145 Sang Dae Chun Maul (Village)

It's a small farming village of about 200 people. stayed with Hyon. He was born in the village, but after university he left he left and became a monk. After 10 years he married and came back to farming. Now he is trying to organize the whole Village as an Eco-village ; and centre of organic farming.
He invited me there to help with the free study centre he runs in the evning for the village children. I spent one week. Every night I helped there and the daytime I was (WWOOFing) helping him with farming things like making firewood, which enabled to see the life of the country people. It's very rustic life; a lot of drinking and smoking, but they seem to have a lot more fun than city people.

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Wed - met family We went to Chunju (to see the council officials), then helped at a chicken farm, collecting the eggs. English people treat animals like people, in most other countries it's different. In the evening I taught the children and played games with them while Mr Hyon chaired a farmers meeting. Afterwards I met the farmers.
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Thu - Spent day with Hyon cutting logs. Then we collected a couple of truckloads of Chinese cabbage for the women to make Kimchi. Again helped kids.
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Fri/Sat- Organic Farm visit in Sochon . The village has been selected for special development as a village of natural farming. Went with a delegation of villagers and officials from the development department of the county council on a fact finding trip cum farmers day out. We drove to Seochon to visit the farm of a pioneering organic farmer Jung Nam Sojon www.ariland.net Doh yong An. Then visited a few fish restaurants whuch are a speciality of the area.

Then we went to visit a traditional Kimchi making place, as maybe the the village will also do this.
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Sun- again we collected and cut more firewood. Cycled around the area in the afternoon.
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Mon- Drove to an industrial pig farm to collect fertiliser for the peach orchard. Then we put in the orchard by small truck, which I nearly drove off the cliff.
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Tue- cutting firewood

For the whole month the village woman spend every day making Kimchi ...I saw how they make it...
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Ingredients for Kimchi

1000 chinese cabbages
40Kg of other vegetables, cucumber, radish, carrot, beansprouts etc
20 Kg of Salt
40 Kg of red pepper
8 Kg of other flavouring e.g. ginger etc
12 bottles of soju, 6 bottles of beer and one bottle of wine
10 Kg of other foods, bulgogi, pigs trotters, soups etc

Technique ...
8 women sit in the yard,
mix the cabbage, salt, pepper and flavourings together
chat loudly
drink all the alcohol
eat the other food !


hear the students singing ... students 1, students 2, Friday Night
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