(3) 90 in 90: Trip to the DMZ

A child's drawing asking for peace between North and South Korea

July was a busy month for me. Not only did I take my summer vacation to Japan during this time, but I also participated in a tour of the DMZ between North and South Korea. This was a trip that I had wanted to participate in since I first came to Korea, but never really found the best time to do so. After an offer from a friend, the right opportunity finally presented itself and my trip was finally booked to go and visit the DMZ.

The first thing that struck me as our tour bus made its way from Seoul to the DMZ area, was the bleakness of the landscape. While it wasn't anything like a bombed out or barren wasteland, the area was devoid of any kind of architecture with the exception of a few small farm buildings here and there. The landscape was dotted with fields and hills from all sides. The sky was grey and overcast that day, making the entire experience all the more somber. This was a very different places from the crowded and loud Seoul.

I was able to visit five places on the tour: the meeting center where negotiations between North and South Korea take place, Dorason Station, the third tunnel, Dora Observatory and finally, the DMZ area.

Outside Dorasan Station

While the negotiation building was just a simple gray building that really didn't seem too impressive outside its unique purpose, Dorason Station was particularly interesting. Its purpose was to be a link between North and South Korea in the event of unification. Currently, its just s small train station that serves as a tourist spot, but according to the tour information, it can be activated at a moment's notice and start function as the main from or transportation to the capital of North Korea.

The third tunnel was one of three underground tunnels dug by North Korea as a means to infiltrate and conquer Seoul. The three tunnels were of varying size and length, but the one we were able to go to was a tunnel meant to send troops from North Korea. What shocked me the most was just how small and claustrophobic the tunnel was. On numerous occasions I found myself having to duck to avoid the ceiling and even hit my head a few times. Luckily, the tour provided each guest with a helmet. Combined with the lack of light and moistness of the rocks, it helped to build an image of a North Korean solider marching hundreds of miles through a tiny tunnel to invade a major metropolitan city above. Despite being one of the shortest parts of the tour, it was the one part that sticks out in my mind the most.

JSA guard

The Dora Observatory was a large observation building located near the border between the North and South. From the top, North Korea was able to be seen off in the distance. While I couldn't quite make out the fine details, I was able to notice smoke trails and what appeared to be factory pipes off in the distance. Probably the best view I would ever get of North Korea without being uncomfortably close. This provided another memorable experience, because despite the constant stories of the evils and mistreatment of its citizens from within, from far away it looks like any other city you could see from a distance. Its appearance of normalcy from far away was very unnerving considering what could possibly be occurring inside.

The JSA or Joint Security Area was host to some of the more famous parts of the DMZ including the Bridge of No Return, the large flagpole and the small blue buildings guarded by soldiers. Similar to the guards at Buckingham Palace, these soldiers stood at attention, emotionless and expressionless as we passed them by. Off in the distance I was able to see a North Korean soldier at attention. His eyes focused on the land ahead of him as he tightly clutched his assault riffle. Two decades long enemies, standing only a couple dozen feet away from one another.

Once the tour was over, we we able to walk around the gift shop area. Along with the usual assortment of trinkets and souvenirs, one of the most interesting things on sale were bottles of North Korean whiskey. I was tempted to buy some for myself, but in the end convinced myself not to. I wasn't exactly a huge fan of whiskey and I was certain the whiskey from North Korea would do little to change my opinion.

North Korean whiskey

The trip to the DMZ was an enlightening experience and one that I was glad that I took. I felt that being able to actually visit the sites and places that I have only read about before helped to bring the impact home. This was a real place, the result of a deadly and ugly conflict that killed hundreds of people and tore a country into two.

I'm not sure I'll be going back anytime in the near future, but like many things in life, I was happy that I was able to experience it and will most likely hang on to the memories for the foreseeable future.

New experiences, old connections, all out warfare

I don't like to waste time. I especially don't like to waste time when a abundance of options are in front of me. It was a promise I made to myself. A personal goal that I agreed to follow through with if I stayed one more year in Korea.

I told myself that I would explore more and take advantage of more travel opportunities. There's still so much to see in Korea. So many scenic spots and festivals to go to from all corners of Korea. I still haven't visited Jeju yet, as well as the DMZ. Just another place to add to the quickly growing list of locations to travel to.

I've looked ahead at my schedule and thanks to the increase of "red days" (days off) this year, I plan to try my hardest to get out of my town and travel. My goal isn't to hit every place I want to go, to serve some self completion attitude of crossing off places on my list like random tasks on a too do list.

My plan is to just go. Go to where I want, when I want and not worry about other events or places that I should be going to. If I don't make it to Jeju or the DMZ this year or before I leave Korea, I won't feel bad. Sure, they are places that I should go to, but its my trip and my planning. Everything will just be played by ear.

I also plan on meeting more people, holding on to old relationships and making more of an effort to spend time with them. Being here a year in Korea has formed some impressive relationships with people in my town and beyond.

I've come to met people that I truly enjoy their company and seek to try to find the spare time to be with.

I've meet people that I enjoy, and yet only see a few times out of the year. This also holds true to friends back at home. The amount of time I spend with is disproportionate to the people I see daily. Despite the shift, I still enjoy their time and our friendship has not diminished  If anything, I know that once we meet or speak to one another again, we can pick back where we left off without missing a beat. It's the closeness and understanding that make time and distance seem irrelevant.

I've met people who I can't stand being with more that a few minutes. It's not that they're bad people, its just that our personalities don't match. It's sometimes difficult to find topics to keep a conversation alive and in honesty, feels more like a chore than something that I want to do. I'm sure some people feel the same way about me and everyone. We are the same, yet different. We do not always fit or see eye to eye. This is not a bad thing.

No matter what, I have come to respect a great deal of people that I met here. Most are hard working, friendly and genuine people who have a desire to do good in the world. I can happily say that those "horrible waygooks" everyone keeps talking about have been mostly absent from my life. Maybe its because I live in a smaller city. Maybe its because I just got lucky in meeting good people. Either way, meeting people has been a highlight for me so far, something I want to keep doing.

My goals are simple and in no way strict. I want to see more and interact more. I want to come home everyday and say that I did something worthwhile and I can go to bed satisfied that the day was well spent. Improving my lessons and teaching method at school, making sure I stay healthy, having healthy interactions with people and just enjoying myself. I want to leave Korea with happy memories of people and places.

I plan on letting nothing hold me back. Even in the face of war from our neighbors from up North, I feel more eager and energetic than ever. It's the little reminders that danger can come at anytime and nothing last forever that makes me want to do more.

To end on an old scenario, if I were to die tomorrow , I would want to say that my life was awesome and I was at my happiest. Not decent and not content. Happy. Awesome and happy.

I'm not just going to have the cake and eat it too. I'm going to bake the damn thing myself and its going to be delicious. No one can ruin this recipe, not even you North Korea.

Delicious cake of opportunities

Helpful Information: Registering with your embassy in Korea

This was sent earlier today by my good friend Hannah through an email, detailing how to register with your embassy and options to have in case of an emergency. While I wouldn't say that things regarding North and South Korea are serious enough yet, having a back up plan for any kind of disaster or serious event is never a bad thing. Here is the original email, along with a listing of resources for foreigners living and working abroad can use.

Hey guys!!

This isn't to alarm any of you, but I've been reading up on things and since we're all living abroad, I figured this might be of interest to you guys too.  There are services available to UC citizens living abroad such as an alert system in the case of emergencies (war, natural disasters, epidemics, etc).  In certain cases, they'll coordinate an evacuation for us, but they'll only be able to let you know if you are listed on our US Embassy's list of Americans living/travelling abroad.  

They have an alert system where they send you a text message and also an email newsletter they send out when there is an alert out (they don't send it routinely, but only if there is an alert out).  Sign up if you guys want to!  It was fairly quick and easy for me.  I signed up for the notification and email  :]  So here are the links:

Overview & Info

http://seoul.usembassy.gov/acs_emergency_preparedness.html

STEP program (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) - It's not just for travelers, but for citizens who live abroad too.  This enrollment is also how the Embassy communicates with you:

https://step.state.gov/step/

Email and text message service:

http://www.asktheconsul.org/

There are two US Embassies in Korea - one in Seoul and one in Busan, so if there ever is an emergency head for the nearest one to you.

Not saying there is any immediate threat, but it's always nice to know we have an emergency backup plan  :]

So there you have it. Quick, easy and covered by the government. Better safe than sorry folks. Thanks Hannah!