The Long Update

Hello again, it is midday Tuesday in Korea and I am on a break between classes. This is the first day that it is not overly hot since I arrived and for some reason the air conditioner is actually running in our room so it is quite bearable (normally it is only set to cut in at 28.) I will try to give a detailed synopsis on my trip up to this point without getting too long and boring.

We were supposed to leave Regina on Friday morning at 6 am but after problems with the plane and then after making us wait 2 hours in the customs area at the Regina airport and another hour waiting in line to recheck our baggage, they decided the plane would not leave until 6 PM meaning we would not make our connection in Minneapolis. We re-booked for Saturday and hoped for the best. The only bonus in this was that I got to spend another evening at home with Rebecca although after bringing my truck and dropping it off in Wawota I only ended up with 3 hours of sleep before having to get back to the airport.

On Saturday we learned that only Aimee and I had actually got re-booked on Northwest and Laura and Paula (the 3 others from U of R I was supposed to be traveling with)(there are 10 of us in total from the U of R) did not. They eventually got booked on an Air Canada plane and met up with us in Tokyo.

The day was very long, over 24 hours to get from Regina to Ulsan, with the longest flight I have ever been on being from Minneapolis to Tokyo (12 hours). The most interesting part of the trip was that the in-flight snack on the flight from Tokyo to Busan was sushi. We were met in Ulsan by students from the program and then took the hour long bus ride to Ulsan and were finally in our rooms by 10:30 PM. We had to attend a short orientation at 11:30 and it was almost 1 AM by the time I got to sleep. A mandatory breakfast at 8 AM meant only 6 hours of sleep and since I did not sleep at all while travelling, I have not been able to catch up on sleep yet.

Our first day was very busy as following breakfast we had a short tour of the sports centre and then to the bank to exchange money. We then attended a ceremony where they presented the famous soccer manager Guus Hiddink with an honorary degree. OK so I don't really know who he is but he led the South Korean national team to the final 4 in the world cup in 2002.

We then went for lunch in the school cafeteria and had our first class in the Korean language. Basically it was about how to read the letter (not understand but pronounce.) Afterwards we went to a Korean BBQ restaurant complete with take your shoes off at the door and sit on the floor at a low table with a hole in the middle that had a bucket of coals that you cook your food over. It was a great experience, a very social way to eat, and the food was excellent. We drank several rounds of soju and generally just had alot of fun. Afterwards we walked back to the campus and by the time I got my laptop charged and hooked up to the internet, it was time for bed.

So far I can honestly say this has been a really great experience. I have had the opportunity to meet people from across the world including across the US, Morocco, Germany, Romania, Czech Republic, Japan, China, Thailand, and, of course, South Korea. The South Koreans we have met have been amazingly hospitable and everyone in the program is very friendly. It has rained both days I have been here and up until this afternoon the heat and humidity was really high. I have been really enjoying the food and am looking forward to the weeks ahead. Until then I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

Quick update

It is after 10 on Monday night and after a full day of travel yesterday and a full schedule today, I am wiped out. But since I just got my laptop charged and hooked up to the Internet, I thought I would post a quick update and fill in the blanks when I have some free time. Well, after having our flight delayed for a day and finally arriving in Ulsan after 10 on Sunday night, I was up this morning at 7 and had a full day with orientations, tours and a Korean language class. We also went to a Korean BBQ restaurant for supper complete with a few shots of soju which is a rice based liquor that tastes like vodka.

With that I will go and fill in some details tomorrow.

My roommate Justin and another Korean student toasting with soju at the Korean BBQ restaurant. Kon-bae (cheers)!

One Week to Go

Hello and welcome. In only one short week, on June 26, I will be on my way to Ulsan, South Korea where I will spend four weeks as part of an international business study group at the University of Ulsan. I thought this blog might be a good way for those friends and family who are interested, to keep up with what I am doing while half way around the world. This seemed like a better way to do things rather than through Facebook so that the people I know who are not on Facebook could still take part (maybe it will even force my mother to use a computer at home). I hope to do regular updates and post photos although I have never been very good at keeping a regular journal so I guess we will see how it goes.

I will give you a little background on my trip. The Ulsan International Program website describes the program like this:

UIP is an international summer program designed for foreign students who want to learn Korean culture, history, society, business as well as Korean language. The program consists of a broad range of classes and excursions. Participants visit a wide variety of historical and cultural sites around Ulsan and other cities in Korea. On top of them, the program includes field trips to industrial complexes as well.

UIP equips students with a broad understanding of other cultures. It helps participants respect and accept people with unfamiliar backgrounds. Since participants come from all over the world, students share a wide range of cultural interests, backgrounds and traditions.

If anyone is interested in any other information on the program, the website is http://www.ulsan.ac.kr/eng/international/uip.aspx

I leave Regina next Friday morning before 6:00 AM and after stops in Minneapolis and Tokyo will arrive in Busan late Saturday afternoon. Once in South Korea, we will be met by students from the university who will take us to Ulsan and show us to the dorms where we will be staying for the duration of the program. After a day of rest to hopefully combat any jetlag I have, I start classes on Monday.

One look at the syllabus for the course automatically brings up some red flags for me. First of all is the fact that I have to learn some Korean. I have not been very proficient at learning any new languages in the past and the fact that this is a totally different language and lettering is pretty scary. Second, is the fact that I have to learn some beginner Korean martial arts. Now, I am out of shape and have very little co-ordination so this seems like a great way to make a grand fool of myself and/or hurt myself. Lastly is the fact that we make a trip to the beach. Something that no one wants or needs to see is me on the beach, These things are not really a deterrent for me, after all, the past 10 months of my life has been about doing and learning new things and pushing myself to accomplish things I wasn’t sure I could. Not only that, I am old enough now that I have learned to laugh at myself and simply don’t take myself as seriously as I used to.

The thing that I wish I could change about the trip is the timing. After 10 months of having to live apart from my wife, Rebecca is moving to Regina on the day I leave. I am looking forward to finally be able to see her every day again but that will have to wait for another four weeks. Also, July 1^st is the fourth anniversary of the day I married my beautiful wife and will be the first (and hopefully last) time I have to spend the day apart from her (one benefit of being married on Canada Day is that our anniversary is always on a holiday.) Hopefully I can make it up to Rebecca on her birthday, which she will be celebrating in China we me. That’s right, after my four weeks in South Korea, I fly to Beijing where Rebecca will meet me and we will spend two weeks touring China including stops in Beijing, Xian, Hangzhou, Wuzhen and Shanghai before heading back to Canada on August 9^th..

So, I will try to update on a regular basis and keep things interesting with lots of pictures. If you know any of my family and friends that might be interested in following my trip, please tell them to take a look here regularly. I will try to update again before I leave, but until then, take care.