6. Lest We Forget.

13^C

Post-rain sunshine.. so still a little cool and overcast.

안영!
Ok I’m not sure but I think that how you spell Hi, in Korean! You might remember me saying that I’m too lazy to learn to read and write Korean. Well, nothing has changed. BUT, now I notice things a little more. For example the sign on the bus that says Sangdong (상댱); I look at the symbols and think try to link it to some sort of sound. So doing little things like that, I’ve come to read a little bit of 한글 (Korean). Oh and of course I’ve discovered that my name is actually spelt 시브 - which actually says Shi-buh; no wonder they have trouble saying my name.. the character isn’t in their alphabet!

So, update on this weekend. I went to Seoul for the ANZAC Dawn Service and also Buddha’s birthday’s Lantern Festival! I got to Seoul on Friday afternoon and after organizing some accommodation and eating dinner at a place called New Zealand Bar-B-Q (which incidentally had nothing to do with NZ); I settled in and went to sleep while it was still pouring cold rain outside. Turn’s out my body didn’t feel like sleeping at that point.. so I tossed and turned until about midnight and then got up at 5am. Off I went to the war memorial.. it was quite spectacular actually!

As I was walking up, I saw a few people gathered in a group, so I went and introduced myself and they turned out to be really nice girls! There were five of them, all teaching English and all from NZ, so we went up to the service together. The only thing was that it was located in section of the memorial that wasn’t covered, and the cold seeped through to us all. I’ll apologise now for the lack of pictures, but it just didn’t feel right to be taking pictures at such an honourable ceremony. So this is how it went:

• Opening Prayer and Lesson from John, Chapter 15: Verses 9-14.
• The ANZAC Day Address by the NZ Ambassador.
• Ataturk’s Ode by the Turkish Defence Attache
• Wreath Laying under the names of the fallen.
• Commemoration to the Fallen:
  They went with songs to the battle, they were young
  Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow
  They were staunch to the end, against the odds uncounted
  They fell with their faces to the foe.
• Then a little girl named Isabella stood and recited this Ode:
  They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;
  Age shall not weary then, nor the years condemn.
  At the going down of the sun and in the morning
  We will remember them
  Lest we forget.
• Volleys.
• Last Post (Bugler).
• Two minutes silence (where all we heard was the clicking of the Korean camera crew!!!).
• Rouse (Bugler).
• Closing Address by the Australian Ambassador.
• National Anthems (Korea, Australia, New Zealand).
• Finally a blessing which concluded the service.

I must say that we were all a little annoyed at the Korean camera crew buzzing around throughout the whole ceremony trying to take pictures of absolutely everyone in every possible light!

After this we went to breakfast where they put on quite a spread (see pictures below). Then I went off to take some more pictures of the grounds. I was taking a particularly emotional shot (of the old man reaching), when I heard this “Hey can I ask you a question.. where you from originally?” I told them Fiji and she got all excited and called her friend: “Hey Lata.. [pointing to me] FIJI!!!” So that’s how I got to know the Pacific Islanders in Seoul.. they were going to a bar to watch the Super 14 but I already had plans to meet up with others. So I got their number and their “If you ever need a couch to crash on, we live really close”.

This seems like a large enough post already, so I think I’ll save the recollection of the Buddha festivities until tomorrow’s post. Here are the pictures up until then.

Children from an ANZAC club of some sort were flown in from Australia for the service.. they had no where to put their hats so..

Here you can also see US Army..

The Turkish Honour Guard..

Ok, right to left: Alice, Megan, Amy and Nicola all Kiwi's and 2 of them were private institute teachers and two were public..

Believe it or not, these were the Australian and NZ Officials working in Korea on behalf of the UN.. See what they're serving? That's Rum with coffee. Yep, you read correctly.. they had black coffee and a shot of rum to boot! Keep in mind that this was at 7AM!