I've been in Korea fro 24 hours now. It's been wonderful. The rotary people of this district have been very gracious hosts. We went to a splendid meal last night at Korean Vegitarian buffett. Great food, but let's be honest I love all food!!
We begin out offical touring now.
Here are some photos
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Check out our ride!!
Batmobile step aside, here comes the Rotarymobile.
This is the very nice bus our group will be traveling in for the next four weeks. We were met by the district governor of the Jeonju Rotary club and a number of their top officials.
It has been a very long 36 hours. The Rotary club hear took us out for dinner and then put us up in a hotel for tonight. After this we will be staying in the homes of Rotary members from this district in South Korea.
So much to see and do. Tired, excited, and pretty much in a daze so far.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Arrived safely in Seoul
It's 4:40 am on Easter Sunday here. Yes, we are 14 hours ahead. That
means I know who won the Final Four games.
We are getting picked up at @6am then a 3 hr ride south to Jeonju.
Many updates will follow.
MUST GET COFFEE!!!!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Last sunrise in Memphis till May 3rd
terminal at Chicago's O'Hare airport. Our flight leaves at 1am. The
flight to Seoul is 14 hours.
I'm nervous and excited. Even though we have a schedule, see the
google calender on the right side of the page, there is still so many
unkown variables.
The most exciting thing about the trip is also the most apprehensive.
We will be staying with Korea familes the entire trip. It's a great
way to learn culture but it still presents many anxieties.
See you later Memphis!!!'
Heading to Korea!!!
I am heading to South Korea for a month with the Rotary Club’s Group Study Exchange Program. Here is the basic info on the program from the Rotary web site.
“The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.
In a typical four-week tour, applicants participate in five full days of vocational visits, 15 to 20 club presentations, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours, and three to four hours per day of free time with host families.
For each team member, the Foundation provides the most economical round-trip airline ticket between the home and host countries. Rotarians in the host area provide for meals, lodging, and group travel within their district.” (Link for more info)
While I’m in Korea my students will be engaged in role play from Brown University’s Choices program (Link).
I taught one of their programs about Mexico at the School of Public Service at St. Albans in Washington, DC (LINK) last summer (I'm part of the program's summer faculty) and found it quite effective. The students will study the history of the Korean Peninsula in general and then specifically the history of North Korea and South Korea relations in regards to the North Korean effort to become fully nuclear. They students will role play the stake holders in the region and what should be done. (Japan, Russia, United States, China, North, and South Korea). They will then write a five paragraph research essay about their personal opinions based on research. In addition I’ll be Skyping with them the entire month. I will communicate and discuss the topics with them with this interactive blog. I also have set up a Facebook fan page titled, “Mr Steph in Korea”.
Later Hutch, I'll be Skyping soon!!!!
“The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.
In a typical four-week tour, applicants participate in five full days of vocational visits, 15 to 20 club presentations, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours, and three to four hours per day of free time with host families.
For each team member, the Foundation provides the most economical round-trip airline ticket between the home and host countries. Rotarians in the host area provide for meals, lodging, and group travel within their district.” (Link for more info)
While I’m in Korea my students will be engaged in role play from Brown University’s Choices program (Link).
I taught one of their programs about Mexico at the School of Public Service at St. Albans in Washington, DC (LINK) last summer (I'm part of the program's summer faculty) and found it quite effective. The students will study the history of the Korean Peninsula in general and then specifically the history of North Korea and South Korea relations in regards to the North Korean effort to become fully nuclear. They students will role play the stake holders in the region and what should be done. (Japan, Russia, United States, China, North, and South Korea). They will then write a five paragraph research essay about their personal opinions based on research. In addition I’ll be Skyping with them the entire month. I will communicate and discuss the topics with them with this interactive blog. I also have set up a Facebook fan page titled, “Mr Steph in Korea”.
Later Hutch, I'll be Skyping soon!!!!
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