Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Almost 2 weeks

I am going to begin this one on a bit of a sad note, but not to worry it isn't about us and the end is upbeat. I guess I never really realized the extent of the control that North Korea has over its citizens. Yesterday was a chosen day for a select few citizens to come to South Korea to visit their families. For some it had been decades since they had seen their loved ones. It was incredibly sad to watch because the North Korean government allowed the visit, but waited for their designated time to swoop in and put the people back on the train back to North Korea. Some people were sobbing because the population of North Korea is aging and there is a high likelyhood that they may not see their loved ones again. You can read an article about it at http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/26/koreas.reunion/index.html. South Korea has become such a world power and developed so much econimically that it is incredibly facinating to see what North Korea is like. They are night and day. One of the people that we work with has a father in law that was able to leave North Korea, but there are still a lot of families that are not as lucky.

So, we are blessed to be in South Korea and to be around such nice people. We were invited to a lunch today with some of the city officials that work with us at Jinnam. There were about 20 people in all at the lunch and we were introduced to everyone by our official Mr. Cho. Here, there is a traditional dish called Bibimbap, which is rice mixed with tons of veggies, meat, red pepper paste, and sesame oil. Most put a twist on their's in some way, but Anthony and I have kept it pretty basic! It is actually delicious! We sat on the floor, which is traditional here. Too bad the tables are a little too small for Anthony! I think they were made for very small and flexable Koreans. Anthony and I both need to work on sitting Indian style for an hour without our legs falling asleep. I'm sure there is a way to train. We were also treated to dinner for the fourth night by our co-workers, Lahn and Mr. Shin. We are definately eating well thats for sure! I have attached a video that is a view from our apartment window so you can see how beautiful the land is here. It has been awesome waking up and looking out my window at such a different picture than what I am used to.


2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your life with us, Jessica. All of us are being educated through your experience! What is the weather like this time of year?

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