Steve Davies is the marketing manager for MSL. He is a veteran employee, progressing from cartographic technician and cartographer to project manager. - Editor

Every now and then, an opportunity comes your way that opens new doors and allows you to see the world in a completely different light. In early May, I was selected by The Korea Society to participate in the their Korean Studies fall fellowship program. My previous international travel experience included a total of about two weeks in Canada and a few hours of shopping in Mexican border towns. The most excitement I ever had outside the United States was having my bicycle stolen in Saint John, New Brunswick on a bicycle tour in 1984. An excursion to East Asia was never really in my plans, but suddenly, I was going to be spending 10 days in South Korea.

As October arrived, e-mails were exchanged with other participants about what to pack and how to prepare for our trip. Before I knew it, I was boarding the plane. After hooking up and introducing myself to three of my travel companions at Chicago's O'Hare, we flew 14 hours in the dark, nonstop to Inch'on Airport outside of Seoul. Due to the International Date Line and westward travel, the sun never rose for me that Thursday.

We arrived at 5:00 a.m. and met the rest of our companions, including Mrs. Yong Jin Choi (pron. Chay), Senior Director of the Korean Studies Program for the Korea Society and Brigham Young University Professor Mark Peterson. Shi Hyun Kim, a student at The Korean Academy, also greeted us. Shi Hyan (pron. Shi Hahn) joined our group as a late addition and as the week progressed, added to our understanding of Korea with her local perspective and boundless energy. Even though my body clock was completely discombobulated, the excitement of what awaited us overpowered my exhaustion.

The Unmunsa Nunnery near Daegu, South Korea.

After getting settled in our accommodations, eating breakfast, and taking a short nap (highly recommended by our hosts), we gathered to learn more about each other and what was in store for us the next eight days. The participants of our group were comprised of a mix of people from the educational and trade publishing industries, university academics, and an art museum.

In the following days, we traveled to many historic sites across the country that included the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art (Seoul), Gyeongbokgung Palace (Seoul), the Early Printing Museum in Cheongju, Haeinsa Temple near Daegu, the granite Buddha grotto at Seokguram, and many of the ancient sites in the southeastern city of Gyeongju. Many of the locations were filled with children on fall field trips. The students were very eager to try out the English they had learned in school. The weather was chamber of commerce perfect the entire trip, sunny and in the low to mid-70s.

Along the way, we spent one night at the Samsung Human Resources Development facility learning about Samsung and their corporate philosophy. In contrast, we were the guests at the Unmunsa Buddhist Nunnery. While there, we practiced a solemn life as we followed their diet and schedule, which included waking up at 3:00 a.m. for their morning Buddhist ceremony. We found out that 108 bows is much more difficult than it sounds. This stop was a highlight of our journey.

As an expert in Korean culture, Professor Peterson was our tour guide. His stories, historical accounts, wit, and singing voice kept the trip interesting, fresh, and challenging at all our destinations. Mrs. Choi added her invaluable views as a Korean and all of us owe her a tremendous debt of gratitude for developing the program in which we participated. She related stories of growing up as a child during and after the Korean War.

A fringe benefit of this trip was the way in which our travel group bonded. Everyone got along incredibly well and we all learned a great deal about one another, despite the fact that some work for competing companies. We had discussions that lasted for hours - contributed from our own backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences - and had fun at the karaoke on a couple of nights. Some of us plan to meet again at conferences and also hope to keep in contact via e-mail. One thing that I came away with was not just meeting some colleagues in related fields to mine, but I feel we all made some new friendships as well. I count this trip as one of the best experiences of my life.