David R Smith

2009-09-22T21:51:00.002-04:00

The BEST restaurant in Seoul, especially for Gingseng Chicken Soup! I was told a former South Korean president used to frequent this restaurant 'cause it's so good!

2009-09-22T21:49:00.000-04:00

Gingseng on sale at Namdaemun Market

2009-09-22T21:48:00.000-04:00

Namdaemun market

2009-09-22T21:45:00.001-04:00

At Namdaemun Market in Seoul, South Korea. Notice the delicious squid for sale in the lower part of the image.

2009-07-24T10:52:00.000-04:00

My Model UN class at Hanyang University Summer School 2009.

2009-07-24T10:42:00.003-04:00

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.

2009-07-23T21:59:00.005-04:00

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.

2009-07-18T08:32:00.001-04:00

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...

2009-07-18T08:25:00.004-04:00

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!

2009-07-18T08:21:00.003-04:00

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.

2009-07-18T08:14:00.001-04:00

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

2009-07-18T08:11:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-07-18T08:01:00.002-04:00

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.

2009-07-18T07:58:00.001-04:00

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

2009-07-18T07:56:00.001-04:00

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

2009-07-18T07:39:00.001-04:00

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.

2009-07-18T07:33:00.003-04:00

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).

2009-07-18T07:30:00.003-04:00

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.

2009-07-18T07:27:00.002-04:00

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.

2009-07-18T07:20:00.004-04:00

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.

2009-07-15T09:02:00.002-04:00

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.

2009-07-15T08:54:00.003-04:00

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.

2009-07-15T08:49:00.001-04:00

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!

2009-07-15T08:24:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-07-15T08:10:00.007-04:00

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!

2009-07-14T05:52:00.003-04:00

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."

2009-07-12T06:39:00.004-04:00

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.

2009-07-11T08:24:00.003-04:00

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...

2009-07-11T07:22:00.003-04:00

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."

2009-07-11T07:19:00.002-04:00

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

More Hanyang Pictures

2009-07-11T07:14:00.004-04:00

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.

2009-06-30T02:05:00.004-04:00

The first picture I could get of the ONU contingent to the Hanyang summer school program. We love Rachel but we just couldn't find her in time to take the picture! Things are going great - second day of classes - and everyone is having a good time! It rains off and on during the day and it is sooo humid but as you can see everyone is smiling!

2009-06-29T07:58:00.003-04:00

As you walk into the bedroom to your right, there are plenty of shelves and a computer for your use with internet access. The keyboard has both Korean and US letters and it takes some getting used to but works fine. You can download programs of your choice on the computer (like Skype, etc.) so you're not locked out in using it. It is a slower Pentium4 so I brought my laptop, saved my work on a flash drive, and transferred files to it. Bring a europeans style adapter and perferrably one that sinks in or has "depth" to it - the socket here go deep into the wall and everything is 220v.

2009-06-29T07:55:00.001-04:00

Bedroom accomodations are very comfortable, single room with two beds, there is an adjustable air conditioner in the bedroom and in the living room which makes the entire living experience VERY comfortable.

Accomodations (2)

2009-06-29T07:50:00.002-04:00

A view of the living room as you walk in the front door. You are provided with a TV and plenty of floor space, a view outside; to the left is the kitchen (previous view) and to the right is the bedroom (next view).

Accomodations

2009-06-29T07:42:00.002-04:00

For those of you who would like to come and teach a class here at Hanyang, the accomodations are excellent. This is a view of the kitchen in my Hanyang provided apartment.

Beginning of Summer School

2009-06-29T07:31:00.003-04:00

Monday 29 June:

Everyone made it OK through the first day of classes. It rained very hard this morning but cleared up this afternoon with a temperature of around 30 celsius. Hot and muggy! My Model UN class has 16 sixteen students including my favorite Sheila. I am happy that many of the Korean students are asking questions, and pertinent ones too! There has been quite a bit of construction going on here on camps since last year and it really looks nice.

2009-06-20T21:19:00.002-04:00

Once again it's time for Hanyang University to offer summer school classes to students from all over the world. ONU has eight students that are attending this year. Their web page is here:

http://iss.hanyang.ac.kr/

They have published a picture of me teaching my Model UN class at this address (far right in the center of the page):

http://www.hanyang.ac.kr/code_html/HHDE/com/2009_HISS_Brochure.pdf

This university is amazing, the administration and students are great!

2008-12-22T20:28:00.002-05:00

2008-12-22T19:03:00.005-05:00

I recently attended (last week of Oct. 2008) a convention in Tehran Iran titled "Confrontation in the Caucasus: Roots, Dimensions, Applications." Recent developments in the Caucasus, the geopolitical region between Europe, Asia and the Middle East, have had significant impact on the first decade of the 21st century. As one of the most culturally diverse areas of the globe, the Caucasus is a scene of confrontation for diverging interests. Of particular importance is the recent military conflict between Russia and Georgia. My presentation was titled "The Russian Federation and the Republic of Georgia: A Geographic Perspective on the Conflict." I'm the one with the laptop.

Benjamin

2008-10-10T22:52:00.002-04:00

Ben is currently a student here at Ohio Northern University. He is majoring in Sport Management with a minor in Applied Statistics, and perhaps Spanish. He really likes his statistics courses... go figure! We (ONU) have a special agreement with the US Department of Treasury to send students to study in Cuba. Ben has been accepted in the program and is going to attend the University of Havana in the Spring. Is that cool or what? (we are NOT a communist family despite my/our background!).

Josh and Homecoming

2008-10-10T22:35:00.004-04:00

Josh was elected to the Homecoming Court at Ada High School. He is shown here walking with his "date" Amanda Archer. She was chosen as Queen shortly after this picture was taken. Josh was in the running for Homecoming King, but it went to a sentimental favorite - Trent Bass - whose brother recently died in a car crash. Even though his date was Amanda Archer, he was able to take his girlfriend, Jacks, to the dance later in the evening.

Josh and his girlfriend

2008-10-10T22:32:00.002-04:00

Josh and his girlfriend. Jacks is from a town called Liberty Benton about 20 miles north of Ada. Josh took her to the Homecoming dance even though his "date" was from Ada.

My son Josh

2008-10-10T22:29:00.003-04:00

Josh has a girlfriend! He is really "head over heels" for her. Her name is Jacqueline but goes by the name of "Jacks." She is really a very nice girl and we think is perfect for him.

The End

2008-08-08T21:56:00.005-04:00

It was really an unbelieveable site to me as I gave a speech at the closing ceremonies of Hanyang University's summer school 2008. Whereas at the beginning of the summer, I noticed that students in the audience were all sitting with their respective schools/friends, by the end of the summer session, the students were all mixed up - Korean, Chinese, Japanese, American students were sitting with one another regardless of their cultural backgrounds. It was very encouraging for me to see that!

Opening ceremony

2008-08-08T21:53:00.002-04:00

I was asked to give a speech at the opening ceremonies where I commented on the idea that we are all from different countries and backgrounds but we all have a lot of things in common, and I encouraged the students to explore those similarities over the next four weeks.

Our last day in Xi'an

2008-08-01T05:16:00.002-04:00

By the end of our China trip everyone was exhausted. The morning of our departure, Patrick decided to take a nap on the floor of the hotel foyer. He's smiling but he's tired. His Brazilian friend gazes at him from the comfort of an armchair!

Student discussions

2008-07-24T08:33:00.004-04:00

ONU and others on the left and Chinese university students on the right face off in a question and answer period where both get to learn more about one another and their perceptions of each other and their respective cultures. It was a fascinating discussion and very open on both sides.

New Monument to Buddha's finger!

2008-07-24T08:29:00.001-04:00

A massive monument is being built nearby to house Buddha's finger relic

Famen Buddhist Temple

2008-07-24T08:25:00.002-04:00

Famen Buddhist temple about 120 km west of Xi'an. It's famous for its relics of the Buddha, especially a portion of his actual finger is on display. This is a working monastary, with monks tending gardens and ticket sales etc.

Our guys on the Xi'an wall

2008-07-24T08:22:00.002-04:00

Valerie, Chris, Adam, Beth, Elizabeth, Jenny

Xi'an Wall

2008-07-24T08:19:00.003-04:00

Built during the Tang and Ming dynasties, a stone wall surrounds the central part of the city. This is a view of a portion of it. To the right is a guard post.

Panorama of Xi'an central business district

2008-07-24T08:16:00.001-04:00

2008-07-24T08:14:00.000-04:00

Our Xi'an, China hotel. Rooms very comfortable!

Arrival Beijing airport

2008-07-24T08:11:00.002-04:00

Beijing Airport entrance - gearing up for the Olympics. We saw the New Zealand women's soccer team arrive.

Xi'an China

2008-07-20T04:10:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow, Monday 21 July we leave early in the morning (6 am) for the airport to go to Xi'an Jiaotong University in China to begin a week long visit. Stayed tuned for more pictures and stories.

Graduation entertainment!

2008-07-20T04:03:00.003-04:00

One of our ONU student's, Patrick Schmees, put together a very good band with his Hanyang student friends, and sang several songs for our graduation entertainment. One of the songs was Michael Buble's "Comin' Home, Baby." Helen Kim is playing bass guitar, and Semi Kim, her sister and a student of mine from my Model UN class is behind the keyboard. They were unbelieveably good!

Mr Shin's farewell speech

2008-07-20T04:01:00.003-04:00

Mr Shin, the director of the international summer school program gives a brief farewell speech.

Hanyang Summer School Graduation

2008-07-20T03:56:00.005-04:00

Saturday 19 July was graduation for summer school students here at Hanyang University in Seoul South Korea. This is the stage shortly before the Dean and I gave our farewell speeches.

ONU students in central Seoul

2008-07-13T04:00:00.003-04:00

Once again, ONU sent the best students to Hanyang, they're having a great time and making a great impression! Back row: Jenny, Elizabeth, Elizabeth; front row: Adam, Nathan, Patrick, Chris.

DMZ - Civilian Control Line (South)

2008-07-10T07:37:00.003-04:00

The Korean DMZ is bounded to the south and north by what are called Civilian Control Lines (CCLs) This is a panaroma picture of a portion of the southern CCL. The RR bridge in the center of the picture leads across the DMZ into North Korea. South Korean citizens are not allowed to go beyond the CCL which is located about 2 km from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) which represents the actual border between the two countries. Because we had South Koreans on our trip, we couldn't go to the actual border. When we arrived at the southern CCL, we had to show our passports to the South Korean soldiers before we could enter the DMZ. The DMZ is literally covered with land mines so we had to be very careful where we walked!

Visit to DMZ

2008-07-10T07:07:00.004-04:00

Today we visited the De-Militarized Zone between South and North Korea. The image to the right is a map of the DMZ (actually a large billboard map) located just inside of the DMZ. The thick tan line on the map in the upper left hand corner represents the actual border between the two countries (DMZ) and everything to the south and west are locations along the border in South Korea, with pictures of those sites along the left and right edges.

Korea's Model UN

2008-07-09T10:48:00.000-04:00

As you all know, I am teaching a Model UN course here at Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea, this summer. I have a student in my class, Bongwu Han, who is participating in South Korea's version of its national Model UN program. Last week, after class, he told me that he is representing Pakistan, and the issue that he is assigned is "alternative energy in Pakistan." He was VERY nervous because he told me he doesn't know anything about the country or the issue. Well, we met for a long time after class last week so that I could give him advice on Pakistan and alternative energy. Well, I tried to give him advice on how the UN worked in general, on Pakistan, and on what I know about alternative energy, so that he could do the best he could at South Korea's national Model UN meeting. I just found out that he won an award for being one of the top four (out of 300) delegates at the conference and he thanked me for my help. He is now able to go on to a regional Model UN program in the Philippines, and hopefully on to New York City. I am SO proud of him! He worked so hard and I hope I helped him at least a little bit. As teachers, there are a very few times when we feel we have done something to help others, and this really feels good to me!

More news from Seoul

2008-07-09T08:38:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow (Thursday, 10 July) ONU students and I are going to visit the South Korean/North Korean de-militarized zone (DMZ). I am excited about it because last year when I was here we did the same trip but it rained so hard and it was so foggy we couldn't see anything. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and 90 degrees F and 90% humidity so it'll be nice but bad at the same time! South Korean citizens are not allowed inside the DMZ itself and we have some South Korean students coming with us - so we will see how much we can see. ONU students here are the best we could have sent and I am very proud of them! Time is going so fast and we are almost done with classes. We go to Xian, China on 21 July. Afterwards (28 July) I am going to Hong Kong to see a UN friend for about a week. More with pictures are coming soon!

News from Seoul

2008-07-05T06:22:00.003-04:00

Nothing much to report for the last couple of days. My UN class continues to be a joy to teach. Students actually ask questions about the UN and I have one student who is participating in South Korea's national Model UN program. We met for several hours Friday to talk about strategy. He represents Pakistan and the issue is about alternative energy and economic development. South Korea's Model UN national meeting is four days long here in the capital and ends this coming Monday. I hope he does well and that I could have helped him in any small way. The students here have several Korean students assigned to help them with seeing the sites etc. This year Hanyang has not hired any foreign professors except myself so I have been on my own; taking the subway and buses to see the sites around town. I am getting to know my way around Seoul and am learning Korean out of necessity; can't buy anything in the stores without knowing some of the language!

Model United Nations classes

2008-06-29T10:40:00.002-04:00

Since 23 June I have been teaching a course called Model UN here at Hanyang University, located on the north bank of the Han River here in Seoul. I have the second largest enrollment of students attending the summer school here http://iss.hanyang.ac.kr/ with about 25 students. The largest enrollment this summer is in the Business Statistics class, which is probably understandable. Last year my UN class had by far the largest enrollment probably due to the interest generated by the new Korean Secretary General Ban ki-mun. This year Korean students are understandably more interested in building their skills in international business - "money talks, !@#$% walks!

Food Shopping and Prices

2008-06-29T10:24:00.003-04:00

When I first arrived here in Seoul, I found a grocery store to go to... The products in the picture are sitting on top of my refrigerator and are, from left to right with there approximate prices here in Seoul: strawberry jelly ($2), Thousand Island salad dressing ($2), four pack of Spam with a roll of paper towels ($6), milk ($4), 2 1/2 lbs of sugar (90 cents), soju (Korean "firewater!") ($1.20), and Korean raspberry wine ($7). So you can see that prices vary quite bit depending on the product. Also, not shown is a liter of Fanta soft drink ($1), a can of tuna ($2.25), a small loaf of bread ($2.50), two 100w light bulbs ($1.50), and they charge for plastic bags (no paper) (50 cents).

Main Living Area

2008-06-29T10:05:00.003-04:00

As you walk in to the door to may "apartment" here at Hanyang University's Guest House," you first see the living area, which, for a single person, consists of a Large "dance floor" area and a TV. The TV is tuned to the Armed Forces Network here in South Korea and is showing my favorite show: Law and Order.

Bedroom

2008-06-29T10:01:00.007-04:00

A bit of a panoramic view of my bedroom. Hanyang has provided me with a three room apartment. This bedroom, a living area and a kitchen. My two bed bedroom also has a computer with Internet-access provided and bookshelves: although I did not bring very many books with me!

Bathroom

2008-06-29T09:46:00.005-04:00

When I arrived, I was shown my room and a bathroom without a bathtub!

Like in other Asian countries, there's no bathtub: you use the shower that sprays directly on the floor - most squat down and use the the large "bowl" shown under the sink.

To the left and out of sight in the bathroom is a rather large washing machine with at least a dozen buttons labeled in Korean. I have had to learn the Korean alphabet to do my wash!

Kitchen

2008-06-22T01:59:00.003-04:00

Not bad for a kitchen, now I have to learn how to use chopsticks

Arrival in Korea

2008-06-19T09:27:00.005-04:00

Eating a Korea lunch, Bibimbpap restaurant near campus, Great food.

These are a line of small "Mom and "Pop" restaurants near campus.

Setting up my first blog

2008-06-07T22:11:00.003-04:00

Well, it's about a week before I go to Korea so I thought I would set up a blog to let you all know what's happening while I am in Korea. I will be teaching a class called "Model UN" at Hanyang University in Seoul and then will visit Xian Jiaotong University in central China from 21-28 July. Stay tuned!