Transition to South Korea

Leaving Mongolia was the first time on this trip I felt a little tug on my heart strings.  Our entire time in Mongolia would not have been possible without the help from the Abbot; with whom the connection was made through the husband of one of the Pacific Rim directors many, many years ago. It is this connection between the two that has kept the doors open for Puget Sound students on the Pacific Rim trip to go and experience Mongolia, an adventure that is typically difficult for American student groups to be able to do. He set us up in the guest house in one of his temples, provided a classroom for our lectures, gifted us with tickets to an orchestra performance in Ulaanbaatar (which was really an impressive showcase of traditional Mongolian dances, signing, and even some contortionists!), and gave us leather passport covers as a goodbye gift! His two daughters were our tour guides for the duration of our stay and were an incredible resource as they spoke perfect English. It was through the kindness and hospitality of these people that made our stay in Mongolia so beautiful and memorable.  On one of our last days, we took a day trip to Terelj National Park and finally got a chance to meet the Abbot. He originally built a temple and meditation caves in this isolated area with the intentions of it being a space for him to escape society and human interaction. However, it became a tourist attraction as it is one of the biggest temples in Mongolia. The Abbot has been hosting Pacific Rim groups in this area for nearly 20 years. He even built a zipline and got a pizza oven for us!

On our last night, we had a big group dinner with all of the people who made our trip possible. This includes our amazing bus driver, who tolerated us rowdy kids, navigated some crazy roads in the countryside, and pulled over immediately every time someone (mostly me) had to pee. The women who cooked for us, whether it be at home in the guesthouse or on the road in the country side. We always had a big meal to look forward to at every meal time! The abbots daughters, and Oku and her husband, two other people who provided us with a wealth of knowledge and made sure we got the best out of our time Mongolia. A strong language barrier can sometimes prevent hearts from opening and connections being made, but it was clear that the genuine kindness of these people surpassed any kind of language barrier and we will remember them forever. The saddest part of traveling is leaving the people who touched your life, and I definitely got a little teary eyed watching their face expressions as we expressed our gratitude, and saying goodbye. 

So now we are in Seoul, South Korea..already wrapping up our time here. It's hard to believe that the day after tomorrow we will be flying to Kyoto, Japan to meet our host families for the whole month of October! Time is moving fast yet also slow, it feels like we have been gone forever but also that we just left yesterday. It's actually crazy to think back on all that I have done this month. It feels like I have lived a lifetime in the past 30 days! 

Upon arriving in Seoul, I immediately fell in love with the city. We stayed in a university area so most of the people around us were college students. People are always out and about, there are hundreds of places to eat right our of our doorstep, and a surplus of sweet fancy treats. Koreans really know how to live! Even something as simple as the inside of a shop is impressive. Nothing is done with half the effort here, space is taken up very wisely and with intention. They have the trendiest cafés, and even have animal cafés like cat, dog, meerkat, bunny, etc...basically where people go in literally to get a drink and casually hang out with animals. It is a huge contrast from Mongolia, where it was more difficult to get access to things we didn't even know we were missing. Here, it feels like everything and more is available. AKA, the consumption culture is HUGE !

We had the chance to speak with the chairman of the Democratic Party in South Korea, Hong-Gul Kim, the son of Korea's former president, Kim Dae Jung. It was an incredible experience hearing him talk about democracy in South Korea, the road leading up to it, his hopes for the future and what he sees as the biggest issues in South Korea today. He also made some jabs at President Trump, bold statements that we all laughed at in agreement. For an example, some of the issues in South Korea resemble the problems we have in the United States, like unequal wealth distribution and deep struggles with racism in the US and and ethnic division in Korea. When asked which country he feels is on the better road to addressing these problems, his response was "well, at least Donald Trump isn't our president". On the topic of North Korea, Chairman Kim feels anything could change in a day but worries about the unpredictability of Trump and Kim Jong Un, and rightfully so. Despite all the rising tensions, he continues to dream of a day where he can take the train up through North Korea, through China and all the way to Europe, an inspiring dream of a global world where history is still important, but does not play the huge role it does today regarding the tensions between North Korea and the rest of the world. 

We also had the incredible opportunity to go to Korea's Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). I never thought I would have that chance to step into North Korea, in my life. It was a very surreal experience to be in a place that I have seen on the news, on the internet, so many times. Our guide was a 19 year old American private from West Virginia. He told us that tensions have stayed the same, and not risen, despite the rising conflict and bitter words between Trump and Kim Jong Un. Life has stayed the same on the border. It really highlights the weight of history to think that the border was created in the first place to define which area was occupied by the Soviets and which area was under the United States of America, and the United States army has never left since the mid 1900's. In a sense, the cold war has never ended on the border. Truthfully, who knows what would happen if the soldiers were to leave.  ROK (Republic of Korea) soldiers seem to appreciate their presence, and the two groups get along well and are do things like play basketball together during their down time. Some people might consider the United States long term involvement to be unnecessary or even a form of imperial rule. Maybe if we left, North Korea would feel less threatened and agree to put their guard down as well. I recognize this is an incredibly simple way to think about it. But it is worth considering the pros and cons of our involvement. I do think we play a severe role in keeping the peace, and have for many years, and therefore aided in the process of South Korea's democratization. On the other hand, maybe our presence itself is what has kept the tension high. 

The day after tomorrow we fly out to Kyoto, Japan to stay with a host family for the month of October. I am so excited for a little bit of stability and a chance to unpack my bag! The last month has been a crazy whirlwind of a million emotions, ranging from tears to uncontrollable laughter. No doubt this adventure would be the same without my 24 classmates. It's been an amazing challenge to learn to coexist, support, be supported by, and consistently open to learning from each other. It is hard to grasp the concept of being on the move for another 8 months. But I wouldn't have it any other way, this is the life I always dreamed of and I am working hard to embrace the unknown & living outside of my comfort zone, or, in other words, redefining what comfort means.

Thanks for reading!