Monday April 26, 2010~ Tour of Cheonan

We began the day with a formal meeting at the huge, new City Hall of Cheonan. At these formal meetings, we exchange business cards, have coffee and take notes while guides tell us about the facility. It was built in 2002. There are about 5.6 million people in Cheonan and the city has forty-one Rotary Clubs. There are 101 Rotary Clubs in District 3620 with a total of
2,300 Rotarians. 80% are men; 20% are women. Most of the women are in separate female clubs.
The Samsung Headquarters are in Cheonan and the city is thriving. Christina acted as our interpreter. Many Korean ships have city names; the name of the ship that sank on March 11, 2010 was the Cheonan. The sailors on that ship had enjoyed a special relationaship with the folks of Cheonan. On this day of our visit, many sailors and military were coming to the magnificent front hall of the Cheonan City Hall to pay their respects at a memorial set up in honor of the departed sailors. The memorial featured photographs of the deceased sailors, as well as a replica of the ship. Needless to say, there was a somber, respectful feeling throughout the entire building.
Later we ventured to the new nearby sports center which is a state-of-the-art facility. It houses an enormous stadium. At the facility, we met our GSE Korean friend, Sunny. She works at the sports complex and will be part of the Korean Rotary GSE team that visits us later this month. Sunny joined us for lunch at a fancy restaurant. After an elegant luncheon, we went to the bond market where bonds are purchased and sold. Once again, we sat in the board room and exchanged business cards and enjoyed coffee while a Rotarian who works there told us about the bond market. Next we walked the Arario Design Center. We shopped for a pet cage for a homestay present and some luggage because our luggage is bulging at the seams.