Back in the Saddle

The start of August finds me transported back to South Korea for another school year. Amazing how one can board a plane in one country and within the same day (14 hours later) exit half way around the world, confronted by differences in language, customs, food, traffic flow, topography, priority, interaction, temperature and on and on. This transport in time and place can be a real mind-bender, regardless of how much you prepare for it.




Sometimes it's the little things you notice the most, like at our staff retreat in Gyeongju when a bunch of us westerners were craving carbonation in glasses filled with ice. No vending or ice machines anywhere to be found in our hotel, so I went on a search only to find available local drinks such as sugared rice water, green tea and Su Jeung Kwa (a fantastic cinnamon drink)... good stuff, but not when you have a taste for Pepsi on ice. Eventually I returned to our table victorious with Pepsi and a bucket of ice in hand! Like I say, sometimes it's the little things in life =)

After a wonderful couple months break in Canada, I am ready to jump back into my job at Taejon Christian International School and international living that accompanies it. The first week alone was a fast-paced start for me as Technology Coordinator, as I was responsible for 10 staff and student software-training orientation sessions besides all the preparations and plans needed to navigate over 1300 users onto our school network!


At the start of this 2008-2009 school year, I not only look forward to the daily work challenges that meet me every morning but I look forward to getting more involved in the lives of the staff and students around me! I would hate for life to only be about my to-do list when surrounded by such an incredible community.

Exploring South Korea

Last year was filled with wonderful opportunities for me to travel not only to South Korea but throughout Asia and Europe, including Japan, China, Malaysia, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, and not to forget the countries of the US and Canada =) Lord willing, it is my goal this year to get to know my resident country while I have the chance to do so!

Having my good friend Deedra visit in early August sure gave me a great jump-start to explore South Korea as I played tourist and tour guide at the same time. Over the six days Deedra was here, before she headed to China for the Beijing Olympics, we managed to spend time in Seoul, Busan and points between.

Perhaps one of the best decisions we made was joining a city-tour while in Seoul. This tour visits about 30 different sites per day, allowing us to hop on and off the bus for as long as we want at the sites that interest us the most. Not sure how many buses they have going at one time but we certainly didn't have to wait long to get on the next bus headed toward the next destination.


Some of the day's highlights included visiting historical sites, the War Memorial (see next post) and shopping in the more modern neighborhoods of Seoul. It was always a highlight, of course, to take off our shoes and sit on the floor for a good Korean meal =) I must say, Deedra took every opportunity to explore Korean cuisine; I don't think there was an item on the table she didn't try!

The Korean War 1950-1953

Last year I heard good reviews about the War Memorial of Korea located in Seoul. I find it difficult to imagine South Korea at war while only knowing it in peaceful times. The fact is that only 55 years ago this country was involved in a devastating civil war! Hard to imagine when witnessing the modernization and progress that has transpired since. Visiting the War Memorial gave me a visual reference point of Korean life during some of its darkest moments.








For those of you interested in the details, here is an account of the Korean War as recorded in About.com:

In June 1950, North Korean forces numbered between 150,000 and 200,000 troops, organized into ten infantry divisions, one tank division, and one air force division. Soviet equipment, including automatic weapons of various types, T-34 tanks, and Yak fighter planes, had also been pouring into North Korea in early 1950. These forces were to fight the ill-equipped South Korean army of less than 100,000 men--an army lacking in tanks, heavy artillery, and combat airplanes, plus a coast guard of 4,000 men and a police force of 45,000 men.

The events following the June 1950 invasion proved the superiority of North Korean military forces and the soundness of their overall invasion strategy. South Korea's army was simply overwhelmed; Seoul fell within three days. By early August, South Korean forces were confined in the southeastern corner of the peninsula to a territory 140 kilometers long and 90 kilometers wide. The rest of the territory was completely in the hands of the North Korean army.

The only unforeseen event complicating North Korea's strategy was the swift decision by the United States to commit forces in support of South Korea. On June 26, 1950, Truman ordered the use of United States planes and naval vessels against North Korean forces, and on June 30 United States ground troops were dispatched. The United States, fearing that inaction in Korea would be interpreted as appeasement of communist aggression elsewhere in the world, was determined that South Korea should not be overwhelmed and asked the UN Security Council to intervene. When Douglas MacArthur, the commanding general of the United Nations forces in Korea, launched his amphibious attack and landed at Inch'on on September 15, the course of the war changed abruptly. Within weeks much of North Korea was taken by United States and South Korean forces before Chinese "volunteers" intervened in October, enabling North Korea to eventually restore its authority over its domain. The war lasted until July 27, 1953, when a cease-fire agreement was signed at P'anmunjom. By then, the war had involved China and the Soviet Union, which had dispatched air force divisions to Manchuria in support of North Korea and had furnished the Chinese and North Koreans with arms, tanks, military supplies, fuel, foodstuffs, and medicine. Fifteen member-nations of the United Nations had contributed armed forces and medical units to South Korea.

The war left indelible marks on the Korean Peninsula and the world surrounding it. The entire peninsula was reduced to rubble; casualties on both sides were enormous. The chances for peaceful unification had been remote even before 1950, but the war dashed all such hopes.

It remains the hope of South Koreans to be reunited with their northern brothers and sisters. I was told that approximately 80% of all Korean households have family residing on the other side of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), the border separating the Korean peninsula. Even though Korea has been politically and geographically separated into north and south since 1948, let's continue to pray that God orchestrate reunification so these vast numbers of friends and family can live together again!

Busan Bound

After a couple active days touring in the hot Seoul sun, Deedra and I decided to head to Busan to see what life was like in the south end of the country and cool off at a local beach. Turns out the trip to Busan was an experience in and of itself -- from catching the KTX (high speed train) within minutes of departure, bargaining with taxi drivers, trying to figure out Korean ticket machines, reading Korean maps, asking for directions with hand gestures and navigating the subway systems, we were thankful to reach our destination!

To make a long story short, we eventually made our way to The Grand Hotel, which is strategically located along the Sea of Japan at Haeundae Beach... and it was well worth our efforts to get there.


It didn't take long for us to get ready with our swim suits, beach towels and books for what we thought would be a relaxed, even somewhat boring day at the beach. Boy, were we wrong...

I don't think I read any more than a couple paragraphs in my book because I was watching all the activity around me. I sat in awe at the endless energy of the aujimas (older ladies) renting and setting up parasols and chairs (pictured here in orange shirts). Then I experienced the complete lack of personal space as I joined the mass of bodies wading in the ocean with yellow tubes. And when I had my fill of salt water then I observed as each family closely gathered around their umbrella pole to eat kimchi and other picnic foods. Even the efficient use of beach real estate was entertaining as every square inch was utilized to accommodate the tens of thousands of people. This was one well-organized operation!


Here's a shot of the beach taken mid-morning, when about one quarter of the umbrellas were rented and positioned. In order to accommodate the expected number of visitors, the aujimas knew the umbrellas needed to stand edge to edge and row upon row. Seeing this huge tarp of umbrellas had me wondering whether anyone was getting any sun at all!?

I have to laugh when remembering my trip to the beach in Canada just one month ago. As is typical of the open spaces enjoyed by Canadians wherever they go, so it is at the beach. Granted, I took this picture at Sauble on a weekday afternoon but I consider myself fortunate to have found a few other friends to keep me company on this hot July day =)




The beaches of Busan are spectacular but so are the wonderful walks along the bay together with the outdoor shops, entertainment and restaurants. Not too far from our beach, Deedra found a nature walk that lead to what's called the Nurimaru house built for the 2005 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) conference.



In all honesty, when we stumbled across this place we didn't know its significance but sure enjoyed the air conditioning as we escaped from the hot sun. Only when we started walking through the facility did we realize the leaders of APEC countries were here less than two years ago in November 2005, including Prime Minister Martin of Canada and President Bush of the United States. For more information on the summit itself, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/apec/2005/.



What an adventurous and educational trip to Busan. I will definitely keep this place in mind for future travel, for it isn't only a beautiful city architecturally but hosts some stunning views of the bay and surrounding mountains; an obvious destination for tourists and national conferences alike!