VBS Prep (The Beginning to Lifetime Friendships)

The first few days I spent in Seoul, Korea we jumped right into vacation bible school (VBS) preparation. This caused me to work with individuals I have never met before. Nonetheless, it was not long before all of us bonded in a sisterly way. If it were not for my Korean-American sisters being there in support of my stay the experience would have been bleak.

We usually worked in groups of 5 or 6 doing writing exercises and playing out skits for certain bible stories. We also had to learn vacation bible study songs and dances for the students. 

In addition, I had to present my first morning devotion with two others and I must say I was a nervous wreck. However, it turned out to be a great experience and everyone enjoyed it including myself. It turned out so well it exceed the amount of time that was required. We only had 15mins to do morning devotion but because everyone was so in tuned it turned out to be 45mins.

My 14 Hour Flight with Asiana Airlines to Korea

First, I must say Asiana Airlines was a well picked flight for my first international airline. The flight attendants were absolutely great and took good care. While on the plane, I sat next to an amazing woman by the name of Sooyeon (If you ever seen the movie Rush Hour 2, she had the same name as the woman Jackie Chan was searching for). She taught me all about the Korean foods, best shopping spots, shoe sizes, beaches, teas and more.

Did you know Koreans shoe sizes run by cm?

My shoe size is about 200 - 245 cm which is a size (7) American size. There are so many shopping markets in Korea. One market goes by the name of “Dongdaemun Market”, a 24 hour shopping market. The best time to go there is between 9pm and 3am that's usually when no one is shopping. 

On my flight I had two meals and a sandwich. My first meal was "Bibimbap" which consist of white rice, vegetables and beef, this meal is well known among Americans. Sooyeon suggested it would be good for me to try it instead of an American dish. At first, I was skeptical about it because I knew I would be on the flight for a while. If I didn't like it, I wasn't sure if they would give me anything else. But I took her word for it and it wasn't that bad. They also gave us drinks every 10 seconds so we were never parched. While on the plane, I ate, I slept, watched movies or TV. I watched three different Korean movies which are absolutely great and really comical (Thank God for subtitles). 

Towards the end of my plane ride I watched the CNN World Report.

I learned about a disease by the name of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (an unusual disease that physicians believe to be classified in the polio family). The disease causes symptoms such as fever, paralysis and respiratory problems. The hand, foot and mouth disease was first reported in 1997, coming from Malaysia. This deadly disease has now come back to the Asian population, specifically in China. In China alone, the disease has killed over 17 people in June (with most being children) and 356 people this year. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease yet; and it was said by physicians that parents should keep their children out of public as much as possible. Seeing the CNN World Report gave me more of an interest to find out while in Korea what else might be going on in the Asian continent….

After watching CNN, I had finally landed in Seoul and boy was I excited!

The History of Mary Scranton & My Beginning Into Her Legacy

In 1883, a woman by the name of Lucinda B. Baldwin made a special donation of $88 to the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society to be used solely for the education of Korean women. Soon after, the Women’s Foreign Missionary Societies of the Methodist Episcopal Church (WFMS) sent Mrs. Mary F. Scranton as the first female missionary to Korea. 

Mrs. Mary Scranton was a woman faith and courageousness. She did everything in her might to grant the wish of Mrs. Baldwin, to develop the rights to the Korean women education. Mrs. Scranton believed that educating women would change their lives and would be the best thing for the Korean society. Though she did not speak the Korean language, all of her sentiments were widespread at the time; she overcame all the obstacles and established Ewha Hakdang, the ‘Pear Blossom School’ in 1886. 

Over the years, Ewha Hakdang expanded to include an elementary school, middle school, high school and a college. The college that grew out of Ewha Hakdang is now Ewha Woman’s University. EHWA University, which is the biggest women's institution in the world, would not be here today if not for    

Mrs. Scranton.

In 2007, the North American alumni of Ewha Girls' High School decided to raise funds for scholarships in honor of Mrs. Mary F. Scranton. In 2009, they donated a significant amount of scholarship funds to the Scranton Women’s Leadership Center, so that women in developing countries could go to school just as what Mrs. Scranton did for Korean women.

Mrs. Scranton’s vision and dedication for Korean women empowered women to live with dignity, a legacy that is evident in the leadership of Korean women worldwide. Following the footsteps of Mrs. Scranton’s vision, the Scranton Women’s Leadership Center strives to make the impossible become possible and be a guiding light for the world.

In February of this year, I was accepted to be a participant in the 2012 Young Women's Leadership Program (YWLP) located in Seoul, Korea. The YLWP is a sponsored program by the Scranton's Women Center. Through this program; I have grown as a global leader, have a concrete view of global peace and have built an international network with individuals from Korea, Japan and Hong Kong.