Yankees and Dixies
It should have been noted that upon my arrival in Australia, I immediately noticed a much more beautiful sky. I asked people there if it was typical, or if it was just because I was on vacation. They assured me that this was normal, though I found no one who could produce an explanation. The lack of ozone, perhaps? Not sure, but it really was quite nice. I also met a really cute older couple from Pennsylvania before I walked across the Harbour Bridge. They told me that getting to the halfway point would take about 20 minutes—I was concerned because I had a plane to catch. I thanked them and proceeded to check out the view of the harbor from this point, scenic in itself. After walking the length of the bridge and back, stopping all along the way to take pictures and even talk to another couple, I checked my watch and had taken 14 minutes. I grinned to myself and remembered how cute the pair was. I went through Nurse’s Walk after this. It’s a really neat area that’s sort of Bostonian in feeling and appearance: Old but with modern stores and lots of independent, creative stores. Worth a few minutes if you’re in the area!
DMZ
A group of 4 friends and I went to the De-Militarized Zone on Saturday. A 7:30am departure from the USO office required payment of about $42 and check-in 30 minutes early. This group of tourists who had to book their tickets several weeks in advance was large enough for 2 buses. There was a very specific dress code because offensive T-shirts, tacky tourists and the like have been photographed by the North Koreans and used in propaganda advertisements distributed to their people. The ride was an hour and a half and our tour guide, much like the trip to the mountain I took back in October, talked the entire time. His English was pretty good, but it was really work to listen to and understand everything he said. So instead I talked to the man seated next to me, who turned out to have his PhD in metallurgy and currently works in Florida on developing weapons of the future—more so how they explode by how they are formed and what is in them, etc. It sounded interesting enough, though he was a bit of an oddball. We stopped at two different checkpoints, each time dismounting the bus and having our passports reviewed. We got to US Army Camp Boniface and went into Ballinger Hall where we were given an outstanding presentation by Mr. Fleming (whose rank is unknown to me) on the history of the area and what we would see and should expect. We were told of an awful 1976 event in which a US Army Captain and 1st Lieutenant were both axed to death over the trimming of a tree at this Joint Security Area (JSA), a zone occupied by both North and South Korean as well as US forces. The pictures of the fight were quite brutal and there was a memorial for the men as well as a building named in memory. The DMZ has been called the most dangerous place on earth for many reasons. One being that enemies face each other on a daily basis, since the countries have only signed an armistice and are therefore technically still at war. The North Koreans have what opponents have called “Propaganda Village.” They have set up what appears to be a happily functioning town (it should be noted that a recently silence speaker system urged South Koreans to defect), so that those looking across the border think these Communists are normal, eating well, and productive. On the South side is what is called Freedom Village, inhabited by about 200 people who make about $80k tax free and while women are allowed to marry in, men are not for fear of this encouraging them to marry in and avoid obligatory Korean military duty (all men must spend at least 2 years in the armed forces while in their 20s). We actually went into a meeting hall where we were allowed to cross the border into North Korea, but only technically because the line dividing the countries passes through the buildings. This is where UN meetings and whatnot are held. The UN flag on the table is made of plastic because last time the North Koreans were in there, they took it down and used it to shine their shoes. The country flags of all UN members are in a glass case for similar reasons—evidence of the manners and mentality of the Northerners. We got stamps on our passports, though not endorsed by the North. We had lunch at a Korean restaurant and then went on to Dora Observatory, but because of the rain and haze were unable to see the full range into the North. However, their mountains look just like any you’ve seen elsewhere, so not a great loss. You could see the flags of the two countries, the one from North Korea having been rebuilt so that it would stand high above that of the South. I’ve also been told that it’s the largest flag in the world and in high winds has to be taken down because it will tear under its own weight. We then went into the 3rd tunnel (of 4 found but 17 suspected) the North was building several kilometers under the ground, apparently bound for Seoul. It was a long walk down and apparently had been sprayed with coal, but the crazies told their people that they were digging for gold or something of that whacked out nature.
AMY'S FAREWELL
That night, Heeyun and I met Amy for dinner at La Petite France to bid her farewell. The restaurant was chosen by Sam and myself, because Amy requested not to be put on the spot and had recently eaten. It turned out to be overpriced and only mediocre food. Nonetheless, Heeyun and Sam discussed politics, all of us talked about travel plans, and then we offered our girl goodbyes. Amy is truly one of the most unique and courageous women I’ve ever met. She just spent a few days in Japan and is off to Mongolia and Russia where she will live for a few days with nomads, visit family in Siberia as well as the largest fresh water lake in the world, hit a few cities that may remind her of her days in Uzbekistan, and then fly home to New York from Moscow. She is doing all this traveling alone because she hopes to get all the harder exploring done while she’s young and able, but do the more typical vacations of Americans when she’s older and maybe moves less easily. She’s extremely ambitious and interesting, far beyond her ivy league education and years spent in the Peace Corps. She can communicate, at least a little bit, in 4 languages (English, Korean, Uzbek and Russian) and is about to learn Spanish as part of getting her masters in International Development, which requires her to spend a year in Costa Rica. Anyway, very sad to see her go, but as Sam pointed out, there’s no reason to be sad because good things are happening to good people.
ARMY FORMAL
Much to the chagrin of a co-worker or two of mine, I took Thursday off and went to the United States Army’s 231st Birthday Ball. This celebration of what is considered Area IV was held at the Hotel Inter Burgo in Daegu. I had a dress made, Sam sported his “dress blues” and we sat at the table for Military Police, a whopping 7 of us total, including 2 civilians. At our table was Major Weams, who was more entertainment than the actual entertainment. His dislike for all the pomposity set the stage for wisecracks and two bottles of wine (one stolen from the neighboring table of Korean entertainment, whose spirits had gone untouched, leaving us to assume it would be put to better use at our table). There was presenting of the colors, a guest speaker, dinner, birthday cake, and dancing, though only 1/40th of the 800 attendants partook. We toasted the President, blah, blah, blah, guests, and those who would not be with us. One of the most touching moments was the toast to the missing, both those who gave their life and those whose fate is unknown while they are POWs and MIA. An inverted glass on this small table for one because they could not toast. A rose, a single chair, an empty place setting, a yellow ribbon, a lemon for their bitterness and salt for the tears of their family. I almost got misty-eyed, as cheesy as it may sound, because these people really are in abundance, especially because of the ongoing wars but even those with explanations harder to understand. Maybe dating someone in the military has me more appreciative of the service they provide, but maybe being abroad makes me realize what these people undergo on a daily basis.
Copyright 2006 Olivia R. Reed
DMZ
A group of 4 friends and I went to the De-Militarized Zone on Saturday. A 7:30am departure from the USO office required payment of about $42 and check-in 30 minutes early. This group of tourists who had to book their tickets several weeks in advance was large enough for 2 buses. There was a very specific dress code because offensive T-shirts, tacky tourists and the like have been photographed by the North Koreans and used in propaganda advertisements distributed to their people. The ride was an hour and a half and our tour guide, much like the trip to the mountain I took back in October, talked the entire time. His English was pretty good, but it was really work to listen to and understand everything he said. So instead I talked to the man seated next to me, who turned out to have his PhD in metallurgy and currently works in Florida on developing weapons of the future—more so how they explode by how they are formed and what is in them, etc. It sounded interesting enough, though he was a bit of an oddball. We stopped at two different checkpoints, each time dismounting the bus and having our passports reviewed. We got to US Army Camp Boniface and went into Ballinger Hall where we were given an outstanding presentation by Mr. Fleming (whose rank is unknown to me) on the history of the area and what we would see and should expect. We were told of an awful 1976 event in which a US Army Captain and 1st Lieutenant were both axed to death over the trimming of a tree at this Joint Security Area (JSA), a zone occupied by both North and South Korean as well as US forces. The pictures of the fight were quite brutal and there was a memorial for the men as well as a building named in memory. The DMZ has been called the most dangerous place on earth for many reasons. One being that enemies face each other on a daily basis, since the countries have only signed an armistice and are therefore technically still at war. The North Koreans have what opponents have called “Propaganda Village.” They have set up what appears to be a happily functioning town (it should be noted that a recently silence speaker system urged South Koreans to defect), so that those looking across the border think these Communists are normal, eating well, and productive. On the South side is what is called Freedom Village, inhabited by about 200 people who make about $80k tax free and while women are allowed to marry in, men are not for fear of this encouraging them to marry in and avoid obligatory Korean military duty (all men must spend at least 2 years in the armed forces while in their 20s). We actually went into a meeting hall where we were allowed to cross the border into North Korea, but only technically because the line dividing the countries passes through the buildings. This is where UN meetings and whatnot are held. The UN flag on the table is made of plastic because last time the North Koreans were in there, they took it down and used it to shine their shoes. The country flags of all UN members are in a glass case for similar reasons—evidence of the manners and mentality of the Northerners. We got stamps on our passports, though not endorsed by the North. We had lunch at a Korean restaurant and then went on to Dora Observatory, but because of the rain and haze were unable to see the full range into the North. However, their mountains look just like any you’ve seen elsewhere, so not a great loss. You could see the flags of the two countries, the one from North Korea having been rebuilt so that it would stand high above that of the South. I’ve also been told that it’s the largest flag in the world and in high winds has to be taken down because it will tear under its own weight. We then went into the 3rd tunnel (of 4 found but 17 suspected) the North was building several kilometers under the ground, apparently bound for Seoul. It was a long walk down and apparently had been sprayed with coal, but the crazies told their people that they were digging for gold or something of that whacked out nature.
AMY'S FAREWELL
That night, Heeyun and I met Amy for dinner at La Petite France to bid her farewell. The restaurant was chosen by Sam and myself, because Amy requested not to be put on the spot and had recently eaten. It turned out to be overpriced and only mediocre food. Nonetheless, Heeyun and Sam discussed politics, all of us talked about travel plans, and then we offered our girl goodbyes. Amy is truly one of the most unique and courageous women I’ve ever met. She just spent a few days in Japan and is off to Mongolia and Russia where she will live for a few days with nomads, visit family in Siberia as well as the largest fresh water lake in the world, hit a few cities that may remind her of her days in Uzbekistan, and then fly home to New York from Moscow. She is doing all this traveling alone because she hopes to get all the harder exploring done while she’s young and able, but do the more typical vacations of Americans when she’s older and maybe moves less easily. She’s extremely ambitious and interesting, far beyond her ivy league education and years spent in the Peace Corps. She can communicate, at least a little bit, in 4 languages (English, Korean, Uzbek and Russian) and is about to learn Spanish as part of getting her masters in International Development, which requires her to spend a year in Costa Rica. Anyway, very sad to see her go, but as Sam pointed out, there’s no reason to be sad because good things are happening to good people.
ARMY FORMAL
Much to the chagrin of a co-worker or two of mine, I took Thursday off and went to the United States Army’s 231st Birthday Ball. This celebration of what is considered Area IV was held at the Hotel Inter Burgo in Daegu. I had a dress made, Sam sported his “dress blues” and we sat at the table for Military Police, a whopping 7 of us total, including 2 civilians. At our table was Major Weams, who was more entertainment than the actual entertainment. His dislike for all the pomposity set the stage for wisecracks and two bottles of wine (one stolen from the neighboring table of Korean entertainment, whose spirits had gone untouched, leaving us to assume it would be put to better use at our table). There was presenting of the colors, a guest speaker, dinner, birthday cake, and dancing, though only 1/40th of the 800 attendants partook. We toasted the President, blah, blah, blah, guests, and those who would not be with us. One of the most touching moments was the toast to the missing, both those who gave their life and those whose fate is unknown while they are POWs and MIA. An inverted glass on this small table for one because they could not toast. A rose, a single chair, an empty place setting, a yellow ribbon, a lemon for their bitterness and salt for the tears of their family. I almost got misty-eyed, as cheesy as it may sound, because these people really are in abundance, especially because of the ongoing wars but even those with explanations harder to understand. Maybe dating someone in the military has me more appreciative of the service they provide, but maybe being abroad makes me realize what these people undergo on a daily basis.
Copyright 2006 Olivia R. Reed
posted by LSULiv | 7:55 PM
1 Comments:
Heeyun's site has some pics from the event:
http://kr.blog.yahoo.com/heeyun12783/25.html
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