e-journal # 2. movie

<Harry‘s First True Home, Hogwarts>

             Where is the most comfortable place in the world? The answer might differ from person to person, but ‘home’ will be the most common answer. Sometimes people take it for granted because home feels so natural and obvious. However, to some people, there is no place they could call home. The main character ‘Harry Potter’ of the movie series Harry Potter is an example of such a person.

            

             As an orphan, Harry lived with his aunt’s family. While living in his aunt’s house, Harry was never a happy child until he got into ‘Hogwarts,’ school of witchcraft and wizardry. Hogwarts became the first place Harry could call home. Also, it is a place where Harry meets his lifetime companions. The movie couldn’t have proceeded without the place ‘Hogwarts.’ Before entering Hogwarts and living with his aunt’s family, he was mistreated badly. He didn’t have a proper room, never got a birthday gift, and most importantly, was never been loved. Not knowing anything about his birth or his parents, Harry had though time in his childhood. However, after attended to Hogwarts, his whole life changed. For the first time in his life, he won people’s recognition. Some people even worshiped him. And most importantly, he could found comfort, be stable and feel safe. He had finally found a place he could call ‘home.’

             Another important factor in Hogwarts is that, it is a precious place where Harry meets his lifetime companions. While on his way to Hogwarts, he meets ‘Ron Weasley’ and ‘Hermione Granger,’ whom later become his life-time friends. Through the series, he meets a lot of allies. His godfather, great professors and his future wife etc. With these people, he gains energy to fight against his enemies, meets his parents through virtual images, and make treasurable memories. With these precious experiences, he become more mature and grow up as an adult who knows the value of friend and family. These factors make Harry be different from Lord Voldemort and help him win from the long battle with Lord Voldemort.

             It is true that the whole series is a fantasy. However, without Hogwarts, Harry Potter wouldn’t have become who he is at the end of the story. Also, if the movie's background was not Hogwarts, it would have been impossible for him to show his extraordinary abilities and become a legendary figure. 

e-journal # 1. geotourism

Geotourism for Hanok Village

#20150465

Eunbin Lee

           Korea is famous for a lot of traditional and cultural heritages. Among those, ‘Hanok village’ is famous for its beauty and age-long traditions. Hanok is a term for Korea’s traditional houses and located in Bookchon province. As it became renowned, more and more tourists are visiting this place every year. However, because of this increase, villagers are undergoing stressful times. Local residents are suffering from trash, noise, traffic congestion, trespassing etc. When introduced, geotourism will be able to reduce these problems and bring positive effects on Hanok village.

           One positive effect is that it can stop Hanok village become more and more commercialized. Until now, with traditional tourism, there was a vicious circle repeated: tourists come, major business district develops, and more tourists come. There are some interviews with the residents complaining about tourist’s shameless behaviors. According to the interview, the tourists abandon trashes everywhere and urinate on the street. Also, their sightseeing buses induce traffic jam. To lessen these damages as much as possible, it is essential to reduce the number of visitors to reasonable level. With geotourism, it will be much easier for villagers to manage the tourists more directly and efficiently.

Also, geotourism is needed for resident’s economic growth. In traditional tourism, only the major companies benefit and problems that comes with the profit, remains to be resident’s burden. There is a chart showing current status of Bookchon visitors. The number already reached more than 160,000 in 2011 and the number is in a strong uptrend. In geotourism, this figure can be a golden opportunity for local residents. Through local businesses such as providing resident’s real living spaces or traditional play classes, the villagers will be able to earn profit. Also, since the residents are the actual experts of the town, it will be much better if they work as tour guides. They will be able to introduce tiny little details in the village.

Lots of problems happening in Hanok village are derived from traditional tourism. To make Hanok village a place that both stands as residential area and living space, geotourism is the solution. Geotourism will help Hanok village become less commercialized and help the residents earn economic profit.