Fall Discovery

These kind of sights are all over Korea, lying dormant as if they're waiting for you. This ancient village was mostly empty on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I read that a famous scholar used to teach and write here during the Joseon Dynasty (late 17th century). I looked at some of his famous writings. This was long before the Korean language was respected enough to be used by the aristocracy so everyone wrote and spoke Chinese. Early on, the Korean language was only used by the poor as a simplified way of communication for those unable to afford proper education. I stared at those characters for a long time. I longed to learn how to write them. Then I got really happy thinking about how I can write and read Korean. I remembered that Asian symbols were just interesting before I got here. I really didn't understand the practicality of them because i never imagined being able to learn them. So, why not learn Chinese then? Nowadays, even though it is an essential part of their history, most Koreans don't even learn it because it's just too difficult. Chinese has thousands of symbols compared to Korean's 24. So, next time anyone tells you they're bored, you should suggest learning to read Chinese as a good activity.