Last summer I asked my college students in Anthropology 1, aside from learning anthropological concepts and theories inside the classroom - to explore places, experience cultural happenings, and then apply their learning through writing ethnographic accounts using the method of participation-observation.
I am posting in my blog with the writer's consent selected ethnography penned creatively by my students to contribute to the emerging sub-discipline of anthropology called 'Virtual Ethnography'.
Basically, virtually ethnography is also referred to as Webnography. We cannot deny the fact that with increasing use of technology and the Internet, there is now a demand for online spaces on various ethnographic accounts.
By Lianne Kristel Belamide
When I was an exchange student in South Korea, am and my closest friends would travel to different places every weekend. We’d plan the trip during the weekdays 9in our classes) and after that we’d spend the word to everyone else and would start packing our bags on Friday nights.
We arrived at exactly four in the afternoon at Golgulsa Temple. It was during autumn when we went there and the weather was really nice. The leaves were changing colors and as we drove all they way up, the view was breathtaking. It wasn’t as far as I thought it would be. It probably took us just about an hour and a half to reach the place. After paying a cost of 50,000 won (Php 1,971) we were escorted by a monk to our rooms. He was wearing gray-colored clothing that covers his arms and legs, white socks with white shoes which had thick laces wrapped around his ankles. He gave us our uniforms which consist of colored brown with very loose cotton shirt and pants.
The dorm was separated from the main temple. Our room, like any other places in Korea, was very clean and warm. There were no beds except for these thin cushions laid on top of one another which we would be using for the night. We were going to sleep on the floor. This didn’t surprise me at all for sleeping on the floor which is common in Korea. I have been to different jimjjibang’s or saunas and these places provide common sleeping area (floor) in a vast room.
The Temple Stay program offers a peek into temple life. This includes early morning chanting, sitting and walking meditation, tea ceremonies, bowing, temple food, and community work. One can also experience sunmudo, a type of martial arts every morning.
We were oriented briefly about the activities for the following day. Then he headed to bed as early as 9:30 pm coz lights were off at exactly 10:00 that night. Then we had to wake up before 4:30 am.
Waking up at 3:30 am was quite hard. Only after four alarms in my clock did I wake up and rushed off, afraid to be scolded for being noisy at the corridor.
We headed out in the temple for meditation at 4:30 am. In 30 minutes, monks started to chant in Korean. We quietly sat while listening to them and followed their gestures. After an hour of meditation, both sitting and walking meditation, I observed what everyone was doing – I closed my eyes and tried to relax my body. The sitting meditation tricked me a bit that I started to drift off. That made me sleepy. I did that for 30 minutes but started to do the walking meditation. The cool breeze suddenly awakened my senses. As I walk and meditate, I was totally amazed at how the monks tried to connect with nature peacefully.
At 6 am, we had our breakfast as we joined the monks. They strictly informed us of proper etiquette in dining. Four bowls were served – for rice and kimchi, vegetable, and a bowl of water and a soup. In lieu of meat, they’d rather eat tofu. Tofu tasted better but the other viands were not. No left over was strictly obeyed. Monks eat for life and flavor. Then, we washed our dishes, rinsed it with fresh water, and made sure the water was totally clean.
We roamed around as we had visited various Buddha sculptures. I saw cave temples and atop the shrine, an amazing view of the valley overjoyed me. Naturally, monks didn’t pay attention to our quirky amazement. I also guessed because of language barrier.
The food were repetitive every meal. I didn’t eat much but stayed in my room while my friends took part of the tea ceremony, although one of them brought me a cup of tea that made me better. There was dinner and then sunmudo training again. Having been trained in taekwondo, the moves were completely different. So I headed to my room to sleep already.
The experience of living a life with the monks in a temple was enlightening. Monks constantly meditate and do martial arts training – routinely and religiously. I was impressed how devoted they were. In there, I felt how simple could be – away from life’s complexities and absurdities. Everyday was enriching and beautiful. Hence, I recommend this to those who plan to go to Korea to feel this life-changing experience.
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