Back home, there wasn't a whole lot you could do on your days off that made you forget you had a job to go back to the next day or the day after that. This is because in a state like Texas, most things look the same in the given area you live in. When you drive from Houston to Austin or from Austin to Dallas, not much changes. Sure you might run into some forests or some hills, but 95% of what you see is the same thing you just saw. On top of that, aside from a few unique things in each city, almost every city offers the same entertainment options. In the end, you seem to end up doing the same thing week in and week out. To really do something different, to really get out and have a unique experience, you almost need to take a vacation. Given how large Texas is, this means you need to take 4 or 5 days off of work and likely hop on a plane. Getting a way for a few days turns into a lot of work and a lot of money. In Korea though, this isn't the case.
Every time the weekend rolls around, we are off to a brand new adventure. Maybe this is because everything in Korea is so new to me, but I think it is combination of factors that create the feeling of going on vacation every five days. First, it is a much smaller place than Texas, so you can see all of it a lot easier. Second, getting around is extremely easy with the public transportation system that Korea has in place. Though it has its challenges due to the fact that I can't read or speak Korean, all things considered it is a great system. Finally, the country is really diverse. There are a lot of national parks that you can go sightseeing or hiking in. The ocean and the beaches are never that far away. The rural life is always close by given how recent the transition to modernity has been in Korea. There are many large cities all within a close distance to one another. This means that all of their unique entertainment options are close by. Korea has a lot of festivals that are again, easy to get to. There are many different aspects of Korean Culture that you can learn about or participate in. In addition to that, if you still want the conventional options such as shopping or going to the movies, that is always available too.
For me, the biggest factor has been how accessible everything is. In Texas, you have to drive 3 hours just to get to another big city. Aside from things like sporting events or concerts, there usually isn't a reason to leave your city. You won't find much to do that you can't do in the city you are already in. Don't get me wrong, I love Austin and I always found things to do, but it rarely seemed like you were doing something unique. To do something really different, you almost have to leave the state. This is where Korea sets itself apart.
I can teach Monday through Friday, and then on the weekend I could be laying on the gorgeous beaches of Haeundae or Goji, island hopping off of Tongyeong, hiking a mountain in any of the numerous national parks, catching the film festival in Busan or a play or a concert in Seoul, skiing or snowboarding in the winter, partying at a different club in any city in Korea, shopping in any number of places, visiting museums, or experiencing the unique cultural traditions of Korea and still be back at work on Monday. Looking back, I just don't think that is realistic at home. Here, it seems to happen every five days. This weekend was a great example:
My friend Guy and I got off of work Friday night, had a great dinner, and then called it an early night. I got up at 7am on Saturday and met Guy in front of his place at 8. We walked to the bus station and grabbed a bus to Tongyeong, a city on the southern coast of Korea. We wanted to catch a ferry to the islands off the coast. Despite the best efforts of a cab driver to prevent us from making it, we managed to get on the boat about 10 minutes before it's 11am departure. The ferry took us about an hour offshore to Yeonhwa Island. We spent the next 5 hours hiking around an island in The Sea of Japan. There were various Buddhist Temples, fishing villages, and amazing views atop 600 foot cliffs that dropped straight into the sea below. As we walked along above the sea amongst the dazzling array of fall colors, I couldn't help but think to myself how surreal it was that I was not on vacation. Amazingly, only the day before I had been at work and I'd be back at work on Monday. Hiking in the islands off Korea, you'd never know it though.
I'm sure experiences like this can be had in the states, just not in Texas. I guess if you live in California, the close proximity of mountains, oceans, and cities would be able to create this kind of environment. Perhaps living in the northeast, you could also live like this. I love Austin, but I also love the experience of feeling like each and every weekend is its own mini-vacation.
Here are pictures from Tongyeong:
http://bryanfouquet.smugmug.com/Korea/Tongyeong/14532904_LbgwV#1079641662_D4g4Y
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