Loving the outdoors is not unique to Koreans, as I've witnessed, but to the majority of people from many other Asian cultures. When visiting Shanghai a couple months ago, I noticed the city park beside our hotel literally crowded with residents of all ages exercising at 6 o'clock in the morning! It seemed to me like everyone was up at that hour doing some sort of activity. People were into aerobics, weights, marital arts, sports and even getting in a game of badminton (incredibly popular in Asia) before starting the work day.
I had to do a double-take when walking the park: did I see bird cages in trees? Sure enough, I guess the Chinese want to make sure the song birds stay within hearing range!Asians can be pretty creative incorporating exercise in their daily routine. At my apartment complex in Korea, for instance, someone made the wise decision to provide exercise equipment outdoors so parents can workout while watching their kids in the playground. Of course it doesn't take long for the kids to claim the weight machines as their own =)
If people are not awake by the time they get to work then they have opportunity to get motivated with company exercises and cheers. I witnessed this in South Korea many times -- I even heard the cheering while standing outside waiting for a bank to open one morning! Employee exercises don't necessarily stop in the morning but often last through the day, as is the case in a local department store where the staff gather in the aisles every hour to sing to the tune If You're Happy and You Know It while clapping their hands.
Daejeon is a city surrounded by mountains. Having lived in Colorado and British Columba I thought I knew what to expect when making my way to Gyeryongsan National Park just outside of the city -- but nowhere do I recall facilities for meditation in the parks back home! In addition to the typical hikers enjoying the mountainous scenery there were residences and pavilions for monks and Buddhist followers to meditate. If you happen to be walking by a temple near the top of the hour, you can find monks hitting the temple gongs and beating on drums in efforts to be transported into other realms of reality. I'm just happy remaining in this reality, enjoying my Maker's creation!
