean food has very strong flavors and spices, but this was so subtle and delicate. It gave me the same feeling I get when eating chicken noodle soup; comfort. That was the cherry on the cake and with that, we headed home. I will definitely be back to explore more of beautiful Bogyeongsa.