West Briton reporter Katy Young is taking part in a cultural exchange to South Korea – a venture sponsored by Rotary International.

In her final diary home, from an article which first appeared in the West Briton, she describes local industry and Buddha’s birthday.

In her final e-mail diary, Katy said: “May 1 saw the annual celebrations for Buddha’s birthday, with 2001 being the deity’s 2,545th.

“At Anseong, the celebrations were being focused around the local school.

“Traditional dancing of all kinds was being performed, with the dancers wearing folk dress of vivid colours.

“All over the city, and especially at the Buddhist temples, waxed paper lanterns were hung all over the trees and across the road, blowing in the wind.

“It was great to be involved in the festivities, no matter how small, and although we could not always understand the meaning of the celebrations, we could grasp the general gist.”

Their party spent time in the rural areas around Seoul for the last part of the trip and took a look at the industries of agriculture and freshwater fishing, both mainstays of the local economy.

Katy said: “The experience of living among Koreans for a month is something which our party will not easily forget.

“At times it was exceptionally tough – especially with the massive difficulties we had with the language, and the sometimes gruelling schedule.

“But it was an exciting and fabulous experience.”

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