So many things...

We started Thursday with a trip to City Hall-where we met the Mayor! We sipped some ginsing tea while he talked about the volunteer spirit of Gwanju. We also got a tour of their PR center, where we learned about their green initiatives and goal to be a center of Asian Culture, a path they are already on since they are called the capital of Korean culture.
We went to KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) after City Hall. Like the BBC, KBS is owned by the government, and they have 4 television channels and 3 radio stations. We got a backstage tour, got to see sets being built and everything. We watched live radio being broadcast, and I got some pictures of equipment that looks interesting and complicated to me, and that my former radio engineer husband will probably find pedestrian and attempt to explain to me, and I will likely still be confused.
After lunch (which was Korean food, naturally) we went to the KIA plant. The plant is in the middle of the city, and rather large. We first toured a show room, and saw all the models KIA produces for the Korean market. The lower end ones are available in the states, but their luxury model, the Oprius, is only available in Korea. I kinda want one. Since KIA and Hyundai are really the same company, the interior is similar to my car, but nicer in every way possible. My wanting this car may be mostly because I miss driving so much--I miss being in charge of where I'm going, or at least knowing where I am. We're starting to recognize landmarks and realize when we've been in an area before, but we still don't know where anything is in relation to anything else.
We went to a memorial for the May 18th Democratic Uprising. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangju_Massacre) The memorial was very emotional and moving. We watched a film about the history behind the uprising, and though we had heard about the uprising before, that was our first time really understanding the events and timeline. The film was more graphic than I am used to, and I had to turn from the screen when they showed the injured and killed people, as it was not a reenactment, but actual footage of the event.
After all this, we went to a Rotary Meeting celebrating the 29th Anniversary of the founding of that region's club. Since it was a party, the food was even more abundant and elaborate than usual. Since the meals we've been eating seem like buffets, with 12-20 dishes on the table, the buffet which had more items than I can remember, was absolutely overwhelming--but delicious.
After this, there was work to be done, and a bed that I happily fell into once I was finished.

Friday was another busy day, we went to the city of Jeonju, which is a protected site of Korean traditional architecture. There are a few traditional Japanese houses in the area, which serve to highlight the differences in the styles. Many of the houses on the main road have been turned into shops and restaurants. Many of the shops sold traditional crafts and artwork, and I did a bit of shopping there. We went into one of the oldest and most famous Catholic churches in Korea, and it's amazing how similar it was to other catholic churches, with the only noticeable difference being the smell--Koreans must use a different kind of incense. Lunch was bibimbap-literally "mixed rice", it was veggies, meat and other delicious things in a bowl of rice-a quick and hearty lunch. After lunch we went to a paper making shop, we got to make our own paper, and watched as the shop produced piles and piles of paper.
Dinner on Friday was our first at home dinner, it was a 'party' for our last evening with this family. The meal was very similar to what we've been eating in restaurants, it was Shabu Shabu with beef, and they put the burners on the tables laid out in the living room. It was very nice to have a meal other than breakfast in a home, with the family and other Rotarians.

Saturday was our last day with this host family, and we spent it on the Street of Art, looking at galleries and drooling over art supplies. I bought a project--paper boxes that come flat, with directions in Korean (and pictures!) to fold and cover them with paper. I bought some pretty paper to supplement what came with the kit, and I'm looking forward to doing a Korean project once I'm back in the states. We drove a while to a famous restaurant for some delicious fried pork, then spent a few hours at a spa. I wasn't feeling myself, so instead of getting scrubbed and soaked, I sat by the pool reading, and felt rested and relaxed as we headed out for our next transfer.