“Chuseok” is a traditional harvest holiday in Korea. Chuseok holiday 2017 was extra long because it connected to the National Foundation Day of Korea and Hangul Proclamation Day—it was called the “golden holidays.” In general, Koreans go to the countryside on Chuseok and spend time with their families. This is why there is a serious traffic jam on the expressway during the Chuseok holiday. They go to the countryside to perform ancestral rites, make songpyeon (stuffed rice cakes), or eat various festive foods. Korean students in Ajou University probably spent the holiday in this way. But there are so many foreign students at our school. What did our foreign students do during this Chuseok holiday? Each of them had different experiences, but AG conducted an interview with Galeota Louis-Félix (Software Engineering) who comes from France.
Q. Where did you go during this Chuseok holiday? Please focus on the best place!
Galeota: I visited some places in South Korea, with some of my friends. Among the places I visited, the highlight was Gyeongju. I stayed there for four days, which wasn’t enough time to visit, as there was so much to see! Especially, the Tumuli Park and Cheonmachong tombs cannot be missed. Cheomseongdae, which is an observatory, and the Anapji, which is a pond, are other great spots inside Gyeongju, especially at night as the lighting is truly marvelous. Finally, the Gyeongju National Museum had important cultural assets, preserved artifacts and historical facts about the Silla Empire’s history. If you are lucky, like me, you may even be able to witness some traditional dances and music during your visit! I would definitely recommend anyone interested in Korea’s history to visit this museum.
Q. Even though you wanted to try something, what are the things you couldn’t do during this Chuseok holidays?
G: I couldn’t go to Mt. Namsan for trekking due to lack of time. I really regret that I couldn’t see the mountain paths, the Buddha, and the diverse temples spread into the mountain. I also really wanted to go to Jeju Island with my friends. Due to lack of time and proper planning, however, I couldn’t get there. I will definitely try to go in the future.