Thieves and Parks

Sunday morning I awoke to discover that my internet was off. I trudged up to the rooftop to see if I could discover the source of the problem (the last time this happened, one of the coaxial cable connecters had come unscrewed), and discovered that my cable internet line had been severed. At the time, I was furious. Yes, the same person who found the theft of her copper piping (which cost me over $1000 to replace) oddly humorous was nearly foaming at the mouth upon discovery of a severed internet line. (Have I mentioned how I have this bit of an internet addiction?) I went all CSI on the case, whipping out my camera and photographing the evidence... (it was CSI marathon-day 2 after all) and discovered that while my internet cable had simply been chopped, my television cable had been spliced and was now running into my neighbor’s apartment upstairs and Mr. Yu’s (the landlord) apartment downstairs! I concluded that they had decided to steal my cable (really people, what does cable cost here, $4/mo?) and during the course of the process had accidentally cut my internet. (They probably assumed that the internet cable was the TV cable, and when it produced no TV signal, simply assumed it was a useless wire, and left it dangling.) When I found a long (and severed!) coaxial cable, coiled up next to my neighbor’s door, I seriously considered getting a scissors and cutting their cable line. But, as I figured this would simply happen again until they succeeded in stealing my cable, so I decided that I might as well let them have it. I mean, it’s not costing me anything for them to steal my cable.

Hello, severed internet cable.


Aha!

I went over to Gwen’s that afternoon (we spent the afternoon drinking beer, eating pizza and watching CSI) and Samson called Mr. Yu. Turns out I was right, and he had accidentally severed my internet cable while splicing my cable for his and my neighbor’s use. Samson told him that was fine, so long as he reconnected my internet. Sadly, I returned home that evening to discover that my internet was still off, even though an examination of the rooftop showed that Mr. Yu had indeed attempted a repair job. The next morning, Mr. Yu knocked on my door, bowing and apologizing profusely, and offering me notepads and pens (?). When I explained that my internet was still not functioning, he called the company, made an appointment for them to come out and fix it that day, and invited me downstairs for coffee. Over coffee, we discussed the unusual fact that my gas bill for my first month in Korea had come to a whopping eighty-five cents. At first he seemed really concerned that perhaps I wasn’t cooking, or that I was only taking cold showers. (Me? Take cold showers? Um, no.) We determined that the gas meter must be broken. He said that there was no reason to notify the gas company (although they may catch on at some point). So, I’m letting him steal my cable, and he’s not reporting my broken gas meter to the gas company. Gotta love Korea.

After all that, I decided that it was a good time to hang up my copy of the Prajna Paramita Sutra and my Dalmado, both of which were purchased during my trip to Haeinsa last Saturday. I’ve already written about the Prajna Paramita Sutra, so let me tell you a little bit about Dalmado. He’s known in Korea as both Dalmado and Dalma, although those are apparently the Korean names for Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism in China (learn more). Here in Korea, his image is supposed to bring luck to your home, and to keep it safe. I bought it with the Hermitage in mind, although perhaps it will help keep my internet running as well.

The grumpy looking fellow in the upper right corner is Dalmado.
The image reflected in the mirror is the Chinese character for Buddha. I think.

Today is National Foundation Day (according to Wikipedia this day is a celebration of the ancient mythical founding of the Ancient Joseon Kingdom in 2333 BC - links here, here and here) and as such, is a national holiday. This means no work. In addition, Thursday and Friday are national holidays in honor of Chuseok (commonly explained to Westerners as “Korean Thanksgiving” - you can read more about it here.) My school, being run by sane people who value vacations of decent length, have decided to take Wednesday off as well, thus giving me a one-day work week and a six-day weekend. Yippee! (Sadly, this will be followed by a six-day work week, as we have to make up Wednesday on Saturday the 14th, but I figure it’s worth it to have a full six days in a row off.)

I spent my National Foundation Day wandering around yet another section of Daegu. When I took the bus to Gwen’s on Sunday, I noticed a park along the way. It wasn’t in an area I’d normally try to visit (not being along a subway route), but now that I knew at least one bus which runs from my house to said park, I decided to check it out. The park, Mangudang Park, is dedicated to the memory of General Kwak Jae Woo, who successfully led the Koreans in battle against the Japanese in 1592. There are several pavilions, a statue of General Kwak, and a museum (which was closed for the holiday), all located within a nicely manicured park located along the Kumhogang River. (Learn more about the park here.)

General Kwak Jae Woo


General Kwak Jae Woo


Pavilion at Mangudang Park


View from the park across the Kumhogang River


Nearby war memorial, commemorating those who fought for Korea (against Japan, I'm assuming) from 1895 to 1945. The top of this thing glows in changing neon colors at night.


Cool concrete lion. I wanted to have my picture taken riding it,
but I was alone. (Misha, shut up. I can hear you in my head.)


These scary things were everywhere.
I was developing an urge to go all Bilbo Baggins on them,
although lacking a trusty sword, I just photographed them and slunk away.


This pedestrian bridge led across the highway into another section of the park.


Its centerpiece wasn't all that exciting though.


A shot of the Kumhogang river through the trees.

In other news, have you heard that a South Korean will most likely be the next Secretary General of the UN?