Articles by mgedwards

Whirlwind tour of Seoul

I enjoyed a day off today courtesy of Arbor Day.  When was the last time you were given a paid holiday to celebrate Arbor Day?  The Sierra Club would be thrilled.  Sometimes I really love living in Korea, and today was one of those days.  South Korea has more public holidays than any country I know.  I’ve heard that it’s because once upon a time the Korean government chose to set aside additional public holidays in lieu of allowing two-day weekends.  As it stands now, most Koreans still work half days on Saturdays.  I am very lucky, because I get time off for both Korean and American public holidays.  Korean holidays seem to fall in the middle of the week and are not contiguous with the weekend.  For example, the last three Korean holidays all happened on Tuesdays.  I guess it gives people an excuse to take a vacation day on Monday in order to have a four-day weekend.  Tomorrow is Wednesday, and I only have to look forward to three more days before next weekend.

Today a colleague from Guangzhou, China joined me for a whirlwind tour of Seoul.  If you recall, I have hardly toured any famous sites in Seoul, and I’ve been here for well over one month.  I made up for lost time today.  We managed to “power tour” today, squeezing in four popular sites in just under six hours.  We started the morning by taking the subway to Gyeongbok Palace (경복궁), the former home of Joseon / Chosun (조선) Dynasty royalty.  Unfortunately, the palace was closed today due to Arbor Day (darn, holiday hours).  We took a few photos and walked around the palace exterior.  In the distance we observed the roof of the Blue House, Korea’s White House, and we admired the mountains of Jongno (종노) District in the distance.  Gwanghwamun (광화문), the southern palace gate, was spectacular.  Bukhansan (북한산) and other mountain peaks rise gracefully overlooking the palace and downtown Seoul. 

We took a short walk to Insadong (인사동), one of Korea’s famous street markets.  Insadong is a great place to buy Korean arts and crafts, although it is a bit expensive and touristy.  It has a quaint Asian market atmosphere, albeit more orderly and tidy than other Asian markets.  We wandered around a few side streets and discovered a bit of the “real” Seoul—the part of the city that caters to locals.  People milled about casually, and the elderly gathered to chat on benches.  Vendors sold household goods instead of souvenirs.  From there, we took the subway to Seoul Station and walked around Namdaemun Gate (남대문) and Namdaemun Market.  It seemed as if the entire city of Seoul had descended upon Namdaemun Market to shop for bargains.  It was very crowded today.  Namdaemun is a functional market specializing in clothing and accessories.  We mingled with locals and soaked up the familiar feel of walking through an Asian bazaar.  We walked to the top of one street and looked down upon a sea of heads.  Ah, Asia.  I missed you.

We ended our tour at the YTN Seoul Tower situated atop Namsan (남산), or South Mountain.  Seoul Tower is arguably Seoul’s most famous monument.  Although not too tall, it is one of the world’s highest structures when measured from the base of Namsan.  The tower fits Korean culture well because it is surrounded by the scenic beauty of Namsan, and it beckons you to hike up to it (hiking is an integral part of Korean culture).  The tower is inaccessible by subway, so we drove up Namsan instead.  The tower’s parking lot is located far below the tower, and you must either ascend by cable car or walk about 15 minutes uphill in order to reach the tower.  We chose to climb rather than ride up the cable car.  I needed the exercise and enjoyed the hike, although it made me feel mortal.  It is not an easy hike for the casual walker.  If you hike a lot, it’s not a problem.  If you don’t like stairs, I highly recommend taking the cable car up to the tower.  Along the way I was bemused by well-dressed Koreans hiking up to the tower, especially by women who insisted on climbing Namsan in high heels.  It looked painful.  I would never hike in high heels.  Once we reached the base of the tower, we were disappointed to find out that the tower itself was closed for Arbor Day (darn holiday hours).  Still, we did not regret going to Seoul Tower.  Namsan featured many great vistas overlooking the city, and the hike was great.  The sky was a bit dusky today because of lingering Yellow Sand, but we could easily see the city for miles.  The mountains surrounding Seoul were clouded in dust.  On a clear day though, you might just be able to see the DMZ.

Tonight I went to a short Association board meeting and took over secretarial duties.  It’s not a glamorous job, but someone has to do it.  It will help me learn more about the Association and stay inform about the goings-on in our community.  The board seems like a motley crew.  I think we will all work well together as long as we don’t let our egos get in the way.  We have a lot to do in the coming year.  Quizno’s Subs will open soon, and we need to find a new vendor for our cafeteria.  For now, everyone at work must eat on the local economy.  We want to reopen the in-house cafeteria as soon as possible.

On my own

I took my son and wife to Incheon Airport yesterday.  They flew to Shanghai, China and will spend the next five weeks there visiting family.  Alas, I will stay home and hold down the fort.  Am I happy or sad or both to stay home alone?  Both, of course.  It is tough being separated from one’s family.  Last summer we were separated for almost five months.  I was very glad when we reunited last July.  It took my son awhile to warm up to me after that separation, because he hardly knew his father.  This time will be different because our time apart will be shorter, and he’s a bit older and more aware than he was last year.  Of course I’ll miss my wife too.  After many years of marriage, we’re very comfortable in our relationship.  We survived many periods of separation, and we survived many times when we were distracted by obligations to our son and family.

 

I have to admit that I am glad to have some time alone.  One, I can enjoy peace and quiet.  I can sleep in and not have to get up early to take care of my son.  I can finish consolidating our home in peace.  Our home is a disaster place right now.  I am reorganizing everything while they’re gone.  I accomplished more yesterday afternoon by myself than I did in the last two weeks.  Between caring for my son and keeping him preoccupied, I have had very little time to manage our home.  It’s nearly impossible to keep him away from the piles of stuff lying around.  If there’s action going on such as moving furniture, he’s there to “help.”  I don’t mind having him around, but I can now concentrate on rearranging the house without being disturbed.  This is important because we have too many belongings that need to be put away, sold, or given away.  In addition, when you move frequently, you need to be organized or you end up losing some of your belongings.

 

Secondly, I can focus more on work and community service.  I volunteered for a few community activities in the coming weeks.  For example, later this month I will judge Korean high school students in an English speech contest.  I want to do as much volunteering now as I can so I can cut back later when my family returns.  I enjoy volunteering, and it’s important for my career.  However, my family takes priority over my career, so it’s best to do as much now as I can.  Thirdly, I can do things now I couldn’t or don’t want to do while my family was here.  For example, I can join in some of those Friday Poker nights I’ve missed or sing at a noraebang (노래방), or karaoke joint, with friends.  I have yet to get together with friends here for a soju (소주) party.  (Soju is Korean rice alcohol.)  When I was living solo in Washington, D.C. last summer, I had a wonderful time hanging out with friends and colleagues.  I wouldn’t trade having a family for the single life again, but there are simply things you cannot or should not do when you have a family.  You’re much too busy to go out and socialize all the time.  I can’t bring myself to leave my family home to go out and have fun.  One of the benefits of separation is that it gives me a chance to socialize a bit more than I have been here in Seoul.

 

Tonight I went to our community Association’s annual dinner.  I was elected to serve on the association’s board of directors.  It is quite an honor.  I’m new to Seoul and wanted to find an appealing volunteer opportunity.  The Association manages substantial investments here in Seoul, including a neighborhood Starbucks Coffee and 20 extended-stay apartments.  It will soon lease space to a Quizno’s Subs shop.  The board position will hopefully give me a chance to use the MBA I earned in 2003.  I don’t often use the quantitative skills I learned in my current position, but managing a large investment is an MBA’s dream.  Speaking of my MBA, I was very happy to read that my alma mater, the University of Washington MBA program, is now ranked #18 in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.  When I first started in 2001, University of Washington barely registered in the national MBA rankings, but now it’s rocketing up the charts.  Once the new business school building opens, the program should rise even further up the ranks.  Right now it’s housed in an ugly monstrosity disparagingly known as “Balmer High (School)” and “a model of Stalinist architecture.”  I’m happy that the value of my MBA is increasing dramatically, and I’m glad I attended in the old days before tuition and minimum GMAT scores began to skyrocket.  If you’re looking for an MBA, check out the University of Washington.  It’s an underappreciated gem of a program, and it’s still affordable relative to other top 20 MBA programs. 

A Tribute to the Pope

Pope John Paul II (born Karol Jozef Wojtyla) passed away on Saturday, April 2 at 2:37 p.m. Eastern Time.  He was a wonderful man.  He was one of those great men one can admire regardless of political persuasion or religious belief.  More than anything he did, he was inspiring.  He inspired millions around the world to seek faith, social justice, moral values, and religious tolerance.  He gave hope to people.  After he was nearly assassinated in 1982, he recovered and went on to serve long thereafter.  He gave a voice to those who needed a voice, whether it was for the unborn or for the sake of peace.  His convictions transcended partisan politics.  The archbishop of Philadelphia said it well when he said, “Above all, he will be remembered for finding his purpose and holding fast to that purpose.”

Although I am not Catholic, I admired Pope John Paul II.  I am thankful I had a chance to see him in Vatican City many years ago during one of his weekly public addresses.  I’ll never forget it.  I didn’t understand what he said because the Polish, Italian, German and other languages he used were spoken with a thick Polish accent.  Nevertheless, it was very moving moment for me sitting in a holy place listening to this great man talking about something that transcends language.  I remember him standing at the altar above the tomb of St. Peter, addressing those who were gathered.  A few months later, I visited Krakow, Poland where the pope served bishop before his election in 1976.  I visited some of his old haunts.  I saw the cathedral where he was bishop and stayed for just $2 a night at a rectory in his diocese (I was a poor, starving student traveler at the time). 

In reflection, it is amazing when you realize that this man—the first Pole and the first non-Italian elected pope in hundreds of years, was chosen to serve as pope during the height of the Cold War.  At the time, Poland was a Warsaw Pact nation, a member of the Soviet Bloc, and officially an atheist nation.  Religious presecution was prevalent.  Wojtyla’s election then was a radical move by the Catholic Church.  It has sometimes been said that Pope John Paul II, like President Ronald Reagan, was instrumental in bringing down the Iron Curtain.  He inspired the faithful behind the Curtain to put their trust in something other than communism, and he may very well have been a guiding light to movements such as Solidarity in Poland that instigated the collapse of communism.

Pope John Paul II will be missed.  The Catholic Church has a huge task ahead of it choosing the next pope, and the next pope will bear a huge burden emerging from the shadow of Pope John Paul II.  I hope the next pope will be as great as Pope John Paul II was.  It is a daunting challenge.  God rest his soul.