Greenpeace, Gathering and Golgulsa

It’s me again… reporting you from humid hot & spicy gangster garlic Kimchi smelling Korea. It’s hot in Seoul and I am happy about it because I like to sweat a lot. Who doesn’t like to be wet by sweat outside and dry yourself at a cool air-conditioner inside a building, subway, taxi or anywhere except outside? Yeah it makes you aware that your body is functioning well. If you possibly get a flu or whatever… just drink/ eat Kimchi, garlic, ginseng, one of the other many Korean health boosters, eat a lot of tasty tzigue’s (filled up soups) or try some breath meditation for a while and flush your flu away.

Last week I coincidentally read an article about air-condition junkies, “airco is an addiction”. The more we artificially keep our cars and buildings cool the warmer the earth get. In the US 15% of the total energy consumption comes from use of airco. This is more than the total energy consumption of Africa! Air conditioning causes damage to the environment by the emission of greenhouse gases and the ozone layer damaging chemicals. The hotter its get, the more airco required - the more emission, the more reheating of the ground, the more airco; a terrifying vicious circle.
I was a polar bear in my former life so to show some respect to my ancient family I don’t put on an air-conditioner anymore unless my tiny butt slips away from my chair because of the small waterfall that creates by body moistures.

But enough about Greenpeace minded topics and weather reports. What happened the last 3.5 weeks? Most joyful of all was the Gathering in Seoul. This 5 day event was organized beyond expectations and respect to all the people who contributed to this mega event! The good thing about it was that you just can do your own thing and if you don’t like it, go to the next program part. The kick off was a pokertournament at the walker hill hotel casino. As I like to play poker at snowboard holidays with my drunken friends or just play online sometimes without money I thought let’s take a shot. Actually my friends often say that I play like an idiot and I always have to get beer because I am out first mostly. At the registration we noticed that we needed our passport to enter the casino (they don’t allow unidentified strangers) so we had to go back to the apartment to let them know we are legal strangers.
When we arrived to enter the groupbus to the casino, we noticed that the bus already left (3,33 min late!). What the… happily taxi’s are rather cheap compared to the Netherlands (10 km = 12 euro)! There we went, towards the casino. The taxi driver was a bit odd (in fact a lot). He talked too much and understood too little (even by Korean Hotel people). After explaining and threatening him to make it time, we made it in time… at the very last minute! Everybody was ready at the tables and we were the last to join. To make a long story short, I don’t play poker a lot but I got 4th of 50+. The first 5 got price money and at a certain point I was chip leader of the final table. After 4 hours playing I got really tired and just ended my play a kind of reckless and lost a bit of concentration. Nevertheless half a million won (around € 333,-) at my first real poker tournament. God watched me and also heard the inner talking that I was happy with fourth place ^^. I will donate half to temple where I will stay because I promised myself.

Other highlights from the Gathering were the crazy group games, the soccer tournament, the show at the temple and the closing party. The games were really funny and you could get a bit more personal with your temporary team members. Finally we did all kind of weird games (like butt bumping, imaginary watermelon eating, chicken wing clap counting, chocolate stick ring pass estafette and count your feet off the floor gymnastics). The best team wins chicken and beer (typically Korean) as a price together. Unfortunately we didn’t win, but had great fun in discovering each other’s talents ^^.

The soccer tournament was killing and confronting towards our health condition! In this kind of weather (33+) you need good stamina, to know that a ball is round and a lot of water to last till the very end of the tournament. In first nobody of the ‘Dutchies’ were interested to join (they are better in drinking games). My mini mission was to form a Dutch team that was brave enough to fight this battle. Arierang members have the ability not to sign up for something they don’t know for sure, so finally I was happy that we formed a team at the very last hour before the match. Looking at our position (we never play regularly together) I was glad we didn’t get slaughtered. I think our offense was our defense. We became partly last, thanks to an own goal. Man of the match of our team, the goalie! He played like spiderman defending his web. Without him we were vanished. Thanks everybody for lasting 4 matches in a row and fought till the very last end! Next time we make a goal! ^^

Before all this I was blessed by a nice Korean family that I know in the Netherlands. Family Lim offered me a place to stay nearby the Gathering location for free! As they know a lot of people in Korea they introduced me to a Christian community in Hwewa (nearby Dongdaemun). The place where we could stay was a big apartment. The original owners immigrated for one week to a honeymoon in Japan. Frank, me and our tour guide stayed there for the week. I really liked the place and I think it’s wonderful that they just offer their apartment to some unknown Dutch foreigners that sound strange and smell suspicious. After the Gathering I could stay at David’s (tour guide) place nearby. In their church (only 5 min walk) I could use some wireless internet and had some new food experiences.

During that period I got some bible study and I must admit that it’s interesting. We talked about missions in life and real importance’s. People nowadays are too focused on making money, career and more selfish reasons. But what if you die and have all these materialistic goodies and power towards other people? It doesn’t count in the afterlife. What is true importance then? According to the bible it’s serving God and life a righteous and a true way. We all have a mission in life and that is to cut of our ego. We have to serve and be helpful to each other and try to life in a harmonious unselfish way. Because there a lot of distractions in this outer world it will not be easy! Probably you think Milan has become a Christian… I believe that the Bible is a book of much wisdom that can lead you to new insights of life and help you to know God/ Jesus better. But I also believe this is only one part of the page. As Buddhism focus more on a practical way. Yoga and meditation are really powerful and you feel direct notion if you practice it. So for me I call myself spiritual though I have a long way to go…

And I am on my way^^! The thing that would let me wait to enter the temple was to fix my F4 Visa. I need a certificate of citizenship and I didn’t pay much attention to it in my preparations. Before I went to Korea I visited the Korean Embassy to arrange my Visa and they didn’t tell me to bring this document. It seems to be important, so after … I think a month I finally get my Visa at Tuesday! I decided to leave Seoul/ Ansan at the 30th of August and first visit another Christian community in the place where the temple is (Gyeongju) and after one day to enter Golgulsa!! I talked to a Dutch friend of mine who visited the temple there and he told me it’s beautiful with a lot of things to lose and gain some energy. I am really looking forward to that period!! For now I am just jogging my way around here and get some free outdoor exercise.

I really want to go and so some wakeboarding next week on the Han River. I’ve heard it’s really polluted, but more reason to do my best to stay on the water :). My stay here almost enters a new phase… the actual reason why I wanted to go to Korea so badly.




Keep you posted!