Pacific Rim Parks

2010-08-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

MY ASIAN TRIP

My Asian trip was big. Long and full of new interesting views, people, culture, and other small aspects.

First of all I moved to Beijing, China. City is nice, a lot of temples and parks around, small lakes with a lot of restorants and small old streets. All velo and moto transport works on accumulators – Think it is Olimpic games result. A lot of people on the central streets who wants to know your name and where am I from… Very problematic ones! Be carefull with them! It was hard to remember all the subways station names as Guargximen or Chaoyangmen or Jianguomen… It’s writes different but sounds the same! It was hard to orientir in the city+ metro first time (I was 3 days there). Even taxi driver had a problem to find my hotel address. There are no way for me to do my trip in Beijing so easy if not Katya ‘s help. She is helped me a lot (starts from Hotel reservation, ticket to sms and phone personal Guid. She is my ex student, now works in Beijing like in architect and also nice girl. When I was looking around I met Italian girl Martina Bazzo from Milan (later we spent some time together including visit of Great wall on my Birthday) and one american Boeing engineer Paul who also get lost in orientation there. So three of us get one place together to see some modern region where was Pauls hotel. Thanks him for the double juice for me… Nice evening with Katya in one beautiful place near the lake (but without lotus flowers - they cut it and probably ate. But with romantic candle) and with nice company!!! Finished my last day in Beijing.

Morning on next day I was in speed train (240km/h) moving to Shanghai city for Expo visit and not only. Alina my other ex student ;) - (what to do if your students everywhere) Jock! Met me in Shanghai that she get 2 days earlier and brought me to the hotel. Thank you Alina for this and for your travel bag that I use for 2^nd PRP! Hotel was kind of far from the center (but +metro) took almost 1,5 hours but was enough cheep. It was funny to use a motorcycle taxi to get my hotel at night, hugging the driver men for the 30 minutes with wind in the ears, without helmet and roads rules. But in double times cheaper then on real taxi!:)). If you are foreign and stay in the hotel, the owner will bring you to police to fill some documents…Be ready! Two days I spent in Expo place with a lot of countries pavilions and million china’s and some Europeans and other visitors. Hours and hours waiting in the lines to get any pavilion! I choosed to see them all outside and just some inside. It was many interesting architecture and interior scenary ideas. 2 days on expo + 2 days other places…Old Shanghai (more correct to say: small village Zhujiajiao) like Asian Venice located on the Dianshan Lake! There are canals and gondolas. It is another story how I found that place, trying to explain to the Chinas people the purpose of my interest and how I overtook my bus by the taxi. City is interesting also. Tall sky buildings and the tallest one in near past time we visited. Nice sea panoramas there you can see.

Came time to move our bodies to the South Korea, Jeju. Two flights get us there. In a way we met Sasha (also student who was in Pilipino park and lived in James home in winter last year.) So 3 Russians bodies get Jeju to renew Russian presence on Jeju for help PRP motion. “PRP Alumni” it calls now!)) Athena – American girl also came like PRP Alumni. She was participated in Mexican park.The view from the terrace of our home on Jeju was amazing! Through the cover of pine trees you can see the ocean with big waves, sound of crushed by the volcanic rocks with such rich forms (that looks like an animals or faces). Super view!!!

I get room where lived Valery (he came 1 week earlier), Mike (I knew him from Pilipines) and two Koreans students JH and Oh (nice guys). JH - washing machine boss- he always was in company of Korean girls that did massage to him and to Mike sometimes (I think there were a lot of girls who wanted to do massage to Mike))), Oh – internet boss- who always was absent at night but at morning was too late for the breakfast. Some times Piglet - Korean girl came to our room at morning to dry her hairs (maybe because Mike had a personal hair dryer or maybe she liked to come and do this procedure in front of mirror especially in our room because the mirrors of our eyes also was bright))) I don’t know. All was ok, but all the girls that came to our room get in without any signal without patter and warning.)))

How we get see there was too much work to finish! (everybody just ate different food delicates) befor our arrival! Jock. The park on Jeju is the biggest one on area and students with James and Kyle did a lot. But 10 days that we worked there were also enough to get tired of Work and hot weather. Nice company, interesting country presentations, opening ceremony… Bye friends, bye James and Kyle… 3 days more on Jeju. Thanks to professor Ko and Tracie. They gave us place to stay longer. We visited the central Island pick mounting (1950m), volcanic cave, museum of love…)

I had chance to sweam with a dolphins in the sea there. But also in that time which I was on Jeju I lost my cat Musik. He lived in our family almost 18 years. It was sad time for me. He met me at home after 4 parks (S-Diedo, Yantai, Tijuana, P-Princesa). After 5^th he did’t…(((

Seoul. We get city by diffenent teams. Me, Katya and Dima (2 students) stay in Valery’s apartments. He works in Korean University like a professor and live there with his family for a year. Seoul I visited in a year befor the park on Pilipines. It was new for the Students. Big city, many places to see if you know where to go…Thanks to Valery for his help in this deal.

Later train to Busan. Busan is a large port. We stay in one japan hotel not so far from the railway terminal. There are many bridges and ships in the bays. The landscape like in Vladivostok. I like this city. It is near the ocean! Nice sea panorams, sailfish, fish market… We visited Busan aquarium. It is in 3 levels underground. There are a lot of sea animals, penguins, snakes, terrapin, frogs, fishes, chilims, crabs, gelfishes (medusas). I was interesting in slopes and sharks. I never see too much differences in one place. Think it is interesting for the kids! But all this animals wanted freedom… it was in their eyes…(

Bus to Sokcho. Sokcho is a small city. In 1989 (maybe) it was an Expo there. Not so much new architecture since that time just mail pavilion and an Expo tower, but I like. It is very comfortable city. And again – the sea, waves, small fishing ships in interesting Asian forms. Also exelant mountings, cable car, mounting river with waterfalls and small bridges, Lighthouses!

Last shopping and we are on the Ship to Russia. Romantic trip home with clean horizon in the One Ocean at day and night, stars on the sky, moon +not romantic drunk Russians brought us to the real condition after so nice adventure. PRP time are great time and the thing that we do, did and hope will do. But life around PRP also different. And people live by their lifes with their problems and mentolitet. Hope world will change to the best not just by PRP!!! :(

Probably it was hard for the students Katya and Dima to have so concentrated trip after hard work on the park, but If not in this time, who knows maybe we never will be in this part of the world. Life is so changeable, volatile.

We’ve got Russia. We can see our native coast, islands, smell. Zarubino city. Is nice to come here for rest near the sea, but we came home. We miss home. What is home??? - Friends? – Parients and Friends! And Land and Language and Smell! And the LOVE that we all trying to find…

Anatoly Tukhbatulin

Filipino Blog Entry

2010-08-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Pasensya na kyle ngaun ko lang naisulat yung tagalog na blog entry makalimutin kasi akong tao at wala ako masyadong tiwala sa tagalog ko...

Ang proyekto ng Pacific Rim Parks na naganap ngayong Hulyo hanggang Augusto sa isla ng Jeju ay naging isang matinding pagsubok dahil ang trabaho na ginawa natin ay mabigat at nakakapagod ngunit ang lahat ng pagod at hirap na nanaranasan ko ay nabalanse ng saya at pakikisama na dala ng iba't ibang mga estudyante na galing sa iba't ibang bansa tulad ng Russia, America, Mexico, Japan, China at Korea. Alam ko na ang ginawa nating na liwasan ay napakahirap gawin minsan nga habang ginagawa natin ang proyekto na ito naisip ko baka hindi natin matatapos to ngunit dahil sa ating pinagsamang pagsisikap ay natapos natin ang napakagandang liwasan. Tulad ng isang kasabihan sa pilipinas ay pagasamasama ang mga tao kayang kaya gawin ang kahit ano.

Ang pagsasama natin ay naging isa sa pinakamasayang pangyayari sa buhay ko dahil nakilala ko kayong lahat. Gusto ko lang sabihin na ako ay lubos na nagpapasalamat sa pagsasama natin ng isang buwan at sa lahat ng nasaktan o naistorbo ko (lalo na sa mga nakasama ko sa kwarto na nagdusa dahil sa paghihilik ko) ako ay humihingi ng pasensya sa inyo. Sana naman sa pinagsamahan nating isang buwan na iyon napaligaya ko kayong lahat at may naitulong ako sa proyekto na ito. Ako ay nalulungkot na iwanan kayong lahat ngunit ako ay umaasa magkikita tayo muli ngunit hanggang dumating ang panahon na iyon mag ingat kayo at sana masaya kayong lahat

ang inyong kaibigang filipino
Pablo Ignacio R. Lim

-----

The Pacific Rim Park project that took place this July to August in Jeju island was a real challenge because of the grueling and tiring work. But all the hardships I went through was balanced out by the camaraderie and happiness brought by the different students from different countries such as Russia, America, Mexico, Japan, China and Korea. I know that what we did was very difficult and there was a time when we were building the park that i had my doubts but through teamwork and combined efforts we were able to make a beautiful park. this reminds me of the filipino saying that when everyone works together anything can be attained.

Our time together during the project is now one of my happiest and most treasured memories because i was able to meet you all. I just want to express my most heartfelt gratitude to everyone because of this wonderful experience. And to anyone I hurt or inconvenieced during the park (especially my roomates who had to suffer my snoring) Im very sorry. I hope that during this park i was able to give a some assistance and bring some joy to you all. Im very sad that we have to part ways but i am hoping to see you all again but until then take care of yourselves and live happy lives.

your filipino friend
Pablo Ignacio R. Lim

DAY 27 (August 7 2010): The Pacific Rim Park Dedication Ceremony

2010-08-08T16:51:00.001-07:00

Finally, after one month of the hard and I mean hard work, the park is now complete. For the dedication ceremony, distinguished guests such as the governor of Jeju, Woo Keun-min, and the American ambassador to South Korea, Kathleen Stephens, along with numerous television cameras and print media reporters, attended. The weather was incredible: sunny and windy, perfect Jeju weather.

Professor Ko giving a speech

Jim giving a speech

The Crew

Ambassador Kathleen Stephens giving a speech

Prof. Ko and Kyle

The Jeju governor Woo Keun-min and Jim, surrounded by media

Here are the images of “Stepping Stones of the Pacific.”

“Stepping Stones of the Pacific” will remain in Jeju for years to come. It will be one link to connect all the other Pacific Rim Parks. But more than anything, the experience to create a park with students from all over the world has been indescribable, and the one-month we spent together will remain special in my heart.

The brain behind the scene

You will remain in my heart...

The final meeting in the Pearl

The last dinner we will have as a group was at a “secret garden” where figures such as former Japanese Prime Minister Nakasone and the Chinese leader Hu Jintao visited. It entailed phenomenon food and environment (with live traditional Korean performance), which couldn’t have been any better.

Fresh seafood was my favorite

I had never been treated so elegantly in my life...

Beautiful sky as if it was celebrating with us

The park could not have been made possible without the help of the Jeju government and the people. Also, Prof. Ko, Architect Kim, Prof. Kim, Stone Master Kim and Mr. Lee have helped visibly to make this special park. I also thank the women divers who cooked lunch for us and let us use their bathroom for the past three weeks.

I would like to personally thank Jim, Kyle and Professor Haggard at University of California, San Diego, for opening the door to be a part of this unforgettable project.

And lastly and most importantly, I want to thank all the fellow students who ate, slept and worked together for four weeks. This is one of the things that only those who have participated will have the true appreciation for. I will remember this experience forever. Thank you for being so great. There wasn’t a single person I hated. Creativity, diligence, sense of humor, whatever you need to be successful in life, you all had it. I hope to keep in touch and see you all again in my life!

Tomo

DAY 26 (August 6 2010): Last Official Work Day

2010-08-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that today was our last official work day before the competition ceremony tomorrow. A few tasks were being combated at the same time to finish this park.

On the pearl area, we were finishing up the pearl itself and cleaning the stone floor and walls off dirt and cement. On the back of the pearl portion of the park, the weed planters were planting grass. To hold the grass, they used chopsticks and stuck them on the ground. On the spiral, we were pouring reddish brown cement and the sand from Jeju beach (which consists of small black stones from volcano). Also the flag poles were planted today.

Working on the Pearl

Planting the flag poles

Friendly weed planter

Field of chopsticks (used to hold down the grass)

Back of the pearl

Putting cement on the spiral

Water melon break

Overview

The GM stone

The lunch was bibimbap with cold cucumber/seaweed soup. This soup is very refreshing after hard work in the scorching weather.

Bee Juseyo (this bee never moved while we poured water into cups)

Saying goodbye/thank you to the women divers who provided us with lunch for the past three weeks

In the afternoon, we continued to work on the pearl and spiral, but we were also constructing the shed house with a bench near the entrance of the park. The woods were cedar and smelled very nice.

Happy Jim as the construction comes to the end

Group Shot

It has been hard and hot four weeks, I think everyone worked so hard until this last day of labor. But the park is unbelievably complete. Who would have believed we would conceptualize, design, model, and build a park with 30 students within four weeks? We set a deadline, and we didn't question or stop for a moment. We kept pushing and pushing without hesitating. I am very proud of our dedication and the effort.

Exhausted in the bus on the way back to our dormitory

The dinner was shabu shabu for the third time. I think shabu shabu is everyone’s favorite meal, and also at this restaurant we could get free ice cream!

Tomorrow is our completion ceremony day. I cannot wait!

Tomo

DAY 25 (August 5 2010): Two More Days!

2010-08-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

There are two days left (including today) until the end of the construction. Today we concentrated on finishing the pearl portion by laying down more flat stones on the floor and steps, and putting tiles on the pearl.

The pearl

Oops

Lunch was fish soup with lots of red pepper, and cucumber kimchi. The fish had eggs and they were my favorite!

Pablo massaging Catherine

We continued our work on the pearl in the afternoon. In addition, we got a lot of weed beds to be planted on the grounds around the spiral and pearl. Lots of Korean women and women from other nations (Philippines, Vietnamese, etc) came to plant the weeds.

Weed Planters

Making the sign

The sign in Korean

"No no, there!"

The Pearl portion of the park

The pearl

Dinner was seafood soup with lots of red pepper at a seafood restaurant (I think this is the fourth time we ate here). It was also our friend, Xuejiao’s birthday! We sang a happy birthday song and also had birthday cakes for her. Happy birthday!

Cocoon?

Happy birthday!

Tomo

DAY 24 (August 4 2010): Finishing Up

2010-08-05T05:55:00.001-07:00

Today was quite spectacular. We poured reddish brown cement on the walkway to the pearl and around the spiral. A huge crane truck with a long tube dropped cement like doodoo. It was a sight to see.

Concrete Tube

Pouring concrete

The Machine Ballet

Sae Bom working on the spiral

KK washing his mouth after double flip into the ocean

Lunch was kind of like sukiyaki, but with lots of red pepper. Beef, tofu, mushrooms and other vegetables danced in the hot soup.

We continued our work on the pearl...

Stone floor

GM stone

Also it was the last day of the friendly shovel car driver.

The dinner was probably the best dinner we ever had. It was at a Korean Airline Hotel. The buffet included sushi, sashimi, kimchi, salad, fruit, ice cream, etc. I loved it!

That is a plateful.

Tomo

DAY 23 (August 3 2010): Great & Visible Progress

2010-08-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a scorching hot day. It was also windless, which made the site unbearably hot. But we made a lot of progress on the pearl portion of the park. We laid down more stone pieces on the floor and the wall, worked on tiles near the pearl, and flattened the ground near the spiral and built stone walls so we can pour concrete tomorrow.

Working on the Pearl

Walls (in progress)

Building the stone wall and making the ground ready for concrete

Y-not picking up the tiles

Valery working on the steps

Jim talking to the tilers

Xuejiao drying the seashells to be put around the pearl

Drying the shells

Mikey In Da ZoNe

Concrete mixing crew exhausted (probably the hardest work at site)

Catherine tiling

Yuri and Sun. 'K'ute

KK yelling "mul mul mul"

Mad Artist

Lunch was grilled fish, bulgogi, kimchi, cucumber kimchi, etc (why does this sound familiar?).

More work on the pearl…

Piglet working on the tiles

3 Russian and 1 American women working on the tiles

Sae Bom cleaning the stone

JH and Oh

The snail machine revealed! (the ground flattener!)

The pearl in progress

"(singing) I have energy..."

"Got Handcream?"

Grandmother Stone (carved)

The dinner was at an outside restaurant! It was very romantic. In addition, it had a karaoke stage! My roommate KK sang a Korean song (he was great, too!), followed by Russian Sasha and Mexican Galel.

Korean BBQ dinner at an outdoor restaurant. It was hot, delicious, and romantic.

Kanpai!

KK singing

Galel singing while Kyle dances with Y-not

Tomo

Parque a la Orilla del Mar

2010-08-02T05:26:00.000-07:00

Pacific Rim Park es un programa internacional diseñado para estudiantes de diferentes países que desean aportar algo a la humanidad. Durante más de 10 años se han construido parques ubicados en países que conforman el cinturón de fuego tales como: Rusia, Estados Unidos, China, México, Filipinas y ahora lo que vendrá siendo el sexto parque en la isla de Jeju, Corea del Sur. PRP son dirigidos por el Arquitecto Kyle Bermang y el Artista James Hubbell desde 1998. Hoy, sigue adelante este programa con la ayuda de Dios se lograra el termino de este maravilloso proyecto.

La Sonrisa es el Alimento del Alma
(The Smile is the food of the soul)

Este año 2010 Con un cálido abrazo le ha dado la bienvenida ha jóvenes estudiantes que han estado conviviendo como nunca lo habíamos hecho antes. Demostrando asi que el lenguaje no es un impedimento para formar amistades. La amistad es algo que no tiene limites incluso entre personas con diferentes idiomas. Hemos sido una familia muy bonita, es algo que jamas olvidare.

Myke, Ziyang, Galel contentos por lo que estamos viviendo en Corea

Estoy muy sorprendido por las personas de la isla porque son realmente muy amables, sonríen al momento de saludarlos. Es una alegría indiscriptible, me siento como si estuviera en casa, y eso nos ayuda muchas veces a pensar en lo que realmente somos.Para las personas que este leyendo este escrito sabran a lo que me refiero… Verdad Dima?

Demetrio esta pensando: Te extraño Rusia! (Dima thinking: I miss Rusia!)

Pero Ellas no piensan lo mismo
They don’t think the same thought

Ni siquiera ellos( Animal Planet Alive)

Algunos se divierten durmiendo
(Tomohiro Ito)

En lo personal siento que estos parques ayudaran de alguna manera a que la humnanidad este conectada: no solo con un sencillo proyecto sino con alegria de decir que el mundo es de todos y que debemos cuidarlo para que las generaciones futuras esten cada dia mas unidas. Mantengan una sonrisa incluso en los momentos mas duros. It keeps a smile, even in the tough days.

Galel Martinez Hernandez( MEXICO )

DAY 20 (July 31 2010): The Grandmother Stone & the Park Name

2010-08-02T02:46:00.000-07:00

We have now six new members in this year’s PRP: three Russians and three Koreans. The Russians were planned to be here from the start, but the Koreans were added spontaneously when one of the girls stopped by and saw us working. She got some of her friends and decided to help us build the park!

The new Russians

The new Koreans

Valery explaining the park to the new members

In the morning, we continued to work on the Pearl portion of the park. Also the excavator pulled the emergency signs off the current place. We will implant a new one when the park is complete.

Working on the Pearl

Pablo mixing cement in front of a large audience

Garrett and Yang building the outside wall

The excavator pulling off the emergency sign

Our lunch was grilled fish and Bulgogi.

The woman diver statue and the restaurant we eat at

In the afternoon, we got the rock which will be carved as a grandmother stone later by the stone master, Mr. Kim. It was a very difficult task to place a huge and heavy rock onto the small tip of the spiral.

Setting down the grandmother rock

Professor Ko and the Stone Master Mister Kim

The GM Stone and the Spiral

We continued our work on the Pearl...

Anatoli at work

Oh at work

I think I saw a slight smile on Jim's face...

The Bananaholic Russian

The bottom walls

Hardworking girls

We got our park name written in Korean calligraphy. In English, it is “Stepping Stones of the Pacific.”

This is the park name in Korean

Jim contemplates

After the hard work, the local government of Jeju invited us for Korean BBQ dinner. The food and hospitality the people in Jeju have shown us have been quite remarkable. Thank you!

The Jeju government officials giving us words of encouragement

Korean BBQ

Tomo

DAY 19 (July 30 2010): Long and Hard Day

2010-07-31T06:09:00.000-07:00

Because it was extremely hot yesterday, we decided to put up a temporary roof in the Pearl section of the construction site. This turned out to make a big difference in the temperature.

Building the shade

It really makes a huge difference in temperature

Almost everyone worked on the Pearl section today. Building the stone wall (with cement as glue), stepping stones, vertical pieces, etc. While one group worked on building the Pearl, the other group worked on making the cement by hand.

Prince at work

Catherine at work

Oh at work

The Big Two at work

Valery at work

Jin at work

Stone Masons at work

Lunch was fried pork with Korean curry sauce, kimchi, yellow radish and cucumber with red pepper.

Pork Stone Wall (stone walls started to appear in my dream...)

Afternoon nap

Everyone is pretty exhausted

Dima can't hold it anymore!

We continue to work on the Pearl section in the afternoon.

Pablo made a sunbrella!

JH and Garrett moving a stone

How is it?

"Beautiful (with Chuck's voice)"

The concrete mixing crew made their own shade!

Catherine and Song making a chair

Frozen icecream break! (it's really frozen like icecube)

The Headquarter

Mmm.

Mmm..

Mmm...

"If we crush this barrier, we could advance into the enemy's central city..."

He is the friendliest shovel car driver ever

Stepping stones (in progress)

The dinner was at a western style restaurant for the 3rd time. I like this restaurant because it offers dessert in the end. The main dish was seafood spaghetti and fried fish and shrimp. Professor Kang came to give us a word of encouragement.

At night, we had a circle meeting at our dormitory. Since we got three new Russian workers, we had “other-introduction” (meaning one person would introduce another person, instead of self-introduction).

Tomo

DAY 18 (July 29 2010): Long and Hard Day

2010-07-31T05:28:00.000-07:00

Such a different weather today offered us compared to the last two days. It was sunny, hot, and worse, not windy. It felt like I was in a sauna and tanning booth at the same time.

A few interesting events occurred in the morning; one the water truck got stuck in the mud, and two two people got stuck in the bus when they were sleeping while the rest of us got out of the bus. The driver locked the door, not knowing there were people left in the bus, and they had to get out from a tiny window (the driver was missing).

The water truck getting stuck

Rescuing Piglet

We established more vertical stones, putting stones and cement behind them. Also the Stone Masons started working on the spiral, and it looks really progressive from above.

Carrying out the flatstones

Hello Life.

Jin is always busy!

Spiral from above

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Mixing cement

Lunch was the same as yesterday’s, except we had chicken inside. This dish is very close to Japanese sukiyaki, other than the fact that the Korean version has red pepper inside.

Two journalists from the Jeju Weekly came to write an article about the Pacific Rim Park.

Pablo and Catherine on the roof of Women Divers' restaurant (it's where we eat lunch everyday)

In the afternoon, a concrete mixer came and we poured more concrete into both the spiral and the pearl. For the spiral, a shovel car did the work for us; it picked up the concrete from the truck, then poured onto the spiral. For the pearl, we poured concrete directly on the side. But for the interior part behind the vertical pieces, we used wheel barrows to carry it.

Pouring concrete by shovel car

Pouring concrete on the side wall of the Pearl

Got enough concrete?

Pouring concrete behind the vertical pieces

Sometimes you put too much concrete and the wheel barrow falls

The professional stone cutter/carver

Our work space

Stone snow from all the cutting

Dinner was our second time “seafood soup with red pepper” and my favorite Don Bae. Everyone must have been very hungry, we finished eating in less than thirty minutes, almost silently.

This is my favorite food here (Don Bae)

After dinner, Kyle made a spontaneous plan to walk across a bridge. This bridge was very cool, it had lights on the ground and the arc, illuminating beautifully in the dark Jeju night. True for this bridge and local park we visited before, there are a lot of families in these amusement places even if it’s 9 or 10PM. I don’t see this in America or Japan, people usually stay home or don’t go to the park at that late night (remember this was Thursday, not Friday).

A changing color bridge. Really pretty at night. Great dating spot

Tomo

DAY 17 (July 28 2010): Comfortably Windy

2010-07-30T03:21:00.000-07:00

Today was rainy and stormy from the morning, so after the breakfast, we divided into two teams: one would go to the site and do some light work, two would stay at the dormitory and make clay tiles to be put in the park.

Making the clay tiles

At around 12:00PM, we all arrived at the site. By then, the sky had cleared out and we had some of the most beautiful and comfortable weather since we came here.

Lunch was almost like Japanese stle Sukiyaki with beef and vegetables.

After lunch, the women divers (who owned and operated the restaurant at which we have been eating lunch everyday) gave us some insights about what it is like to be women divers. It was a little surprising to know that there are some men divers (1% of the total divers, if I remember correctly).

In the afternoon, we went back to work until 6PM. Made lots of cement, moved stones, built on the spiral, established more vertical pieces in the Pearl portion of the park, etc. The weather was very beautiful with quite strong wind and occasional blue sky.

Professor Ko

Russian men working

Panda mask murdered (by KK)

The blogger's second job

This is Garrett's personally trained dinosaur. It's very cute.

I'm starting to see the final results of this construction.

Dinner was chicken soup with rice and ginseng again (one of the not-so-spicy Korean foods, which I appreciate a lot). I wonder if we have eaten all or most Korean or Jeju cuisine…

Mikey and Piglet

Tomo

DAY 16 (July 27 2010): Slow Day

2010-07-29T02:29:00.000-07:00

Because of rain, we didn’t get too much done today. We basically did two things: poured more concrete and moved small stones to be put in the first base (the pearl portion of the park).

Happy Jin = Happy Crew

Garrett getting ready

"Noooo!"

Pouring more concrete

Working on the Pearl portion of the park

We carried the concrete by wheel barrows

The sky was looking very stormy, and the waves in the ocean were angry. And in the middle of laying down the concrete, it started to shower.

It looks mysteriously beautiful

Working in the rain

Lunch was cooked grinded beef, yellow radish, kimchi cucumber, salad, etc. I’m curious why we have a lot of meat at a women diver’s restaurant where they collect seafood. I don’t really remember having a lot of seafood except seaweed.

That cucumber is my favorite actually.

Tiger mask got so dirty after working in the rain

Mike's afternoon connection with nature

In the afternoon, we smoothed the concrete and moved many stones to the pearl portion of the park so we could work on it easier once the weather clears.

Valery wearing a handmade PRP shirt

Mike working on a piece of art

Pablo writing his name on the Pearl base

We came home earlier than usual today, and had a meeting in the basement to discuss our progress and some of the techniques we are using at the construction site. It seemed that a lot of the architecture students do not actually go outside and build buildings, so this must be a great opportunity for them to learn what it is to physically build buildings.

We got some more insights about the construction techniques we are using to build the park

Dinner was at a western restaurant (second time) and we had Korean wine! It was the first time I drank Korean wine and frankly it was very tasty. Very rich and fruity. I think I had too much wine (as usual). The dish was fried pork chop.

Korean wine

No chopsticks! (but yes Kimchi)

Tomo

16 дней на Чеджу...

2010-07-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

Ну что, вот и пролетели две недели. Ощущение, будто я на Чеджу уже целый год. Столько всего произошло! Начну пожалуй с самого начала. Про участников - 27 студентов из семи стран - это очень весело, все такие разные!

UniPark, утопающий в залени

Прилетели мы сюда 11 июля, нас встретил представитель от Чеджуйского Национального Университета и доставил в гостиницу UniPark. Это отличное место: великолепный двор, в котором мы завтракаем, если нет дождя; неподалеку внизу плещется море об скалы; уютные комнаты с бамбуковыми полами; приятный администратор. Про комнаты, немножко поподробней - никаких кроватей, спим на полу на тонких матрацах, в каждой есть ванная, небольшая кухонька, огромный телевизор (который некогда смотреть), кондиционер и т.д.

Холл

С понедельника, 12 июля, у нас началась очень плотная программа. Сперва нас, естественно, познакомили с нашими спонсорами и показали место, где нам предстоит возвести PRP. И затем, первые несколько дней мы ознакамливались с местной культурой, с обычаями, с природой.

Камни-лица

Были в Национальном музее, в Парке камней (здесь понимаешь - камни живые), в Музее в честь Каменного Старичка ( Дольхарубан - символ Чеджу), в Мемориальном музее, посвященном инциденту 3 апреля и геноциду в разные времена ( очень печальное место, столько смертей!).

Peace of peace

И постепенно нас втягивали в проектирование - мы делали кучу набросков и постоянно обсуждали с Джеймсом Хабблом наши впечатления, говорили о символах Чеджу и вспоминали про символы наших стран, про различные поверья. Одним словом искали вдохновения для дальнейшей работы и насыщались впечатлениями.

Галель рисует фасад

Пятницу и субботу провели в общежитии, работали над проектом. Первым этапом, каждый самостоятельно делал клаузуру и затем презентовал ее. Вторым этапом, мы разбились на команды по 5-6 человек (в каждой - по одному представителю от разных стран) и уже должны были представить свою идею Парка в одном или двух макетах (лепили из глины) с более подробными чертежами и видовыми кадрами. Было очень интересно и даже забавно: синтез нескольких культур в одном проекте, у каждого свое видение Парка. После презентаций эскизных проектов Джеймс и Кайл Бергман постоянно задавали вопросы и мы совместно анализировали наши работы и делали корректировки. Это, на мой взгляд, очень продуктивный метод проектирования.

Пабло

В воскресение Джеймс Хаббел и Кайл на основе всех наших идей и своих представлений весь день работали над окончательным проектом Парка, а мы все в это время отдыхали в городе и на пляже. Вечером была презентация проекта Парка, а на следующий день нам предстояло его оформить с чертежами планов, разрезов, разверток, видовых кадров для показа местным архитекторам и спонсорам. Думаю, у нас получилось это неплохо.

Пилильщицы

И вот со вторника, 20 августа, началась стройка 6-го Pacific Rim Parkа. Работа эта, конечно, не для хрупких. Каждый день завтрак в 7.00, выезжаем в 7.45, дорога до места строительства занимает 40 минут, и до 17.00, с одним перерывом на обед, мы таскаем камни, устанавливаем опалубку и арматуру, копаем, месим бетон и землю в дождь т.д. Домой возвращаемся изнеможенные, ужасно грязные, голодные; полчаса на сборы и мы выезжаем на ужин.

В траншее

"Кривая Хаббла"

Но, как бы, ни было тяжело, это очень приятно – делать что-то значимое и прекрасное своими собственными руками, да еще и в окружении веселых, замечательных, всегда готовых прийти на помощь, людей. Труд сплачивает людей, и теперь мы как одна семья.

Дождь

DAY 15 (July 26 2010): Heavy Duty Work Day

2010-07-27T02:24:00.000-07:00

After a day of nice beach or shopping excursion day, we got back to work on Monday morning. We had three places that we were working on: the base one, base two (AKA the spiral), and stonewalls.

Jim giving instructions

Rolling stones (vertical pieces)

Just in case

Jim found a new hat!

On the spiral, we put stones and poured cement.

The cement was hand-mixed, which was very tough work.

Scoop the mixture around the mountain and place it along the edge of the pool. Keep doing it until the water is gone. Then add more water and keep doing the same.

Enlightened

Russian men

Lunch was Korean curry with cucumber, potatoes and chicken. With that, of course, we had cucumber kimchi, yellow radish and mayonnaised fruit.

Jin and Kyle working on the computer

Jim taking a nap

Badass Garrett

He calls this the "shovel pain"

Prince making an updated version of the site map

Watch this concentration!

Dima doing the same

The Stone Masons were amazing and precise at making the stonewalls. They really are professionals at it. Also they lent us some more extra tools such as a hammer drill and wet saw.

Making the stone walls

The Stone Mason

A nice stone wall

I think after two weeks of working together, we are starting to feel like a family with most people. Below are people that I haven't seen being together before.

Let's see today's result.

Base 1

Base 2 (the spiral)

Dinner was at a seafood restaurant. This restaurant offered us some exotic Korean cuisine. Cow intestines, sea slugs, kimchi, tofu with red pepper sauce, and eel were consumed in our hungry stomach.

Eels

Lots of uncooked seafoods & meat

Tomo

パシフィック・リム・パークとは、、

2010-07-26T06:35:00.000-07:00

パシフィック・リム・パークとは、、

直訳すると「太平洋沿岸公園」。　アメリカ合衆国カリフォルニア州を本拠地とする非営利団体で、ウェブサイトの説明によると「太平洋沿岸の国々の友情と平和を育むための架け橋としての公園をつくること」が目的だそう。　

かいつまんで自分なりに説明すると、「太平洋沿岸の国々（アメリカ、中国、日本など）に１ヶ月で様々な国の参加者とともに平和公園をつくる」活動をしている。　アメリカの建築家、ジム・ハベルを中心とし、今までアメリカ、ロシア、中国、メキシコ、そしてフィリピンで公園を建設し、今年は韓国、チェジュ島で公園建設を行う。　私はその平和公園建設に唯一の日本人として関わることにした。

まずは自己紹介をさせてもらおう。　私、伊藤智啓は静岡県出身の大学院生。　現在、カリフォルニア大学サンディエゴ校にて「国際関係／環太平洋学」を学んでいる。　専門は国際政治。　今回の「パシフィック・リム・パーク」についてはカリフォルニア大学で韓国政治を教えているスティーブン・ハガード教授から聞き、自分にとって非常に興味があるプロジェクトに聞こえたので参加することにした。

すこし驚いたのは「今までのプロジェクトに全く日本人が参加していない」という事実だった。　今年は日本のお隣韓国で公園建設が行われるということで、少しでも友好関係を築くのにもいい機会だと思い参加を決意した。　さっき聞いたが、公園完成後にはチェジュ島のガバナー（島長？）や市長、さらに在韓アメリカ大使も完成記念セレモニーに出席するという。　チェジュ島を韓国の「国際平和島」にしようとしている韓国政府の働きかけによるのか、この「パシフィック・リム・パーク」には今かなり政治的に追い風が吹いている。

自分の国際政治、国際関係への関心とは裏腹に実際韓国に着いてみると意外に国際関係に興味を持っている参加者は少なく、ほとんどは建設や設計などを学んでいる生徒たちばかりで、いい意味で期待が外れ、他の国々の生徒と「生の会話」ができて非常に勉強になっている。

国際政治、特に日本政治を専門として学んでいる私にとって韓国や中国は「過去の遺産」のせいで「仲良くしたくてもなかなかできない国々」というイメージがあり、今回初めての韓国訪問に少し不安感を抱いていた。　特にチェジュ島は旧日本軍が早くから占領し、軍基地を作っていたせいでよけいに反日感情が強いんではないか、と心配だった。　しかし実際来てみると状況は全く逆だった。

今回のプロジェクトは韓国で行われることもあり、韓国人の参加者が一番多いが、世代が若いためか、みんなかなりフレンドリーにせっしてくれる。　中国人生徒とも違和感なく仲良くなれた。　韓国人生徒の一人は「日本は小さいのに経済大国第２位。アジアの誇りだ」とまで言っていた。　これにはさすがに驚いた。　なんとなく一国単位で考えるより、アジアとして全体的に考えている生徒が多く感じられた。

今回集まった参加者ははじめからグローバル思考な生徒が多かったのかもしれないが、それでもみんな仲良く、１つのチームとなって公園建設を行う光景は非常に清々しい。　私個人的には「パシフィック・リム・パーク」の真の目的は「共通のゴールに向かって１つになれば争いや紛争をやめ、協力し合い、平和を維持できますよ」ということを小さいスケールで証明していることだと感じる。　実際中国、韓国、ロシア、アメリカ、メキシコ、フィリピン、そして日本から来た初対面の参加者たちがたかが２週間ほどで家族のようになっている。　共に食い、共に寝、共に働く　—　すべて「平和公園を建てる」という１つの目標がある故、可能になっているのではないだろうか。　まだプロジェクト終了まで２週間ほどあるが、すでにいろいろ勉強になっている。

伊藤

追伸：　ちなみにここのほとんどの英語のブログは私が書いたものです。　英語が読める方は是非読んでみてください。　写真もほとんど私が撮ったものです。

DAY 14: work and rest

2010-07-26T05:33:00.000-07:00

We started our day-of-rest doing a little more work in our basement studio. Our to do list consisted of:

Working on the site plan to make sure that points of reference are exact. Some measurements had to be checked so that our plans accurately portrary the work that will be on-site.

Experimenting with different flags on a mock-up model of the three flag poles. We needed to figure out what amounts and lengths of fabric would be best to hang from the three 30 foot high cedar poles that will soon be installed. Two long, elegant white banners span between the poles. Three smaller blue flags hang from each pole. The site is usually very, very windy and the flags will almost always be dancing. They will be visible from far away; the land around the site is low and rolling.

We officially began our day-off by walking down the road to lunch.

We spent the rest of the day at the beach.

DAY 12 (July 23 2010): Fight Against Time!

2010-07-24T07:30:00.001-07:00

If you want to build a park within a month (including a week of designing and making models), it’s not so much about the difficulty of doing it; but is about the fight against time. And today was the most “rushed” construction work we have ever done so far.

The concrete truck was coming at 3:30PM, and we needed to dig holes to pour the concrete, shape them, and lay out woods and steel wires.

* Click on the pictures to enlarge

Jim, Chuck and Mike getting the measure right

Fight against time means dig dig dig!

At one point, Jeju local news broadcaster came to shoot some of the park building process, and also interview one of our own, Mr. Mike "Mikey" Meo.

I love those masks

Screw it!!

Lunch was jabchabap, kind of like bibimbap but this one has clear noodles (made of sweet potatoes?). It was delicious.

After a quick afternoon break, we went back to work as the truck was coming soon.

Afternoon nap (this wasn't a set up, this was for real!)

Kyle representing the village spirit

Triangular Tie (AKA TT)

Afternoon snack!

When the concrete roller finally came, one of the most “exciting” events in this year's PRP occurred: the truck got stuck in the mud, and we had to dig around the tires to get it out. However, that didn’t work, so we carried the concrete by wheel barrels. Finally when the concrete roller was light enough, it was able to get out of the dirt. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of this event (I was filming it instead).

Now let's see the results.

Before (Base 1)

After! (Base 1)

Before (Base 2)

After!! (Base 2)

Here's the snapshot with the sky and the mountain...

Should be the desktop wallpaper of every PRP member

Dinner was again delicious Chinese food. Today was the official last day for Chuck, one of our construction specialists from San Diego, CA, USA. He has been a great help, providing his great expertise. Goodbye Chuck, and see you back in San Diego!

Tomo

到目前为止关于环太平洋公园

2010-07-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

从7.1到今天为止，环太平洋公园的项目已经经历了12天。时间过得很快，我们从互不认识到今天的成为好朋友。从对济州的微微了解，到今天的对济州的文化有大概的有深度的了解，12天，收获很多。

环太平洋公园2010年在韩国的济州，已经是第6个，每个公园的主题是围绕珍珠，当我们在每个地区的公园都建造好的时候，这些珍珠就像项链一样联系着我们这些国家和地区，环太平洋公园的中心是和平，来自不同国家的朋友汇聚在一起，共同的建造一个象征和平的公园，在我看来，这是这些公园建造的意义。同时，对我自身而言，和拥有不同思想的人在一起，一起设计，一起建造，将会收获颇多。

一. 关于济州
在第一周，我们一行人的总体行动就是要深入了解济州的一切，从第一天的在政府部分看宣传片，到后来的参观石博物馆。

第一天在政府部门看宣传片还吃到济州特色的橘子

在博物馆了解济州的文化

象征母爱的山

合影

教我们开石头的师傅

二、关于美食

在济州的这些日子，不能不提的就是韩国的美食，从烤肉到泡菜，从韩国火锅到韩国的中国菜，从著名的鸡汤到每天早晨丰富的早餐，让我领略了韩国美食的魅力

自助烤肉

丰盛的早餐

三、关于朋友

在这段时间，我们大家一起生活，一起工作。成为了要好的朋友。

场地大家合影

在工作室思考

hu,lee and gallel

四、关于设计

关于设计，大家都十分努力，同时，小组将模型用粘土做出，在其中我们享受了很多，也学习了很多。

我们组的模型

-------王子扬

DAY 11 (July 22 2010): Concrete and Cement

2010-07-23T02:48:00.000-07:00

Today was a big HOT day since we were getting the concrete/cement into the bases we made. One of them was almost done yesterday, so we worked on it some more to finish it. The other one was completely untouched, so we started out from scratch.

Wheel barrels, ready to go!

Carrying the generator is a bitch work. No, really.

Our flag and bus. Grand.

Hammer it!!

Measure it!!

Panda at work

Cut it!!

Hold it!!

Cow at work!!

Smoke it!!

Put on protection. Always.

The truck driver JH

Tie it!!

Grrrrr!

Lunch was at the same place (owned and operated by women divers), but the food was actually very Korean. We had bibimbap! I drank about seventeen cups of water just for the record.

In the afternoon came the tank-rollers with concrete. This was probably the toughest task we have ever done so far. We had to even out the cement poured from the corner. But the cement will get hard within two to three hours, so we were fighting against time as much as the difficult work itself. In total we had eight tank-rollers filling up our bases for the park.

Afternoon nap!

Afternoon drag

Here comes the concrete!

Banzai!

Shovel it!!

Smoothe it!!

Working on the second base

Let's see the results!

Before (Base 1)

After (Base 1)!!

Before (base 2)

After (base 2)!!

PRP =3

I didn’t get a chance to take a picture but a scooter with two women (not with us) crashed into the pile of stones we created on the side of the road. The ladies were okay, but the bike was visibly damaged with the mirror ripped off and the part where you put your feet shattered. It’s good that no one got hurt.

Dinner was Korean style Sukiyaki. Basically, we put a bunch of mushrooms, vegetables and noodles into a boiling pot of broth. When they are cooked enough, we just pick and eat. The broth was so good with all the juice from the ingredients.

Good restaurant?!

Sukiyaki!

Tomo

DAY 11 (July 21 2010): 2nd Day of Construction

2010-07-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

It’s only the second day of construction but it feels like we have been doing it for a while (already!). We got a lot done yesterday, and basically we built on what we made yesterday. It was a little bit less hot today because there were a lot of clouds covering the sun. But the wind was weaker, making the scene feel more humid.

Friendly driver

The wall

Popo (with no gun!)

Commander in Chief

Hammer it!

Making the framework

Hammer it!!

Shovel it!!

Smoke it!!

'K'ute 'K'orean 'K'irls

The headquarter

So intense that even fly won't leave

Chuck Hammering

Our neighbor wanted a cubical with small stones so we made it. The neighbor will be happy now!

Before lunch, ambassador Mun Ha Young, Professor Kang and Professor Ko visited us to give words of encouragement.

The driver has the toughest job

Group shot

Lunch was at the same place as yesterday. We had rice, cooked grind beef, kimchi and yellow radish.

The beach right in front of where we are building the park belongs to women divers, and it is specially reserved for them. In the afternoon, however, women divers gave us the permission to swim in their beach!

Korean style sunbathing and Dima playing a trick

Mike connecting with the nature

Kyeong Deok connecting with the nature.

The 'snail' machine (yet to be revealed).

More work in the afternoon…

Let's see the result...

Before

After!

Great job guys!

Dinner was Korean BBQ! It was delicious, I especially like the second round of meat (dipped in special sauce). But then a table next to me had a problem: the heat melted the gas knobs!! The party was quickly over and the rest of the meat was cooked in the kitchen to be brought back to the table.

Korean people really feed us well here.

This is what happens when you cook too much Korean BBQ!

Tomo

Day 10 (July 20, 2010)

2010-07-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was our first official day of construction. We woke up bright and early! Breakfast had been moved to 7 in the morning. Some people originally wanted it to be at 6:30 (thank goodness it was a half and hour later!) We then dressed for the site and set off. I'm not sure anyone realized what to expect for the day, even PRP veterans. When we got to the site it was very, very windy and still cloudy! Perfect work weather. We then were given an important safety lecture by Kyle and Chuck. We then were roughly put into groups. The groups were, digging up rocks/clay to make a trench for one of the outer walls of the site, moving and collecting rocks to put inside the trench, and staking out the perimeter of one of the park's 2 spirals. I was in the digging up rocks and clay group. We set off with our shovels over our shoulders and went to where we should start. By this time the sun had started to come out but the windy breeze cooled and stirred the 90 degree - humid air. As soon as we started digging, I realized this was not just going to be a walk in the park! It was going to be dirty, dusty, and muddy. Not to mention a workout! By Twelve ' O clock, Jim had laid out the spiral and we were 3/4s done digging the trench, and collecting the stones were an ongoing process. Everyone though, was caked... and I mean caked in dirt. We all had looked like we had gotten great tans. We ate at the restaurant right next to our site. Just as a little reminder, our site is at the beach where some of Jeju's Women Divers dive. The restaurant is owned and operated by the women divers. I was obviously expecting fish for lunch, but we got delicious breaded pork curry and pasta salad. I'm not sure if it was really as good as it tasted, but after all of the morning's hard work it was one of the best meals that I have ever had! After our lunch break, we were rested and refueled and went back to work. Soon it was time to start filling in the trench with large stones for the foundation of the rock wall. Other people were still collecting stones. Eventually, we ran out of stones to both collect and to finish the foundation and had to wait for more to be delivered in order to complete it. It was mid - afternoon by this point. (If it was possible we were even dirtier than we had been in the morning). Kyle and Jin went and got us popsicles and milkshakes (they were in a bag with straws). It was much need considering it was getting very hot. People also started to get burnt. We had originally been told we weren't allowed to swim in the ocean, by the Women Divers, but luckily they changed their minds. Unfortunately, no one knew this until yesterday and no one had new clothes or bathing suits. On today's afternoon break, you can be well assured we are all jumping in the water. Finally, we ended our break and went and dug two more trenches. One trench was for another wall's foundation the other was to help with storm water drainage. We got ready to leave and were told we were going straight to dinner. It was a funny thought. Our entire bodies were the color of the reddish - brown clay and dirt we had been digging in. Thankfully, we got to go home and have a quick shower first. Although you should never do this on vacation in a foreign country, we went to the same restaurant twice - we went back to the Shabu Shabu place in Jeju (I'm pretty sure no one cared we were all exhausted). The food was just as good as the first time and the Soju (Koren style vodka) was just as strong. We then did a little shopping at a local convenience store. Some of the Korean girls and I got animal hats. I got a cow. We then went back to the hotel. We stayed up hanging out until around 11 at night. It felt like it was much much later. Then we all went to bed and I bet it was the best nights sleep anyone has had since getting here!

- Jordan

DAY 9 (July 19 2010): Final Day in the Studio

2010-07-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

Now that we had the final model of the Park, we needed to draw the details of it. We drew different parts of the park individually or in groups. Meanwhile, five students and Chuck and Kyle went to the Park building site to have a correct measurement of the place (I stayed in the dorm).

The morning meeting

Different perspective

Garrett measuring

Galel drafting

Yang drawing

Lunch was “shrimp burger” with French fries. The fries came with either onion or cheddar powder. We would put that power inside a fry-bag, and just shake it. I believe the burger was from a place called Lotteria.

The Pepsi can has to have all the great American foods printed on it.

We did more of the detail-drawing in the afternoon. I’m very impressed with the quality of drawings my fellow friends can produce.

Jordan making a computer model of our park

Garrett's drawing

Catherine's drawing

Dima's drawing

Now the pro's (Jim's drawings).

The much anticipated dinner was our second taste of “chicken soup.” Apparently, today was the official beginning of the summer in Korea, and Korean people eat chicken soup to start the summer. It was yummy, I was the last one to be still eating when everybody else was leaving!

Do we have enough glasses?

Yum. I thought this was better than the first one we had.

From tomorrow, we will be at the Park building site to actually begin the construction.

Tomo

DAY 8 (July 18 2010): Play Day!

2010-07-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

Today was our first “excursion” day, AKA play day! After being carbed up with rich breakfast (as usual), we headed for the Jeju Tourist Complex.

Breakfast was big as usual!

Russian eating a cookie with chopsticks. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

We walked a lot today. First we walked to the amazing volcanic rock beach. The rocks looked like they were blocks or man-made concrete! I’ve never seen anything natural that looked as elaborate and polished.

Near the volcanic rock beach, in front of a huge seashell

The water was beautiful blue/green

Don't they somehow look man-made!? Looks like a bee-hive.

On the way to the Botanical Garden on foot, we saw a lot of interesting plants/objects.

Palm tree flower?

Tequila flower? Aloe flower?

This was viewed from a bridge on the way to the Botanical Garden. It looks like a miniture model...

Then we decided to go see the waterfall and this turned out to be the highlight of today.

On the way to the waterfall, we saw a temple! *snap*

The sound and the view were magnificent, in addition to the spray from the waterfall being very cool.

A rainbow!

Lunch was at a very American style restaurant. But before we ate, we played pool! The Russian Catherine turned out to be a very skillful player, so was the Price from North Korea.

Catherine breaking the balls

Jin doing her Korean trick

We all ordered different foods, some ordered Lasagna, some ordered burgers, I ordered chicken curry. It was very surreal to hear Simple Plan or Fall Out Boy from the radio in Korea.

Very spicy (but good) chicken curry

Then we went to the Jung Mun beach, which is the best beach in Jeju according to my Jejuan roommate. The beach actually had sand, which was surprising to me because all the beaches we saw so far were made of volcanic rocks. It was the best beach weather with sun and heat! At this beach, we saw tourists from other countries such as China and Russia, but my shy Chinese and Russian friends refused to talk to them!

Best beach in Jeju?!

Garrett has to surf, he just has to.

Mermaidizing JH

Dinner was Chinese food, but again the Chinese students told us that the food was “indigenized” to Korean style. I don’t know if it’s because we walked so much today, or because the restaurant was the best in town, but the food tasted fan-testicle! Almost all the plates were emptied, which we don’t see at every meal due to the tremendous volume of Korean style food.

Noodle, fried rice, orange chicken, yellow radish, kimchi, etc.

On the way back from the restaurant, we saw the Teddy Bear Museum. We didn't have time to go inside, but we managed to take a picture at the sign!

Teddy Bear Museum. How bizarre.

On the way back to our dorm. Dima is in the next world.

At night, Jim presented us the final version of the model we will build. It incorporated all the models created by the students, plus his and the government officials’ inputs. It looked very curvey or round compared to most of the models students made, in addition to looking “buildable.” We only have three weeks to build this park so this is important.

Final model

Jim's concept drawing

Tomo

DAY 7 (July 17 2010): Creation? Clayation! Making Models with Water Clay

2010-07-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

There hasn’t been a day when we didn’t have any outside activities since we got to Jeju, but today we stayed at our dormitory all day to create models with water clay.

Before making models, we divided into groups of six people with different nationalities (except for Koreans since we had the most number of them). I think this gave a very whirling dynamics because usually a lot of the students work with their nationals, speaking in their mother tongues. But here we had to speak in a common language: English. It was quite interesting to see who takes the lead, who jumps in to get their hands dirty, and who focuses on expanding concepts and drawings before making any model.

Lunch was pizza and fried chicken (which I missed), but what was fun was afterwards, we went to the beach right outside of our dorm! To get there was like the movie Ramboo, we had to walk through trees and go down the hill with no apparent steps or aid. Also the ocean had a bunch of rough rocks, waiting to mark scars on our skins. A lot of people got cuts and bruises after swimming in this volcanic rocks beach.

The rough surface of Jeju volcanic rocks are not friendly to human skins.

It's just impossible.

After the unplanned swimming in the spikes of volcanic rocks, we went back creating and polishing the models with clay. Before dinner, each group made a presentation of our “clayation.” I was very impressed with how real the models looked, and how well-thought-out each of them was. Kyle and Jim are right thinking that we needed all the “cultivation” in our heads, as the trips to the Stone Museum or the Jeju April 3 Peace Park, in order to come up with such sophisticated models.

Team Mike

Team Galel

Team Prince

Team Dima

We took a nice walk to the restaurant we would eat our dinner at. Usually we just drive straight back and forth to our dormitory, so it was nice to take the time and walk around the neighborhood we stayed in.

On the way to the restaurant

The dinner was Jeju original Heuk Tway Ji (black pork). It was so delicious! It actually had a lot of fat, which made the meat very soft and juicy. I had a ton of Soju, so by the time I left this place I was drunk out of my freaking eye balls.

On the way back from dinner, in front of our dormitory's sign (ghosts!?)

Tomo

mike meo- week #1

2010-07-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

We have toured all over the island- visiting places like the Jeju Natural History Museum, stone museums, memorial sites.... we have been gathering many stories and gaining a very intimate understanding of the island and its relationship with the greater Pacific community. To be designing on and from earth so sacred is a huge honor. We have been bestowed with a great gift and challenge.

The small-group desiging both began and ended today; we produced clay models and beautifully drawn and colored renderings of our proposals. The models were a product of our intimate research and many, many sketches. As an artist and designer, I have never felt more free, creative, liberated and stimulated. I cannot stop drawing and writing. Working with clay has been an eye opening experience. My spatial thoughts flow fluidly with the liquid earth medium. My sketches come to life and my fingers make discoveries that my mind could not articulate with words or sketches alone. The model we produced (one Russian, three Koreans, a Chinese student and I) is a complete synthesis of all our complex and diverse ideas about the site and the park that we will be building. The model would not exist as it does right now had any one of us not been present.

We started this morning by laying out all of our personal sketches. We looked for a common rhythm and flow. We had a giant lump of clay waiting for us to dig our hands into it- but we waited patiently, and tried to find our common language first. From this initial sharing, some important ideas and common desires were evident. First of all, all of our personal park design proposals had some sheltering, protective elements. The site is subject to powerful and persistent weather phenomena: strong winds, blistering temperatures (both boiling and freezing), strong sun and even stronger rain. Also evident was a need to embrace the sea. Our designs reached towards the Pacific in their own unique ways. Lastly, stone was a main material element in our proposals.

The task was daunting, but our process felt so natural and organic. With our discussion fresh in our hands, we began sketching in plan view, trying to figure out where the dominant parts of our "structure" could come out of the earth. We drew and redrew simple curvilinear lines over the site plan. The arching, fractured lines produced a circlular, inflected energy: a shell of sorts that reveals itself to the sea but creates in itself intimacy, protection and a certain level of transparency. What was missing from our original proposals was mystery and strategic ambiguity. For example, my personal design ideas Incorporated too much transparency.

I was focusing on the mountains behind the site and the ocean in front, all while trying to maintain transparency along the path that perpendicularly intersects the site. There was no mystery. Before entering the structure, most elements were visible. The act of entering was not processional. The form itself felt right: it was rooted in the earth and its curves felt responsive. As an object, it may have worked. But as an experience, as a space, it was missing something.

So the small group and I paid close attention to this need for mystery.

We pulled two of the main arched movements closer together, creating an entrance from the back (the road-side) that existed between the two curving forms. It is tight and intimate. Upon entering, a visitor would flow through it. After rounding the slight corner the structure blossoms and blushes, revealing itself to the visitor. The curves pull the visitor in, reveal the ocean- now framed between two crescent masses (both of which from that perspective, open to the sky). Above and to the left lies the pearl. It rests peacefully between the two massive curves. The two stone, earth and tiled walls reach towards the sky then bow towards each other. They never meet. Instead the pearl rests between them. The energy of these massive forms is transferred through the pearl- for it is the keystone. (the keystone is the stone in the middle of an arch, it keeps the arch from collapsing). Without the pearl, the waves crash, never to rise again: the walls could not sustain. Its placement here and its structural quality is richly symbolic. The pearl is not visible from the road; it is nestled in the top-most tip of the half arch closest to the sea, and it is below the tip of the half arch closet to the mountain-side. It is however fully visible from the path that flows through the site (a hiking trail frequented by many that encircles the whole island). The pearl is also exposed, most importantly, to the sea and the lady-divers (woman who continue with the Jeju tradition of making a living through diving for food; once they dove for pearls). They hold the most intimate knowledge of the site. Even though I have not had the opportunity to connect with the divers, my design ideas orbit around the goal of creating a space within which they can connect, a shelter that embraces the elements and sends them into the earth, rather than into the people. I hope that we are able to connect with them in the three weeks of construction and "continuous design" (a term and design philosophy that I learned from Kyle and Jim last year) that we have ahead of us. They could be the stewards of the park.

We worked collectively as a group carving, twisting and smoothing our lump of clay into the materially manifested synthesis of our personal ideas and commonly shared goals. The project is a reminder to me of the infinitely complex and beautiful work of an architect. That which must be considered when designing seems infinite- as it should, especially when designing on earth as sacred as our site. Everything must be considered. The sun, the shade, the winter wind, summer wind, the moisture, the moss, the road, the beach, the history, the sorrow, the joy, the culture, the Pacific, the building codes (?), the limitations (three weeks and a budget of some sorts (? again), the force of time. How will the land accept our park? How will it mature? What will it speak? What story will it tell? Dealing with the complexities is at the heart of this design/ build. There is nothing formulaic about the design journey we have embarked on. It is not as simple as saying: 'a strong north wind means we do this', 'traditional Jeju architecture is this, so we must...'. It is not that simple. What this week has been to me is feast (not in the way the food pictures would have you believe). I have taken in so much about the site, the culture here, the history, and the Pacific. It is only after beginning to digest all of this that we can rightfully and responsibly begin the designing. And that is what we have been doing. I am rarely referring back explicitly to the vocabulary and discoveries I had made this week. Rather, they are so deeply a part of my thoughts and feelings right now, they manifest themselves in ways so organic that I don't realize that the intimate knowledge is present until I step back and look at what I have drawn.

For example, my initial sketches described a form whose mass was centrally grounded in the earth but whose energy was sent far out to the sky and eventually back into more distant earth. Pair of splitting curves and arches kept appearing in my sketches. The arches were strong and elegant, frozen in a moment of suspended flight. I looked at one of my design proposals then flipped back through my sketch book. At the Natural History Museum, I could not take myself away from one stuffed bird. It was once a hawk or eagle of some sorts.

It was incredibly fierce and muscular, intimidating and strong- even thought it was stuffed, dead and behind glass. The wings were so gracefully articulated. Every subtle curve and massing meant something that was essential to its ability to fly. There was nothing arbitrary in the wing- yet it was complex and rich in diversity of form and texture. What was most striking was how it appeared to be both fragile and fierce. I sketched this bird, over and over. In drawing my initial design ideas, I opened up to the sketch of the site that I had drawn (I posted the sketch on the blog a few days ago). My eyes gravitated towards the dominant curves (of the land, sea, and stone wall). I pulled those curves out and let them form the skeleton of my structure. The structure became the bird, but I had "forgotten" about the bird. I did not consciously refer back to it. Rather, it had become a small piece of this intimate understanding, which although limited, is crawling out of me onto paper and into clay.

My sketches have become more free and fluid too. Drawing from life, I read the life in the stone and earth. I love drawing rocks and landscapes. My sketches try to feel the texture. From life, I typically draw with pen. Every line counts, so no lines cannot be arbitrary. I have been looking at what I am drawing more than I look at my paper. Back in our make-shift basement studio, we are given drawing challenges that are very abstract and open. These challenges have awoken something in me.
For example:
"Draw an island that is the center of a flower. The petals are the the islands of the Pacific. But the island has no petals. It is simply the center. Draw it"
"Draw what you are feeling right now about the site. use only several lines."

I feel like I am exploding with creative energy. I am so stimulated by everything: the challenges, the international energy, the stones, the green, the salt air, the ocean that I can hear right now, the languages, the food, the crosswalks, sidewalks, the paint on the roads, the layout of towns, the wood in restaurants, the way people move.... What a wonderful experience.

-mike meo

DAY 6 (July 16 2010): 3D-Day – Designing, discussing, and designing

2010-07-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

As usual, after eating big breakfast consisting of Bulgogi (beef, onions, and carrots), Kimchi, rice, French toast, eggs, salad, yogurt and pineapple, we started our day by discussing our preliminary ideas for the Park.

Discussing our ideas.

Then we drew, drew, and drew…

Cute!

For lunch we had the most American meal ever in South Korea so far, the KFC chicken “burger” and coleslaw!

After lunch we drew some more, and discussed our semi-final ideas about the Park. Almost everyone incorporated some sort of “nature” elements in the Park, be it ocean waves or a mountain. Interestingly, almost all Jeju students included “pigeon” as a part of the Park because pigeon is considered a symbol of peace in Korea.

Mr. Jim Hubbell giving us some feedback.

Before dinner, we went outside and played some Frisbee and soccer.

Dimitry moves at the speed of light!

We had Obento for dinner! It had chicken wings, Kimchi, fried shrimp tempura, sushi and soy soup (what a combination of culinary culture)!!

To end the day, we watched a documentary about Mr. Jim Hubbell, the artist/architect who guides and mentors us throughout this journey in Jeju. Two things jumped out by watching this movie: Mr. Hubbell is keen on the idea of integrating architecture and nature (which is also very true in the Jeju stone architecture), and his clients are artists themselves in a sense that they express themselves through Mr. Hubbell’s creation. The second part was refreshing to hear since I often felt there are differences when you create something for your own sake, and when you work for someone. Mr. Hubbell somehow successfully creates art both for himself and clients as self-expressions. I want to learn how to do that better myself.

Tomo

Oh! The Places We Go!

2010-07-16T02:07:00.000-07:00

Party in Jeju City! (Day 5)

Site Visit (Day 4)

Grandfather's Park (Day 4)

Jeju Stone Park (Day 3)

- Jordan

DAY 5 (July 15 2010): From 7:30AM to 11:00PM - A Dense Day in Jeju

2010-07-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

It’s not surprising many participants missed the 7:30AM breakfast because of the last night’s Soju fiesta, but for those of us who showed up for the breakfast, we were nicely carbed and proteined up with hamburgers, sushi, bread rolls with whip cream, yellow radish, egg and watermelon (this is breakfast folks!). I personally had two hamburgers, six rolls, three pieces of rice wrapped in fried bean curd, three scoops of scrambled egg, fifteen slices of yellow radish, and eight slices of watermelon.

* By the way, you can view the photos bigger if you click on them.

Uni-Park, the dormitory we stay at.

The caterer delivers breakfast every morning to our dormitory.

Since it was not raining, we ate breakfast outside.

We were supposed to visit the Park Building site to draw more sketches, but it started to rain very hard, so we gathered in the dormitory instead.

First we displayed our sketches that we have been drawing for the past few days on the ground and discussed them. Second, we wrote whatever keywords which came up in our heads when we thought about Jeju, ocean and the Park site. Third we drew more sketches with those keywords in mind.

One of the many "circle meetings" we have at our dorm.

Discussing each other's drawings.

More drawing...

For lunch we had lots of seafood at a restaurant by the ocean. Shrimps, crabs, fish, and all kinds of vegetables were cooked in the red chili pepper soup. As usual, we had a dozen of small dishes to go with this main dish, but I liked Dom Bae (the Jeju original sliced white pork) the best.

The slice pork on the rectangular plate is Dom Bae.

After lunch, we went back to the dormitory and made an enlarged version of the site map. It was the first time we used the drawing board, as well as rulers and a tape measure.

In the afternoon, we went to probably the ‘darkest’ park we have ever visited in Jeju: the Jeju April 3 Peace Park. This park educates the visitors of the Jeju April 3rd Incident, which created the second most casualties in the Korean history following the Korean War.

Between the period from 1947 to 1954, the military and police forces used violent tactics to suppress widespread civil-uprising after the police shot six Jeju residents to death (more information on http://jeju43.jeju.go.kr). The atmosphere, items displayed, photos and explanations made me feel like my body had weighed ten times as much. However, I could only absorb about half of the exhibition due to the time constraint we had. I would love to go back there and fully appreciate the park.

The Jeju April 3 Peace Park

Tormented faces of the victims

The military police found the villagers hiding in the cave, so they threw hand grenades and made fire at the opening to suffocate the villagers. The photo is the recreation of the cave.

In front of the Berlin Wall. Most of the time I feel "missing out" when I take pictures because I am not in them, but here I was far from being in the mood to smile. So I am glad I was the one behind the camera.

For dinner we had Chinese food, but according to the Chinese students, this was not authentic Chinese food. Like anything else when the food travels to different countries, it was “indigenized” to Korean style. We had fried dumplings, what-looked-like sweet and sour pork, fried rice, soy sauce dipped noodle, and of course, Kimchi.

At night we went out to downtown to experience some night-life in Jeju. What surprised me the most was the number of restaurants present in the city. There were MANY, and I mean EVERYWHERE. They really substantiated the importance of food in Koreans’ lives. And I have been enjoying the rich, volumeful meals Korea and Jeju have to offer every single day since I got here.

In Jeju city

Parteey. And that is our fourth meal of the day!

Tomo

sketches from second visit to the site

2010-07-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

-Mike Meo

DAY 4 (July 14 2010): Visiting the Grand Father's Park & the Park Building Site

2010-07-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

Today was significant just for the fact that it did not rain! Although the sun was being quite shy all day, it was refreshing to walk and feel the air without drops of water drenching everything we wore.

To kick off our day, we visited the Dol Har Bang (Grand Father’s Park). This park showed how stones or rocks are integrated in the people’s lives in Jeju. Some stones are carved as people (with the head taking the 2/5 of the entire body), and some are shaped as birds (because the volcano eruption resembles birds to Jeju people).

What stroke me the most was each stone object was made by amateurs, not by professionals. Thus they had some sort of “gentle” or “naïve” feelings to my eyes. Moreover, grass and mold grow all over the stones over time, hence making the artificially created stones almost a part of the nature. After the tour, we saw a demonstration of how to ‘cut’ the stone.

Having the tour

Stones shaped as birds

"Indigenization"

Then we visited ARA Development Co., Ltd., which is a multinational company based in Jeju with specialization in construction, engineering and landscape. There were a ton of stones and rocks to be made into construction materials, and huge saws to cut the stones with. The manager of this company was kind enough to offer us stone-scraps for free to use to build the park.

The pile of stones behind the group is what the manager offered to give us for free. Thank you!

For lunch, we ate pork and rice, wrapped in roman lettuce. But as in any other meals in South Korea, we had a series of small dishes such as Kimchi and Tofu.

We had two kinds of Kimchi, regular Kimchi and fried Kimchi.

After lunch we visited the park site for the first time when it was not raining! It looked quite different without tears from heaven. We had a tour of the historical background of Jeju and the particular location in which the park will be built, and frankly it was quite heavy. Jeju had experienced brutal wars and occupations, and a dozen of bunkers created by the Imperial Japanese Army still remained in the farmland. Seeing this sight reinforced the significance of building the peace park in this area as it will stand right next to the tragic “residue” from the past Jeju history.

Then we drew sketches of the site, as well as the statues and impressions of the Grand Father’s Park from our memory.

This is the site where the park will be built.

Sketching...

For dinner, we ate Shabu Shabu. We dumped vegetables, pork, shrimp, and later noodies into bowling broth, and ate them like there was no tomorrow. There were quite a few bottles of Soju on the table, and let’s just say it was the best meal we ever had in South Korea so far.

Basically you put everything in that boiling pot of broth and stir and pick to eat.

Kanpai!

Tomo

DAY 3 (July 13 2010): Folklore & Natural History Museum and Jeju Stone Park

2010-07-13T06:02:00.001-07:00

Today was all about getting ideas and inspirations by visiting two museums: Folklore & Natural History Museum and Jeju Stone Museum.

Folklore & Natural History Museum showed the historical and traditional living conditions and customs in Jeju, as well as plants and animals unique to this region. It is quite striking that Jeju has its own culture apart from the mainland Korea. After the tour of the museum, we chose our own subjects or objects to draw sketches of.

Having the tour

Sketching...

For lunch, we each had “chicken soup,” which had one whole baby chicken in a bowl with rice and Ginseng stuffed inside. It was very delicious, though quite big.

That is for one person! A whole chicken!

In the afternoon, we visited Jeju Stone Museum/Park. Jeju Stone Park showed Jeju’s stone culture in the context of the formation process of Jeju Island and the life of Jeju citizens. What is mesmerizing is how active volcano has been under the Jeju Island. This volcano not only forms the island itself, but also produces stones and rocks with unique shapes and characters. Some of them looked like faces, some like worms, and some even as a mother holding up an infant. The mother nature could be the greatest artist of all...

While the indoor part of the museum can be characterized as “educational” with videos and displays, the outdoor part was purely spiritual. Staring at 20-foot high stone pyramids in the fog made the scene look like a segment from a film. There was also a magnificent water fountain in which the edge was so smooth that the water running down looked like glass.

As soon as we got there, we acted individually to pick our objects to draw sketches of.

The stone pyramids.

The water looked like glass.

The nature's art: stone face.

Mysteriously mystic

Another nature's art. The shadow looks as if a woman is holding an infant.

For dinner, we had “Bibimbab.” By this time, I think we all got used to eating Kimchi and other foods dipped with red peppers for every meal of the day.

Bibimbab!

Tomo

Day 1 (July 10, 2010)

2010-07-13T01:46:00.000-07:00

So right before our plane took off for Jeju one of the lead architects Kyle, told me that ithe island was known for three things: wind, stone, and women ( they are supposed to be very independent). Well he got at least one thing right! As soon as I stepped off the plane I was blown over by the wind. After we got in I met up with two other students from my trip. Our personal driver (hehe yes we have one for the entire trip) took us to the hotel. On the way we think he told us that today we are going to try Korean fried poodle. I’m hoping we misunderstood his English! Later that afternoon we went for lunch. It was yummy but not for the faint of heart. We had whole fish and octopus soup. Then we went back and got our rooms and roommates. We are living very traditionally. Shoes off at the door and no beds. We sleep on the bamboo floor so it makes sense to take our shoes off in our room! We then had a ceremony welcoming us to South Korea. We have Americans,a mexican, a filipinos, Koreans, Chinese,a japanese, and Russian students. We then had a feast! Literally. We had a buffet of at least 30 different choices of seafood, veggies, rice, and fruit. I wasn’t quite sure what I ate but it was pretty good! After dinner the students all hung out. Although the language barrier is difficult we are becoming fast friends. Korean girls are big fans of twillight and they are team jacob all the way. I also am teaching them flip cup and beer pong today! Speaking of which Today we are going to visit politicians. We are acting as diplomats from our countries so its pretty cool! That’s about it and cross your fingers for me that I don’t have to eat fried poodle. Much love.

- Jordan

Pacific Rim Parks

Filipino Blog Entry

DAY 27 (August 7 2010): The Pacific Rim Park Dedication Ceremony

DAY 26 (August 6 2010): Last Official Work Day

DAY 25 (August 5 2010): Two More Days!

DAY 24 (August 4 2010): Finishing Up

DAY 23 (August 3 2010): Great & Visible Progress

Parque a la Orilla del Mar

DAY 20 (July 31 2010): The Grandmother Stone & the Park Name

DAY 19 (July 30 2010): Long and Hard Day

DAY 18 (July 29 2010): Long and Hard Day

DAY 17 (July 28 2010): Comfortably Windy

DAY 16 (July 27 2010): Slow Day

16 дней на Чеджу...

DAY 15 (July 26 2010): Heavy Duty Work Day

パシフィック・リム・パークとは、、

DAY 14: work and rest

DAY 12 (July 23 2010): Fight Against Time!

到目前为止 关于环太平洋公园

DAY 11 (July 22 2010): Concrete and Cement

DAY 11 (July 21 2010): 2nd Day of Construction

Day 10 (July 20, 2010)

DAY 9 (July 19 2010): Final Day in the Studio

DAY 8 (July 18 2010): Play Day!

DAY 7 (July 17 2010): Creation? Clayation! Making Models with Water Clay

mike meo- week #1

DAY 6 (July 16 2010): 3D-Day – Designing, discussing, and designing

Oh! The Places We Go!

DAY 5 (July 15 2010): From 7:30AM to 11:00PM - A Dense Day in Jeju

sketches from second visit to the site

DAY 4 (July 14 2010): Visiting the Grand Father's Park & the Park Building Site

DAY 3 (July 13 2010): Folklore & Natural History Museum and Jeju Stone Park

Day 1 (July 10, 2010)

到目前为止关于环太平洋公园