Fragments of my North Korean experience

In 2012 I had one of the most unique experiences of my life, I visited the country of North Korea as part of a tourist group. We were there for just a week, but what we saw has forever changed me. We were stripped of all our electronic devices as soon as we arrived at the airport. Completely isolated from the rest of the world, we were taken to specific locations chosen for our itinerary, led by government appointed guides. I remember the first night driving past all the buildings in Pyonyang. There were lights on the inside but not a soul to be seen, as if no one lived in them. The city was a grotesque attempt to appear modern, rich, and lively. The real people of North Korea walked the dark streets back from their jobs and away from where the tourist could see them.
We visited schools where we were able to interact with students of all ages and watch as they performed things they had practiced to perfection. In one of the schools there was a large map of the world on the wall. The map had quite unashamedly erased South Korea, and made North Korea an enormous country, almost the size of India.
During our stay there it felt as though we had travelled back in time. Everyone we saw were in uniforms, their jackets had Kim Jong Un's face pinned on the side. A cellphone, which they proudly showed us, was the newest technology in their country. It was one of the old, big, brick phone used in the 90s, but to them it was novelty. Our tour guides spoke English, so I asked one of them what they did when the tourists left and it was no longer tourist season. She told me they did office work, and I asked her what that meant. She said, "We work on the field and plantations." I immediately realized all the answers, the stops, and the people we met were merely reflection of what the government wanted them to say.
We were warned that our bedrooms were bugged, and that words such as war, enemy, and religion could not be uttered if we were to stay out of trouble. A week after we left North Korea another group went in, and one of them never left. He was captured by them and accused of being a spy. He is still in there, and the United States is trying to fight to get him out. North Korea will be an experience I will forever cherish, not because it was enjoyable, but because it opened my eyes to see a form of slavery and deceit unparalleled in many places today. It makes me appreciate the freedom I have, which I’ve come to realize is one of the most important things I have.