Today I would like to tell everyone about Jeju.  We get alot of questions about it.

Jejudo (제주도 or Chejudo, -do meaning island or province in Korean)  is one of South Korea's 9 provinces.  It is located at the southern end of the peninsula in the Straits of Korea.  Its capital city is Jeju City on the north coast, and it's other city is called Seogwipo ( sew-ee-po) on the south coast.  For reference, in the picture below, North Korea is off the top of the map and Seoul, the capital of South Korea is the smaller circle within the north western-most province.

There we are on google maps!

Provincial map of South Korea, Jejudo is in red.

It is a 45 x 40 mile island (roughly the size of Rhode Island) with a population around 500,000 (roughly 1/2 of Rhode Island).  You can drive around the entire island in 8 hours they tell us.  The climate is temperate, though it is classified as a subtropical island.  Today the high is 75 and it's the rainy season so it rains almost every day in June and July.  They get a mini monsoon season I think.  Nowhere near Vietnam or India monsoon though.  Winters are mild with lows in the 30's and 40's with only 17 days on average below freezing on the island.  It does snow there and it was snowing this year on and off right through April.  The highest point is called Mt. Halla (hallasan) at 6,400 ft above sea level.   It is a large inactive shield volcano (think Hawaii) and it formed the island.  It is the reason Jeju has been referred to as the "Hawaii of the East China Sea"  Though I think the comparison is way off.  Its nowhere as hot as Hawaii and surfing is a relatively new thing there, introduced in the last 20 years or so to the locals by tourists and expats on the island.  Because the island is volcanic, it is full of calderas, craters, and lava tube caves.

The school is located on the southwest corner of the island. We hear it is pretty windy there most of the year due to the prevailing wind off the Pacific Ocean.  We will be 5 miles from the coast, but due to the elevation change, my classroom will overlook the ocean.  Jessi on the other side of the hall, will have a gorgeous view of Mt. Halla.  More on that in another post.

That's our school, Korean International School Jeju Campus.  Mount Halla is in the background.

The island itself is gorgeous!  It won a contest to be named the 8th natural wonder of the world, and is a UNESCO World-Heritage Park.. the whole island is a protected natural preserve.  Check out his fly-over video on youtube!  All of the little hills are called Ourum and are basically very small mini-volcanoes.  The caldera at about 1 minute in is called Seongsan and is very common on all of Jeju's marketing adds online.  As you can see the island is a mix of hill, forest, field, beach and rocky coasts.  The unique landscape is why it was named a World Heritage Site.

There are also many sites where the original culture of the island is apparent and protected.  Grass Hut Village museums and the dol hareubang or "stone grandfathers", large basalt carvings of men that are ubiquitous on the island...  and yes they are fertility and protection gods....  but that's another post.

Does it look a little "awkward" to you too?

dol hareubang 

The traditional family structure is matriarchal, with the women running the family, as can be seen in the haenyeos even today.  These women make up the abalone fishery on the island.  They spend hours a day free-diving for the shellfish off the coast.  Abalone, are like a cross between an oyster and a snail, and are considered a delicacy.  Their shells can also be polished to give an opal-like luster.

These are the Haunyeo.. SCUBA is for wimps!  

Tiger Abalone shell and foot, this one is alive...

These ones are not...

Heres a polished shell.

The island today is a major tourist destination for the region. Almost 3 million tourists visited last year (mostly Chinese, Japanese and Korean)  That number is expected to double next year with the vast majority being from China (almost 5 million visitors)  The island is home to many quirky museums and parks (including Love Land, a google search for that is NSFW! be warned!) in addition to its natural wonders.  Jeju City was also one of the host cities for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the stadium is well used by the local Football team (soccer to you heathens!).


OK, so there you go..  That is the little slice of paradise Jessi, Abi, and I will be living in for the next 2-3 years.  There is alot to talk about and even more we want to show you, but I dont want these posts to be too big.  Next time, Ill tell you what sent us down this path and how we found our new home..

Follow our blog and if you have any comments, please leave them in the comments section below.  I do look.  Until next time...