The Roberts in Korea

CSI--Korea

After an all night flight from Malaysia to South Korea, my colleagues and I were hoping the two and a half hour bus ride from the Incheon Airport to our homes in Daejeon would pass quickly.  We weren't so lucky.  Instead we found ourselves in the middle of a Korean drama that I will call, "CSI—Korea,” (Crime Scene Investigation—Korea) and wondering if we were going to find ourselves in “chains” in a Korean jail.

It all started when the airport limousine bus we were on stopped at a rest area for a fifteen-minute break.  Most of the passengers got off the bus, used the restroom and bought a snack.  Mind you, I said “most” of the passengers.  Fifteen minutes later we were back on the expressway headed to Daejeon.  We hadn’t been on the road more than a minute when an older Korean gentleman jumped up from his seat and rushed to the front of the bus to talk to the driver.  Then the man got on his cell phone and was talking excitedly to someone on the other end.

Minutes later our bus pulled into the next roadside stopping area.  The driver informed us that we were waiting there for someone to meet the bus.  We all thought that we had left someone at the rest area, but that wasn’t the case.  After a long wait, a police car pulled up and a policeman walked onto our bus.  We were told that we all were to stay on the bus as they were investigating a robbery.  Apparently the older Korean gentleman had boarded the bus in Incheon with a large amount of US currency in his briefcase and after the stop at the rest area he found that the money was gone.  He claimed the money was stolen and we were all suspects.

Most of the people on the bus were Koreans and after the policeman made his statement the comments and conversations down the aisle were many.  My colleagues and I couldn’t understand most of what was being said in Korean, but it was evident that the emotions were running high in that airport limousine.  The police escorted us to the bus station in Daejeon.  We thought that we were all going to be searched.  However, it turned out that there was a closed circuit TV camera on the bus and we were going to the bus station so the CCTV technician and the police could view the tape and identify the culprit.

We waited in the bus for a long time—a very long time.  The bus was hot and stuffy—babies were crying, old women were being refused the right to get off the bus and go to the bathroom, other travelers were yelling about disrupted schedules and nearly everyone was grumbling.  Finally, the police boarded the bus and informed us all that the video showed no one accessing the older gentleman’s briefcase.  The money was not stolen by anyone on the bus and it appeared that the entire matter was a mistake.

The man that lost the money addressed the group of frustrated travelers.  He offered a sincere apology that was met with sneers and shouts of frustration.  In response he opened up his wallet and began giving people money for taxi fares.  Some took his money—we didn’t.  We were late, but none the worse for wear.  We were glad to be home, to have a story to tell and to not be sitting in a Korean jail.

more Malaysia

The Petronas Towers in Malaysia were a fifteen minute walk from the EARCOS Conference location.  I slipped away from the conference--once during the day and once in the evening--to take some pictures of the buildings.  The towers are an amazing sight--88 floors of shiny silver in the day and bright white light at night.

One evening during our time in Kuala Lumpur I enjoyed the opportunity of exploring the city via taxi.  A bunch of us took a trip to an authentic South Indian Food Restaurant and on the way we enjoyed the sights of the city.  Even though it was raining, a couple of friends and I decided to walk back to our hotel.  We used the brightly illuminated Petronas Towers as a beacon and we made our way through the city.  We were wet when we got back to our hotel, but KL is very warm so it didn't matter. It was a good time.

a Malaysia visit

Last week I (Ryan) had the opportunity to attend the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS) 2012 Leadership Conference.  The conference was held at the Shangrila Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  There were hundreds of International Schools represented at the conference and there were over 1,000 school administrators and leadership personnel in attendance.

It was my pleasure to attend the conference with four colleagues from TCIS: Dr. Thomas Penland (Head of School), Mr. Mark Pleasants (Secondary School Principal), Mr. Joshua Chun (Business Manager) and Rev. Park (Board of Trustees).  It was a great time--the conference experience was filled with excellent presentations about school issues and innovations, too much good food and a rich time of making new friends.

Kuala Lumpar is an interesting city.  It is a mix of very old buildings and very new and notable skyscrapers.  I enjoyed a partial view of the famous Petronas Towers from my hotel room.  I will post more pictures of Malaysia later.

a view from the top

The other day I took some pictures from the roof of our school.  TCIS is located in the Daedeok Techno Valley area of the city of Daejeon.  The school sits right next to a golf course and is located in an open area, away from all of the apartment buildings.  It is a great view!