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Lisa
Leonard travelled to South Korea in April as part of
The Rotary Foundadtion's Group Study Exchange
(GSE) program. The trip was a unique cultural
and vocational exchange opportunity for young business
and professional men and women between the ages of 25
and 40.
For four weeks, team members
experienced the host country’s institutions and
ways of life, observed their own vocations as practiced
abroad, developed personal and professional relationships,
and exchanged ideas.
Lisa's group included Angela
the educator, Leo the banker and Ryan the doctor. Their
leader was Larry the retired teacher and school administrator.
Saturday, April
21
Our Rotary team and representatives
from the local Rotary Club went to KBS in Seoul where
we spent several hours on a guided tour with plenty
of photo ops. The radio and TV broadcasts originate
from a huge complex of buildings complete with several
cafes, numerous banks/ATMS, a KBS police force and a
“gift shop” that could be compared to a
small supermarket. It sells meat, clothing, health and
beauty products and the usual items one would expect;
pens, key chains, etc.
We enjoyed walking through a visitor’s
center where we goofed around playing “weathercaster”
with the chroma-key, pretending we were anchoring the
noon news, etc. We saw large photo displays showcasing
the shows that have been popular over the years drama,
news, sports, and entertainment.
This complex also includes a beautiful
reception all that KBS employees are allowed to use
for their weddings. It also has a couple of music venues
where audiences watch their favorite musicians perform.
We got to watch some rehearsals: a 20-something guy
sing a nice ballad on one stage. Then we moved to another
theatre where a cool Korean woman with a great voice
led the band “Rumblefish.”
We were shown the prop room (very interesting
to see all kinds of phones, computers, clocks from many
different decades) and the costume shop where the guys
donned warrior outfits and Angela and I tried on traditional
Korean clothing. The KBS staff told us Angela’s
wearing something a queen would wear and I was in a
princess outfit. You can’t see it in this photo
but trust me I am much taller than the average Korean
woman so this lovely (supposed to be) full length dress
came to about the middle of my calf!
A couple of observations: In the news
department there’s a separate room that functions
as the “Natural Disaster Monitoring Center.”
I’m told many radio DJs are actually comedians
or actors. And Korean radio stations seem to be a lot
of “talk.” The one studio we visited had
about 5 people on the air at the same time. Seemed to
be kind of a “morning zoo” format but in
the afternoon. A Korean gal I talked with said some
stations focus on music but usually not until around
midnight. Not sure if there’s a direct connection
but I can tell you that most people here, say 40 and
under, wear mp3 players around their necks and listen
all the time so maybe that’s how they’re
getting their music fix.
Friday, April 20
Today
we were transferred to another district with more nice
Rotary folks showing us the best of their region. Among
today’s highlights…time at Ilsan Lake Park.
Leo rode a little go cart/car. He looked as happy as
could be riding around. Then he, Ryan, Angela, and I
followed one of our Korean guides on rented bicycles
around the lake. It was a gorgeous sunny day to cruise
along the bike path. The lake itself is beautiful and
we enjoyed all the cherry blossoms and other scenery
there. We stopped a couple times along the way to enjoy
a garden and spend some time on the swing and this see
saw type of thing that seems to be more about jumping
until your partner falls off than of riding like we
used to do as kids. The park was filled with Korean
people of all ages doing regular things like we’d
see in America or anywhere: walking, biking, rollerblading,
playing ball, etc. One noticable difference though is
that many were wearing those respiratory masks Ryan
described in the post about the yellow dust.
We enjoyed our day in the park, mask-free, and then
went to a wonderful dinner with our new Rotary friends
where they kindly led a celebration of Angela’s
birthday with song, flowers and a gift.
Thursday, April 19
You’ve
been hearing/reading about how we are loving the Korean
people we’re encountering on this exchange program,
right? Kind, respectful, generous, polite, caring…these
are all words we’ve been using to describe them.
In response
to the news of the shootings in Virginia, some Koreans
here have been offering their condolences to us, as
Americans. In addition, they say they are ashamed that
the killer is of Korean descent. There is a concern
here that this incident might cast all Koreans in a
negative light. Those I spoke to want to assure us Americans
that this individual does not represent Korea.
Due to our
busy Rotary Club GSE schedule, we haven’t had
much time to watch the news but I can tell you that
it’s front page on the newspapers/websites here
and on Korean news as well as CNN’s World edition.
I hope you
and all your loved ones are safe…
Wednesday, April
18
Hi.
This is a quickie. Just letting you know we are still
having a wonderful time. Weather here has been great
for our activities. Yesterday we went to the Seoul Tower
and got wonderful views and photos. Today a full tour
of KBS, Korean Broadcasting System. I’ll write
in detail about that in a couple of days when I’m
back in hotel. For now we’re in host family homes.
Very lovely, kind people. More about that also in a
future post. Stay tuned!
Hope
you are all well and survived that Noreaster okay…
Saturday, April
14
Here we are in Bucheon
City, close enough to Seoul that we’ve been spending
a lot of time there. We visited the Royal Palace and
the Korean Folk Museum. We got to shop in and around
a huge outdoor market. Back in Bucheon City, we visited
a museum about robots (below, right) a museum about
animation, and we did archery!
You can't see it very well but on the
stadium big screen there was a message welcoming our
Rotary GSE team. Then it was a series of photo ops on
the field. We felt like celebrities!
Friday, April 13
This
blog post is about gratitude. On behalf of the entire
GSE team from District 7500, thank you to Rotary International
and the individual clubs who sponsored our participation
in this amazing cultural and vocational exchange program.
Toms River, Toms River Sunrise, Maple Shade, Tinton
Falls and Burlington, we wouldn’t be here without
your support so a big heartfelt thanks from South Korea!
District
7500 Governor John Hammer and Fred Gibbs, thank you
both for inspiring us to “do Rotary proud.”
Thanks also for giving us Larry as our team leader.
He’s great.
Thanks
to everyone who has helped us here in Korea. Every few
days we’ve been sort of “adopted”
by a new Rotary Club. Each time we move, we meet wonderful
new people who spend time driving us around, showing
us how and what to eat, translating language, guiding
us to rest rooms, getting us coffee (or donuts when
we get a craving), and basically being our “go
to” people for everything while we’re in
their region.
Thursday, April
12
Lisa
and her group at the Korean Traditional Performing Arts
Center. It is a beautiful campus with a history and
art museum, a University, and Performance Hall. We were
able to see traditional Korean instruments and drums...and
play them too!
Wednesday,
April 11
Saturday
evening we checked into a sort of bed and breakfast
that was a 150 year old complex of buildings.
The
inkeeper joined us in one of the rooms for snacks and
drinks and conversation. Although he did not speak English,
we connected with each other and enjoyed the international
language of music. We took turns singing. He played
a flute like instrument. We laughed and toasted in thanks
for such a beautiful environment and such a memorable
evening.
 My
room mate, Angela, and I were shown to our room which
by American standards would be considered “a box,”
maybe 7'x7'. We didn’t mind the small size though
because this would be the start of a very memorable
experience in a traditional old Korean house. The innkeeper
put a comforter on the floor then a blanket on top for
warmth. We hardly needed the covers though because the
floor was heated and actually felt great.
We woke up
to beautiful sunshine lighting up all the grounds. Being
Easter Sunday, it was a perfect time to sit quietly
in such a serene setting and enjoy the view, fresh air,
and reflect. Then we went on a walk through the woods
before saying good bye to our lovely host and driving
about 5 hours back to Bucheon City.
Tuesday, April
10
During our first few days
in Korea, we noticed a strange thing. Many people were
wearing surgical respiratory masks around their mouth
and nose. There were not many, but it was common enough
to draw notice from five very jet-lagged people. What
could it be? SARS? Bird Flu? No, it was yellow dust.
Every spring, prevailing winds blow yellow dust from
the Gobi desert in China and Mongolia across the sea
into Korea. The dust is visible in the air (it looks
like a cross between smog and fog) and it coats everything
it touches with a very fine powder. Last year, school
was cancelled for many days because of the dust. In
fact the body of water that separates Korea from China
was known as the Yellow Sea because of this phemonenon
(it is called the West Sea here). Fortunately for us,
there was rain in Mongolia and the dust has dissapeared,
although according to our hosts it will be back.
Monday, April 9
Time sure does fly when
you’re having fun! We’ve been on the go,
non stop, and haven’t had time and/or internet
access to update the blog in several days. Trust us,
we will get to it soon, probably by Tuesday when we’re
in Bucheon City for 5 nights. In the meantime, just
know we are having a wonderful time. The past few days
especially have been quite beautiful and memorable.
Wednesday, April
5
It’s Wednesday night
in Incheon. Our team enjoyed coffee at an American styled
coffee house while we recapped what a busy and great
week and a half (almost) it’s been. Leo said a
highlight for him so far has been Sunday night when
he did karaoke for the first time. I would agree, that
was definitely one of the most fun experiences here
so far. Now to catch you up on what we’ve done
this week…
Monday started off sunny
and nice with a bus ride to Korean Folk Village. Replicas
of old style farm houses, commoners’ houses, rich
people’s houses, etc. We learned about family
celebrations (i.e. when someone turns 60 years old)
and how the elderly are so respected. Leo said this
experience was like stepping into a new direction. We
had arrived to find a super modern high-tech city and
this was the first day we really got to see what the
country used to be like and why certain traditions are
still going strong today. The Village was lovely and
with the sunshine and buds on the trees it really felt
like spring. But then Ryan got sick. :-( And it turned
cloudy and cold. We were at Everland, a big amusement
park that Leo wanted to go to. Ryan was able to accompany
Leo and Angela and some of the Korean hosts to the rides.
I stayed warm at a cafe with Larry while the “youngin’s”
did their thrill seeking. Leo enjoyed being on one of
the best rollercoaster rides in Asia. Ryan only got
to ride the Typhoon…
Tuesday was a much better
day. Thankfully Ryan was feeling better and able to
join us for the day’s activities which included
a visit to Notre Dame, a rehab facility run by Sister
Emma who was so lovely and spoke excellent English.
Leo said he felt God’s peace there. The weather
was nice. The garden was pretty. It really symbolized
a new beginning after a rough Monday. We were impressed
that this facility has so many volunteers helping the
disabled clients there. It’s a nice facility that
also offers services to the public like an exercise
room and computer room.
Lunch was at a really
cool looking restaurant with beautiful nature all around
in an enclosed outdoor area. The owner loves bonsai
trees so we got to see and take photos with some that
were a thousand years old.
Next we got a tour of Sudokwon
Landfill site which is the largest landfill in the world.
It deals with 18,000 tons of waste per day from an area
that includes Seoul and Incheon City. The company has
committed to making this an environmentallly friendly
facility. The landfill generates electricity. There
is a 160 acre wildflower park and nature observation
area. They have flower exhibits and music concerts on
the site. They are working to develop a huge park on
the grounds.
Then it was a tour of a
very fascinating place called Incheon English Village.
It’s a school where students from all over will
come and spend a week to immerse themselves in English
language learning. Classrooms are set up like various
scenes from real life, i.e. a post office, a hospital,
a cafe, a supermarket, an airplane. The teachers we
met from the U.S. and Canada teach only in English.
We talked with the head of the school and the marketing
director and were impressed with their program. They
are looking for more qualified teachers so if any Rotarians
are interested in applying or recommending someone,
please contact RLLEE@global-edu.co.kr. That is Rila
Lee, director of the Dept. of Planning and Marketing.
Then we had a meeting with the mayor of Seo-Gu, an area
of Incheon which is developing rapidly.
Wednesday, April
4(written by Lisa's teammate Ryan)
Well,
we have been here for over a week and are all finally
adjusting to Korean food. Even Lisa has been eating
fish and spicy food. The basic Korean meal consists
of bancham (small side dishes of food that are served
in the middle of the table and are for all to share),
rice and a bowl of soup. Sometimes there is a meat or
fish added, but all meals seem to have these three components.
Always found among the bancham is kimchi, a fermented,
spicy cabbage that is the Korean national dish. Kimchi
is delicious and unlike anything we have in the US,
but eating fermented cabbage three meals a day can wreak
havoc with one’s digestive system. Unlike in America,
Koreans don’t eat different foods at different
mealtimes, so it is common for breakfast to be rice
and a spicy beef soup. In fact, on our second day in
Korea, I had soup made with kimchi, noodes and beef
still on the bone.
A
common dish we have been eating is bulgogi, which is
Korean BBQ. Beef, duck or pork is placed onto a portable
cooker on the table. When the meat is cooked, you pick
it off the grill and fold it into a piece of lettuce
with onions, garlic, scallions and bean curd (or whatever
else you want) and stuff it in your mouth. This requires
a lot of dexterity as many of us are new to chopsticks.
To further compound our problems, the chopsticks here
are made of stainless steel and are thinner and heavier
that the wooden chopsticks used in Americal restaurants.
This means they are harder to use, can become slippery
and become very hot when left sitting in boiling soup
(I learned that one the hard way).
We have also eaten some very interesting foods as well.
On Sunday night, we ate baby octopus which was served
to us while it was still moving. They placed a plate
of tenticles in front of us and we watched in horror
as some tried to crawl away. Picking them up with the
chopsticks was no small feat as many refused to let
go of the plate. When we were finally able to grab hold
of one, we dipped it in sauce and chewed as fast as
possible. The tenticles actually suction onto your mouth
and teeth, so you better swallow quickly. Amazingly,
all five of us tried this delicacy and have lived to
tell the tale. We’ve also had oysters, boiled
octupus, whole fish eaten off the bone, spiced ginsing,
squid and many other things which we were unable to
identify, but ate anyway.
Monday, April 2
Saturday we went to a local
fish market (see above). Everything was fresh. Some
squid in buckets were shooting out ink. Never saw that
before! The fish loving folks enjoyed eating raw oysters
in the middle of the market. Then an unforgettable visit
to a sauna which is actually a public bath house, very
popular in Korea, we’re learning. Immaculately
clean. People spend full days there in different hot
tubs, different temperature rooms, including an igloo
room. There’s a movie theatre, cafe, TVs, massage
and nail salon. Really incredible. Then a dinner cruise
which featured a Vegas style show with dancers and acrobats.
We wrote wishes on balloons then sent them up into the
night sky while fireworks were going off. A magical
night.
Sunday our host Richard and his two
teenage boys accompanied us to Seoul by subway. It was
less than an hour away. We went to the world’s
largest (I think) electronics market place. Thousands
of vendors selling cameras, MP3 players, DVD players,
and everything for computers. I went with the goal of
buying a new digital camera and will admit, it got overwhelming.
So much to choose from. I finally got one after several
hours of shopping around. Richard and his sons were
a huge help, serving as interpreters and showing us
around. We’re lucky to have made friends with
them thanks to this Rotary exchange. The subway is so
clean and easy to navigate. There are some English signs
and the recorded announcements are in English at times.
Then we did a quick change of clothes and enjoyed a
Japanese feast of sashimi, sushi, and other food. This
Rotary Club was so wonderful to us and there generosity
will never be forgotten. The night was capped off with
a visit to a Korean ’singing room’. We karaoked
and had great fun doing it!
Saturday.
March 31
Today
we had nice weather. Partly sunny and in the 50s. First
visit was to Incheon City Education Hall where we met
the Superintendent of Educational Affairs. We learned
how English is taught as early as 3rd grade, and the
importance of Information Technology in the Korean education
system. Then during a long drive up north we saw various
landscapes, very low tide, rice paddies, landfills,
metropolitan shopping areas, military bases, and residential
areas. We had lunch at a Rotary Club training seminar
for future Rotary Club presidents and secretaries. I’m
guessing Angela and I were among about 250 men, and
maybe 10 other women. We were introduced to everyone,
Larry gave a brief introduction before the crowd, more
photos were taken, then back on the road to the GM Daewoo
plant which was very interesting. We wore eye protection
and saw how cars are made. Lots of robots and humans
producing one car every minute. Amazing.
Friday, March 30
We visited Korean Gas Company
“KOGAS” and were very impressed with the
facility. A beautiful theatre is where we sat and enjoyed
an English language video presentation about the energy
production and transport and the company’s operations
and plans for growth. We were treated to a private tour
which is usually reserved for much larger groups. We
got up to top of the tower which shows a nice view of
Incheon but unfortunately the fog prevented us from
seeing much. We then met the mayor of Incheon and the
mayor of Namdong district which is part of Incheon.
We learned that Namdong is a “sister city”
of Philadelphia. The mayor proudly showed us a Liberty
Bell statue that Mayor John Street had given him. Later
we saw an excellent video presentation about the building
of the Incheon Bridge which will be absolutely huge
and beautiful when it’s done in two years. We
donned “VIP” hardhats, life vests and boarded
a boat which got us close to the construction site.
Another dinner with sujo and friendly Rotarians followed.
The weather was cool and rainy but didn’t dampen
our spirits today. This trip so far is exceeding all
of our expectations.
Thursday, March
29
Today’s weather was
rainy and cool. (Yes, yes, we heard all about your beautiful
80 degree day back home!) Our first visit was to a kindergarten
where all the students greeted us in English and sang
some songs and presented our team member Angela, the
teacher, with lovely flowers. She was impressed by how
clean and organized it was, and how it seemed very accommodating
to the children. Then we drove about an hour to a restaurant
for lunch. It was a big meal of beef, seafood, vegetable,
kimchee and more. Just when I was feeling full and proud
of myself for eating squid. The waitress brought out
our main entrees. What??? We thought we had just eaten
a full meal! Angela laughed when she saw the look of
surprise on my face. So we all kept on eating. And yes,
I do believe I ate some octopus this time around!We
visited a noodle factory. Very efficient and interested
to see how they start with raw buckwheat and come out
with packaged noodles. Then we visited a very impressive
medical equipment factory which I’ll ask Ryan
to describe in a separate post.
Another amazing beef barbecue dinner
followed. And then Larry and I were taken to a flower
shop where we were greeted with flowers by another local
Rotary club.
Leo’s happy to learn we’ll
be visiting a car manufacturing plant tomorrow. More
details on that to follow.
Wednesday, March 28
The first two days have been packed
with great tours and vocational visits. And so much
food! Where to begin…
Day One had us visiting a park and
climbing a bunch of stairs to get to a scenic area.
Then we saw the General McArthur monument. Very powerful
experience, looking at such a commanding figure/statue.
The Koreans we have met have much respect and gratitude
for the Americans who served in the Korean conflict.
Upon learning that my father was one of them, a group
of 6 Korean Rotarians applauded today at lunch.
Back to yesterday’s visits: We
visited a very large impressive medical center that
Ryan (our team member who is a doctor) said is much
larger than hospitals in America. This Korean facility
has 1400 beds. In America the average is 300-400 beds.
The Korean hospital is divided into different buildings
according to specialty. Part of this visit included
a trip to the Neuroscience center where we saw the most
powerful MRI in the world which was invented there.
Then we visited a branch of Citibank where Leo talked
to the manager about the banking industry
Monday, March 26
Greetings from Incheon,
Korea. It’s 10pm Monday night. We have been up
and on the go since 5am Sunday with the exception of
some cat naps on the airplanes. The trip went rather
smoothly. We were met at the airport by 6 Korean Rotarians.
What a nice warm welcome after a very long day of travel.
Quick first impressions? The airport was clean and quiet
and very nice. And driving through the city we noticed
there are a lot of neon signs! It looks a lot like Las
Vegas, in parts. Our hosts have a full day of touring
planned for us tomorrow followed by a big welcome ceremony
at their District Conference. It will be our first time
speaking Korean before such a big audience. Wish us
luck!
Friday, March 23
An important part of our
trip preparation has been the language lessons we took
in Voorhees. Rev. Seung Yong Um was a great teacher
who helped us understand and speak the Korean language.
He also shared his love for and excitement about his
native country and his enthusiasm was contagious. We
all can’t wait to get there and see it for ourselves.
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