Learning languages

In Sweden when children are taught languages the focus is on reading and writing. To be able to speak does not seem to be as important. Swedes are often afraid to say anything unless they are confident that what they are about to say is grammatically correct. And how often is it more important to speak perfectly than to just make yourself understood? Most people will only use their language skills on holidays and no one will be upset if mistakes are made. Usually people are just very happy that you try to speak their language. As I was on an Air France flight it became obvious when the swedish man who sat next to me was translating an article in a French newspaper to his wife but when he ordered beer he did that in English. ?? Why are we so afraid of saying or pronouncing something wrong? We never learn unless we try.

Stockholm - Paris 12 Dec

In the afternoon on Wednesday I got on the plane that would take me to Paris where I would transfer to get all the way to Korea. Beneath us, northern Europe was completely covered with thin flat clouds. It looked more like the snow on an early spring day in the northern parts of Sweden. As the sun was setting the clouds turned into a pink shade, almost a little shiny like they were actually made of ice. When the sun came closer to the horizon the pink colour spread over the cloud surface. Soon large parts of the floor underneath us were sparkling in pink which shifted into yellow and pale green at the horizon before turning into the clear blue sky. It all looked so peaceful and made me calm after a stressful morning.
Otherwise it seemed to be rush hour in the air above Europe. Underneath us, above us, next to us and in the horizon I saw many other air planes. Usually in a plane you don't really think about how fast you are moving. It becomes very obvious though when you meet another plane in the air, it passes by very quickly.
And for those who were wondering, Korean Air was good. Very good entertainment system and nice food (bibimbap of course).

Christmas decoration

I knew it! To be able to enjoy Christmas decoration like this you have to leave Sweden. The States and Asia are champions at lighting anything just because of the holidays. I especially like the enormous Christmas tree in combination with the palm trees. :-) I find it fascinating that someone actually came up with these things. In the States my favourite activity this time of year is to drive around the residential areas in search of the craziest decoration. In Sweden this would immediately start a debate about the very hot topic environment friendliness...

Happy holidays!

Korea again

Tomorrow it is time to go to Korea again. When I travel with work it is not uncommon that the trip gets delayed, changed or cancelled in the last minute. This time is not an exception. I should have left the past Sunday but am leaving tomorrow instead. Should have returned this Sunday but will return 22 Dec. Even the airline was changed and I am going to fly Korean Air for the first time. Exciting...
Often private arrangements are affected by travel changes, usually to the worse but this time I get a full weekend in Seoul which is a treat! I did have to pass on a Christmas concert but I am hoping for an abundance of Christmas music in Korea instead (I am very certain I will not be disappointed!). I am eager to see how the Koreans are preparing for the holidays. Christianty is as common as buddhism in Korea so I expect Christmas to be widely celebrated (the commercial side of it is often quickly adapted..).

Inventive parking in Korea

Here in Korea they have their own way of solving the lack of parking space issue. They wildly double park. But this is commonly accepted and also understood that you should leave your car in neutral and with no breaks on. This way the poor person that wants to get passed the double parked cars can just push them away. This of course happened to my colleague with whom I was going to lunch. We ended up pushing about 10 cars (or actually he was pushing and I was taking photos :-) )before a small space opened up in front of his car. The car owners that get their cars pushed around also have to accept that they get smashed together since you don't always managed to get the car to stop before it hits the next one in line. Is this not a very creative way of solving the problem?

Big KISS in Korea

This week work brings me to Korea again. When you arrive at immigration at Incheon Airport outside of Seoul you are greeted with a big KISS. On the numerous Samsung flat screens and on signs everywhere is says KISS. It also says that here at immigration is where Korea greets the world. That's nice, but aren't they going a bit too far here?? I know that Koreans are sometimes very friendly... As you come closer though, you see that KISS is short for Korea Immigration Smart Service. Aha, I thought, and immediately tried to figure out what this really means. I still do not know. You still have to stand in line forever and have your passport stamped by a grumpy immigration officer. So what is the smart service? Are the officers extra smart? Have the Koreans come up with a revolutionary immigration system that is supposed to be extremely efficient? In any case it is invisible enough for the common traveller and is that why they need all the signs...?

One day in Taipei

Earlier this week I acted courier for my company and went to Taiwan and back in a few days. I got about 24 hours to spend in Taipei. I just love these crazy trips! Why do someone really want to go on a trip where you spend more time in the air plane than at the location? I realize I have difficulties finding a good explanation so I won't even try. Part of the time I spent working, mainly visiting a semiconductor trade show. But I did have some time to look around.

First thing I had to do was to go up Taipei 101 which I think still is officially the highest building in the world. In 37 second, with a max speed of about 60 km/h (!), the elevator took us up to the 89th floor. The building has totally 101 floors, hence the name...

As always I am fascinated by the view and since I went there just before the sun went down I got to see the view both in daylight and by night. The view was of course fabulous but as in many cities on this side of the globe the haze is making it difficult to see too far.

In the evening a dear colleague and his taiwanese girlfriend met me for dinner and showed me around some nice places. For example, we went to a night market which is a popular thing in Taipei. At this market there was loads of cheap stores but also lots of food stalls. Here you could find many delicacies like octupus lips and duck tongue, yummy...

Next to the Night Market there was a rather large and brightly coloured buddhist temple. I don't think I have ever visited such a commercial temple. It is not uncommon that you buy, for a small amount of money, wooden pieces och pieces of paper where you can write your prayers and leave at some suitable place within the temple. Much like in our churches where you can buy candles. Here they had taken it a bit further. There where several counters where people queued to buy a "subscription" on prayers. This means that you go there and pay a certain amount of money and someone will make prayers for you during a certain time, eg a year. It sounds awkward to me to buy that kind of service.