Thursday

Last night I watched a really, really good movie. Well, I didn't watch the whole thing. Unfortunately, I missed the first thirty-five minutes because I was at Calligraphy class (boring again), but I really liked it. It's a Korean movie, with the English title Welcome to Dongmakgol. It's about the Korean war, but it's specifically about two small groups of North Korean and South Korean soldiers who find themselves in this tiny mountain village that has been hithertofore totally unaffected by the war. They struggle to like each other and become a part of the life of the village, along with an American pilot who has crashed nearby as well. But their presence, and specifically the presence of the American pilot, leads to an American effort to rescue the pilot (who they think is being held captive by communist soldiers) and a bombing raid. I won't tell you the end, because I really really think you should see it. The way it portrays the American military is pretty frustrating--there's the one good American who is accepted and liked by the village, and who in the end is a hero, but everyone else is portrayed as complete jerk who doesn't care about civilian casualty.

During yesterday's talk, we talked about the two Korean girls who were run over by an American tank (in the context of anti-Americanism). I don't remember hearing anything about it, although that doesn't surprise me--I was a lazy news-watcher. But apparently it spurred a lot of anti-American protests, specifically among students. The older generation, apparently, is still mostly (and very passionately) pro-American. I'll have to read more.

This weekend we're all going to Songnisan, a mountain resort town, which I'm way excited about. We're leaving tomorrow morning early, and we have some stuff planned for Friday, but Saturday is a totally free day, which is awesome. There's a famous old Buddhist temple there, which we're visiting on Friday, and apparently lots of hiking. I'm not sure I'll do any, but it's there if I want to. And we get to eat and sleep traditional-style on mats on the floor. Woo.

I'll let you know how it goes. I doubt there will be internet, so you probably won't be hearing from me again until Monday, unless something way exciting happens today. Take care!