My Model UN class at Hanyang University Summer School 2009.

Our ONU graduates of Hanyang University's Summer School. Finally I got a picture of all eight of them! They all really did great, especially Sheila who received an academic achievement award (and a gift of a digital camera) and Travis who received a best smile award, and Rachel who received a Korean Language award.

Well, South Korea has finally come out with a banknote with a higher denomination than 10,000 won. The picture doesn't do it justice - it's really pretty. Not very many Koreans apparently knew it was coming out until it did - many were surprised. On June 23, 2009, the Bank of Korea released the 50,000 Won note. On the front a portrait of Shin Saimdang, a prominent 16th-century female artist, calligrapher, and mother of Confucian scholar Yulgok can be seen. She is supposed to be the best example of what korean mother should be.

Walking downtown Seoul saw this demonstration by a Christian group, They were singing songs and handing out pamphlets. They all were very happy and had smiles on their faces...

Namdaemun Market, Seoul, This stand is selling fried silk worm larvae that you buy by the cupful (white cups bottom left). They look like fried bugs and taste pretty much like you expect! :) Dede Shine was visiting and was with me and bought a cup of the disgusting things for me :) I ate a couple of them - tasted pretty bland although Dede liked them!

Namdaemun Market near downtown Seoul. You can buy just about anything here. No prices on anything, you barter, but the Koreans are very nice at bartering - if you say no and don't buy anything they are very nice about it! The market activity really picks up in the evening. You can buy everything from clothes to electronics to all kinds of food.

An image of seven of our eight ONU students waiting outside the men's dorm (Brian is missing from the photo). From left to right: Julia Tabaj, Derek Schneider, Sheila Willamowski, Chelsea Mack, Terry Lee, Rachel Spencer, and Travis Edington

This is the Office of International Cooperation at Hanyang University. This shows the desk of the Director of the Summer Program, Mr Shin, behind which an ONU pennant proudly flies. Of course I could not find out what time it was back home - the New York City clock is missing!

A few of our students - (myself), Julia Tabaj, Derek Schneider, Chelsea Mack, Travis Edington, and Sheila Willamowski at Geongbokgung Palace Seoul. Chelsea and Sheila are holding fans that were gifts to the students who participated in dressing up as Royal Court figures and marched through the palace grounds.

Queen Sheila and King Travis being interviewed for television at Geongbokgung Palace, Seoul after their succesful march through the palace grounds.

Hanyang Summer School students pose at Gyeongbokgung Palace - yours truly on the far right

Queen Sheila and King Travis on parade in Gyeongbokgung palace in Seoul. Our students got to dress up and make believe they were in the royal court of the Korean Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910). They received a lot of press coverage here as well.

The Royal Korean Court: Julia Tabaj (2nd from left), Brian Philips (3rd from left), Chelsea Mack (4th from left), King Travis Edington & Queen Sheila Willamowski (in red in the middle).

Ladies of the Court as they would have looked during the Chosun dynasty. Our ONU students Chelsea Mack (assistant to the Queen) is second from right, and Sheila Willamowski (right) posing as the Queen.

When our students arrived at Gyeongbokgung palace they received a big surprise - they had the opportunity to dress up in period costume (Chosun period of Korean history from 1392-1910). here is shown Sheila and Travis dressing up as Queen and King. They will later parade through the palace complex as the real Queen and King would have done.

A picture of two Koreans playing Korean chess. It's like regular chess but the pieces are obviously different although they have the same functions as pieces in regular chess-the variations in size and the notation on each piece-define the King, Queen, Knight, Bishop, Rook, etc. Also, the pieces move along the black lines shown rather than inside the squares.

Inside Gyeongbok Palace approaching the King's throne, these statues indicate the places where the King's entourage would stand. The most important of the King's assistants would stand next to the farthest staute in the distance and so on.

This is in front of Gyeongbok Palace, which is a royal palace. First constructed in 1394 and reconstructed in 1867, it was the main and largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty. The name of the palace, "Gyeongbokgung," translates in English as "Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven." From left to right first is Derek, third from left is Chelsea, then Julia and Sheila.

This is an image of (from left to right) Derek, Chelsea, Brian, and Sheila, with a little Korean boy between them posing in traditional Korean Hanbok dress. Our students loved him!

As part of the morning presentation, Sheila Willamowski volunteered to dress up in traditional Korean Hanbok dress. She is shown here bowing before me. The circular image on her dress indicates that she is of royal descent. I love the colors!

The field trip for the students today was divided into two parts; in the morning we learned some things about Korean cultural heritage. On the Korean Lunar New Year, children traditionally honor their parents by bowing in front of them, and their parents may give them money and wish them good luck, long life, etc. This is a picture of our ONU students Chelsea Mack and Travis Edington posing as parents for the son of the lady behind the podium. The boy is bowing before them. He was such a good presenter!

Today, 14 July 2009, is Bastille Day in France. The TV in my room gets one French channel and today they broadcast the Bastille Day parade from Paris. This photo was taken from my TV screen. As I watched the parade, it reminded me so much of the May Day parades from Moscow during the Cold War. Does any other country have a military parade like this today? I should know but I'm not sure - China does once a year but it takes place on "Armed Forces Day."

It's about 7:40 Sunday evening here and I have some time to update my blog, so I decided to empty my refrigerator and line up stuff from the kitchen, take a picture of it to give you an idea of prices for some things here in Seoul. It's an expensive city to live in, especially if you live, and cook, on your own. From left to right in the picture 1. a bottle of laundry detergent (I don't remember the price), 2. a bottle of pinneapple flavored pop ~1200 won/$1, 3. Korean spaghetti sauce 3600 won/$3.50, 4. a bottle of Korean ketchup ( I think they put more tomatoes in theirs) 2000 won/$2, 5. a can of tuna (their seafood is delicious no matter canned or fresh!), 6. a bag of rice at 1 kg/2.2 lbs. for 3500 won/$3.50, and 7. a box of tissue for 1550 won/$1.60.

With the recent missile tests by North Korea (seven missiles on July 4th), I was very curious to know the reactions of the average South Korean. Well, I asked my South Korean students and they responded by saying that they were not worried, that they didn't think that Kim Jong-il was that crazy to attack the South because that would mean that he and his regime would die... On the other hand, they said they were grateful for the bad weather we were experiencing (it's the monsoon season) because the North Koreans wouldn't and couldn't attack in such weather. I brought up the fact in class that Kim Jong-il might not really act rationally and that the Generals that surround him, I hope, would act rationally and intervene if he was crazy... my South Korean students just refused to believe Kim Jong-il might be nuts...

The view outside my window. This is Hanyang Women's College. It is a two-year women's college. It sits alongside Hanyang University and students from the college often transfer to Hanyang University. By the way, the word "Hanyang" is the ancient/historical word for "Seoul."

More pictures of our students outside Hanyang's Business School building where summer classes are held.

More Hanyang Pictures

A picture of our ONU students Chelsea Mack and Sheila Willamowski. If they look like they are having fun here, well, that's because they ARE! They're both in my Model United Nations class and doing really well! Actually one of the differences that I have noticed this year in comparing students I have taught from past years here is that they are asking a lot of questions in class and are really interested in learning more about the United Nations and international issues. This is true not only of our students but especially the Korean students that are in my class. I have a total of 16 students and I believe that everyone of them have asked me a question in class so far. We are half way through the summer and I am really happy about teaching here; mainly because of the students that attend these summer classes.