BERSI: South Korea
June 12-20, 2009
Wednesday 6/17
Dear BERSI-Korea Parents,
It has been an amazing trip and you should be enormously proud of your sons.
Upon arriving at the CiCiEdNet headquarters in Seoul, we farmed the students
out to different homestays. We met them all on Monday morning with some
level of trepidation--we had, afterall, left them in the care of strangers
in a home on the other side of the world while they suffered jet-lag....but
each one beamed with excitement (and confidence) at having met the
challenge.
Tom Coughlin strode into the CiCiEdNet headquarters and greeted the staff in
Korean saying, "I love Korea!" John Chipman spent the time with his cousins
(Kelly and Patrick) and had a list of Korean words he had memorized.
Inexplicably, John also managed to get himself on Korean television during
his homestay....
On Monday, we left Seoul for the Korean Minjok Leadership Academy which is
several hours from Seoul by bus. We had lunch with the students there and
then participated in a 90 minute A.P. English class on current affairs. Our
CM students, especially Billy Ferrara and Chris Masterson and Brendan Shea
really stepped-up. These were some of the very best students in all of Korea
and yet the CM studnets did a fine job representing us.
After the school we headed to the Woljeongsa Templestay located at one of
the oldest functioning Buddhist temples in Asia. Our students (and teachers)
wore the clothing of new Buddhist monks, and participated in various rituals
including the ringing of an ancient bell, a Buddhist tea ceremony, and the
108 bows. We also did yoga and meditation which for most was the highlight
of the experience. We also awoke at 4:00am for morning services and
participated in a 2-hour hike through some beautiful wilderness. The food
was a bit of a trial for some of the students--but Coln Sheehan and Ryan
Shanahan convinced us that a person can, indeed, subist on white rice and
bean sprouts and still thrive.....
Leaving templestay was bittersweet. We then travelled to Seorak Mountain
and climbed a dauntiing two hours past some extraordinary views. Our guide,
recent CM graduate, Ryan Pai, was fantastic. We then travelled to a bed and
breakfast and they cooked us beef on the grill which our students, in true
Jack London fashion, wolfed down.
We saw the DMZ on the way back to Seoul today (it was quite moving) and
Michael Gallagher's Springsteen ipod tracks helped make the long bus trip
fly. Upon reaching Seoul we "scored" major league baseball tickets at the
Olympic Stadium so we drop the bags at the hotel, had a quick dinner and
Burger Kingm and then watched an incredible game with some very intense
fans....
All are sleeping now. No serious illnesses to report. We are really
impressed by the maturity of this group....and if I left out names I
apologize.... Brian Keeley, Tom Byrne, and Pat Carney have really stepped-up
as well.
Peace,
Dr. Keane
Saturday 6/13, 9:00pm
We landed safely in Inchon. The Delta flight was uneventful. The students
took water like we instructed, slept, read, and watched movies. 17+ hours of
flying is grueling yet the CM students took it in stride.
In Atlanta we assembled in the airport. We began with a prayer and then
discussed the BERSI program and the homestay experience. We explained that
an important component of this trip is cultural immersion and that one of
our goals was that they could return home with an appreciation for the depth
and beauty of Korean culture. In addition, we want them to have empathy for
our own international students who travel great distances and live with
strangers for extended periods of time.
If they let it, being in Korea could be one of the most powerful experiences
of their lives.
Most asked to be placed in a single homestay. Several of the homestays are
in the same, upper-middleclass neighborhood of Seoul--south of the Han
River.
After some stringent swine flu screening at the airport (all passengers had
to fill-out a detailed questionaire and have their temperature taken) a bus
met us just outside of Customs and took us to the CiCiEdNet headquarters in
Seoul. The CiCiEdNet staff had softdrinks and bottled water waiting for us
as well as detailed itineraries and contact information for each student.
They also made name tags for each of us.
Each of the homestay families met us in the office. They were enormously
excited about the idea of having an American student visit in their home for
two days. Entire families came to pick-up their CM student. Each family was
also given contact information (phone numbers to reach both Dr. Keane and
Mr. Mazza). Incidentally, each of these families has a son or a daughter who
has studied in the United States through CiCiEdNet.
On Sunday afternoon several of the Korean families and the CM American boys
will gather for a soccer game and then for a picnic dinner. Mr. Mazza and I
will attend. On Monday we will all gather at the CiCiEdNet Office and then
travel to the temple stay as a group.
The weather here is ideal. Mid-70s and sunny.
Email is probably the best way to reach me but my cell number is working.
CiCiEdNet also provided me with a local cell phone as well and the students
each have that number in their possession.
We are off to a wonderful start. Thanks for your prayers and support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Keane