Going to the Seminary

Today we left Nick and Anna’s to go to the Seminary where we will be teaching our English Bible Camp. We are teaching at the Luther Theological Seminary from Sunday (today) to Thursday. We will be teaching them some Bible stories, but we are focusing more on the English aspect. The kids start to learn English when they enter first grade, but they learn more grammatical things then just words and phrases. We met up with our contact Matt and had dinner with him and another missionary, Julie. Ben and Nate were both very surprised when their meals came with Scissors and were large enough to feed half the group or more. It wasn’t what they were expecting but it was all still delicious.

Before we left for the Seminary, Nick and his son took us to a park near their apartment. It was a very nice park with a Lake and lots of Statues around it. There was a Book Theme Park that had a library and a stage and a lot of other interesting things in and around it. We had a lot of fun on the workout equipment around the lake. The whole group is excited about finally having air conditioning at the seminary, we probably won’t know what to do with it.

Brooke and Nate

DMZ and Other Fun

Yesterday our group had to get up early for the tour that we’ve been planning for a month—the DMZ Tour.  We went into one of the four known tunnels from North Korea.  Three were discovered in the 70s and the last one was found in 1990. These tunnels were made by North Korea to be used as a part of a possible attack on South Korea.  Some of the tunnels are big enough to move equipment that could reach Seoul within an hour.

Figure 1: DMZ Razor Fence

The depth of the 3rd tunnel that we toured was equivalent to a 20 story building underground.  We were able to go 350 yards along the tunnel to the north.  Along the entire way we were cold and condensation dripped off the walls and ceiling.  The entire way down we had to duck because of the short ceiling, about 6.6 feet, but that was probably at its high point.

Before we entered the tunnel, we saw a short clip on the Korean war and a cases of old weapons that were used.  Our group took pictures in front of a mine field next to the entrance of the tunnel.  Apparently none of the forest on base was safe to walk in because there were potential minefields everywhere.

Figure 2: Minefield Sign

Afterwards we went to the Dora Observatory where we were able to see the Demarcation Line and North Korea.  However we had take pictures of North Korea behind a line because the military did not want us to take pictures of the South Korean military locations.  Then we went to the restaurant and ate Bulgogi which was cooked in front of us on the table. Then we were told to make Bulgogi Sam (in Korean ‘sam’ means ‘closing shape’) with bean sprouts, garlic, beef, rice, and bean paste wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Figure 3: Dora Observatory View of North Korea

Figure 4: Bulgogi Lunch

Figure 5: Bulgogi Sam

Lastly we went to the Freedom Bridge. The name comes from the fact that prisoners were exchanged over this bridge after the Korean War. Along with the bridge there was a pool in the shape of Korea and a bullet-ridden train.  The train was there to show the damage from the conflict.

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Figure 6: Freedom Bridge

Figure 7: Pool in the Shape of a Unified Korea

Figure 8: War-Damaged Train

We got back to Seoul around 2ish and wandered the town.  With the rest of the day we saw the city hall and the area where they watch World Cup tournaments.  Next we toured the Deoksu palace.  Deoksugung was part of the Joseon Dynasty and therefore looks very similar to the Gyeonbok palace, but with fewer buildings.  Finally we got to see a bit of the city at night when we went to Namdeamun Market to shop for souvenirs. 

Figure 9: Seoul City Hall

Figure 10: Deoksu Palace

Figure 11: Namdaemun Market

Actually by Ben Behrendt & Carol Schaff

Another Day in Seoul

Today was another beautiful day in Seoul.  We took the Seoul City Tour buses that stopped at many points of interest.  It was neat that we could already recognize parts of Seoul that we had been to just yesterday.  Our first stop was the Korea National Museum.  There we learned some different aspects of Korean culture and history that made it what it is today.  Then was Namsan Tower, built on a mountain in the city.  The view from the top showed us how enormous Seoul is, even though we could not see all of it in the mist.  Down around the base of the tower it is a tradition for lovers to place a lock with a note on the railing.  There are even metal pine structures on which to put even more locks.    They looked a little like Christmas trees from the distance.  There were thousands and thousands of locks covering the rails and the metal trees.  What an interesting tradition!               posted by Rebecca

Lunch was a bit of an adventure today. We found a tiny little restaurant inside an underground tunnel, and decided to try it out. We squeezed by the main counter to a small table in the back, and ordered a dish of everything to share between us. There was faboki, which was a large noodle covered in spicy sauce (very good), ojinga, fried squid (also very good), and a couple of other Korean dishes. We were also treated to some warm liver; luckily, I wasn’t told what that particular dish was until after I tried it, or I might not have. As a grand finale, we got lung, which only a brave few attempted. I was one of these, and I have to tell you, the white veins sticking out were very off-putting. The taste was also a bit of a shock to the system. I was told after that I looked pretty sick to my stomach, which was very much the case. However, it was fun to explore, and was definitely one of the highlights of the day. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to try some more unusual foods.   -Rachel

Our first full day!

Hey Everyone!

So Today we had many small adventures, we were walking near the Blue House (The Korean equivalent of the American White House) and were stopped by what appeared to be Korean Secret Service agents so that a small motorcade could pass without stopping. We also had a lot of fun wandering through Insadong. It is a market area in Seoul. We saw a lot of cool stuff, some expensive, some surprisingly cheap. I bought a really nice umbrella because it was raining that looked like it would be worth at least 20 dollars for only 5,000 Won (like 5 US dollars). We watched some guys making some really cool stuff out of honey and nuts called toksarae. It was really cool. They used honey and formed it into some 16,000 strands! It looked like hair when they were done! They used these strands to wrap up the nut mixtures. We didn’t get any because we were all full but we planned on trying some tomorrow if we have a chance.

-Nate

You would not believe how many Dunkin’ Donuts are in Seoul. I feel like we see one every other block. Actually, we saw a lot of seemingly random things today, including a 3D hologram in the Blue House museum. This was the most fabulous thing ever, and it made me feel like I was in a Star Trek episode. We also stumbled upon an interesting set of stone statues today. They were the astrological signs, standing in a circle, and dressed in armor. I got a picture with my sign (the snake) and I have to admit, for not knowing the statue existed until that moment, I have a really strong attachment to that little guy. I can’t wait to see what else is around here.

-Rachel

One of my favorite things that I saw today were the guards at the Gyeongbokgung Palace. There were quite a few of them standing around the gate. Most of them were standing completely still, like the guards at Buckingham palace, but some of them were not quite as formal, and were talking with the people that were touring the castle. We got our picture between some of the guards, When we took that picture I realized one of the guards had a sword, a pole arm, and a bow and arrow. After we left the guards, another group tried to take a picture but the guards wouldn’t let them. We soon realized it was because they were going to do a little demonstration. For that, the guards on both sides lined up. Then they marched around to the other side. It was really cool. I am looking forward to seeing other interesting things in the coming days.

-Caleb

As you already know, today, we went to Insadong Market. Well we went for a little while anyways. It started raining about an hour before we left for the market, but once it stopped, we took our chance to make our way there. Once we got there though, it started raining again, so we waited inside a sorbet and coffee shop for it to stop raining. When it stopped again, we went into the market and got through most of it before it started yet again. This is where we encountered the guys that Nate mentioned before. After this bout of rain, we went into a little boutique with about 5 different vendors. There were things from jewelry to clothing to kitchen supplies to an assortment of knick-knacks. Some of us got chopsticks for 2,000 Won, which equals $2.00. Let me tell you, when it rains here, it seriously rains. The rain today came in little spurts and these spurts were crazy downpours. And the best part is that people seem to know that it is coming. They are always ready with their umbrellas and everything. Hopefully the weather is in our favor for the rest of our trip and we won’t have to deal with rain too much more.

Goodnight, and until tomorrow,

Brooke

We Made it!

Hey everyone!

Well, we made it to South Korea! After our long journey (13 hour flight followed by an hour bus ride), we finally made it to Nick and Anna's house. Nick and Anna went to the Chapel while they were in Iowa and then they moved back to Seoul and are being generous in letting us stay with them and their 2 kids. When we got off the plane, we took the bus to Seoul, where Nick met up with us to take us to their house. The bus ride let us see the city and all of the interesting things it had to offer. One thing that stood out was that the bridges here are very interesting. They all have intersting designs and shapes. Pretty neat.

When we got to Nick and Anna's house, Anna had a delicious dinner ready for us. She made Japanese-Style Curry. It was amazing! After we ate and got introduced, we planned our day for tomorrow and let me tell you, it's going to be pretty awesome. We are planning on going to the Blue House, which is the Korean equivalent to the White House. After that, we are going to go to a museum, and then who knows, it's going to be an adventure!

Well, the long journey has worn us all out and we are going to get some sleep for our day tomorrow.

Goodnight and God bless!
Brooke

Today's the Day!!

Well were off. We are meeting at the Chapel at 4:15 and we should be on the road out of Iowa City by 4:30 a.m. this morning. We'll meet up with a pastor in Chicago, who will join us the rest of the way to the airport then take the van back to his church. Then, at noon, our flight leaves O'Hare and will land in Incheon International at 4 O'Clock on the 2nd.

Introduction

This is the blog for the group from St. Paul's Lutheran Chapel in Iowa City that will be going to South Korea. There are 7 students going from August 1 to August 14. We will be teaching a vacation Bible school class at Luther Theological Seminary in Ilsan, South Korea, and also spending some time seeing some sights.d

Those traveling to South Korea include Ben B., Caleb K., Nate B., Rebecca S., Rachel D., Brooke E., and Carol S.

 

Check back to this blog for future updates.