Korea's Dream School

Imagine a school that provides the highest level of education for the most promising students in all of Korea and you would have The Korean Minjok Leadership Academy. This elite school prepares students for the top universities of the world, all Ivy League schools. The students are only allowed to speak English while school is in session. The average SAT total for entering students is 1518! There are stone monuments that line the drive up to the school that have been set aside for future Nobel Peace Prize winners. Expectations are very high for their graduates.
Our lovely interns who are helping to run our workshop are seniors at this school. They are extremely well spoken. They all plan to apply to colleges this fall, all of which are in the United States. In the picture note the uniforms which are worn every day. It is the traditional dress of Korea.
In the evening we had free time and got to take in some more sights. We did more shopping then highlighted the evening by viewing the city from the Seoul Tower. We decided to take the subway which took about 20 minutes by the time we figured out the route. We then took a taxi to get near the tower. We couldn't understand the driver so he just let us out. We then had to take a bus to the top. We got on the wrong stop and went quite a distance out of our way until we finally got to the top. You still had to walk up a steep hill to the entrance. The view was spectacular and worth the effort to get there. We were also very excited to eat a sandwich,anything different than Korean food.
We opted to walk down to the park entrance instead of waiting to ride the cable car. There were lots and lots of stairs; they turned off the lights halfway down so we had to navigate our way in the dark. We decided to get a taxi. It turns out it was only a 10 minute ride home!

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Changdeokgung World Cultural Center

These are scenes from Gyeongbokgung World Cultural Center where we watched the Ceremony of the Gate Guard Change. The palace was constructed in 1405. All of the palace buildings were destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasion of 1592. Changdeokgung was restored in 1610 and served as the main palace until Gyeongbokgung was reconstructed in 1868.
As the most well preserved palace of the Joseon period, Changdeokgung Palace Complex was inscribed on teh UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 1997 for its outstanding architecture and design in harmony with the surrounding landscape. It is a truely spectacular sight.

Traditional Korean Music

Scenes from the Museum of Korean Traditional Music

Today I was able to sneak away in the morning to go to church. Our group boarded a bus and I was pointed in the direction of the subway, a little scarey. It was easy for me to get to my subway stop as the subway system is similar to the one in Japan.

I was given directions that said, find the animal hospital and a jewelry store and walk down the alley inbetween. Easy enough until I emerged from the subway station and I was in the Times Square area of Seoul. Every sign was in Korean. I felt like I was on the Amazing Race trying to find the yellow flag. And I was soon to learn that everyone in Korea does NOT speak English!

Eventually I found the church and enjoyed a wonderful service with many young people who are invited to the service to help them with their English studies. It was a very nontraditional service but I was warmly received. They wanted me to stay and teach English at the language school. I had a great meal and was given a ride to where I was to meet up with our group.

We went to a wonderful performance of Traditional Korean music. It was spectacular. The music is unique to Korea and involves many very interesting types of instruments. The costumes were very vivid and stunning. The final piece was a fan dance. Unfortunately we could not take pictures.

We dined out and I had an exceptional meal. The vegetarians always sit at our own table and we feel like the outcasts. There is often some confusion about what to serve us. In the end it usually works out. We capped off the evening with a walk through a bustling street market.

A "BAD" Trip to Korea

A "BAD" Trip to Korea

Good Morning from Seoul Korea,

After 26 hours of travel, 46 teachers arrived in Seoul for the Korean Studies Workshop. We are here to learn about the history, culture and people of Korea. We are all feeling a little jet lagged. Everyone wakes up at 3 A.M. because your body says it's supposed to be daytime.

We hit the ground running. Our first day was at Yonsei University which is hosting our workshop. We were introduced to a huge staff of faculty and students who are running this event. They are all very helpful and are doing everything to make our trip a good one.

Our first lectures were about Korean Society, which is now ranked number ten in terms of economy. We had a wonderful professor who was very candid and also very humorous. We learned about Yonsei University which is one of the best in Korea. It is located on a beautiful campus. All classes are taught in English (and they speak it extremely well). Three high school girls (in the picture above) have joined us as interns.

There is a lot of pressure on Korean students. It is typical for girls like these to thrive on 5 hours of sleep. They are seniors in high school. These girls are looking to attend schools like Princeton, Harvard and Duke. It is no wonder that Korea is so far advanced in technology.

To finish our long day there was a welcoming banquet in our honor. The food was unbelievable. Once again, I'm not sure I like it all but it is so beautifully presented. I was enjoying something that I thought was "kosher" until I was told it was jelllyfish.

Chuckle of the Day: Our hotel is state of the art. So much so that it took me 10 minutes of walking around in the dark to realize that in order to make all the light sensors work you had to put your room card in a special slot. Once you do this lights are preprogramed and now everytime I walk in they are set just for me. I thought the phone was ringing but it was my security panel with an image of my neighbor Tracy (she was "in the dark" too).

Love to All,

Barbara

Getting Ready for Another "BAD" Trip

Meet "Smalls" our newest addition to the family.

The summer is going by so quickly, as it often does for teachers. I am using the New Jersey shore as my home base. Our youngest daughter Caitlin is working at a pre-school day camp. She has her hands full with three and four year old boys every day. We are enjoying the carefree summer days together.

Fourth of July weekend found my husband John and I in Rhode island for a wonderful wedding by the sea. My cousin Jeanne's son Mathew married his long-time girlfriend Nancy. It was fun to visit with my cousins Billy, Jeanne and Betsy, my only relatives from my father's side of the family. We left Rhode Island on Saturday, spent Sunday at the shore with John's sister Diane, her husband Charles and daughter Moira. From there it was off to Maryland to the wedding of Christina and Chuck. We have watched them both grow up. Their wedding was beautiful. We wish all the newlyweds much happiness.

After returning to the Shore for a brief stay I was off to Louisiana. Our daughter Lauren is moving to Shreveport to begin her first job teaching grades 6-8 in a small Chrisitian Seventh-Day Adventist school. There are three teachers on the staff; she will have about eight students. The church community has welcomed her with open arms. We arrived with our suitcases and they have provided furniture and lots of extras for her new apartment. We spent a week together setting up her apartment, working in her classroom and getting to know the city. It is hard to leave her, as she will be very far away, but I know that her new church family will be taking good care of her. God is leading in her young life.

I returned from the heat of the south to the heat of the north! I'm loving it. Unlike the majority of the population, I long for those swelting heat waves. It is my favorite time of year. I am busy packing for Korea. I hope you will enjoy following the adventures of another "BAD" trip.

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