First Team Leader Meeting

My mind is in a swirl and I am home cooking tofu stir-fry. But about an hour ago I learned about what it will be like being a team leader next term and the duties that are going to come my way. The school basically wants to overhaul the English Department. Make it more standardized, meaning tests and homework should have a set grading system. It all makes sense, with it showing that we should be more unified and organized. The main goal is to boost the English Department's reputation. For years now, as it has been observed, the attitude was "Here you go, you can figure it out." A very easy going attitude that showed the Korean teachers we were likely lazy and can't be motivated.

But it has me wanting to run for the hills. I knew I was going to be a team leader but now it is just about 3 weeks away! It's becoming a reality. I mostly feel insecure and that I will be a failure at communicating well with the K-teachers and also won't meet whatever standards my English teachers have. I will have to juggle two departments and be the intermediary. It looks like a big leadership position and I don't know if I'm ready. I'm in denial already and need to skip to the acceptance stage.

Thankfully, we had the meeting and it outlined what to prepare for and ways to get everyone ready that first day. But first impressions are important and I will be jet lagged and tired that first day back. I am mostly thinking to just be, "nice" and "sweet." Don't let the stress of it all show and go with the flow.

I'm going to slowly look back at the handout I received with all the information on it over the next few days. And over my time in America spend some time familiarizing it at a pace comfortable. Right now I just need to accept this is going to happen, and see it is an opportunity.

Samcheonggak: Above the noise

Even when you think you are starting to know every nook and cranny of the place you live in, another one comes along to surprise you. This is how I felt when I recently visited Samcheonggak a site up in the mountain side above Samcheongdong street area.

It has been the site of diplomatic relations and also full of cultural history, particularly the Kisaeng women. But for all it's history it makes for a nice place to check out to get away from the buzz of the Gwanghwamun area.

You walk around this circular laid out path and discover different structures and forest paths along the way.

There were some quiet moments that were quite appreciated while visiting this place, and certainly was welcomed.

There is this main hall in the center of the complex that is meant for weddings and other ceremonies. While I was there a "first-year" birthday celebration was winding down, and children's music could be heard.

But if you walk up the side of this complex you get to a balcony where you see a large view of Seoul. Also beside this was a cafe.

Nearby the complex was a stretch of grass with children playing and adults resting. 

What I found most lovely on this day was the shadows cast along the road and buildings.

One couldn't escape the beautiful Korean architectural elements...

Before long all this green will turn brown and the leaves gone. I suppose this place might be quite interesting to visit again in the snow.

If you are looking for a little place to go to above the noise, then come on over to Samcheonggak. Just take a shuttle bus located near exit 3 of Gwanghwamun station and you will be on your way.

물 냉면 or Water Naengmyeon

I don't know why but the last two summers, I have spent in Korea, I never really was into the Naengmyeon. That is the cold noodle dishes. Yet this summer JH introduced me to 물 냉면 or Water Naengmyeon and I have found it to be really good and refreshing.

Last year the MBC's Park Myung Soo made up a funny song about the summer dish and since then I have been singing it in my head.

Near my house is a Naengmyeon restaurant, which we sometimes have delivered to us but other times we do go there and order.

First we were served a small bowl of a warm broth, which I think is meant to help digestion. 

What you are seeing here is a large bowl filled with an icy broth-water. In the center are the noodles, there is a hard boiled egg, a sliced pear and cucumbers for garnish. Also there are some pickled radish inside.

Mul naengmyeon originates from Pyongyang.^[2] Pyongyang naengmyeon is mainly made from buckwheat and the broth of beef or pheasant. It also uses dongchimi broth or a mixture of it, while adding the sliced pieces of the radish to the dish. Vinegar, spicy mustard and sugar is added according to taste before eating. Because the noodles are made mostly from buckwheat, they have a less chewy texture so they rarely need to be cut before consumption.

What you do when you get your bowl of Mul Naengmyeon is you first stir it up and cut the noodles if you feel it is necessary.

Then it is ready to eat! I was told to eat the egg first but you can eat it as you go. I like to save the pear slice till the end. A really cool and not too spicy treat to have during the summer time.  Also I think that not every Naengmyeon place makes it exactly the same way so it is another fun food to discover.

The Best Part About the BP Oil Leak

Trust me,  I couldn't imagine a worse disaster to hit the Gulf of Mexico other than a hurricane and a major oil leak/spill. I grew up in Florida (on the Atlantic side) and spent time swimming on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. I recall dolphins swimming next to the boat that I took with my Girl Scout troop on our way to an island.

However, one of the most marvelous and captivating part about this oil leak has been watching the undersea robots.

I discovered that you can watch the robot action live via The New York Times. You get a whole stage of deep sea vessels to watch with real scientific names like; The Q4000, The Enterprise, The Boa Deep C, The Viking Poseidon, and (my favorite because it shows the most action) The Ocean Intervention III.

What captured my attention at first was watching the robot arms deploy and move about. Their hook like hands opening and closing, grasping things. I watched and imagined the man or woman behind the controls trying to get the position right. As the robot tried to grasp hooks I too was hooked on the action.

I was lucky enough one evening to capture a robot deploying into the sea. It felt as if I were the robot myself.

 I watched as anonymous engineers put the robot into the water. One thing I like best about watching is that there is no sound. At times I even make my own robot sounds when the arms move around. I know...geeky.

Once down the robot has a lot of work to do. The project for getting this leak contained has become really huge. Let's look at the scale of things:

source

Some of the activities you see robots doing are as followed:

Holding on to things with their hook-arms:

Keeping an eye on the leak:

Recently they put on a better cap to capture the leaking oil, called a "Top Hat." 

To do so they first took off the old one and cleaned up the surface for the new one. I watched as the robot had a small spinning metal brush, which it used to grind down the metal. 

You would think the time difference would get in the way of viewing the robot action, but these guys seem to be up working at all hours. For example, when it is 4pm Korea time it is 3am Florida time, and I can still catch the robots at work. 

I am glad they are getting a handle on things down there and I know that eventually they will have it stopped. Yet I will be sad to see the live action robot-theatre disappear. Instead,  it would be great to get live views of the robots when they are used for ocean exploration.

Till then I will enjoy my robot-theatre, which as I watch makes me appreciate more and more just how oil is obtained. 

Some of the best imagery I enjoy are scenes where robots can see other robots in the water. I mostly enjoy it when there are lights beaming into the water. I will leave you with this image:

DMZ: Sobering Tour

After the look around Imjingak park it was time to board the bus that would take us to special locations around the DMZ.

Folks boarded the bus, mostly families and couples. There were a few Grandma and Grandpa types who when walked on the bus had a bright beaming smile on their faces. I wondered was this perhaps their first tour around the DMZ? Were they proud to be going on the trip? As I thought about this I watched as the bus filled up and noticed some folks brought along those transitory snacks, like roasted corn, for the ride. This puzzled me as I wondered why people would bring snacks to view something that symbolizes so much horror. I guess they figured they would finish it by the time they got to wherever we were going.

Really, however, getting on the bus meant I was going to get closer to the DMZ border and I didn't really know what we were going to see.

The bus was finally full of passengers and we took off. I noticed that at the front of the bus was a tourist group from China, since the group's interpreter sat facing them giving instructions and info in Chinese.

We got to a bridge checkpoint and waited in line, during which time I watched cars in the nearby lane. Some were allowed pass the checkpoint, while others made a U-Turn and went back. JH told me that if they didn't have authorization than they can't go forward. He said he tried a similar thing years ago just to get close enough by car.

The ery and intriguing part about the checkpoint were the armed guards. In all my life, besides one time being busted by cops with a group of friends in high school, have I been so close to guns. At that time the cops just had a gun secured on their belt while they questioned us. But at this time, I was close to heavy-duty guns. I am no fan of guns and am grateful Korea outlaws ownership. Certainly the sight of armed men and barbed wire set me up for the fact we were seeing a very secured space in Korea.

I talked about this with JH, how I feel around guns, and he seemed to understand. But we talked about how he knows how to use them since he already completed his mandatory army service. He even schmoozed a little bit over a certain type of gun that he was fond of when he was in training.

At the checkpoint an unarmed soldier came on board to check our ID's. Then once we got the okay the bus crossed the bridge, which was littered with blockades. The blockades were set up in a way that the bus had to maneuver in a zig-zag formation, and I guess the bus driver was use to it and probably had a bit of fun going through.

Once we crossed the bridge the bus traveled up a hillside heading towards the Dora Observatory.

Dora Observatory:

 I love this picture, because the little girl was staring at me while I took it and I also love the yellow color of the hangeul written on the pavement.

On the way up to the observatory the bus driver was talking to us (in Korean) about the place we were going. JH caught me up before we got off the bus, and so I figured that we were going to an observation deck where we can look out over the DMZ and North Korea. So as we disembarked the bus and made our way up to the platform I couldn't help but wonder what North Korea would look like.

Situated on top of Dorasan (Mount Dora, 37°54′53″N 126°42′31″E / 37.91472°N 126.70861°E / 37.91472; 126.70861), the observatory looks across the Demilitarized Zone. It is the part of South Korea closest to the North. Visitors can catch a rare glimpse of the reclusive North Korean state through binoculars from the 304 square feet, 500-person capacity observatory. They will be able to see the North Korean propaganda village situated in the DMZ, a remnant of the old prosperity of the North, and can see as far as the city of Kaesong.

Once you get to the viewing platform you are greated with a horizontal line of people looking out over the wall, while others look through binoculars. Walking up to the edge of the wall, to look out, I was overwhelmed. And then as I gazed out I couldn't help but take in the seeping desolate feeling of it all. For with the combination of the history, mist and undeveloped land that I saw before my eyes, the view was spooky and sad. This was a sobering moment for me as I realized the importance of the DMZ and its current state.

Because this border was created between the two Koreas the land that occupies this demarcation has been left untouch by developers. Thus a rich and thriving natural refuge exists for some rare and native species. This became extremely evident when I saw an eagle soar past us.

There were three of them and they were circling very close to the platform, probably spotting out something that had died down below. They came so close to us you could see their talons and beaks. An amazing sight to see at such a location.

 

From that experience we moved onto the building adjacent the observatory deck, where inside was a model that outlined what is in the view.

Before this I was taking a picture of the view when one of the soldiers came to me and said "NO PICTURES!". I immediately erased the picture. I wasn't the only fool to make this mistake as I saw others get caught. Apparently there was a line at which point past it you couldn't take photos. I know a few of you complain about my lawless photo taking so I chose this time to be a good girl. But it also frightened me and after this I took fewer photos of the places we went to. 

The 3rd Tunnel:

In a war if a wall is built and you can't go through it or over it the next logical step would to build tunnels that go under it. This was North Korea's plan at the time when both sides were giving peace talks. 

North Korea began digging tunnels under the DMZ at the same time that the South and the North first launched peace talks in 1974. According to intelligence analysis, it is believed that North Korea began digging the tunnels after Kim Il-sung (North Korea's President) issued the September 25 Combat Readiness Order in 1971. In this order, he stressed the need to dig tunnels under the Demilitarized Zone, saying that one tunnel would be more effective than 10 atomic bombs and would thus be the best means to overwhelm the heavily fortified front.

But the South were wary to the tunnel digging and over time discovered several tunnels. One of which was the 3rd tunnel which was available for touring.

We got on the bus again and headed to the location of the 3rd tunnel. After getting off we followed everyone to the tunnel's entrance building. Here we all sat and watched as a tour guide spoke about the tunnel's history and guidlines to viewing it. (In Korean). JH again filled me on what he said and what to expect. We lined up at the entrance and walking past some shelves grabbed a yellow hard hat and put it on.

The way one see's the third tunnel is by walking down a vertical shaft that links up with the actual cave-like tunnel that was created by the North Koreans. It is a steep decline down into the depths of the earth. If one were claustrophobic they would have a hard time with this. As one goes further down the air changes to that of a mineral rich type.

Soon enough you finish the vertical drop and come to a flat walking platform that you follow through the tunnel. Everything is lit up from ultra-bright lamps and walkway lights. You realize soon how handy the hard-hat is as the height of the tunnel narrows on just being 5ft tall, and in some places below that. As you walk through, following diligently the people in front of you, others pass by you on the left. It felt as if the tunnel had no end. Along the way are placards on the sides of the cave giving out pieces of information, both in Korean and English.

From reading the placards I learned that the tunnel was coated in charcoal to make it look like they were merely only mining. Other information included the demarcation of dynamite holes with yellow paint and other facts about the tunnel.

It penetrates 435 meters south of the Military Demarcation Line at a point 4 kilometers south of Panmunjeom, running through bedrock at a depth of about 73 meters below ground. Capable of moving a full division (plus their weapons) per hour, it was evidently designed for a surprise attack on Seoul. This tunnel is only 2 kilometers from a key outpost defending the Munsan corridor leading to Seoul.

Initial efforts to discover the tunnel failed until June 10, 1978, when an excavation hole was exploded, they started to dig a counter-tunnel which later reached the North's tunnel on October 17, 1978.

Finally, one comes to the end of the tunnel, which is really the blockade created by the South Korean army.  Basically the tunnel stops at a thick concrete wall with a tiny locked door on it. You look around and note from the sign that this is just one of three concrete blockades. To me it symbolized how strongly people want to prevent war and keep enemies out.

You turn around and head back to the exit / entrance shaft. I have to admit that I took in small amounts of pleasure from being inside the tunnel and it's exposed granite walls. Some small positive present from the war's creations. Yet at the same time I couldn't help but consider the hard work it must have been to create such a tunnel considering how hard a rock granite is. I only concluded that the North Koreans were very determined.

Heading back up the shaft I was out of breath when I got to the top. We joined up with the group and headed outside for some fresh air. At which point we saw people taking their picture with some statues and so decided to do the same.

We then meandered over to a building across the parking lot and walked inside. It turned out to be a theater where we watched a commemoration video about the DMZ. Turns out they had headphones one could use to listen to it in English. My experience of watching this video was that it was heavily laden with propaganda. Yet also laced with the message that the DMZ will be a symbol of peace in the future and also a nature preserve. One couldn't help but wish for the same thing.

Dorasan Station:

We got back on the bus and headed to another location, this time it was Dorasan train station. The bus driver made jokes about how all the buildings around the station are empty. It turns out the station is waiting to be used until there is peace between the nations. For a while there a few years ago freight trains went past the station but nowadays that is no longer happening. It is basically a place open to tourists, with a little souvenir shop inside. 

 

 

It was very squeeky clean inside and kind of gave off that "ghost town" vibe. Looking through a glass wall you could see the hopes of the station where a security check point is set up to check passengers and their baggage. The place was ready for the first signs of users but when that day will come...who knows?

DMZ Tofu: 

The last leg of the tour was a stop at a local tofu restaurant set up for tourists. It was the local tofu speciality that was fresh and came with fermented kimchi. It was very delicious and a natural and fresh way to digest all that one had seen on the tour.

  

 We got back to Imjingak park and went our separate ways. On the ride back home I was overwhelmed with thought and contemplation about everything I had seen and experienced. And now I can say with confidence that one should consider visiting the DMZ, learn about it's creation and hope for a brighter future.