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.