Four Women

She sat staring at the mirror, wearing the silver necklace and the pearl ear rings.
Those were his gifts on the previous anniversaries.
The next day he will bring her another.....
Probably his last, parting gift.....
....before going away....migrating to greener pastures.

"What she had given in return?
Definitely nothing worth keeping for long."
She felt a little restless at the thought.
Her meagre income was never sufficient.....
... to run the family of four with her widowed mother.

The bus was moving at a leisurely pace, along the Saturday evening traffic. It came to halt at another suburban stop not far from her house. The lone commuter awaiting there bowed in front of the driver and made some request. Once inside the bus, she flashed a smile and proceeded to sing a song, in a heavily accented tone.

Passengers were not interested, some looked out through the windows..one woman kept talking on her phone....some elderly ladies were heard whispering that "she's a foreigner, out to make some quick money"....

Having finished, she proceeded to collect the donations...."for the shelter for the grandpas and grandmas back home"....she got nothing from the women in the bus...and finally came to the lonely alien on the back row....In her halting English she made a humble request...."even coins will do" she pleaded, still smiling.....He took out some notes from his lean purse and deposited them on her empty basket....

She thanked him again and again...and kept flashing the smile whenever he looked at her....and also when she got out of the bus and said a loud good bye with a bow...

None of it was of interest to her...she was lost in thoughts, the eyes fixed somewhere out in the distant horizon.....

The elder girl was walking silently beside her mom. But the younger boy was so adamant. And he pulled his mom back....... with all the might of a three year old. The lady allowed herself to be dragged back....... along the zebra lines.

These moms!! They are so proud of their sons!!
The son had put his foot down...... you should not cross the road when the sign flashes red. And the mom had to agree, with an embarrassed smile.

Across the road there was a huge hoarding....in support of the lady on top of the crane no. 85.

She had been up there since the last winter....and through the typhoon and a torrid summer....almost into the autumn and then possibly into another winter...she is there for the workers, and she will not come down until the workers are reinstated.

"It's very unfair: just after announcing the mass lay-offs for the workers, the company awarded huge allocations of stock dividends and wage increases for senior management."

Who cares?!! Just keep moving with the bus....

Last rays of the sun were slowly fading.
And bus had come to a halt at a deserted stop in a neon-lit neighborhood.

She got down and looked around....
From among the bright neon lights, she picked out her destination....and walked towards the door, without looking up or around.

....her first tentative steps....

.......towards the oldest of the professions.......

The Death

Death, the ultimate reality..... the only truth....

The most heroic could be the death in combat;

the most ordinary is to die in old age;

the most depressing is to die of a disease;

the most unfortunate is to perish in an accident and

and the most fortunate is to die on one's own terms.

It was just another death, made a bit more painful by the fact that the deceased had been fighting the losing battle for over an year, since the industrial accident that broke his ribs and damaged the lungs. We had left the office late and arrived at the hospital well past the usual the dinner time. On arrival, we were led to the special funeral hall in the hospital. There was a shop selling funeral accessories on the way down to the cellar floor.

We entered the 'funeral room'. The cries of the grieving relatives, male and female, grew louder on seeing us. All of them were in black robes; women wearing the traditional clothes, while the men had western suits. A large portrait of the deceased was placed centrally on the multi tier in the middle of an array of chrysanthemums, candles and incense sticks. One can either choose some chrysanthemums and put them in front of the portrait of the deceased or light one of the incense sticks.....My colleague lit some sticks and then bowed in front of the photograph of the deceased person for two and a half times. He then proceeded for another traditional bow with the grieving relatives for one and a half times....I had watched the whole ceremony closely, and made an attempt at replicating the whole procedure. And I was successful at bending my knees!

The Boss was already there accompanied by his entourage. He was speaking loudly, on the Japanese Tsunami, its effects on the global economy, and on the Korean industry, serving soju to the attentive listeners in between, to keep then interested in the conversation.

It was strange!! To come to a funeral home and discuss aloud, cracking jokes and laughing. I was told that it was the Korean way, to relieve the pain of the relatives and bring them back to worldly affairs and enable them to move on.

But the cries were only growing louder, audible above the din; the pain of parting forever, refusing to die down.

And then suddenly, it all stopped!

The women who were grieving aloud were running here and there....washing cleaning up something, cleaning up themselves....

.......An elderly gentleman was being helped away to the wash room......

It took a sombre elder who wouldn't remain sober to restore normalcy among the grief struck.

And the life rolls on....

till the turn arrives....

Flashback to a Photo Shootout :)

The Smiles From My Shelf [9]

Winter is the time when the woes from the wilderness return with a vengeance to haul one back into melancholy moods. There is nothing better than a fresh look at the fond memories from the past to keep one floating above it all. Those who had already seen this, kindly excuse.....

There is nothing more cheerful to offer as a first post this new year :)

Anyang :)

Anya...!! What?!!!

What are you upto?!!

Hey...you.....taking my picture?!!

No, no...don't...

shsho!!

Iyalekkondu thottu!!

(I'm fed up with this guy!!)

Ini endu cheyyum?!!

(What to do now?!!)

aah! pose cheythekkam ;)

(ok then, let me pose for the camera)

Hey..you...

....here I am ...

Kimchee :)

11/11; the Pepero Day

Who said that lonely hearts can't have their pepero cookies on 11/11?

Mine arrived on the table in time.....

...... dipped in almond chocolate syrup :P

Hope I'll retain my pepero figure beyond this autumn, though :D

pepero cookies courtesy: Kim Chang Ki :)

Kim Su Yeong and the Black Day Jjajang

Kim Su Yeong had a hesitant smile at our first meeting. Spontaneity had taken over by the time he sat sipping the black noodles across the table on the black day last 14^th. He was cracking jokes and bursting into bouts of laughter in between the sips of soju of which he had already emptied a couple of bottles.

Su Yeong was not a student in the University. He hailed from a village far off and was working in a small single room firm in nearby downtown. By the end of the day, he would transform the same office room into his house. His ambition in life was to become an elementary school teacher and teach English to little children and he had been saving to realize his dream. It was for furthering his language skills that he used to come to the campus and tried to win over a few foreigner friends. But just prior to our meeting, he had fallen foul of the foreigner gang in the campus after he had asked an alien female if she would marry him.

Koreans have many days for the young and the young at heart to celebrate love. Interestingly the 14^th of every month marks a love related day in Korea. Thus they have the Candle Day, the Valentine’s Day, the White Day, the Black Day, the Rose Day, the Kiss Day, the Silver Day, the Green Day, the Music Day, the Wine Day, the Movie Day and the Hug Day from January to December. As if that isn’t enough, they also have a Pepero Day, on November 11 when the young couples exchange Pepero cookies resembling the date 11/11.

The ladies have the first chance to express their love interest. So on Valentine’s Day, the ladies profess their love by giving chocolate and flowers to men. Men have their turn a month later on the white day when they can return non-chocolate candy to women.

The lonely souls aren’t left alone. On 14^th of April falls the Black Day; when those who spent Valentine’s Day and White Day alone go out dressed in all black to eat the black noodles, JjaJangMyun (짜장면) and to mourn their lonely life. It is said that it had been created by those who felt left out on the Valentine’s Day and White Day festivities to console each other.

Although he had agreed to join me on the black day ‘blast’, Kim was not always alone. He boasted about having his chocolates and flowers from his girl friend, a student in the University.

She was from a poor farmer’s family. But she was pretty. He used to buy her the text books and even paid her fees once.

By now he had gulped down enough alcohol to derail his train of thoughts and out of the blue, came that quintessential question of male self doubt;

“Do you think, dear brother, that I am handsome?”

“Of course, yes”; I replied, “many a beautiful girl out there might be dying to date you”.

He wasn’t impressed and shrugged his shoulders as he cleared the next bottoms up.

As the day of her graduation neared she began to have second thoughts and on the day of her convocation she returned the books and bade adieu. She had bigger dreams and couldn’t reconcile herself to being the wife of a small town elementary school teacher.

It is better to be alone and not swallow the bitter pill of rejection.

He was still laughing as he finished his story; but the tone of his throat was unfailingly betraying him.

I patted him on the back and put a hand on his shoulder as he stood up, apologizing for spoiling my day.

And we had a hearty black day laugh over his final statement.

“Sorry brother, all brain alcohol…”

Remains of The Day

Blissfully unaware of the tragedy behind the Taj, the young waiter at the Korean coffee shop made the image for me on the coffee he had served

The Singing Girl

I was roaming around the stalls of machines and tools at yet another of those Industrial Expos in Korea, when suddenly I came across her.

Ms. Gorgeous

We got introduced to each other, and she even sang a song for me!!

Uploading some videos of my encounter with the singing girl J

Language proved to be a stumbling block, but she had surely made up for that with her smartness J

Her "Vital Stats"

Her Godfathers with her tiny cousins

The Princess on the Wall

The Smiles From My Shelf [6]

“.....our friends were invariably proletarian and poor.... you recognized them by their clothes......But even in the way they wore their clothes, there was a fantasy, a frankness .....(the) young women of working-class families;.....they were more authentic and spontaneous.”

Michelangelo Antonioni

The family had pulled in with two shopping carts full of food, beverages and other household items. By all means they appeared a working class family of moderate means. She was wearing ordinary clothes and led her parents into the winter wear shop, walking as if there were springs on her legs and smiling beautifully. Her Father appeared uninterested and just stood holding the carts while her Mother was trying on the colorful neck scarves. She had put on a brown leather jacket and stood in front of the mirror, turning left and right, smiling all the while. Having assured herself, that it was made for her, she walked towards her Dad, strolling majestically as if she were a princess. Dad whispered something under his breath and looked the other way, sending her in her Mother’s direction. But the Mother was too busy with the collection of scarves and didn’t even look up. A couple of tear drops appeared to find their way onto the leather jacket as she was carefully hanging it back on the display railing. She quickly regained her composure and began eyeing other items. Those somehow failed to engage her attention for long and she found her way back to her Father again. This time he was more forthcoming as he pulled out his wallet and revealed his helplessness. She smiled again having convinced herself that there wasn’t the slightest dip in her Father’s love for her. She sauntered again, majestically, on the springs, towards the clothing on which she had left her mark unintentionally. Having put it on one last time, she smiled at the princess who smiled back at her from within the mirror on the walls of that winter wear shop.

An Evening in a Korean Police Station

In the previous post I had written about the accident I had happened to witness. The people who had taken the accident victim away had collected my phone number just in case they had some trouble in settling the case. They called late in the same night and told me that my number had been handed over to the police. I was requested to tell the truth about what I had seen that night. I replied in the affirmative and waited for the call from the police.

The call came at half past midnight. Someone said “Hello, do you speak Korean?” in fluent English, which in fact surprised me, and I said I didn’t. The man at the other end laughed aloud, again in fluent English, and hung up the phone! I waited for some more time and then dozed off. I had almost forgotten about the whole incident when two days later I received a call from a lady introducing herself as an interpreter. She described the accident and asked me if I had time to come over to the police station to testify as a witness. I said “of course I do, but now I am busy with work” then she asked me where I was working and my residential address. I gave her the details and agreed to go to the Dalseo-gu Police Station on the next day.

I had already heard about and seen by myself some of the methods and manners of the Korean police, like chasing down someone getting away in a car and bowing to him in salutation before taking him into custody, politely requesting, through the loudspeaker, those who had illegally parked their vehicles by the roadside to move them to a proper parking lot, turning up at the scenes of minor skirmishes among students just to capture the events on camera and leave quietly without interfering and taking those caught for drunken driving to a video show in the station to enlighten them about the adverse consequences of their act. So I was in the least nervous at the prospect of a visit to the police station. I was excited rather, at the opportunity.

Next evening, I left office early, at 7 pm. I received the call from the interpreter again on my way to the station. She received me at the station gate along with the officer in charge of the investigation. The policeman bore no resemblance whatsoever to the image of the typical policemen back home. As we proceeded to his seat the interpreter tried to reassure me that I wouldn’t be facing any difficulty on account of recording my witness statement. I smiled, nodding my appreciation. The station resembled a hi-tech office of some company with the state of the art electronic systems and PCs. Another person was giving some testimony at the adjacent table.

The officer started asking me questions about the accident through the interpreter. I was asked where I was staying, where I was working, where I was going that day at that time, what was my regular working time, and so on. He also asked me to mark my location at the time of the accident as well as the locations of the car and the victim. He had made detailed sketches of the accident site and had photographs from different angles. The same questions were repeated many times at intervals, might be a way of checking if I was contradicting myself. All the while he was typing his report in consultation with the interpreter. The procedure lasted about two hours, and I was feeling sleepy when finally he applied ink on my finger and obtained my thumb impression on certain documents. When he had almost finished he asked me to wait a little longer before wiping the ink. The interpreter asked me if I had kept a bank account. I said I did, but I couldn’t recall the account number. The officer then stood up and took out some money and gave it to me! He then made me sign the final document which was the receipt for the money I had been given.

"It is a minor token of appreciation from the Korean police for making use of your invaluable time." the interpreter told me as we prepared to leave!!

The Girl Who Went Up in the Air and Came Down to Smile

The Smiles from My Shelf [5]

The rains arrived unannounced as I had swiped out of another roller-coaster ride the other day. But unlike the previous night it was calm and composed, and whispered a slow melody as if to egg me on to tap my feet. It was not to be for my last act of the day was paying tributes to someone whose body was found on the railway tracks under tragic circumstances. Rains had given up on me sensing that I had company to discuss life and death during the long walk home on the half moon night.

Albert was explaining why the suicide was the only important philosophical question just as I had stepped on to the pedestrian crossing as the signal flashed green for us. Out of nowhere appeared the mini tipper which almost brushed my outstretched nose and sped away.

“They tell us that suicide is the greatest act of cowardice and that it is wrong; when it is quite obvious that there is nothing in this world to which every man has a more unassailable title than to his own life and person.” Arthur argued walking by my left even as I shook my head in total disapproval; of the tipper’s right to play with my life.

“It is the ultimate and absolute evil, the refusal to take an interest in existence. A person who kills himself destroys the entire world.” Gilbert was adamant and unforgiving on the ‘murder of self’.

“Suicide is the rejection of freedom. Instead of fleeing the meaninglessness of life, we should embrace life passionately. In spite of its inherent absurdity, we can somehow find happiness in life.” Albert was so clear with his thoughts on life.

“Live on without relinquishing any of the certainty, without a future, without hope, without illusions and without resignation either. Stare at death with passionate attention and this fascination will liberate you”; Jean-Paul stepped in to support Albert. I looked up at the sky and the moon too was nodding in approval.

Two girls were coming towards me as I approached the last pedestrian crossing near the apartment complex. One of them glanced at me starry eyed, half in awe and half in admiration, so typical of the girls of her age. The other girl was getting into a taxi as I reached the zebra lines. She waved her friend away and turned to look at me one more time and smiled half halfheartedly which I was in no mood to return after those exhausting discourses on the meaning of life. A taxi cab stopped for her as she leisurely crossed the road may be thinking of someone and playing with her hand phone and I too followed as the cab driver had waved me on. Then I turned to look at the other side to see the speeding sedans and slowed down and looked ahead to see to my horror that she wasn’t doing the same right in front of me. There was the braking, there was the noise and everything happened at lightening speed and I saw her going up in the air by about two to three feet and falling back on the bonnet of the car and being thrown away a couple of meters in front, all in a flash.

She got up on her feet on her own, confused and frightened yet she smiled again an embarrassed smile.

"Hang on to your life with all your might, for this life is precious and we may not get another," I told myself even as I thanked my companions and waved them away for a peaceful night.

The few people who gathered had by now led the girl to a nearby car and I flashed the thumbs up for her as she sat on the rear seat and bowed to me smiling a pain filled smile.

A Note of 50,000!

Yesterday was just another Sunday, working late hours, acting locally and assembling globally the equations of the finite elements. Getting up was difficult though on the Monday morning with the heavy rains on the previous night providing a welcome relief from the soaring mercury levels. The notice for the meeting arrived at the breakfast table, setting off a panicky run for the work diaries and project reports. The crowd headed straight for the conference room grabbing whatever was available on tables. As usual there was the scramble for the seats conveniently away from the Boss. The project manager sat next whispering the roll call of pending works to himself, transferring the uneasiness around. The Boss arrived without much delay, seated himself and began his address. People around him sat looking down on their reports, some scribbling something, some others listening in rapt attention. He finished his address in no time and began calling out names. Back on his seat the smiling manager explained that the Government had brought out the new 50,000 KRW notes. It will be the first Korean banknote that features the portrait of a woman, and the Boss wanted to mark the occasion by presenting each of us with a note of KW 50000!!

The Monday Morning Surprise :-)

Why do Koreans take Kimchi at every meal?

“Kimchee” !!

I heard her Amma calling out to her as I clicked my Canon for one of my earliest cutie pie captures in Korea. It wasn’t tough to guess that her intention was to make her little daughter say cheese in front of the camera in the Korean way.

Kimchi is an inseparable ingredient in the Korean life. It is a traditional Korean pickled dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. Koreans relish Kimchi with breakfast, lunch, dinner and even at times of drinking as the side dish. The history of Kimchi can be traced back to ancient times. It is said that references to Kimchi can be found in documents from as early as 3000 years ago!

Kimchi is served in a variety of forms and types. The most common and popular manifestation of Kimchi is the spicy cabbage variety, baechu. Kimchi is also combined with other ingredients to make dishes such as kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) and kimchi bokkeumpap (kimchi fried rice). It is so ubiquitous that the Korea Aerospace Research Institute developed space kimchi to accompany the first Korean astronaut to the Russian-manned space ship Soyuz.

Kimchi is very spicy and can also be exceptionally sweet. It is said to contain a high concentration of dietary fiber, while being low in calories. One serving also provides up to eighty percentage of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C and carotene. Most types of Kimchi contain onions, garlic, and peppers, all of which are salutary. The vegetables being made into Kimchi also contribute to the overall nutritional value. Kimchi is rich in vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium, and iron, and contains a number of lactic acid bacteria. The magazine Health named Kimchi in its list of top five “World’s Healthiest Foods” for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly reducing cancer growth!

In spite of the tall claims on its nutrient qualities and its multiple usages in my encounters with my cute little friends in Korea, I couldn’t convert myself into a great fan of Kimchi across the dining table. My lab mate Lee Jong-Sung is a straight forward no nonsense guy, a devout Presbyterian Christian who never forgets to say his prayers before every meal and who finds time to fit in a few passages of the Bible in between his readings of Liepmann and Roshko. Added to that he is a teetotaler, almost a rarity in this part of the world. One day I asked him, as he sat digging into his Bible; why was the Kimchi unavoidable for the Koreans at every meal?

He turned to me, his eyebrows raised and his eyes sparkling in earnestness, and replied….. “Because long ago our Korea was poor, and the people had no nutrient food, then they invented Kimchi, an affordable source of essential nutrients and we eat it today for good health and also to remind ourselves of those days when our forefathers had difficult times!!

I haven’t missed out on my slice of the Kimchi since then J

Have you ever had a chit-chat with a talking bird?

I have had J

Last autumn we had been to Pyeongchang, the city famous for its ski-resorts, to attend the KSME- Autumn Conference. On our way back we stopped by a roadside eatery to have dinner. After dinner I was hanging around the place waiting for my colleagues, when I heard someone calling out "안녕하세요" (Anyang Haseyo) to me! I looked around in eagerness to find out who wanted to pick up a conversation with me in that strange place. But there were no one to be seen in the vicinity. A girl in a counter at a distance was spotting a naughty smile without looking at me. I heard the Korean equivalent of ‘Namasteji’ again and this time I was sure that it wasn’t the girl who was offering the salutation!

I had already noticed a bird, in a cage nearby but never believed that the birds could talk as fluently as humans. But I turned curious, as there were signs to suspect that the bird itself was attempting to start a conversation with me. I went near the cage and there was a photograph of the bird on display before the cage with some description about it in Hangukmal. As I was trying to decipher what it meant with my elementary knowledge of the Korean language, the bird repeated ‘Anyang Haseyo’ to me right in front of my eyes!!

I shouted for my friends in astonishment even as I was returning the salutation. They were not impressed and suspected me of trying to play a trick on them. But then the bird called out ‘Anyang’ to them. They came rushing towards the cage and read the information on the board and they told me that it was indeed a talking bird. But when we tried to make it talk again on the camera, it turned its back on us as it appeared to have got irritated with the actions of my colleagues who got a bit carried away by the excitement.

We succeeded in capturing it saying ‘Anyang’ on the cam though…

Take a look at the videos J

Korea Mourns Moo-hyun

In Korea we woke up to the news on the demise of ex-president Mr. Roh Moo-hyun (노무현) today. The former president had apparently plunged himself from about 20-30m down a mountain near his home while on a morning walk. The suicide, the first by a modern South Korean leader had shocked the nation.

He had left a suicide note for his family:

“I can't imagine the countless agonies down the road. The rest of my life would only be a burden for others. I can't do anything because I'm not healthy. I can't read books, nor can I write.

Don't be too sad. Isn't life and death all part of nature? Don't be sorry. Don't blame anybody. It's fate. Please cremate me. And please leave a small tombstone near home. I've long thought about that.”

Hailing from a poor farming family in Gimhae, Mr. Roh never went to college and studied law on his own, passing South Korea’s difficult bar exam. He was elected President in 2002 on a campaign theme of not to ‘kowtow’ to the United States, a pledge that resonated with young voters. During the Presidency he had continued his predecessor Kim Dae-jung's “sunshine policy” of offering North Korea aid as a way to facilitate reconciliation, holding a summit in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2007, the second such meeting between leaders of the feuding nations.

The former President who had built a reputation as a lawyer defending students accused of sedition under past military rule, and once was arrested, with his law license suspended, for supporting an outlawed labor protest, was being prosecuted for alleged bribery charges.

“I have no face to show to the people. I feel ashamed before my fellow citizens I am sorry for disappointing you” an emotional-looking Mr. Roh had said on April 30 before undergoing questioning by prosecutors.

For a moment I thought about the rhino-skinned billionaire politicians of my own nation, who spend not a paisa from their pockets and had been living on tax payers' money for their entire life and at the same time grooming their progeny for taking over from them.

The prosecution is apparently winding up the case…

May his soul rest in peace.

Orini Nal

The Children's Day in Korea

"In old days there were angels who came and took men by the hand and led them away from the city of destruction. We see no white-winged angels now. But yet men are led away from threatening destruction: a hand is put into theirs, which leads them forth gently towards a calm and bright land, so that they look no more backward; and the hand may be a little child's. "

George Eliot; Silas Marner, Chapter XIV

Today was Orini Nal, a national holiday in Korea. Koreans celebrate the Orini Nal (the Children’s Day) on the 5^th of May every year. In a country with perhaps the least number of holidays and the longest working hours in the world, it came as a pleasant surprise to me. For once, the Korean parents are free to spend time with their children taking them to amusement parks, movies, children's parks, zoos, and other places. The day highlights the dignity of children and their need for education, care, and respect. It is also a day to honor adults who have contributed to improving the lives of children.

Children’s day in Korea traces its origins to the famous children’s writer Pang Jeong-Hwan. He had written “An Open Letter to Adults” on the 1^st of May, 1923. It went something like this;

“Children are the future of our nation. Let's show respect for children. Children who grow up with ridicule and contempt from others will become people who disrespect others, while children who grow up with respect from others will become people who respect others in turn.”

He argued that children and particularly babies had a purity and goodness to them representative of their link to the nature of heaven. “Because of this, not only should children be treated as equal to adults but they had qualities from which adults could learn: children can teach adults.”

Children of all ages are honored on Children's Day and the entire community is involved in the celebrations. Many cities in Korea have parades, pageantries and public activities. Museums, zoos, amusement parks, and movie theaters offer free admission to children. Traditional games are played and gifts are given to children from their parents and from the stores those they frequent.

The Andong National University campus with its picturesque gardens and lawns is a favorite picnic spot for the families around Andong.

In the morning itself families had begun to arrive

We went out to have lunch with the day being a holiday for the university restaurant. And the children's park near the campus was already crowded to capacity.

It was built on an old agricultural field. But they had retained the paddy fields and vegetable gardens to convey the importance of agriculture to children. There was even an apple tree yard.

the Dinos welcomed me into the park in their customary style

for once Korean fathers found time to be innovative for their little ones

the crowd was growing

when the flowers were laid out for the nation's flowers

the excitement was very much in the air

the lucky ones had a royal ride

the pool had almost over flowed

Gramdmas were there too

they had a walk through a farm

some came with antennae to communicate with their types

and some had a difficult climb

the traditional Korean candyman was quite popular

so were the Andong farmer and his wife

some had a drive on the agri machines

and also had a look at the past

what's this? let me read J

the importance of recycling of waste

haai!!

ok! let's go

let me show you how it works

see even I can do it J

the domestic animals and birds, a cock had scared some of them with it's cry!

but this is not it's effect

we had met a smart photographer who took some great snaps for us!!

My tour guides, Ms. Jo and Ms. Shin,

2nd year students of Tourism Studies at ANU did a wonderful job for sure

As I was searching information for this post I had come across an article on the TIME describing the Korean Children’s day of 1951. It went thus;

“.......Last week battered Seoul celebrated Children's Day with a parade by the police, who marched 600 strong behind a brass band and a huge placard:

‘Children Are the Nation’s Flower.’

“The nation’s flowers emerged from caves and broken buildings. Beside the budding, shrapnel-scarred elms along the streets, they watched. Now & then a youngster clapped or smiled, but mostly they stood with wooden faces, like tired old people who have found life very hard and who take little joy in parades.”

The article mentioned that the band avoided the South Gate and the bombed Seoul Station where “the abandoned, the homeless, and the orphans prowled restlessly, begging, stealing, conniving to stay alive.” It ended by noting that the police handed out small packets of candy and food to the children, and those with parents then went on long happy walks, while those who were orphaned by the war and “had no parents to take them home melted back into their caves and cellars.”

Excuse me for telling the tragic side of the story. I thought the story will remain incomplete without telling the ‘other side’, especially at a time when useless wars fought on behalf of self serving adults destroy the innocent childhoods across the world. Hope they will learn a lesson or two from the little ones as Mr. Pang Jeong-Hwan had dreamt of.