LIFE AS SOOKMYUNG SUMMER FACULTY

Dear Readers. It's Wednesday, 23 June here in Seoul, just after 3:p.m. Forgive the manic posting during the past couple of days, but I've fallen far behind the events that have unfolded. Time flies when you’re having fun…

Last week flew by in a kind of dream when summer school began, and today Peter is halfway through his teaching! Last Monday afternoon we met the other faculty at an orientation session that included a tour of campus highlights. The particular highlight I liked was an exhibition of Canadian and American poetry in the World Literatures Room of the library. What a delight to see Don McKay’s Vis á Vis alongside the Wilfrid Laurier selection of his poems. After the tour we were hosted, with the international students, to a very good dinner.

Peter teaches for 3 hours each afternoon and so our lives have assumed a somewhat routine shape. We usually eat breakfast at home—fruit and/or yoghurt, toast and peanut butter, washed down with (believe it or not) tins of iced latte we buy in the local groceries or convenience stores (take your choice: Starbucks, Maxim, Cantata, Angel-in-us, Holly’s, Denmark Milk, the list could continue). About twice a week we go out for breakfast—lattes and scones or muffins usually, but one day soon we’ll head to a waffle café for breakfast—they are almost as ubiquitous as the coffee places. Peter then does class prep while I take care of small housekeeping things (laundry) or read, write in my journal, compile suggestions for yet more things to see and do before we leave.

Shortly before noon we walk to campus, about 7 minutes away along a lane, to eat a very cheap and good lunch (7000 won for the two of us, roughly C$7. 00) in the Faculty Cafeteria. There we often catch up with colleagues—who usually have yet more suggestions for things to do. While Peter teaches I sit by the pond, or come back here and read or write or stare out at our lane, where there’s always something happening. When Peter finishes teaching we meet for an iced coffee, and sometimes a walk in the park behind the campus. Evenings are more varied—we eat out most of the time, still feeling our way through the maze of Korean foods.

Thursdays at 5:p.m. we attend an informal research forum, where 3 of the summer faculty talk about their current projects or major research interests. Here’s the poster for the first session, when Peter spoke.

Research Forum I, Sookmyung Women’s University, Summer School 2010

Organized by Albrecht Classen (University of Arizona)

Faculty members of the Summer School 2010 present their research.

Colleagues, students, and the public are invited

to attend this free event.

Thursday, June 17, 2010, 5 p.m., room tba

Sharon Weiner (American University, Washington, DC): “Organizational Interest and Nuclear Proliferation”

Purnima Bhatt (Hood College, Frederick, MD): “’The Woman Factor’ in the Stepwells of Gujarat, India: Relationship Between Women, Water, Art, and Religion”

Peter Harris (University of Toronto): “The Reichstag Building: From Imperial Monkey House to Republican Glass House”