Thursday, Day Sixteen: Interviews, Bibab

I had set the wake up call for 08:30 but woke up at 06:00. I couldn't go back to sleep so got up at about 6:30. It was a good thing because Pat called on my cell phone (said the hotel number didn't work). We talked of probably a half an hour. 

Jon Keeton Conna Jung and Lina Min

 I had breakfast with Joe and Soogie at about 8:00. I opted out of the trip to Gyeongbok palace; Geoffrey and I were there Saturday. At 10:30 I went down to the lobby to wait to go to the National Museum of Contemporary Korean History and seized a chance to get a picture of Jon and two staff who have been very solicitous of my needs. 

Himself and Gteongbok Palace

At 11:00 we all went to the Museum for a presentation (the museum is still under construction) and had lunch on the roof overlooking Gwanghwamun. In the picture they are doing military drills in the front courtyard (men in red), and the Blue House (Presidential residence) can be seen at the top right. We then went back downstairs for interviews about our service. We were given a list of questions to structure our presentations and they were to be eight minutes long, but nobody adhered to that. I even got off topic by addressing some of the changes that impress me, including sit down toilets, but I could feel my leg swelling (skin getting tight) and asked to be moved up; I rushed it to get back and put my leg up. 

Set of Bibab <KF Revisit photo>

At 6:00 we left for a very nice dinner, and then went to a show, "Bibab." It was loud, flashy, and very energetic with tumbling, break dancing, and lots of slap stick, and audience members were used on stage. It was a good choice since one didn't need to know Korean to enjoy it. Toward the end though, with it being very loud and the lights flashing at the audience I started to get a headache coming on. I covered my eyes and rode it out. See a promo on YouTube.

Ines Choi, guide for health worker's bus

On the way out I found an elevator and went over and pushed the button. A man comes up and tries to squeeze in in front of me and waves some others to join him, probably expecting me to move back. I didn't move and turned toward him a little making the space even smaller. I just looked at him and he backed off. I feel this explains some of what we see in driving. If you can get your nose in people defer to you, but in this case I didn't.