on wednesday, after our students cried through half of their midterm exams, the entire faculty went on a chin-mok-hoe (친목회, social gathering). preparations for this meeting started weeks ago when a list of nearby mountains and historic places floated around the office. we were to vote according to individual preference, and after the votes were tallied, mungyeong (문경)—more specifically, mungyeong saejae (문경새재)—was declared the winner. [it is in my humble opinion that the older womenfolk, who do not enjoy mountain-climbing, ganged up against the men, who love to climb mountains (like we did last year); it's a fitting explanation for a mountain not having been chosen.]
the office was abuzz wednesday afternoon with last-minute provisions. my deskmate mr. do and i were drafted to haul boxes of beer and various snacks onto two posh buses (korean buses are way better than american buses, what with their wide, comfy reclining seats that recline all the way back). why were the two of us appointed to do manual labor? because we’re the youngest males in the office. “it’s the korean way,” mr. do explained.
the bus ride to mungyeong (pronounced moon-gyung) took a good hour and a half, and we were dropped off on joryeong mountain (조령산). we climbed uphill for thirty minutes until we came to mungyeong saejae, a mountain pass that, during the joseon dynasty, acted as an important “gateway in and out of gyeongsang province.” we started out at the third gate (the last of three, pictured) and worked our way down to the first, which was a smart way to go because the entire pass is approximately 7km long (around a two and a half hour walk).
diana and i spent most of the walk together and talked about…stuff. we joked that all of our pictures would turn out the same (check out her write-up here), and together we saw some beautiful scenery. 
the environment was wilder at first (pictured, left) but became more domesticated (pictured, right). between gate 3 and gate 1 we came across countless streams, several ponds, a few bridges, and a couple of waterfalls. the weather was picture perfect for our long stroll through the entire pass: the sun shone, the air was fresh, the breeze blew consistently.
near the end of the trail, we came upon a small village that was used as a film set for recent korean drama 대왕 세종 (king sejong the great). inside the traditional-style structures were friendly ladies in hanbok (한복, traditional korean garb) offering an endless supply of ddeok (떡, rice cake) and tea to visitors (for free!). having endured the very long walk, we especially enjoyed the refreshing teas of various tastes and colors. what was this, you ask? through luck’s grace we had encountered the annual mungyung traditional tea bowl festival (전통찻사발축제, running may 1st-may 10, 2009).
for dinner, we had a spicy stew and delicious pajeon (파전, a pancake-like dish with scallions and squid). korean teachers people love to get together and drink, and this meeting was no exception. instead of the more common soju, we got dongdongju (동동주), a traditional alcoholic beverage made from rice. it has a milky, off-white color, and tastes soft and sweet. i ended up drinking quite a bit of dongdongju with several teachers, teachers who only speak to me when their guards are down. no matter, i had a good time anyway.
by the time the bus arrived back at school it was 9pm. i chose not to join in on the inevitable noraebang (karaoke) shenanigans sure to last deep into the night. i went home, took a shower, and slept the alcohol off. the next morning, i went to the gym and sweat the alcohol off. when i got to school thursday, mr. do was wearing the exact same clothes he had worn the day prior, and he looked like shit. those korean teachers ::shakes head::…i suppose it’s the korean way.
