UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 19, Page 5
February 10, 1994
Employee shares cultural exchange experiences

     For two weeks in November, Stephen Sciscione was in a different world,
one that was both foreign and familiar.
     On a trip to South Korea, the associate director of Career Planning
and Placement had an information exchange with Korean university
counterparts, and he tested for a fourth degree black belt in karate with
the Korea Tae Kwon Do Association in Seoul.
     While traveling, he visited HanKuk University of Foreign Studies. That
University's educational advisor, Young Eur Kang, was at Delaware last
winter and invited Sciscione to visit.
     "It was difficult to communicate, but the hospitality was incredible,"
he said of his host. Kang showed the Delaware visitor around the university
and introduced him to many of the professors there. They all wanted to try
out their English on an American, Sciscione said.
     Sciscione said he found a number of similarities in the way his
counterparts in Korea helped advise and place students in career positions.
     "The office staff does many of the same things that we do here," he
said, "sharing job leads, advising students of career choices and helping
them prepare for interviews. But there are some differences."
     The institution's president or career planning director refer students
directly to a company that has an opening, Sciscione said. In effect, the
college does initial screening and pre-selection of students they think are
qualified. After that, the selected candidates are sent out for
on-the-job-site interviews. In such a setting, Sciscione said, it's very
important that the students get to know the people in the placement and
career guidance offices.
     At HanKuk University of Foreign Studies, the career office is just
beginning to enter the early stages of computerization, and the staff asked
Sciscione for assistance, but since the personal computers were formatted
in Korean characters, rather than the Western alphabet, the Delaware
visitor was unable to provide any help.
     By the eighth day of his trip, Sciscione was starved for American
culture, including Western style food. One restaurant advertised pizza, so
Sciscione placed an order. The owner took him in the kitchen and showed him
all the supplies and wanted Sciscione, who is of Italian descent, to
demonstrate how to make the pizza. Sciscione tried with gestures for a
while, and then went to wait for his meal.
     "Well, it wasn't the best pizza I ever had, but the guy worked hard.
He really wanted to make it right," Sciscione said.
     Having been involved with martial arts for 25 years, he took the
opportunity to test for a fourth degree black belt. Part of the process was
to give an exhibition for 150 students at a school in Seoul. The officials
presented him with a granite plaque in appreciation.
     "Kids start really young, so it's a different focus there," Sciscione
explained. "By the time they're 17, they're at an excellent level. I enjoy
martial arts, and I feel that it is really a fine art form. I wanted a
fuller picture of its origins."
     To expand his knowledge of the arts associated with Tae Kwon Do,
Sciscione was given a lesson in the ancient craft of character drawing. In
Asian countries, a great deal of respect is given to those who can show
proficiency in this artistic skill. While visiting Dongguk University, he
met Myoung Ae Kim, who is a professor of food science and calligraphy. She
gave Sciscione a complete lesson and all the tools he needed to begin his
study of the written art. She also presented him with a huge banner that
now hangs in his home studio in Pennsylvania.
     "Martial arts have their roots in self-defense, but they are
intellectually motivated as well as physically, " Sciscione explained. "For
me, calligraphy creates patience and modesty."
     In addition to visiting the city and university towns, Sciscione went
into the mountains to do some hiking. He said he toured Buddhist temples
and saw gorgeous scenery.
     "It was definitely a cultural exchange and a great learning process,"
he said, comparing the Korean lifestyle to that of the United States.
"People there were very eager to speak with me, to learn about what I was
doing and why I was there. They have different ideas about how to do
business, and they are rooted in protocol and hospitality."
     This philosophy was demonstrated by the many gifts he received during
his visit; these gifts now remind him of his hosts and the people he met.
     Sciscione said he looks forward to continued communication with his
new-found associates in Korea.
                                                  -Mary Beth Lynch