It doesn't end here . . .

In a little over an hour the team is heading out to the airport.  Our flight leaves at 5PM today, Sunday.  We fly for 10 hours, and arrive in San Francisco at 11AM . . . on Sunday.  Cool, eh?

What an experience this month has been!

But it doesn't end here; I will continue to post as much as I can.  I have something like 10 hours of video to process, plus lots of photos I was unable to post because of technical issues. 

I say "as much as I can," because I have to, uhm, work!  I'm self-employed and haven't worked at all since I've been in Korea. 

So I have to go get me some business.  Need a video for your website?  Need a translation into English out of Dutch, French, or Papiamento?  Know a wealthy eligible bachelor?  I'm your gal!  Maybe.

Rotary Clock

We see this clock a lot . . . Wonderful Rotarians.

Technologically Savvy

When we visit museums and historical sites, we often see children on school trips.  Many use cell phones to take pictures and shoot video . . .

This was just outside a museum of contemporary art.  When we were leaving the museum, they had all returned and removed their shoes to sit on those large plastic blanket-matt things.  So cute!

COPION

The brochure on this organization is in the bowels of my suitcase right now.  Just know that it's an organization that sends Korean volunteers, mostly high school and college students, to 5 specific countries, including Mongolia, China, and Russia, where they have offices.  Relationships with other organizations makes it possible for volunteers to go to other countries as well.  Comparable to the Peace Corps, methinks.

They also have an educational program lasting 8 weeks, where experts give lectures.  The program is called "Global Citizenship," and teaches people about issues around the world. Sorry so vague.  Tired.

Spring is in the air

We (the team) went our separate ways for a few hours.  For shopping, uploading photos to Facebook, and the like.  I went to the park in Bucheon.  It's called---are you ready?---Bakersfield Park.

Gimbap

At least I think that's what it's called.  Rice wrapped in seaweed, and fish and radish.  Korean fast food.

Korean Comics Museum

One of my favorite places we've visited in Korea and I very much wish we'd had more time. 

 This "page" was taller than I, and I'm 5'7.

This is the interior of the elevator! 

The sign for women's restroom.  In  a speech bubble!  How cool is that?!

I loved this.  There was a giant cartoonist, sleeping---probably having fallen asleep while drawing---and you can walk through his head and see the various images he sees.  I realized that later, when I couldn't have a good look.  :)

Cold Fries for Breakfast

Frantically typing at public computer in hotel lobby.  Breakfast was a buffet: soup, fries, chicken wings, salad, breaded and fried shrimp, hard boiled eggs . . . all cold.  Heehee!

Sorry, no photos for a few days, methinks.

Moving . . .

. . . to another city tomorrow.  Hopefully, I'll be able to post photos.  Thanks for reading and for leaving comments!

Smiles,

-Z

Ho - Ho - Hahaha!

We were at a regional Rotary conference yesterday.  For the most part, we had no idea what was being said.  Then a nun with a big smile got onstage, and I think she was talking about the power of smiling and laughter and how it improves your health.

Next thing I know, about 1,500 Rotarians are chanting and clapping:

Ho!
Ho!
Ha! Ha! Ha!

Ho!

Ho!
Ha! Ha! Ha!


It's surreal enough being on the other side of the planet and not understanding what's going on around you, but the nun, with what looks like a large rosary hanging from her waist and her black stockings . . .  that adds a layer of surreal!  She sounded like fun, though.  I liked her and wish I could understand.  Unfortunately, my vocabulary in Korean is limited to a handfull---literally---of words.

Sometime later, the team was onstage.  I was singing Abba's "Dancing Queen" with a Rotarian, and then Arirang by myself with no accompaniment.  It's the unofficial Korean national anthem (according to Wikipedia).  One of the Korean team members---they are visiting California for a month just as we have been visiting Korea---filmed it with my camcorder, so we have evidence. 

Ho!
Ho!
Ha! Ha! Ha!

Find My Brother

So . . . we're sitting around the dinner table with a number of Rotarians.  Traditional Korean meals are served on low tables; you sit cross-legged and hope your legs don't fall asleep before your tummy is full.  I'm always afraid I won't be able to stand up and walk because I have a leg that, uhm, you don't need those details.

Anyroad, next thing I know, one of the Rotarians, the guy who'd driven us around town that day, starts telling his story.  I don't remember there being a father in the picture, but his mother was in such a difficult financial situation that she gave the Rotarian's brother up for adoption.  He had two other brothers, and they both died in childhood. 

He desperately wants to find his brother.  He looks like he's in his early fifties to me, but I'm not good and estimating people's ages.  He figures his brother has since been given another name.  Since he and his brother looked alike, he thinks he'll be able to recognize his brother only if he sees him.  Or if the brother sees him first.

By now, the interpreter is crying, and so is my team-mate.  The team photographer offers to take photos of him and there's brief mention of creating a Facebook page.

I offer to shoot an interview, and I do it, although the set-up is not ideal.  I'm already thinking ahead: transcription and verification, translation and editing, subtitles.  Beyond my budget and not a language pair I work with.  Volunteers, hopefully.  And how do we spread the word?  Facebook page, definitely.  Church groups, social groups?  Need more info from the gentleman.

So, I've been singing the one Korean song I know, over and over at dinners and club meetings.  Someone suggests I sing it.  We hold hands and I sing.  The Rotarians sing, too. 

Then I burst into tears. 

@#&*!

Then we all head off for some serious karaoke . . .  My current speciality: Abba's "Dancing Queen."

When I'm home and able to download my video footage, I'll create a YouTube account and post the video at least. 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Me, Tarzan; Make Copy

At first, one of our team members spoke at a normal speed, using vocabulary and our usual language.

Then, the team member tried, slower, and louder.

Then: subject, verb, object.  "We like soup."

Now it's Tarzan-speak.  "Me, two sisters."  "We California."

Also, Koreans want words to end on a vowel and there's no "f" sound, so

"coffee" becomes "copy"  I was wondering why people were always asking if we needed copies of something . . .
"golf"  becomes "golp-u"
"fork" becomes "pork-u"  -  I'm the only one who needs one; the other team members are quite handy with chopsticks.
"each" becomes "each-ee"

"Sh" and "s" sound interchangeable to me, so
"sit here" sometimes sounds like "sh** here"
"city hall" sometimes sounds like "sh**y hall"

I don't know if the Tarzan-speak helps them understand us, but knowing about the other stuff helps us understand them.

Hanna

We went to the movies today, our day off, and it was quite the adventure.  First, figure out whether the movies would be dubbed (people's mouths move and you expect English, but you hear Korean) or subtitled (words across the bottom of the screen). 

There was one that would be in English, but it took a while.  We asked one poor lady who spoke no English.  Then we got a number and waited for our turn, and figured out that the only movie we could watch was "Hanna," that it would begin in an hour, and that we'd have to go upstairs for the theatre.  $10 for a ticket.  I even managed to ask whether guys would like it.

We had assigned seats.  And we sat in the wrong ones.

The seats were "vibration seats," so you could feel explosions and helicopters and the bass in fast music through the seats.  Cheap thrill. Yeah, baby!

Everything on the Web is in Korean, so I can't figure out how to embed the video I want to show you; you'll have to click away from my blog to watch it.  It's the trailer for "Hanna."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugireeCoYyU

Everything you wanted to know about GSE . . .

. . . but were afraid to ask.

I'm unable to post photos right now, but let me give you the quick version of what GSE is.

GSE stands for Group Study Exchange.  It's a cultural exchange with a vocational aspect.  You travel for about a month as a team consisting of non-Rotarian team members and a Rotarian team leader.  What's a Rotarian?  A Rotary Club member.  You can find more info at Rotary's website (click here) or on Wikipedia (click here).

The team is from a particular Rotary District---ours is 5230 from Californi---and the exchange is with a district in another country---in this case it's 3690 in Korea.  The idea is that a team stays with host families and visits cultural and historic places with the goal of gaining a greater understanding of the country and its people.  Then there are reporting responsibilities, but the idea is to share what you've learned with your circle of influence so that everyone benefits.

Why would Rotary do such a thing?  It's one of their goals: global understanding.  Another goal is improving health around the world---they are working towards eradicating polio from the planet.  So very impressive.

Our team includes a reporter, a photographer, and yours truly (video), so our travels will be very well documented.

My team consists of people born in Mexico or of Mexican descent, so today we were on the Korean bullet train, listening to Spanish-language music.  I've also learned some Mexican slang.  :)

Fabulous people.

The Rotarians we meet continue to spend their precious time (many are businessmen who work long hours) to guide us, interpret (translation is the written word, my friends!) for us, and tell us about their lives and thoughts.  They are unfailingly generous and kind.

Later!

Don't Push

So . . . the answer to my previous post in which I asked what the sign meant . . .

http://zeesuniverse.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-does-this-sign-mean.html

Our first guess: Don't Push.  But it's actually: Do Not Enter.  Heehee!

It's Alive!

SQUID
Wait until I get home and am able to edit my videos.  I have footage of what we had for dinner last night.  It was squid.  Or octopus.  It was still moving, my friends.  The server cut the tentacles from the rest of the body.  Our hosts scooped up the tentacles (as they tried to climb up the chopsticks), dipped them in sauce and ate them. 

We all tried the octopus.  Very chewy.  At that moment I wish I drank.  I bet some soju would've made the tentacles go down smoother.  Yowza!  I didn't swallow anything without chewing pretty thoroughly, but in my mind's eye,  they're still moving in my stomach.

Then there were the eggs.  I guess it was a girl squid/octopus.  Those weren't so bad; not much flavor, and the texture of rice . . .

FISH
Perhaps you've had sushi.  I'd never had it.  "Sushi" means "garbage" and/or "dirty" in Papiamento, and just the idea of raw fish wasn't very appealing.  Well, we saw the lady take the fish out of containers full of their brethren.  She then chopped into the fish, near the head.  I saw blood, but the fish continued to flop for quite some time and was still flopping when we walked away.  I filmed a lot of flopping.

So when the platter of carefully-arranged raw fish arrived, my stomach lurched.  The beer started looking appealing.  Or maybe a "bomb," which is a full glass of beer with a shot of soju poured into it.  I tried a few pieces, but no more after that. 

Went to McDonald's this evening.

Prayers for Unification

You'd think that South Koreans would want nothing to do with North Korea given that North Korea has bombed South Korea.  However, everyone we've talked to has expressed the hope for reunification.  "They are our brothers and sisters; we have to help them."   Even if they don't have any North Korean relatives.

Here are some prayers at a peace observatory.

Need For Speed

We saw a presentation at Korail, the Korean train system, I believe it was yesterday . . . I have no sense of what day it is or where I am in Korea, an odd feeling.  Anyroaod, they have a bullet train here, and the station we visited was based on Korean design. 

Some photos for your viewing pleasure:

Korean Architecture

My source describes the difference between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean architecture like this:

Chinese - super ornate
Japanese - no ornamentation
Korean - somewhere in between

Visited a huge palace today.  Wow!

Here's a detal from the roof tops.  There were several little figures up there. Intended to be protective, I imagine.

Haechi!

Becoming obsessed with Haechi.  The little cartoon character is so cute!  And I love the statues I've seen today. 

According to the Korea Times:  "Haechi is a mythical animal symbolizing justice and integrity. Originally, it was a lion-like creature with a horn on its forehead that guarded the royal palaces. Seoul designated Haechi as its symbol in 2008 and promoted it in various ways."

Some examples:

Group Photos

We pose for photos a lot.  A lot.  It's fun to see the pictures after a few days, though, and remember good times with the various Rotary clubs.  Each one has its own character.

Swastika

The swastika has been used for thousands of years as a symbol of good luck and well-being.  Here in Korea it's used to indicate Buddhist temples and we've seen it on flags and signs quite a bit.  But it still makes me stop and keep myself from cringing, because my first association is still with Nazi Germany.

What does this sign mean?

Check out the first sign (on the left).  What do you think it means?

Women: No Smoking

According to my source, it's socially not acceptable for women to smoke in public, although it's okay for men to be seen smoking.  So there are women who smoke in the restroom.  That explains the many no-smoking signs in the women's restrooms.  I haven't been in men's restrooms, so I wonder if there are no-smoking signs there . . .

This one apparently tells you that smoking is bad for your teeth.

Our team was chosen to wear traditional garb and participate (Juan got to hit that large drum you see in the photo) during the formal reenactment of the changing of the guard. 

Korean Couture

What d'you think?  Hat, scarf, and skirt look hand-knit to me.

Garbage

Today we visited the largest landfill project in the world.  More than 1,000 trucks full of garbage are sent to this place.  Imagine a layer of soil, then a layer of (processed) garbage, then a layer of soil, and so forth.  To create land where there was ocean.  Imagine using gas released from the garbage to generate enough energy for 18,000 households.  How cool is that?!

I think it's fabulous, especially since all we seem to hear is terrible, terrible environmental situations and the like.  Here's a place with a solution.  I like it!

Not everyone agrees; we saw banners placed by residents who think the landfill is a bad idea.


Gotta go.

Fire Extinguishers and Drums

Sorry, unable to post photos right now.

Most fire extinguishers I've seen in the USA are behind glass, never on the floor, and aren't immediately accessible.  Someone might, uhm, accidentally use one?  Trip on it and have to sue someone?

Fire extinguishers I've seen here in Korea are on the floor on a little platform.  Just grab and use.  Interesting, eh?

I know, a weak-ish post.  Tired.

Today we, the GSE Team, went to Seoul to see a re-enactment of the changing of the guard from a different era.  We were chosen---because we were having fun and taking lots of photos---to wear traditional Korean clothes, and our Team Leader was selected to hit this very large drum during the ceremony.  Pretty cool.

Photos to follow when I can upload.  Moving to a different city tomorrow.  We're supposed to visit a garbage treatment/landfill facility first thing tomorrow morning . . .

Thanks for your comments!  Just remember that they are public; everyone can read them.

Woof!

Sorry about the silence; I've had no Internet access.  Typing furiously in something like an Internet Cafe. 

Latest news: I had grilled dog for dinner the other night.  It tasted like chicken.

I'm kidding.  The texture was different, but it didn't taste like anything, really; like any meat, it's the flavoring, spices, etc., that make it good.

Like the other meats I've had, generally, I've wrapped it in some kind of lettuce, with some spices.

Good!

Costco

We were being taken to a store; we wanted to shop for various things. I closed my eyes for a few minutes and when the car stopped, I realized we were in front of Costco. At first blush, it seemed exactly the same as my Costco in Sand City, California, but it was HUGE! Three floors! And you'd look over and see Frosted Flakes, for example, but the writing would be in Korean. We couldn't stay long so I couldn't look at more stuff. I paid for my SD cards (what I'm using for "film" in my camcorder) and we headed for the exit. I did see a tiny washer, for clothes, that didn't look like anything you'd see in the States.

By the by, I think of $1 as being $1,000 (I didn't get a very good rate when I exchanged my money).

Fly Away

My teammates are either born in Mexico (two guys) or of Mexican descent (the other gal), and enjoyed the Central and South American Museum.   After walking through the museum and gift store and taking lots of photos of statues outside, we were having a snack in the cafe when an elderly man approached us, speaking Spanish.  He had founded the museum and had been the Korean ambassador to several Latin American countries.  Lucky us!  We didn't get to talk to him for very long, but it was a fantastic coincidence that he happened to be there.

This was my favorite statue at the museum.  The name of the piece is somethingn along the lines of "Fly Away."

Interpreters Do It Simultaneously and Consecutively

The title of this blog was on a bumper sticker I used to see when I was in grad school. 

We've had interpreters throughout our travels!  Yay!  We love our interpreters!  I was super-close to getting a Master's degree in interpretation, so I was especially aware of the difficulty of their task and very grateful.

There's a special place in our hearts for Winston, whom we nicknamed "Hueso," especially since we got to spend several days with him as our interpreter.

Graffitti . . .

. . . a universal problem.  Although this one is kind of funny.

Here's the full statue:

No smoking . . .

. . . in the restroom. Apparently, smoking in the restroom is an issue in Korea, or at least in places where I've been. I took this photo in the stall.

Hanbok

When asked what we'd wanted to see in Korea, I said I'd wanted to see the traditional clothes. I'd seen some in the window somewhere.  Hanbok is the name of the dress for women.
Rotarians make things happen!  Somehow they arranged it!  A Rotarian's relative had a store!  After dinner we were taken to a store and measured. The Rotarians talked a bit and commented that we were "big." Cynthia said, "Yes, I'm tall." I commented that I'd read that in Korea you can't find bras larger than a B cup. I'm bigger than that, so I held my hand out a few inches from my chest and pulled it away. They smiled and nodded emphatically.  So it was impossible to take a deep breath.

There was a white underdress with petticoats. Then a strapless dress that was tight around the bust but loose everywhere else. And then a short little top that went over that, as you can see. Mine was floral.

Check it out; I was trying to look serious, so none of my usual big smile.

Hana . . . Dul . . . Set

Today we met with a printer/publisher.  Uhm, I wasn't really clear on what he did in the grand scheme of things.  I did understand that he had been in the industry for a long time.  He talked about how he'd gone from using stencils and ink decades ago, to working with Photoshop and other software in the present.  You're waiting for my point and here it comes . . .

He gave us a good tip:

When you're taking a picture of a person or group of people and you're counting from 1 to 3 so people will know when to smile, take the picture---press the shutter---on 2, because people tend to blink on 3.

Cool, eh?

Hana: one
Dul: two --- take picture now!
Set: three

Soju and Saidah

Bokbunja is raspberry wine. Soju is Korean alcohol, traditionally made from rice.  It's clear and comparable to vodka.  That's what Wikipedia would have me believe; I don't know from personal experience, because I don't drink any alcohol whatsoever.

Those are the two types of booze I've seen the most here.  Plus beer.

I always decline and usually ask for "sah-ee-dah," (cider) which is like Sprite.  I do so much to the disappointment of many a new Korean friend.  I see their faces fall, and if we were in movie, you'd hear the needle of a record player scratching a record and everything around us would come to a screetching halt.  Well, perhaps I'm exaggerating just a wee bit.

Anyroad, in that moment, if I'm in a good mood, I understand that drinking is a huge part of Korean culture and that it's not the norm to encounter a teetotaler.  If I'm tired, I feel judged, like that person is saying there's something inherently wrong with me because I don't kill brain cells with alcohol.  And then I continue the story in my head, "You freak!  You can't have a good time without drinking?!"

Hahahaha.  Iinteresting to monitor your own reactions to what happens when you're abroad, eh?  And then decide how irrational you think you've been.

What do you think?

No Rings

We've noticed that Korean men don't wear wedding rings.  Apparently, they wear them for a few years---say, five or six---and then that's it! 

One of our interpreters said, "It's not a requirement."  So I said that it's a way for me to know whether a man is single.  He replied that business people get to know each other socially, so I would find out that way. 

A direct quote: "It gets in the way." 

What do you think?  Do wedding rings get in your way?

Skirts and Rocks

In the late General Gwon Yul led his people to victory despite being greatly outnumbered by Japanese forces.  The most interesting thing, to me, was that women gathered rocks, carrying them in their aprons and skirts.  The rocks were thrown off the walls of a fortress onto the heads of the Japanese.

Lower photo shows the GSE Team at the Mountain Fortress with the two Rotarians accompanying us that day.

Korean Kindness

I can't say enough how well we have been treated here.  The Rotarians are just fabulous people.  We have been welcomed warmly.  All our needs have been taken care of.  For example, we said in the afternoon that we wanted to go shopping for toiletries and towels because we were staying in dorms for a few days.   After dinner, towels and toiletries magically appeared . . .

We talk and laugh, we understand each other better through interpreters, but we have fun even without.  And then we discuss things like what Rotary's next big focus may be.  Right now it is eradication of polio from the planet.  Only 4 more countries to go! 

Last night we were at a formal Rotary function.  When we walked in the room, Cynthia, one of my team-mates, said, "Look!  It's all our friends!"  People we'd been on tours with, people who'd given us rides and in whose homes we had stayed . . .

We were each given a bouquet of flowers when we arrived at the Incheon Airport.  This was mine.

Pizza Hut in Korea

Someone got a craving for pizza . . .  We asked them to leave out the corn.  Yes, they put corn in there!

See the little units that make up the crust?  You'd expect cheese in there, and you'd be right.  But there was also sweet potato in there.

I can't remember the last time I was in a Pizza Hut in the States, so I don't know if we have membership cards . . .

Bulgogi is beef.

Korean War Memorial

Need I say more?

The Smell of Book

Imagine a city entirely dedicated to books.  It's not just your imagination; it's real!  I love, love, loved this place.  In Paju Bookcity books are planned, written, and printed.  They are also fiercely protective of the natural environment there.  It's wonderfully idealistic . . . and productive.  I think our guide said something along these lines (don't quote me, though): "This is a place where artists can dream about sharing Korean culture and traditions and then share it with the world." 

The next phase of the city will be focused on filmmaking.  Amazing.

There's a gallery in this city called "Smell of Book."  There really isn't anything like the smell of a new book, is there?!   Although they do have a division working on electronic books.  I like the sensuous experience of smelling the book and touching its pages, do you?

Occupied

I'm not ashamed to admit it: I have an unhealthy obsession with toilets here in Korea, and they seldom disappoint.

I walked into the restroom and there were about 10 stalls.  Each one had a picture on the door.  Okay!  Why not decorate the restroom?  Then I saw someone entering a stall and I realized that when you closed the door, a light would go on, revealing the word "occupied."  How cool is that?!

Many Tears

This has been on my mind for two days now.  I took a photo of this photo that is enlarged to be much taller than I, on a wall in the museum at the Third Tunnel.

This part of our stay had to do with the DMZ - Demilitarized Zone, and didn't want to go.  I didn't want to go when I saw it listed on the schedule we received a while back when we were still in California. 

If you know me at all, I don't read the news and try to isolate myself from things that make me feel bad, but here I had no place to run.  I was fine at this place, but the next day, at a place dedicated to unification of North and South Korea, I saw another photo and burst into tears.

I went to the bathroom, had a good cry, and came back out.  We were taken into a theatre and shown a video about how truly horrendous conditions are for North Koreans. Literally tens of thousands of people die every year from a lack of food while the North Korean leader leads a lifestyle so extravagant that I feel ill.  Then there's torture, and all manner of things I won't get into now.  They're on the list of the places with the worst human rights violations.

I burst into tears again.  The entire situation feels so very wrong, and needless. 

That night we had dinner with Rotarian higher-ups of the area we're in now.  The Rotarian who had guided us all day commented that he hadn't seen anyone cry like that for a long time and was touched.

And I must say that many Rotarians we've spoken to say their wish is for unification, even if they don't know anyone in North Korea.  And it's so heartfelt, always.  

My heartfelt wish is that those of you who read this and pay attention to world events be(come) aware that our fellow human beings in North Korea are in need of our help.  Now.