7600 & 7610 GSE Dinner

First, I want to thank district 7600 for inviting our team to join them for a joint meeting and dinner at Kung Sung's in Williamsburg. It is unusual for neighboring districts to both be going to the same country on a GSE experience at the same time.  For both teams it is a great opportunity to learn from one another in the preparation process.  There is a long history between Districts 7600 & 7610, at one time they were a combined district.  We have partnered on many projects (especially Polio Plus) and have a fun rivalry with the 7600/7610 Paul Harris Cup, a trophy that goes to the district with highest Rotary Foundation per capita giving, the cup currently resides with 7610.
The teams met at the home of PDG Jim & Suki Pierce where we watched a video on Jim's & Suki's experience at District 3620's District Conference.  We were all in awe at the number of attendees, over 7500, as we normally have around 300 attend our conference.
Suki was born and raised in Korea and was most helpful in giving us tips on etiquette and cultural customs.  She also ordered all of the food, much of which I am finally recognizing. We learned there are many many different types of Kimchi and Koreans love the sour cabbage Kimchi that has been fermenting for a long duration.
I am trying to avoid the red paste or anything that glistens with red coloring. Jim showed us the proper way to pour a drink and that we never pour our own.  We chatted about everything from what to wear, how to correctly hand a business card to key phrases that we need to learn.  Of course the every needed "where is the bathroom? 화장실이 어디 있어요? (hwa-jang-shi-ree uh-dee-ee-ssuh-yo?)

The 7600 team  begins their journey on April 2, almost 3 weeks ahead of us, we are looking forward to reading their blog and hopefully getting more great tips.  Thank you Jim & Suki for a hosting great evening.

Welcome Chris Rottenberg!

We recently were saddened to learned that Crystal would not be able to make the journey to Gwangju, she has been instrumental in the helping us to prepare.  And, while she will not be able to travel, she is able to support the team with the continued development of our presentation, for which we are immensely grateful.

Unfortunately one team member will dropout about 50% of the time with the Group Study Exchange program, especially since we begin more than 6 months out, life events come up that change our course of direction.  

We are however very happy to have a new team member join our group and share this vocational and cultural exchange set before us.  Chris Rottenberg is from the Washington DC area, a Program Associate for the Osgood Center for International Studies.  He is also a alumni of Norwich University where he earned his masters degree in diplomacy along with team member Candace.  Chris is eager to meet everyone and participate in this journey.

January...Better late than never

The GSE outbound team met on January 22 at Choi’s Korean Kitchen in Fredericksburg, to sample Korean cuisine and learn about Korean etiquette and history from Owner Choi-Kim Aultman.  Choi was excited to learn about our upcoming journey and eager to share her culture and food. We were all a little skeptical about the food, as we have read many stories of live seafood and silkworms.  The food was fantastic, the over abundance of appetizers, soups and entrees that followed were delicious even if some were a little spicy.  While the preparation was different, we all walked away with a new appreciation for Korean food. 

Living just north of Gwangju Choi share her experience as a then teenager of the Massacre of 1980, it was a very somber and humbling story to say the least.   During our visit the anniversary of the Massacre will be honored and such we know that visiting the memorial will stay with us long after we return.

Squid & Scallion Fratata, delicious!

My favorite kind of Sushi..Vegetarian

Tons of side dishes

The egg was mixed in after the picture, very good

Chef Choi with Crystal, Brandon & Nate

Ronnie & Steve Joined us this day. We miss you Candace.

We learned that no matter what food is offered, we will graciously except it with a smile. Food is extremely important in Korean culture and not something to be diminshed.  Koreans we learned work hard and play hard, so we are expecting long days with our hosts.  Having the opportunity to meet with someone who actually lived in Korea is an amazing benefit to further our understanding and increase our knowledge of Korea.  In the end we all agreed that we would meet at Choi’s again before leaving on our journey.  Our February meetings will focus on preparing our presentation.