Day 1/2 - Off to Seoul!



As I write, it's hard to believe that it has been almost a full forty hours since Dr. Mullinax, his wife Rachel, and I left behind the Gates of Opportunity of Point lookout, MO for this tour of South Korea. After a smooth, unmemorable flight to Chicago and a good cup of joe from one of the many coffee shops, we began to meet the members of our tour group one-by-one as the veterans accompanying us on this trip flew in from across the county. In my mind, I knew that within hours we would be taking a thirteen-hour flight, literally halfway around the world. However, it wasn't until the rest of the students arrived, that the reality of this experience began to set in. That's when Mr. Richard Keller walked off the plane to meet me for the first time, not as an acquaintance, but as a partner and mentor.

As the trip's photographer, I have the huge blessing to not only learn from what  Mr. Keller has experienced as a veteran of the Korean war, but I also have the incredible privilege of  gaining from his years of experience in media and photo-journalism. We had plenty of time to chat and talk camera equipment on the flight from Chicago to Seoul, and I got to hear about some of his travels to his favorite places he's been in the world and that he has been wanting to compile the hours of footage into documentary form from the last seventy years that he's been shooting photos and videos. What's also neat about traveling with Mr. Keller on this trip is that in his service during the Korean war, Richard never actually set foot in Korea, he served from Japan and was able to go home, grab his camera, and start traveling/shooting film in 1952.  This means we are both experiencing culture shock at the same time! Each new food, experience, and memory brings us closer together as a team, and to our group of sixteen other students and eight other veterans and I can't wait to see what the rest of this week holds for us as we continue in this experience together.

Getting everyone to Korea was a bit of a task on it's own; with veterans from all over the United States, a tour-guide from new england, and twenty individuals representing College of the Ozarks. Incredibly all of our baggage made it to Seoul, and the West-Coast group of veterans were only about an hour and a half delayed. We landed, after our 13 hour flight, hopped onto our bus with "Allison" as our local guide and began our one-hour ride to our hotel here in central Seoul. After settling in and freshening up a bit, our parade of travelers of all ages then made our way to dinner this evening.

Tomorrow we begin our tour of South Korea by exploring the Chuncheon region. We will see places such as Pork-Chop Hill, White Horse Hill, and other memorable places within a location known as the "Iron Triangle". This area is extremely important to several of our veterans on this trip. It should be a very powerful time of  remembrance for all as we experience this place together. We hope you'll check in again tomorrow night to read about the students' experiences from our time in Chuncheon. We would appreciate prayers of safety and good-health as we continue our travel.

Blessings from Seoul,
- Austin Meyer (Photographer)
  Senior Studio Art Major
  Fall 2013