Japan & Korea – May 31, 2016

InAe, InSook, and I were “doing lunch” in the Myeongdong area.  Since YongSun’s favorite Indian restaurant is there, he provided car transportation and joined us for the set curry lunch, which was quite good.  We were very close to Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral which I have never visited in any of my trips to Seoul.  So we did a bit of sightseeing there.

We then were just sitting in the shade waiting for friend Young Il Kim, who took a half day off work in order to be able to see me.  During that time I saw a real Korean nun – visor firmly in place over her habit.

When Young Il arrived, the first thing we did was have coffee – something we’d done frequently during my 2009 stay in Seoul.

When I lived for 3 months in Seoul, I lived near Seoul Station doing most of my grocery shopping in the center built as a part of the new Seoul Railway Station.  The old station building was largely derelict and boarded with large numbers of homeless men in and around the structure.  I’d heard that the building had been rehabilitated and currently is used as “multipurpose cultural space.”  I was curious about what it looked like, and Young Il was willing to accompany me.

The building was much the same on the outside – just cleaned up, windows unboarded, and looking much better (a few homeless still seemed to be in the area).

There were two rooms with displays and explanations about the reconstruction efforts and techniques.

Other parts of the station building had been restored to their original grandeur.  Then art installations were put into each of the spaces.  The art was interesting but, like much modern art, largely incomprehensible to me.  The Station Master’s room was lovely – and had a huge bunch of red balloon-like pieces at one end.  The Grill Room on the second floor was the largest and most elaborate – and had the weirdest art installation.

Young Il then proposed a boat trip on the Han River, which, given the sun and warm weather, sounded delightful.  The boat docks are along the public park that runs along the river.  The boat area was replete with fake cherry trees – that really looked fake.

Aboard the boat there were more fake trees, through which this picture of the riverside was taken.

There were views of riverside buildings, like the federal parliament, and many gulls, which dive-bombed the boat hoping for food.

A final picture of Young Il and me with more fake cherry blossoms before we left the riverside and had a quick dinner at a nearby food court.  Then she had to return to work (for a call to England), and I returned to InAe’s house.

Japan & Korea – May 30, 2016

InAe, InSook, and I all went to Ehwa Girls School to celebrate the 130^th anniversary of its founding by American missionaries.  There was a formal ceremony that we skipped, instead moving right to the by-class gatherings with food provided by class members from the food vendors at the celebration.  (There were also other vendors happy to make their goods available in this annual event.)

InSook was in the class of 1961 (graduated from high school one year ahead of me) while InAe went to join her friends in the 1964 class (even though she’s my age).  In the Korean manner, the food kept coming in courses as different vendors delivered different food.  Since we’d gotten there early, we got stools instead of having to sit on the ground.  Once we’d eaten, however, we did get up to let others have our seats.

The flags of Korea, Ehwa School, and Ehwa alumnae flew over the campus.

There was a break between lunch and the start of the choral performances; most of the alums used that time to continue socializing.  InSook is not that much of a social person so instead we used that time to schedule a meeting I’d wanted to have with Dong Won Kim, a great Korean drummer and friend to Shinparam, my Twin Cities Korean drumming group.  He came to a coffee shop near the campus.  We talked for an hour while he filled me in a bit on what he’s been doing musically.  He gave me his greetings and copies of his most recent CD to take back to friends in the Twin Cities.

Returning to the Ehwa campus we waited for the music to begin.  Apparently each class prepares and sings a number at this celebration.  The numbers who participate vary from class to class, but it’s still a rather amazing showing.  We met two graduates who live in the U.S. and frequently come to the anniversary celebration.  Apparently there are also active Ehwa graduate groups in operation in parts of the U.S. that have substantial Korean-born populations.

The first group to perform was the choir of current students.

Fortunately, InAe’s group was scheduled sixth so we didn’t have to wait too long for her to finish.  The music was good, but we were ready to go get dinner.

So we left the campus passing under this lovely canopy of roses.

After a wonderful Korean meal we headed for the subway and home arriving about 8 p.m.

Japan & Korea – May 29, 2016

This being Sunday I accompanied the family to church.  YongSun, InSook’s older son, is in the process of becoming a Methodist minister.  Finished with his formal studies he is now half-way through the 3-year period of operating a congregation.  I’m not at all sure how the process works – whether he must actually begin the church or whether he moves into an existing church.  In any event there were primarily family members in attendance.  InSook had made the effort of translating much of the service and a sermon summary into English so I could participate as the others were using Korean.  The service started with Praise Songs, sung in English, accompanied by guitar.  The other hymns were also sung in English (I think in honor of my attendance) with computer electronic music as accompaniment.  Special music was provided by HoSun’s (InSook’s younger son) daughter and her flute and then his entire family singing a hymn.

The service was then followed by a full Korean meal served in the church after a table was set up and pews moved around a bit.  Lots of good food, mostly prepared by YongSun’s wife although others participated as well.

I was able to do some laundry at InAe’s house in the afternoon before InSook came over to get me so we could meet Hong Taik Choi.  I sponsored Hong Taik through Save the Children in the 1980’s and had visited her as a middle schooler in her home village of Yanggu in 1982.  There was a period in which we (and she and Insook) had lost touch, only to be reunited through the good offices of Save the Children and a TV station that does an annual telethon on which Hong Taik and I were featured in 2011.  She is now about 50 years old and has three daughters of her own, the youngest one still in high school.  It seems as if she has had a very difficult life (she calls it a "drama") with an abusive husband who is no longer in the picture thus making her current life better.  Since I last saw her, about 4 years ago, she has lost weight, cut her hair fashionably, and appears so much happier.  I am SO glad.

Returned to InAe’s to deal with my clean laundry and plans for tomorrow.