Back in Korea (6/4)

O U R   R E T U R N   T O   Korea came with a radical change in the pace of the trip-- no longer were we tourists visiting historical sites, we were students whose class took place within and beyond the classroom. We arrived in Daegu, the city that would be our home for the next leg of the trip, quite late the night before, and were up and at 'em quite early this morn.

From what I'd seen in transit between the airport and campus, our borough of Daegu appeared to be far smaller than either of our previous two cities, Busan and Beijing. It was more like your medium sized college town, not unlike Athens, the heart of UGA. We were to stay at the guest houses at Yeungnam University, which was our host in Daegu. Our rooms were very nice-- they slept two, had balconies with wonderful views, and even had a fancy entryway to a nice raised wooden floor! Yeungnam did a wonderful job of making us feel welcome and comfortable.

The formal entryway to our room

Our home at Yeungnam!

The view from our room

A F T E R   A   Q U I C K   breakfast at the dining hall next door, we walked to the heart of Yeungnam's campus to visit their Korean cultural museum. They had some incredible artifacts, including multi-story texts, gorgeous pottery, and adorable historical childrens' toys. It was nice to revisit some of the history of Korea's dynastic past that Dr. Yi had alluded to in our time in Busan-- we weren't completely ignorant like I'd felt in China; we'd heard enough previously to have some familiarity and understanding about the context of what we learned.

A colossal text preserved on Korea's incredible Mulberry paper

Joseon Dynasty pottery

An incredible wooden vessel used for cooking

Y E U N G N A M    H A S   N O T   O N L Y   an incredible history museum but also its very own traditional Korean village! This village is made from the buildings from several traditional locations that were moved to Yeungnam to be preserved and used as examples of Korean folk life. We spent most of our time at the Confucian school house, where we learned about education in traditional Korea.

The entrance to Gugye Seowon, the Confucian academy at Yeungnam

A view of the common area of the village, including the colossal swing used in wedding ceremonies

O U R   M O R N I N G   O F   H I S T O R Y   was followed by an afternoon of modernity. First, we hopped across the street to visit the downtown area that accompanies Yeungnam's campus. We visited a delicious noodle place for lunch, then looked around at the shops--mostly restaurants, some small boutiques, and a grocery store-- before heading back for our first class with Dr. Tessman!

Downtown at Yeungnam!

Delicious!

In class, Dr. Tessman laid out the framework for our class-- we'd be considering each country we'd visit on the trip, Korea, China, and Japan, and the role they play in the regions sociopolitical stability. We talked mostly about the different levels of security, ranging from human security (the well-being of the individual and their welfare, healthcare, and environment) to regional security, including states and non-state actors.

Paused for discussion

Classmates

I   R O U N D E D   O U T   what ended up being a pretty long and busy day with a nice nap and a walk about campus. Already it felt great to be somewhat more settled than in Beijing, and to be learning again!

Dusk at Yeungnam