Day 1 GCC Travel Journal (5/7/12)

     My goal is to accurately describe my experience while here in Korea. I have been in Seoul for nearly two weeks and already I have formed a whirlwind of rationalizations, explanations, but most of all questions concerning the cultural and social phenomena I have experienced. I find some of these experiences and observations very interesting and positive, while others are concerting and negative. I seek to fill in this picture, that is to say “Korea,” with “content.”

      I am the kind of person who desires to look at the big picture, which means I want to understand the macro organizations and scheme of things. I like to think big! However, my perspective places me at a disadvantage. I am susceptible to overstate and generalize where sometimes there is not enough support or evidence to make a truthful claim—at best it’s a relatively honest opinion. I want to avoid this trap of generalization which can quickly transform into stereotypes. Having said this, my goal is to be objective and insightful as possible, yet at the same time I will be completely honest about what I think I see. It’s imperative that I begin the “process of understanding” by challenging my own experiences and interpretations by discussing them, in order to reveal a clearer picture of the truth.