Marc Wathen
I
am from Hong Kong and I teach at Korean International School.I have lived
in the Asia-Pacific region for about 17years. My wife is Chinese-originally
from Beijing.We have an eight year old son who was born on the island
of Saipan.This is my first trip to Korea, and I am having a wonderful
time! I have been really impressed by the cultural treasures that I saw
in the city of Kyungju. I can appreciate more the history and traditions
of the students that I teach. This also helps me to connect with the two
other Asian cultures that I have studied. I have visited Beijing in China,
and Kyoto in Japan. When I went to Kyungju, I had this same feeling of
connecting with the past. The trip to the DMZ was a memorable visit. I
feel honored to have been there as few people get the chance . I saw the
Korean movie "JSA", so I had an idea about the place before
I went there yesterday. However reality was much better. The Cold War
is still on in the Korean Peninsula. I feel sorry about the division of
this country, but that is the reality of this world. I took a lot of pictures
at the DMZ to show my students and colleagues. We often talk about reunification
and the students write essays on this topic. I now can tell my students
about my feelings at the DMZ. I am looking forward to my host family.
I can see Korean culture firsthand. I am having a great time here! Korea
has surpassed my expectations!