May 1, 2016
우리는 가족이 이에요. (We are family.)
seen from Italy
seen from China
seen from Netherlands
seen from Bangladesh
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from South Africa
seen from United Kingdom
seen from India
seen from France
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from Netherlands
seen from France
우리는 가족이 이에요. (We are family.)
Saving the best for last, the food. Korean Traditional Food Reflection By Aicha Savane, Keaisia Holeman, & Destiny Ledesma Food is an important aspect of every nation that helps define culture. The food in Korea is quite distinctive from the food in America and in western countries. The food consists of a multitude of small side dishes such as kimchi, bean sprouts, seaweed and a variety of different seasoned vegetables. Main courses generally consist of bulgogi (beef), gimbab (seaweed rice wrap with veggies), rice, chicken, pork, glass noodles, and many more. Koreans also tend to add spice and sesame to many dishes and almost always have kimchi on the side. Unlike New York, Korea has many food markets that serve endless options of food ranging from fried chicken and pork belly to oemmuktang and bibimbap. Choco pie and green chococo are famous snacks in Korea as almost all the students had at least a pack in their lockers. Chocolate is also a very famous sweet in Korea - it is frequently served in some way in deserts. Even though we've only experienced a fraction of Korean food in just a couple of days, we were able to enjoy a splendid week of Korean culture.
Posing with some Seouldiers.
That's North Korea... seriously. The bisecting line of the conference table divides the two Koreas and the door being guarded leads to North Korea. What an anxious and humbling experience stepping foot into such a mysterious country. A truly enlightening, and at times frightening, experience. DMZ Tour Reflection By Orpha Jean-Charles, Kayla Donovan, & Sheyann Barnett The DMZ was an experience like no other. We have learned about the DMZ in history class and at the Korean War Museum, but going there is completely different. It's thrilling yet scary at same time-you can feel the tension there. Our experience really brought the political tension alive, given the precautions we all had to take. There were so many restrictions including a strict dress code, when and where you can take pictures, security regulations with our passports, and many more. In the conference room on the border of North and South Korea, once we cross led the conference table we were literally in North Korea. Again, the tension was real. It definitely makes you appreciate your privilege as a Westerner, growing up in much more democratic societies and brings what you learn in the classroom to reality.
Korean War Museum and Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Reflection By Richard Ortecho The Korean War Museum and DMZ at the JSA (Joint Security Area) was an unbelievable experience that I have come to appreciated even more through this trip to South Korea. The Korean War Museum was very informative about the details of the war and the impact it had on the lives of people both in Korean and throughout the world. I was struck by the lists and lists of solders' lives that were lost, from an array of different countries, in the battle against Communism. I was particulary intrigued by the numerous tanks and aircrafts that were displayed outside of the memorial. I was able to go inside some of the tanks and planes granting me an amazing learning experience that I will truly never forget. After the museum tour, I was taken to the DMZ at the JSA where I thought we would be looking into North Kore from afar, but we had the opportunity to walk into North Korea in a jointly held conference room. It was amazing to actually be inside a country that no one knows fully about. I felt not only special, but thankful for this amazing opportunity. The picture above is of me in North Korea with a South Korean solider along the most militarized border in the world. It was truly an amazing experience.
Walking the Line, Day 6.
Getting context for our trip to the DMZ with a tour of the Korean War Museum.
A long day in Korea ended in an old American tradition. The Doosan Bears took on the SK Wyverns in a battle of the first and second place teams. Baseball Game (야구 게임) Reflection By Justin Sheppard After the long, exhausting but challenging hike, we as a group attended a baseball game in Doosan. Not knowing what team to root for, We then decided to root for the "두산 Bears." We didn't get to watch the entire game but we all were excited as the picture expresses it. We had KFC biscuits and chicken with kimbap. We were yelling and dancing for several hours hoping the Busan Bears would win. The cheer leaders performed well in order to support their own team. In the end, we were on the big screen because of our high level of enthusiasm. This day was nothing but laughter and smiles. If I had the chance to do this again, I would. By Fanta Camara The baseball game was amazing. After eating kimpap and KFC Chicken, we waited for the Doosan bears team to come out and play. When the Doosan bears came out, we cheered and had so many laughs. There were cheerleaders who had great costumes and dances. They were really supportive of the team. There was a man who was leading most of the cheers and he was very energetic and enthusiastic because he led the crowd of Doosan Bears supporters in doing fun cheers and staying hyped. I enjoyed the time with my friends. My favorite part was definitely when Matthew's cool moves were shown on the screen and he won a dinner for two. It was nice seeing a friend being shown on the screen. Although we had to leave the game early, everyone had a great time.
A view from the top.