EDUCATIONAL TOURS

		2 Student Reports
		DRUNKEN DRIVER'S 40 DAYS IN AMERICA by Ahn Hyun - Junior Chonbuk National University - Department of English Education September 1996 PREFACE If someone asks me, "How long have you been in America?", I will say "For 40 days." But if someone asks me, "How long was your trip?", then I would like to say, "It was over 40 days and I am still going on." I mean that I learned much about America, before my trip. And I am still learning about the culture of America and much more about the culture of Korea with a different view. Now, In my brain, so many memories are fighting each other to begin. And I am afraid my story will not end at the right time. Anyway, I will try to tell you about my trip as short as possible and as complete as possible. DEPARTURE It was a Sunny day on June, 22. All of our members gathered near the new main gate at about 11o'clock. Even though, their big heavy bags gave them difficulty, their faces never frowned. After saying goodbye, we started our trip by bus. It was wide enough for us to have a comfortable group talk, to have some fun games, and to have a pleasant lunch. Soon we arrived at Kimpo International Airport. It was smaller than I expected. Everything was new to me: the airport , the flight check-in, and duty free shop. Even airplanes were unfamiliar to me. At last, the plane took off and I tried continuously to have the actual feeling that I was going to Honolulu, Hawaii and I was on the Northwest Flight. The seat, the blanket, the pillow, the magazine, the stewardess, and the dinner on the plane; I can remember all of them as if I am looking at their pictures now. We spent almost 9 1/2 hours on the plane and we arrived at Honolulu. HAWAII In spite of the 5 hour time difference, I didn't feel jet lag. Maybe It was because all my attentions tended toward new and interesting experiences in Honolulu. It was so hot and humid. It was similar to the late summer heat of Korea and the sunlight was so bright. Many big trees and beautiful flowers were making an exotic atmosphere. And so many kinds of cars which I have never seen before always attracted my eyes. Our first visit was the Polynesian Cultural Center. So many things to see! There were plentiful exhibits from the Hawaiian islands. We attended some traditional games with the Polynesian natives. Most of them were just simple games but they instantly aroused my interest. There were many shows too. We enjoyed traditional Polynesian songs and dances in the shows. In one show, a handsome man who spoke well in Korean, Japanese, Chinese and English at the same time, made the whole party burst into laughter. And one of our members, Sei-Jin, received a laurel wreath from the man in the show. We had a traditional Hawaiian buffet dinner there. I experienced many unfamiliar foods, especially vegetables. One of them looked liked a normal sweet potato and had some taste, but it was purple. Another one looked like just an ordinary potato but it was yellow and had the taste of an old pumpkin. And I found interesting facts that in this area acacia flowers have the same shape as the one we know but a strange and different color. It was yellow and red. We visited Dole Pineapple Plantation. It gave me a chance to see the variety of pineapples. The free time at Waikiki Beach was exciting. And the big dinner at Planet Hollywood was great. It was an interesting restaurant which has many fingerprints of famous Hollywood stars and interesting records and pictures of Elvis Presly. Our first university visit, at the University of Hawaii was on the last day in Hawaii. A kind man explained to us every nook and corner of the university while sweating in the hot weather. Hawaii! The island of passion! I got onto another plane to experience the mainland of America making sure that I will never forget this island. FLORIDA To go to Sarasota, Florida, we had to change our plane three times. It took almost 16 hours until we arrived at Sarasota. Moreover, there was 5 hours of difference again. I was confused by the time difference and lost my sense of time. I was a little bit tired but I excited simultaneously by my expectations about the mainland of America. After arriving in Sarasota, we had dinner. It was special to me because it was the first dinner in the mainland of America For lack of information and experience about American food and about ordering food, most of us ordered too much food. I ordered cow liver by mistake. What was worse, the food was too sweet and too fatty. So I could not eat well at that time. But now I know that the food was the sweetest and fattest that I had in America. Maybe it was because my taste changed during the trip. Food is one of the important parts of a culture. Now, I know the food of Florida is quite different from the food of Michigan. It reflects even the culture of a family. So I was very delighted to have had many chances to experience various kinds of American food and other ethnic foods during my trip. Sometimes we made a lunch of hot dogs or hamburgers from the snack bar on the street. Sometimes we had a big expensive dinner. I have had French snail dishes, Chines food and Mexican food. And as far as I know, other members tried Japanese, German and other ethnic foods. Our ordinary meal was hamburgers. But even the kinds of hamburgers we had were numerous. And now, at times, I miss the taste and go to eat hamburgers. Having Korean food in America was an interesting experience. It gave me some strange feeling, hard to explain. Most of all, when we had a Korean dinner with our hosts at Washington DC, I felt a sense of responsibility for the food and became sensitive to their reaction. And when they said to me, "Pulkogi is great.", I was unable to contain my joy. In Florida, I began to see the cultural differences between Korea and America. When I watched the baseball game, when I saw the musical 'Comedy Tonight', at the Golden Apple Dinner Theater, and above all, when I had three day's free time at Disney World, I saw their free way of thought and conduct, the free way of expression, and free way of enjoying their lives. And I am likely to understand the reason why they don't use a term of respect to the old. They basically don't have any rule or limit of behavior by their age. They enjoy their life and express their feeling freely regardless of their age. Actually, when I saw the old man and his wife eating ice cream on the street, they never cared about other people's eyes, I was very surprised. And the scene of the old, waiting in line to ride a roller coaster, looked so strange. We stayed in Florida for 7 days. Everything was special to me. My first host and hostess, Martin and Dayol, were so kind that I felt as if they were my parents. And the first time shopping at the supermarket made my eyes open wide in surprise. The size of the mall was ten times as large as that of Korea, and the variety of goods was enormous. For example, there were almost 50 kinds of ice cream and 10 kinds of apples. Imagine! The agony of choice! Three days at Disney World was unforgettable. Especially the fireworks and night shows were fantastic. And there were various things to see, to learn, to enjoy. But, as for me, the most impressive fact was that every person kept order everywhere. Even though it was very crowded, it was never in disorder. I think, however, if there was no equipment or system to form a row and to make people wait for viewing comfortably and pleasantly, Disney World might be notorious for confusion. I hope, we will have such a system at every amusement park or museum in Korea someday. GEORGIA After finishing our last tour in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center, we had a long trip again to Athens, Georgia. We arrived at the University of Georgia late at night and met our new hosts and Kyungsoon, who gave us a big hands for five days in Athens. She graduated from Chonbuk National University last year and is studying at this university now. The next day, we toured the University of Georgia and took a psychology class with Kyoungsoon and other foreign students. It gave me a chance to compare our classes with American classes. We had a dinner party at my host's house with all of the other hosts and their friends. We sang them Korean songs and they sang their songs. While exchanging songs and talking about each other's country, I was amazed at the fact that we could be good friends in no time, though our nationalities were different. The 4th of July, Independence day in America, seemed to be very special to all Americans. We saw the movie 'Independence day' and went to a local park. In the afternoon, so many people gathered at the park. They took a rest, had some snacks and watched a show and fireworks with their families. It is so strange to have such a time at a park with all family members on a national holiday. Because we Koreans never do like that on our Independence day 'Kwang-bok Jul'. The tours of the CNN Studio and the Coca-Cola company were not bad. At the CNN Studio, seeing an example of weather broadcasting was interesting and at the Coca-Cola company, sampling all kinds of Coca-Cola in the world was interesting because it was free. Recently I heard from a commercial, a water park has come to Korea. The structure and equipment of the water park in Seoul is almost the same as the White Water Park in Georgia. To imitate something exactly the same as other countries is not so pleasant. But I expect, it will give many people new pleasures and new experiences. NORTH CAROLINA On the way to Cherokee, North Carolina, we dropped by Todd's friend's house. They showed us their unique lifestyle. All of the chairs, the tables, the furniture and even the house as a whole were made by him, Todd's friend, by his own hands. And his house was decorated with his guns, ox-yoke, and many stuffed animals. With his family we enjoyed an afternoon at the Minihaha falls. It was beautiful. We arrived at Cherokee, North Carolina, in the evening. Maybe you have heard the song, "Cherokee Nation". It is a song about the Cherokee Indians. As the song says, they were courageous and they were so proud to live, so proud to die. We saw a show about their history, "Unto these hills", at the Mountainside theater. The show was serious and exciting. But I could not avoid feeling regret for the limit of my listening ability. Whenever someone asks me "What was the most impressive thing in America?", I always answer "the Biltmore Estate". The Biltmore Estate is the largest private home in America. It has 250 rooms and an indoor garden, a tapestry gallery, a gymnasium, a bowling alley, and a swimming pool. Moreover it has so many sculptures, paintings and furnishings also. Also a winery, a deer garden, a big beautiful outdoor garden, a wide yard and a deep forest...... Isn't it wonderful? We went horseback riding in Pisgah National Forest, went bowling, played pool and had a campfire. Our special food, s' mores, made of marshmallows and chocolate was delicious. Yes! I want some more. VIRGINIA We stayed at Liberty University on the first day in Virginia and we continued our tour. Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, was mysterious. It was filled with Jefferson's excellent witty ideas. In that house, the clocks, the beds and the doors were all unusual. And a historical restaurant, Mitchie Tavern supplied to us original American food, not salty, not too sweet and not spicy. The University of Virginia was founded by Thomas Jefferson. It was a beautiful school. If you want to experience a wonder of nature, I would like to suggest Luray caverns. I saw fine art works of nature, the leaning tower of Pisa, a bedroom with a beautiful curtain, columns of the Parthenon and ice cream there. At the White House, I affirmed the fact that the White House is really white. But it has a red room, a green room, and a blue room inside. Can you guess the reason? Mount Vernon, George Washington's home had many things to see also. I could see the life of Americans and slaves in the 18th century. I still don't know if George Washington had something to do with the George Washing University or not. The school, however, was different from other Universities because it was located in the center of Washington DC. I could not distinguish the school buildings from the common buildings. I had never thought seriously about the Korean War before I visited the Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the unknowns, and before I met many Americans and Koreans who lost their family members by the war or attended the war personally. Sometimes it's better forgetting some sad things as soon as possible. But if only forgetting is the best policy for us, we will lose the important meaning and the value of such a big sacrifice. The Basilica of the national shrine is the largest Catholic Church in the western hemisphere. It was the most beautiful Catholic Church that I have ever seen. The Smithsonian is a huge national museum. If I were to tour the museum as fully as I want, it would take almost five days. Though we didn't have enough time there because we were late. But I was very impressed by the paintings and the plastic arts at the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. All of them were works of dissonant themes in the art of the 1990's. We visited the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the money factory. I saw the procedure of making money right in front of me. An uncut heap of money decreased my desire for money. It looked just like a useless heap of paper. At the Capitol we saw the House of Representatives and the Senate chamber. Every guard was on strict duty. We could not even drinkrwater. We toured the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, the National Archive, and The FBI also. Every day in Washington DC was a busy day. But the service on Sunday at church with our new hosts was the most deeply impressive experience, because we had the first formal presentation in front of many people. In the beginning, we bowed in the Korean way to the audience while wearing traditional clothes. We sang 'Arirang' and 'With Love', and two of our members taught them Korean phrases. We did well. After the presentation, one of our members said that tears stood in her eyes when she sang 'Arirang'. I found that all of us shared the same feeling as her. There were many Dutch students traveling in America like us. We had a discussion time with them. To my surprise, they had nearly the same impressions about America as me. And because the Netherlands and Korea are both small countries, our main topic was the wideness of America. PENNSYLVANIA Have you ever been recorded in the newspaper? I was, in Galeton, Pennsylvania. The mayor and his wife and two reporters came to meet us. We were recorded in three newspapers and I have a copy. Can you believe it? Galeton is the smallest city among the cities we visited in America. But Galeton was a beautiful, peaceful and interesting town. Every official of this town, for example, the mayor, policemen, firemen, and a doctor work for this town free of charge. I want ask you once more Can you believe it? This town was built up naturally by the people who gathered for lumbering a long time ago. And there is still a lumber factory run by the people of this town. Everyone whom I met around this area was very singular. Joan Post has a hobby of drawing pictures of humming birds and embroidering. Nancy Jones is a famous wood carver. Kent Kenyon runs a dairy farm. Jane Thompson keeps a beautiful botanical garden. They stirred up my interest in art and nature. OHIO There are people who live without any modern conveniences in America, for example: no cars, no TV's, no radios, no washing machines, etc. They are the Amish. I toured an Amish hardware store, furniture shop, ornament shop, toy shop, farm and home. They live a simple life like the life of the 19th century. They wear a quiet dress and use a cart to travel. Especially, their dolls were interesting. A doll wears Amish clothes and has no eyes, no nose, no mouth. It's because Amish people enjoy drawing their own faces on them. Isn't it interesting? CHICAGO I love Chicago. And I hope, I will go there someday to see the night view of Chicago again. Our tour in Chicago started at the Mercantile Exchange. What a busy life! Every person was shouting loudly and making a signal with their hands. They looked as if they were at war. The Sears Tower is the tallest finished building in the world. We saw the whole view of Chicago from that building. Chicago is famous for its beautiful buildings. But all of them were built after a big disaster fire, which burned almost half of Chicago. Chicago has many museums also. We toured the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Museum of Science and Industry. There are many Koreans and Korean shops. There is a China town also. We enjoyed our baseball game of the Chicago White Sox. I was impressed by their way of cheering more than the game itself. Chicago is a beautiful city not only because it has many beautiful buildings but also because it has Lake Michigan, Grant Park near the shore of the Lake, and a fine free concert every evening at Grant Park. I don't think I will ever forget the night view of Chicago. By the way, I was sad that I could not meet Michael Jordan, the emperor of basketball. MICHIGAN It is not easy to give up an honorable and comfortable life and to choose a hard life, to do what he really wants to do. I met such a brave man, John Wilson. He is famous for making Shaker boxes now; but when he quit his job as an anthropology professor to make shaker boxes, he had to endure a hard life for lack of money. The shape of the shaker box is unique. We learned how to make the box from him and worked for two days in his small woodshop near his house in Charlotte, Michigan. And on the last day in Charlotte, he awarded a prize to whoever made the best box. It was not me, surprisingly! At last, we arrived at our last destination, Frankenmuth, Michigan. But it was not an easy job. Because 0rofessor Todd gave a task to all of our members to find the destination, the Covered Bridge by the Bavarian Inn, by our own efforts. He dropped us off at many different places by twos and threes around the town. So we should find the bridge by just asking people the way. It was not so difficult for me and most of our members did well. We went to the Bavarian Inn and toured the Inn, the fifth largest independent restaurant in America. The tour of a virgin forest and the game of miniature golf on the way to the Au Sable River, gave me enough rest. And finally, we had a canoe trip with all our hosts at the Au Sable River. Canoeing was never an easy job for me. Because it was my first experience, my canoe crashed into other canoes or into logs on the riverside many times. So I got a new nickname from other canoeists "drunken driver". We had a chance to fire three kinds of guns at Professor Todd's house. I just tried one of them because the others made a very loud noise. Anyway, it was also my first experience to fire a real gun, not a popgun RETURN On July 30, we departed from Frankenmuth and headed for Detroit Metro Airport to come back to Korea. As like the time when I had started my trip, I could not have any actual feeling of departure. Coming back to Korea was an easier job for me than going to America. After coming back to Korea, I realized that 40 days is never a short term. Within such a short time, I traveled from the south to the north of America, from Hawaii to Michigan. And the range of my experience during the trip was really wide. Moreover, as I said before, I am still continuing my trip here, in Korea. Everyday I observe some differences and similarities between America and Korea. 40 days were not just 40 days. And I will never forget those 40 days in my life. I am really sorry that I could not write every interesting experience and happening here. I will finish my writing with expressing my heartfelt thanks to Professor Todd Terhune who planned and prepared all the details of our trip and guided us safely, and to Professor Shin Yong-Jin who always cared for us attentively, and to all of the hosts and other people who were so kind to us, and so made me believe that 'All Americans are kind.' TRAVELING REPORT AFTER COMING HOME FROM AMERICA by Park Sun-ok - Senior Chonbuk National University - Department of Physics September 1996 I knew that my nest didn't mean the world. People on the other side of the earth from us must think in quite a different way. Day after day, I became more and more simple. One day, I keenly felt the necessity of change which could help me see things from a different angle. I was eager to have an adventure. Then, I heard about the "Experiential English Program". I believed that this program would provide something valuable that general language programs couldn't. Through this program, I could travel around the U.S., visit new places, meet new friends, play new sports, stay at American homes and campgrounds, and learn English for 40 days (June 22 - August 1). I was with 14 other students, one native speaking professor (Mr. Todd Terhune) and one Korean professor (Prof. Shin Yong-jin). Before this trip, we students met 6 times to prepare for the trip and had one month of intensive classroom language study. During the trip, we traveled through 12 states in America: Hawaii, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. America is wide and the country of immigrants. So, this country has extra tremendous variety. But, I think that we experienced much variety through this trip by going to cities, farms, factories, national parks, natural wonders, schools, churches, museums, restaurants, Disney World, shopping malls, theaters, and movie theaters. Hawaii was a very different mood from the mainland of America and it was like an Asian country. Every place in Hawaii was full of people and shows. At the Polynesian Cultural Center, I could experience polynesian cultures (of islands around the Pacific ocean) and native dances. If you go to Hawaii, you might be surprised at the power of Japan. You wonder if Hawaii is really an American land. Many Japanese people often go there for sightseeing as groups. Even guides could speak Japanese and people who explained things and radio broadcasts repeated their words in Japanese. Actually, I saw man Japanese cars all over America as well as in Hawaii. I saw just a few Korean cars though. After about a 14-hour flight from Hawaii, we reached Tampa, Florida. We rented a van and a car to drive us everywhere. When I looked out of the window of the van from Tampa to Sarasota, I felt that people here took advantage of the large land. It was very hard to find high buildings or houses. Houses with lawns and trees looked very peaceful. I breathed a long breath to take peace and relaxation which I'd forgotten from long years in my small land. The first place where we went in Florida was a shopping mall. I was overwhelmed by the size of the mall and the variety of goods. Whenever I bought something in America, I began to get a headache because of the difficulty of choosing from a wide variety. Malls usually have their maps and several department stores and it's almost impossible to see everything in a day. Americans seemed to use air-conditioning systems almost every place because of an abundance of electric power. Even the structure of the rest rooms is different. On the whole, they were very clean and were ready for handicapped people. At night, we separated into each homestay house. I stayed at the Gallamore's house. I didn't need to take my shoes off indoors and I had to keep the washstand and the floor of the bathroom dry. I frequently ate breads and fruits for breakfast. Americans normally have light breakfasts; but lunches and dinners are very heavy. Just the appetizer or dessert can make me full. They enjoy salty, sweet and greasy foods. So they say that many Americans suffer from diseases and there are so many fat people. But I experienced new food everyday and could enjoy it very much. They regard people who make noises while eating as uneducated and we had to be careful of this fact. I agree with the proverb "Do in Rome as the Romans do" and not to judge a culture easily. We spent 3 days in Disney World to which I really wanted to go since my childhood. We went to Disney-MGM Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot center for one day each. Beyond my expectation, adults as well as children amused themselves in Disney World. Existing over 70 years, Disney productions have reflected American culture and life. Walking, waiting with patience and large crowds made us exhausted and this side of Disney World made me think of it as a nightmare world. At MGM studios, we could see actual movie productions. The 'Twilight Zone Tower of Terror' was a hit to us. The production room was very impressive to think that our fantastic characters like Mickey, Minnie, Pinnochio, and etc. came out from that room. At Magic Kingdom, you could travel into a high-tech future, stroll through a small town of yesterday and take delight in many kinds of rides. EPCOT is composed of a world showcase and future world. The world showcase presented the cultures of 12 countries; so, it is possible to go around the world in a day. Isn't that wonderful? Todd planned this trip and he helped us to adapt to the new culture. We took turns being the navigator to guide the van to specific places using a map, and buying things on assignment. When there were times to present Korean culture, we sang songs while wearing traditional Korean clothes. It was surprising to the Americans because it was new to them. People seem to argue that the world is one but Americans are fond of unique things and are impressed by them. I felt how important it is to know and keep our own culture. On July 2, we left for the University of Georgia. It was a 12-hour trip by van. Because the way was straight and smooth, I didn't feel any car sickness even though I was reading something. We met Kyungsoon, a Korean who was studying there. I stayed at Bridget and Orrin's house for a few days with 3 other students. Bridget majors in math as a Ph.D. She was a math teacher and realized the problems of education. She thought that the current system couldn't raise students' power of thinking. She began to study again at the university to solve the problems and would go back to teaching with her new knowledge. When Americans feel the necessity, without caring about their age, they seem to begin something again. We had a chance to attend a psychology class with graduate students. They almost all looked old, at least older than students fresh from college. That was a contrast to our situation when some students go to graduate school for continuing study. I still remember Orrin's Swedish pancakes and his kindness. We visited the CNN Studio Center and the Coca-Cola Museum. I was amazed at the fact that even CNN studio and Coca-Cola company required a fee to go in. I felt their commercial ability all over and could understand their basic thought that every perspiration deserves payment. On one side the people worked, and on the other side they waited to sell souvenirs to tourists. Fom July 11 to July 16, we spent time going back and forth between Washington, D.C. and Ashburn, Virginia. I stayed at a Korean-American's home. Sun-min married an American engineer, Peter, and they have two kids, Isaac and Mina. I couldn't conceal my amazement when I met Mina, an 11-year-old girl. She was an incredible girl. She showed me her paintings and models which she made. The facial fashion and magic show that she presented for me were so fun. Especially, I was shocked at her speaking. For her age, she spoke so logically and concisely. Her lovely and cute smile will remain in my heart forever. I was so glad to visit many public buildings like the White House, Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, the Smithsonian museums, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, the FBI and etc. in Washington, D.C. But there were many homeless and poor people hanging around and some people who wanted to cheat travelers. After taking pictures with our beloved hosts and hugging goodbye, we went toward Galeton, Pennsylvania, a small town of 1,500 people. People there, like people in a small Korean village, were too kind and generous. They served us with there hearts. Our visiting was big news in this town. The Mayor welcomed us directly and some journalists followed us to write articles for the newspaper. People in this town were satisfied with their lives and were a little bit scared about big cities. Some people like hunting and some people like riding horses. If I were lucky enough, I could have met a bear. Americans like decorating on walls and I could know their favorite things by looking at their walls. My host's daughter, Lauren, put horse pictures all over her wall. In fact, her hobby was riding horses. I envied her leisure of galloping on a horse and breathing fresh air. I think it's a kind of relaxation that people living on wide land have. Americans willingly say "excuse me" or "sorry" at the slightest touch. They ordinarily wait in a long line without complaining. I met some people who like working with wood or some other thing as a hobby. Nancy, at Galeton, had done carving on wood for 19 years (but she started it later in her life) and it was her method to make money. Leaving his original work, John, who I met in Michigan, was making boxes and he also designed and built his own home. Many Americans seemed to find their favorites and look for happiness. In Ohio, I saw Amish people. They are opposed to technology and modern lifestyles. They might think that developing technology is against God. This is the country which has people both for and against technology and so many various opinions on other topics. We at last arrived in Chicago after traveling through Indiana. It was a very cold and big city. I could see some people cut in line in traffic. But, I'd like to say that Chicago is a romantic and beautiful city. Chicago is bordered by Lake Michigan and has fantastically designed modern buildings and free concerts at night in Grant Park. We walked along the shore of enchanted Lake Michigan at night. We stayed at North Park College in Chicago for 4 nights. We had to go to McDonald's, or Burger King, or Wendy's even in the morning. We mostly ate hamburgers or pizza for lunch, so I am reluctant to go eat hamburgers or pizza nowadays. The scenery from the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the world with 110 stories, was marvelous. I could see 4 other states out of the windows. The buildings and Lake Michigan matched each other. We went to Adler Planetarium, a place for astronomy education, and Shedd Aquarium, the largest indoor aquarium in the world. At Comiskey Park, we enjoyed a major league baseball game between the White Sox and the Oakland Athletics. I experienced American enthusiasm towards baseball or other sports very often. The excellent stadium was situated high from the ground and we could order food from our seats. On July 24, we went to our last destination, Michigan. I took the chance to talk to Dr. Douglas of the Medical Technology Department in Michigan State University. He answered my questions sincerely for about an hour and explained willingly again when I couldn't understand something. That point, I think, is another American characteristic. They are in the habit of asking and answering and are ready to ask and answer. I am sure that this point is one of the strengths of American education. I was with Nathan and Jeanne and their two daughters, Elizabeth and Rebecca. Elizabeth and Rebecca study at home from their parents. Nathan, a pastor, said that they could learn something more important at home than they could ever learn at school. The two daughters spend time in formal study, ballet, embroidery, and taking care of babies. That was new to me. I'll never forget the terribly cold night when I couldn't sleep, and splashing water on David and Rebecca while canoeing with Nathan. I also thank Jeanne for help in buying presents. On the way home, I realized how much I missed my family and country. I expect that I matured through this trip. I at least must be a little bit wiser and have a little bit wider vision. I think that I can see my country with a sharp eyesight and contact more closely to my way of life.