Having traveled a great deal as a youngin’, I consider myself quite comfortable in regions remote, non-English speaking, under travel advisory and the like. Bring it on, I always thought. Anything in the name of exploring new cultures, traditions, adventure. That was before traveling to Korea recently with my mom and son though. I had been invited to speak at the World Women’s Forum, and we were all very excited about the shared journey. On our first morning, we ventured out to explore Seoul and I realized (duh!) that all the signs were in Korean (duh!), a non-Latin based alphabet (duh)! Obvious, had I thought about it, but clearly, I had not thought about it. Then there were the issues of interest. Mine: wandering the countryside, hiking up mountains and seeking out a taste of old Asia. Corbin’s: “Hey there in that window are some of the stuffed Lemur Dudes I collect!” I had to adjust my expectations.

Fortunately the Koreans are a beautiful, most welcoming people and Corbin soon found his own gypsy blood as he sank into the adventures of foreign travel. I watched proudly as he imitated the mid-day salutations at Bongeunsa Temple, originally built in 794 by Yeon-hoe and still used by Koreans today. He was given his first prayer beads by an admiring local who prayed beside him. I watched with amusement as he ran about the grounds of the Gyeongbok Palace, imagining the royal court of 500 years ago, going about their daily rituals. I watched with gratitude as he and my mom swam laps together in the hotel pool, and we all watched the sun come up over the Hangong River. What a gift to be able to share this with them both. Three generations together. It was a fact not missed by the familial oriented Koreans. Corbin and my mom were both quite the hit in the international crowd.

As the Forum began, my gratitude increased. The theme for 2008 was Women As Agents of Change: Building A Diverse and Sustainable Future. What an honor to be included in this tremendous group and how cool for my son to have the opportunity to listen to speech after inspiring speech. Though just seven-years old, he sat seemingly spellbound, taking in the words of Yanar Mohammed, founder of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, who lives under constant death threat. He sat in the front row and listened to my fellow panelists, Brenda Ekwurzel, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, Gina Kolata, senior writer for the New York Times, and Helena Norbert Hodge, noted author of Bringing the Food Economy Home, and founder of the Ladakh Project. Suddenly the concepts of freedom of speech, climate change, and food transportation came alive for him and his mind opened to a whole new world. I wished later on, that the speakers could have heard his questions and known that a young life had been forever altered by their stories.

While the gifts of international travel are a privilege made even more rare due to high costs (both economically and environmentally (hello carbon offsets!), the gift of inspiring young minds is available and accessible every day and being in Korea reminded me of how precious it is to watch my son learn and grow and also, to enjoy the rediscoveries I share through his eyes.