This program is excellent–but, it’s also very tiring. Today is really the first time that I have had to just sit and relax and chill out. It’s so strange–being on the go all the time, I’ve hardly had any time to digest any of it!
The DMZ visit yesterday was a little bizarre. It was a group tour, and though our tour guide was very nice, it was full of Southern propaganda. They’ve turned the DMZ into a tourist trap and have movies telling how it’s a haven for wildlife and how it’s so great~! (…. ? …) and you can buy pieces of rusted barbed-wire framed to take home with you.
Prayers for Freedom
Personally, I find it a little disturbing. There are countless thousands of families still torn apart by the arbitrarily decided border (thanks, US). There are prayers and photos adorning the wire fence and the “Freedom Bridge”. To make these an “attraction” just seems wrong. Sure, I think it’s an important thing to remember–but saying cheese in front of a train pockmarked with bullet holes and gaping shrapnel wounds just seems… wrong.
It was kind of hard for me–I know my Mother-in-law had relatives still left behind in North Korea and no way to find out what happened to them. She died before anyone found out anything. In fact, there’s still no news. It’s really sad that so many people have to suffer like that. The prayers all over the fences and bridge were testament to that fact…
Our politics professor says that their are two thoughts on it here–one that the North Korean government should be forcibly removed–and the other that the North Koreans are brothers and sisters and therefore force cannot be used…
It’s really … strange being here and feeling that tension and sadness that so often isn’t expressed in either culture. It all seems so simple from the outside and it almost seems that most people ignore the situation and pretend that North Korea is that way because of some choice that was made… I think it’s an important thing to discuss. Both Tibet and North Korea are suffering daily and people just don’t want to get their hands dirty. So many people just don’t even understand the basics behind the problems. There are only two strictly Communist countries left in the world–and North Korea is one of them (China isn’t technically Communist anymore–it’s more Capitalist in nature).
Anyway, I don’t want to rant about that for ever!
I want to go and visit one of the Buddhist temples today since we have some free time. I want to just have some quiet me time away from the group. I like all the other girls (mostly) but being with a group of younger girls constantly is tiring… I like hanging out in mixed company… girls are crazy 
Freedom Bridge
