TAEGU is the 3rd largest City in South Korea with a population close to 3 million people.
We have been to South Korea twice to visit out Son who is a Professor of Law and one of the Universities, (there are twelve), in Taegu.
WHY MY SON LIVES IN TAEGU:
He received his Law Degree at the U. of Wales in Cardiff. He then articled for a year and worked as a Lawyer for a year in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Like so many Lawyers do, he decided he didn’t want to practice Law so he began to look for another job. He saw an Ad that wanted People with a degree to teach English in a University in Taegu. He taught English only for one year, then English and Law for three years and this year he is a Professor of Law and Economic Development.’
WHY DID SOUTH KOREA NEED ENGLISH PROFESSORS:
English will soon become South Korea’s second language but that was not the reason his University hired him. South Korea is divided into ’economic zones’ and Taegu is in the zone that focuses on the Fashion Industry. The University is affiliated with one in Melbourne, Australia and one in Milan, Italy.
During a Students High School years they are being watched to see which Industry would be best for them. In addition to that the top 20 Students in any Industry is given a 4 year Scholarship, (fees, an apartment, food and spending money), at the University.
Because my Son’s University is teach all aspects of Fashion, (materials, cutting and designing), the Students must learn all of those things plus English, Italian and Japanese.
TAEGU:
The first time we went was three years ago. As he was driving us to his apartment we passed a large memorial that showed where the Korean War ended.
The second time was last year so I am going to combine our trips. The Korean People are not like any other Asians except the Mongolians. There are four Countries that have the same language base: Mongolia, Korea, Hungary and Finland. Most of the younger South Koreans speak English, (if they go to a Private School they learn it there or if they don’t their Parents hire a Private Tutor).
Taegu is surround by beautiful round Mountains, (like you see in pictures of China). It is a beautiful city with a lot of Parks.
Driving here like driving everywhere in Korea is dangerous which makes walking dangerous as well. My Son calls us ’snail driver’s because we drive so slow and he finds the ’rage’ drivers here hard to take. When he was teaching we took take the subway, (it is cheap and fast). Bus service is good and the Taxi’s are cheap but they are on the roads with the cars so if you visit us I suggest you use the subway as much as you can.
It is cheaper for most people to eat our meals out or have them delivered to our homes. Fruit and Vegetables are cheap but meat is not. Most Korean’s buy their fresh vegetables and fruit from the local vendors.
Downtown there are great shops that sell designer cloths, (many designer cloths are make in South Korea now). We browsed through these shops but didn’t buy anything there because we could by the same item in the stalls that are in the middle of every downtown street. We bought cloths, shoes, purses and jewelry.
CULTURE:
1) We went to see Palgong-san Provincial Park. You wouldn’t believe how many Mountain trails I climbed to reach it. The ’Donghwa-sa Temple’ is built in the center with two three story large Pagodas on either site. One Buddha was not made of gold, (like I’ve seen many times), but carves out of some type of white rock. The white stone standing Buddha is the largest stone Buddha in the World.
2) We went to the Culture and Art Hall to see the exhibits, (that are changed every Month), and to see a Korean Cultural Show.
FOOD:
They have food from around the world so if you visit South Korea you will find there are many places for you to eat at.
The best place to eat in the evening is at the Park Hotel. The entire top floor of the hotel is a Restaurant that serves the biggest buffet I have ever seen. On each table there are foods from a different Country.
Even though we had to sit on the floor we love to eat Korean barbecue. All you pay for is the cost of the meat, (pork, beef, fish, seafood or chicken). The side dishes like potatoes pancakes, bean dishes, salads and soup as well as beer or pop are free.
Try to find a nice ’’drinking house’’. I don’t mean the ones that are set up at night and look like tents but the ones that are in a house. These are Bars and each makes their own wine and serves beer.
THE STADIUM BUILD FOR THE FIFA GAMES, (2002):
The Stadium wasn’t built when we were here the first time. It was completed by the time we visited again. On the side that cars drive past it, it doesn’t look too exciting. I saw that on the oppisite side there was a hill that you could look down into it, (it’s an open air Stadium), and we drove to the back.
WOW! Even my Son, (who had never been to the top of the hill), couldn’t believe what we saw. This is the largest Stadium that has been built in both Japan and South Korea. It holds almost 70, 000 people.
SOME THOUGHTS:
If you ever visit South Korea please think about the other Cities you can visit. I have now visited most of them a Taegu is the prettiest.
If you read this far I would like to say Good-bye to you as I am leaving for a Holiday and won’t be back until June the 3rd.
©LL2002