Anyang Haseo...Ham-Samneda

A wise friend of mine once told me that he loved the first 48 hours of traveling the most. The rationale behind this bold statement was the pure love of being in a totally foreign environment and living by perception and intuition alone.

I had kept this philosophy near my heart before embarking on this great journey with my fellow classmates. After 24 hours of what feels like the longest day I’ve ever roamed, I am filled with smiles, a deep respect for the country I visit and still vast curiosity.

Our day started early, before the rise of Seoul’s sun. Living in San Francisco, I forgot all about darkness, gloom and cold weather. It didn’t take long to remember what it is like and to be partially honest, (despite my devout pride in being Canadian) I’m sort of excited to forget.

Our group boarded the bus with visible breath at 8:00am and headed to SK Wyverns stadium in Inchon, a suburb of the capital. The bus was filled with an inquisitive aura. We had landed late the night before and had seen very little of Korea and had few interactions with it's people. Suddenly, we were on a bus headed to meet and great the front office staff of the 2007 and 2008 KBO Champions. No one knew what to expect, yet after the visit, no one was disappointed.

At first, we were given a tour of the stadium by the team’s equipment manager, which included photo sessions on the field and a 1993 Joe Carter-esque running of the bases by yours truly (*note – all Torontonian boys born after 1987 will do this if presented the opportunity). They had explained some of the stadium’s planned renovations, which were very creative and interesting. After toying around the team’s gym and batting cages we were escorted to a conference for they day’s first lecture on the professional sporting industry.

It was incredibly well prepared, intriguing and interesting. The presenter had outlined SK Wyverns progression since their inception in 2000, outlining different marketing decisions they made and the corresponding results. All of this information was presented in the background of the nature of Korean professional sports, which is extremely different than those in North America. Understanding the blueprint motivations for creating professional teams in Korea as well as learning the ownership structure of these teams served as a great stepping stone to understanding this foreign culture and industry.

After the informative lecture and helpful Q and A session, the staff of SK Wyverns treated us to a delicious traditional Korean meal. Kimchi, Bulgogi and Bimbimbap, oh my! It was so delicious and served as a great opportunity to digest the information we just learned through casual conversation and culinary experimentation.

A great start to what will be an incredible trip. I have to stop now, as the Seoul nightlife is calling my name but I do look forward to sharing new experiences as the trip goes on.

All the best from Seoul. Wish the rest of Cohort 27 was here to explore.