Paul Lindberg

May 22 Interviews galore in Daegu
06-03-06 | 14:14

We arrived early at the main gate at KMU. Peter Daley met us and we were in for an amazing day. Every single interview showed us an interesting side of this campus, Daegu, and Korea.

Starting off, we began at the International Lounge. This international zone was the brainchild of Peter Edwards and his colleague, Dr. Shinhye Kim. Peter, a Professor of English at KMU wanted to introduce an area where it is more acceptable to communicate in a second language. An interesting fact about Korea students is their high proficiency in English and other foreign languages but their surprising lack of willingness to speak any language has much to do with their proximity to fellow Koreans than just speaking the language. Peter explained to me that Korean students have no problem to communicate directly with people from other countries but when another Korean is present the willingness to speak a foreign tongue drops significantly. I wonder if it is the same with speaking about one’s feelings and the question of who are you.

The researchers at Awake had stumbled upon some very interesting people to interview. Thanks goes considerably to Mr. Peter Daley.

We started off with three generations of a Korean family. There was the grandfather, grandmother, mother, and daughter. The father wanted to go but he had to work. All of these interviews showed the love, sacrifice, and history of one Korean family. This family had gone through war, poverty, and all the other struggles. But as the third generation, Elle, translated for her family, you could see that all the sacrifices were for a better future for the youngest which she was not taking for granted.

After a brief lunch, we had another stimulating interview with Reverend Park. She is a female chaplain who only recently returned to her native Korea, three years ago. Rev. Park showed the clear power of a calling from a higher order. Her desire to open up hearts to religion was very inspiring.

Two unscheduled interviews were held after the chaplain. These two young women really showed us some people who were really grappling with the issue of who are you. Both of them respectively had spent time in the US and Canada. They were able to explain the Korea dynamic with a clear perspective the west. One of the most interesting insights was about the next generation of Korean youth having to bear the burden of the older generation. These two young women felt caught in between. But I respect their searching and introspective spirit.

Later, we had an interview with Peter Daley. The organizer of our interviews was a wonderful man who seemed to be a normal guy but his experiences in Korea were anything but normal. He had lived in England, Japan, and now Korea. But his time in Korea has been truly unique and quite shocking. Peter was involved in a cult, which was based in the first town that he lived in upon arriving in Korea. After almost joining the cult, he became careful observer who sought to share via the Internet the secrets and truths about this cult which had spread around the world. His Internet site was the first in English site to show this cult for what it truly was.

We finally had an interview with Elle, the daughter of the Korean Family. She shared her dreams and desires to be a role model for Korean women and her generation. She will definitely be quite a good role model and her family should be proud.

Lastly, Peter Edwards unfolded how he ended up running an International Lounge in Daegu, Korea. Peter who speaks Polish quite fluently is through and through a teacher. His mission of opening people’s minds through learning about other countries is very similar with the goals of Awake film. We appreciated his patience and kindness throughout the day.

We arrived late back at the hotel but all the interviews were worth it.

Thank you everyone in Daegu.