North Korean Nuclear Program
Top North Korean scientists split the atom – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
Behind the Scenes
Being now focused on filling spots for my big May trip (the April tour is pretty much booked), I thought it might be valuable to show a little of the fun and behind the scenes action from my past visits. If you are familiar with my gun range and Ultimate Frisbee posts than you already know my tours are about more than just being bused around different monument and museum sites – we like to party too!
Almost all of the photos posted and linked below are what I had considered Facebook pics. Overlooked and neglected by this blog for too long, I think they fit in perfectly with this post. I hope you enjoy them and the behind the scenes insights they share.
North Korean guide Ms. Han, flush with soju after our going away duck BBQ dinner, sings Arirang on the bus microphone.
More pics linked below!
Amsterdam Pyongyang Restaurant Closed
I fly to Europe in a few weeks and had plans to meet up with some of my Dutch friends for dinner at the Amsterdam Pyongyang Restaurant, the only North Korean state run restaurant outside Asia. Unfortunately I just learned the Amsterdam Pyongyang Restaurant has closed, and not without a little controversy.
Their website claims that “due to holidays temporarily closed”, but news sources offer a different explanation:
Lowering of the whole affair has been provisionally fill of everything with North Korea faces. “We have done this out of idealism and we are very far. But it’s about. I do not think we ever go back to that country.” – internet translation from Dutch Telegraph article.
A lovely waitress sings to diners at the Dandong, China branch of the Pyongyang Restaurant – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
The Chosen Exchange chimes in with their own insights:
Accusations and counter-accusations abound: the Dutch partner says the restaurant was drained of money by the Koreans so they could start over without him, the Koreans say the Dutch guy didn’t pay his share, including wages. Indeed, a court ruled yesterday that the employees are owed payment by the Dutch company.
Despite whatever hanky panky that lead to the closing of the Amsterdam Pyongyang Restaurant I still highly recommend you make a visit to one of their remaining Asian branches for a fantastic night of exotic dining and unique entertainment. The list of cities with a Pyongyang restaurant can be found here, but make sure to double check locally before heading out.
Comrade Kim Goes Flying – Feature Film World Premiere
Comrade Kim Goes Flying, the first ever feature film done in collaboration between North Korean and Western producers, will have its world premiere screening this September at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Synopsis– from the official site
Comrade Kim Yong Mi is a North Korean coal miner. Her dream of becoming a trapeze artist is crushed by the arrogant trapeze star Pak Jang Phil who believes miners belong underground and not in the air. A heartwarming story of trying to make the impossible possible.
Programmer’s Note – From the Toronto International Film Festival
A winning, life-affirming fable about a young coal miner’s pursuit of her dream to become an acrobat, Comrade Kim Goes Flying marks a milestone in film history: it is the first Western-financed fiction feature made entirely in North Korea. But this charming film wears its heavy historical mantle with grace, weaving a lovely, light-hearted tale whose themes — overcoming adversity, and realizing the dream of a lifetime—upend our assumptions of a largely cloistered culture.
Kim Yong-mi (Han Jong-sim) works as a coal miner in a small village. She dreams of one day joining the national circus and performing on the trapeze — despite the fact that she is deathly afraid of heights. When she is promoted and sent to the capital, Pyongyang, she seizes the opportunity to make her dream come true. Insinuating herself into the circus and struggling to overcome her acrophobia, Yong-mi meets Pak Jang-phil (Pak Chung-guk), the arrogant, good-looking star of the Pyongyang Trapeze Troupe. At first, Jang-phil makes fun of the congenitally klutzy Yong-mi. But eventually her beauty, endearing personality and unyielding determination win him over, and give him a valuable lesson in humility.
The team behind Comrade Kim Goes Flying — co-writer and co-director Nicholas Bonner, an Englishman based in Beijing who has long promoted cultural exchange with North Korea; his collaborator Kim Gwang-hun, a North Korean filmmaker; and Belgian filmmaker Anja Daelemans, who also served as co-producer — spent six years putting this unprecedented project together, overcoming numerous difficulties — not least the fact that their stars are actual circus acrobats who had never acted before. But the result is a gorgeously filmed romantic comedy that transports us to a fantastic world seemingly out of time, with astonishing, candy-coloured images of the seldom-seen North Korea.
The Toronto International Film Festival’s schedule of screenings for Comrade Kim Goes Flying:
September 8 at 3:45 PM Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 3 – World Premiere
September 11 at 9:30 PM Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 5
September 16 at 3:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox 4
It’s great news that this film has made it to the Toronto International Film Festival; last spring producer Nick Bonner shared with me some of the problems Comrade Kim Goes Flying has had in finding its way to international audiences –paraphrasing from memory:
“Most international film festivals have a policy against screening films they consider to be state sponsored propaganda. At first glance by those unfamiliar with the colors, music, and emotions presented in North Korean art, this film might give the impression that it’s some form of propaganda, but no North Korean watching Comrade Kim Goes Flying would ever mistake it for such, for them this will be regarded as a fantasy/romantic comedy.”
Comrade Kim Goes Flying will be shown to audiences throughout the DPRK and will present to them provocative scenes the likes of which have never been seen in North Korean cinema. I was given the honor to preview some of these clips, and while international viewers might easily overlook their importance, scenes depicting corruption in the state system and child obesity have been designed to shock domestic North Korean audiences. Viewers will also be treated to what producer Nick Bonner describes as the “sexiest scene in North Korean cinema”, an upward shot of Comrade Kim in her leotard climbing a ladder to the trapeze – YAWZA YAWZA!
One last interesting aspect of the film I should mention is the delightful animation of the opening credits. The animation during this sequence takes its influence from modern North Korean wood block prints, the style of which can be seen in the promotional picture at the top of this post, and also here in its common form.
Photos credit to the official Comrade Kim Goes Flying website.
Small Town Juche
No tool is too humble in the struggle for self reliance – from my own interpretation of Juche Idea.
Locals get by with what they have; transportation by hand cart in the small North Korean city of Hamhung – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
Pyongyang Smiles
During preparations for my first trip to the DPRK I watched all of the online documentaries I could find, from dreary hit pieces on the DPRK Government to over sensationalized video travel guides, and common to them all was the depiction of a sad, colorless, and lifeless North Korea. But by coming to the DPRK myself I experienced something different; I found Pyongyang to be a clean, bright, colorful, and orderly city, with a people that smile, laugh, and despite the language barrier, interact with foreigners with a shy curiosity.
Sharing my pictures of the DPRK and its people is what this blog is all about. I’m trying to present a different perspective compared to the impressions put out there by the main stream media. I don’t deny that there are human rights violations, but there’s already plenty of material out there to explore on those issues. Instead I wish to pass on what I observed during my travels in the DPRK: that despite the hardships and pressures the North Korean people endure (whatever they may be), they remain a very human people, and just like us they love life and share the simple hopes and dreams common to all humanity.
The people of Pyongyang smile – below are pictures taken during the festivities and celebrations for 100th birthday of ‘Eternal President’ Kim Il-sung - all photos by Joseph A Ferris III
During the week of celebrations for the 100th birthday of ‘Eternal President’ Kim Il-sung, mass parades and celebratory gatherings were quite common. These events were not normally open to foreigners, but often we got caught stuck in traffic jams as tens of thousands of people clogged the roads on their way home. During these times our guides were gracious enough to let us interact with the people, here young boys wave and smile on their walk home.
Young girls laugh and smile while walking home from school.
Boys from a brigade of Young Pioneers enjoy an ice cream snack at a local park.
Young girls smile while taking a break from an afternoon of rollerblading.
Sharing a laugh with our guide on the USS Pueblo.
A cheerful Pyongyang Metro ticket attendant.
A festive spirit pervades the crowds at a mass gathering in Pyongyang’s Kim Il-sung square.
A festive spirit pervades the crowds at a mass gathering in Pyongyang’s Kim Il-sung square.
North Korean Children’s Nearly Unbelievable Performances
I am here to apologize for my lack attention to this blog as of late. I have been super busy with my duties as Chief Mate during short oceanographic research expeditions, hectic in port ship maintenance periods, and now working a crazy cruise on a full ship with over 50 scientists and crew – with that many people aboard available satellite internet bandwidth is in low supply making even the most general web surfing an agonizing chore.
I have also been busy planning a fall trip to Iran, Armenia, and Lebanon, along with two and a half weeks in Tuscany, Sicily, and Malta with my family.
Since I have been too busy to get any serious writing done (relatively recent picture posts don’t count), please let me at least pass along a DPRK post by my friend Joshua Spodek: North Korean Children’s Nearly Unbelievable Performances – insights on children’s performances at the Mangyongdae Children’s Palace.
A young lady dances at the Mangyongdae Children’s Palace – this photo got me an honorable mention by the moderator of the Lonely Planet Flickr Photo Challenge.
North Korean Roadside Attactions
Soldier squirrels, missiles, and AK-47s raised defiantly into the air, just a few examples of the roadside attractions (propaganda) commonly seen in towns outside Pyongyang, North Korea.
North Korean Cell Phone Revolution
Cell phones may have arrived in North Korea, but apparently public service announcements teaching the dangers of texting and driving haven’t.
Hamhung, North Korea - photo by Joseph A Ferris III
North Korean Hairstyling
North Korean beauty and fashion has been in the news lately, apparently the western educated new young leader Kim Jung-un has recently allowed women to wear earrings, platform heels, and pants in an effort to maintain popularity with the nation’s youth.
In a somewhat related article koreaBANG examines the North Korean hairstyling industry. My friends over at The North Korean Blog were stuck by the methods used by the state to select and nurture young candidates for careers in the hairdressing industry, and how it relates to insights we gleaned about the North Koran comedy profession:
In order to obtain the qualifications to become a hairdresser, those who receive recommendations as middle school graduates or from other workplaces are trained through education at a hairdressing or beauty school in each town or district more than once per year, and in September of every year they even hold a competition for the north’s most skilled beauty salon, ‘Nationwide Hairdressers’ and Beauticians’ Competition’ in Pyongyang.
The koreaBANG article had me reminiscing about the afternoon we shared at the Hamhung flower park and pavilion along with couples on their wedding day. Deemed an auspicious day for tying the knot, the park was filled with newlywed couples having their formal pictures taken. Many of the women were dressed in their finest chosŏn-ot and had their hair done up in elaborate, yet tasteful, styles. We were more than welcome to take pictures of the couples and our presence actually created a bit of a sensation, North Korean wedding photographers snuck around to try to candidly fit us in their shots, and a few families actually thrust flowers in our hands and had us pose with the newlyweds!
Brides and their hairstyles in Hamhung flower park – all photos by Joseph A Ferris II
Girl with Local North Korean Currency
Portrait of a girl with local currency Pyongyang, North Koera- photo by Joseph A Ferris III
Article Analysis at The North Korea Blog
My good friends over at The North Korea Blog have been busy analyzing some recent articles about North Korea put out by the main stream media. Like myself, these guys have also visited the DPRK and have valuable insights to share.
Going Green in North Korea – Gabriel Mizrahi examines the Prague Post’s article: Czech consultant launches in North Korea.
Pedal power on the streets of Hamhung, North Korea – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
A Kink in the Armor - Joshua Spodek analyzes the Wall Street Journal’s report: Luxuries Flow Into North Korea.
State authorized cottage industry in the Hamhung region – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
Related articles
- North Korea Strategy Talk with Joshua Spodek (americaninnorthkorea.com)
- 7 Myths About North Korea (americaninnorthkorea.com)
A Bird’s Eye View of Pyongyang – Post #2
Pictures of Pyongyang, North Korea taken from the top of Juche Tower.
Monument to the Founding of the North Korean Workers’ Party.
East bank of the Taedong River, old Pyongyang City.
East bank of the Taedong River, old Pyongyang City.
East bank of the Taedong River, old Pyongyang City.
East bank of the Taedong River, old Pyongyang City.
Pyongyang Mansudae housing project.
Kim Il-sung Square Pyongyang.
All photos by Joseph A Ferris III
Related articles
- A Bird’s Eye View of Pyongyang – Post #1 (americaninnorthkorea.com)
Love North Korean Children – Humanitarian Charity Appeal
Dongbong Co-Operative Farm, Hamhung, North Korea- photo by Joseph A Ferris III
For those who have enjoyed this blog and are curious about how to make a donation that will directly benefit those in need in the DPRK please let me introduce the Love North Korean Children project.
Run by Manna Mission of Europe, a U.K. registered charity organization, the main purpose of the Love North Korean Children project is to help impoverished children, often orphans, in the Najin-Sonbong area and other places (in Pyongyang and far away from the capital). We are running bakeries for the supply of staple food. That means to provide self-help, because we do not deliver bread to North Korea! We deliver flour and employ staff in the country. Therefore a strict monitoring is guaranteed.
- Each bakery has a capacity of feeding 4,000-10,000 children and the staff.
- We currently have 26 possible locations for bakeries and orphanages; the construction and opening of such facilities depends on the funds we receive in the future.
- We reached an agreement with the North Korean government to get the estate for bakeries free of charge. So all the money goes directly towards providing humanitarian assistance. The flour is delivered from neighboring China to save transportation costs.
Photos from the 2010 bakery inspection tour.
This project is facilitated with the help of Koryo Tours, they give the following details about the project:
Donations can be made directly to the Love North Korean Children project at their PayPal page, or via Koryo Tours at PayPal links on their charity info page.
Remember – as little as EUR 1.50 will feed one child for one month - and under EUR 20 will feed one child for one whole year!
Related articles
- Food shortage for 16 million NKoreans (news.smh.com.au)
Classroom Tour at the Mangyongdae Children’s Palace
Last year we were late getting to the Pyongyang Children’s Palace – we got to see most of the show but missed the tour of the classrooms. For this year’s visit to the larger Mangyongdae Children’s Palace I made it a point to arrive extra early so we could get the full tour – on a day when a major performance was scheduled for western tourists and foreign dignitaries we were the first group to arrive.
Below is just a portion of what we were shown on our tour. Child protegees and students work hard to perfect their studies in folk music, propaganda oration, drawing, and piano. How much of this was staged for us and how much was typical of what goes on, visiting tourists invading their classrooms or not, I cant really say.
Our student guide for the classroom portion of the Mangyongdae Children’s Palace.
Related articles
- The Mangyongdae Children’s Palace (americaninnorthkorea.com)
Peace Sign Photobomb!
Peace sign photobomb at the Wonsan main square, North Korea – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
Visit North Korea!
100 Year Kim Il Sung Birthday Celebrations in Pyongyang, North Korea – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
Tell me a little about yourself and I will hook you up with a great DPRK travel deal for visiting! Please leave a quick comment here (so I will know to check my email) and email me privately at joseph@youngpioneertours.com with the following info:
Full name, how you learned about this blog, what your country of residence is, when you are interested in visiting the DPRK, and what you are interested in seeing.
As of Oct. 2012 I’m pleased to announce I can offer 5% off to people I refer for our scheduled trips to both the DPRK and Iran – so get in touch!
Bagging Your Own Breakfast – The Pyongyang Gun Range Pheasant Shoot
Dubbing the experience guns, girls, and beer, last summer’s visit to the Pyongyang gun range was one of my favorite experiences of the trip. Having had so much fun there last year I made it a point to include another visit when I wrote out the custom itinerary for my 2012 return to the DPRK – most standard North Korean tourist itineraries don’t include the gun range.
Our visit was approved but this year the girls were prepared for us and remembered our tricks – no photos hugging the girls, beer in one hand and rifle in the other, while in the shooting area! But that was OK, we had other tricks up our sleeves! At 5 euros a round visitors are allowed to take a shots at live birds in a pen at the far end of the gun range. Nobody tried during last years visit, the pen was only stocked with one skinny chicken, but this year the pen was well stocked with plump pheasants, and to temp us further a North Korean man shot and bagged one before our eyes. I wasn’t the first in our group to bag a pheasant, one of the guys hit one on his first shot and made a gift of the bird to our bus driver – the driver was thrilled. After getting a few drinks in me I purchased a 5 euro round for my lucky shot into the pheasant pen, then a 2nd, and a third round – eventually I bagged one!
North Korean gun range attendant with my pheasant.
Me and my pheasant at the Pyongyang gun range.
So you got drunk and shot a pheasant at Pyongyang gun range – now what? Bring the dead bird to the dining hall of your Pyongyang hotel restaurant, pull it out in front of a bunch of horrified western tourists while they eat their dinners, and pass it over to a North Korean waitress – she wont even bat an eye but only ask for instructions on how you want your bird soup prepared for the next morning’s breakfast. Photo above – my pheasant being dished out for breakfast.
Me and my prize at the Pyongyang gun range.
Me and my pheasant at the Pyongyang gun range.
A North Korean man returning with his prize.
Walking out with the gun range attendant to get my bird.
Related articles
- The North Korean Dining Experience (americaninnorthkorea.com)
Sneaking a Cell Call
Cell phones are all the rage in Pyongyang, North Korea this year (we hardly saw any during our Aug. 2011 trip) – here a traffic girl sneaks a call from behind a tree - photo by Joseph A Ferris III
New Portrait in Kim II-sung Square
One of the major changes from last summer that I saw in Pyongyang this spring was the newly hung portrait of Kim Jong-il in Kim II Sung Square, Pyongyang. Kim Jong-il is credited with the creation and fostering of his father’s personality cult, yet in his lifetime he had restrained the establishment of a personality cult of his own, but following his death portraits and statues have started to pop up throughout Pyongyang and beyond – check out the new Kim Joing-il mural in the Pyongyang Mansudae neighborhood.
Taking a picture that fails to fully capture the image of Kim II Sung is strictly forbidden – although I captured the one above.
Kim Jong-il and Kim II-sung portraits in Kim II-sung Square during the preparations for the 100th year birthday of Kim II-sung.
View of Kim II-sung Square from atop Juche Tower – at 300mm zoom.
Related articles
- Pyongyang Mansudae Housing Complex (americaninnorthkorea.com)
Soldier With Flowers
A North Korean soldier with flowers passes by as we sightsee at the southern entrance to the Nampo West Sea Barrage – just another example of the humanity of the North Korean people rarely shown by the mainstream western media – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
Read more about this experience and many more like it at Joshua’s Spodek’s Blog.
Local Fisherman in Wonsan, North Korea
In the tidal shallows outside the tourist hotel in the North Korean east coast city of Wonsan, local fisherman search out the ocean’s bounty – photos by Joseph A Ferris III
Related articles
- Wonsan Docks (americaninnorthkorea.com)
Reunification and North Korean Self Awareness
The following question was posed to me in a recent post response thread: Is there a sentiment of North-South reunification among North Koreans or have they come long enough a way to forget and develop their own sense of national pride?…….How could North Koreans be fooled for so long that their country is on a higher moral ground than all other countries, when the leadership is showing the exact opposite? Do they really think foreigners have it worse or what? Some North Koreans know what real prosperity looks like across the border to Seoul, yet most of the country still seems to turn a blind eye to the fact that everyone in the country is basically working for the ruling family’s sole benefit and indulgence.
It may not be as clear cut as assumed here, but isn’t it the basic idea? Seriously, what is up?
Unification propaganda at the DMZ – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
My answer to the above question: Trying to figure out what North Koreans really think is a puzzle that has me infinitely fascinated. As a foreigner, and especially as a tourist, I believe you will never truly know, but visiting and discovering small insights and clues, or at least seeing a different side of the people – a human side (and capturing it in photos), is what keeps bringing me back. Testimony from defectors helps give a clue, but how much of that can you really trust? It all makes my head spin. Of course as a tourist you really only get to see Pyongyang and a handful of other cities and showcase sites, places of privilege where everyone toes the party line – their well-off lives depend on it!
So knowing what North Koreans really believe about reunification is a difficult thing. I know that the government supports unification in its propaganda and that guides tell us that reunification is a goal that all North Koreans hope for and support in their heart. There is a strong pan Korean cultural identity held in esteem in the North, and I believe the “idea” of reunification for the good of all Koreans and Korean culture is truly supported there. But I think the actual act of reunification is a vague idea and one that the government feels is better put off for the distant future, and looking at the cost of unification I believe the South feels the same way.
The North Korean leadership has specific strategies and sustainable competitive advantages that compel them to maintain the status quo (for more on this read Joshua Spodek’s book). I see this, more than a newly developed “sense of national pride”, as the reason, despite internal and external propaganda proclaiming the opposite, as the reason why reunification has been indefinitely sidelined.
Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il mural in the city of Wonsan – photo by Joseph A Ferris III
I believe the 2nd part of the question – how could North Koreans be fooled for so long that their country is on a higher moral ground than all other countries……is brilliantly addressed in Brian R. Myer’s book The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters. Here you can find an in depth examination of North Korean propaganda, how the government has had to accept its poverty, and instead focused on racial supremacism as a cornerstone of their propaganda.
Tourists to North Korea are no longer exposed to the old fashioned anti-American propaganda, neither are they exposed to this new North Korean supremacism propaganda, but to understand North Korea one needs to understand it exists. The South Korean economy surpassed the North in the early 70′s but for many years lack of information about the outside world allowed the government to proclaim its economy and Juche system as the envy of the world. Currently this would fool no one. Through smuggled South Korean DVDs, trading and border connections with China, and exposure to the outside world through Russian logging camps, North Koreans have a pretty good idea of their lowly economic position in the world. To help maintain their grip on power the North Korean regime shifted its propaganda to focus on the supremacism of the wholesome North Korean citizen living and holding the true Korean culture in trust until a time when the South Koreans vacate US soldiers off their soil along with all the associated vice and corruption US influence brings. They believe (or at least propagandize) this as a holy responsibility, something worth the sacrifice in the face of the wealth and the subsequent corruption, so readily apparent across their borders, that the wealth brings.
How effective is this propaganda? As a tourist I cant really say. North Koreans are not going to tell a tourist anything but the party line. Divergent opinions must exist but to talk openly about them brings down certain punishments……and any further discussion on that delves into taboo areas best not to be explored by those of us who want to continue with travels to the DPRK
Pyongyang Restaurant Chain – North Korean Food Available Around the World
Live entertainment at a North Korean state run restaurant in Dandong, China.
Traveling to Asia but don’t have enough time to visit North Korea? It’s possible to get a taste, literally, of North Korean culture at one of the many state run North Korean restaurants located in the East and Southeast Asian region. At the Pyongyang restaurant chain you can get amazing North Korean cuisine along with music and dance shows performed by actual North Korean waitresses.
These restaurants are reportedly run by the infamous Room 39, the North Korean bureau that is tasked with acquiring and laundering foreign hard currency and the distribution of foreign luxury goods to high party officials.
The Pyongyang restaurant is the perfect place to hang out at if you are looking to rub shoulders with North Korean spies and secret agents. All the waitresses are required to live on premises and are closely watched by state security agents – reportedly several branches in China were shut down after escape attempts. Clientele at branches close to the North Korean border are mainly curious Chinese and North Korean businessmen, while branches further afield focus on the South Korean businessman trade.
Wikipedia reports that the Pyongyang restaurant chain operates in the major cities close to the North Korean border along with locations in Beijing and Shanghai. Outside China you can enjoy the North Korean experience at a Pyongyang restaurant in Bangkok, Jakarta, Pattaya, Siem Reap, Vientiane, and Amsterdam.
Live entertainment at a North Korean state run restaurant in Dandong, China.
My good friend Jordan Harbinger, co-founder of The North Korea Blog, and I visited a North Korean state run restaurant during our visit to the Chinese/North Korean border city of Dandong. We stopped by the Lui Jing restaurant, and although what I write about above deals with the Pyongyang restaurant chain, we were assured that the Lui Jing restaurant was also North Korean state run and would provide the most authentic North Korean meal in the city. While in North Korea our meals were always adequate but seemingly dumbed down for our western palette. At the Dandong Lui Jing restaurant we were served up heaping dishes of the best Korean food I have ever had. We dug into a serving of Yook Hwe, a cold raw beef and raw egg dish that was fantastic, along with bulgogi BBQ (we ordered 2nds), and a gigantic fluffy shrimp and octopus omelet.
Taking photos is not allowed in most North Korean state run restaurants, so I never got pictures of our dishes, but when the floor show started the waitresses used sign language to indicate we could snap some shots – as shown in the pics above. The waitresses were totally perplexed by us, I’m guessing they don’t see too many western foreigners stopping by at the Dandong branch, but of course we charmed them with our limited Korean language skills and smiles, and had the entire waitress staff abuzz chatting about our every move. We visited two nights in a row and was granted the special privilege, despite a no photo policy, of taking Polaroids and sharing them with the girls there.
