Korea is often called the “Land of the Morning Calm.” It’s a country where you notice the filth and the smog on your first trip, and you can’t imagine why you ever thought it was a good idea to visit. Then you meet the people, and you walk among their culture, and you get a sense there is something deeper beneath the surface, and before you know it, the smog doesn’t matter and the filth is gone—and in its place there is incredible beauty. The sun rises first over Japan, and as Korea is waiting for the earth to spin, for streaks of light to brighten its eastern sky, in that quiet moment there is a calmness that makes Korea the most beautiful country in the world.

The Day Before 9/11