I didn't know....

[clay dube]

Reflecting back on our time in Korea and Japan, please complete the following sentence:

"I didn't know...."

Alternatively: "I thought ..., but I learned ...."

Or "I didn't even know that I didn't know ...."

[Anonymous]

I never expected to like Korea so much! I was so disappointed that China was cancelled, and had the attitude that Korea was to be the far lesser part of the entire tour. How wrong I was! Korea was so amazingly beautiful! I also learned a great deal of information that I can use in 7th grade social studies. We are supposed to teach how Chinese culture and ideas pass from China to Japan via Korea, yet our text doesn't cover it beyond a sentence or two. Now I have tons of stuff to share!!

[Anonymous]

...how much I would enjoy getting up at 4:15 to see the fish market!

We started at 4:15 a.m., yes, to visit the Tsukiji fish market by 5:00. It was already in full swing, jammed with trucks and boats arriving. We watched (dodging forklifts and 2-wheeled wagons) as they auctioned the new catch while shouting and making cell phone calls, carted off the fish to butcher in adjacent stalls, package it and load it on trucks. By 7:00 a.m. the action was all over, and the fishies were off to market. I'm amazed they let us tour the area, as we gaped at workers dashing madly around doing wheelies on forklifts. It's a miracle nobody got run over. As it is, we got splashed with mystery liquids.

[Anonymous]

I didn't know that there would be so few motorcycles in Japan. I saw a lot of scooters, but not very many motorcycles, particularly sportbikes. Maybe they export them all to the US. 😀

Tim

[Anonymous]

How suprised I was when I learned the students at Wako Kokusai High School in Japan were researching information about their upcoming three-day field trip. While touring the library, students were working in small groups putting together a mathematical presentation about the location of their upcoming field trip. Kana and Yuki (students who led the tour) explained that before venturing to any field trip, studets are required to gather background information and present it to their class. This year the field trip will be at a farm along the Southwest Coast of Japan, I have forgotten the name of the location! Three hundred students will have the opportunity to visit and experience life on a farm.

I was certainly taken a back that the students were working on their research project, not just socializing.

Caryn

[Anonymous]

I read the local paper while I was in Korea. I had read about some of the troubles executives of Hyundai had gotten into over a scandal involving illegal payments of $100 million to North Korea to buy their attendance to the historic 2000 North-South Korean summit. This summit lead to South Korean President Kim Dae-jung winning the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize.

Today I saw this article:
http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusintl/ap08-04-110158.asp?reg=pacrim&vts=8420031116

This is a link to a photo story of the incident:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?g=events/wl/080403chunghyundai&tmpl=sl&e=1",750,580);

Chung Mong-hun, who was at the center of the scandal, committed suicide by jumping from the twelfth floor window of his office in Seoul, Korea.

I don't know why, but I thought that corporate scandals and corruption were now rare in Korea. I didn't know that corporate scandals and corruption are occurring in Korea just as frequently as they seem to be in the U.S.

Tim[Edit by="tkelly on Aug 4, 11:56:34 AM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

This article is a follow up to the article I linked to in the previous post. It covers reaction from North Korea to the death of Chung Mong-hun. They expresses their condolences, and the state news organization stated that North Korea does not believe the death was a suicide, but rather a murder carried out by political opponents in South Korea who are against reconciliation with the North.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=535&ncid=535&e=7&u=/ap/20030804/ap_on_re_as/koreas_tycoon_s_suicide_2

Tim

[Anonymous]

I didn't know...
http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusintl/ap08-05-213240.asp?reg=pacrim&vts=8520032159

[Anonymous]

I had some idea about infanticide/ abortion in Japan, but this article told me much more.

[Anonymous]

Debbie,

Thank you for posting this thought-provoking article.

[Anonymous]

From the "Tale of the Heike," I didn't know why the Minamoto were called the Genji, and the Taira called the Heike. Today I learned that Genji and Heike are Chinese pronunciation of the Japanese names. I'm sure Virginia knew , but I didn't!

[Anonymous]

I am needless to say a bit behind the times here since I am responding months after the fact, but this was a very thought provoking article. I think one of the most indelible impressions of our trip was the incredible number of red capes on statuary and the grim realization of what those capes represented.

The opposing values of promoting the benefit of the family and the sacredness of life is quite a conundrum. (query - in Buddhism, all life forms are valued. If you are a vegetarian for religious reasons, how do you justify abortion?) [Edit by="jshults on Dec 4, 7:08:05 PM"][/Edit]

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