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Monday, April 28 Principal Bengtson writes:

"Hope all is well at Canfield. I am sending this e-mail at 9:30 p.m. on Monday evening. No, that is not a typo. I believe it is 5:30 a.m. right now in Coeur d'Alene. Seoul is sixteen hours ahead of Coeur d'Alene. After leaving Spokane at 9:30 Sunday morning and flying for twelve hours non-stop, I am finally headed to bed so we can get up at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday and head to Geoje Island which is four hours south of Seoul to visit an elementary, middle and high school. Quite an amazing place with over 48 million people. I hope to take some pictures the next few days and I will send them to you.

Have a great week and I will be in touch. Technology is plentiful here, and I can access the internet from just about anywhere."
 

Tuesday, April 29,  Principal Bengtson writes:

"It's midnight on Tuesday, and I thought I would give another update. We spent time at an elementary, middle, and high school today. I am happy to report that kids in Korea are just like kids in Coeur d'Alene. It was an awesome experience. You will be pleased to know that the average class size is between 35-37 in all of the schools. I even have pictures to prove it. I left one of my USB cables in Seoul so you will have to wait until Thursday for the pictures.

They have a great school system over here. The one thing that stood out was the climate when you walked into each school. The schools were all incredibly warm, friendly, and inviting even when you don't speak the language. The students and staff were excited to be there.

What an awesome experience so far, and I can't wait to share some of the pictures with you. I just spoke with the entire office staff, and it sounds like all is well at Canfield. Have a great day and talk to you soon."
 

Wednesday, April 30,  Principal Bengtson writes:

"We are still in Geoje right now. We just finished a day of touring the beautiful botanical gardens after a short boat ride, spent time at DSME (Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine engineering) where we saw the entire process of ship design and manufacture. We traveled back into town where we visited the Monument to the POW camps and had dinner with the families and students who have traveled to Coeur d'Alene the last two years. We head back to Seoul on Thursday morning where we will spend four days sightseeing and touring."

Pictures:

Canfield's Sister School
Food Pictures From Soeul
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

Canfield's Sister School on Geoje Island

Principal Bengtson writes, "We are back in Seoul after a hectic 2.5 days in Geoje Island.  I have attached a few pictures from the schools we have visited.  In the next set of pictures, I will send a few photos of the food.  Rice and squid are great for a day or two, but a nice rib-eye steak sure sounds good right now.  I have eaten enough seaweed in the last few days to qualify as marine life.   It is 10:30 p.m. here which is 6:30 a.m. for everyone in Coeur d'Alene.  On Friday, we are traveling to the North Korea and South Korea border for a full day tour.  Should be quite informative.   Hope all is well in CDA, and I will see you all soon."

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Food Pictures From Soeul

Principal Bengtson writes, "Some of these (pictures of food) aren't for the weak stomach.  It is a little difficult for a 6'3" individual to sit cross legged for a couple of hours at a table that is ten inches high.  No chairs and certainly no shoes.  Here are some of the traditional Korean meals.  Most food is not cooked.  You will especially like the picture of our superintendent, Harry Amend,  eating raw squid."

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The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
Principal Bengtson writes, "Here are eleven pictures from the full day trip we took from Seoul to Panmunjon in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Several of the pictures are monuments while others are looking across to North Korea and their 160' flag pole. You will notice a village in North Korea which is called the "propaganda village" as no one lives there. Quite an experience. The one picture with the guard is the only opportunity you get to set foot in North Korea. While in the DMZ you are not allowed to point or make any noises. Harry almost got us in trouble by pointing at the North Korean guards in the brown uniforms."
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