From the Future to the Past

Hey everyone!
It has been a beautiful bright day here in Korea. We started bright and early traveling to the samsung central office just outside Seoul. It was amazing to see the headquarters. They are such a wide spread company here in Korea. They own housing complexes, electronics, home appliances, Transportation, insurance and banking. It is crazy to see the growth of such a company.

It was funny, we got there and their sign said "welcome University of Utah" They were really embarassed and changed it quicky. The professors said that the sign gave us license to behave badly if we wanted since we had the U of U name. (Just kidding of course)

We got to see some crazy new products they are developing that havent hit the us market yet! Amazing televisions, sound systems, computers, and appliances that are tens of thousands of dollars now but will hit the market sometime next year. One LCD tv was 100,000 dollars and has to be special ordered before they will start assembling it! It was the most beautiful thing!

After Samsung we went to a traditional Korean place for lunch. Taking off your shoes as you walked in and sitting on the floor. It was fun, but painful. Metal chopsticks arent the easiest form of utensil.

We then went to the Korean Folk Village. It was really cool to see traditional houses and crafts from ancient Korea. There were many young school children who asked for our autograph and picture. Many havent seen foreigners before so it was fun to see their reaction and interaction with us. They learn english at a young age and were practicing phrases.

They had a performance of dance and tight rope walker. It was amazing! It is hot and humid tonight.

Last night was so fun. We went to the 7th largest amusement park in the world, and the largest indoor park in the world. It is called Lotte World. Kind of a cross between Lagoon and Disney Land. It was fun. We went late at night so we couldnt ride too many rides but it was crazy. We are probably going back tomorrow night.

I dont know what the plan is for tonight. I have a bit of a headache so I may just turn in early. I dont know.

It is amazing to see the workings of a country so fundamentally different from the US but is trying to pattern itself after some of our practices.

I was surprised to see familiardesigners like Chanel down to 7-11 and believe it or not....COSTCO! Outback stake house and TGIFridays. Krispy Kreams and Baskin Robbins! We truly live in a globalized world. I feel so far away, but the influence of the US is all around me!

It was a day that started in the future and ended in the past! New cutting edge technology down to ancient Korea. The ways of life that would be extinct without the efforts to preserve the history. It still blows my mind that their history is so deep and rich. They hold on to that with one hand but try so hard to press forward to the future. It is interesting to see how they will balance that in the future. Can they? or will something have to give! I am excited to see!

All my love!

First Day

It has been a rainy day here in Korea, but it was fun to dive into the culture and business of this country. We went on a visit to KOSBI Korean Small Business Institute, where they research and help small business in Korea. The lecture was very interesting. It was cool to see the views of a Korean on issues such as big business, globalization, market capitalism, and the increasing global effect of China on business. We then broke for lunch. I went with some faculty and students to a Korean place. I tried "kemchi" i know Im not spelling it right, but it is a Korean staple. It was the most spicy thing I have ever tasted in my life. It felt like my teeth were sweating! I thought I was going to die. I still have a headache hours later. The dumplings were very good, but it is hard to get used to metal chopsticks! Who would have thought! We visited the US embassy but was bummed because we couldnt actually go inside. We met with the public affairs office outside the embassy. There was another group from the US too. They talked a little about N. Korean and US relations with S. Korea. I hope the weather clears so I can take some photos tomorrow. I dont know if I can post any, but if not, I will post them when I get back in July. Remember how lucky we are to live where we do.

Rainy Day in Korea

Hey all.
It is just my luck that it is rainy and kind of on the cold side this wednesday morning here in Seoul. I didnt bring any jacket or rain gear! oh well, we will be inside most of the day anyway. We are off to site visits and the US embasy today. We are staying in a very nice hotel in downtown Seoul. I just finished a beautiful breakfast including poached salmon and some very interesting fruit. It will be a great culinary adventure I can just imagine.

Finally here!

Hey everyone! I am finally here in Seoul South Korea. It is actually 744 pm on tuesday here is Korea! I skipped a whole day! It is a strange feeling to fly with the sun and never see night for 16 hours. It is such a big city and I am trying to get my bearings. It was a long flight especially for a tall girl like me. I am ready to jump into a great adventure.

Nervous...But Excited!

Well! I am heading off to Seoul Korea tomorrow morning! I am so nervous but very excited. I cant believe I get to go on another adventure this summer. I know I have everything ready, but I still feel completely unprepared! I don't think you can step into the unknown like this without feeling unprepared. I am not looking forward to the day long flight! I hope I can write again soon. And post some pictures!