To freedom

I hope the title doesn't get me into trouble, but after returning from a 5 day trip to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (also known as North Korea), that was the first thing that crossed my mind. And by the way, China, has never been a freer country to me than after this trip. Just take my word for it. Also, I apologize in advance if you didn't get a postcard from the DPRK, but I did not know in advance I would be able to send postcards AND please remember there is no world wide web access in North Korea. In fact we weren't even allowed cell phones--they were collected at the airport in P'yongyang. Also, if someone could give the people at UNTHSC mailing a heads-up, they're about to get like 10 postcards from North Korea. I hope a name and your class year/department is enough information to get the cards to y'alls mailboxes!

So I've thought about how to even begin blogging about this trip over the last 5 days or so, and I think I'm going to have to do it chronologically. I am unfortunately not articulate enough, nor am I educated well enough on North Korean history to provide any kind of profound insight. What you will get is impressions of someone who literally decided to go on this trip about 4 days before the departure date because she ran into these two guys at a bar in Beijing who "took Americans into North Korea" and it sounded like a rare opportunity. PLUS she also needed to go somewhere for a visa run. Don't worry guys, it sounds 100x more sketch than it actually was! Just kidding--it was totally legit. Matt and Nick run a very well thought out cultural exchange. Please do check out the P'yongyang Project because it is an opportunity of a lifetime!

Day One:

I think I'll start with taking Air Koryo from Shenyang City into P'yongyang. I think the excitement starts to settle in when you realize that you're taking one of I think 9 international flights total that fly into P'yongyang weekly. That "something rare and forbidden" element starts to get you a little nervous yet excited. We were warned by Matt before getting on the plane that it was not going to be our standard safety guaranteed flight. Post-roundtrip flights, I would corroborate that statement. The plane was definitely old and the ride was definitely turbulent. The chairs in front of my row also fell completely forward if you pushed on your tray table too hard when returning it to its unused position. But for the most part, I think we all were too engrossed in "The Pyongyang Times" to even notice the actual flight--how could you not with articles like this?

To their credit, the English is quite fluent in these articles. And true, US articles are less biased, but you could easily substitute North Korea for the US in this article and find a similar headline somewhere. It is quite a humbling experience to be sitting in a plane, going to a country which so blatantly voices their disdain for yours.

Upon landing, you see your first (of many) portrait of Kim Il Sung, the Eternal President, the great leader, etc. I learned this on Wiki, but apparently he had a giant calcification on the back of his neck that grew to the size of a baseball. It was inoperable because it was close to his spine which is why all his portraits are taken from one side.

As you can see the airport is quite small. Upon entering, you face the 4-5 customs counters with DPRK customs officers in rather big military hats. Once you pass, you are at the one and only baggage claim.

I think the thing I remember the most is how many foreigners I saw. I guess it's hard to remember that other countries are not as off limits to the DPRK as we are. Also, you begin to notice the pins. All North Koreans have pins that they have to wear daily. There is a round pin I believe if you are a party member and other types of pins for if you're an average citizen versus a citizen living abroad. They pretty much all have Kim Il Sung's face on it but there are slight variations like shape and background, etc.

After getting our bags, we were off to Arirang. If you don't know what that is, you should YouTube it. It is literally 120,000 people preforming for you in the world's second largest stadium and 20-30,000 people individually creating the backdrop. It is definitely an amazing feat. I've got conflicting feelings after watching it, but it is definitely something that I will never forget. I will blog about that next time. For now--YouTube it!