Spring 2004

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May 2004
	Air Raid Drill The cold war still has a breath of chill in Korea. One sign of it is monthly air raid drills. Here the traffic outside my classroom is stopped for fifteen minutes as part of the drill.
	Lady Sundial A lovely lady from Maylasia plays her part as a springtime sun worshipper at a sundial in a park near my school.
	Another shot of her invoking Pyramid Power.

	The teachers had an outing to Korean Folk Village, near Suwon. This is a recreation of Korea as it was one hundred fifty years ago. This is a wedding procession following a traditional Korean wedding. The pony is from Jeju Island, just off Korea's south coast.
	A drummer and porters who are part of the wedding procession.
	Thomas and Tess were going to sample some food left behind after the wedding ceremony, but it's wax.
	Tess finds a rather real looking wooden snake in the souvenir shop.
	Thomas decides it's a good day to get married, Korean-style, and I agree!

	Megan is the daughter of teacher Jerry and Robyn Buckner. She came to school one day with this clown nose. It made my day!
	One of my classes at Michigan Language Academy.

	Other scenes from Folk Village A boat on a river.
	Corn stored under a farm house eave.
	Rabbits helping a tiger smoke. This is the Korean equivalent to "Once upon a time..."
	A wall with an interesting texture.
	A pleasant river scene in early spring.

	One of my ex-students, who became a good friend, is an avid hiker. He invited me to come with his family to hike in Mungyeongseajae Park. This is a regional park in central South Korea that contains a historic pass. The walk was not steep, which was good because I've lost a lot of endurance since my last stay in Korea. The path leads by three restored gated walls, and a movie set! That's what I'm standing in front of here.
	The cherry blossoms were just coming out, and the Korean bees were very, very happy. These bees are about a quarter the length of the common American honeybee. Curiously, they were thick around blossoms in the sunshine, but thin around those in the shade.
	This was my host on this hike, Chong-wha Lee, and his family.
	A statue at the park dedicated to Korean gentry of the Chosen dynasty. These were the educated men from the countryside who would walk to Seoul to take civil service examinations, and after they passed them come back to their homes and help the farmers and artisans live a better life. These people were the first line of government in the provinces.
	Mr. Lee and his family are fast and vigorous walkers. I'm a slow walker. The trail to the third wall was long, and Mr. Lee knew it. We walked together for a while, then split up. I got as far as the second wall, then turned back. On the way back, I stopped to rest my feet in a picnic area. As I was resting, I got invited to join in a picnic!
	As we were leaving the park, some movie makers were preparing to shoot some more scenes. This group of bodyguards was standing by the path as we walked by. One shouted, "Picture!", so we all lined up and I got this picture.

	Tree and wall in Mungyeongsaejae park.
	Part of my work at the school is to help the American teachers have a pleasant stay in Korea. One way I do that is by organizing teacher outings. This was my first. Thomas and I visited Yongju Temple and the nearby Twin Kings tombs.
	April 15th was General Election Day in Korea. The weeks preceding it were filled with campaigning. This is a typical campaigning truck. It is "multi-media" -- sometimes it would have speech givers, sometimes synchronized dancers and sometimes video. It was always playing jingles, and many were based on common American jingles. I heard, "This old man", "Oubladee Oblada" (Beatles), "[da..da..da] Clap your hands!", and others I couldn't quite identify.
	The wedding had lots of people, but the kids were the most fun to shoot pictures of.
	Two weeks after I arrived, and other teacher, Brian got married. This is his wedding, in a church, in Suwon. Many Koreans get married in a wedding hall, but Brian chose a church. Brian's family is of Korean descent, but most now live in the Louisville, KY area, and that's where Brian was born.
	This is me arriving in Korea -- Young tong-dong, to be specific about the location. I'm outside the building that has my school, and beside me is Tess Kim. She is one of the teachers, and an ex-student of mine!

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