The Craziest Weekend

Late one Friday night, I got the email that I had been dreading. The US had raised the travel advisory to Level 4: Do Not Travel. This translated to a full suspension of the Fulbright program and sending all grantees, who were still abroad and could leave, home. I was being sent home. The voluntary departure was becoming a mandatory one. This was so hard for me. I knew I wanted to stay, but I don't think I knew quite how much until I read those words. I started to cry immediately. I talked to my host mom, called my parents and I just sat with the news as I laid in bed most of the night trying to figure out what was next. 

24 hours later, my sadness turned into confusion. On Saturday, I was given something that I thought was gone. A chance to stay. They told us that because of the control that Korea had over the virus and how it was looking like it was getting better, the ETAs were getting special permission to go back to voluntary departure status. Now I am going crazy. I had just gotten it in my head that I was going home. I thought about it and wrestled with this decision for the next day. I barely slept. I knew I wanted to stay, but now with the travel ban, I wasn't sure if that meant I wouldn't be able to get home on my new grant ending date of June 30th. I also was trying to decide if it was even worth staying. We still hadn't started school yet. And with the projected school start date, I would only get a solid three months with my kids, provided the date doesn't get pushed again. 

As soon as I had come to the decision that I wanted to stay, another email came through. They told us they were sorry, they had made a mistake, they weren't able to give us the choice to stay. We all had to go home. If we wanted to stay, we would have to do it on our own. Meaning, get new visas and become a foreign teacher in Korea, without the protections and support that Fulbright provides. Now I had to decide if this new choice was worth it. I never planned to stay in Korea beyond my second year. I had already started the application process for a job back home. Is it worth all the trouble of getting a new visa, negotiating a new contract, and doing all the other requirements in order to say for only three more months, even though I had no idea when we were going back to school? After a long night with little sleep for the third night in a row, I had to decide.

I'm going home. 

I just hope I'm making the right decision....

Coronavirus

I have mentioned in a few recent posts about the Coronavirus (Covid-19), but I haven't really spoken about how it has impacted me and my interactions with the changes in the society around me because of the virus.

My first realization about the virus and how it was spreading was when I went to Busan. This was mid-January time. I was hearing about it getting bad in China but Korea had maybe three cases at the time. I really didn't think about it yet.

I knew it was something I needed to really lookout for when I was traveling to Japan in early February. I was going to Seoul the night before and as soon as I arrived, I realized the atmosphere felt different. Given, the fine dust levels in Seoul are usually high, so there are always people wearing masks when I go to the city. But it was different this time. Because of the high pollution levels and the virus, everyone was wearing a mask. To the point where I actually felt like I had to wear a mask. I was getting strange looks from people. Truthfully, I always get strange looks from Koreans. It comes with being a foreigner in a very homogeneous country. I did buy a mask though. I knew I would be going through the airport the next day, and I should have it. I really hate wearing masks. They make me feel like I'm suffocating and whenever I have to talk, I feel like I have to shout.

In Japan, I began noticing everywhere I went, I would see signs saying that the staff is wearing masks to protect themselves and the costumers from the virus, as well as big bottles of antibacterial hand gel at the entrance of most of the places that I visited.

The airport wasn't as scary as it seemed like it would be, considering the virus has been mostly spread by traveling, but both in Korea and in Japan, everyone had to go through this additional screening room when entering the country, where you would pass through a sensor that was trying to detect a fever, I think. It was a little intimidating, as it was just a big white room, with not much in it, but I made it through easily of course, and I know it is there for everyone's safety.

Not too long after returning home, it started to get pretty bad here. The number of cases here began to rise very quickly, and it became really serious for a lot of people, especially in Daegu. There are several ETAs whose placement is actually in Daegu, so that is kind of scary. None of them were infected, thankfully.

Now, it seems like the whole dynamic of the country has changed in the last few weeks. Festivals have been canceled, the government has advised people not to go to religious events or worship, and the start of school has been postponed almost a month.

So now, I am pretty much just biding time here in my little town until school starts. We've been advised not to travel outside our placement cities, so most days I've been hanging out at home working on anything that will keep me busy, like my teaching application for back home, my Korean studying, and a bunch more, as well as hanging out with my host siblings who are also stuck at home. It gets a bit tedious and boring at times, but I know I'd rather be doing nothing here, and eventually get to teach again, then go home to do nothing, and be done with my grant here altogether.I'm hoping the situation will improve within this month, so we can return to a semblance of normalcy,, and I can start going around the country again on my weekends and finish out my grant with a bang.

Also, if I can't travel for the rest of the grant, then this is going to be a pretty boring blog for the next few months.

For anyone that is worried, where I am is pretty safe. There are very few cases in my province, lets hope it stays that way.

Should I stay or should I go?....

It's no secret that the coronavirus has gotten much worse in Korea, especially in the last few weeks. Barely a week ago, Korea raised its status to red. It has told everyone not to travel unless it is essential, and lots of festivals and events have been canceled. The idea is to limit people's contact with each other.

But, up here on my little mountain, it doesn't feel quite as real. I know when I go into town, everyone will have a mask on, and there won't be a single soldier in sight as they have all been restricted to base, I think.

It got more serious, to me personally, with an email. Recently, all of the Fulbrighters in Korea have been given the chance to decide if they want to go home early and end their grant.

I don't know what to do, or how to go from here. I knew when I received my grant that there was always this possibility that is something happened in our host country, that we could be sent home. But it never occurred to me that it would actually happen. I just wish that they would just tell we have to go, instead of making it a choice. I don't want to make that choice. A lot of people are telling me that I need to think about my safety and put myself first, but I have this life here. I've already come to terms with my whole Korean adventure ending in July, and I am ready to go home and start my next chapter, but I don't want this chapter to be cut short.

I suppose what I can do for now is just keep an eye out and make my decision if it gets worse. Luckily this isn't a one and done choice. I will get other chances if I do change my mind, but for now, I'm going to stay. I'm going to try, at least, to stay for as long as I possibly can.

Wish me luck!

Japan Part 3: Nara

Day Eight

My final full day in Japan. It was a good day. It was sad to think about how it was coming to an end and that the next day I would be returning to Korea and I will no longer be in vacation mode, but it was also exciting because I really wanted to visit Nara and for several days I had been going back and forth in my head on whether or not I would be able to go, but the day before I didn't have enough things to do in Osaka to warrant doing another full day of exploring, so I decided why not? It's for that reason that I am actually really glad that I decided to solo travel to Japan this year, instead of giving in to my fear and nervousness and going with someone else. Traveling by myself, I was able to make last-minute decisions and plans and it didn't matter what anyone thought except myself. 

I tried to leave relatively early enough in the morning to arrive in Nara around the time everything was opening up. I think I ended up getting there at a pretty good time. Quick advice, unless you know exactly what you want to do, it can't hurt to go to the visitor's center. At the station when I first arrived, I went into an information center because there was a sign that said there were tourist maps. I figured that it can't hurt to get a map, even though I already had a bunch of things highlighted on my phone. When I went in and asked for a map, the sweet lady that worked there both gave me a map and actually walked me through a recommended route, highlighting things that are really worth going to and are often overlooked. She also gave me a little origami deer that I complimented too.

Nara, if you don't know, is very famous for being the origin spot for a lot of Japanese culture and history. It was once the capital of the country and several other things, but the city is probably most widely known for its deer. There is a whole park where deer just live and roam wildly around people. They are smart too. You can purchase these little deer biscuits for them and they know when you have them. They watch you. But they also safely cross the street and will even bow. It's so cute. If you bow to them, they will bow back. They are so polite. 

So I was recommended to go around the park first. Inside the park are a bunch of temples, historical buildings, and other attractions. My first stop was Kohfukuji Temple, the five-story Pagoda and the Central Golden Hall (which is only open at certain times to the public and I was able to go in). The five-story pagoda was probably the most interesting to me in that it had burnt down eight times, and the most recent reconstruction was actually finished in this century, not often what I think about when I see historical buildings. The top of the pagoda also has a small sphere that is said to hold some of the Buddha's ashes. 

After the temple, I went further into the park until I got to the Nara National Museum. This museum was showing a lot of the Buddhist history that was facilitated through the country through Nara in one exhibit and in another that I saw, showed Nara through the years and through various historical periods. 

Next was a massive temple, the Todaiji Temple. There is a massive Buddha in this temple. Also, quick tip, never feed the deer outside of this temple. They are the most aggressive in the whole park. 

Just before the temple is also a huge gate called the Nandaimon Gate. 

After going through the gate and the temple, I started making my way uphill to see the Great Bell and the Nigatsudo hall. This was a very beautiful structure, but even more than that, it also gave me a view of the whole city. It's right on the back end of the park. 

I made my way around the backside of the park by the Wakakusayama Hill, where I found the deer a lot nicer to feed, all the way to the Wakamiya Jinja Shrine. Another beautiful testament to Japanese culture and architecture. 

After making my way out of the park, I started walking towards another temple that was in the middle of town, but by this time, I was tired and when I walked past the Nara Visitors Center, I got curious. I saw that they had free cultural activities, like writing your name in calligraphy and origami, and I figured I could go in and do something and give my feet a bit of a break. I got so much more out of the place then I expected. 

In the center, the workers were all proficient in different languages, and the English speaker was a really kind man. He told me about different festivals in walked me through making the origami deer, but I think the best thing I got out of it was I found out about an event, where they were only doing twice, and the day I was there was going to be the second and last time they did it. It was a performance of Noh (traditional Japanese theatre) with about an hour beforehand where they explained the history, characters, and instruments they use in the shows. We were provided with an English translation of the script and after the show, we got to actually try to play the different drums. I think it is such an interesting twist of fate in that I could have walked right past that center and not found out about it and not have gotten to see traditional Japanese theatre at all during the trip, despite the fact that I was really interested in it ever since I learned about it in my world theatre class in college. 

It was getting dark by the time the performance was over. The two temples I had wanted to visit both closed at five, so I couldn't go. I did know there was a lighting festival going on in Nara park after dark, so I went and got dinner, saw the lights, and made the long train ride home. 

Overall, I am so glad that I went to Japan. I have always wanted to go there and I'm super glad I got the chance. I am definitely not done yet, though. I really hope to get the chance to go back one day. There are some places I didn't get to go and some things that I never got the chance to do, that I want to do someday. But for now, I am really glad I went. I'm really proud of myself for going alone and I am proud to say that Japan is the first country I have ever visited that I didn't live in.