Nihao from Beijing!
I can post to my blog from China, but I can't read it, compliments of the Chinese government's internet censorship program. I read that an estimated 10% of all websites are inaccessible from mainland China, including anything to do with the Tianamen Square protests of 1989, Taiwan, the Dalai Lama, democracy, Marxism . . .
Here are the sites I tried to access tonight, with no success:
Snapshots from Korea
American Embassy in Beijing
US State Department Travel Information
CNN
BBC
Wikipedia
Because of this, I will write my journal entries long-hand in my notebook this week and post them, along with pictures when I'm back in Korea next week.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
A Weekend in North Korea
Friday, September 14, 2007
After school, I headed home, packed my backpack, took a shower, and then caught the subway into Seoul. I met the tour group at the Seoul Express Bus Terminal a little before midnight. It was pouring down rain. We left the bus terminal at about 12:30 AM and arrived at the northeast corner of South Korea at about 5:30 AM, stopping every hour or so at rest stops. The rain never let up. I tried to sleep but was too excited and uncomfortable.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
We arrived at the check-in point in Goseong, South Korea around 5:30 AM, but the site was too busy, so we had to wait at a nearby park for an hour and a half. The park was right along the beach (inaccessible due to serious barbed wire fencing because of the proximity to North Korea). It was still pouring rain, so I stayed in the bus. We returned to the check-in point and were issued our North Korean ID cards, which were to be worn around our necks at all times while in North Korea. From the check-in point, we proceeded to the South Korean immigration office. At around 9:00, I had my passport stamped by South Korean immigration indicating that I was on my way off South Korean soil. While North Korea doesn't stamp passports, South Korea has a special stamp for people going to this mountain, so I now have that to add to my collection.
After clearing South Korean immigration, our bus headed north through the South Korean side of the DMZ and crossed the Military Demarcation Line. It was interesting to see land that has been largely untouched for the past 50+ years. A single concrete post at the side of the road marked the Military Demarcation Line--no geographical feature, no fence, no barbed wire, no sign--nothing but a single concrete post indicated that we were now in a different country.
Just past the North Korean side of the DMZ, we stopped at the North Korean immigration office, which is housed in a semi-permanent tent and is heavily guarded by armed soldiers. Our ID cards and passports were inspected and our bags and cameras searched for the long list of forbidden items: cellphones, laptops, telephoto lenses, powerful binoculars, weapons, reading material for distribution. It was still raining steadily when we arrived at the immigration tent. We had to line up to enter the immigration tent in the order of our ID card numbers. I was number 5, which meant I didn't have to stand out in the rain quite as long as other members of the group. Once I was past the immigration officer, I was greeted by the strangest sight of my weekend--a person in a bear suit who was seeking shelter from the rain inside the immigration tent. Here I was standing in one of the most heavily guarded borders on the planet with a person in a bear suit greeting visitors.
We boarded the bus again and continued through this part of rural North Korea to the mountain park that is one of the few parts of the country open to visitors, though still strictly limited. The differences between the two countries were immediately apparent. The absence of trees on the North Korean mountains along the DMZ precipitated erosion. The hills were dotted with concrete bunkers, inside which anti-aircraft artillery were visible. North Korean soldiers stood every 100 meters and watched expressionlessly as the buses passed by. Each soldier held a red flag, and if they saw any cameras in the bus windows, we were told that all buses would be stopped. Fortunately no one challenged them on this.
We passed by a couple rural villages and many fields, some of which were flooded from the heavy rains that had been so devastating this summer. The towns looked very poor. All the houses looked exactly alike--small, white buildings in traditional Korean style with grey tile roofs that appeared badly in need of repair. We passed right by a school that looked about the same as the houses but bigger and also in serious disrepair. A couple newer buildings had large portraits of the late president Kim Il Sung on the facade. A few people were out walking through the fields in the rain--no umbrellas. This was perhaps my only view of the "real" North Korea--both on the way in and on the way out--as the rest of my weekend was spent in the tourist area. Tourists can't leave the tourist area. Local residents can't enter it, except for the North Korean employees, whose comings and goings are closely monitored.
We arrived late at the tourist area, so part of our itinerary had to be canceled, much to my disappointment. Those of us who were hiking were immediately bused to the start of the trail. Manmulsang was a moderate 5-kilometer hike with beautiful jagged cliffs. The rain let up now and then to allow for some very mystical-looking photographs. The landscape reminded me of Chinese paintings, and the mist and fog seemed perfect.
On our way back to the tourist area at the end of the hike, we passed a huge mosaic mural glorifying Kim Jeong Il and the late Kim Il Sung. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but we could give our cameras to the North Korean guides to take pictures for us.
After the hike, we were bused to the hotel, where we had about 20 minutes to drop our things off and change into dry clothes before a performance of the Pyeongyang Moranbong Circus. Both lunch and dinner were scrapped from our itinerary because we were off schedule. The acrobat performance, complete with an orchestra in the balcony, was amazing, though not at all a relaxing experience as I was half-expecting someone to fall at any second. We were only allowed to take pictures at the very end, but I bought a set of postcards that I'll scan sometime.
By the time the circus performance was over, I was hungry. It was 7 PM and the last proper meal I had eaten was lunch the day before. Dinner was very good that night.
After dinner, I walked around the small tourist ground and tried to catch a few glimpses over the wall that separated me from the rest of North Korea. I could just see the roof tops on the other side. A local road crossed through a narrow part of the tourist area. It was guarded by soldiers, ensuring that the local residents didn't enter and the tourists didn't leave. It had been a long day, so I headed back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
I got up early on Sunday and went for a walk before breakfast, hoping to take some pictures of the town on the other side of the tourist area. You can see the white buildings with grey roofs in the background. Since there were armed soldiers and signs saying no photography, this was as close as I dared to go with my camera.
We ate breakfast at the hotel and met the tour bus at 7:30. Since some of the people in my group were late and since we all had to travel together, our buses couldn't leave until 8:15. This was not the first time this happened on the trip, and I found it especially annoying. Finally everyone was assembled and we were bused to the Guryongyeon District for a 9-kilometer hike up a beautiful valley and past several waterfalls. Of course, it rained.
Propaganda praising Kim Il Sung, Kim Jeong Il, and North Korea's particular brand of communist ideology were etched into the granite cliffs. I stopped to try to read a few buy my political vocabulary is limited to one word--통일 "unification"--a word sadly lacking from the faces of the North Korean cliffs. The people in the photos below give you an idea of the scale of these carvings.
There was a bathroom at the start of the trail, but we were told that bathrooms in the mountains had an admission fee--$1 for #1 and $2 for #2. I took a picture of the sign in front of one of the bathrooms, but when I took a picture of the bathroom itself, a North Korean guide chased after me, took my camera away, and deleted several pictures. There's no plumbing in the mountains, so anything . . . um . . . deposited . . . at the bathrooms has to be carried down and properly disposed of--hence the fee. However, the North Korean government doesn't want visitors to leave with photos of anything that would make North Korea look bad, so you're only allowed to take pictures of approved things. Apparently, the pay-per-use bathrooms aren't on list.
I had my camera confiscated again about 15 minutes later. There was a traditional style pavilion that was in the process of being repainted, and without even thinking, I started taking pictures of the intricate work. A North Korean guide came running over to me and took my camera away and deleted several of my snapshots because they had the North Korean painters in them. I was more interested in the work they were doing than the people. The North Korean guide politely but sternly informed me that I can take pictures of the building and the art but not the people. Duly noted. I apologized and continued along the trail.
My favorite part of the hike was reaching the top of the tall peak that towered above one of the waterfalls. The rain let up and the fog lifted momentarily, allowing me to peer almost vertically down into the valley below. The green water below, the blue and green and red pavilion across the valley, and the very first yellow and orange leaves of the fall stood in stark contrast to this grey day. Not normally wary of heights, I was a little nervous on that peak. The guard rails were more cosmetic than functional and wouldn't have done much to block a slip on the rocks--or a suicidal jump. I couldn't help but wonder if anyone's last moments were on that mountain top.
While I was standing there, a cautious distance from the guard rail and certain death, one of the North Korean guides approached me. The tourist area employs many North Korean hotel and restaurant staff and guides, distinguishable from the South Korean and Chinese employees by the pin of Kim Il Sung that they wear on their jacket. The North Korean staff I encountered were all very polite but very matter-of-fact. They didn't converse, except as necessary, in Korean or English, and they did not want their photos taken. I can't blame them. The South Korean guide explained that if their photos are circulated and they're found doing something wrong, suspicious, or simply out-of-the-ordinary, there could be serious consequences for them. I imagine they also must deal with annoying requests from numerous tourists who want a photo of real, live North Koreans, as if they are animals in a strange zoo.
So I was surprised when a North Korean guide approached me. We had a 15-minute conversation in his broken English and my severely limited Korean. It wasn't like talking to a member of the "Axis of Evil" but to someone a lot like me. I wondered what he thought of me. Did he see me as just another tourist? Someone privileged, wealthy, different? A contributor to his country's economic distress or part of the solution? What does he know about my country? What history has he been taught? For that matter, what history have I been taught about his country? Was he content with his life, or did he envy mine? I'd like to think that as we exchanged superficial small talk in our haphazard mix of Korean and English that he also thought that we're more the same than we are different. He told me that he and I are 친구. In this context, I think he meant that we're the same age, but the word also means "friend."
I had taken my time on the hike up the mountain so I could take a lot of photos and allow the scenery to be embedded on my mind, so I had to say good-bye to my new friend and hurry back down the mountain to my bus. On the way down, I passed several members of my group, which gave me the reassurance of knowing I wouldn't be the last person back on the bus.
We drove back to the tourist area and had a couple hours to eat lunch and visit the shops. I walked around some more, hoping to catch a few glimpses of the town. One of the restaurants in the tourist area had a 2nd floor balcony that probably would have had a good view, but there were several North Korean restaurant workers up there taking a break, and I didn't want to risk having them delete more of my pictures, so I didn't go up there. I wonder if that's intentional. I took these pictures from the first floor porch of a restaurant. The red, blue, and brown roofs are in the tourist area, but the white buildings with grey roofs in the background are in the town on the other side of the wall/fence that separates the two areas.
We then loaded up the bus to return to Seoul. Again, the drive away from the tourist center was probably the most interesting part of the trip, and I kept my eyes glued to the window to catch whatever glimpse I might get of the "real" North Korea. We passed the same small villages with their identical houses and flooded corn fields. The mountains became lower and treeless. We passed the anti-aircraft artillery and then arrived at the North Korean immigration tent. This time, there was no person in a bear suit. We lined up in numerical order, had our bags x-rayed, and turned our North Korean ID cards in to the immigration officer. Then we boarded the bus again, rode through the North Korean side of the DMZ, crossed the military demarcation line, rode through the South Korean side of the DMZ, and arrived at the South Korean immigration office, where a stamp in my passport indicated that I had officially returned. It was a long drive back to Seoul, and we arrived at about 10 PM, so I caught the subway back to my city.
All in all, it was an exciting trip. I would not recommend my tour company, but I would recommend the experience of visiting Mt. Geumgang. There wasn't enough time to see the whole mountain, so I would like to go back again, but I would probably go with a Korean tour group. On this trip I went with a group of other foreigners, mostly English teachers, and while I met a really nice American couple and a nice Scottish woman, there were quite a few people in my group who were generally obnoxious and even offensive. The tour company also didn't do a good job of keeping us on schedule or giving us an overview of the tourist area and rules.
I'll remember Mt. Geumgang and especially my conversation on top of the mountain for years to come, and hopefully someday visiting that mountain won't be any more difficult than visiting Korea's other national parks and will only be different because of its spirit and not because of its inaccessibility.
After school, I headed home, packed my backpack, took a shower, and then caught the subway into Seoul. I met the tour group at the Seoul Express Bus Terminal a little before midnight. It was pouring down rain. We left the bus terminal at about 12:30 AM and arrived at the northeast corner of South Korea at about 5:30 AM, stopping every hour or so at rest stops. The rain never let up. I tried to sleep but was too excited and uncomfortable.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
We arrived at the check-in point in Goseong, South Korea around 5:30 AM, but the site was too busy, so we had to wait at a nearby park for an hour and a half. The park was right along the beach (inaccessible due to serious barbed wire fencing because of the proximity to North Korea). It was still pouring rain, so I stayed in the bus. We returned to the check-in point and were issued our North Korean ID cards, which were to be worn around our necks at all times while in North Korea. From the check-in point, we proceeded to the South Korean immigration office. At around 9:00, I had my passport stamped by South Korean immigration indicating that I was on my way off South Korean soil. While North Korea doesn't stamp passports, South Korea has a special stamp for people going to this mountain, so I now have that to add to my collection.
After clearing South Korean immigration, our bus headed north through the South Korean side of the DMZ and crossed the Military Demarcation Line. It was interesting to see land that has been largely untouched for the past 50+ years. A single concrete post at the side of the road marked the Military Demarcation Line--no geographical feature, no fence, no barbed wire, no sign--nothing but a single concrete post indicated that we were now in a different country.
Just past the North Korean side of the DMZ, we stopped at the North Korean immigration office, which is housed in a semi-permanent tent and is heavily guarded by armed soldiers. Our ID cards and passports were inspected and our bags and cameras searched for the long list of forbidden items: cellphones, laptops, telephoto lenses, powerful binoculars, weapons, reading material for distribution. It was still raining steadily when we arrived at the immigration tent. We had to line up to enter the immigration tent in the order of our ID card numbers. I was number 5, which meant I didn't have to stand out in the rain quite as long as other members of the group. Once I was past the immigration officer, I was greeted by the strangest sight of my weekend--a person in a bear suit who was seeking shelter from the rain inside the immigration tent. Here I was standing in one of the most heavily guarded borders on the planet with a person in a bear suit greeting visitors.
We boarded the bus again and continued through this part of rural North Korea to the mountain park that is one of the few parts of the country open to visitors, though still strictly limited. The differences between the two countries were immediately apparent. The absence of trees on the North Korean mountains along the DMZ precipitated erosion. The hills were dotted with concrete bunkers, inside which anti-aircraft artillery were visible. North Korean soldiers stood every 100 meters and watched expressionlessly as the buses passed by. Each soldier held a red flag, and if they saw any cameras in the bus windows, we were told that all buses would be stopped. Fortunately no one challenged them on this.
We passed by a couple rural villages and many fields, some of which were flooded from the heavy rains that had been so devastating this summer. The towns looked very poor. All the houses looked exactly alike--small, white buildings in traditional Korean style with grey tile roofs that appeared badly in need of repair. We passed right by a school that looked about the same as the houses but bigger and also in serious disrepair. A couple newer buildings had large portraits of the late president Kim Il Sung on the facade. A few people were out walking through the fields in the rain--no umbrellas. This was perhaps my only view of the "real" North Korea--both on the way in and on the way out--as the rest of my weekend was spent in the tourist area. Tourists can't leave the tourist area. Local residents can't enter it, except for the North Korean employees, whose comings and goings are closely monitored.
We arrived late at the tourist area, so part of our itinerary had to be canceled, much to my disappointment. Those of us who were hiking were immediately bused to the start of the trail. Manmulsang was a moderate 5-kilometer hike with beautiful jagged cliffs. The rain let up now and then to allow for some very mystical-looking photographs. The landscape reminded me of Chinese paintings, and the mist and fog seemed perfect.
On our way back to the tourist area at the end of the hike, we passed a huge mosaic mural glorifying Kim Jeong Il and the late Kim Il Sung. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but we could give our cameras to the North Korean guides to take pictures for us.
After the hike, we were bused to the hotel, where we had about 20 minutes to drop our things off and change into dry clothes before a performance of the Pyeongyang Moranbong Circus. Both lunch and dinner were scrapped from our itinerary because we were off schedule. The acrobat performance, complete with an orchestra in the balcony, was amazing, though not at all a relaxing experience as I was half-expecting someone to fall at any second. We were only allowed to take pictures at the very end, but I bought a set of postcards that I'll scan sometime.
By the time the circus performance was over, I was hungry. It was 7 PM and the last proper meal I had eaten was lunch the day before. Dinner was very good that night.After dinner, I walked around the small tourist ground and tried to catch a few glimpses over the wall that separated me from the rest of North Korea. I could just see the roof tops on the other side. A local road crossed through a narrow part of the tourist area. It was guarded by soldiers, ensuring that the local residents didn't enter and the tourists didn't leave. It had been a long day, so I headed back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
I got up early on Sunday and went for a walk before breakfast, hoping to take some pictures of the town on the other side of the tourist area. You can see the white buildings with grey roofs in the background. Since there were armed soldiers and signs saying no photography, this was as close as I dared to go with my camera.
We ate breakfast at the hotel and met the tour bus at 7:30. Since some of the people in my group were late and since we all had to travel together, our buses couldn't leave until 8:15. This was not the first time this happened on the trip, and I found it especially annoying. Finally everyone was assembled and we were bused to the Guryongyeon District for a 9-kilometer hike up a beautiful valley and past several waterfalls. Of course, it rained.
Propaganda praising Kim Il Sung, Kim Jeong Il, and North Korea's particular brand of communist ideology were etched into the granite cliffs. I stopped to try to read a few buy my political vocabulary is limited to one word--통일 "unification"--a word sadly lacking from the faces of the North Korean cliffs. The people in the photos below give you an idea of the scale of these carvings.
There was a bathroom at the start of the trail, but we were told that bathrooms in the mountains had an admission fee--$1 for #1 and $2 for #2. I took a picture of the sign in front of one of the bathrooms, but when I took a picture of the bathroom itself, a North Korean guide chased after me, took my camera away, and deleted several pictures. There's no plumbing in the mountains, so anything . . . um . . . deposited . . . at the bathrooms has to be carried down and properly disposed of--hence the fee. However, the North Korean government doesn't want visitors to leave with photos of anything that would make North Korea look bad, so you're only allowed to take pictures of approved things. Apparently, the pay-per-use bathrooms aren't on list.
I had my camera confiscated again about 15 minutes later. There was a traditional style pavilion that was in the process of being repainted, and without even thinking, I started taking pictures of the intricate work. A North Korean guide came running over to me and took my camera away and deleted several of my snapshots because they had the North Korean painters in them. I was more interested in the work they were doing than the people. The North Korean guide politely but sternly informed me that I can take pictures of the building and the art but not the people. Duly noted. I apologized and continued along the trail.
My favorite part of the hike was reaching the top of the tall peak that towered above one of the waterfalls. The rain let up and the fog lifted momentarily, allowing me to peer almost vertically down into the valley below. The green water below, the blue and green and red pavilion across the valley, and the very first yellow and orange leaves of the fall stood in stark contrast to this grey day. Not normally wary of heights, I was a little nervous on that peak. The guard rails were more cosmetic than functional and wouldn't have done much to block a slip on the rocks--or a suicidal jump. I couldn't help but wonder if anyone's last moments were on that mountain top.
While I was standing there, a cautious distance from the guard rail and certain death, one of the North Korean guides approached me. The tourist area employs many North Korean hotel and restaurant staff and guides, distinguishable from the South Korean and Chinese employees by the pin of Kim Il Sung that they wear on their jacket. The North Korean staff I encountered were all very polite but very matter-of-fact. They didn't converse, except as necessary, in Korean or English, and they did not want their photos taken. I can't blame them. The South Korean guide explained that if their photos are circulated and they're found doing something wrong, suspicious, or simply out-of-the-ordinary, there could be serious consequences for them. I imagine they also must deal with annoying requests from numerous tourists who want a photo of real, live North Koreans, as if they are animals in a strange zoo.So I was surprised when a North Korean guide approached me. We had a 15-minute conversation in his broken English and my severely limited Korean. It wasn't like talking to a member of the "Axis of Evil" but to someone a lot like me. I wondered what he thought of me. Did he see me as just another tourist? Someone privileged, wealthy, different? A contributor to his country's economic distress or part of the solution? What does he know about my country? What history has he been taught? For that matter, what history have I been taught about his country? Was he content with his life, or did he envy mine? I'd like to think that as we exchanged superficial small talk in our haphazard mix of Korean and English that he also thought that we're more the same than we are different. He told me that he and I are 친구. In this context, I think he meant that we're the same age, but the word also means "friend."
I had taken my time on the hike up the mountain so I could take a lot of photos and allow the scenery to be embedded on my mind, so I had to say good-bye to my new friend and hurry back down the mountain to my bus. On the way down, I passed several members of my group, which gave me the reassurance of knowing I wouldn't be the last person back on the bus.
We drove back to the tourist area and had a couple hours to eat lunch and visit the shops. I walked around some more, hoping to catch a few glimpses of the town. One of the restaurants in the tourist area had a 2nd floor balcony that probably would have had a good view, but there were several North Korean restaurant workers up there taking a break, and I didn't want to risk having them delete more of my pictures, so I didn't go up there. I wonder if that's intentional. I took these pictures from the first floor porch of a restaurant. The red, blue, and brown roofs are in the tourist area, but the white buildings with grey roofs in the background are in the town on the other side of the wall/fence that separates the two areas.
We then loaded up the bus to return to Seoul. Again, the drive away from the tourist center was probably the most interesting part of the trip, and I kept my eyes glued to the window to catch whatever glimpse I might get of the "real" North Korea. We passed the same small villages with their identical houses and flooded corn fields. The mountains became lower and treeless. We passed the anti-aircraft artillery and then arrived at the North Korean immigration tent. This time, there was no person in a bear suit. We lined up in numerical order, had our bags x-rayed, and turned our North Korean ID cards in to the immigration officer. Then we boarded the bus again, rode through the North Korean side of the DMZ, crossed the military demarcation line, rode through the South Korean side of the DMZ, and arrived at the South Korean immigration office, where a stamp in my passport indicated that I had officially returned. It was a long drive back to Seoul, and we arrived at about 10 PM, so I caught the subway back to my city.All in all, it was an exciting trip. I would not recommend my tour company, but I would recommend the experience of visiting Mt. Geumgang. There wasn't enough time to see the whole mountain, so I would like to go back again, but I would probably go with a Korean tour group. On this trip I went with a group of other foreigners, mostly English teachers, and while I met a really nice American couple and a nice Scottish woman, there were quite a few people in my group who were generally obnoxious and even offensive. The tour company also didn't do a good job of keeping us on schedule or giving us an overview of the tourist area and rules.
I'll remember Mt. Geumgang and especially my conversation on top of the mountain for years to come, and hopefully someday visiting that mountain won't be any more difficult than visiting Korea's other national parks and will only be different because of its spirit and not because of its inaccessibility.
Monday, September 17, 2007
South of the Border, Korea Style
I'm back from my weekend trip to North Korea's Mt. Geumgang. What an experience. There is so much to say, but I need to get ready for school, so I'll have to write later. The weather was awful. It was pouring rain for most of the weekend. It certainly reduced visibility on the mountains and meant that my clothes never really dried out, but it also created this mist on the peaks and through the valleys that made the scenery look like a painting, almost mystical. It rained steadily for the entire bus ride back to Seoul late last night, so imagine my surprise upon waking up to a beautiful blue sky this morning.
North Korean staff took my camera away twice and deleted some of my photos, but I still came home with a couple hundred snapshots of the scenery. When I have more time, I'll post some here and write a better update.
North Korean staff took my camera away twice and deleted some of my photos, but I still came home with a couple hundred snapshots of the scenery. When I have more time, I'll post some here and write a better update.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Northbound
Now I'm finished teaching for the week and have my bags packed for my hiking trip on North Korea's Mt. Geumgang. I'm really excited about it.
At the end of one class today, one of my little girls asked, "Miss EMH, is it true?!"
"Is what true?" I asked her, wondering what could be so unbelievable about the lesson we were finishing on participle adjectives.
"That you're going to North Korea to teach English to Mr. Kim Jong Il?" she said, with a completely serious expression on her face.
"Who told you that?" I asked, laughing.
"Mr. B." she said.
This was the first I had heard the story, and it made me laugh right out loud. Then the other kids had a bunch of questions. It turns out that the directors of my school told some of my students that I'm going to North Korea this weekend to teach Kim Jong Il how to speak English and make hamburgers, and a couple of the kids believed it.
I made them finish the page they were working on before I'd say anything more about it. While they scrambled to finish writing sentences, I just sat there and chuckled.
When they finished, I answered a couple questions about how I'm getting there and what I'll be doing. They asked me to bring pictures back for them. I thought that was sweet. I clarified that I'll be hiking, not teaching English or hamburger-making, and that I'm quite certain I won't see Mr. Kim Jong Il, not in person anyway.
At the end of one class today, one of my little girls asked, "Miss EMH, is it true?!"
"Is what true?" I asked her, wondering what could be so unbelievable about the lesson we were finishing on participle adjectives.
"That you're going to North Korea to teach English to Mr. Kim Jong Il?" she said, with a completely serious expression on her face.
"Who told you that?" I asked, laughing.
"Mr. B." she said.
This was the first I had heard the story, and it made me laugh right out loud. Then the other kids had a bunch of questions. It turns out that the directors of my school told some of my students that I'm going to North Korea this weekend to teach Kim Jong Il how to speak English and make hamburgers, and a couple of the kids believed it.
I made them finish the page they were working on before I'd say anything more about it. While they scrambled to finish writing sentences, I just sat there and chuckled.
When they finished, I answered a couple questions about how I'm getting there and what I'll be doing. They asked me to bring pictures back for them. I thought that was sweet. I clarified that I'll be hiking, not teaching English or hamburger-making, and that I'm quite certain I won't see Mr. Kim Jong Il, not in person anyway.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
On Friendship
I'm really lucky. Since coming to Korea, I have made friends who have become my family here. I owe so many of my positive experiences in their country to them. Sometimes I think they can't possibly know what a difference they make to me, that my life is better and happier because of them. All friendships are important, but as a foreigner in Korea--a foreigner with limited Korean language skills and a limited understanding of the culture and society--I depend on my friends more than ever. Sometimes I feel like an infant here. I'm unable to do things independently that I would be able to do without even really thinking at home. Sometimes I worry about becoming a burden on the people closest to me when I need to ask for help with silly things, small things. On the other hand, I have learned to accept the assistance of others graciously and try to return it or pass it on as often as I can. I am lucky. I came here a stranger and will leave here a friend.
Some photos from this week:
City Youth Festival with Chloe, 9/9/07. She's dressed in the school uniform worn by characters in Japanese comic books.
With some of the other staff members at school, 9/11/07. We coincidentally all wore black shirts that day. Unfortunately I didn't get the memo about hair color.
Some photos from this week:
City Youth Festival with Chloe, 9/9/07. She's dressed in the school uniform worn by characters in Japanese comic books.
With some of the other staff members at school, 9/11/07. We coincidentally all wore black shirts that day. Unfortunately I didn't get the memo about hair color.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
A Strange, Serious Game of Chess
There aren't any trees on the mountains.
That was my first thought while looking across the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea from the Dora Observation Post yesterday afternoon. The landscape looked just like the landscape of South Korea, which makes sense since the boundary between the two countries is artificial. The most notable difference to me is that when I looked at the mountains in North Korea, the same low granite mountains as in the South, I didn't see any trees--pale green vegetation with rugged rocky outcrops but no trees. That was my first thought as I soaked in the view from the two-story picture window of the Dora Observation building. Our guide later stated that there were two explanations for the lack of trees: 1) people use wood for fuel, 2) the North Korean government doesn't want a place for defectors to hide. From the Dora Observation post, we could see Kijeong-dong, the uninhabited "Propaganda Village" with its oversized flag across the border. We could also see Kaeseong, home of the collaborative industrial area between North and South Korea.
Two visitors look across the DMZ toward Kijeong-dong, "Propaganda Village," in North Korea. Notice the oversized (160m high) flag pole in the center of the photo.
With two of my colleagues at the Dora Observation Post:
From the Dora Observation Post, we got back on the bus and visited the Third Infiltration Tunnel, a 1.7-kilometer tunnel, 73 meters underground,that was dug from the north to the south to be used in a military attack on Seoul. Black "coal" is painted on the bedrock walls, and when it was discovered by South Korea in 1978, North Korea claimed it was a coal mine. It was an interesting visit, and the small museum associated with the tunnel gave a decent brief overview of separation of the two countries. (Score 1 for EMH for correctly identifying granite, despite the black coal paint. Practical application of my geology course #1.)
From the tunnel, we got back on the bus for the most interesting part of the day, the tour to Panmunjeom, the Joint Security Area. It's a collection of buildings on the Military Demarcation Line and the only place in the DMZ where North and South Korean forces stand face-to-face. Our US Army guide was excellent, gave us a good overview and answered questions when he could. At the JSA, we were led out of the bus and into the Freedom House, which was originally designed to reunite separated family members but which North Korea has refused to use for fear that any North Koreans who went to the South Korean side would refuse to return.
From the Freedom House, we walked in two single-file lines into the Military Armistice Commission (MAC) Conference Room building, which sits squarely across the Military Demarcation Line, half in North Korea and half in South Korea with a door at each end of the building. The MAC Conference Room is where delegates from both sides can meet and communicate. In this photo, it's the blue building on the left. The building in the background is in North Korea.
I was the first person in one of the lines, and our army guide told me to walk to the other end of the room, at which point I was on the North Korean side of the line. I looked straight out the window at North Korea and then at an angle at the line (a concrete block) and back at South Korea. That's North Korea out the window behind me in this photo.
The door behind this guard opens into North Korea.
This concrete slab marks the Military Demarcation Line, with North Korea to the left and South Korea to the right, as seen through a window in the MAC Conference Room.
A South Korean soldier facing North Korea, as seen from a window in the MAC Conference Room.
This South Korean soldier is guarding the United Nations flag inside the MAC Conference Room.
We were then ushered back to the Freedom House steps where we could stand and take pictures of the buildings in the north. From where I was standing, I could see one North Korean military guard standing in front of the main building on the North Korean side of the line. There was also a guard inside the building looking through the window at us with binoculars, but I didn't see him until someone pointed him out to me when we took the bus past there again on our way out. You can see the North Korean soldier next to the door in this picture. The man with the binoculars was in the window to the left of the soldier.
After visiting that part of the Joint Security Area, we went to a guard post from which we had a clear view of Kijeong-dong, "Propaganda Village."
North Korea is behind me in the picture below. The white markers to the right of the picture indicate the Military Demarcation Line.
We could also see the now-abandoned Checkpoint #3 and the area where two US Army officers were murdered in 1976 over the trimming of a poplar tree.
Three days later, the tree was cut down during "Operation Paul Bunyan." The stump was left as a reminder until 1987 when it was replaced by the marker seen here. The photo was taken from the window of the bus when we drove around the area in front of Checkpoint #3.
Also from the bus, we had a clear view of the Bridge of No Return, which was used to repatriate prisoners at the end of the Korean War. The Military Demarcation Line is halfway across the bridge.
By far, this is one of the most interesting things I've done in the time I've been in Korea. The tour was well run and definitely worth the $44 (roughly 40,000 won). I would highly recommend this tour for anyone living in or visiting Korea. I feel like I have a better understanding of the country that has been my surrogate home for almost two years now. I also feel like I have a better understanding of the US military presence in South Korea, which is often a source of controversy in this country.
My final reflection at the end of the day was that it's really sad that this land, this people has been so hostilely divided for the past 54 years. It's sad that an artificial line on the ground serves as a mostly impenetrable wall between Koreans in the north and Koreans in the south, that you can see mountains in the distance but can't walk there, that you see the guards standing on the North Korean side but you're not allowed to have any communication with them, not even a nod. It's a strange, serious game of chess that's reached a stalemate, but the human pieces, unable to return to the box by themselves, have been left to stand. What does that North Korean soldier think when he looks back across the Military Demarcation Line at me? Does he see me as an enemy? Does he wish he were on my side of the line? He appeared to be about the same age as I am. Neither of us are old enough to have first hand memories of why things are the way they are. The memories that have been passed down to us, the histories that we've been taught keep us frozen on the chessboard. How long will that be? What will happen if the pieces are still standing when no one is left to remember how the game got started?
USO Korea--link to tour information. You'll need to make a reservation about two weeks in advance.
That was my first thought while looking across the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea from the Dora Observation Post yesterday afternoon. The landscape looked just like the landscape of South Korea, which makes sense since the boundary between the two countries is artificial. The most notable difference to me is that when I looked at the mountains in North Korea, the same low granite mountains as in the South, I didn't see any trees--pale green vegetation with rugged rocky outcrops but no trees. That was my first thought as I soaked in the view from the two-story picture window of the Dora Observation building. Our guide later stated that there were two explanations for the lack of trees: 1) people use wood for fuel, 2) the North Korean government doesn't want a place for defectors to hide. From the Dora Observation post, we could see Kijeong-dong, the uninhabited "Propaganda Village" with its oversized flag across the border. We could also see Kaeseong, home of the collaborative industrial area between North and South Korea.Two visitors look across the DMZ toward Kijeong-dong, "Propaganda Village," in North Korea. Notice the oversized (160m high) flag pole in the center of the photo.
With two of my colleagues at the Dora Observation Post:
From the Dora Observation Post, we got back on the bus and visited the Third Infiltration Tunnel, a 1.7-kilometer tunnel, 73 meters underground,that was dug from the north to the south to be used in a military attack on Seoul. Black "coal" is painted on the bedrock walls, and when it was discovered by South Korea in 1978, North Korea claimed it was a coal mine. It was an interesting visit, and the small museum associated with the tunnel gave a decent brief overview of separation of the two countries. (Score 1 for EMH for correctly identifying granite, despite the black coal paint. Practical application of my geology course #1.)From the tunnel, we got back on the bus for the most interesting part of the day, the tour to Panmunjeom, the Joint Security Area. It's a collection of buildings on the Military Demarcation Line and the only place in the DMZ where North and South Korean forces stand face-to-face. Our US Army guide was excellent, gave us a good overview and answered questions when he could. At the JSA, we were led out of the bus and into the Freedom House, which was originally designed to reunite separated family members but which North Korea has refused to use for fear that any North Koreans who went to the South Korean side would refuse to return.
From the Freedom House, we walked in two single-file lines into the Military Armistice Commission (MAC) Conference Room building, which sits squarely across the Military Demarcation Line, half in North Korea and half in South Korea with a door at each end of the building. The MAC Conference Room is where delegates from both sides can meet and communicate. In this photo, it's the blue building on the left. The building in the background is in North Korea.
I was the first person in one of the lines, and our army guide told me to walk to the other end of the room, at which point I was on the North Korean side of the line. I looked straight out the window at North Korea and then at an angle at the line (a concrete block) and back at South Korea. That's North Korea out the window behind me in this photo.
The door behind this guard opens into North Korea.
This concrete slab marks the Military Demarcation Line, with North Korea to the left and South Korea to the right, as seen through a window in the MAC Conference Room.
A South Korean soldier facing North Korea, as seen from a window in the MAC Conference Room.
This South Korean soldier is guarding the United Nations flag inside the MAC Conference Room.
We were then ushered back to the Freedom House steps where we could stand and take pictures of the buildings in the north. From where I was standing, I could see one North Korean military guard standing in front of the main building on the North Korean side of the line. There was also a guard inside the building looking through the window at us with binoculars, but I didn't see him until someone pointed him out to me when we took the bus past there again on our way out. You can see the North Korean soldier next to the door in this picture. The man with the binoculars was in the window to the left of the soldier.
After visiting that part of the Joint Security Area, we went to a guard post from which we had a clear view of Kijeong-dong, "Propaganda Village."
North Korea is behind me in the picture below. The white markers to the right of the picture indicate the Military Demarcation Line.
We could also see the now-abandoned Checkpoint #3 and the area where two US Army officers were murdered in 1976 over the trimming of a poplar tree.
Three days later, the tree was cut down during "Operation Paul Bunyan." The stump was left as a reminder until 1987 when it was replaced by the marker seen here. The photo was taken from the window of the bus when we drove around the area in front of Checkpoint #3.
Also from the bus, we had a clear view of the Bridge of No Return, which was used to repatriate prisoners at the end of the Korean War. The Military Demarcation Line is halfway across the bridge.
By far, this is one of the most interesting things I've done in the time I've been in Korea. The tour was well run and definitely worth the $44 (roughly 40,000 won). I would highly recommend this tour for anyone living in or visiting Korea. I feel like I have a better understanding of the country that has been my surrogate home for almost two years now. I also feel like I have a better understanding of the US military presence in South Korea, which is often a source of controversy in this country.My final reflection at the end of the day was that it's really sad that this land, this people has been so hostilely divided for the past 54 years. It's sad that an artificial line on the ground serves as a mostly impenetrable wall between Koreans in the north and Koreans in the south, that you can see mountains in the distance but can't walk there, that you see the guards standing on the North Korean side but you're not allowed to have any communication with them, not even a nod. It's a strange, serious game of chess that's reached a stalemate, but the human pieces, unable to return to the box by themselves, have been left to stand. What does that North Korean soldier think when he looks back across the Military Demarcation Line at me? Does he see me as an enemy? Does he wish he were on my side of the line? He appeared to be about the same age as I am. Neither of us are old enough to have first hand memories of why things are the way they are. The memories that have been passed down to us, the histories that we've been taught keep us frozen on the chessboard. How long will that be? What will happen if the pieces are still standing when no one is left to remember how the game got started?
USO Korea--link to tour information. You'll need to make a reservation about two weeks in advance.
Friday, September 07, 2007
China, yeah!
Another week has come and gone already. How does that happen? Classes are going well, but they're really keeping me busy. I'm teaching 7-10 classes a day (only 4 on Fridays). I'm working with a lot of the same students, but I also have several new students. It's always exciting to get to know a new group of kids and to see my "old" students continue to grow.
I got my passport back this week with my visa for China. I'm very excited. I'm planning a day of hiking on the Great Wall and possibly a side trip to Xian to see the terracotta soldiers. That will leave me only 3 days to see Beijing. I wish I had more time.
Tomorrow I'm taking a tour of the DMZ with two other teachers from my school, and next weekend I'll be hiking in North Korea. Exciting times!
I got my passport back this week with my visa for China. I'm very excited. I'm planning a day of hiking on the Great Wall and possibly a side trip to Xian to see the terracotta soldiers. That will leave me only 3 days to see Beijing. I wish I had more time.
Tomorrow I'm taking a tour of the DMZ with two other teachers from my school, and next weekend I'll be hiking in North Korea. Exciting times!
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Remember me?
Oh my, where does the time go? I can't believe I've been back in Korea for a month and have had absolutely no time to write. Everyday I think about things to write down, but by the time I get home, I'm just too tired to write, too tired to communicate anymore. August was my school's summer intensive course, which meant that we offered more class time to students. Of course, more class time for students meant more teaching time for teachers. Days were long. Kids and staff worked hard. I do see improvement, though, so I'd say the hard work was worthwhile.
This past week was the first week of our new semester. Kids are settling back into their pre-summer-intensive routine. August's monthly progress reports and September's lesson plans have kept me more than busy after the kids have gone for the day. We have two new teachers--one Korean and one Canadian--and several new students. In addition, we rearranged some of the classrooms at school, so now we're all making adjustments. I'm hoping things will settle down this week. A really nasty cold is going around, and I feel like I'm catching it, too.
My distance courses through the University of North Dakota are going well. I love the geology course and am tolerating the calculus course. I don't really know where I'm going with these courses--maybe nowhere--but I wanted to broaden my academic background a little. I was so focused on religion (and related) courses in college that I didn't really explore other subjects that have always interested me like physical sciences. It's not necessarily a career move--just an exploration and a chance to engage my mind in something other than figuring out what people are saying to me.
August was very hot and humid, but September has brought the cool weather with it. Today was drizzly all day and cool. Now the rain has stopped, and I'm thinking about walking up to the artesian well at the base of the mountain to fill my water bottles. Some fresh air would be good after this busy week.
I have big plans for this month. Next weekend I'm taking a tour of the DMZ (demilitarized zone--the area around the border with North Korea) and going to Chloe's middle school's festival. The following weekend I'm going on a hiking trip in North Korea and the following two weekends I'll be in Beijing. Exciting times ahead. Some days I ask myself, "Is this really my life?" Check back for photos.
This past week was the first week of our new semester. Kids are settling back into their pre-summer-intensive routine. August's monthly progress reports and September's lesson plans have kept me more than busy after the kids have gone for the day. We have two new teachers--one Korean and one Canadian--and several new students. In addition, we rearranged some of the classrooms at school, so now we're all making adjustments. I'm hoping things will settle down this week. A really nasty cold is going around, and I feel like I'm catching it, too.
My distance courses through the University of North Dakota are going well. I love the geology course and am tolerating the calculus course. I don't really know where I'm going with these courses--maybe nowhere--but I wanted to broaden my academic background a little. I was so focused on religion (and related) courses in college that I didn't really explore other subjects that have always interested me like physical sciences. It's not necessarily a career move--just an exploration and a chance to engage my mind in something other than figuring out what people are saying to me.
August was very hot and humid, but September has brought the cool weather with it. Today was drizzly all day and cool. Now the rain has stopped, and I'm thinking about walking up to the artesian well at the base of the mountain to fill my water bottles. Some fresh air would be good after this busy week.
I have big plans for this month. Next weekend I'm taking a tour of the DMZ (demilitarized zone--the area around the border with North Korea) and going to Chloe's middle school's festival. The following weekend I'm going on a hiking trip in North Korea and the following two weekends I'll be in Beijing. Exciting times ahead. Some days I ask myself, "Is this really my life?" Check back for photos.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Sorry
Sorry for the lack of updates. I haven't fallen off the planet. I'm back in Korea and back at work. It's keeping me more than busy. I'm also taking two distance courses through the University of North Dakota: geology and calculus. AARGH. It's a little much on my brain right now, but it's also nice to have a different kind of challenge. It's still rainy season, so it rains everyday and is also hot and humid. It's fun to be back in Korea with my kids and friends again. I'm glad to see the mountains, but I miss my friends and family at home. More sooner or later.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Back to Korea
I'm on my way back to Korea first thing in the morning after spending five weeks in Chicago with my family. I can't believe the time has gone this quickly. More details and snapshots later--from the other side of the Pacific.
Friday, July 06, 2007
More from the Garden
I'm going to risk sounding like Grandma Shirley here. What keeps impressing me about being back in the United States is how big the sky is. Maybe it's because the land in northern Illinois is really flat. Maybe it's because there are wide open spaces here. Maybe it's the lack of tall apartment and office buildings. Or all of it put together. In any case, the sky just seems so much bigger to me here than in Korea.
Here are some more photos from Mom and Dad's garden.
Here are some more photos from Mom and Dad's garden.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Happy 231st, U.S.A.!
It was a beautiful 4th of July here in the Chicago area, despite forecasts of thunderstorms. We had a picnic with my mom's side of the family--17 out of 21 of us were able to make it. I really miss being a part of family events when I'm in Korea, so it was nice to visit with people. It was fun to answer questions about my life in Korea and also hear what's new in my aunts', uncles', and cousins' lives.
We ate (a lot), talked (a lot), and played a family game of whiffle ball. Actually, they played. My aunt, two littlest cousins, and I watched. Everyone headed home in the early evening, and my parents and I went to the community fireworks display. Here are some photos of the day.
We ate (a lot), talked (a lot), and played a family game of whiffle ball. Actually, they played. My aunt, two littlest cousins, and I watched. Everyone headed home in the early evening, and my parents and I went to the community fireworks display. Here are some photos of the day.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
In the Garden
Here are some photos I've taken the past couple days in my parents' garden. Not too bad for a camera without macro capabilities and only a so-so zoom.
Lilies
Hydrangeas (Look carefully for the Daddy Long Legs! There are two of them in the second photo.)
Cone flowers
Dahlias
A daisy
A fancy begonia
I don't know what these are called, but the humming birds really like them. If I sit down near the flowers and hold still, the humming birds will fly within 3 feet of me, but I haven't been able to get a good photo of them . . . yet.
A deer wandered into the yard the other day. I wish I had better than a 3x zoom to get a clearer shot, but I guess this one is okay.
Lilies
Hydrangeas (Look carefully for the Daddy Long Legs! There are two of them in the second photo.)
Cone flowers
Dahlias
A daisy
A fancy begonia
I don't know what these are called, but the humming birds really like them. If I sit down near the flowers and hold still, the humming birds will fly within 3 feet of me, but I haven't been able to get a good photo of them . . . yet.
A deer wandered into the yard the other day. I wish I had better than a 3x zoom to get a clearer shot, but I guess this one is okay.
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