A while back, Jo approached me with a pitch for a new video series. She said, “You always say, ‘Your neck of the woods,’ so you should start a new travel series where you go out and visit people and tell the story about them and their area.”
I thought it was a brilliant idea. I immediately starting trying to think of places I have not been in Korea (or were scheduled to visit) and people I knew had a love for their area. The first person that came to mind was Graham, known to many as GreenEggsAndHamster on YouTube.
It took us a few days to sort out the schedule, but finally we arranged a day to shoot, and thankfully, the weather cooperated. It was a splendid afternoon.
Jo and I got an early start for our 11am appointment. This meant that we had to be out the door by 9am (on a Sunday)! Thankfully the buses cooperated by being on-time and not full. From there, we went into Seoul and hoofed it to Chungmuro Station to jump on Line 4. A few stops later, we stuck our heads out and met Graham at Mia Station.
I had never been to this area before, so I was really jazzed about having Graham show us around. The only instructions I gave Graham for this project was that I would show up and I wanted to know about where he lived. Where does he shop? Eat? Live? Finally, I wanted to learn something special that he knows only as a local.
In total, I think I managed to record close to 2 hours of footage from our time together. While I could have split up the video into two parts, I elected to keep it as a single, longer presentation. I’m happy with it, and hope you like it as well. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Recording with Graham was a pleasure. He was a fantastic host and was ready for everything. He took us right to the initial restaurant, but when it was closed (and later not open), he knew the area well enough to show us some other things. The local market was an amazing find and lunch was brilliant. It really hit the spot. The final stop of the day was Hwagyesa Temple. Originally built nearly 400 years ago, it was laid out brilliantly next to the mountain.
I really want to thank Graham for being the first person in this new series. I had been wanting to meet him for some time, but never managed to make it happen. This shoot is even more special, since he’ll be leaving soon.
If you would like to show me your neck of the woods, drop me a line… I may just show up!
I don’t think the video would have benefited by being shorter or split up. It was perfect the way it is. In fact, the running time seemed shorter than it actually was.
You know, I have yet to travel to Daegu. I really want to make it out that way, so hopefully I can time it just right so that you can show me around if you head back there.
I’m heading out there for the long weekend to catch up with my friends and old students. Some of my fellow EPIK teachers want to go together on the 11th, too (I’m not 100% certain if I’ll attend).
I’m free on the weekends, so if you ever think about heading down there and want me to tag along, just let me know.
Hey, if you ever want to check out my neck of the woods, Hwanghak-dong near sindang, I’d be happy to give you a little tour! I’ve lived here for 3 years and I never cease to find new, hidden amazing finds.
Very cool Jo-Anna. I’ve added you to the list of volunteers. Maybe this summer in July?
early july would be great. I’m probably leaving for the states mid july-ish (though still no plane tix purchased). I’ll be finished with my job and hanging around with not much to do.