The Final Post

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We arrived yesterday afternoon into Portland. The students were definitely excited to be home... a bit tired, but also excited.

Thank you everyone for following our trip and for supporting your children with emails throughout our journeys.

We wish you the best in all your future endeavors...

Take care.
Dr. Brent Wilson (bwilson@georgefox.edu)
Dr. Jeff Duerr (jduerr@georgefox.edu)

About to head home...

Well the trip has come to an end... I ordered a bunch of pizza's to be delivered to the hotel. We leave for the airport in under two hours.... they're here, time to eat!

I'm back... that hit the spot. 18 college students, 2 faculty, and 10 pizza's.... that was like locusts at harvest time :) Definitely worth the 2,200,000 dong.

Thanks again everyone for allowing your children to participate in this juniors abroad trip. I feel as though I have 15 more children (3 on the trip were already mine).

One hour to departure... signing off...

"Happy Budda" & "Jay Dawg Fresh"

(nicknames given to myself and Dr. Duerr by the students)

Temples, Pagodas, and Propaganda

The picture above is the entrance to Hoa Lo Prison (now a museum), a.k.a. "Hanoi Hilton." Today we spent the day touring many historical sites within Ha Noi. We started with the Temple of Literature, this is the first University in Ha Noi. It was only for students from the royal family. It is a very beautiful place.... although not all that peaceful with the large crowds and constant horn honking that can be heard outside the temple walls. Since it was the weekend of Ho Chi Minh's birthday, there were many people from the country that had traveled to see the historical sites themselves. Many of these people have never seen a foreigner and were asking to take photos with various people in our group. I personally had two young school girls want to take there picture with me. As you will see in the photos, Garrett had a very nice old lady want her picture with him. After the Temple of Literature we headed to the Ho Chi Minh complex with included the mausoleum, his home, and the one pillar pagoda.

After lunch we head to Hoa Lo Prison. Most of the prison is dedicated to the persecution of the vietnamese people by the french during their rule. There are two rooms dedicated to the Viet Nam War and the capture and imprisonment of US pilots. Our guide told the 'history' of the war and the prison. He was very clear about how the US pilots were treated very well and how they nicknamed the prison 'Hanoi Hilton' because their conditions were so nice.... ok, I forgot to brief the students on this part of the trip before we went, however we had a debriefing after we returned to discuss the propaganda items that were not correct. While this country has really opened up to the idea of capitalism as it pursues the tourist dollar, in the end it is still a communist country and is state run. Last night on TV, (on Cinemax) there was a movie scheduled called "Intrusion Cambodia". When it was suppose to start all of a sudden the Cinemax logo was displayed on the screen for the next 2 hours. Hmmmm.....

To end the day we took a cycle ride around Ha Noi and enjoyed the sites.

Tomorrow we begin the long journey home. It has been a great trip and I know the students have learned a lot and have most definitely increased their world view. This trip will have an impact on them for the rest of their lives. Thank you for the opportunity to share these amazing countries with your children.

Photos from today: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-20/album/

Good night everyone...

Ho Chi Minh's 122nd Birthday Celebration

Today (Saturday 5/19) was the 122nd birthday of Ho Chi Minh.... We went and watched the celebration this evening at Hoan Kiem Lake in the Old Quarter of Ha Noi. Before I get to that, let me update everyone on the past couple days....

Yesterday We went to the Water Puppets show. This is considered the most prestigious and honored cultural event in Viet Nam. Puppeteers must go to 5 years of university training and then  must complete a multi-year apprenticeship before they are allowed to perform before an audience. http://www.thanglongwaterpuppet.org/homepage.asp

Today was our vietnamese cooking class.... it was fantastic!! Everyone learned a lot. I now know how to create the vegetable spring rolls that my wife and I had every day when we were here.  I learned all the things I have been doing wrong... and that was a lot.  The most interesting part of the class was the description about the "balance" of the food... the "ying and yang." All dishes need to balance hot with cold, spicy with mild, salty with sweet, etc..  Before we began our class, we started with a market tour. There are three types of markets in Viet Nam.  First is the "moving market", these are the ladies with baskets on bicycles or the two baskets balanced on their shoulder with a bamboo shaft. The second kind of market is called a "frog market", these are very small street vendors selling mostly fresh vegetables, meat, and seafood. They are called frog markets because they are illegal. When a policeman comes by, they disappear until he passes. These markets are cash only... under the table... they do not pay state taxes.  Our chef/guide told us that many police ignore the frog markets because their wives like to shop there.... they are very convenient. Lastly is the large market where there are many vendors and you can get anything... and these vendors pay taxes... it's the legitimate market. We cooked a ton of food... I asked the owner what she does with all the food we couldn't eat. She said that many of the ladies that work for her will take some home and then she feeds the neighbors, which explains why the neighbors were watching us... we paid for (& cooked) their dinner.  Another interesting point about the vietnamese... they eat seven meals a day, breakfast, after breakfast snack, lunch, after lunch snack, then they take a nap and then.... after nap snack, dinner, and finally after dinner (late) snack.

http://www.hiddenhanoi.com.vn/

After we got back from the cooking class we took a brief break/nap and then headed to the lake for dinner and birthday celebration. Dr. Duerr and myself took my daughter Alexa and two other students (Courtney and Kelli) out to dinner at the Hanoi Soul Cafe (3rd floor). We had taken the group there the night before and the manager/owner was very very very appreciative. I think we may have paid his rent and employee payroll for a couple months. We had dinner (Pho - pronounced fur). During dinner they were getting all set up down below for the big celebration. The Hanoi Soul Cafe has three balcony's that are truly the best seats in the house. A few folks tried to sit out there and the manager would not let them, he told them they were reserved. As we went to leave we asked if we could sit out there and watch, he said "Of course, you're VIP"... that was cool.  I think we'll be back in two years for our VIP box seats to Ho Chi Minh's Birthday Bash!

Lastly, I promised a couple "shout outs" to some of our students for some of their achievements:

Alex - riding the gondola at Ocean Park (Hong Kong) while being scared of heights.

Emily - for actually going caving in Ha Long Bay while being scared of enclosed spaces

Courtney - for trying a clam, a shrimp, cabbage, and fried winter melon, while having numerous 'food fears' 

Alyssa - walking over to check out the roasted animal (which is NOT a pig) while being vegan.

Pictures from today: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-19/album/

A 2.5 minute video of the street around the Hoan Kiem Lake after the birthday celebration is over:  http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/HanoiStreet.m4v (~74MB)

Good night everyone. 

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful trip. That started from this tropic port, Aboard this tiny ship..."

Where do I begin.... it was a rough 3 days... but someone had to do it! :)

On Monday morning we headed to Ha Long Bay for our three day tour. The bus ride is about 4 hours. The students have learned that lines on the road are simply suggestions to be followed if you wish. At least there is a pecking order among types of transportation... basically, bigger always wins and we were in a bus! Passing can occur anywhere at anytime, uphill, downhill, on a corner, in the opposing lane, it just doesn't matter! About half way to Ha Long Bay we stopped at a 'handicapped and disabled compound' that was selling their crafts to support themselves. Now my wife and I (and my mother) have been to this place 14 years ago when we adopted our daughter Aisya, and I have been back 10 years ago with a Jrs. Abroad trip... it is now a complete tourist trap. What used to be $3 is now over $100. The 'compound' is now a huge building with many non-handicapped workers. Hmmm... they have found the tourist dollar.

We eventually made it to Ha Long Bay, and were told that the overnight permits were revoked by the government because of a major storm headed into the South China Sea... to which one of our students remarked, "I'm not worried about a typhoon, we were vaccinated against that weren't we?" I am going to assume that was a joke and not their knowledge base of typhoid. We were able to get a day permit and headed out, our guide was hopeful the overnight ban would be lifted while we were out and then we just continue as normal.... well that didn't happen. We were on the other side of Ha Long Bay and they needed to get us a hotel on Cat Ba Island. We jumped into two vans and began the trip across the island  through the jungle and little villages here and there... there was definitely a sense of urgency from the drivers and guides to get us to a hotel very soon. You could see the lighting way off in the distance. I think they knew that if it started to rain hard before we got to a hotel, the roads would be a muddy slippery mess... we sort of compared it to a scene out of Jurassic Park, all that was missing was the Tyrannosaurus Rex. I am sure all the students will have stories to tell from this adventure.

We made it to the hotel safe and even dry... it just started to rain upon our arrival. Overnight, it was an amazing storm for those who stayed up to watch it.... so I was told in the morning. I fell asleep the second my body head the concrete bed, actually it probably just knocked me out.

The next day we awoke to a beautiful day and back to the boat we went... very casually this time. The next couple days we went through caves and kayaked, and just relaxed. Oh, and also ate and ate and ate... vietnamese meals just keep coming dish after dish after dish. The students had fun jumping off the boat... yes mom's and dad's we were very careful and always had several jellyfish spotters. That really doesn't sound good... but it was safe. That night, the students tried their hand at karaoke... the vast majority of them should not change their major to music. :)

On the way back from Ha Long Bay to Ha Noi, I took a couple pictures of interest. First you will see what looks like grave markers out in the middle of rice fields. I have seen them before when I have been here but they always look to be about 3-4 feet in length... vietnamese are short, but not that short. I finally found out what the reason is. (Disclaimer, the following explanation is rated PG-13) They practice cremation in Ha Noi because of so many people, but out in the countryside they practice burial.  A family buries their dead in a simple wood coffin with no markings or headstones for 3 years. After the 3 year, the family returns and digs up the grave and cleans the bones and then places them in a permanent concrete grave with appropriate marking etc. Now there is a place for the families to come pay their respect to their passed family members.

The last few pictures in this group are for my family but I will explain for those who want to know. My brother works for an electrical company so I thought he might like the power/phone/Internet/laundry lines... there might be a contract here he could pick up. The three photos after the spider lines are 1) Mrs. Thuy, she owned the hotel we stayed at 14 years ago when we were here adopting our daughter. 2) The little french restaurant on the lake that my mother, wife, and I went to have jasmine tea, and egg, and toast every morning. 3) the view from the restaurant to the lake now... it has been over grown with trees and shrubs. The very last photo is for my vietnamese daughter Aisya (who is home with mom)... Hey squirt, notice they even have Forever 21.

Take care everyone...

Photos of the last several days: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-16/album/

Chúc mừng Ngày của Mẹ !

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY from Viet Nam

We are here and safe in our hotel... We are staying in Old Hanoi at the Medallion Hotel (http://www.medallion-honoi.com)  I loved watching the students' reactions today as we came into Hanoi. The first thing I heard was from Garrett, "Why do they paint lines on the roads if no one uses them?" and then from the back I heard, "Oh no... we are going to hit them (gasp)".  Ladies and gentlemen.... welcome to Hanoi!

Most of the group was a bit hungry so our guide said we would drop off our luggage about 2 blocks from our hotel and then the bus would drop us off at a restaurant for Pho (fur). A bus cannot get to our hotel due to the tight streets and massive people, so the bell staff met us at an intersection where we dropped off the luggage. Obviously they weren't suppose to stop in that intersection because within about 4 minutes we have quite a few police surrounding the bus and yelling back and forth with the driver. After some arguing, the driver got on the bus saying something we could figure out even without a translator and then got some money and paid the head officer and away we went to eat.

I was very nervous and yet excited and proud when our students actually crossed a road this evening in Hanoi. That may not sound like much but it is an extreme adventure. There is a continuous stream of motorcycles and some cars. There are no street lights, you have to simply step off the curb and begin weaving in between all the moving vehicles. The key is not to cross the street like an American,  stopping every so often for traffic to pass or because you're scared. Vietnamese see you crossing and assume you will keep a steady pace, if you stop you will get clipped. Here is an example of a successful  crossing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4ud844wlAg&feature=related 

This will be my last post to the blog until Wednesday evening here in Hanoi (Wednesday early morning for those back in the U.S.) We will be taking a three day tour to Ha Long Bay on the east coast of Viet Nam. We will be living aboard a boat for the next couple nights with no Internet connectivity. As soon as we return, I will post and upload a ton of photos. We will be touring with the following company: http://www.orientalsails.com/ Ha Long Bay is where the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies was filmed... remember the stealth boat?

Lastly, thank you parents for emailing your children... it really matters to them and it helps them get through this long trip.

Take care everyone... will post again in three days. 

 Dr. Duerr and myself wish both our mothers and wives a wonderful and blessed Mother's Day. We love you.

Chore Day

Not much news today, it was chore day... cleaning, packing, laundry, and of course last minute shopping. A few of us found a laundry service (pictured above).  Seven pounds of laundry (washed, dried, and folded) for HK$32 (US$4.15), others stayed in the hotel and did their own for HK$40 (US$5.19). I am thinking about having a economic lecture on outsourcing tomorrow :) Note in the picture that they "100% Care"... whew, that was a relief. Laundry done with 80% care just doesn't wear well. 

As for the last minute shopping... both Dr. Duerr and myself feel that Hong Kong will have to revise their economic forecast after what we saw brought in today just from Emily, Kelli, Alyssa, and Amanda. (Haven't seen what the others did yet)

Tomorrow is a travel day for us... we will leave Hong Kong and head for Hanoi. The weather forecast for where we are headed is 92 degrees with 94% humidity... it says it will feel like 104. At least it's not a dry heat. 

Have a good night everyone.... I'll blog again from Vietnam upon our arrival.

A Lazy Day...

Today was great fun. We took the students to Ocean Park on Hong Kong Island. It is a combination of a great zoo, aquarium, sea world, and six flags. Notice in the dolphin show pictures that you can see large container ships passing by.... watching a dolphin show while looking out over the South China Sea. Enjoy the many pictures from Ocean Park.

The two notable events today were:
1) A crazy lady jumping into the harbor tonight from the sea wall... this drew an ambulance, a fire truck, four police vans, and a police boat. They eventually sent in a fireman rescue swimmer and got her out. I am pretty sure she has some special lodging tonight compliments of the Hong Kong Police and the Mental Health Dept.
2) One of the double decker busses that some of our students were on coming back from Ocean Park got into an accident (fender bender). They got to sit on the bus for almost an hour until everyone could be transferred to other busses... wouldn't have made sense to bring an empty bus rather than stuff a few on each bus that passes... 'just saying' (as Alyssa would say).

One last picture for fun... in fact, I haven't even showed the students yet. The last picture is of a small little friend that was in the stairway today... it was moving when I first saw it, but then... never mind, children may be reading. I did place my faculty ID next to it to help give you a size perspective. It is a little blurry, but you get the idea.

Tomorrow is laundry day and a few other last site seeing attractions.

Ocean Park Pictures:  http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-11/album/

Good night everyone.

OK... so I am a bit tired!

I just noticed that my post last night ends in mid sentence. Rather than fix it, I think I'll leave it... it speaks to my physical condition! As I was typing I kept falling asleep and getting woken up by our students in the lobby. I am sure it was a bit funny seeing me sleeping with my hands on the keyboard. It actually took about 90 minutes to post last night.

Have a great day everyone...

So that's what 99% humidity feels like...

The first half of today was a free day for the students... lots of individual group explorations.  We came together this evening to go on the Seafood Market Dinner Cruise. We took the boat above to a seafood village and market on west side of the harbor.  There were many little shops selling seafood. The pictures show many of the varieties of seafood being sold... in fact, this was the first time I have seen an actual live geoduck. Once we walked through the seafood market, we then had a nice seafood dinner. Another walk through the market on the way out and then the boat ride back to Kowloon, where we started.

Not sure I will do this again on future trips.... on our way out, our guide told me that 80% of the seafood we see is imported from Australia.... The fish market dinner tour is a bit of a tourist trap/scam.... oh well, they got us!

On the ride back, we got a quick heavy rain.... it was just enough to saturate the air.  The students are starting to realize the next week in Hanoi is this same humidity coupled with a temperature increase and

Seafood Market & Dinner Pictures: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-10/album/

Good night

Peak-A-Budda

Yesterday for us (Wed) was a day of Hong Kong sightseeing. We started by heading up to Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island.   It is up on the top of one of the surrounding mountains of Hong Kong... you can see all of Hong Kong harbor. The weather was excellent as you can see from our photos. The actual observation deck is on top of the 'rice bowl' building that you see in the pictures.

After coming down from Victoria Peak, we headed to see the Big Budda.... yes, that's the actual name "Big Budda" I wasn't as excited about this as the students... I already get to see that every morning in the mirror :)  The Big Budda is on Lantau Island west of Hong Kong Island. It is about a 30 minute ferry ride out through the harbor to Lantau Island. We then took a bus from the pier to the Big Budda. For those of you familiar with "The road to Hana" in Hawaii... This is similar. It is a very very very windy road up and over mountains and through little villages etc. The speed limit is posted as 30 km/h, we are pretty sure that the driver only hit 30 km/h when dropping someone off the bus.... what a roller coaster ride!  We arrived...whew! Everyone (but me) walked up to the Big Budda... the bus ride had left me a bit queazy.  I decided to get some cold green tea to settle my stomach, so of course I bought a cold bottle of what was green in color thinking it was 'green tea', popped the cap and took a huge gulp... YUK!  It was horrible... needless to say it didn't help me settle my stomach. We then all loaded into the bus for the return ride (if you could call it that). We got back to the pier.... I was so close to losing my lunch... but we ran to catch the next ferry that left in 15 minutes. We made it... only to now have a half hour of rocking back and forth through the harbor... When we docked I ran off the ferry emptied my shopping bag of the stuffed Panda for my daughter Aisya and quickly stuck my head in it.... It was a very proud moment for me as all the students immediately gathered around to share (or laugh) in my misery. I am proud to stay.... I kept it down!

From there we walked up and had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (since the one in Seoul was torn down). It was a great dinner to end a great day. They even had a band that played while we were there. The funny thing was we were seated at two tables of 10 and I let all the students go first and I followed them to our tables... what did I see when I got there?... one table of gals and one table of guys. It was hilarious... but its also created for some very fun moments... like a table of GFU gals singing backup to the band.

Finally, we called it a day and headed back to our hotel. We took the Star Ferry across the harbor so everyone could see Hong Kong by night... it is amazing how the cover of darkness can make any place look beautiful :)

Today is a free day for the students... we will meet up again later this afternoon to go on a Seafood Market Tour and Dinner Cruise on the harbor.

Yesterdays Photos: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-9/album/

A Day of 1,000 Blessings... if we were in Africa

We landed in Hong Kong with ease and headed straight to our hotel.  After checking in, we decided to spend the afternoon getting the students oriented to the basics of Hong Kong navigation.  It is very apparent that the students were feeling very comfortable with Seoul.... because this knocked their socks off... hot, hot, hot! It took a few hours of constantly sweating to give up the dream of being dry and non-stcky. We immediately stopped and bought a 1.5L of water for everyone.

On our way back from down town a bird pooped on my bald head. An african man happened to be walking next to me and immediately said... "In Africa, that means you will have a 1,000 blessings" to which I replied.... "We're not in Africa, we're in Hong Kong and it's bird poop!"

After cleaning up, we took everyone out to a nice dinner. I had the 'seafood deluxe pasta' which has, clams, scallops, muscles, cuttlefish, shrimp, and fish over a spaghetti  with a  nice white sauce. It was awesome. We ended the evening by going to Mongkok Night Market. I didn't have my camera for the first part of the excursion... there are a few night shots below.

Mongkok Night Market: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-8b/album/

Answer to the eye quiz: Amanda Baecker

Hurry up.... Wait!

It is now early Tuesday (5/8 - my birthday!) and we are waiting to board our flight to Hong Kong... There was a little Gloria Jean's coffee kiosk next to our gate.... there is a God!

Quiz for the day.... who's child is this above? (Answer in next post?)

Answer to the "Now that's what I'm talking' about!" quote... Cara Griffith.

Airport Pictures: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-8a/album/

A day of 'needed' rest!

Today was a free day for the students... most of them stayed close to the hostel. Just a little last minute shopping and sightseeing. The majority of the students are pretty tired... we walked them hard the last three days. At last count we walked about 35 miles in three days... this old man is hurting a bit but I will not be outdone by these young 20 year olds!! We are getting up in about 6 hours to start our journey to Hong Kong.

Parents, it is time to step up out there... I have heard a couple students say, "I can't believe my mom/dad hasn't even emailed me back." They want to here from you... they are having a trip of a lifetime and want to share it with you... please share it with them.

Thanks.

(no pictures today)

A Day for Respect, Remembrance, and Reflection

Yesterday (Sunday), was an amazing day for the students. We started the day by attending the Yoido Full Gospel Church. This church is the largest Christian church in the world. They have almost 1.5 million members along with 7 services on Sunday. We were able to enter and be seated in the foreigner section right at the end of the prior service. It was expansive with a massive choir, full orchestra, a beautiful pipe organ, and two 'jumbo-tron' TV screens that you would see at a sporting event.  When the prior service ended the choir and orchestra exited and an entirely new choir and orchestra entered.... not sure if they have seven (one for each service).... but they have at least two!  The service was nice, the message was excellent, although both Dr. Duerr and myself has one small theological disagreement with a point that was made during the service... just a somewhat minor detail.

After the service we met up with a native Korean pastor who actually lives Philadelphia (Professor at Temple Univ.) He took us to the most sacred cemetery for Christians in Korea. The very first missionaries to Korea are buried there. The gospel did not reach Korea until 1885. In fact the Bible was not completely translated into Korean until 1911. Korean Christians are celebrating 100 years since the Bible became fully available. In one day, the students were able to see the birthplace of Christianity in Korea along with the amazing results of the efforts and sacrifices of the first few missionaries to Korea not that long ago. While Christians only makes up about 20% of the entire Korean population... Christians do make up over 50% of the individuals in power in Korea. They govern with their faith being always present as a strong influence. Separation of church and state is not in practice here in Korea.

Lastly, we headed to a guided tour with our Korean Pastor (& historian) to the  Gyeongbokgung Palace. This was the palace and living quarters for the royal family during the last dynasty in Korea.

Sunday's photos are here: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-6/album/

Today is an open day for the students... many are staying close to home and just resting. Our pedometer said we walked another 8 miles yesterday bring our 3 day total to over 32 miles.

Children's Day - Korean National Holiday

Today's adventures focused on Children's Day. Most parents take the day off work and spend the day with their children. We started the day by visiting a large carnival-type atmosphere event sponsored by World Vision Korea. Lots of activities, face painting, and of course fund raising for World Vision. From there we headed to the Seoul Zoo... now there's a lot of children.  The amount of people was absolutely amazing as you can see in many of our photos.  Families take a blanket and lunch and find some shade and make camp for the day... even if that shade is in the middle of the road. On the way into the zoo, there were numerous street vendors selling freshly cut pineapple, teriyaki chicken skewers,  fried octopus, boiled grubs, and other items that we are not sure of.  I am very proud of Cara Griffith, she bought a cup of grubs.... and even ate several. Most students tried them... or actually I should say they tried ONE of them. We spent the afternoon at the zoo ... even took in the dolphin show... it was amazing (something to ask your children about!)

After the zoo we hooked up with some GFU folks, Seth Martin ('06) and Dr. Steve Cathers and his wife Paula and spent an evening of music and good conversation.

**Note: Courtney Wollan brought along a pedometer, yesterday we walked approx. 11 miles, and today we walked almost 13 miles.... I believe that's a marathon, or at least close enough!!

Have a great weekend everyone, we are off to Yoido Full Gospel Church. The largest Christian church in the world. They claim over 2 million people in the congregation with approx. 60,000 per service.

Children's Day Pictures: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-5/album

2,000,000 People, 10 City Blocks, 0 Personal Space

Every day at least one student asks, "Where can I get ______ ?" It took a few days, but we finally found a place that has everything we want.  Today we went to the Namdaemun market, which is a true cultural experience.  It is the largest market in Seoul. We arrived late morning when it wasn't completely packed with people... by the time we left, it was absolutely crazy.  One of my first purchases was a neon orange hair bow for my daughter Alexa... it was the only way I could track her if she let go of my hand! In the end, today was all about shopping, eating, and just complete cultural emersion.

Tomorrow's a national holiday here in South Korea... Children's Day. We will head to various parks and  participate in the festivities.

Todays pictures: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-4/album/

Good night everyone.

Where do I come from?

As children grow up every parent knows the question "Where did I come from?" is inevitable. For adopted children however, this question tends to be much deeper and at times more troubling. We have two Korean adoptees on our trip (Spencer Ankeny and Alexa Wilson). Today was a very special day for both of these individuals. While their adoptions have never been hidden from them (as if that would be possible), the opportunity to visit their respective adoption agencies and see other babies and foster mothers helps them to bring their personal histories full circle.... it helps to answer the question, "Where did I come from?" What a wonderfully blessed day for Spencer, Alexa, and all the students who got to share in this special moment with them.

To celebrate, we took them to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner.... or at least the place where the Hard Rock used to be before they tore it down :( So as a back up, we headed to Outback Steakhouse.

Today's' photos are here: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-3/album/

Good night everyone.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!"

**Missing photo link added below... (Thanks Kirby)

It's 9:00 pm on Wednesday here in Seoul, students are already starting to crash for the night... yeah! Today was spent visiting the DMZ and the Panmunjom.  The first half of the day we went to various observatories looking into North Korea and along with the 3rd Tunnel of Aggression that was dug under the DMZ by the North Koreans to be used to attack Seoul. This tunnel was discovered in 1978. We took a miner's tram down into the tunnel to explore and then returned to the surface.  In the pictures, the fence full of ribbons are well wishes from people in South Korea for those in North Korea... could even be family. From there we went to lunch... a traditional Korean BBQ.

After lunch we proceeded to Camp Bonifas in the JSA (Joint Security Area) where we were transferred to military busses and taken to the border and allowed to enter the UN meeting hall that crosses the border. You can see in one of our pictures what looks like a small concrete sidewalk... it is the actual border between North and South Korea. On the North side they have sand, on the South side they have gravel.... notice our picture is taken from the sand side! We actually crossed into North Korea, but only within the meeting hall where it was allowed.  As another reference, you will see blue buildings (UN) and behind them a North Korean building, notice the North Korean soldier watching us watch him. The last picture for today is of "The Bridge of No Return" This bridge was used for prisoner exchanges at the end of the Korean War in 1953. Prisoners from both side were brought to the bridge and told to choose a side, if they crossed they could not return.

Lastly, for those wondering about the title for this post.... on the way to the DMZ, I was discussing with the students what they could expect today. I had mentioned that we would be escorted in the JSA by US Military personnel. Typically these would be Army men... very big Army men. When all of a sudden I heard a small female voice behind me say, "Now that's what I'm talking about!" Q: Who said this? Could it be your daughter? :)

Tomorrow we have planned a trip to both Holt International Adoptions and Eastern Child Welfare Society for the two Korean adopted students on the trip.... then we will head as a group to The Hard Rock Cafe in Seoul for dinner.

Pictures for DMZ tour: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-2/album/

Good night everyone.

First Day in Seoul

The group was very excited this morning... their first full day in Seoul. The goal today was to get to the point where Dr. Duerr and myself were comfortable turning the students loose and knowing they would have no issues navigating through Seoul and getting back to the hotel within their groups.  We starting the morning with about a 45 minute class going over maps, subway cards,  and how to ensure you are getting on the correct subway train, etc..

The day started like most days for many of the students... a quick trip to Starbucks. We also found a bakery that was absolutely amazing... I am sure a daily visit will be in order, I had a "Black Sesame Pumpkin" pastry along with a Green Tea Latte. It was wonderful.  A few of the students didn't venture far from the norm and had a quick McDonald's breakfast... I am pondering a grade deduction for that.  :)  From there we headed to Kyobo Bookstore, this is similar to Powell's in Portland. You can spend hours there. We even ran into a elementary school group on a  field trip.

After we finished at Kyobo, it was time for the students'  first exam... Take Dr. Duerr and myself from Kyobo Bookstore in central Seoul to the Itaewon shopping district in southern Seoul (next to the U.S. Military base) without any help from either of us. As you can see in our photos, the students collaborated using all their maps and actually took us across town to where we had asked to go! They passed.  We then turned them loose after lunch.... they spent the rest of the day touring in groups. All groups returned to the hotel by early evening.

You can view a few photos from today here: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-1/album/

Good night... tomorrow is our Panmunjom/DMZ tour... Yes, we will be safe!

A long first day!

It is now 7:25 am Monday morning there in Newberg. We are just settling in for our first nights sleep here in Seoul. It is 11:25 pm Monday night.  Today was very long and it was apparent that it had taken its toll on many of the students.... they will sleep well tonight.

Once we arrived at the Inchon airport outside of Seoul we began our journey to our hotel.... otherwise know as "public transportation with big suitcases and lots and lots of stairs." Immigration was very easy and we headed out to catch a train. It was a very nice 45 min ride on the express to Seoul Station (center of Seoul). From there the culture shock began... we headed into a packed subway with everyone sporting a backpack and a good sized suitcase in tow.

Tomorrow the students get to sleep in... we will start our day 10am and ease into the day. The plan is for a casual of sightseeing.

Good night everyone

-Brent

... and we're off!!!

One quick pic at PDX, hugs for parents (& spouses) and away we go...

48 hours and counting...

We are now within 48 hours of departure... both the students and faculty are getting anxious.  Last night Dr. Duerr and myself went 'health & safety' shopping for the group.  Basically, between the two of us we are a walking pharmacy... ibuprofen, antibiotic cream, bandages, blister skins, hydrocortisone cream, anti fungal creams, baby wipes, benadryl, cough drops, pepto bismol, imodium, insect repellant, decongestants, antacids, and even some unmentionable creams.

We also checked the weather for fun.... here is what we found:
Seoul - low 70's and sunny... lovely!
Hong Kong - mid 80's with thunderstorms... warm and sticky!
Hanoi - low 100's with thunderstorms... 100+ degrees with 100% humidity... that would be called a STEAM COOKER, but our skin will glisten.

No worries though... the weather will surely change... it could get hotter.
-Dr. Wilson

Welcome Family and Friends

As we near our departure and the excitement begins to build, we are reminded of all those people out there that have supported us in many ways to make this trip possible.... parents, other family members, friends, professors, colleagues, administrators, a fantastic junior's abroad director and staff (Paul & Lynn), and of course the most important to us... our wives, Kami and Suzanne. To all of these people we want to say thank you.

We will continue to update this blog throughout our trip and will include many pictures along the way. We will link to picture albums that will contain a slide show along with smaller images. If you wish to have the original high resolution image of any of the pictures, please contact Dr. Wilson upon our return and we'll be glad to provide them for you.

Dr. Brent Wilson & Dr. Jeff Duerr