DMZ

Sorry, the website turned to Korean and I didn't know how to change it back but I finally figured it out. Anyway, last week I went, with a couple of the other teachers, to the DMZ (Demiliterized Zone between North and South Korea). It was both educational, fun and depressing, if that makes any sense. It was definitely educational to see everything. It was fun because I spent the day with 2 amazing people. But is was depressing to think that the people of North Korea are living in such horrible conditions and there is little a person like me could do. We got to go into a tunnel that the North Koreans had dug to try to attack Seoul. There are 4 in total. I think we went into the 3rd one discovered. The fourth was discovered in 1990, not that long ago. A bit chilling. We also got to go to an observation deck to see into the north. Again, chilling because not only were we looking into North Korea as though they were animals in a cage for observation, but because the city we looked into, complete with a factory and a single high rise building and a few homes up in the hills, looked completely fake and empty, only put up to give the look of 'everything is normal over here.' We were not allowed to take pictures of the tunnel or the city. I don't know just why, but there were guards who would take your camera and erase the pictures if you tried. It was a good learning experience but I do not see myself going back.