Mailbox of peace

Section 1. Memor ies of Korea Mai lbox of Peace 030 031 Korea Foundation & US Peace Corps KF COVID-19 Survival Box Gratitude Letter Col lection I would like to take this time during our American holiday season of Thanks- giving to express my gratitude to you and the Korea Foundation for my COVID - 19 Survival Box recently received . It is you and the rest of the Korean people who made my stay of 2 years ( 1976 - 1978 ) feel like my home . (* please see the attached article that I wrote about my re - visit to Korea in 2018 spon- sored by the Korea Foundation ) On July 1976, I was 23 years old as I stepped off a plane at Gimpo Airport (김포국제공항) as I joined my K - 39 group boarding a bus to new unknown adventures ahead of us for the next couple of years . Now it is September 29 , 2018 , I am 65 years old as I stepped off at that same or not so same Gimpo Airport . It has been 40 years since I last touched South Korean soil . As our plane touches down at Gimpo Airport , I look around the plane and ev- eryone has their window shades up with sunshine beaming in . I look out the window and see various company names on hangers lining the runway . What a difference from receiving instructions to keep window shades down since military aircraft use to line the runways in 1976 . No bus or Peace Corps greeting group to meet me upon my arrival to Gimpo . Robert Ichihana , K - 39 Korean given name by language instructors 나봉출 Special Reminiscence 1 I take the city express train into Seoul , but need a ticket and head to one of the automatic ticket dispensers to purchase my ticket to ride . I must have looked confused on how to operate this new fangle device , since a young Korean saw my dilemma and asked in his faultless English if I needed assistance . He turned out to be an English major at a local university and indicated that I needed exact change of 1 , 000 won and pointed out a small convenience store nearby where I could get change . I thanked him as we parted and bought my ticket and boarded my train . < omit > While visiting my Korean hometown of Euiseong in Gyeongsanbukdo, the small sleepy village surrounded by rice paddies sprinkled with dirt roads connecting homes with traditional courtyards had transformed before my eyes 40 years later as we drove through a downtown area with paved roads , various modern shops , hotels , restaurants including a chain Korean bakery , Tous Les Jours . Still known for the abundant garlic in the region , but now known for “ The Gar- lic Girls ” Winter Olympic Women ’ s Curling Team ’ s hometown . They also are graduates from the Girl ’ s High School that I use to teach at as it was a combined Middle School and High School in those days . I would like to take this time during our American holiday season of Thanks- giving to express my gratitude to you and the Korea Foundation for my COVID - 19 Survival Box recently received . It is you and the rest of the Korean people who made my stay of 2 years ( 1976 - 1978 ) feel like my home (* please see the attached article that I wrote about my re - visit to Korea in 2018 spon- sored by the Korea Foundation ) The schools were having their exams that week , so didn ’ t expect to see any- one let alone anyone still living whom I taught with . My driver , translator / tour guide and I drove up to the grounds of the High School around 4 : 30pm ex- pecting to see just the grounds of the high school to look around with no one to greet us . However , we actually saw some students coming out of a building and found Uiseong Girls’ Middle/High School(1976) Revisit 2018 PICTURES PAST & PRESENT “ Land of the Morning Calm that welcomed me back Home!”