Gyeongju

 My next stop is Gyeongju. It once was the 4th biggest city in the world and was the capital of the Silla empire, but you wouldn’t really know that from it today. It is called the museum without walls, and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s a really beautiful city to walk around in. So much of the historic architecture is preserved in the city, traditional ‘Hanook’ houses stand still, many have been turned into inns, restaurants, and cafes. 

There are large grassy hills, maybe 20 meter in height, all around the city. These are old burial mounds of royal/important people. The city is designed around them with green spaces, palaces, pagodas, temples, and museums scattered throughout the area free to wander. It’s a great place to experience history and look into culture.

As I wandered through one of the historic palace grounds I was greeted, quite literally, by a hundred or so middle school Korean kids on a school trip. They wandered freely in the old palace grounds, playing and laughing. I became quite the spectacle for them. I’m not sure if it was the time of day or the location, but I was the only visibly non-Korean walking around the palace grounds that morning, and they were delighted to try to say something in English to me. Tight little groups of 3-5 kids would look at me and whisper and then one would yell “HELLO HOW ARE YOU” and the group would descend in to fits of delighted laughter. When I replied the laughter often descended into joyous squeals, and it was hard not to laugh myself. A few particularly brave boys ran up to me in small groups and actually asked me questions long enough to get a response. They asked where I was from and when said America they would begins chanting “AMERICA” or “USA USA” and sprint away peeling with laughter. It was so cute and funny and endlessly entertaining.  

I enjoyed wandering the streets trying Korean dishes and finding many ways to keep my mind busy. Here is where I got the sad news about the American election.  It’s embarrassing and sad. How people chose to vote for someone as atrocious as him is beyond me. Especially when Harris is the alternative. The Democrats couldn’t have picked a less threatening person. Her policies are so uncontroversial shes the equivalent of a glass of milk. Nice enough and politically boring as hell so moderate shes practically an old school republican. It’s both not surprising and absolutely infuriating. It’s a bad day for the world and America, but the beauty of being abroad for it is you see life going on. People are continuing their days. Life will continue. Painfully and with less freedom, but it will continue. It’s sad to know that someone with felonies, 26+ sexual misconduct allegations can win the presidency. That someone can win despite showing themselves to not be even a remotely decent person or having any morals beyond their wallet. It’s sad. We will be worse for it, but the fight against injustice will never end and this a just a big bump in the road.