Monday June 15th
I have arrived in Seoul, Korea after 17 hours on 3 different planes (New Orleans to Los Angeles to Tokyo to Seoul). I have to admit I was a little a nervous arriving in a foreign place where symbols are the alphabet and there is no way I can understand what is going on! To my surprise the first taxi drivers I approached spoke perfect English. He was so good in fact that he managed to rip me off for 120,000 Won, roughly $120 US. Although I have to admit he was hilarious. He taught me multiple profanities in Korean which I quickly forgot within the first 30 seconds as I was exhausted and worn out.
As I finally arrived at Sookmyung Women’s University (which the cabbie also thought was strange that my final destination was a university for women) I knew the ease of arriving was too good to be true. The language barrier came into play within my first hour upon arrival as the security guards at Sookmyung do not speak a lick of English! So here I am with all my luggage in humidity over 120% walking up and down 90 degree angled hills around the campus asking for Sookingdang, but apparently when English speaking people attempt Korean no one understands even though it sounds exactly like what you just said! Fortunately I ran into a professor from South Carolina who attempted to help me but he could fare no better. So he assigned 2 young students (cute girls of course) to guide me all along the campus as I am sweating bullets now with no clue of where I am going. Two and a half hours later, I guess I bothered the security guards enough they finally just gave me a key to the international studies dormitory. As the 2 girls walked me to my room, sure enough there was Professor Bowman in the room next to me! He gave me this weird look like, “Keith, you’ve just arrived in Seoul and already you’re bringing 2 Korean girls back to your room?!?!” As we had a good laugh about it, we walked to Sookindang, where I was staying. I met up with everybody we joked relaxed for a couple of hours and then pure extreme exhaustion set in, so I hit the hay. Learning curse words, getting ripped off, and getting lost for over 2 hours while I was on the campus, not too shabby for the first night in Seoul, should be an interesting trip…
Tuesday June 16th
Surprisingly I woke up today and was not jet lagged at all. After experiencing my first International Business Transactions & Global Issues in Corporate Law classes with Professor Bowman, I was confident in furthering my interest as a legal professional with regards to International Corporate Law. For the first time, I experienced the sunrise on the continent of Asia. Seoul is a lot hazier than I thought it would be, as the rainy season definitely affects the weather here. I also finally got to experience the infamous “HILL” all the previous students from last year’s summer program endured. Wow, a 90 degree slope combined with 125% humidity is one heck of a combination as perspiration poured out of me! Today I also managed to eat authentic Korean food which I loved! Who wouldn’t love a pot of rice with beef and a substance known as “kimchee” (pickled cabbage which is spiced)? And all for 5000 Won?!?! (roughly $5 US Dollars)
So now that the Study Abroad Program is attended by all, as I was the last one to arrive, we decided to celebrate at Hong-ik University which is a little bit north of Sookmyung. What a ride this was! We decided to experience the nightlife of Seoul to its fullest capacity. Lasers, techno, fog machines, bartenders with whistles, need I say more? I also managed to stop by and see Namoo, the local attaché near Sookmyung University who has already gotten to know most of us by name. Uncle Gee is his right hand man and we introduced Facebook to the 2 of them, which they were more than intrigued and ecstatic joining.
Mel & Company.
Wednesday June 17th
I had to register today with the USO for the upcoming DMZ trip on June 30th. Everyone was excited to see hamburgers and French fries so while we were down there at the USO a few of us decided to go the Korean War Museum which is nearby. So I had the impression the Korean War Museum was exclusively dedicated to the recent Korean War which gave us the infamous 38th parallel. These thoughts were supported with the statutes and symbols outside of the actual museum itself but once you walk inside the museum, you are graced with the entire Korean history of international conflict from Japan, Russia, and China etc dating back to B.C. days. So it was a total curveball to me to see this massive building dedicated to the entire armed “resolutions” of the Korean people. If you ever get the chance to see it, it is quite a remarkable site but be prepared to spend at least a few hours to walking in and out of the rooms. Also, air-conditioning seems to be running at a minimum at the museum, so bring water and tennis shoes.
Thursday June 18th
So Mel Williams, an alumnus from MC who is stationed over in Seoul, invited us over to his friend’s apartment for happy hour. They went above and beyond to make us feel at home and entertain all of us. We all had a great time and a huge thank you goes to all of them!
Friday June 19th
Professor Bowman set a special arrangement up for us to visit Kim & Chang, Seoul’s largest and one of the most prominent law firms in all of South Korea. To start the day off, Kim & Chang sent in a senior partner who turned was the old ambassador to the United Nations (UN) from South Korea. Not every day, do you get to roll out of bed to shake hands with a UN Ambassador. The whole experience was first class all the way. The conversation with the associates, regarding Korean Law, was intriguing and engaging. In addition we were treated to a first class lunch with spectacular views.
We also decided to fly to Jeju Island which is the most Southern island off the mainland of Korea. Our flight was scheduled for 4:05 pm. We arrived at Gimpo Airport (ask Juan Delgado about his Korean language song) at exactly 4:10 pm. Thank God Asiana Airlines is insanely efficient and actually voted the best airline in the world. They were extremely helpful and understanding and put us on the 4:35 flight. After all the rush and anticipation we are all extremely excited to be in the island paradise that is Jeju Island!
Saturday June 20th
After discovering that our hotel was pretty much far away from everything on Jeju, we decided to head to the beach. The day was not as pretty as the day before but we really didn’t care. We explored the coarse beaches, waterfalls, and to our surprise all of the cliffs that surrounded the beaches in Jeju. Also, old women apparently are the fisherman around Jeju as it is part of their tradition. They were selling live fish around the beaches that were just swimming around in buckets and baby pools. I was not in the food adventurous mood, so I was not willing to dabble in the local cuisine. So we went to the Hyatt for lunch, little did we know our bills would all be over $50 for lunch. So after lunch we decided our luck at the casino. Only Adrienne came out on top.
Sunday June 21st
Last day in Jeju, was kind of an odd one as we all had to be at the airport later that afternoon, so we decided to split up and conquer the island in separate groups. Matt, Lucy, and I decided to go to the World Cup Stadium. It was nice but to our surprise there was the World Sex Museum inside the World Cup Stadium. Wow, for discretion’s sake I will not disclose the immediate contents of the museum but let’s just say I learned a few things that day and I also want to UN-learn a few things from that day.
Monday June 22nd
So Itaewon (pronounced ee-tay-won) is the foreigner shopping section of Seoul. Professor Bowman was all excited about getting his new suit from Mr. Yang. Mr. Yang is apparently a well-known tailor whose clients have served the likes of General Petraeus and Yancy. I didn’t need any suits so I decided to get a few shirts that are custom made. I’m excited to see how they turn out next week. Oh yeah I think Bowman was there for about 4 hours trying to decide which fabric he wanted, kind of always amusing to see the quirks of your law professor!
Tuesday June 23rd
Tuesday was just a relaxation day and packing day in preparation for our trip to Beijing, more to come from China…
Wednesday June 24th – Sunday June 28th Trip to Beijing
Forgive me but I did not bring a laptop to Beijing so I am recollecting the trip from scratch notes on brochures and napkins so I apologize for things not necessarily being in chronological order. Most of it is tourist things that really need to be experienced first-hand to fully appreciate Chinese history.
Our flight to Beijing went off without a hitch but the taxi ride from the airport was a different story! We managed to fit 13 people in the taxi including the driver along with everyone’s luggage. Picture the van no bigger than a minivan you see driving on the highways. Bowman, Lucy & I lucked out by only having to fit 3 people across the very backseat as compared to the 4 and 5 across the other backseats that faced each other old school station wagon style. The driver also managed to drive us to the wrong hotel, Welcome to Beijing!
The next day we went to the Great Wall. All I have to say is WOW! We only experienced one section in the wall but it was totally impressive. I had no idea the Great Wall was so steep or massive! It took us over 2 hours to get the very peak of the wall it was so steep. It is also extremely hot and polluted in Beijing where temperatures were constantly over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the smog was so bad that seeing 3 or 4 blocks over was an extremely dark haze. We also managed to see Tiananmen Square at night. We were there for about 15 or 20 minutes walking around when the Beijing Police kicked us out because apparently the park closes at 8 or 9 pm.
Beijing is the equivalent to New York City in the US. Having family from NYC, I was used to the hustle and bustle attitude that people from Jackson really do not have. Everyone was extremely busy and almost to the point of pushiness but not in a rude way because of course they want your money. But there is a difference culturally between China and Korea.
There are numerous other things to do in Beijing to do including the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Pearl Market, Exquisite Dinners for cheap, Summer Palace, and Olympic Stadiums (Birds Nest and Water Cube). I would definitely recommend going to Beijing but just be careful when wandering. Also as a quick recommendation, take taxis as they are not expensive and the quickest way around town.
Overall Evaluation of the Trip:
This is a once in a lifetime trip that should be experienced by every student with the interest in not just international law, but business law as well. Professor Bowman explains the ins and outs of problems facing corporations in the states and abroad. He paints such a vivid realistic picture of the intricacies of the global business community that raises many interesting questions. His approach may be able to not only improve MC as a leading Study Abroad Program but also improve the global business community as a whole! When else in your life do you get to experience another country full of life and tradition for an entire month? And get credit for it!
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