To the End of the Earth!

I had the chance to tag along on a museum-school grant evaluation to a remote island off the southwestern coast of Korea. It took six hours in car, taxi, train, and ferry to get to Jo Do. The area is referred to as the Bird Islands not because of its birdlife but because there are so many islands they look like a flock of birds. The island is comparatively prosperous because of its fishing industry but remains rural and insular with virtually no tourism. We ate an early lunch on the mainland and went directly to the elementary school. It has 51 student, 17 of them in first grade. (Must have been one crazy winter…) At the end of the day, we returned to the port area in heavy fog and drizzle. My Korean colleague knew the system and started knocking on doors, looking for someone who had enough food and was willing to cook for our group of five (including another professor and three of his students). After some persuading, a woman checked her wet well and agreed, although she would not let us eat inside her place. Instead, she brought us to the unlocked ferry terminal to wait out of the weather. She returned with two emergency blankets to spread on a large table under an awning. We sat on these in the chill, the surface becoming both seating and eating space. Soon she brought a large tray with two bottles of beer, two bottles of soju (guaranteed hangover), dried anchovies, and kimchi. I mistook the next course for octopus—very popular in the area—but it was poached eel. As eldest and honored guest, I got the first piece. It went in my mouth and came straight back out for the feral cats that had already assembled to beg. Just as I thought I might starve, our cook delivered a fish stew, fins poking above the broth. She stayed for that course, telling loud stories and drinking our soju, before slipping away. When we eventually realized that she had given up or passed out, we returned everything to her kitchen. After a quick look around, I gave myself 50-50 odds of visiting the doctor in the next two weeks. Eek! We then made a quick stop at the only convenience store on the island where I saw fish filets sharing freezer space with ice cream treats. We went home to our traditional Korean guest house and gathered in our pajamas for beer and snacks. (Way to get to know your students…) When it was time to go to bed, we pulled comforters from the closet to make our beds on the floor. It was at least as hard as my bed in the dorm plus the pillow was wrapped in crinkly plastic. What a noisy night!