Spirit of change

Korea is changing ... And changing fast. When asked, they say that like it that way too. In the last 60 years they have progressed from a developing country into a giving country from nuclear power, technology, and agriculture. Korea's rich history goes all the way back to King Sejong, the great. He was a ruler who wanted a literate and a cultured citizenry, so much that he created a new easy to read, write and speak language!

This morning we were greeted by SKKU VP Chah. He hoped that our week here would hold many opportunities to make discoveries, both personal and scientific. Yes! Bring it on, more of that spirit of change that Korea has embraced so wholeheartedly.

Whats for dinner? Jellyfish and meatballs!

New tastes that will remind me of Seoul:

 

• Sesame seed soup -- looked, smelled and tasted like Mexican mole, go figure
• Jellyfish noodles -- this was actually very yummy
• Barley tea
• Hot pot soup -- oooh so good!
• Beef meatballs with orange ginger topping

 

All consumed with stainless steel chopsticks!

Heart and Seoul

Getting from one side of the world to another really isn't that difficult. First, one boards a sold-out shuttle bus full of spring breakers heading out of town. The journey continues by taking a four hour flight from Indianapolis to Los Angeles. All do-able, right?

The difficult part of the trip might probably be the 13 hour flight from Los Angeles into Seoul. But with a screen-full of movies, the time literally flies by! Sidebar: How we ended up flying over Russia and Japan is still a mystery to me. But we did and made it safely into Seoul's Incheon International Airport. If you never have been to this airport, you should try to. In a word, this place is beautiful. It is an ultra modern, easy to navigate, cell-phone renting, glass gleeming, and 7-11 hosting port of entry.



First day here and I already know that I am about to have an amazing week getting to know the heart and soul of Seoul.

Memories in the Making

One can go back to a particular point in time by smelling a certain aroma, tasting a certain food, or seeing a picture of a special appetizer, entree or dessert. Here are two photos of a recent meal shared with the IU delegation of AGEP students who are going to Seoul this month.

Let's see how close the Bloomington version is to the original!

Year of firsts ...

Year 2011 was my year of "first-time-ever-to ...." I celebrated my birthday each month in 2011 by doing things that I had never done before. It was my mini-bucket-list-year since I was officially entering 'middle age' - year-wise but not in attitude! For sure I would sky-dive, swim with the dolphins, take a painting class and learn a new language. In less than three days, my year of firsts will be over. Did I succeed in experiencing at least 12 new things? Yes!Here are a few:

1. I went a whole year without publishing a post on my travel blog despite visiting Yosemite for the first time ever.
   


2. I hired a personal trainer. In addition to now being able to walk to my car without being out-of-breath, I am now lifting weights too! Who would have EVER thunk it?
   


3. I became a patron of the arts and season ticket holder of the IU Theater; stayed out all night to see a few concerts: Peter Frampton in Cincinnati; Paul Simon in Bloomington and Neil Sedaka in French Lick.
   


4. I started learning Korean -- ANYO-A-SEH-OH. Why, you might ask? Because I am going to Seoul, Korea in March 2012! My first time, ever!!

Icelandic Esprit of Adventure

Leif Eriksson isn't the only one to explore new lands ...

Check out the name of our plane! Actually, the ride to and from was a form of hell for some of us ...

Yeah! And a forty-plus year old CAN also do anything!

2011, bring it on!

And away we go ...

What can one do in seven days in Iceland? Lots and yet hardly enough! We picked wild blue berries atop of a tiny dormant volcano, but we didn't get a chance to eat horse, puffin or whale (only until the last day did we eat whale). We saw these amazing rock formations just minutes from our vacation home, but we did not we get the chance to see the Pompeii of the North. We were surprised at just how much one can do just in the southern coast region of Iceland. Each day we were out before 8 am and would come home 12 - 14 hours later. But there are still three fourths of the island inviting us to come and get to know them. One thing is for sure: This is a place where one needs to visit again. And then, begin planning for another return visit.