tea diaries ~~~~~ groooooovy

Good morning everyone. :)

Lately I've been feeling very introspective, so I thought I'd share a bit of me with you. It's difficult sometimes to come across the way you want in emails - things tend to be formulaic, there's the asking of how "things are in your world?", the updating of things in one's world, the I miss yous, the take cares, the goodbyes. So I would just like to say, unequivocably and unmechanically, that I miss you all like mad. :)

Anyways. Yesterday was the annual Tangerine Festival here on Jeju Island. For those of you who DON'T know ... Jeju is famous for three things according to legend: rocks, wind, and women. In reality it's famous for none of those things, at least not more than tangerines. They're ubiquitous (I think that's the first time I've ever used that word!) throughout the island, driving anywhere you pass farm after farm of these short trees. Lately the tangerines have been turning from green to a pleasing orange color, and I guess yesterday was the harvest festival. I hear some schools even get days off this week so the kids can help with the pickins'. I was hoping for some sort of pagan festival yesterday, tangerines smeared on the dancing bodies of young men and women as they thanked the gods for a plentiful harvest ... and ... it was more like the produce section of the local E-mart. ;) Not only tangerines, but all sorts of strange exotic fruits and little trees (pics to come soon to flickr). Here were some highlights of my stay at the Tangerine Festival:

-A giant dolharubang (stone grandfather, statues like the Easter island ones traditional to Jeju island) - made out of tangerines!
-More teas than I could hold, literally. We went from booth to booth and my host mother poured me samples as I tried to down the last one, holding onto like 3 cups at once, my camera, brochures, my notebook, and gods know what else. I need a manpurse. The best tea? A dark red zinger made from a raspberry looking plant -- looks like juice, tastes like tea, is like awesome. ;)
-A magical ride on a horse-drawn cart for a total of maybe 30 feet. We went around in a little circle on the pavement. It was worth it though, one little girl sat there the whole time with her mouth wide open in wordless joy. So cute.
-"Sook dum". This one bears some explaining. Apparently there's this traditional herbal remedy which involves the burning of crushed plant leaves, dried and shaped into a cone like incense, on a part of the body for healing / well-being purposes. It looked kind of cool so I volunteered at the booth, and ended up getting to chill out there on a little bed for like 45 minutes with this thing burning on my stomach! Sook smells like ... ummm... a certain "herb of the field". It's definitely really relaxing, and I think I snuck a little nap in there too.
-My host mother bought a few of these giant-lemon-looking fruit, and showed me that if you rub your hands on it, you end up smelling like if Calvin Klein put out a "soft smells of summer" fragrance. She gave me one on a little dish to put in my room. :D It's those little things that I love.