Articles by mgedwards

Six months and change

Yesterday marked our sixth month living here in Korea.  It’s hard to believe it’s been only six months since we disembarked from an airplane and set foot in Seoul.  It seems like an eternity ago.  Life has certainly changed for us in a remarkably short period of time. 
 
Today I picked a newly arrived colleague at Incheon International Airport and helped them settle into their new home, just like someone helped us settle in months ago.  We have a "pay it forward" policy here; that is, you sponsor and assist another newbie in the future, just as you were helped when you first arrived.  Last night I bought groceries and stocked their refrigerator with food.  Today I met them at the airport and escorted them to their new home.  It seemed straightforward enough on paper.  Arrive at airport, pick up, and drop off.  Unfortunately, I was unaware that they were arriving three hours later than expected.  I arrived three hours early (yes, Wade3016, three hours EARLY).  The itinerary I used was apparently an old one.  Nothing was the same–even the flight number had changed.  When I arrived and could not find their flight, I searched the baggage area for what I thought could have been their flight.  No, they weren’t there.  The airport is a very large facility, and I am now thoroughly acquainted with it in my quest to find them.  I hiked across the entire airport to the airline office, where I learned that their flight was not scheduled to arrive until 8:40 tonight.  I arrived at 5:40.  I ate a quick dinner at the airport and stewed for awhile over my misfortune. 
 
I must have missed the itinerary change.  When you get hundreds of E-mails at work daily, it’s easy to overlook a message, even if it contains important information.  The official notice I received said 6 p.m., and that’s the schedule I used.  I’m not going to check to see if I can find the E-mail.  What is done is done.  Water under the bridge.  Unfortunately, I will be out late tomorrow night in the Daejeon area giving a presentation to American English teachers, and I won’t be home until after 11 p.m.  Frankly, I’m tired and not really looking forward to speaking a a group late in the evening on a Friday night.  Sometimes duty calls.  I’m sure I’ll do well and will enjoy it, but I will be very exhausted tomorrow night when I’m finished.  I will have to take a hiatus from this blog tomorrow night, and I don’t plan to get out of bed until I’ve had a good night’s sleep.  Have a good night and a great weekend, and I’ll write again as soon as I can.

Bambi rocks!

My wife is a huge fan of Korean Actor Bae Yong Jun, arguably the hottest star on this side of the planet (well, OK, perhaps not as hot as Chinese Actress Zhang Ziyi, who’s about to star as the Geisha Sayuri in the December 2005 release of "Memoir of a Geisha").  In fact, today when I came home she was watching the Korean drama "Winter Sonata" starring Bae Yong Jun for the umpteenth time.  She watches it to improve her Korean, she claims.  Ah yes, but what about all the Bae Yong Jun memorabilia scattered around the house?  Partly tongue in cheek, I told her awhile ago I wanted to search for my own star to idolize.  You wouldn’t believe how difficult a task that has been for me.  I just can’t get overly excited about any particular star, whether it be a film or TV star, sports star, or any other star.  I recall a few jaw-dropping cinematic moments, such as when Catherine Zeta-Jones starred in "The Mask of Zorro" or when Cameron Diaz made her acting debut in "The Mask," but I just cannot get too fanatical about any particular star.  Half jokingly, I once said I idolized former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina because she was one of the first women to head a Dow 30 company and tech giant.  Alas, Carly met her demise because she wasn’t a team player and could not turn around HP, and the decidedly solid but uninspiring Mark Hurd took over as CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
 
So I’ve been in search of a star that I can say I truly admire and would love to meet in person.  I found her.  She may not be a star in the same way as Cameron Diaz, but in financial circles she is well known and very well regarded.  She’s someone you probably wouldn’t know unless you enjoy investing and visit CBS Marketwatch.  It’s Bambi Francisco.  Bambi who, you ask?  The one and only Bambi Francisco, that’s who.  Don’t let the name fool you.  She’s awesome.  There is a lot I admire about her, and if you visit her blog and learn more about her, I’m sure you would agree.  She is extremely beautiful, intelligent and successful.  She was founding producer of CNNfn, and she is now the lead writer for technology at CBS Marketwatch.  A latina, she has been amazingly successful in an industry traditionally dominated by men and is a great role model for woman and minorities who want to succeed in business.  In a world dominated by the likes of Peter Lynch and Charles Schwab, it’s refreshing to see Bambi stand out like an angel in the world of finance.  Even more impressive, she is currently pursuing her Masters in Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary.  Thus, she is also someone of strong conviction and faith who focuses on more than just earthly success.  She chose a field of study far different than what she does for a living.  I would absolutely love to read her thesis paper(s).  I hope she publishes them on Google Scholar (she’s also a Google fan).  In late July, she finished the Downieville (California) Bike Race, an absolutely grueling 29-mile bike race (a vertical climb about one mile up, one mile down).  I am extremely impressed by her.  She is very accomplished and well-rounded, yet she is unpretentious, unlike many media stars.  I am positive that she is not married and does not have children.  There’s no way she could do all that she does with a family to nurture!  I searched the Web for a Bambi Francisco fan club, but unfortunately I could not find one.  Well, she definitely has a fan here.  And if anyone asks me which star I would most like to meet in person, I will tell them I would like to meet Bambi Francisco.  And after I tell them why, I’m sure they’ll understand.

Remembering Gwangbogjeol

August 15th is Gwangbogjeol (광복절), better known as Korean Independence Day or "Liberation Day."  The holiday commemorates the surrender of the Japanese on August 15, 1945 to the Allies, officially ending 35 years of Japanese occupation of Korea.  Korea remained under Allied control until 1948, when North and South Korea were officially established.  In English, "Gwangbogjeol" has traditionally been referred to as "Korean Independence Day," although the Republic of Korea (South Korea) was not formally established until August 15, 1948, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) was not established until September 8, 1948.  During the interim period between August 15, 1945 and August 15, 1948, administrative control of Korea gradually shifted from the Japanese to the Allies and then to Koreans.  Thus, the liberation of Korea, the implication that Koreans obtained the full right of autonomy, did not occur on August 15, 1945 but rather over a three-year period, culminating in the founding of the two Koreas.
 
Yesterday’s Gwangbogjeol celebration was an especially memorable one.  August 15, 2005 marked the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, when Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s announced that Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, a joint statement made on July 26, 1945 by U.S. President Harry S Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek outlining the terms for Japanese surrender.  Yesterday was filled with interesting events, especially in Korea.  My family did not brave the crowds in downtown Seoul to commemorate the occasion.  We would not have been able to understand enough Korean to enjoy the significance of the holiday and would have been lost in the crowds.  However, I saw the remnants of the celebration downtown and read about the day’s events with interest.  The Seoul City Hall is still bedecked with 3,600 Korean flags (Taegukgi, or 태극기) commemorating the occasion.  It’s quite the sight to see.  Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi issued a formal apology for Japan’s involvement in the war.  A delegation of about 200 North Koreans, led by Kim Ki Nam, secretary of North Korea’s Korean Worker’s Party and vice chairman of the DPRK Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Fatherland, attended the festivities.  Several members of the delegation made the first-ever North Korean visit to the National Assembly and National Cemetary of the Republic of Korea.  The day also included the first-ever video reunion for families separated by the political division of Korea.  The mood of the celebration in Korea this year was decidedly focused on the peaceful reunification of the Korea Peninsula.  I had the day off and enjoyed the opportunity to rest and relax before another busy week.  For Koreans, this Gwangbogjeol was a special one.  You could just feel it.