Seoul, You Are A Friend Of Mine

This was my fifth trip to Seoul.  I first came to Seoul in the winter of 2009.  With last night's dinner, the entire roster of parents has changed since that first visit, but what has not changed is the warm reception I receive from the Korean Parents Association (KPA) regardless of the year.  This time they were so kind and welcoming to my wife, Ann, too.

KPA members and family join Ann and me for dinner

We started out our visit with this year's KPA president, Jun Seo Lee's mother, Hyun Joo Kang, at a lovely Italian restaurant in the French section of Seoul, Korea.  Go figure.  The very next afternoon, we had lunch with new freshman Sooyoung Choi's parents.  We were treated a Korean Beef lunch at a very popular restaurant, Budnamujip.  If you've never had the experience of a Korean Beef lunch or dinner, you don't know what you are missing.  The beef is cooked on a small charcoal grill built right into your dining table.

The evening brought with it a consultation and group dinner at the Grill Room of the JW Marriott.  Prior to the dinner, I met with each parent to discuss the progress of their sons or daughters.  I'd like to thank James Han, brother of senior Jason Han, for translating for me.  It was a great get-together and it has developed its own tradition.

Mo Kim '05 along with Ann and me in a shop in Insa-dong

The next day, Ann and I met with Mo Kim '05 for lunch to discuss the very successful alumni gathering that took place last February and again this past summer.  Mo wanted to make sure that all knew that a large part of the impetus for the gathering came from JaeBum Jeon '98 and Jason Kim '00.    Sixteen alumni from the years 1998; 2000; 2003; 2004; 2005; 2007; 2008; 2009; and 2010 attended the gathering.

Mo stressed the desire on the part of the group to become more established and to bring more of Brewster's Korean alumni into the group.  They are working on putting a more solid program into place.  They are in it for the long term.  It has already proven to be an effective means of getting to know each other which many of the group did for the first time.

Mo was kind enough to help Ann and me with some last minute shopping.  The photo here was taken in the Insa-dong section of Korea, a well known spot for tourist to shop.