One reason I love my neighborhood

One of the best methods for dealing with culture shock, in those moments when everything about the foreign country is driving you batty, is to identify the things that you will miss when the time comes to finally leave. I am sure that over the course of the year, I will have a huge list; in fact, my list is already starting to grow. I will miss the brilliant public transportation system, I will miss having kimchi served at every meal, I will miss the fact that I have three decent corner markets within a 5 minutes walk from my apartment. Oh yeah, and the fact that I am getting paid more to do a fraction of the work I was doing back home, with a fraction of the stress. I love that part.

Something I have recently discovered is so cool that it merits its own writing. About a half block from my apartment is Shingu Elementary school. It has a fantastic recreation field, which runs the length of the street perpendicular to mine. There is a soccer field, a basketball court, and some playground equipement. And a track runs around the length of the soccer field. Not an icky dirt track, but one of those nice rubber ones that absorbs the shock when you run. It really is an impressive little sports field for an elementary school.

When school is not in session, the field becomes a public multi-use space. It is used by soccer teams of various ages and nationalities (two teams I dubbed the British Isle Hotties and Middle Aged Americans were there last weekend). It is used by joggers and walkers. It is used by families with children, people with dogs, dudes playing basketball. It is even used by people doing Tai Chi and yoga.

But the best part about the field is that is stays in use until late at night. The first night I went, I was there doing yoga at 10:30 p.m., and didn’t feel anything but perfectly safe. Tonight, I went down at 11:00 p.m., and there were at least 3 dozen people there. About a dozen people jogging or walking (including a few elderly women walking backwards, a popular exercise that is said to improve specific muscles and balance), some boys playing basketball, a family having a picnic, a dad teaching his kids to play soccer, a solo soccer dude, a few girls stretching, and my favorite, singing Tai Chi lady. It was so cool to be out there so late with so many others, and feel totally safe. When I left at midnight, there were still almost two dozen out there.

And here is the strange part -- the field itself has absolutely no light. None at all. It really is a dark field. However, the places surrounding it provide just enough light so see what you are doing. In fact, on of the main sources of light is the colassal neon cross from the nearby Gwanglim Catholic Church. There is enough light to do sprints without worrying about tripping over something, but not enough light for people to clearly see each other’s faces unless you’re right up close. It’s absolutely perfect. There is something so cool about moving around in a fairly small space with so many others, but still having a sense of privacy. I just can’t describe it. I especially love it because its one of the few times that the fact that I am a foreigner is not as obvious. Of course, the swinging blonde ponytail gives me away, but I’m thinking about getting a beenie to cover it up.

So I am still thrilled about the fact that I just did laps, and totally enjoyed it. This was something I almost never did at home. I usually prefered to jog or walk after dark, but never felt that safe doing it, especially on a deserted high school track. Plus, by the time I was home from work and recovered enough to get some exercise, it was nighttime. The best choice was working out in a gym, but I would rather be an out of shape fatty that work out at a gym. The result was that I rarely got regular exercise. And now I can’t wait until the next time I can put on the headphones and head out to the track.