Ochang is without a doubt a small town, but I like knowing all of the little nooks and crannies of where I live and Cheongju is only a short bus ride away. I get the benefit of having a big city really close by with the knowledge that I have a cozy, homey little town to return to. It's great that it's smaller, but it's certainly not rural by America's standards. Ochang has several little pockets of restaurant/shopping/karaoke areas that are connected by rows upon rows upon rows of apartments punctuated with convenience stores and the occasional school. Surprisingly, amongst the many Korean restaurants and ddeokbokki stalls, we have a large number of American stores! Ochang boasts a Baskin Robbins, a KFC, a Burger King, a KSwiss, an Adidas outlet (of sorts), several CVSes (better known as CU in Korea), a Pizza Hut, a Dominos, and, of course, a Starbucks. Despite all of this, I would say the highlight of Ochang is the Lake Park, which is exactly what it sounds like and acts as the hub of Ochang. On summer nights, families can be found around the park eating cotton candy and playing games with their kids. In this cold autumn, it's common for couples to wrap up in matching jackets (this will have to be its own post) and take a stroll around the lake together. As for me? Well, Deanna and I have taken it as our go-to picnic spot. Yes, even in the cold and rain and slight snow. Why you ask? Because there's not a culture of visiting people's houses in Korea. You just don't go over to a friends house. A home is a sacred space and if you want to hang out with somebody, you go to a coffee shop or to the movies or shopping together. This makes it hard to just 'hang out' somewhere, but with enough time I've gotten creative and it works out.
I absolutely adore my placement and there's nowhere else I'd rather be in Korea! The atmosphere of Ochang and the excitement of nearby Cheongju are enough for me and the people that I've met in both cities are wonderful and have helped me to feel at home here!
Until then, much love from Ochang,
Haley Bird