It seems only fitting that our 50th blog comes at time when the Wendling Family is nearing the end of their time in Korea. With just over a week left in Korea the Wendling Family was involved with the first Graduation exercises at GSIS.
Approximately three years ago the Wendling Family decided to go to Korea for two reasons. The first reason was for the family to gain an experience of the world. And to be honest with many travels to countries like China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, USA (Alaska and Saipan), Philippines the Wendling family has been able to gain a rich appreciation for other countries, other cultures and life abroad. A majority of this blog has been dedicated to reflect upon these travels and share our experiences with friends and family.
The second reason that Rosanne and Kevin came to Korea was to be involved with the building of GSIS and helping to create a school that would see its first graduating class in the Spring of 2011. This day has come as on Thursday, May 26th GSIS graduated 68 Seniors in its first commencement exercises in what can only be described as a truly historical event.
The evening was marked by speeches from the Valedictorian, Salutatorian and representative faculty speaker. GSIS' Headmaster also spoke about the history of the school and how its first class of Seniors had surpassed any and all expectations as all 63 students who applied to colleges in the US and Canada were accepted and how 3 students were accepted in the top 15 schools in the US and 1 students had been accepted into McGill University in Canada, a University which is viewed Internationally as Canada's elite Univeristy.
Both Rosanne and Kevin were involved with the Seniors and their work towards University. Rosanne was the IB CAS Coordinator and the Community Service Coordinator. Her role was to ensure that the students fulfilled their necessary requirements for these program. Kevin was the HS Principal and worked with the teachers and Rosanne to ensure that program at GSIS would prepare the students for their college applications and beyond.
Now that Graduation has occurred the Wendling family has 1 week left in Korea. It is a time for packing and tying up loose ends. A time for saying goodbye to the land of the Morning Calm and all those who they have come to know over the past three years.
For our family and friends in Canada it will soon be a time to renew friendships and restart our lives in the Great White North. Hopefully we will see you soon!!
One of the most well known, all be it infamous, attractions in South Korea is the Demilitarized Zone or the DMZ. Many visitors, and foreigners leaving in Korea, will often make sure that they visit the buffer zone between North and South Korea (or DRPK and ROK). The Wendling family with less than one month left in Korea decided that they needed to take some time to visit the DMZ.
One of the unique aspects of the DMZ is that it is far easier for foreign passport holders to go on the tours then it is for Korean citizens. As well, the tours of the DMZ usually involve a tour of the Joint Security Area, JSA, and Camp Bonifas, the United Nations camp. For this part of the tour Matteya, Kyara and Justine were old enough to attend - so they went with Kevin to see this part of the tour in the morning.
The actual JSA, or Joint Security Area, features a number of buildings in the area which were used and are still used for discussions and negotiations between North and South Korea and almost always involved a third or fourth country such as Poland, Sweden or other countries. The blue building are the places for talk but there are other buildings which were built with the intent of hosting "family reunions" with families which were separated by the Korea War. To this day they have not been used for this purpose.
The JSA has quite a history to it as well - from 1953 - 1976 the JSA was actually an area with no border that North and South Korea soliders stood side by side, however, due to a number of incidents that have occurred the JSA is very well defined and if you cross into an area that is not allowed you can be shot or step on a mine.
Then in the afternoon the entire family was able to see the rest of the DMZ attractions which included the 3rd tunnel, the observatory and the train station. The third tunnel is interesting as it is seen as being built for so that the North Korean army would have a way of circumventing the DMZ and then moving quickly towards Seoul. These tunnels, 4 in total so far, are now closed and in fact tunnel 3 is a tourist attraction which the Wendling family was able to see.
Yet, in all, the DMZ is a unique area that talks of the history of the Korean War but also provides markers of hope that one day Korea will be one country. It is unclear how this will occur if we consider the current conditions, yet, it could happen with some give on both sides and some wisdom from above. With all of the evidence of war and suffering seen in their travels the Wendling family really hope that one day Korea is unified in a way that the dignity of all Korean people can be maintained and so that all Korea can live in Harmony. However, there is much work to be done if this is going to occur.
With less than three weeks left the Wendling family has begun to pack and make preparations for retuning to Canada. This blog will continue in order to Chronicle the final transition. So stay tuned.
The school year is almost over, less than 3 months to go and to be honest the Wendling Family is pretty tired and are in need of a vacation. So after a little research, Rosanne and Kevin decided that Thailand would be the next Adventure for the family during GSIS' Spring Break.
Actually, Kevin had travelled to Bangkok back in the Fall of 2009 to do IB Training. However, if you ask Rosanne that doesn't count because he left the rest of the family back home. (Actually, it does not count since the early Fall is considered to be the rainy season and it was not really a vacation of any sort if you take into account the rain, the humidity and the IB training.)
A little background information for you, Thailand is well known in South East Asia, (and around the world), for many things:
- outstanding hospitality
- different types of tours
- warm/tropical weather
- elephant riding, (OK, not really, but this was a factor to motivate Mia to take the plane)
So the Saturday after school ended for the break the Wendling Family was off with a full day of travel before the ended up in Phuket, (pronounced Poohket).
Thanks to some advice from a friend of Rosanne's at another International School the Wendling family rented a 3 room Villa at Luanaga Outrigger Resort. It was truly one of the best places they have stayed at while vacationing in Asia. The villa had a full Kitchen, living room, 3 bedrooms and their own personal pool. It was truly impressive.
So during their time in Thailand the Wendling family swam, sat on the beach, caught up on their sleep and relaxed. However, there was time for a few side trips to learn about the host country.
One day, the Wendling Family ventured out to sea where they took in Phi Phi Island, (pronounced Pee Pee). When one thinks of the tropics and white beaches they are truly thinking of Phi Phi Island - it was breathless and we were lucky to get a beautiful day to see it!!
Another day the Wendling clan was able to go riding on the Elephants. This was not the first time the Family had seen Elephants, but these Elephants were made for riding. They were big, hairy, ate alot of food and were able to move around the course with 3 - 4 people on their back.
The drivers informed us that they eat over 80 kg of food per day, (later we found that Asian elephants could eat up to 136 kg per day, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/asian-elephant/). That food consists of hay, grass, leaves, fruit.
At the end of our journey the girls were able to feed their elephants a treat of fruit, it is truly amazing to watch how an elephant uses their trunk to feed themselves. The movements are very precise and delicate - it was fascinating to watch.
Finally, the Wendling's were able to go to a Gibbon Rehabilitation Center, (http://www.gibbonproject.org/). Gibbons are a type of monkey indigenous to Thailand; however they are often caught, poached, mistreated, kept as pets and overall exploited by some people involved in the tourist industry. In fact, during their trip the Wendling Family did see an example of this -- a monkey chained to a tree so that tourists could get a picture of it. It was so subtle, and if we had not been to the Center before we would have not have picked up on it.
However, as is the case with every trip, it ended and the Wendling's having to return to Korea. It was difficult to go from temperatures in the 30C with humidity to the 10C range with the possibility of snow. This will probably be the last "big trip" that the Family will do before returning to Canada in June.
In fact, as many of readers already know the Wendling Family will be leaving GSIS and returning to Canada to resume their lives there. Hold on though, that is a Blog onto itself. So rather than giving details about our move back, just stay tuned to hear about our next Adventure.
During our time in Korea Justine, Kyara, Matteya and Arial have continued one their favourite activities, dance. Early in our time here in Suwon Rosanne found a Dance Academy, or Hokwan, for the girls to dance at.
The girls are the only North American students at this dance studio and most of the instruction is given in Korean - although many of the ballet positions are referred to in French - so early in their lessons they were able to have some understanding as to what to do. The girls have enjoyed their time at dance and have been able to meet other girls their age and learn more about Korean culture.
This past week the girls participated in their second dance recital in Suwon. Prior to this, while still in Canada, all 4 girls had the chance to be involved with dance recitals through their dance studio in Port Colborne, Dance Expressions, however, a dance recital in Korean was a little different.
For the past 3 weeks Justine and Kyara have had extra dance lessons - they would go for their normal lesson and then go on two additional nights for 2 hours. Often they would come home very late and it was a struggle for them to get their homework done - but they persevered. The reason for this? At the end of January and through February the Korean school system slows down -having many holidays - in fact it ends around the time of Lunar Holiday and a new school year starts in March. So many of the students have time to go to extra practices and extra lessons. However, the Wendling girls still had to muddle through their studies.
Next, the girls were fitted for costumes. I don't know how much they cost - Rosanne never really told Kevin - so I suspect it cost a lot of money. (In fact I really don't want to know, writes Kevin). The costumes though were quite beautiful having many different colours and containing many, many, many sequins.
Finally, a week before the recital the girls had dress rehearsal. A time for the teacher to have the students get used to the stage, see the dressing rooms and have a chance to get use to the lighting, sound and overall space. Again, the girls were bussed to the rehearsal and from what was said, all went well.
Then the night of the big show!! Again, the girls needed to have more last minute rehearsal time as they spent the entire day at the theatre preparing, eating oranges and kim-bop (which is a Korean snack) and drinking water. For the Wendling girls it also meant time listening to I-Pods and reading books. (As well as having many young Korean girls coming up to practice their English.)
Part of getting ready was doing the hair and make up. In fact, Rosanne learned early on from the girls that she had better do their hair. Of no fault of the Korean moms who helped at the recital, the girls found that mom did a better job - and in fact had a little more experience in getting hair ready for dance recitals.
However, make-up was a different story. As you can see from the pictures the make-up used by ballet dancers in Korea is quite elaborate and colourful. As well, it is hard to believe that girls as young as 4 or 5 would be forced to wear eye lashes. Oh well, live and learn.
Finally, with mom and dad and a number of teachers from the school in the audience, (who we thank for joining us despite the incredibly hot balcony), the recital had begun. All the girls were involved with at least two performances and they truly did an outstanding job!! In particular, the modern dance number involving Justine and Kyara was simply breath taking.
Yet, on a night such as this it reminds that we are a long way from home and that Grandmas and Grandpas as well as Aunts, Uncles and Cousins could not be here in Korea to enjoy the show. No matter, that's what blogs are for and video tape that can be showed during the summer.
In all, the experience for Justine, Kyara, Matteya and Ariel to dance while living over seas has been amazing and an experience that has taught them about Korean culture. As well they have learned that the Arts and Music transcends both language and borders. I guess it is another lesson that was not anticipated, but has been learned here in the land of the morning calm.
On our Family's recent trip to Japan we had the opportunity to spend a day in Hiroshima. In creating our recent blog I asked all the members of our family what part of the trip they liked the most, they all said The A-Bomb Dome and the Peace Park in Hiroshima. I tend to agree, by far the most memorable part of our trip to Japan was seeing the site which many historians would say was part of a significant event in World War II, if not for the 20th Century.
In preparing for our day in Hiroshima Rosanne and I spent time researching what we could see in Hiroshima, that is when I first came across the A-Bomb Dome. My first thought of hearing the name was, there has to be a better name that than. It sounded cruel, harsh and too direct and yet, after visiting I truly can see it is a name that I will not soon forget.
The A-Bomb Dome is the remnants, of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall which was designed by Czech Architect, Jan Letzel, the building prior to WWII was viewed as one of the most beautiful building in Hiroshima. It is in fact the only building that still exists from the time of the bombing. To see the building and the pictures on the plaque reminds us of the devastation that occurred in Hiroshima at 8:15 AM on August 6th, 1945. The A-Bomb dome actually only exists due to the fact that the atomic bomb is set off above the ground, in this case 600m above, with the approximately 150m away from the center of the explosion. When the bomb was set off it actually was not as powerful below the blast thus the survival of the building.
As we walked around the Peace Park in Hiroshima I felt a number of emotions:
- anger, at the destruction of the city and death of 200,000 people
- guilt, for being a part of the country which was at war against Japan and who set up the bomb and its devastation
- dismay, that such a device would be created and used against humanity
- fear, that such bombs and missiles still exist
Also in walking around the park one has to ask why was the weapon used -- and used against civilians? In war, soliders fight and die, it is not what we want -- but it is part of war. Intending to kill civilians is not the intent of war.
As a Catholic I have studied and have come to understand the Just War Theory. However, after seeing the destruction at Hiroshima one has to wonder if any war, or an weapon such as an A-bomb can be truly justified. Is any war truly just? Is any war that uses weapons of such devastation just, right or necessary? Is there a difference between soldiers fighting one another and civilians becoming involved?
As well, while we walked around the park I could not help but be reminded of the another monument which I saw less than a year ago in Austria -- a monument dedicated to the death of all Jewish peoples in the concentration camps. There millions of people, civilians, were killed due to the beliefs of one man and the group he led. Now to have faced the atocities of our last world war I cannot help but be changed, I cannot help but to think that we need to understand what is going on in the world to groups that marginalized or to groups that try to control others.
In the final analysis though, the A-Bomb dome and the surrounding park is dedicated to the preservation of peace and the hope that War and the use of Nuclear weapons will never be used. For me, I am so glad that I could see this site, and more importantly share it with my wife and 5 daughters. Part of our reason to travel was for our family to see the world and to understand the world better -- Hiroshima definitely aided these goals.
May the Peace of God be with each of us...may we never forget...may we never have to experience this in our world. AMEN
