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Swan River (By David Kendall)
2005-03-03 VIEW : 952
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By David Kendall, English instructor, Dongguk University |
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Koreans boast of their four seasons. To a Yankee, this seems
as remarkable as saying Korea experiences periods of alternating
daylight and darkness seven times a week. But having traveled with
Koreans around the sun 14 times now, I admit seasons here are quite
distinct, but the nicest are squeezed between extremes of hot humidity
and dry cold. Still, because of this, Korea's spring and fall are
even more spectacular. Winter exits just as you start to feel you cannot take another day clad in brown, black and gray. Gradually, bits of color begin appearing on limbs as trees gain foliage and commuters shed outerwear. Then, suddenly, the coats are all gone and the sun is back, generating enough warmth to set hillsides ablaze with yellow forsythia, purple rose of Sharon and red-vested hikers. Spring in Korea is too brief and beautiful to serve as a backdrop to daily routines. |
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Just as some families live modestly for years
to dazzle everyone with a lavish wedding or 60th birthday party,
Korea's flora holds itself back for two big shows a year around
equinox. But they're free, and everyone is close to the venue. Just
look around. Come May, even the most congested and paved neighborhood in Seoul isn't far from a flower-covered mountain, hilltop or riverbank. But go further; get out into the countryside, visit a temple or take a boat to an island. Any will do because they are all done up in their best at this time. Don't worry about traffic. Korea is very bicycle friendly. Jan Boonstra has uploaded enough testimonials and pictures at http://user.chollian.net/~boonstra/korea/cycle.htm to convince the biggest skeptics, myself included. Hangang Parks have bike rentals and companies on Jeju-do(Island) meet customers at the airport and outfit them with all they need. It never takes much to tour Korea because you are never far from table or bed. You can also carry bikes on inter-city trains in bags available from any bike shop or ride in and out of Seoul along the Hangang trail. Yellow dust sometimes rains on my springtime in Korea parade, but that's not Korea's fault: It all has to do with Siberian winds picking up bits of the Gobi Desert which sounds exotic until industrial emissions from China are mixed in. Besides helping fight erosion in central Asia, there is something Korean officials can do to compliment the natural splendor of spring. Fall has the international fireworks competition and spring has the lanterns of Buddha's Birthday, but no annual daytime event draws Koreans and foreigners together. For years I've incubated a dream that I would like to float publicly here: Swan Boat Races. Pink flamingos have moved from tacky lawn ornament to endeared American icon. The flotillas of white plastic swan-shaped paddleboats that splash out onto the Hangang each spring bearing couples and young families are well poised to gain a similar status here. True, I'm fond of anything with pedals, but this was love at first sight. These vehicles float on water and look like something made with all the innocence, passion, limited budget and garish misdirection of a high school Swan Lake production. When the idea of saddling up a couple swans crossed my mind, I plugged "swan boat races" into a search engine. Amazingly, there were over 70,000 listings! Unfortunately, traditional Thai boats were the linchpin. "Seoul swan boat races" proved a dead end. But scan the pictures on the sites dedicated to Thailand's races. Look at the mix of racers and spectators from all over the world having fun in the sun. That tradition started less than 20 years ago. Isn't it time Seoul had a big fun-filled celebration? Why not let companies, foreign communities, schools and organizations sponsor boats. There could be a relay from Jamsil to Yeouido that would comfortably spread out the event. City-sanctioned betting could raise money for a worthy cause and draw more participants and spectators. It's only an idea, but if anyone at City Hall is looking for volunteers, sign me up. If I've done nothing but help just one person enjoy springtime in Seoul more fully, this will all have been worth it. |
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