My upcoming trip to Korea

Another country, journey, and learning experience. On April 2, I head off to South Korea for a month.

Several questions probably come to mind.

• Another trip?


• During the school year?


• Do you ever work?


• Why Korea?


• Who did you black mail to get this?


• And my favorite REAL question from one of my students, “Are you in the CIA?”

I am heading to South Korea for a month with the Rotary Club’s Group Study Exchange Program. Here is the basic info on the program from the Rotary web site.

“The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

In a typical four-week tour, applicants participate in five full days of vocational visits, 15 to 20 club presentations, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours, and three to four hours per day of free time with host families.

For each team member, the Foundation provides the most economical round-trip airline ticket between the home and host countries. Rotarians in the host area provide for meals, lodging, and group travel within their district.” (Link for more info)

How did I hear about the program? Once you complete one of the teacher/travel programs it’s almost as if you have seen behind the curtain of the Great OZ. A friend who I completed my Fulbright to China with wife thought I would be a good candidate for the program. Yet another friend from one of these travel programs went to India with the program last year. And last but certainly not least, Melanie, my boss at the “H” gave me the OK to apply and totally supported me going once I was accepted. It’s really cool that my boss and school support me with something like this.

While I’m in Korea my students will be engaged in role play from Brown University’s Choices program (Link).

I taught one of their programs about Mexico at St. Albans last summer and found it quite effective. The students will study the history of the Korean Peninsula in general and then specifically the history of North Korea and South Korea relations in regards to the North Korean effort to become fully nuclear. They students will role play the stake holders in the region and what should be done. (Japan, Russia, United States, China, North, and South Korea). They will then write a five paragraph research essay about their personal opinions based on research. In addition I’ll be Skyping with them the entire month.

It’s going to be an adventure. I’ll post my schedule later on and give some more details about the trip. The funny thing besides watching M.A.S.H religiously, I really didn’t know much about Korea until I began my application process. The country is fascinating. Hopefully I, and more importantly my students, learn a lot.

Side note, I told some friends that this trip is actually a very dramatic plan for weight loss, fame, and fortune. Here is the plan as it stands now;

After spending a month in South Korea our group will fly out of Seoul. Since Seoul is near the border I’ll “accidently” wander across into communist North Korea. I’ll be captured immediately. Based on previous precedent I will be sent to a prison camp or kept in isolation. Although harsh, I think that either hard labor or isolation would provide the best scenario for dramatic weight loss. After a month or so, which by then I will be done with school and extremely svelte, I will be negotiated for by one William Jefferson Clinton. He comes and picks me up Pyongyang. Then a slimmed down J. Steph and Bill Clinton could would be two guys with a personal jet on the town, imagine what shenanigans and hijinks ensue. I arrive back in the US to a hero’s welcome. I do all the talk shows. I write a memoir and go on Oprah when she chooses it for her book of the month club. Then I have Craig Brewer make the movie version of my book. I may or may not seek out a few celebrity romances. I may choose to, “Disdain the whole Hollywood scene”. That decision will be up to my publicist, former White House spokesman, Ari Fleischer. Hey, he is helping Tiger Woods.

Sadly, I have given this plan a great deal of thought.

Who wouldn't want to meet this guy?

Former Pres. Clinton has negotiated this deal before