there's no place like home

so, at the urging of my family, i'm posting to affirm that i have made it home. its been two days since my arrival in the states, and my sleeping is still much off track. i stay up late into the night and have trouble making it through the day. besides that, and my persistent lack of appetite (i won't complain), i'm adjusted to home. i've unpacked my suitcases and have begun to hand out souveniers. my days are now filled with the aimlessness that filled may and much of june. however, i did go to the library yesterday and leave with a stack of books that i plan on reading. there's also decorating the dorm room and packing, with moving being only three weeks away. so now that i write it in front of me, i see that there are things to do. and as always, i will be posting about it for everyone to read.

Notes from Jeju

don't we look excited??
mount halla surrounded by the mist
taking a rest- these stairs lined much of the 10 kilometer (round trip) trail
filling water bottles at the spring
cooling my feet off in a spring- hopefully not the same one i drank from :)

Friday, July 25, 2008- 10:22 PM- Jeju Island, South Korea

Friday, July 25, 2008- 8:22 AM- Mississippi, USA

I believe that I have truly accomplished something today. I climbed the tallest mountain in South Korea, Mount Halla. That was really all our day amounted to, that and a definite lack of appetite and an eagerness to be home. Since leaving Seoul, most of the Americans have become homesick and quite ready for all things American. I remarked today about how much we have come to learn of one another’s families because we often reminisce about the food and, in turn, the people back home. Through this, we have gotten to know one another well. It will be sad in a certain way to lose this closeness and dependence that we have come to have on each other. Being away from family and even the mere place of home has not been easy; I couldn’t have made it alone. It has only been through the encouragement of my friends that my days have been as enjoyable and memorable as they were. We’ve become our own little family as well. We call it John and Kate plus 8, like the tv show. Many of us watch it, but it just so happens that the American students can exactly comprise it. Trey’s real name is John, my nickname Kate, which leaves us with exactly 5 girls and 3 more boys to be the children. Pretty silly I know, but it is fitting. I really always act as the mother, handing out medicine for the nausea and aches that Korean food inevitably causes. Speaking of that, I barely ate today. I just lose my appetite when I sit down for a meal, and afterwards am not even hungry. Tonight at the beginning of dinner, after hearing some shrieks from the front table, I turned around to see a live octopus boiling in a pot on the table (mostly all Korean food is cooked right in front of you on your table). That did it for me; I seriously did not touch food after that. We even had to order Sprite because so many thought they were going to throw up. Sadly, I think we offended the Koreans. This troubles me because I have seen them in our country; and, while they didn’t rejoice over our food, I don’t think we received any reactions like ours were tonight. I normally wouldn’t consider myself a picky eater, I just speculate that we are at the point in our trip where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. If we don’t eat, we won’t die. We’ll just find a convenience store as always, and buy chocolate bars and candy. We’ve discovered all the kinds we like. While I think I’ve only gained weight on this trip, I’m hoping that today brought about the opposite. I literally climbed a mountain. It wasn’t easy by any means and took every bit of motivation I could muster. The first half was as if we were in a rainforest- very misty and green. In the second half, we were actually walking in a cloud. The wind was whipping and we were soaking wet from the amount of humidity. It was even quite cold. The trip down was just as tough, and the whole journey has brought about a sore body.

i'm back in seoul! finally! i actually missed the city. while flying here this evening, i calculated that after monday, i will have hit 11 airports this summer: jackson, baltimore, washington d.c., new york, incheon, busan, jeju, gimpo, chicago, memphis, and houston. 10 are from this trip alone. beginning two days ago, i'll be flying every other day for six days. all of the bus riding and flying of late has made me quite tired, so i'm not posting a true update. however, in jeju i kept daily notes since i had no internet access; after finishing them, i'll post. less than 48 hours to go!

Thursday, July 24, 2008- 2:03 PM- Gyeounju, South Korea- in transit to Busan for airport

Thursday, July 24, 2008- 12:03 AM- Mississippi, USA

Korea is a naturally lush and beautiful country. Today, as we have now moved to the countryside city of Gyeounju, I have seen it more and more. In Seoul, towering peaks were seen shadowing the city’s skyscrapers, but out here, one has a fully unobstructed view of the mountains. At our hotel, really a resort, we had amazing views of Anapji Pond. At our very American breakfast this morning, we were able to see a large portion of it along with mountains in the background thanks to a wall of windows. We promptly checked out and headed to a Buddhist temple, which was just as engaging and set right in the midst of small ponds and greenery. We were even able to see the monks and Buddhist followers say their many prayers to several golden Buddha statues. It reminded me of a book I read not long ago: Eat, Pray, Love, in which the author goes on a year-long spiritual journey and follows many practices of Buddhism. While the book was very unlike anything I believe, it did help explain many of the rituals that I saw and heard today. Next, we went to a nook in this town to make pottery. I say a nook because it was literally a curvy street filled with homes and artisan shops tucked into a mountainside. It had a lot of character and charm. There we were able to see one man at his pottery wheel, making beautiful art that is a strong tradition in Korea. We saw his kiln, unlike the ones in the United States. Then we were able to go into his classroom and make the pottery ourselves. Viewing his shop was like stepping back in time. His tools were very traditional and included no newfangled materials. Some wire, leather, and hewn wood were all he used. His wheel was manual as well. While we didn’t get to keep our pottery because of timing, it was nevertheless a very cool experience. We moved on to lunch at a Korean traditional restaurant, observing the tradition of the eldest sitting in the center and eating their dishes first. I sat at a table with the younglings, as I am the second to youngest on this trip. We ate shashimi (raw fish), kimchi, beef, porridge, noodles made from squid, vegetables, miso soup, wheat pancakes, and much more. Sounds like a lot of food, but I haven’t gotten “stuffed” like I would in America since coming to Korea. Because those at our table didn’t eat all of our dishes, we passed them along to the table next to us. I have included a picture of their table, because the number of dishes on it is way more than normal. Koreans eat using many small plates filled with each side dish or main dish. Its community eating, as you always share those dishes with the others at your table. After lunch we were able to pass by the Anapji Pond area, but due to our running behind schedule, it was only a view of flower fields. Lotus flowers and some orange, unnamed flowers grew on both sides of our road. The lotuses were especially striking to see. Actually, last night at dinner, lotus roots were served as a side dish. Anyway, we have now made it to the airport in Busan, where I am now finishing this post. I cannot find a wireless signal (not surprising) so I will postpone this post until I have one, hopefully at my hotel tonight. I am really excited to finally make it to Jeju Island. Since receiving the itinerary and looking it up, I knew it would be a relaxing way to end this trip. Can’t wait to tell about it.

as the trip winds down..

we've done some pretty cool things the past few days. unfortunately, so much of it has required long bus rides often, and i think we're pretty tired of that dead time. without sleep at night, we've gotten good naps in; however, we end up more tired afterwards. and today will only be filled with more, and probably longer, rides. we've travelled out into the countryside of korea, if it can be called that. it seems that even after driving out of the city for an hour, high rise buildings, mostly apartments, are still present. the rest consists of rice fields. the mud festival sunday was interesting more than anything. it seemed catered to "foreigners" and that word appeared everywhere: restaurant for foreigners, toilet for foreigners, lockers for foreigners. they were even giving away mud soap-but only to foreigners. so it was definitely an event catered to tourists. we've also visited the hyundai plant in asan, toured the presidential house (more like the presidential grounds), and seen a musical that was very much like the american movie step up. scattered in between has been some shopping. i've also, at the recommendation of my professor, found a very neat tea shop in the insadong neighborhood. the area is known for its shopping and many art galleries, and we've visited there a few times. the tea shop is hard to find, hidden away, without english words to mark its spot. we literally had to get out the korean characters and compare them to the ones on the building. sarah and i went saturday and then alex, scarlet and i went monday. both times we sat and read or journalled and drank the best tea i've ever had. i have gotten hooked on plum tea, and the older lady who runs this shop makes it very well. i took one picture of the place, but it really doesn't do the atmosphere justice. today, i must leave seoul to head for other sightseeing ventures elsewhere. the next few days look busy, and before i know it, i'll be on a flight headed back home.

p.s. happy birthday mama!

technically, i have now been to north korea

larger view of north korean looking at us through binoculars
zoomed
i really was there!
propoganda village and its massive flag

our initial look at the area (behind is the south korean building)
the north korean civilian workers
the north korean building
blue building-UN. silver-NK
south korean guard standing half out and half behind a building

this was taken out of the bus window, but shows the barricades in the road
this was as close as was allowed from the DMZ viewpoint

south korean soldier in stance (inside UN building)
the actual line that the buildings are on. on the left is north korea, the right is south korea

that is, if you consider stepping into their half of a room in a building that straddles the line. regardless, it was by far the most interesting thing that i have done in korea. we first went to the DMZ; but not before going through several checkpoints and down roads with barriers that prevented our bus from heading in a straight line- it instead had to zig zag around them. along the drive up the mountain, the road was lined with a fence that was clearly marked "mine", in multiple languages, at short intervals. actually, alot of the land still has potentially live mines throughout. at the DMZ, we had a large and unobstructed view from high atop a hill to down below, and what i saw was astonishing. you could clearly see into north korea, including a north korean factory that, as the south korean soldiers said, made only basic goods like clothing. we could also see a north korean tower that prevents all south korean cell phone, tv, and radio signals from infiltrating north korea and keeps north koreans cut off from the outside world. soldiers said towers like this were rampant along the border between the north and south. we could also see two villages, one on each side of the line. they were set up as provisions of the armistice agreement, so the two factions could receive a glimpse as to life in the other. however, the north korean village has now been abandoned by people, although maintained, and is a ghost town. formerly, for about 6-8 hours a day, propoganda would blast through the village through a loudspeaker, speaking of the greatness of north korean leader kim jung il. for this reason, it has been dubbed the "propoganda village" by the south korean soldiers. from it also flies a 600 pound north korean flag atop the largest flag pole in the world, which can be seen from many different vantage points. the south korean village, called "freedom village," houses farmers who farm the land and live in modern and spacious homes. their living is probably a misrepresentation of other south korean peoples, because they average a salary of $82,000 per year. however, living in this village is not easy, as they impose strict curfews on inhabitants who should be accompanied by a guard when in the field. a few years back an unaccompanied woman was kidnapped by the north koreans and held for only three days before released. ironically, she was released because she relentlessly questioned north korean officials on why their people didn't have cars, internet, and such. pretty clever. after the DMZ, we drove to another location to experience the third tunnel, one of four discovered and many more suspected that had been built by the north koreans in preparation of infiltration of the south in a few decades ago. it was very eerie to be inside of a place like that. it was cold and very damp. the ceilings were short and water was dripping from them. north koreans had done several things to make it look as if they used the tunnels to mine for coal; however, this area of the country is not suitable for coal mining. their excuses for other tunnels, include saying that they were really dug by south koreans and they (the north) had no part in their building. after the tunnel, we drove to camp bonafis, the united nations command center to prepare to go to the JSA, joint security area. that would be joint as in north and south koreans, un and american forces. normally, south koreans are not allowed to take this tour, only foreigners. but because we were accompanying them, it was allowed. upon arrival, we had our passports checked and were briefed on the details of north/south relations. also, we signed a waiver that, among other things, acknowledged that we might be injured or killed. it also included provisions that our clothes must be representative of our nation and the UN and that we not make jestures or point at the north koreans (lest they use footage of it for propoganda). no piece of paper could have really prepared me for what we saw. after a short bus ride to the actual line, we were made to stand in two single file lines, one of which i was the head. we walked out of a south korean building, and the first thing i saw was a north korean guard staring straight at us through binoculars. we were only maybe 50 to 75 yards from him anyway. i know i mumbled my astonishment, with maybe an "oh my gosh" under my breath. but that happened quite often yesterday. we were able to take pictures, as they were pretty lenient with that. all of the areas that we could take pictures were the "good spots", and places we couldn't were mostly fields. there were about 10 or 12 north korean civilians, as we were informed, working on a guard tower to our right. we came out of a south korean building built for reunions between northern and southern relatives, yet the north koreans won't use it for that, instead allowing southerners to come to a tourist locale in the north to see family members. the north koreans had a similar building (where the guard was) and in between were three UN buildings (the blue ones) and two north korean buildings (the silver ones). i hope the pictures that i post will better explain this layout. there were south korean guards standing half way out from their buildings, because this stance "made them a smaller target", granted we were larger ones. they were in a taekwondo position and wore dark aviator sunglasses to give off an even more intimidating appearance. we were able to walk into one of the conference, UN buildings, really a room, which is where, by nature of the building's straddling the line, i entered communist north korean territory. inside the room alone were three south korean guards. we were able to take pictures here, and soon moved outside, again in two single file lines. this is when i was able to photograph the lone north korean guard looking at us through binoculars and saw two other guards escorting a man across their building. i also counted four cameras on the north korean building, all aimed at us. the u.s. army soldier who was escorting our group emphatically told us earlier, again reiterating the "no pointing or gesturing", that they "were watching us." in fact, we were specifically told not to wear jeans or a white t shirt because that is north korea's view of americans. it was frightening and neat at the same time to know that they were so close and watching us as well. the rest of our tour included stops at places of skirmishes between forces, a better view of the two villages, and a view of the bridge of no return. the tour was by far a fascinating one, something i will never forget. its not every day that americans can be so close to a trapped, unfree society. it puts things into perspective and will make you thankful for what you have.

are those really..... americans???

america, as we all know, is very much a melting pot for different races and cultures. we have no certain skin color or trait that denotes our being american other than our homeplace. in korea, the people are much more homogeneous. they all have dark hair and eyes, are typically petite, etc. needless to say, we stand out. we have a few blond haired, blue eyed people, and even a couple red-ish haired ones too. we have two boys who are over 6' 5", and we are definitely not as small as our korean counterparts (what can i say- we're from mississippi!). however, i didn't expect to be as uncommon as it seems that we are. wherever we go, people literally stare at us. at first, we didn't pay much attention. but then, it kept happening. people will break their necks in order to look at us. you can see them occassionally pointing and whispering too. we take no offense to this and realize it is only because they do not see many americans, despite this area being a large metropolis. this infatuation was never more evident than yesterday, as we were visiting an ancient palace in seoul. a group of chinese children were no more than 10 feet away from us, staring of course. suddenly, we looked at them and they were snapping photos and panning video cameras in our direction. taken aback by this attention, we began waving and acknowledging them. they didn't let up until they got the shots they wanted. i believe they were a bit embarrassed that we saw them do this, but nonetheless, they didn't immediately stop. our tour guide said that the chinese were more timid, but that korean children can be so bold as to come up and hug us or even ask for our autograph. at another visit yesterday, we had the opportunity to try on traditional korean dress. i assume that it is odd that there are ten white people in a room wearing korean clothing, but nothing too out of the ordinary. i must have the minority opinion. the ten of us and our teacher gathered in a group to take a photo, yet were soon surrounded by people (certainly made up of more than our korean friends) flashing cameras at us. upon realizing what a spectacle we were, we began laughing incessantly. we finally broke up, but there continued to be fascination with our group. no less than three different women, one after another, raced up to our blond haired, blue eyed teacher to have her picture made with him. we, as did he, again thought this was hilarious. while we think it nothing to see a person unlike us on the street, a different story is told in korea. i guess i can now only imagine where photos of me are going to end up in the world.

this sign greeted us upon leaving the plane
this bus picked us up at the airport
advertisement in mcdonald's
normal street with food and shopping
this morning's breakfast

today was such a day. i had a wonderful start to my morning by waking early to drink my refrigerated, Starbucks latte and read The Scarlet Letter, which I began on the plane. my
roomate was still asleep so it was great peace and quiet. a campus tour was scheduled for today, but in actuality it was a free day. however, the schedule here does seem much more rigid, so i think those will be few and far between. two korean students, jong uk and boram, had gone to get breakfast for all of us. how truly nice this was. they came back to the dorm with dunkin donuts, sushi type breakfast rolls, and plenty of orange juice and milk. we all crowded around a table and enjoyed the food, which was delicious. it felt great to be taken care of like that, and was a much better experience than searching for breakfast as we did yesterday. at that piont it truly hit me that it was so important that we had the koreans there to help us. contrary to popular belief, not every person in the world is fluent in english. we have the most qualified tour guides at our fingertips. after a brief meeting in a (hot) classroom on campus, we headed to lunch at a traditional korean restaurant. i'm having trouble putting this into words, for it was so unlike anything i have ever experienced. four of us sat around one table, which has a large boiler in the center. two people share a salad and kimchi as the beginning of the meal. we were told we could choose between beef (australian) or seafood as our main dish. liking both, i said i was flexible, and my table ended up with seafood. yet, this was not typical american shrimp and scallops. on the plate was octupus, squid, shrimp, seashell (i believe these were mussels and oysters), and more. on another plate were lettuces, mushrooms, dumplings- mostly vegetable type foods. these were put into the now boiling pot first and were soon ready to eat. they really weren't that flavorful, and after one day of eating korean food, i have found this to be my main argument against it. they eat some dishes with hot pepper paste, but really use no other spices. its as if it is all or nothing. after the vegetables, the seafood was put in gradually. i will say that i ate some octopus, which had a funny texture but was otherwise ok. i was going to eat shrimp, but i think i lost my appetite. when the waitress came around asking for more salad, i decided to fill up on that instead. soon after, noodles were brought out. i loved them. and then, rice that was cooked in the broth left from the other things. it seems like an immense amount of food, but it really was not filling. i say that in the sense that we in america tend to fill ourselves to the brim. that is not the case here. after eating, the girls went shopping. i have found that korea is much cheaper than the u.s. i bought a few things for myself and some happies for some back home. i'm still waiting for them to take me to a neat market. tonight was mostly a night of rest. i took a nap and awoke just in time to make it to dinner downstairs. the koreans were cooking for us. we had pork and galbi (their version of barbeque-but not really similar to ours). it was good, not extraordinary, but i could definitely eat it often. i came up to my room hoping to get a good night's sleep, but am not sure about that. we have an early day tomorrow, and we'll spend all of getting a city tour of seoul. i cant wait to see what else this city has to offer, away from our small corner of it.

the most wired city in the world?

so much for that! my roomate has just gotten my internet up and running so the blogging can begin. luckily, i kept journaling regardless of the availability of my blog. i am going to post yesterday's below and next write on today and post pictures!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008. 7:13 AM- Seoul, South Korea. Monday, July 14, 2008. 5:13 PM- Mississippi, USA.

Fate has forced me to retreat to Microsoft Word to “blog”. In the “most wired city in the world”, a boast that we have been touting for months, I cannot get a wireless signal or connection otherwise to the Internet. So many times have I wanted to sit and tell of the adventures of the past 24 hours, but my dependence on technology tells a different story. I’ve even thought about going to paper and ink- I brought with me two journals, but that is now my last resort. So I am writing this account and will publish it as soon as I can.
I think that I must admit that I have been homesick since getting to Korea. The Korean students didn’t fly in with us, and navigating the city alone became very hard for us. We landed at about 3 yesterday morning. I had slept plenty and well on the flight, so, when we got to our rooms, I started milling around and getting dressed for the day. The troubles started there. Remember, I am alone at this point, which was probably not good for me anyway. The air conditioning, as I now know, is remote controlled. While it didn’t take me an eternity to figure this out, the time it did take was hot. They use air conditioning very sparingly around here, so I was sweating through my clothes by this point. Also, my adapters and converters to power outlets were giving me fits. This I also soon mastered; but, after a 14 hour flight to a new country 6000+ miles away from home, all I could do was sit on my bed and cry. Family, do not worry; I made myself snap out of it through a little talking to myself and keeping myself busy. As soon as I was dressed, I went to a friend’s room. We were soon conversing about our shared struggles to adapt to a new environment. I am realizing now that this is all part of such a wonderful experience, and it can only be good for me to not be surrounded by every comfort of home. I have everything that I need right here. If I do not get the internet for two weeks, it won’t be the end of me. But, food, that is another story. We were all hungry for breakfast, so we ventured onto the main road near our dorm to find something. After several frustrating attempts for directions from one too many people who didn’t speak English, we spotted the blessed golden arches of McDonald’s, and all but sprinted to her doors. With my belly full of hotcakes and coffee, I felt ready to embrace the city- that is, until I walked outside to the stench. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this city stinks. They do not have trash cans anywhere, and littering is rampant. It is not uncommon to see Seoulites walking around with masks on- fighting either the smell or pollution, I’m not sure which. Even the halls of our dorms smell because of the cooking and the fact that the windows are constantly open- even in the heat and humidity. The humidity is worse than that of the South, so walking around it in yesterday took some adjusting. We found a very neat restaurant where the food is prepared and put on a revolving type platform that circles around by every table and diners grab whatever looks appetizing to them. The food was mostly sushi, with a few servings of fruit mixed in. Needless to say, we loved it. Afterwards, we headed to an outdoor market to shop, where I got two Starbucks drinks that can be refrigerated in my room. Those will be good for the mornings. The Koreans arrived last night, and I believe that we were all so tired that we exchanged brief but nonetheless happy greetings before settling in for the night.

hello washington!

it seems that everywhere i go, from fed ex to the state legislature to washington, i picture myself working there in the future. maybe i'm a dreamer or, better yet, maybe i'm confused. but i do think i'm going to like this city. i know i like the hotel. it is so so opposite from the econolodge, and the closest thing to my stay at the conrad in chicago. i know that there is much activity occurring right now in this city so it makes staying here all the more exciting. but really, i cannot get over this hotel. my coffee is ready to be made in the morning, and my bed feels like a cloud right now. speaking of that, i think i am about to curl up with my book and get some rest.

a dead day

so today has, yes, been a dead day. we awoke this morning to hear some koreans present on varying aspects of their lives and cultures, and we left before all were completed in order to make it to the aiport. if only we could have forseen the future. its 4:51 (despite the time the web says i posted), and i'm still sitting in the aiport waiting on a 2:50 flight. our time has been moved from 4:25 now to 6:10 due first, to the weather in baltimore and secondly, due to mechanical problems. luckily, we have no set activities for tonight. after arriving in baltimore, we still have a one hour or so drive by shuttle or bus to d.c. i don't mind being here though, because i get to watch the planes and catch up on reading. we've done everything from playing spoons and cards to hide and go seek in the airport. i'm now savoring my last few moments in the south. i cant wain to return to y'all and share of the great things the world has to offer.

i am finally rested. i'm not sure how long i slept last night, but i know it was over 9 hours. and i'm also waking up to no coffee, because i wouldn't dare drink it in the hotel that we are in. let's just say it's not the cleanest place. when we pulled up and unloaded in jackson, i thought our group had reached the breaking point. we were in a nasty "motel", were not in a walk-able area, and couldn't agree on lunch. but somehow we pulled it all together and no arguing erupted. i would say that we've bonded pretty well. the past two nights when we've eaten our tables have been almost perfectly mixed with koreans and americans- and not on purpose. last night we had some comfort food at cock of the walk in jackson. i sat by, if i may say it, probably my favorite korean, yi soo. she's hilarious and very dramatic in her mannerisms and facial expressions. she's very smart and opinionated too, but caring and kind all at the same time. throughout this trip, we've really pushed the whole "southern" thing onto the koreans. in memphis, another american student, rob, and i were so excited over turnip greens and cornbread that we supposedly yelled at the koreans to try them. anyway, last night rob and i had a "competition" between our two tables over who could get their koreans to first, eat and like the food (turnips, cole slaw, catfish, fried dill pickles....) and second, say the most southern thing. luckily for me, one of my koreans loved turnips. they loved the meal in general, despite it being unhealthily fried. it dawned on me that everything there really was fried. but, i believe that i won when i taught yi soo to say "hey y'all its fixin' to rain i reckon." all rob's group could conjure up was "the south will rise again." then a korean at the end of my table yells out "go to hell LSU!", and the victory was definitely cemented. below is a video of yi soo and yung won saying the phrase, which had to be written on a napkin (pictured above), along with hotty toddy, this time for yi soo.

visiting a korean baptist church was a great glimpse into what our time in korea will be like. we heard alot of korean being spoken and we ate korean food that they prepared for lunch. it tasted very good, and it eased my fears about eating in korea. going to their church was a very welcoming experience; it is probably one of the most hospitable visits we've had this trip. it was also amazing to hear the hymns being sung in two different languages, yet know that we were also singing to the same God. a member of the church also prepared a presentation about korean culture, and the discussion that ensued was helpful.

after church we visited eudora welty's home. i learned some new things about this native mississippi writer as we were guided through her house by her niece. her niece told me that she called welty "do do" because, as a young child, the niece's older sister couldn't say eudora.

happy fourth of july!

i am probably celebrating my most unique fourth of july today. i was in oxford last year for the fourth, but celebrating with 11 koreans was not part of that day. today was a perfect opportunity to show our patriotism to the other students and to allow them to join in the festivities. we went to the oxford fourth of july parade this morning, which was a very family friendly event. many children were in the parade, include one dressed as the statue of liberty. it was too cute. we also got the chance to swim and relax by the pool until a rain blew in. that allowed time for a nap, and i've only just woken up from it. later today, we will watch some very american fireworks at the baseball field. our time here has been quite easy; i don't feel that the trip will actually hit me until we get to washington, d.c. in a truly unfamiliar environment.

me and my first roomate, yi soo
redbirds game in memphis
fed ex corporate headquarters
william faulkner's outline for "A Fable" on his walls
i love this one. one korean asked me to write out hotty toddy in his notebook.

its been so long since i've gone without sleep, that i'd almost forgotten what it felt like. until this trip. i've had a three hour night and a five hour night and i'm looking at one thats doesn't promise more. sleeping is just not the priority. we have made our journey down I-55 from memphis to oxford, home to our university. its very fun to show the koreans around our town and attempt to explain southern culture to them. especially the food. oh the food. every time we turn around, we are having a meal, much to their dismay and much to my happiness. some think that we eat too much and that it is all greasy and unhealthy. tonight, as we were discussing southern barbeque with john t. edge, one korean scoldingly pointed out these flaws in our eating. he apologized later, and he meant no harm- our ways of life are just contrasting. edge, who works at the southern foodways alliance at the center for the study of southern culture here at the university, spends his time explaining southern culture through our food in his many writings. he has also appeared as a judge on iron chef. yes mama and maggie, a judge on iron chef. after eating a meal of deke's amazing, mouthwatering good barbeque, we watched a documentary on barbeque that the southern foodways alliance made. one man on it stated, "we were put on this earth to die. there is no use prolonging the process with healthy eating." he received a couple of "amens" to that statement from the mississippians, and it could have been taken as a rebuttal to the korean's "healthy" statement. however, this cultural difference was only one facet of the engaging discussion. it was definitely the best discussion of the trip so far, as i got to hear and tell of the southern culture that i live to study and love.

in keeping with the southern theme, we also visited rowan oak and toured oxford on double decker buses. i'm finally posting pictures, hoping for you to receive a glimpse of what we are doing.

OH, and how could i forget. we taught the koreans HOTTY TODDY! its great. just great to hear.

and i am in utter amazement

today could have been considered the first official day of the trip. our riverboat cruise didn't happen last night, as the korean students had a late flight. we did however visit the rock and soul museum, heard some great music and learned a bit about the role memphis has played in shaping modern music. we also ate famous memphis barbeque at the rendevous. and we capped the day off with a tour of the fed ex hub. all i can say about that is wow. i was in amazement the entire time. we've not been back long, and it is two in the morning. but, to really see the place in action, you have to go at night. i wish i could remember all of the numbers, but i cant. i think i was too enthralled with the magnitude of the place to really comprehend what was going on. i do remember one figure- they employ 5000 pilots nationwide. lets just hope that one day i can add to those numbers. there are 11 fed ex hubs worldwide, with memphis being the largest. within five hours, about 120 planes fly in cargo, cargo is sorted, and it is shipped back out to the 11 hubs which then get it to 22 secondary hubs all by the next day. and we're talking like 1.2 million packages at this one place. uh-mazing. these people are some seriously efficient innovators. a friend and i noted how this is just one example of the private sector outweighing any government-run institution, i.e., it beats the post office, hands down. government issued health care, anyone? anyway, i'm going to try to get about four hours of sleep now, for what thats worth. i just couldn't help but talk about the amazing machine that is federal express.

let the journey begin

well, the koreans are here! after a much anticipated and fairly awkward initial meeting, we have finally settled into our places. today has been a day of "settling", as it is the beginning of the program- seeing old friends, exploring a new city, meeting new people. i arrived in memphis a little early today, and was able to take a ride on the trolley with my mother and sister. it was bittersweet to be with them and know that i was about to leave them, yet for a truly wonderful opportunity (don't cry, mother). meeting my classmates at the hotel was like being reunited with my old friends, and we quickly were catching up on our summers. soon, the korean students had pulled up to our hotel and, before we knew it, we were exchaging names and finding roomates.

(continued tuesday) i must say that this has already been quite an experience with those of another culture. my roomate is yi soo, a very sweet girl who is 23 in korean years (22 in american). as soon as i woke up i put on shorts to head downstairs for breakfast; in my half asleep mode, it took me a while to recognize that this food was very foreign to them. yi soo ate cereal and, upon wanting more food, returned to the table with a plate of gravy. she winced as she tried it. i told her to get a biscuit to eat with it. she then laughed and confessed she thought it might have been soup. wow. to take for granted that we know what gravy is and how to eat it. this is just one instance of the differing cultures that are meshing here. however, they are very good speakers of english. conversation takes patience and concentration, but they probe and ponder the very things that we experience as daily habits. nothing can be assumed. i think this trip is going to show me alot about america, and i'm not just talking about new landmarks and places.