Wooriwei /Oooh-ree-whey/ Korean Farming Experience

Wooriwei means us-together, I think...The groups' idea is to bring together foreigners and Koreans to learn about Korean culture and exchange--well our cultures, I guess? with korean college students from around Seoul and the surrounding province. We arrived in JinWi Station around 7pm on Friday night and ate dinner together (Boodae jjiggae) it is jjiggae--orange with kimchi and veggies and hotdogs in it, sefved with a side of rice. It is soooo tasty. The farmers we would be helping out for the weekend donated to us fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and makoli made from chestnuts. I've never had such sweet makoli, and it kept coming out in those containers you might use to carry gasoline in when you need it for your lawn mower, and it seemed endless. We drank and played drinking games and learned silly chants. Drinking local alcohols in Korea is as natural as drinking guiness with your cornflakes in Ireland. It's more common than water! Especially in Korean college culture. We stayed up and socialized until about 1am, and we all tucked in for a few hours' sleep. This was the farmer that had weeding for us to do (ick) my butt got all wet and it was unpleasant. but at least I got to ride there in a tractor! It was scary sitting in there riding along narrowly paved roads, as the farmland is RIGHT THERE, and it dips down pretty steeply into rice beds. Me, Kelsey, and Hyunbeon (i'm probably butchering his name)...and Haylie/Helen behind the camera. Our litte foursome took on this cuke greenhouse. We pinned up each baby cuke to a string.

As we worked, H. taught me a korean kids' song

it goes like this:

In the woods there lived a family,

Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear.

Papa bear is very Fat.

Mama Bear is slender.

Baby Bear is very very Cute.

They all do very Well.

To say the least, it was quite a new experience. I was disappointed that the farms we were working on were more factory type farms rather than the traditional korean farming experience we'd been promised. But Hey, I got a new t-shirt & gardening hat, and met a whole bunch of new, and different types of people than I'd meet in my day to day life. I got to get Soooooooooo dirty, and it felt good. But in the end I think I prefer to do weeding on my own terms and for my own needs.

The Korean Harvest holiday, Chuseok, is upon us, coming up this Saturday. Koreans will get together and eat Seongpyeon (rice cake) and jajamyeon (sweet potato noodles) and apples and stuff. If they are buddist or practice old confucian traditions, they will honor their ancestors and pray, many will go to temples and perform a bowing ritual, 108 times! I plan to get together with my friends in the park and bring a picnic.

I'm excited for this coming fall, probably more than the other two I've had in Korea. I'm here for the change from Summer to Fall; I've experienced it, so I know what to expect, and it's settling in my bones comfotably; and I don't know. it just feels so nice and chill. It's really put me in the mood to buy vegetables and fruit while they're still cheap, and cook and freeze.

A friend has been talking about freezing and cooking and planted the idea in my head. I have the next five days to myself. I plan this Thursday to be my cooking day. I will make applesauce/applebutter, some soups, and other things. I want to just get creative. Here's to Fall, Y'all! I hope your harvest season is settling in well with you, too!