Friday, July 5, 2019

The Long Road Back to Korea

It's gotten to the point where there are way too many "formers" on my Facebook bio: former associate professor, former consultant, former facilitator at a conflict-resolution camp. One "former," in that long parade, was an early one, my stint as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Korea.

Recently, I was reminiscing about the feelings I had more than four decades ago as I was preparing to depart the U.S. and head to Korea for the very first time. I didn't have much to go on. I had a sense it was far away from everything I knew growing up in the suburbs of New York City. But I knew nothing about the food, the culture, its history, only a few general things about a war we had fought there in the early 1950s.


Once again, I'm getting ready to go to Korea. In a few months I hope to return and I'm awash in feelings of excitement and reminiscence. This time, I have a million hooks to hang my emotions onto. I can picture the many places I yearn to return to in Seoul, Daegu and Gyeungsan, the latter two, locations where I taught English to Korean college students. I recall the smells that wafted along side alleys, redolent in garlic, kimchi and silkworms steaming in the pots of street vendors. The vague, implausible excitement of my youth is far different from the impatience of returning home to a familiar place.


One of my university students rests his hands on my shoulder, as
we pose with high school students in their uniforms (Spring, 1974)

Korea has filled seven years of my life to the brim. I did my first real teaching there in a heatless classroom with poor lighting, filled with students hungry to improve their English. Living in Korea I delved into my earliest understanding of another culture, one with 5,000 years of history behind it. Here I was, a naive 22-year old recent college graduate, replete with my American history major, then only a 200-year old story. Yet, due to my role as a college instructor, I was the beneficiary of almost automatic respect.

Korean village (1974)

Korea is no longer the country of dirt roads and meandering village lanes that I once explored. Its old-school tea rooms of a past era have morphed into Starbucks and popular Korean coffee shop chains. Today, Korea has the eleventh strongest economy in the world--this from a country that is the size of the U.S. state of Indiana. Korea's Internet is the world's fastest. Its literacy rate is at 98%. Korea, a country with few natural resources, other than its remarkable people, has leveraged generations of hard work, and a near unified vision of middle-class success, to become the Korea that exports its cultural, industrial and high-tech proficiencies throughout the world.

Daegu's monorail, launched in 2015, combines Korea's transportation
and high-tech prowess. The driver-less system slices through the
heart of the city connecting riders with the three older subway lines.

Koreans rarely, if ever, forget a good deed. The Korean government, in a singular show of appreciation, graciously hosts former Peace Corps Volunteers who served there. I plan to return to Korea in October for a reunion program in Seoul, and the chance to visit the campuses where I once taught English. I gaze ahead with excitement and the humbling realization that the very road that leads me to Korea circles back to where my wanderlust first took hold.

With a Yeungnam University student, Gyeongsan, Korea (2014)







9 comments:

  1. So cool that you are going back for the revisit. Be sure to meet up with our Korean language teachers, especially Chun Bobae.

    Yes, the tearooms have been replaced by Paul Basset and Starbucks, the dressmakers of MyongDong with Swedish HM and Korean beauty shops. But under the new facade I could feel that it didn’t seem that Koreans themselves had changed all that much. The vendors in the streets looked and acted pretty much the same as before, just they were probably scrawny high school kids barely able to carry their black textbook-laden school bags when you and I were there. Young had become old, and old had become new. The streets were immaculate but gone were the unique smells/odors of Korea. Occasionally I would wander off the main tourist trap street of Insa-dong and down a back alley trying to feel the old ambience. It remained elusive. Still, the new Korea is amazing to see.

    You will be treated so well, Steve. Enjoy your revisit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Edith for your thoughtful sharing.-Steve

      Delete
  2. Awesome! The information you convey is very interesting and very helpful. Thank you for sharing your vacation experiences and knowledge here. en.balijetaime.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. INSTEAD OF GETTING A LOAN,, I GOT SOMETHING NEW
    Get $5,500 USD every day, for six months!

    See how it works

    Do you know you can hack into any ATM machine with a hacked ATM card??
    Make up you mind before applying, straight deal...

    Order for a blank ATM card now and get millions within a week!: contact us
    via email address::{Universalcardshackers@gmail.com}

    We have specially programmed ATM cards that can be use to hack ATM
    machines, the ATM cards can be used to withdraw at the ATM or swipe, at
    stores and POS. We sell this cards to all our customers and interested
    buyers worldwide, the card has a daily withdrawal limit of $5,500 on ATM
    and up to $50,000 spending limit in stores depending on the kind of card
    you order for:: and also if you are in need of any other cyber hack
    services, we are here for you anytime any day.

    Here is our price lists for the ATM CARDS:

    Cards that withdraw $5,500 per day costs $200 USD
    Cards that withdraw $10,000 per day costs $850 USD
    Cards that withdraw $35,000 per day costs $2,200 USD
    Cards that withdraw $50,000 per day costs $5,500 USD
    Cards that withdraw $100,000 per day costs $8,500 USD

    make up your mind before applying, straight deal!!!

    The price include shipping fees and charges, order now: contact us via
    email address:::::: {Universalcardshackers@gmail.com}
    Whatsapp:::::+31687835881
    ®

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very helpful suggestions that help in the optimizing website.
    I really like you post.Thanks for sharing.
    wordpress
    blogspot
    youtube
    live dealer game

    ReplyDelete
  5. @leadsupplier Telegram
    752822040 ICQ

    SMTP's
    RDP's
    C-panels
    Shells
    VPN's
    Brutes
    Kali Linux Complete Package
    D**p/D**k Web Complete Course with Valid Onion Links
    BTC Cracker
    FB/WA Hacking, Spying Tuts
    SQLI Injector
    Key Logger
    Combos
    Premium Account Logs

    All Stuff will be given genuine & Verified
    Tools Will be Freshly spammed
    Invalid stuff will be replaced
    Hacking Tools & Tuts
    Spamming Tutorials with all tools
    Carding Methods , Cash outs , Spamming Stuff

    All Stuff is available in very low price
    Just Hit me Up::

    @killhacks Telegram
    752822040 ICQ

    Fresh spammed Fullz/Leads/Pros in Bulk Quantity
    SSN DOB
    SSN DOB DL with Employee & Banks Account Details
    High Credit Scores Fullz
    CC Fullz with SSN Info
    Dumps With Pin Codes

    ReplyDelete