What A Small World!!!

I just finished using ATM at Woori Bank in my campus when I caught someone I knew perfectly well....yes....it's Jobirson..my friend from Uzbekistan, but I juzt couldn't believe my eyes since I thought he was in his home country after he graduated last year.

But...it's surely him. Yes...the one and only Jobirson I knew too well...and he's with his wife! He married. Mmmm...apparently I didn't know him that well...at least..I hadn't contacted him for ..well...more than a year. I'm so happy for him being married and all.

Then....the same day...I bumped into our mr Hotma, Adi, and Lee ssnm from PAS.

It's been a year since the last time we met...no...I met them in June in Jogja, only this time we met in Seoul.

With Renci...our youngest sonsaengnim at the department.

Luncheon @ Bumbu Desa, Yogyakarta

 

Up to now, I still ask and wonder as to what I am doing here in Jogja. I mean..I am officially on a vacation!!! But, boy, it feels like I am not having a vacation since ..well...a couple of times I got to get myself involved in our department-related occasions. What about this one? having a luncheon with guests from Korea? 

hmm...this sounds to be a not-to-missed 'assignment' since I am all for it.:) 

come on...I would surely not reject having this superb lunch at a traditional restaurant called Bumbu Desa (Village Recipe).  Before the guests came in, we had to make sure that everything's set. Okay...they were. 

One by one...our guests came along. Dignitaries from PAS (Pacific Asia Society), Prof. Yang Seung Yoon from HUFS, and of course..us...a bunch of young lecturers ..^^ 

A courtesy chit-chat was thrown into the air..even before we even started the lunch. But...with all that in mind...we could 'spice up' things a little bit. 

The whole group of people we met during the lunch.
Bumbu Desa deserved my 'rave' rating for being able to cater the needs of everyone..anyone ...longing for authentic Indonesian cuisine in a fancy and eye-popping display of food (too bad: The arrays of food I should have taken picture of....are not here, for they were back there...:)

Dinner @ Japanese Restaurant

Dinner time @ Japanese restaurant in the neighborhood. Only that it was a special occasion since both kyosunim (prof. Lee and Kim) who 'work' @ PAS (Pacific Asia Society) program were the ones who invited us in the first place. 

It was a relief that they had kids menu.... though they were only fish nuggets (which happened to be their fave meal).

What would we eat? Udong...^^

and shabu-shabu...^^ (prof. Lee, Diana (student), Eyra and my wife: Meity)

Another group picture, this time prof. Kim was visible in the pic.

We had a good diner before both of prof. Kim and Lee were to embark on another social visit to other countries this summer.

Attending PAS Meeting @ Cheonan

I visited Cheonan which just located around 85 km south of Seoul. And the picture above is KTX speed train station. Nope, I was taking taking the train to KTX. I was picking up one of our colleagues who were supposed to be in Cheonan, too. But, instead of going with us by car, she took the train. So, we got to pick her up at the station.

I was in Cheonan to attend the PAS (Pacific Asia Sociey) meeting. PAS was about to dispatch its student members to Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand, and other Asian countries for a 3-week long program of voluntary work and cultural exchanges.

 After the meeting, held on May 26, we took a picture in front of the Youth Center where the orientation program was held.
Mr. Lee Chung Pyo, me, and Mr. Lee, Heung Hee. Both of them are two dignitaries who are in charge of PAS team activities in Indonesia for the past 6 years. This year, Mr. Lee Heung Hee will be the supervisor of the PAS team in UGM in July, 2012.

 Another picture , but this time, Mindae sonsaengnim from Mongolia--the one we met at the station--was with us to take a pic.
 * This year, PAS team will be in UGM from June 29 until July 19, 2012.

* This meeting was held to prepare the Korean students to meet the new frontier and experiences of meeting with new culture and friends in their respective countries where they are assigned to.

Dinner with PAS dignitaries

PAS (Pacific Asia Society) or 태평양아시아협회 has been regularly visiting Indonesia since 2008, notably to University of Indonesia in Jakarta and to my university back home, Gadjah Mada University.
Now that I am living and studying in Korea, it has been a great moment to meet my friends I met through PAS programs as well as the dignitaries of PAS who have regularly visited Indonesia.

I have been closely got acquainted with some dignitaries of PAS so it was my honor to fulfill their invitation for a dinner together last week in Gangnam.
I brought along all of my family to line 9 Sinnohyeong station where I had to meet them.
It was a good time that we could meet again.
They have been doing their great and best works and tasks in bridging the cultural and social ties between Indonesia and Korea.

Welcoming Dinner @ Seoul Olympic Parktel

then....

Off we went to Olympic Park where Seoul Summer Olympic was held back then in 1988.

I went there to attend the welcoming dinner held for the participants of PAS (Pacific Asia Society) gathering at Seoul Olympic Parktel. This time around, as many as 20 students from 10 countries (?) participated in the program. 

I got a great dinner there.

^^

One thing for sure, I met the professors and the dignitaries from PAS and my students.

It was indeed a great time to reflect to.