One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories! *Editor’s Note: You can take a tour with David A. Mason to any temple in Korea. He is a wonderful tour guide. He has been doing it for decades, and it shows in both his professionalism and insights. To contact Prof. Mason for any of his tours, you can either contact him through Facebook or through…

One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories! Q1: Where are you originally from? Introduce yourself a little. A: I was born in Chicago in 1958 and grew up primarily in the Washington D.C. area. My father worked in Langley, Virginia at the CIA. My family moved to Okinawa, Japan in 1971, when I was 12. We lived on a small American…

One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories! Q1: Where are you originally from? Introduce yourself a little. A: I consider myself a native Californian, although I was born in Germany, while my father was a teacher on a U.S. Army base there. Q2: When and why did you first come to Korea? A: I developed an interest in Seon Buddhism starting…

One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories! Q1: When and why did you first come to Korea? A: I was born in Seoul in 1957. Q2: When you first came to Korea what city did you live in? Did you subsequently move around? A: I lived in Seoul at my paternal grandfather’s house, which my father grew up in. It was…

One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories! Q1: Where are you originally from? Introduce yourself a little. A: I’m originally from the Pacific Northwest, raised and educated in Oregon and Washington. I have a BA in history from the University of Oregon and an MA in East Asian Studies from the University of Washington. I worked for two years after college as…

One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories! 1. Where are you originally from? Introduce yourself a little. I’m a U.S. citizen but spent most of my childhood in Europe and much of my adult life in Asia. 2. When and why did you first come to Korea? I arrived as an exchange student in late October, 1971. I was blessed to…

One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories! Q1: Where are you originally from? Introduce yourself a little. A: I grew up in Ohio and graduated from Ohio University. I married Mary Ann Llewellyn from New Jersey. Q2: When and why did you first come to Korea? A: We joined the Peace Corps in October, 1968, and we went to Korea in…

One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here is Frank’s story: Q1: Where are you originally from? Introduce yourself a little. A: I’m originally from Pittsburgh but after college I joined the Peace Corps and came to Korea in 1966 Q2: When and why did you first come to Korea? A: 1966 Peace Corps Q3: When you first came to Korea what city did you…

One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories! Q1: Where are you originally from? Introduce yourself a little.  A: I was born in Freeport, TX. I moved every year of my life around the U.S. Bill was born in Okinawa. He went to Korea in 1966.  Q2: When and why did you first come to Korea?  A: I was 12 when we…