Saturday 8/7
After breakfast we began our way back to Seoul. Which only took three hours (Korea is so small, whoa) so we had a parting lunch too. :) The Ministry really treated us all very well, I am thankful almost everything went according to plan.
***Korean together = a lot of sacrifice on everyone's part. I feel like Americans would leave if their schedule didn't permit certain things, but in Korean culture it is rude to refuse things unless you really, REALLY can't go. So even though many of us kind of wanted to leave for home as soon as we got back, we must all say goodbye properly. During the final meal of kimchi, rice and soup made with blood sausage (I couldn't eat this) tripe and cartilage (wow, writing out the ingredients in English makes the soup sounds way nastier than it tasted) everyone got a chance to stand up and say their closing thoughts about the trip and what they hope happens in the future. I like that Koreans, out of manners, are very patient during long processes like this. Once begun, it must finish! I feel like everyone tries hard to pay attention.
Then people started filtering out, everyone exchanging hugs and phone numbers and many people going to the front of the restaurant on the ground floor (because Korea is so small there has hardly been a time I've eaten in a place on the ground floor, normally the restaurant is a few floors up) to go through byes again. Does anyone else feel like byes can get awkward if they take too long?
Because we are intense like that, the Wellesley/BU team and the 상생 기자단 people went across the street to a big Starbuck's and talked about how to improve the trip next year, how to keep our relationship going in the future, what we felt during the trip, etc. I decided to leave earlier than the others with Haesun, so we left together (in the pouring, gushing rain). Haesun thinks she will definitely stay in touch with a few of the defectors she met (since remember, the people on the trip were from the Ministry, from a South Korean school I don't remember the name of, from a school for North Koreans, from a program that has been running since March through the Ministry, and Wellesley/BU).
Thoughts
*I am so thankful for this experience. It was the first time I met Korean students, and they treated us really well. And because of the frustration I felt because of of my limited Korean phrases and vocabulary, I have learned to be silent and listen to others more. In retrospect, I should have asked the other Wellesley girls to help me more than I did, but I hate being a burden on people and asking people to translate, while they may not mind at first, inevitable does become tiresome. I'm grateful for everyone's patience with me when I spoke Korean, and, in a way, do appreciate this week of forced silence--since I am expressive and tend to talk often, it was a really humbling experience.
*Koreans are much more mature than Americans, in a way. Since the group mentality is so strong here, everyone is careful to not bring down the mood. This means oftentimes having to be very patient, pretend interest out of politeness, and putting one's desires on hold for the best of the group. Of course, this means that the culture (in a way) supports pretending and internalization of stress, which isn't good either. I like how America encourages people to be vocal and independent and to be outside the box, but that can also lead to selfishness and impatience, which I also think of as immaturity. There are good and bad points to both.
*Because I didn't speak often, I don't know how well others got to know me. It was strange to be the quiet one. I'm especially thankful to Christine for this last week, because I think she really tried to help the others get to know me by sharing things about me that they wouldn't know (like the fact that I'm actually really talkative, or that I like dancing, etc). Christine also translated a lot for me, along with Janice, so I am so thankful to both of them for their patience. :)
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