Weeks 48–49 & 52 · December 2014 – January 2015 · Seoul
Holiday Season
Back in Korea for December — Merry Christmas or Happy Merry Christmas, never above freezing, underground Seoul, video karaoke with Garth from 1992, blow-torch chicken, and three hours to get a $12 tax refund. Then week 52: one year in, same New Year hike, colder, sub-20F, icy trails with company-issued spikes, pig's head is an offering, the Spam storage bin, and here's to 2015.
Back in Korea and a “restart” to my original position. Arriving in early-December provided a chance to see how a majority non-Christian country (about 40% of Koreans are Christian) celebrated. Much less politically correct than the US — it is either Merry Christmas or Happy Merry Christmas. I was given a budget for “Christmas Presents” for my team, there were Christmas/year end gatherings every night, and stores had “Merry Christmas” advertising. My login screen at work had a “Merry Christmas” graphic.
From the time I got off the plane until I left — never got above freezing. My apartment was about 40 degrees when I got in, so it was like camping the first night. No forced air heating, the floors are heated by hot water and that is it. But it works pretty well. Very different from last winter and rough on me as I haven't had a real winter in a couple of years. Now I know why so much of Seoul is underground — except for the 100 yards from my apartment to the metro — I can get away with never going outside for many trips. One bad thing is that most of the sidewalks are granite — very nice but with a thin film of ice they are slick.
Ondol (‘warm stone’) is the traditional Korean underfloor heating system described here. The original version circulated hot air or smoke from a wood fire through channels under stone floors; modern apartments use hot water pipes embedded in concrete, exactly as described. The system dates back over 5,000 years and was designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2018. Seoul's underground network — COEX Mall, the subway concourses, and connected underground shopping streets — totals well over 30km of walkable space, making it one of the largest underground retail networks in the world. In winter the underground temperature stays around 18–20°C regardless of the conditions above.
After one of our dinners, we went to second party but they insisted we eat too. So we ordered the speciality — chicken. Raw chicken comes out and the guy fires up a blow torch to cook — it was very good.
Had a true chore day — put up pictures, laundry, cleaned apartment, emptied dishwasher. Once every couple of months is doable. I also decided to do some Christmas shopping as it was too cold to do anything outside. I had made my selection — at a first rate department store but couldn't finish the transaction because of some additional questions in Korean that I couldn't understand. Same thing happened at another counter — finally figured out they were asking using Google translate was did I want to make the purchase tax-free (saves 12%). So — I said yes and went back to complete the purchase. Then took receipts to another department for my refund. There — I needed my passport so back to my apartment and returned. Then waited in line a while — where I was told my more expensive item was not eligible and the refund on the other was only 50% of the tax (so 6%). Then given a form to complete — then they typed in the form into the computer and printed out a voucher that I have to exchange at the airport at the tax office. About 3 hours for a “refund” of $12 and I lost interest in tracking down the tax office at the airport when I left.
About 3 hours for a “refund” of $12 and I lost interest in tracking down the tax office at the airport when I left. The sequence: couldn't complete the transaction because of Korean questions, same thing happened at another counter, eventually Google Translate revealed they were asking about tax-free, said yes, returned to complete purchase, took receipts to another department, needed passport, back to apartment, returned, waited in line, told more expensive item not eligible, refund on other only 50% of tax (so 6%), form to complete, form typed into computer, voucher printed for airport tax office. $12. The voucher was not redeemed. Some things are not worth the effort.
Week 52 — for those gifted at calendar math that is one year. So life is starting to repeat itself and the year started off with a New Year mountain hike and the issuance of Spam — just like last year. Same agenda for the hike, wish for “Safety for our workers and good finances”, 4 hours of hiking, and a long lunch & toasts (but with experience I paced myself knowing that the toasts would last for hours), and naps on the bus ride home. This year it was colder and we ran into many other companies on similar hikes — hard to see a US company sending everyone on a 2,000 ft mountain hike in sub-20F weather on icy trails with company-issued spikes. It was clearer with better views this year. But again a great event with much camaraderie.
As for 2014, this adventure started 2 years earlier than we ever planned, but you can't control other aspects of life. It was good to experience new places and cultures, but at the end of the day it all just makes you appreciate home more. It ended up being the second most I have traveled in a year — in 2000 visited more countries and had more trips — but much of that was with the family or with long-time co-workers while this year was much more on my own. So here is to 2015 and I wish everyone a Happy New Year.
“It was good to experience new places and cultures, but at the end of the day it all just makes you appreciate home more.”
Week 52 — for those gifted at calendar math that is one year. Same agenda for the hike, same wish for safety and good finances, 4 hours of hiking, long lunch and toasts — but with experience I paced myself knowing the toasts would last for hours. This year it was colder, sub-20F, icy trails, company-issued spikes. Hard to see a US company sending everyone on a 2,000 ft mountain hike in those conditions. The pig's head is an offering, not a prayer target. The Spam storage bin has 18 cans per box. The expats did a lot of re-gifting. The doorman was very happy.
South Korea is the world's second-largest consumer of Spam after the United States, and the only country where Spam is considered a premium gift item. Its popularity stems from the Korean War, when US military rations introduced it to a population with very limited protein sources. Spam gift sets — neatly packaged tins in decorative boxes — remain a standard Chuseok (harvest festival) and Lunar New Year gift, explaining the 18-can storage bin and the expat re-gifting dynamic perfectly. Makgeolli is an unfiltered Korean rice wine with a milky appearance and mild sweetness — typically 6–8% alcohol — and is the country's oldest alcoholic beverage. It is traditionally associated with outdoor activities and farming culture and is the conventional drink on New Year mountain hikes.