Where to even begin with my experiences in South Korea? It's hard to try to put into words the life changing experiences that fall into my path, however because I like you I'll make the attempt:
I guess it all started in May. Grandpa and Grandma Christian were heading off to South Korea, for what I thought was another one of their grand adventures. (I hope someday I can have adventures as grand as theirs!) I found out after they'd returned that the reason for their gallivanting off to that part of the world was because of the bravery that Grandpa had showed decades prior.
My Grandpa was a member of the United States Military in the 1950's and served his country during the Korean War. I actually didn't know my family had I had military members in my family until I was probably twelve or thirteen. It wasn't something our family talked about, and it certainly wasn't something that Grandpa brought up; I now know why. Grandpa didn't see front line or any combat, but I'm sure he knew people who did. His unit was on it's way to Korea when they got news that the war had ended (I later learned that the war still isn't over, but rather an armistice was signed and a ceasefire was temporarily agreed upon.).
The reason Grandpa and Grandma were heading back to the country Grandpa had served in over 60 years ago was because the South Korean government created a Peace Camp to bring back the service men and women who'd dedicated their lives to protecting the lives of others.
People from all over the world were invited to spend a week in Seoul, South Korea (this is the capital city) and see the sites and progress that has been made since it was a war torn country all for approximately half the price of their airfare! (The government provided 100% of their accommodations. This included a five star hotel, food, transportation for the week, and costs of museums and historical sites.) Grandpa and Grandma thoroughly enjoyed their time there and when they returned the way they described the generosity of the South Korean people and government was that they were treated like royalty. (This still brings tears to my eyes and a warm sense of pride to my soul.)
This adventure all happened probably two weeks or so prior to my leaving for my humanitarian trip to Mexico. When Grandpa and Grandma returned they were informed that several groups of grandchildren of the K.W. (Korean War) college/university aged adults were also being taken over and hosted in a similar way. My Grandparents thought this would be such a great experience for their grandchildren so they passed the message on to my aunts and uncles. My younger brother and I (who are both university students) and a few cousins decided that it would be a fun trip to take together. About week before I was heading off to Mexico we got word that not all of us would be able to go. Since my brother will be leaving to serve a mission for our church this winter I wanted him to go before I would, as I would still be eligible for the trip next summer. So I left for Mexico.
After we'd been in the country (Mexico) about three or four days I called home to wish my Mom a Happy Birthday... a day early, oops! and my Dad a Happy Father's Day. They told me that several people from the east coast had dropped the Korea program and my name had been at the top of the waiting list. I was told that I would have about an $860 expense for airfare and if I wanted to go I needed to decide ASAP. So I did what any poor college student does, and said "YES!" I gave my passport info to my parents wrapped up the phone call and forgot all about the trip I'd be taking to another part of the world in a little less than a month.
Shortly after I got back (really before I could be excited to be leaving again) I found myself packing my suitcase and heading to the Delta terminal at the Salt Lake International Airport. It actually wasn't that I wasn't excited to be going, I just didn't have time to be AS excited as I'd previously been. Security in SLC was a breeze - minus the search that my brother had on his second carry on... we still don't know what the issue was. Probably my new favorite game, Bananagrams... Ha ha!
My brother and I met up with three of the nine of cousins that would also be on our trip, at our gate and waited. We played cards and chatted until some other (second) cousins came and I went and chatted with them and some of the other Peace Camp members. An hour or so later the boarding process began. The nice man taking out tickets at the gate mistook me an my brother for a newly married couple. Ha ha! It was super funny. This was to be the first of a few such occurrences throughout the trip.When we landed in LA we only had a few (four...) hours to get to our baggage to the correct ticket gate and get to our international terminal. I'd never flown into LAX so I was a little nervous as it's a HUGE airport (compared to SLC), luckily there was a guy who flew out of Utah who wasn't afraid to ask for directions. (I know, a guy asking for directions! It's unheard of! Way to go Jeremy!!)
We finally met up with Sunny (the woman who'd arranged for everyone on the west cost... as possibly more of the participants), it was at that point that I knew this trip was really happening and that everything would be okay. We waited in what felt like a zillion lines and I used my classic line for waiting in lines "I love waiting in lines". This made one of my cousins a little perturbed, so I did what came natural and continued to do so throughout the rest of the trip. It only came back to bit me once. Ha ha!
With a good two hours to spare the large group of us arrived at our gate (at this point there were probably 35 or so of us) and settled in for a bit. Many of us called home, Shaun, Jessica, Scott, Ryan and I munched on Gardettos that were purchased in Salt Lake, we met some new friends and cousins I'd never remembered meeting.
Overall it was a successful layover.The boarding process began and I was still indifferent about going, but that was slowly changing. We got on that plane found our seats and coach felt like it was first class!! No, it was better than first class on ANY plane I'd ever ridden on up until that point! Not only did we have personal screens for the viewing of LOADS of free movies, but it could also play music, games and show the course of the plane during flight. I've got one word for you: awesome!!
It was about midnight by the time we finally took off. Our seating arrangements were great. We were in the middle section of a 474, in the back... well, like 4 rows from the back - but still. That wasn't the great part though. My brother was on the isle, then one of my cousins (the girl in the photo to the left... in the blue. I'm in the yellow.) then another girl who was on the trip and from California. What more could I have asked for? On this plane ride... this very LONG plane ride (13 hours to be precise) that I learned that airplane food is just what it's cracked up to be: not very good. Although the horror stories made it sound like it was going to be like the green goop that you'd imagine coming from some creepy public school cafeteria. It was edible, until I put sesame seed oil on some rice-veggie-hot sauce paste-stuff dish. (Note to self: don't ask for the native dish on planes. The stuff you think you'll be familiar with is weird enough, it's okay to not be brave. There will be time for that when you reach your destination. I wish I would have thought long enough to take a photo of this. The seaweed soup was worth seeing in and of itself.)
After 13 hours of sleeping, movies, meeting new friends, eating yummy ;) airplane food and loads of anticipation we finally landed in Inch 'on. It was nice to finally be on the ground again. When we all kind of staggered off of the plane it was around 4:00 am, South Korea time. Sunny guided us all to customs and one by one we all made it through without too many problems. (I noticed that the South Korean government wanted way more information than the Mexican government did. Things like, addresses of where we were staying, etc...) When we got to the baggage claim I think it started to hit everyone that our bodies weren't adjusted to the time difference and sleepiness started to hit.
Bags were all finally claimed and the money exchange process began. The South Korean Won is equivalent to about .000995 American Dollars. It was a little strange to walk around the streets and buy something for $10,000 KRW (Korean Won) or about $10 USD. After we all got our native currency we did the official check in (yes, we were still at the airport and let me tell you a huge group of tired American's stand out like sore thumb). They gave us booklets of information about Korea and the program, including the group breakouts (we were all assigned to groups that we'd be traveling with), daily schedules. We were also provided with lovely name tags which replaced the wonderful "Hello My Name Is..." stickers we were supposed to wear up until this point (I was very glad to be rid of mine, it was looking yucky), and then climbed unto the bus.
When we climbed onto the bus I was anticipating getting out things to the hotel and maybe catching a nap for a few hours until everyone else from the group arrived. (The group from the west coast was one of the first group there.) WRONG! Our tour guide for the day, Angela told us that we couldn't check into the hotel until noon. (If you're doing the math I'll spare you, that is an EIGHT hour time span that needed to be filled!!) So... what did we do? Sight seeing. 
Sunny and Angela decided that we would go to a beach that was near the airport in Inch 'on. The first beach we couldn't get to, the second one (which had armed military personnel at, and made me a little nervous mind you) wasn't much of a beach, but more of a pier. Finally we were taken to another pier that you could walk down to the water and get in it. I don't think many (if any) people swim there, but it was fun to say I've stood in a Korean ocean. (The photos to the right and below are all of this area.)
At the pier it was very clear that this bay was primarily for fishing. There were loads of fishing boats, and even though I don't like fish I found myself in heaven just being able to admire the old boats... thus I took a zillion photos. (For those of your on facebook, you already know.) On this trip I also learned that I have a fascination with the water. So there will be photos (here and there) that clearly demonstrate my new passion.
More photos are going to be available from our first "beach" experience on facebook and in Picasa. Feel free to check them out. (Posting them here has become quite the headache.)
More photos are going to be available from our first "beach" experience on facebook and in Picasa. Feel free to check them out. (Posting them here has become quite the headache.) 
y. It was super cool!As we were on the ferry, I took advantage of climbing to the top deck to finding some alone time to enjoy the scenery. Inch 'on was already beginning to awaken but being out on the water somehow was still able to bring back the serenity of early morning. I couldn't help but bask in the peace I momentary found there. As I was marveling in the picturesque-ness of the view we were told to come down to a lower deck. When we got there everyone was tossing these Cheeto looking snacks to the seagulls. Below are a few videos of one of our boat past-times: (By the way, those Cheeto things are edible, but I don't recommend them. They smell and taste awful!)
As we approached the other side of the bay we all climbed back onto the bus and started towards Seoul. It seemed that everywhere we went took at least an hour because of crazy traffic. However this wasn't always a bad things since most of us were sleep deprived anyway. While we were on the bus you could count at least 5 people sleeping, this day it was substantially more. I'd post my proof, but out of fear of those who have yucky photos of me I'll refrain.
As we were driving around Seoul (at this point we'd left Inch 'on and gotten into Seoul) and Angela and Sunny decided that we needed something to eat since it was like 2:00 AM when breakfast was served on the plane. So, we stopped at the most American joint in all of Seoul: McDonalds. Normally I'm not much of a Mcee-Dees fan, but under the circumstances I couldn't have been happier! After eating the uhh... delicious (?) airplane food an Egg McMuffin sounded like heaven. Not everyone felt the same way I did and they found a nearby bakery/restaurant and had a more traditional breakfast which of course consisted of rice, fish and I'd assume seaweed soup. Mmmm...
Not long after breakfast we were back on the bus and continued our drive through Seoul. I think that Angela was trying to burn time before we got to our hotel. We drove past lots of historical sites from the bus, and I confess I wasn't terribly interested at the time. I was on a very important mission to find every possible hole on the inside of my eyelids. AKA: I was wiped out and was way more concerned with sleeping that seeing a building that some important dead guy lived in.
I think it is safe to say that after our 13 hour plane ride from LA (so for us Utans it was 14.5 hours - longer for others! Eek!) that by the time we saw our hotel it was a little like King Arthur seeing the Holy Grail in Monty Python. It was nicer than anything I'd ever stayed in, but in all honesty I was so exhausted it could have been 10x worse that where I showered while in Mexico and I'd still have been excited! (Okay... so that may have been a slight exaggeration but you get the point.)
The group was more than ready to unload from the bus, drop off our bags and have a day to relax before the Peace Camp really began. As we lugged (or wheeled) everything into the lobby another sweetheart-piece-of-information was waiting for us... "SURPRISE! You're rooms aren't ready yet!" Oh boy, I didn't know that I could handle much more thrills of this nature. We did all we could to make the best of the situation (and I tried hard to not be grumpy) by dropping out luggage in the lobby, changing into clean clothes and cleaning up a bit, and went to the hotel restaurant to have lunch with the rest of the group.
Luckily lunch there was a zillion times better than the airplane food; well at least what I ordered was. There were two options for us on the menu: spaghetti (which ended up being spaghetti noodles with a cream sauce and shrimp - YUCK!) and bulgogi (which is pretty much my favorite Korean dish! It's grilled meat with garlic and other seasonings served with rice. Mmmm!!) This photo isn't what was served to us, but it was absolutely delicious!
After lunch was over Sunny and Angela loaded everyone onto buses (Oh! Prior to us getting there we'd been put into traveling groups. There were 5 buses with two groups per bus. Now with nine family members on the trip you'd think that at least one of them would be on my bus... WRONG! Luckily I made two good friends and we became bus buddies. For the remainder of the trip I typically sat by them.) and we headed out to a traditional village. This was a pretty touristy place but it was very interesting to got and learn about the culture and traditions of the Korean people. I was talking to my Grandfather after I got home and he said that when we got there the people lived in the same homes that were in the village. They were very primitive for the time, mainly providing shelter from the elements.
Overall the village was super cool. (By cool I mean awesome, not cool in describing the temperature. I think it was one of the hottest and most humid days while we were there. I felt gross for having not showered since the day before (which was really two days! Eew!) and then we threw on heat and humidity. Luckily by the time the trip ended I'd gotten to a point that I enjoyed the humidity and actually missed it when I got back to the States.) There were homes that showcased the living, eating and sleeping quarters; typical jobs (spinning silk - which was awesome), cooking, basket weaving, and farming; and even an old school prison complete with torture chambers and methods.
We also saw several shows. One was a traditional dance, performed of course to traditional music (which a neighbor of mine who'd served his LDS mission to Korea, described the sound as banging of pots and pans together with no rhythm... he was right. BUT the dancing was amazing!). The other show was a man who did tightrope walking. He was very talented as well as entertaining. My tiredness and grumpiness kept me from taking as many photos as I now wish I would have. Ahh the regrets...
It was probably close to 5:00 pm (which would have been 2:00 AM in Utah... I think) by the time we finished walking around the village and saw a few shows. Prior to getting back onto the bus we had the chance to do a little shopping at some of the cute little gift shops. I was still a little unsure as to what is a "good deal" was since I wasn't sure what things ran for in South Korea, so despite my falling in love with a beautiful silver ring I left empty handed. *Sigh...* (Not to worry though, I came back with lots of special treasures!)
Everyone climbed onto the bus (that would feel a little like our second homes) and we headed back to the hotel. HURRAH! We had a few minutes to move our luggage up to our rooms (that surprise! still weren't all the way ready) and were to meet in one of the dining halls for dinner.
Dinner was a million-zillion times better that what was served on the plane, if I remember correctly it was bulgogi (again) with kimchi, rice and some veggies and donuts for dessert. (I know, I didn't expect it either.) It was funny when we got to our tables (which were set up banquet style - super long and skinny) each place was set with a cup, plate, napkin, spoon and ... chopsticks. I struggled with them for about three bites then when they brought forks around I snagged one. I was determined to figure out how to eat effectively with these suckers... it just wouldn't be that first night.
The rest of the evening was ours, so Jessica and I (my cousins and roommate) invited Shaun and Ryan (our brothers) over to play games with us. By the time they got there we were all so exhausted that we fell asleep to the news (one of the few things that was in English). I woke up at about 8 PM and told them they had to leave. I changed, brushed my teeth and hit the sack. At about 11:30 PM or so Jess woke up and got ready for bed. That was probably one of the best night sleeps I had gotten in weeks!
I guess in short, that's the end of day one. If you're not sick of the play-by-play then feel free to stay posted for days 2-7 if not... well I'll never know. :)
As we were driving around Seoul (at this point we'd left Inch 'on and gotten into Seoul) and Angela and Sunny decided that we needed something to eat since it was like 2:00 AM when breakfast was served on the plane. So, we stopped at the most American joint in all of Seoul: McDonalds. Normally I'm not much of a Mcee-Dees fan, but under the circumstances I couldn't have been happier! After eating the uhh... delicious (?) airplane food an Egg McMuffin sounded like heaven. Not everyone felt the same way I did and they found a nearby bakery/restaurant and had a more traditional breakfast which of course consisted of rice, fish and I'd assume seaweed soup. Mmmm...
Not long after breakfast we were back on the bus and continued our drive through Seoul. I think that Angela was trying to burn time before we got to our hotel. We drove past lots of historical sites from the bus, and I confess I wasn't terribly interested at the time. I was on a very important mission to find every possible hole on the inside of my eyelids. AKA: I was wiped out and was way more concerned with sleeping that seeing a building that some important dead guy lived in.
I think it is safe to say that after our 13 hour plane ride from LA (so for us Utans it was 14.5 hours - longer for others! Eek!) that by the time we saw our hotel it was a little like King Arthur seeing the Holy Grail in Monty Python. It was nicer than anything I'd ever stayed in, but in all honesty I was so exhausted it could have been 10x worse that where I showered while in Mexico and I'd still have been excited! (Okay... so that may have been a slight exaggeration but you get the point.)
The group was more than ready to unload from the bus, drop off our bags and have a day to relax before the Peace Camp really began. As we lugged (or wheeled) everything into the lobby another sweetheart-piece-of-information was waiting for us... "SURPRISE! You're rooms aren't ready yet!" Oh boy, I didn't know that I could handle much more thrills of this nature. We did all we could to make the best of the situation (and I tried hard to not be grumpy) by dropping out luggage in the lobby, changing into clean clothes and cleaning up a bit, and went to the hotel restaurant to have lunch with the rest of the group.
Luckily lunch there was a zillion times better than the airplane food; well at least what I ordered was. There were two options for us on the menu: spaghetti (which ended up being spaghetti noodles with a cream sauce and shrimp - YUCK!) and bulgogi (which is pretty much my favorite Korean dish! It's grilled meat with garlic and other seasonings served with rice. Mmmm!!) This photo isn't what was served to us, but it was absolutely delicious!After lunch was over Sunny and Angela loaded everyone onto buses (Oh! Prior to us getting there we'd been put into traveling groups. There were 5 buses with two groups per bus. Now with nine family members on the trip you'd think that at least one of them would be on my bus... WRONG! Luckily I made two good friends and we became bus buddies. For the remainder of the trip I typically sat by them.) and we headed out to a traditional village. This was a pretty touristy place but it was very interesting to got and learn about the culture and traditions of the Korean people. I was talking to my Grandfather after I got home and he said that when we got there the people lived in the same homes that were in the village. They were very primitive for the time, mainly providing shelter from the elements.
Overall the village was super cool. (By cool I mean awesome, not cool in describing the temperature. I think it was one of the hottest and most humid days while we were there. I felt gross for having not showered since the day before (which was really two days! Eew!) and then we threw on heat and humidity. Luckily by the time the trip ended I'd gotten to a point that I enjoyed the humidity and actually missed it when I got back to the States.) There were homes that showcased the living, eating and sleeping quarters; typical jobs (spinning silk - which was awesome), cooking, basket weaving, and farming; and even an old school prison complete with torture chambers and methods.
We also saw several shows. One was a traditional dance, performed of course to traditional music (which a neighbor of mine who'd served his LDS mission to Korea, described the sound as banging of pots and pans together with no rhythm... he was right. BUT the dancing was amazing!). The other show was a man who did tightrope walking. He was very talented as well as entertaining. My tiredness and grumpiness kept me from taking as many photos as I now wish I would have. Ahh the regrets...It was probably close to 5:00 pm (which would have been 2:00 AM in Utah... I think) by the time we finished walking around the village and saw a few shows. Prior to getting back onto the bus we had the chance to do a little shopping at some of the cute little gift shops. I was still a little unsure as to what is a "good deal" was since I wasn't sure what things ran for in South Korea, so despite my falling in love with a beautiful silver ring I left empty handed. *Sigh...* (Not to worry though, I came back with lots of special treasures!)
Everyone climbed onto the bus (that would feel a little like our second homes) and we headed back to the hotel. HURRAH! We had a few minutes to move our luggage up to our rooms (that surprise! still weren't all the way ready) and were to meet in one of the dining halls for dinner.
Dinner was a million-zillion times better that what was served on the plane, if I remember correctly it was bulgogi (again) with kimchi, rice and some veggies and donuts for dessert. (I know, I didn't expect it either.) It was funny when we got to our tables (which were set up banquet style - super long and skinny) each place was set with a cup, plate, napkin, spoon and ... chopsticks. I struggled with them for about three bites then when they brought forks around I snagged one. I was determined to figure out how to eat effectively with these suckers... it just wouldn't be that first night.
The rest of the evening was ours, so Jessica and I (my cousins and roommate) invited Shaun and Ryan (our brothers) over to play games with us. By the time they got there we were all so exhausted that we fell asleep to the news (one of the few things that was in English). I woke up at about 8 PM and told them they had to leave. I changed, brushed my teeth and hit the sack. At about 11:30 PM or so Jess woke up and got ready for bed. That was probably one of the best night sleeps I had gotten in weeks!
I guess in short, that's the end of day one. If you're not sick of the play-by-play then feel free to stay posted for days 2-7 if not... well I'll never know. :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! I'm so glad you posted it...I must be tired...I wrote poasted. Gosh -- I'm going to bed after work. Hahaha but I can't complain because your first day (2) sounded EXHAUSTING! I can't wait to read the rest and I can't believe that you were able to remember so many details. Your next post needs to come fast.
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