It’s Lisa here at the Rotary District 7500 conference in Virginia. Seems like the right place and time to post my final thoughts about our amazing Rotary GSE experience. This morning our team made a presentation, talking about our experiences and observations while in Korea. Some of what we mentioned:
Rotary is very well respected in Korea. We feel like we were given VIP treatment because of our affiliation with Rotary. Korean technology is advanced and fascinating. We are grateful for all the exposure we got to the arts and culture in Korea. The DMZ tour was a highlight. Ryan thinks we could promote a new diet called the Korean Diet instead of South Beach Diet. We all lost a bit of weight but ate a LOT of interesting Korean food for a month. We all loved getting to know and bond with all the people we met in Korea. Korean people are warm, lovely, extremely polite and respectful.
They absolutely know how to have a good time and showed us great times, despite the language barrier. We’ll never forget the fun at the fishmarket, the day at the sauna, the nights at dinner and karaoke. Such great memories!
At this weekend’s conference in Virginia, I’ve met some fine Rotarians and have learned more about this organization. The members do very good work all around the world, helping so many people in many different ways! I’m inspired to learn more and join this excellent organization.
A final note of thanks to everyone who helped make this an amazing month. To Warren and Gale who suggested I apply for the GSE program. To Toms River Rotary for sponsoring me. To Steve and Bill at WOBM, and Jim and Dan for helping keep me on-air and connected to the listeners via the web. To Jake, again, for the blog which everyone really seemed to love. To friends and family for enthusiastically supporting me on this adventure. To Larry, Ryan, Leo, and Angela for being the best team ever. I look forward to our friendship continuing and growing for many years to come! We’ll continue to do it…Korean Style!!!
Posted by Lisa on Apr 28 2007 under Journal
- It’s Leo here - What a Monday coming back! Our team saw two mornings, two afternoons, and two evenings. It was so hard to stay awake during the San Francisco layover. We were so thankful to lose three hours of travel from Incheon to San Fran. In Philadelphia we were greeted by Ryan’s parents, Angela’s family, and Larry’s wife. It was so nice to meet them. The next day was weird for me because I woke up at 6:30 am EST. There’s a 13 hour difference with Korea. I used to wake up at around 7:30 everyday there. Throughout Tuesday I felt drowsy and needed a few quick naps. Now the pollen is bothering me I believe.
On Tuesday Larry actually went to the Maple Shade Rotary meeting. The Korean GSE team was attending. I was excited with the fact that the team would be in Willingboro and dine in Burlington Wednesday night. That’s right in my backyard. Wednesday night I was really excited to see the Korean GSE team. They have red shirts and hanging id tags. Their English is much more better and relaxed now. It’s quite a difference from when I met them at our Welcome Ceremony in Incheon. Like the Korean Rotarians worried about us during our trip I worried about the Korean GSE team. I appreciated how the Korean group at our Welcome Ceremony had me sit with them at their table and gave me gifts. I felt I had to return the favor. They got an American bag with Polish gifts from me. The bottom of the bag actually said “Made in Korea.” That got a chuckle. I hardly ate anything because I was constantly talking about the trip. I met the GSE member that was not at our Welcome Ceremony. She’s actually pretty nice. The meal was an American style cocktail party/buffet. The Korean team was walking around talking to all the American Rotarian members. I am not used to that with our trip. Being cross-legged at a table was our main gathering and socializing place with the Rotarians in Korea. We had a different way to socialize with the Rotarians. The night went by so quickly. It was cool to get photos with the Korean GSE team. They will visit the Burlington club today. I was excited to tell them that was very close to my house. I look forward to seeing them in Williamsburg on Friday.
Posted by Ryan on Apr 26 2007 under Journal
… on this end. Today was our last full day as a team in Korea. On a beautiful day we hopped into the van, drove along the barbed wired river expressway to the KINTEX Center for the Rotary District 3690 District Conference. They really know how to throw a ceremony. There was traditional costumed dancers playing drums and confetti at the entrance. It was neat to see how the conference works. We got to present to the attendees. In was so great to see the wonderful Rotarians that helped us along our way. We were so eager to see them again. At 6:30pm we had a Farewell Dinner where we presented once again and took plenty of photographs. Now we are back at the hotel packing. Well, I have to start. I can’t believe we are leaving tomorrow. We do not want to come back so soon but we must. You can’t leave us either. We still have this weekend to go at home. This upcoming weekend we’re presenting at the District Conference in Williamsburg, VA. Stay tuned and we’ll see you on the other side.
- This has been Leo-
Posted by Ryan on Apr 22 2007 under Journal
Well, our trip is almost over, and we have spent the past month enjoying the local cuisine of everywhere we have visited. There were rare trips to Pizza Hut and McDonalds (even one unconfirmed Outback Steakhouse dinner), but for the most part we have stayed true to Korean eating. We’ve had almost 30 lunches and dinners, and have had suprisingly little overlap in our meals. I’d like to tell you about some of my favorites and some of the most memorable. I previously posted a video of Angela eating squirming baby octopus, but this was not the only food we had that was still moving. We also ate sea slug and sea urchin which did not appear to be completely dead.
Speaking of octopus, while in Kwang Myong, we had a dinner that was all octopus. The first dish was cooked octopus served in a red pepper sauce. You mixed it with steamed bean sprouts and at it all together. While we have been here, we have had many spicy foods and have grown accustomed to Korean spices. Nothing could have prepared us for how spicy this dish was. After a few bites we were speaking in tongues. The second dish was squirming baby octopus. I’m happy to say that Lisa ate some, despite having already tried it and being fully aware of what would happen when she ate it. THe third dish was octopus soup. There was broth containing vegatables and bean sprouts boiling on the table. To this, a whole live baby octopus was added. After it stopped squirming, it was cut with scissors and served. Most of us ate only the tentacles, but Leo was brave and tried the head.
It would be no stretch of the imagination to say that the seafood has been fresh. One of my favorite meals was in the southeastern city of Pohang, where we ate yonduk crabs. They look like Alaskan snow crabs and taste like king crab. We choose the crabs out of a large tank and they were boild and served whole. They were so good it even brought some of us to tears. While in the city of Asan, we were treated to a meal of fresh oysters and clams cooked at the table on a large, charcoal burning grill. The clams and oysters were placed on the grill, cooked and then opened and cut up into a broth. Occasionally, one of the clams would pop open, spraying the table with boiling clam juice. This was one of the most delicious meals I have had here, but it was tough to get used to your food exploding.
Not everything has been seafood. We have had whole duck stuffed with rice and vegetables. We have had whole chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng and served in a ginseng broth. We have had cold and hot noodles in a variety of broths and sauces. . We have had eel while sitting on the Ilsang river, staring at barbed wire and armed guard posts a mere 100 feet away. We have eaten army chow at Korean army bases. We even ate at an Italian restaurant. The food here has been incredibly delicious and unique and I urge all of you to try a Korean restaurant back in the US. See you soon.
Posted by Ryan on Apr 22 2007 under Journal
- Hi, It’s Leo. - What we did today was big enough that it might take some time for people to recall and possibly post. I just feel I had to do it in the same day. It might not be as accurate to do it so soon but I feel the need to address it now. On Friday the rain poured down from the sky. We were going to the DMZ! When we got our trip schedule at the beginning I sensed how this would be the highest plateau of our trip. I thought about what bad luck we had that it was raining but the show had to go on. We were going to visit regardless. I will post only what I think I could say.
On the Route 23 Expressway along the river the traffic started to really disappear to just a few vehicles. Approaching a barricaded bridge I realized the GPS map no longer listed a route. As we crossed the bridge the GPS showed us just floating over the water. Things were really starting to get quiet and desolate. I could feel the chilling creepiness approach for the serious endeavor we were going to undertake. Our first stop was the 3rd tunnel. The introduction movie to the tunnel and whole DMZ site was tough to take. It was at this moment when everything and everyone we met and encountered this trip came to mind. It was very hard to not break down. It was at this moment I felt that our Rotarian Group Exchange Group completed our mission for this trip.
After the movie, we moved on to a museum display for the DMZ. It was time to pull it together and move on. Next we took the coolest train I’ve ever been on down meters and meters to the walk the tunnel the North Koreans dug. It was not designed for me or dug for me indeed. The whole time I had to walk crouched for the tunnel’s restricting clearance. It was cool to touch the rock for the “I’m here” moment. We walked the tunnel to about 175 meters of the DMZ line where it is barricaded.
Next we went to the Dora Observation building. After a movie a screen lifted, the blinds opened, and we could see the DMZ and North Korea before us. Though it was behind glass it was a heartstopping revealing view of this much contested area. Though the windows were blurry from the rain I got my first view of both the North and South Korea flag poles. It was a view I was just begging to get when we started this trip. The nature truly is preserved.
We were very fortunate to drive ground level through the DMZ to the Panmunjeon meeting site for both nations. I will not forget clearly seeing both the giant South and North Korean flag poles with their nations’ flags flying. We are lucky that the rain was not bad enough that the North flag would have to be taken down. In inclimate weather the flag might rip off under its own weight. At Panmunjeon we were able to visit a conference room that sat on the N/S border. It was where the 1953 Armistice was signed. We actually stepped over into North Korea and back to the South in that office. Amazing.
As we drove off we passed the “Bridge of No Return.”
After that visit I realized just how very near to the end of our trip we were. : ( Our pinnacle was reached. It’s time to savor what little time we have left.
I will not forget this day. I will not forget the point of view of many people we have met in this country on this experience. Moving.
In my lifetime I hope I will see a major change. One is all.
Posted by Ryan on Apr 20 2007 under Journal
Our Rotary team and representatives from the local Rotary Club went to KBS in Seoul where we spent several hours on a guided tour with plenty of photo ops. The radio and TV broadcasts originate from a huge complex of buildings complete with several cafes, numerous banks/ATMS, a KBS police force and a “gift shop” that could be compared to a small supermarket. It sells meat, clothing, health and beauty products and the usual items one would expect; pens, key chains, etc.
We enjoyed walking through a visitor’s center where we goofed around playing “weathercaster” with the chroma-key, 
pretending we were anchoring the noon news, etc. We saw large photo displays showcasing the shows that have been popular over the years drama, news, sports, and entertainment.
This complex also includes a beautiful reception all that KBS employees are allowed to use for their weddings. It also has a couple of music venues where audiences watch their favorite musicians perform. We got to watch some rehearsals: a 20-something guy sing a nice ballad on one stage. Then we moved to another theatre where a cool Korean woman with a great voice led the band “Rumblefish.”
We were shown the prop room (very interesting to see all kinds of phones, computers, clocks from many different decades) and the costume shop where the guys donned warrior outfits and Angela and I tried on traditional Korean clothing. 
The KBS staff told us Angela’s wearing something a queen would wear and I was in a princess outfit. You can’t see it in this photo but trust me I am much taller than the average Korean woman so this lovely (supposed to be) full length dress came to about the middle of my calf!
A couple of observations: In the news department there’s a separate room that functions as the “Natural Disaster Monitoring Center.” I’m told many radio DJs are actually comedians or actors. And Korean radio stations seem to be a lot of “talk.” The one studio we visited had about 5 people on the air at the same time. Seemed to be kind of a “morning zoo” format but in the afternoon. A Korean gal I talked with said some stations focus on music but usually not until around midnight. Not sure if there’s a direct connection but I can tell you that most people here, say 40 and under, wear mp3 players around their necks and listen all the time so maybe that’s how they’re getting their music fix.
Posted by Lisa on Apr 20 2007 under Journal
- It’s Leo - When we got back from our Gyeongju road trip that Monday night, like mentioned before, we ended up at a new hotel in Bucheon. From this new outpost our new week beginning on Tuesday took us to a thorough Seoul trip that would last through the week and leading into the next. On Tuesday the new Rotarian group leaders took us to the KINTEX Exposition hall in the suburbs of Seoul for the 2007 Seoul Motor Show. Every day has been spectacular for me. I was licking my lips once again over this. This was no short of being another day closer to heaven. I had enough interest in the car brands that catered to Korean market as is. I was at the Philadelphia Auto Show and a New York Metro auto show in the past so I wanted to compare the shows. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Every car, regardless of the level of the car or if it was a diesel bus or truck had a beautiful model on at least one fender of the vehicle. I was told this is how auto shows used to be in America. Really?!?! I;m used to taking photos in the US of the front and rear of the cars without a model. I was trying to do the same and later realized how I came to conflict in photo shooting style.
I didn’t get into a single car the entire show like I would at home. I took whole pictures of the car in the beginning and at the end found myself taking pictures of the models like all the more professional photographers were doing. What a conflict in photo taking practices. Angela actually got Ryan to take a few shots with some nice looking models. Fine day. My dress shirt was covered in so much sweat from all the fun in photo taking.
On Wednesday our group, for a contrast, was led to one of the oldest parts of Seoul, the site of the royal palaces for the kings many years ago. We visited the National Folk Museum first. It had the first giant multi story pagoda we’ve seen on this trip. At this museum and later the nearby National Palace Museum of Korea we saw exhibits of the customs and traditional dress of Koreans and their royalty. Because the season is spring only in these exhibits were we able to see how real ready to culivate artist renditioned rice and cabbage looked like. The real heart of the complex is the Gyeongbokgung Palace and Gwanglwamun. It is the most spread out and enclosed royal complex I’ve seen in Korea. We’ve seen where the King would accept guests and where his throne would be. There was a re-enactment of Korean guards marching through the courtyard throughout the day. It was a beautiful complex between two mountains.
Everywhere in Seoul there are mountains that pop up . The city just builds up around it. It’s so large and spread out that is no real set place for the largest buildings in the city. There are many clusters throughout. Mainly there is the Hangang River that splits the city into a north and south. A mountain that contains the Seoul Tower is in the middle of the northern side of the city. Seoul is up there with New York City in size.
Thursday would bring us to the Nandaemun Market in the center of Seoul. The Lady Rotarians kindly led us in shopping and helped me to find Krispy Kreme donuts. They rock! We next transferred to the Myeoung-dong shopping area. We went from a very modern looking shopping area to a very traditional one. The streets were lined in nice stone. Our group was able to scoop up great souvenir buys. We made so much progress through the streets that I pointed out how close we got to the palace we went to the day before.
Friday would bring us to a day of discovery in Bucheon. As mentioned before we went to the very fun Robot Museum, saw our names in lights at the Bucheon football stadium, visited the Comics museum in the stadium basement, and finally was surprised with the opportunity to learn archery.
Saturday and Sunday was our first free days!!! We transferred to a new Rotary group and new hotel in Gwangmyeoung. The team really needed those days to rest. I was still at full push to get my amusement park visits in. I went to the east side of Seoul on the subway by myself to I-park at Childrens Grand Park and then Seoul Land on Sunday in the southern part of Seoul on the other side of the mountain. It was so packed but so great to see families flood the parks and spend time together laying out or playing in the nice spring weather. The group stayed around the hotel and shopped in the city. They became refreshed from the break.
Our group actually grew close to our translator Dano. She lived in San Francisco for a year so she was able to relate with us really well. We all felt young and exchanged on a level we’ve had not had yet about life in Korea. Our group can agree she’s our 6th member. There is plenty of great things my other group members can say about her. If she ever wanted to visit New Jersey I think we would take great care of her.
On Monday it rained and was cloudy. That was actually to our advantage as we visited Seoul Tower. Visibility was more clear than if it would be dry day because of the haze and dust that would be out there. The tower is on a mountain in the middle of the city so it was a great vista of the vast, vast landscape of the city.
Tuesday we went to KBS!!! I was so happy for Lisa and the group. It’s featured in Lisa’s blog. We finished the day with a beautiful cruise on the Hangang River. We passed underneath its many bridges.
Wednesday we went south to Asan for a tour of the Hyundai Motors Factory. It too was really exciting like the Daewoo plant visit. The plant is larger and more spread out so there are more robots in use. It’s neat how they stamp and weld so quickly. It scared our translator! In person it was cool to see the multi tool robots in use. I’m glad it was a midsize Hyundai Sonata and the full size Hyundai Azura/Grandeur under production. Sonata’s sold in the US are made in a new Alabama plant. Wednesday night was sad as we had to bid farewell to the Rotarians and our translator.
Ryan and I have really picked up on the Korean style neckties they wear here. We each have quite a few now. It’s one thing you really have to be here to understand.
Posted by Ryan on Apr 20 2007 under Journal
Today we were transferred to another district with more nice Rotary folks showing us the best of their region. Among today’s highlights…time at Ilsan Lake Park. Leo rode a little go cart/car that we have to post a photo of. He looked as happy as could be riding around. 
Then he, Ryan, Angela, and I followed one of our Korean guides on rented bicycles around the lake. It was a gorgeous sunny day to cruise along the bike path. The lake itself is beautiful and we enjoyed all the cherry blossoms and other scenery there. 
We stopped a couple times along the way to enjoy a garden and spend some time on the swing and this see saw type of thing that seems to be more about jumping until your partner falls off than of riding like we used to do as kids. The park was filled with Korean people of all ages doing regular things like we’d see in America or anywhere: walking, biking, rollerblading, playing ball, etc. One noticable difference though is that many were wearing those respiratory masks Ryan described in the post about the yellow dust.
We enjoyed our day in the park, mask-free, and then went to a wonderful dinner with our new Rotary friends where they kindly led a celebration of Angela’s birthday with song, flowers and a gift.
Posted by Lisa on Apr 19 2007 under Journal
You’ve been hearing/reading about how we are loving the Korean people we’re encountering on this exchange program, right? Kind, respectful, generous, polite, caring…these are all words we’ve been using to describe them.
In response to the news of the shootings in Virginia, some Koreans here have been offering their condolences to us, as Americans. In addition, they say they are ashamed that the killer is of Korean descent. There is a concern here that this incident might cast all Koreans in a negative light. Those I spoke to want to assure us Americans that this individual does not represent Korea.
Due to our busy Rotary Club GSE schedule, we haven’t had much time to watch the news but I can tell you that it’s front page on the newspapers/websites here and on Korean news as well as CNN’s World edition.
I hope you and all your loved ones are safe…
Posted by Lisa on Apr 19 2007 under Journal
- It’s Leo again - This is the Big last week. We do not want it to end!!! Don’t take offense but we are really enjoying and savoring the time, the people, the culture, the technology of Korea. Why would we want to come back next Monday? We still love you in the US but it’s a time we’ll definitely remember for the rest of our lives. We want this last week to go veeeerrrryyy slooooowwwww.
Today is Angela’s birthday!!!! She could not ask for a better day and hotel. The hotel is called the WIZ hotel. In New Jersey we can relate to the now defunct ”Nobody beats the WIZ” electronics store chain. “Nobody beats the Hotel WIZ” either.
We are in the general area of the DMZ so we sense the very excitement of being in this region. Going on Saturday will bring so much fulfillment to the trip. An excellent, climaxing last tour destination before we go to the District Conference at the large KINTEX conference center in Seoul and our Farewell Dinner : ( on Sunday. There will be plenty of hugs, tears, and photographs when we get there.
KINTEX is a great venue. I’ll tell you more about it soon in a Seoul recap. : )
Posted by Ryan on Apr 18 2007 under Journal
