First, I want to say that translating things from Korean to into pronounceable English doesn't work that well most of the time. As I romanized 찜질방 I was forced to come to terms (again) with the fact that English and Korean don't have a 1:1 correlation between consonant sounds. I wrote "jimjilbang" but that could have easily been "chimjilbang" or "chimchilbang" and none of them are 100% correct. The trick is to practice saying it the way you are supposed to say it and not to try to mash it into the constraints of English and also to have people who will tirelessly help you to speak correctly (thanks T/C crew!)
So last night I decided to take it easy and not go out. We've been starting our day with breakfast around 7:30 and taking classes that end at 8:00pm. We go into town and experience Korean culture and practice our Korean in the wild. Last night was different, though. After my friend Edward and I squeezed in the line and finished doing laundry he suggested that we go to the 찜질방. To preface this, I had read about going to the 찜질방 and it was something that I wanted to try. I never thought that I would be going within my first week in Korea. This was something that I hoped to be able to go to after a few months.
As Edward and I set off I was full of nervous anticipation. The irony is that going to the 찜질방 is a relaxing event. It is about as tranquil an activity as I have ever known. OK...so what is a 찜질방? Here is my explanation*: Korean homes didn't always have showers or bathtubs...in fact many of them didn't. So what's a country based on collective culture and community to do? They make communal bath houses in every town! Now remove those images of 1970's San Fransisco 'bath houses" that just popped into your head. Good. This a purely relaxing non-sexual atmosphere. Men down one hallway and women down the other. It's a really communal experience that I understand on the surface, and I hope to keep going so that I understand it more fully.
Edward and I removed our shoes upon entering, paid a nominal fee and got a locker for our shoes as well as a "robe" (comfy shorts and shirt). We took that key to the next room where we swapped it for another key to a locker where we would put our clothes. We put our robes and clothes in the locker and walked to the room with the hot baths. We soaked in a pleasantly hot bath for a while then Edward wanted to go to the hotter tub.
Korea is a technologically advanced country and they are as equally adept at making flat screen TV's as they are at making incredible hot water. Edward, being of Korean decent and from Texas (read: heat has no effect on him) went in right away. I put in my feet and s-l-o-w-l-y lowered my body into the inferno. After a bit of hot soaking Edward took us to the sauna. We sat in dry heat for a bit before plunging into a long, frigid tub of chilled water. My body started buzzing from the shock of the temperature changes and we left for the showers.
Korea is a technologically advanced country and they are as equally adept at making flat screen TV's as they are at making incredible hot water. Edward, being of Korean decent and from Texas (read: heat has no effect on him) went in right away. I put in my feet and s-l-o-w-l-y lowered my body into the inferno. After a bit of hot soaking Edward took us to the sauna. We sat in dry heat for a bit before plunging into a long, frigid tub of chilled water. My body started buzzing from the shock of the temperature changes and we left for the showers.
As Edward and I showered, a friendly Korean man came up us and started talking to Edward about Korea's amazing Olympic performance. No big deal at this point and we continued showering as the old man left. Then the man returned and started talking about his puppies. I was so happy to not speak any Korean at that point so I could look on in total ignorant bliss as Edward became creeped out for the both of us. He signaled for us to finish and we left.
We put on our robes and moved to the relaxation room. This is where clothed men and women can meet back up again. We got a soy milk and a hard boiled egg and sat on the heated floor on a mat. Edward showed me the Korean way of cracking an egg at the 찜질방: by smashing it on my forehead. The egg white was a smoky golden brown and the whole egg was creamy and delicious.
We laid on the heated floor, grabbed a pillow and watched some Korean Olympic action on an unbelievably huge plasma TV. Before I knew it, Edward was waking me up. I had drifted off to sleep and he was trying to get us out of there before the 12:30 curfew.
While reflecting on these events it has occurred to me that in the US something like this would never fly. It is something that is intrinsic to Korean communal culture and seems to just make sense here. Like most traditions across every culture, it was born out of necessity and has become ritualized and part of everyday life. It was a fantastic experience that I feel lucky to have been a part of. Not speaking Korean limits what you can do here and I am incredibly grateful to Edward for taking me along with him. I can't wait to go back.
*(the accuracy of these statements have not been verified and I am not an authority on anything Korean so take this with a grain of salt. If you know a better description, feel free to put it in the comments.)
Sounds great, Dan. You're right, something like that would not work at all here in the states. It's a shame that the concept of community has lost a lot of its allure here over the last several decades post-WWII when the suburbs began and the ethos of American hyper-individualism was solidified. We have lost a lot of our humanity in the process.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there is some semblance of a return to valuing community that is beginning to emerge in the form of farmers markets, etc. But we still are a long, long way from our Korean brethren it appears.
nice reading experience, give us more...!
ReplyDeleteGlad your love affair with Korea is still going strong. I go to 찜찔방 at least once a week (usually on weekends.) We should go when I visit Daejeon!
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