Keeping up with the Burgesses in Korea!

For a long time, I have always wanted to travel with my parents, especially to Asia and show them parts that I love, or as I see it. So what a blessing it was to finally have them come over and experience South Korea with me. Having just come from a visit to my brother, Grant, and his family in Taiwan, my parents came to Korea with a bang, experiencing various crazy weather-related events. On the day they arrived, whilst on the train from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station, there was an earthquake. During the first week of their visit, the country experienced a heatwave, with high temperatures every single day; and in the second week, while we visited Busan, Typhoon Khanun hit Korea and caused flooding and damage in some parts of the country. With that said, what a way to experience a new country! But being who they are, they took everything in their stride. Going with the flow and just being open to whatever was to come.

Welcome to Korea! Meeting the parents again after 18 months apart at Incheon Airport!

A happy accident. Mbali happened to be in town when they arrived!

My intention for the visit was for them to experience my life here, to treat them a bit and to also show them how happy I am here. I believe these intentions were fulfilled.

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Meeting their granddaughter for the first time

Although I was not there with them, I must acknowledge my parent’s visit to Taiwan to see Grant and his family and meet their first grandchild, Caitlin. It was lovely bearing witness (through photos and videos) to them finally spending time with her. While they were there, Caitlin had her second birthday. I’m so glad my parents got the time with all of them, making new and special memories that I’m sure they’ll carry with them forever. 

The bond was cemented the first day they met...

Celebrating Caitlin's 2nd birthday. Mom, Grant, Kirsten, Dad and the birthday girl.

With Grandma (or Oma as Caitlin calls her).

For those who don’t know, both my older brother and I live abroad and teach English. Grant moved to Taiwan eight years ago. He and his wife, Kirsten, met in Cape Town while she was on a church mission exchange programme and a few years later he moved to be with her in Taiwan. I’ve asked my parents what it’s like having both children live overseas, which I assume is not easy. Dad says it can get lonely at times but the upside is that they get to travel to us! Mom, on the other hand, says because the rest of her family is still in Cape Town, it’s okay. I know it’s tough though as we are a close-knit family. However, considering how happy we both are where we are, I don’t think either parent would want anything different for us.

Saying goodbye before heading to their next destination. 

Small big things

There’s nothing like waking up to a cup of coffee made by your dad or someone asking, “Coffee?” Oh my goodness, if ever I miss something from home, it’s sharing a cup of coffee with someone or having someone offer to make me a cup. Everyone here either drinks iced coffee, tea, cider/juices, or they don’t drink coffee at all! So whenever my South African visitors are around, I can enjoy Korean café culture properly as I have people to sit down and sip with.

This guy absolutely makes the best coffee and he never says no to making a cup! #Blessed

For the first week of the visit, I still had the English summer camp on so I had to be at school. The unexpected cool thing about this is that my Dad walked me to school every day. How special that was! The last time we really walked to school together was when I was in primary school. Dad was the Deputy Principal of the same school at the time and we lived near enough to walk. My parents also visited my school during the week, meeting the students and getting a tour of the school from our Vice-Principal. That was very unexpected and sweet. The VP showed them the fencing gym as the school is renowned for producing national fencing champions, one of whom is an Olympian and Number 2 in the world. This was cool as fencing also runs in our family; my grandmother and uncles were fencers in their day. It was wonderful getting to show them my school as well as to have them in the classroom while I taught. As my dad is a former teacher, I’m sure he was proud to witness me taking up the profession! During class time, we had the students stand and introduce themselves to our guests. They did excellent, each one taking their turn. They were so excited to meet my parents, which surprised me as I had worried they’d be shy but it was fun and we all had a good time.

Walking me to school like old times, except now I am the teacher! :)

Joining us in the classroom for English camp. Fun times!

Visiting me at school. Wonderful memories!

Since it was their first time in Korea we had to do lots of travelling; and since Mbali taught me so well about how to travel and what to see, I decided to play tour guide and make sure they see some major attractions in Korea. One of the best things about this country is how easy it is to move around from city to city so we squeezed in as much travel as we could!

Seoul

Since I live in Daejeon, a visit to the capital, Seoul, was a must for our travel itinerary. There is so much to see and do. While there, we visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Village and some famous markets. We also stayed in Myeongdong which is quite central so there’s lots to do in the area. On our first night there, there was a K-pop star from the girl group STAYC in Myeongdong. Spotting K-pop stars is a big deal in Korea so watching everyone marvel at her was pretty interesting. And watching my Dad acting like an influencer, trying to get a good photo/video was funny too!

Burge (forever the influencer) taking a photo of us in Seoul's famous subway!

K-pop star craze!

Visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace on the hottest day ever!

Mom posing with the guard... lol

Taking cutesy Korean-style photos. :) 

Burge walking around taking photos of everyone in the traditional Korean clothing (Hanbok)

Because of the heatwave, the Palace unfortunately did not show the changing of the guards, which was understandable. So they’ll have to come back for that experience! In just a day and a half, we managed to visit many places but it would take weeks to see and do lots more in Seoul. I had fun visiting sights that I knew they would enjoy as well as some tourist attractions I had not been to before. At the palace, Dad had fun taking photos of everyone wearing Hanbok – traditional Korean clothing.

Visit to Bukchon Village, a village of traditional Korean homes in Seoul.

Taking a rest in the shade from the heat. Jinne, dit was warm!

Nog 'n pitstop. Making decisions about the next destination. Can see the heat getting to us LOL

Busan

In Busan, we visited major tourist spots such as Jagalchi Market, BIFF Square, the Gamcheon Culture Village, Haeundae Beach and Gwangalli Beach. They also walked around Chinatown, which was near where we stayed. Busan is in the southern part of the country, at opposite ends to Seoul. Busan has a different vibe to it because of the ocean. Also, the city is very focused on attracting foreign visitors and puts quite a lot of effort into making it a foreigner-friendly destination. It’s definitely one of my favourite cities in Korea.

Visiting Jagalchi Fish Market — the largest in Korea.

Burge captured really nice pics of Mom and me. 🖤

Visiting the colourful Gamcheon Village!

Burge always taking photos... a true influencer!

Pit stop from the rain and humidity for a cold one!

I thought it would be cool for them to see some of the major cities in Korea, and perhaps observe some of their differences. As I said the wonderful thing about Korea is how easy it is to travel from one end to the other. Also, Daejeon is in the middle which makes travel even easier. I think my Dad was most impressed with this; just packing your bag and going to another city for a day or two. Both of them liked Busan and said it was their favourite out of the three cities they visited. Just a pity that Typhoon Khanun decided to pass through Busan on our second day there but luckily there was no real damage or threat where we were. 

Checking out Haeundae, the very popular beach area of Busan.

Special moments at Haeundae Beach. 

Last stop... Gwangalli Beach to see the famous Diamond Beach. This was when Typhoon Khanun was beginning his/her approach hence the beach being taped off!

Daejeon

In Daejeon, I also took them to see a few sights and popular spots. Unlike Seoul and Busan, Daejeon doesn't have too much to offer in terms of sightseeing. Still, we visited Expo Park, Sky Road, Hanbat Arboretum, the Daejeon Jungang Market (traditional market) and a few other places near my home. 

Visit to Expo Bridge in Daejeon.

Tower at Daejeon Expo Science Park. People cooling off from the heat.

Checking out the area near Sky Road. 

Walking a red clay trail in Yuseong. Walking barefoot in the mud is supposed to be good for your health!

The water show at Expo Park...

Sweet moments.

Unexpectedly coming across a major festival in Daejeon — the Zero o'clock festival.

Living side by side again

Sharing your space (home) with your parents as an adult is no easy feat. And if you know Korea, you know how small our homes are. But I wanted them to stay with me and experience my life as it is here so I was very intentional about that and the time we would spend together. But obviously, a small space plus a heatwave and three adults can mean many things. The space can become too small for so many personalities. In Cape Town, my parents have a fairly big house so each one has their corner and can just take a time out when they need to. Or if I had enough, I'd just go to my own place in Somerset West. Here, I’d just go lay in my room, needing me-time for just a moment, but then one parent would come sit on the bed with me, followed by the other. A girl just needed a moment! But no shame, it was nice to have those bonding moments.

When it also got too small for comfort, Burge (as I call my dad) would just go for a walk. He must have walked around my area about 100 times! Even in the heatwave. Not to get away from my mom and me but because he has a daily step goal of 15000 steps! At 66 years old (67 in a week), he runs 5kms every single morning. No joke. Not the heat nor the humidity could stop that routine! It makes me crazy at times because I want him to just chill but on other days when I am motivated, I would join him. Living together also meant more time for conversation, catching up and having heart-to-hearts about concerns for the future. It also meant sharing all our meals together, tea time, my mom braiding my hair every day (thank you) and when she was motivated, cooking some curry for us! There is nothing like a meal cooked by your mom. Nothing.

Walking me to school and then going for his 5km run. Dad could not get enough of being able to run with his phone in his hand (unlike at home)!

I miss my mom's handiwork! Made life so much easier in the heat!

During their time here they got to meet many of the friendly faces in my little community, from shop owners, my hairdresser, fellow teachers and those who have become friends. We went for walks around the area, where they could see the hustle and bustle of daily life. I also introduced them to various Korean dishes which they really enjoyed. I was surprised by how well they took to Korean food, willing to try everything too! That’s the best kind of traveller… give everything a chance. 

Stop over at a café before we continue our walk. It was really hot and humid during this time!

The owner of my favourite toastie place took a photo of us and gave each one a copy. She also put one up in the store so I could see it whenever I came. So sweet.

And then…

Meeting the parents

A cherished experience I also got to share was introducing my partner, Selorm, to my parents. Meeting the parents for the first time is never easy. No matter how chilled you are, there’s always some nervousness and questions in your head as to whether or not they will like him; will it be comfortable; will he be okay; will everyone get along, etc etc. But I guess the older you are, the more relaxed this event is.

Meeting the parents and having lunch together. :)

Apparently, this was their favourite Korean meal during the trip, which Selorm chose. Imagine. 

It was nice having them finally meet, eating together and just getting to know each other with the limited time we had. Though it was brief I reckon it was successful — if I should say so myself! I’m incredibly happy in my relationship and it was lovely having the opportunity to show that to my parents. As mentioned before, I will tell this part of my Korean story at a later stage. For now, I can say it's been six months of gentle growth in love.

Dad sneakily took photos of us. So cute. I'm really glad they could meet. 🖤 

And then there was one again…

Time flew by so quickly! The day after they left was tough for me. I had not expected to be so sad but if you know me well, you know how close I am to my parents. Most weekends at home in Cape Town you will find me at my parent’s house so I guess it was not surprising how sad I was when they left. Also, I realised how precious time is and how lucky I was to create new memories with them. Before they arrived, I had told various teacher friends about their visit and a few mentioned how lucky I was, that the same would probably never happen for them; that they couldn’t imagine their families coming over to visit. I think hearing this was very important as it made me even more grateful for our time together. Also, to have parents who are healthy enough to travel and move around as they wish is truly a blessing. With continued good health, I hope that we’re able to do this again someday…

Taking a 3-hour bus trip from Daejeon to Incheon International Airport.

Saying a bittersweet goodbye at the airport...

With that said, I just have to say, create opportunities to spend time with your parents/loved ones; and if you can afford to, take the time to travel with them. Take the time to get to know your parents as an adult. I made videos of myself interviewing my parents, asking them questions about their experience here and in Taiwan, as well as regarding life in general, consequently recording precious moments together. It wasn’t meant for the blog but more so to capture their experiences and wisdom. Now that I am older, I truly understand the blessing and privilege of not only still having both parents around but also having a close relationship with them. Going to a café with just my dad to have a cup of coffee (which we both really love) was special, and then getting alone time with my mom for important conversations was much needed. Truly grateful for all of this.

Wishing you all a lovely new Spring/Autumn season wherever you are in the world and as always, thank you for reading and staying on this journey with me. 

Meryl Joy Burgess

Ps. When leaving a comment, please add your name (instead of anonymous) so that I know who is commenting and can respond in kind. 🖤