 |
Project Update March 2002Container
On Its Way To North Korea
Despite an unexpected bureaucratic delay and the need for more forms,
another container full of supplies is currently making its way to North
Korea.
The container is filled with equipment for our two new cheese-making
facilities in Namsan and Unzong as well as replacement parts and various
utensils for the existing facilities. We were also able to ship other
goods and equipment to be used in conjunction with the project including:
530 pairs of women’s shoes, nine used refrigerators, spare parts for our
vehicle, foodstuffs, seed and personal items for our worker.
Inspecting
our equipment at the Swiss manufacturing plant: a modern yet simple
design
We are also
currently setting up our first hide-tanning experiments in order to determine
whether this could be a worthwhile extension of our basic project.
The tanning process re-quires various chemicals, and we are doing research
to find out where and how we can obtain the necessary ingredients.
Mr. Hannes Horisberger, who visited our project in North Korea last year
to get an idea of how things work there, did concrete background research
on his last visit and continues to be the driving force in this new area
of activity. It is important to him to find methods and processes which are
environmentally friendly and adapted to the needs of the local people.
Tanning Expert
Hannes Horisberger demonstrates a step in the leather-making process.
Cultural Training for Project Workers
Daniel Gerster spent the last few weeks together with our project
leaders Jürg and Marie-Anne Bühlmann in England for cultural
training. This special course, designed to prepare in-dividuals to
live and work in a different cultural environment, took place in Birmingham.
The classes were very informative and will be quite useful as life in North
Korea is often totally different from Europe.
For example, the role of the larger society, peer-pressure, and the
need to fit into the group are all much more important. A basic understanding
of this situation can help us avoid misunder-standings in the future.
Compare some of the differences for yourself:
Individualistic Society
(Europe, USA) | Community-Based Society
(Africa, Asia) | | Goal-oriented | Consensus-oriented | | Self-realization | Harmony | | Personal Productivity | Importance of the Group | | Self-satisfaction | Respect for Authority | | Earning Power | Social Position | 
| | | Standing Up for One’s Own Rights | Submission to Authority |
This short list helps to put into context the variations in social
behavior or opinions which are often determined by the cultural background.
No one society is better or more correct than another, the expression
of their ideas is simply different. In other words: an extreme or one-sided
cultural environment does not accurately reflect God’s plan for mankind.
The goal is to find a balance, a give-and-take between individuals and
cultures.
Despite the theoretical focus of the course, we had quite a few opportunities
to put our new knowledge into practice. Course participants had the opportunity
to try a new language-learning technique designed to give beginning speakers
deeper insight into the culture rather than just studying the language.
A report from Daniel Gerster, our agricultural expert on the project:
„The Korean language itself is an important part of their culture.
This connection becomes clearer to me as I study the language and realize
how much it impacts the behavior of the people.
- For example, in
Korean there are very few personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, we, etc.).
The listener has to determine who the subject of the conversation is based
on the context alone.
- Feelings are also
not directly described or shared. A mother would never explicitly
ask her child if he preferred to eat tomatoes or cucumbers. In this
community-based society, you are simply one of a group that is going to
eat tomatoes or cucumbers that day.
- The hierarchy
within the group as well as mutual respect are very important in commu-nication.
- Korean has more
than 100 forms for the verb „to do“ depending on the activity, the context
and the person who is being addressed. This seemed like an impossible
obstacle when I started learning this language, but, thankfully, there
are simpler ways of getting your message across.
Marie-Anne Bühlmann and her language tutor
North Koreans in Switzerland
This summer we will again be welcoming North Koreans to Switzerland
for practical training with local Swiss farmers. There will be courses
with experts conducted on local farms as well as at the Rheinhof Agriculture
School in Salez (Canton St. Gallen). The men will live on family farms in
the Oberland Region near Bern in the villages of Lenk , Zweisimmen and Gstaad for 15 weeks. During this period, they will have the opportunity
to get involved in the day-to-day work on a mountain farm. Experience
shows that this “hands-on” participation on the farm and on the mountainside
can raise many questions, and it is a challenge for the Swiss host to pass
along the information in a way that is relevant to the North Korean situation.
This process is usually rather slow and tedious, but it is the only way
to insure that the knowledge will be useful in the local context back in
North Korea. Feedback from other North Korean farmers who have participated
in our program confirms that this part of the project is a valu-able investment
for Campus für Christus. The names of this year’s participants
will be passed on to us in the new few days so that we can begin the process
of applying for the necessary visas. This process takes a lot of time,
especially because the Korean alphabet and writing system (last name written
first) cause confusion when filling out forms. If everything runs
according to plan, our guests will be arriving on May 26, 2002 in Zürich.
Projektinformationen auch auf Deutsch
Sind Sie deutscher Muttersprache oder kennen Sie jemanden, der die
Projektinformationen aus sprachlichen Gründen besser auf Deutsch
lesen könnte? Sie können dieses News in der deutsche Originalversion lesen.
 
A truck full
of goods – milk processing units, seeds, chemicals, food, .. now on its
way to North Korea
Get your personal copy of the North Korea Newsletter regularly either in the printed version
or as email.
Support the project financially: New
Online donations Earlier project updates:
2002:
January 2002
2001:
(only in German): Januar 2001 / März 2001 / Juni 2001 / August 2001 / November 2001
|
to top