Green Tea Ice Cream

The other night was a very memorable one at the hasukjib.  연장자 (yeonjangja), which is how I jokingly refer to one of the older students at the hasukjib (it means elder or superior, and Nuna liked it so much that she even calls him by that name too), commented on my beard again, as well as the amount of food that I eat.  It was said that there was a previous student living at the hasukjib who ate so much that once he arrived for a meal, all of the other students had to eat really quickly or else all of the food would be gone. I don't think I'm at that point yet.  We were also talking about ice cream during dinner, so I offered to go out and buy some for everyone, on the condition that Yeonjangja would take me to a movie sometime in return.  I was only joking of course, and Yeonjangja suggested that I take Kayeonhee, one of the girls living at the hasukjib as well. I replied "좋겠다!" (That would be good!) and immediately blushed afterwards as everyone started laughing at me.

In the end, Yeonjangja and I went out to bring back some ice cream for everyone from a nearby Baskin Robins.  Yeonjangja's favorite flavor was Gone With The Wind (바람함께...something), and since I had never heard of it, we had to try it.  In addition to Gone With The Wind, we also brought back some Green Tea ice cream for Nuna, her favorite kind.  It was nice to get out with Yeonjangja, and I was able to find out a little bit more about Nuna from him being outside of the hasukjib with him.  He told me that Nuna was very special for all that she does for us at the hasukjib.  For her to be doing the kind of work she does at her young age is also very amazing and something you don't see very often.  The reason why she works at the hasukjib seemed like a private matter, so we just left it at that.  Another thing that I've come to love about Nuna is the way she cares for and raises her daughter.  I know it is definitely no little task preparing all of our meals everyday and keeping up with the work around the hasukjib.  But she does it without asking for anything in return and, on top of that, finds quality time to spend with her daughter.  I can often hear Nuna and her daughter outside my window, and, although Nuna has a layer of toughness about her in order to make it through all of the day's tasks, I know what a kind person and loving mother she is from the way she speaks to her daughter.  While a day in the life of Nuna seems to always involve exhausting work, she seems to have the simple things in life figured out:  taking care of the needs of others, making time for family, and enjoying company of family and friends.  I know I've written about Nuna on several other occasions, but I just think there is a lot to learn from her.

Yeonjangja and I ended up bringing two buckets of ice cream back to the hasukjib which we all shared together.  Nuna really liked her Green Tea ice cream.  There was a real family-like atmosphere to the whole night at the hasukjib, just enjoying each other's company.  Nuna even had Yeonjangja and I challenge each other in a game of arm wrestling to cap off the night's festivities.  I plan to get Nuna another bucket of Green Tea ice cream before I leave.

Andong

Last weekend I had the chance to visit Andong, "The Capital of The Korean Spirit," according to the brochure.  In order to get there, two helpful Korean friends took on the taxing duty of getting the whole group safely to Andong, which took about five hours total by car (including breaks in between at rest stops).  One thing I've come to notice about Korean hospitality is that Koreans treat their guests very well.  Not only do they make an effort to present their country in a positive light, but more importantly, I've felt that all of my Korean hosts really care about the well being of their guests and go the extra mile to see that they are well taken care of.  As a foreigner in this country, I'm still wondering what the expectation of the guest is, or if there is any at all.  I definitely feel a sense of gratitude for all that my hosts have done for and given to me, and will hopefully find a way to repay them for their kindness.  

It's sort of weird to think that I will probably never see these two Korean men again who served as our tour guides for the trip.  They simply came into my life for a span of two days and provided our whole group with a wonderful experience.  One of the things that I will remember the most about them is how they navigated through some of the most rural areas of Andong unsystematically but grittily.  Our two cars winded along curvy dirt roads through endless rice fields, under the helm of these two Korean men.  At one point during the drive we had no idea where we were and could not continue along the dirt road anymore anyway because there was a huge cow blocking the way.  At this point, one of the men got out of the car and asked a halmonim, an older lady who was farming on the side of the road, for directions.  This instance was only one example of the way our hosts took care of us. It's interesting how people come in and out of your life at different times.  While I may have only known these two men for two days, their acts of kindness and assistance have become memories that will last a lifetime.

When we first arrived at Andong, we visited Hahoe Folk Village, which is known for it's mask festivals and performances, and contains various typical Korean houses preserved since the early Joseon Dynasty.  We had jjimdak for lunch, which is seasoned and simmered chicken.  It is an Andong specialty and a must-eat meal if you are in Andong.  We then made our way to see a traditional mask performance. In the performance, the actors wore different masks and with them assumed different personalities as well as a role within Korean society.  Some of the different masks included a crafty Farmer, a grieving halmonim, some sort of drunken man, and the yangban, or traditional ruling class during the Joseon Dynasty.  The actors were also accompanied by the traditional Korean music of drums and wind instrument.  It was a form of storytelling and a way to connect with and preserve Korean traditions.  The audience also seemed to really be getting into the performance as well, as some audience members even went down on the stage and started dancing with the performers.

After touring the village, we made our way to the traditional Korean house where we would spend the night.  After winding through more rice fields and valleys, we made it to the location of our camp site which was tucked snugly in the back of the mountains.  It was nice to be in nature's embrace and away from Seoul's busy streets and bright lights.  It was clear that night too, and I had forgotten what it was like to see the stars.  We started the barbecue up and barbecued up a storm of meat.  I went all out on the barbecue, and must of went a little too crazy because the next day I woke up with some small burns.  This was great timing to get a burn because I had just learned how to say "I got burnt by the fire" in class the other day.  The burns were nothing serious though, and they are pretty much fully healed now.  After dinner, we took quick showers in the makeshift bathrooms due to the cold water.  And then we played 윷놀이 (yunnori), a traditional Korean game played with sticks.  We had learned about this game in class, and it was a great experience to actually play it.  Our team ended up coming in last the first game.  But by the second game, we had come to understand the rules better and made an amazing turnaround by beating the competition by a wide margin (the losing team had to due some sort of embarrassing task. When we lost we had to sing and dance).  Then it was time for bed.  We slept on the floors in the traditional style, and I actually was able to get a pretty good night's sleep.  Although we had to get up pretty early the next morning, waking up to the beautiful view from our lodging and feeling the mountain's embrace around us was very rejuvenating.

On our second day in Andong, we visited several different religious sites including Bongjeongsa Temple and the Icheon-dong Buddha.  Buddhism still plays an important role in Korean life, which was evident in the reverence emanating from these sacred places.  We also visited the site of a Korean drama (Andong is a very popular place to make Korean films because of its well-preserved traditional folk settings).  We headed back home on this second day.  Most of us were pretty beat, and slept during most of the ride back.  There were about thirteen of us total, and it was a very nice group of people to spend time with on this excursion, all of whom were Sogang students.

Once back at Sinchon station, an unfortunate event occurred.  As I was about to exit the station, I became aware of a growing circle of people forming right in the middle of the subway station.  I could not see what was the focus of attention, as everyone was trying to get a glimpse at what was going on in the middle of the circle.  When I pushed a little further in, I saw a girl a little older than I sprawled out on the floor of the station as if someone had just hit her.  I could not see her face which was hidden by her disheveled hair facing the ground.  Her arms and hands were shaking as if she was in a state of fear and trauma.  Above her stood a boy a little older than I, who seemed to be the cause of this girl's traumatic state.  He was yelling at her intimidatingly to get up and even tried picking her up, but the girl was in such a state of shock that she just fell feebly back down to the ground.  As the this was happening, the circle was getting larger as subway goers tried to get a look at what was going on.  What was disturbing about the whole situation was that everyone was just watching this helpless and paralyzed girl on the ground.  Eventually a security guard came and took the boy away, and I'm not exactly sure what happened to the girl.  It was sort of scary to see the type of domestic violence that can occur and the kind of response it gets.

Time for a Shave

Last week Friday we had our mid-term speaking exam.  For this exam, we had to randomly select and carry out three dialogues (out of sixteen) with one of our classmates.  Because we didn't know which dialogues were going to be selected on the day of the exam, we had to prepare dialogues for all sixteen scenarios.  My partner and I practiced a lot, and fortunately we got to do the dialogue that involved dancing and singing a song from the Wonder Girls (one of Korea's biggest female pop groups).

Just recently at the hasukjib I received an interesting comment.  One of the girls noticed I hadn't shaved for a while due to the fact that I had a pretty shaggy beard, and she commented on this.  At first, I wasn't sure if this was a mere observation or complaint.  I hadn't shaved for probably a couple weeks, mostly because of my laziness and indifference to appearance.  And obviously, it had caught the attention of this girl and Nuna as well.  I guess having facial hair is pretty noticeable here, since most Korean men don't have very much of it.  Although the attention to and consciousness of one's outward appearance are very high here, I haven't felt like I needed to go out of my way to fit the fashion trends here.  In the end, I shaved this weekend, but will probably let it grow back out again.  I know my mom is not going to be happy about this story (Sorry!).

Ever since I started learning Korean, one of the things that I always had a hard time understanding was the use of 존댓말 (formal speech) and 반말 (informal speech).  존댓말 is used whenever you are talking to someone older than you or are meeting someone for the first time and don't know whether or not this person is older or younger than you.  반말 is used amongst close friends and towards people younger than you.  Switching between the two, or more importantly, knowing when to switch between the two, continues to be very difficult and often awkward for me.  Depending on which speech you use, a relationship between the two speakers is established.  In this sense, Korean is a very hierarchical language in which it is important to know the level and standing of the two people talking.  Interestingly enough, one of the first things Korean people of my age usually ask me when we first meet is what age I am.  This is to verify which form of speech is to be used between us.  If I am just one year older than them, I am entitled to use 존댓말 (formal speech).  Unfortunately, I was unaware of this until recently, and because of my lack of discernment to know which form of speech to use, I basically have only been using 반말 with everyone I meet.  Because I am a foreigner, however, I am cut some slack.  If Korean was my native language I probably would be reprimanded for using improper forms of speech and breaching the hierarchical social standards .  I am still trying to understand the intricacies and social undertones behind these different forms of speech, and still get mixed up when and where to use them.

I've also wondered how the different forms of speech affect the levels of intimacy between the speakers, if there is any influence at all.  For example, using 반말 (informal speech) could signify the closeness of the relationship.  If you and your friend have a close relationship, despite your difference in age, you can choose to use 반말 with each other.  However, when I use 반말 I sometimes feel as if I am being disrespectful or looking down on the person I'm addressing.  Perhaps this is just a misconception.  Is using 반말 a sign of our close relationship, or does it convey disrespect and disregard for social standards?  Thus, it becomes very hard to know what exactly you are conveying with the form of language you are using. Obviously, when a mother speaks 반말 to her child (like Nuna), this is not a sign of disrespect but rather a sign of love and affection perhaps, right?

Using 존댓말 (formal speech), on the other hand, seems to convey submissiveness to an older person, although I'm not sure if this is the right interpretation either.  It is used to show respect when speaking to someone older than you.  However, if it only shows signs of respect, can a level of intimacy ever be reached through 존댓말?  Or is there always going to be a degree of separation between the speakers?

 I think I've just confused myself even more after all this talk.  I'm sorry if I've confused you as well.

Real-life Situations

Some interesting things have come up recently.  But before I go into them, I want to recap a fun story that happened during class a couple of weeks ago.  We were going over a dialogue that involved approaching an academic administrator and bringing up some sort of complaint relating to the school.  Now these dialogues that we methodically go over in class are all hypothetical situations that we might encounter in the future in Korea.  However, in order to make these situations more realistic, my teacher for some strange reason thought it would be a good idea for me to actually utilize this dialogue in a real-life situation.  Thus, in the middle of our class she made me go to the 7th floor where the administrators' offices are and give a complaint, just like our dialogue had.  And since the clock in our classroom was broken, this would be the perfect thing to ask the administrator's to fix.  I involuntarily agreed to carry out this task and reluctantly made my way down to the 7th floor, trying quickly to remember how the dialogue went.  Once in front of the administration office, I approached one of the workers and informed her why I had come--our clock needed to be fixed.  What a good reason.  I definitely made a lot of mistakes throughout the whole conversation, probably because I was nervous and caught off guard quite a bit by the whole situation.  Amazingly, however, the conversation was almost exactly the same as the dialogue we were studying in class.  Although I was hesitant to carry out this task at first, I definitely benefitted from going out of my comfort zone and engaging in a real situation.  Moreover, it showed how useful the dialogues we study can be and how similar they are to real-life conversation, as they can sort of seem redundant at times after studying them in class over and over again.  After it was all over, I wondered whether or not the whole thing was staged, considering how close the conversation and dialogue in our student books were.  Oh, and our clock eventually got fixed.

So there is this girl in my class named Valerie.  She is from San Francisco but has been living in Korea for about 17 months (and I thought two and a half months was a long time!).  I've definitely learned a lot from her and she casts a new light on Korean culture and life that I had not seen before.  Over the past four weeks of being in class together, we've both found that we barely share anything in common, which is probably one of the reasons why we've become friends.  She loves rock music, I abhor it.  I love the winter season, she abhors it.  She loves horror films, I love chick flicks.  She also doesn't feel a strong connection to her home in San Francisco, whereas I definitely feel like my home in Hawai'i is where my roots are.  Despite our differences, I've come to respect a quality of hers, one that I don't really have (another one of our differences), which is her bluntness; she speaks her mind loudly and doesn't care at all what other people think about what she says.  For example, we'll be the only two foreigners eating in a Korean restaurant amongst other Korean people, and she'll blurt out everything that is wrong with the Korean education system or some other sort of negative remark about the country.  At first I sort of had to duck my head below the table, but I've become used to her brutal frankness and dealing with it.  Obviously seeing Korea through another foreigner's or American's eyes will be different from a Korean perspective, but after living in Korea for 17 months, Valerie definitely paints a vivid picture of the realities of Korea.  And while at times I think her bluntness could be tempered with restraint and awareness of others around her, her lack of inhibitions and reservations when speaking is something I admire.  Maybe we aren't as different as we think.  Although I know I'll never like rock music.

So in news around the hasukjib.....Last night we had an interesting conversation during dinner.  Usually when Nuna and the Korean students are talking in Korean, I basically do the best that I can to piece together their conversation like a puzzle from the words and grammar that I can pick up.  In the conversation last night, for about half of the conversation the only words and phrases that I could pick up were "man", "person living on the first floor", "scary", "going out to smoke a cigarette", "lying about not eating breakfast", and "uncomfortable."  As you can see, it can be interesting trying to imagine and put together a coherent story from this list of miscellaneous words and phrases.  It wasn't until the end of the conversation that I finally understood what they were talking about for the past twenty minutes.  This sort of thing happens often when I reach an epiphany and understand the conversation in its entirety!  When this occurs, most times one of the Korean students has taken the time to tell the whole story at a slower pace for me on the side in order for me to understand.  Well, anyway, last night's conversation was about the possibility that one of the students living in the hasukjib was gay.  Apparently, as the conversation went, he had been sneaking in late at night as well as living with another male friend in his room at the hasukjib.  Although he had tried doing this secretively, Nuna had become aware of this covert operation.  One of the girls who lives on the same floor as this guy seemed paranoid about the whole situation and said she was scared.  She had seen the two men go into the room together.  I asked her "무슨 소리가 나와요?" and she found that amusing.  I told her that I had gay friends back at school and that it's actually quite common.  This conversation over dinner was the first and only time that homosexuality had come up since I've been here.  I definitely have not seen any signs of it out in public.  The fact that we could openly discuss and talk about the issue together, however, was a sign of tolerance.

Tonight, I had another good dinner at my hasukjib.  Not only was the food delicious, but the company was quite good as well.  After I finished eating, I managed to stay another hour inside with Nuna, just talking.  Another reason I stayed longer, I must say, was because Nuna let Tallay, her Boston Terrier, out of her room to play.  I miss my dogs back home and will jump on any opportunity to have some dog time.  Nuna actually got a little jealous because Tallay would stay by my side, even when Nuna called her.  At one point, she even told Tallay to go back home to Hawai'i with me, since Tallay seemed to have a fancy for me.  "누구랑 살아요?!" she asked Tallay ("Who do you live with?").  I feel like Nuna has opened up to me a bit more since I first came to the hasukjib.  She actually seems interested to talk to me now which is encouraging.  I think she likes having the company of the students here, since it seems like it can get lonely when she's all by herself.  I'm still not exactly sure what her family situation is.  I've seen her husband once, but I don't think they live together.  And her daughter only visits the hasukjib at certain times.  In any case, I'm thankful for Nuna's hard work and kindness.

So as far as first-time experiences go, I went on my first 노래방 adventure today (노래방 is like a karaoke room).  It was fantastic.  As soon as we entered the 노래방 we were surrounded by swirling neon lights and bumping music.  The room we were in was totally souped up with comfortable couches and intense sound systems.  Since coming to Korea, I've sort of familiarized myself with the vibrant pop scene, and have become a fan of some of the Korean singing groups.  I attempted a couple of Korean songs that I knew of, but soon found out that I still need a lot of practice.  I'll probably study up on the lyrics at some point again so that the next time I go back to a 노래방 (there will definitely be a next time!) I'll be a little sharper on my lyrical expression and dance moves.

Mother

It's been a good week.  Although language classes still continue to be a challenge in terms of listening and comprehending what my teachers say, I feel like I'm making progress.  This progress might not be in huge strides, but at least it's progress nonetheless.

Our language class has sort of become like a family.  Just within the course of these past four weeks, we've gotten to know each other pretty well from the intimate interaction we get in class.  Additionally, we spend a lot of time together outside of class and always enjoy each other's company.  I feel like my class at Sogang creates a really supportive atmosphere where learning becomes a group effort.  There are many times when I need help grasping a concept or word, and every time someone makes the effort to help me.  There is one girl, Yuki, who, if she can't get through to me through speaking, will full-on act out whatever it is she is trying to explain to me.  She goes all out in order for me to understand, and whether that means just talking with me or putting on a whole acting performance, she'll do it in order to enrich not only my learning but her own as well.  This is only one example of the ways in which I feel like our class supports one another.  This type of atmosphere is something that I haven't really felt as much at Yale.  Learning at Yale has been more of an individual pursuit.

This past Tuesday I was lucky enough to see another Korean movie titled "마더" ("Mother,"or maybe "Murder"?).  Sogang University actually sponsored the event, so we got to see the movie for free with dinner provided.  The movie was pretty intense, and revealed the depth and complexity of the relationship between mother and son in Korean life.  In the movie, after her son was convicted of a murder, the mother went to great lengths and did anything to clear her son's name, even if she had to commit murder herself.  It didn't matter whether or not her son was guilty of the crime;  the most important thing for the mother was saving face and protecting her son's public image.  This movie actually contrasted really nicely with the previous movie I saw, 거북이 달린다 (Turtle Running).  Instead of a mother defending her son, however, the main character in 거북이 달린다 was a father providing for and protecting his family.  Both mother and father in these two movies not only carried the responsibility of supporting their families, but also showed the importance of presenting a clean and good self-image which can often be based on top of a pile of lies and deception.  In the end, all that matters is what people think of you.  Interesting sort of love to give.

This past Friday, I met with my Korean language tutor for the second time.  His name is Kim Se-jung and he is a student at Sogang.  Coincidentally, he is majoring in history as am I, and is a really kind and helpful friend.  We met in a coffee shop on campus and went over a lot of the things I didn't understand in class.  During our session, I was reminded of the privilege of a Yale education.  Although Sogang University is among the top five colleges in South Korea, Se-jung conveyed his discontent with the campus' facilities and expressed an interest in visiting Yale.  I told him he was welcome anytime. 

On Saturday, I gave my first English tutor lessons to Hy and Jin-hee, who have both helped me immensely with my stay here in Korea thus far.  Because a knowledge of English is needed to serve their American and other Asian clients in the company they work at, they have embraced the opportunity to continue learning English.  I've found that you can actually learn a lot about the Korean language from teaching English.  I've also realized how much I don't know about the English language, as I find myself unable at times to explain why a certain thing is the way it is in English.  I really hope to help Hy and Jin-hee as best as I can.  They are good students, and I am grateful for all that they've done for me so far.

"힘 안줘?!"

This past Friday our Korean language class took a field trip to a ceramics shop where we painted cups.  It was a nice opportunity to get out of the classroom and see a different part of Seoul.  There was something rejuvenating and calming about working with your hands, and you could really see the creative juices flowing through everyone.  Even our teachers took part in the project.

 It's been quite evident, since I've been at Sogang, that the teachers really make an effort to not only improve our language skills, but to also help us assimilate progressively and smoothly into Korean daily life.  From the way our study materials are structured to opportunities to learn outside of the classroom, such as this past field trip, we become exposed more readily to the culture around us and learn how to deal with certain situations that might arise.  At times, I also feel as if I'm learning more about other countries than I am about Korea, due to the significant amount of interaction and sharing with my foreign classmates.

On Saturday, some friends and I spent the day journeying to Ganghwado, an outlying island to the west of Seoul.  We took a bus early in the morning and it took about two hours to get to the port at Ganghwado.  On this trip, I saw a different color of Korea that I had not seen yet:  green.  It was definitely a departure from the urbanized city life of Sinchon and Seoul that I have been surrounded by for the past three weeks.  As we drove through Ganghwado, we passed miles and miles of rice fields, and the surrounding hills were still and quiet without the reverberation of pop music blasting from cosmetic stores or city lights beaming down from department stores.  After reaching the port at Ganghwado, we boarded a ferry to go across to Seokmodo, a smaller outlying island about half a mile away.  As we pulled away from the dock, we were immediately bombarded by a ton of seabirds swarming around us.  Apparently these birds have become notorious for their raucous frolicking around the ferry, and it is a tradition to feed them when you're crossing to the other island.  Fortunately, one of my friends knew of this custom, and brought bags of shrimp chips to feed the birds.  The birds would literally come within inches from you in order to snag the food, and they were amazing at catching the chips that we threw!  In one of my pictures you can actually see one of the birds about to catch a chip in its mouth!  I've also posted a video of this unusual spectacle.

After arriving on Seokmodo island, we had seafood for lunch.  From every dish I ate, I had no idea what I was eating.  But that was the fun of it.  After lunch, we headed for Bomunsa temple, which is located in the back of Seokmodo's mountains.  The temple is said to have been constructed by Queen Seondeok in 635 during the Silla Dynasty.  It was quite a hike up the steep mountain.  Once we reached the site of the temple, there were monks and observers chanting in various parts of the site, including a rock cave filled with lotus lanterns and burning candles.  In one temple, there was a giant sleeping Buddha, and in front of the temple stood a massive bell to signal the time for the monks.  Further up the mountain from this area was the carving of a sitting image of Buddha on a ten meter high rock.  In order to get there, we had to climb and weave up the mountain by stairs and cross a narrow rock platform.  To make things a little more difficult, it was completely pouring.  Not just when we were ascending the mountain, but the entire day.  The rain made for a solemn journey up the mountain to Bomunsa and a cozy bus ride back. 

So...on a completely different subject, one that I haven't written about yet but that has been on my mind...about three weeks ago South Korea mourned the death of its former president, Roh Moo-hyun, who jumped off a cliff to his death.  He committed suicide only a few days before I arrived in Korea, and I only found out from the driver who picked me up from the airport that the country was in a state of mourning over Roh's death.  I knew little of Roh's political history or what his death meant to the country of South Korea.  From what I've learned since being here, Roh's death was a great loss to the country, and shifted a negative light onto South Korea's current administration and president, Lee Myung-bak.  President Lee is a conservative politician whose hardline policies towards North Korea have really isolated the North and prevented any inter-Korean relations or negotiations from materializing.  Roh's policies, on the other hand, promoted dialogue and reconciliation with North Korea when he was in office.  Additionally, much of the country blames President Lee and his government for the death of Roh Moo-hyun.  These national and political events as well as the North-South relationship are hard to ignore right now, especially with North Korea's recent missile launches, increasing isolation, and secrecy of nuclear development.  One of the reasons why this whole situation remains difficult to comprehend is the fact that no one really knows what's going on in the North.  Being so close to North Korea is a bit nerve-racking, and has made me remain vigilant of the events that unfold between the two neighboring and polarized countries.  Additionally, my home in Hawai'i now seems to be vulnerable to a North Korean attack too, as the North is planning to launch a missile toward Hawai'i in early July.

I actually have a Korean language tutor who recently came back from the military service (two year requirement for all South Korean men), and who has already given some good insight on the current North-South situation as well as how South Koreans feel about it.  For me, I never had the burden of worrying about serving in the military after high school.  I simply left for college and didn't give military duty a thought.  On the contrary, every Korean male is faced with this responsibility that his country requires of him.  Often times, college must be put on hold, and academic or other vocational goals must be temporarily halted.  My Korean tutor described how students leave the country, many going to the United States, and if they stay there long enough, they lose their Korean citizenship and don't need to serve in the military.  While there is still some gray area here, failure to comply with these government requirements of military service most often results in prison.  As an American college student, I never had to deal with or worry about this obligation to the military.  It was never calculated into my course of action.  I feel like I've taken this freedom for granted, and have definitely become more aware of it since being here.  It's quite easy to notice the number of young men walking around in military uniforms here.

Alright, to change the subject one more time...the past couple of nights I and another boy living in the same  hasukjib helped Nuna (my landlady) move some furniture to the first and second floors of the hasukjib.  This was no simple task.  We had to move and navigate big, heavy shelves down the stairs to their new rooms.  Nuna was glad that she didn't have to do it herself.  It was interesting trying to give and follow directions in Korean as to how we were going to manage this transport of furniture.  Situations like these are great for learning new vocabulary.  For example, I learned the word for "move" (as in moving furniture) and the useful expression/question "힘 안줘?!" (heem ahn ju?!) which literally translates to "are you not giving strength?" or "are you not doing anything?"  After we finished, Nuna made us some cold vegetable juice as thanks for our efforts.

Turtle Running

So I'm in to my third week here in Korea, and although eight more weeks here seems a bit far off at the moment, I know that it will come fast.  Thus, I'm trying my best to maximize the time that I have and learn as much as I can before that time comes.  Just staying the course, but sometimes deviating and trying a new path when the opportunity arises.

         This past weekend was packed with new sites and exploration.  On Saturday, I met up with Uncle Se, a friend from back home who knows the Seoul area very well (he grew up here). We ventured to the COEX Mall where we first toured the Su Jok Kwan (Aquarium).  I couldn't even remember the last time I visited an aquarium, and it was a great way to catch up on my aquatic-related Korean vocabulary. After the aquarium, we went to see a movie at the mall theaters.  Although there were several American movies playing in English, I thought it would be a better experience to see a Korean movie instead.  So we chose 거북이 달린다 (Turtle Running), which was a comedic action thriller about an old and slow detective pursuing a sleek, swift thief.  Although I didn't understand most of the dialogue, I could still follow the story line and appreciated the messages behind the movie. If a slow and steady turtle can catch the rabbit, just imagine what a running turtle can do!  And who is to tell the turtle that it can't run? Since coming to Korea, I've noticed the incorporation of turtles in other parts of Korean life and culture.  At Gyeongbokgung palace for instance, there were several turtle statues serving as animal guardians and protectors of the court.  From this traditional setting to the medium of modern Korean cinema, the turtle carves its place into Korean culture.  Whether its meaning today is the same as it was during the Choson dynasty, I do not know.  Perhaps a turtle's ability to run is a new phenomenon.

On Sunday, I left early in the morning for Olympic Park, the site of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.  The park is on the south side of the Han River, and took about fifty minutes by subway to get there.  The athletic complexes were still in great condition, and seemed to still be in use.  I was able to freely walk in and see the main tennis and gymnastics arenas. While the arena and stands were empty and eerily quiet, the energy and greatness of the place still resonated deeply within the sleeping walls of the arena.  It was as if I could still hear the thundering cries of the crowd and feel the athletes' pain and joy in defeat and victory for their country.

The two main themes of the 1988 Olympics were Progress and Harmony, where differences in political ideologies could be left aside where East and West could come together despite cultural differences.  It was only the second Olympics to be held in an Asian country, and allowed Korea to both share it's culture with the world and showcase its capability as a modern, global power.  It was a collaborative effort on Korea's part to make the it a successful and safe event, as many offered their time as volunteers.  In the Olympic Museum close to the entrance of the park, athletes from many different countries as well as their feats are recognized and commemorated. I also didn't realize that the carrying of the Olympic torch to the host country begins in Athens. Thus, the torch was lit in Athens, flown over to Jeju island (Korea's southern island), and carried over a period of 22 days through the Korean peninsula until finally reaching Olympic Park.

While the park still remains to be a historical site, people use it for their daily exercising activities and leisure. This was quite evident in a public event taking place right in front of the Peace Gate or entrance to the park as I was passing by.  As you can see in the video that I posted, the people were very enthusiastic about cycling.

After visiting Olympic Park, I made my way to Pungnap Earthen Fortress, about a thirty minute walk north of the park.  This was the fortress where Baekje's King Gaero was killed during the invasion of King Jangsu of the Koguryo period.  Like many other ancient and traditional sites that I have visited, this fortress stood right in the middle of modern life, as it encompassed apartment buildings and shops. Rather than guarding against enemy invasion, the earthen walls served a different purpose now:  a picnic site for residents.

I also intended to visit Amsa-dong prehistoric settlement site, but after walking for about two hours and not reaching it, I realized my map had deceived me; it was farther than I thought. So I scratched that plan, and headed for my last stop of the day:  an LG Twins baseball game at Jamsil Stadium.  There are two baseball teams based in Seoul--the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears.  It's really easy and cheap to catch a game. I just showed up about forty-five minutes before the game and only paid eight won for a ticket. And although watching the baseball game itself was enjoyable, I'd say it is worth going just to watch the fans.  They go crazy!  I've never seen anything like it.  What makes it even more outrageous, is that they have a platform for cheerleaders who lead the crowd in chants and songs. And the crowd is completely in unison when the sing and dance for their team. I even heard them sing the tune of "It's a Small World After All."  I've posted a video of one of the players on the home team hitting a home run.  As you can hear, the crowd went crazy.

What's for dinner?

Every meal at my hasukjib brings new experiences and lessons (my Nuna cooks a delicious and sufficient breakfast and dinner for us everyday).  The topics of conversation as well as the number of sentences I can fully comprehend vary from meal to meal.  Some days are a lot better than others, which provide encouragement as I continue trying to understand the language.  Tonight was one of those better nights.  I found that I and another Korean student at the hasukjib share an interest in playing the bass guitar.  This was a positive connection that we made, and only fueled more conversation.  There is also this really nice girl who takes the time to speak slower for me, and cares about what I am attempting to say.  I am grateful for her patience, as I can imagine it must be difficult listening to my fragmented Korean.  Nonetheless, I feel like I am making progress, even though it's slow, by extending myself to the other students who have also extended themselves to me.  A lot can happen during the brief periods of breakfast and dinner, more than you'd expect.

Exploring Insa-dong and Gyeongbokgung Palace

After yesterday's expedition to Myeong-dong, I thought I'd try a bit more daring adventure to Insa-dong, a vibrant town east of Sinchon that really comes alive on Sundays (they close the roads in order to allow the vendors to display their items on the street).  Thus, today seemed like the perfect day to go.  I left early in the morning and took the subway to Jonggak station.  From there, I slowly had to figure out where I was going using both the street signs as well as random people on the sidewalk.  I finally made it to Insa-dong, where the vendors were just opening up their shops.  This market was very different than Myeong-dong; while Myeong-dong exhibited a more modern and international flair, Insa-dong displayed an array of traditional and cultural goods including old paintings, ceramics, paper crafts, and antique furniture.  It was a nice contrast between the two days.  I had time to leisurely browse up and down the street, occasionally striking up a conversation with a vendor in Korean.

I also stopped by Jogyesa Temple, the head temple of Korea's largest Buddhist sect, Jogyejong.  This temple was conveniently located about five minutes away from Insa-dong market.  I arrived during the middle of a Buddhist worship, and sat for a while just listening and observing the people as they sat and bowed to the great Buddha statue in the middle of the temple.  What was interesting about this temple was that it stood in the heart of Seoul amongst the city's modern buildings and busy roadways.  Thus, there existed a sort of clash between the surrounding modernity and Jogyesa's temples.  Nevertheless, these two worlds seemed to have found a balanced relationship with each other in an ongoing coexistence.

After going through Insa-dong and the Jogyesa temple, I took about a fifteen minute walk north to Gyeongbokgung palace.  I wasn't really planning on going here, but it happened to be close enough to make the trip. And it was well worth it.  The palace was built in 1394 and is the oldest palace of the Choson dynasty.  When I first arrived, the changing of the guards was in progress.  These men were dressed in traditional clothing and guarded the front gate of the palace.  They had pretty intense weaponry including a bow and long blade, and looked pretty fierce.  I don't think you'd want to get in a fight with them.  As I walked through the palace gates, it was as if I was being transported back in time.  I had forgotten about Seoul's busy streets and modern architecture outside of the palace walls.  Behind the Gyeongbokgung palace stands Cheong Wa Dae (The Blue House), the presidential residence of the Republic of Korea.  It actually is blue, and is scenically placed at the base of Bukaksan mountain.

The last placed I stopped before heading back home was the Bosingak Bell Pavilion.  This is the home of a massive bell that was first rung in 1394 signaling the opening of the city if I can remember correctly.

It was quite a day, and I had worked up an appetite.  Luckily, by the time I had returned to my hasukjib there was a hardy meal of rice, kimchee, beef, and squid waiting on the table which Nuna had prepared :)

Myeong-dong

Today Beckhwa and I went to Myeong-dong which is basically a shopping area. It was my first time using the subway system here, which I was sort of worrying about at first. However, it turned out being a lot easier than I thought. The stations were all really clean and it was pretty easy navigating from Sinchon to Myeong-dong. Going to Myeong-dong today definitely helped me to build up some confidence in using the subways. Hopefully we can explore new areas soon!

Myeong-dong was pretty crowded and filled with vendors in the walkways. Most of the merchandise was for women, as every cosmetic shop had two female workers standing outside the stores forcefully pulling women passing by into their shops. Luckily, I'm more interested in food than I am cosmetics, and we managed to get these huge ice cream cones for 1,000 won (about $1).

While we explored this particular shopping district, we were also absorbing all of the Korean language around us. From using signs to catching a conversation from the people next to us to asking people to take our picture, we practiced and soaked up all of the Korean surrounding us.

Slow and Steady

So I've made it through week one of living and studying in Korea.  It's hard to believe I've made it this far!  Everyday so far has presented a challenge in one form or another.  It's not the easiest thing having to wake up early in the morning and go out into a world that still feels unfamiliar to you.  But I'm doing my best to welcome the challenges, and know that they are only toughening my resolve and opening up new opportunities to meet people and see the world in a new light.

I'm enjoying my classes thus far.  I have three different professors--one for writing, speaking, and listening/reading--who are all really kind and energetic.  They really care about furthering our language skills as well as the well-being of each student, which I appreciate.  The pace and work load are definitely challenging, but they have been pushing me and my language skills in a positive direction.  The students in my class come from across the world.  Many are from Japan, but others represent China, France, Australia and Germany.  It's cool to see all of these different people coming to Sogang with the same purpose of learning Korean.

I think one thing that will really speed up my learning is the fact that none of the students in my class (besides the American students) speak English very well.  Thus, we are forced to speak with each other in Korean.  I've had to do this with a couple of my Japanese classmates already.  Whether it's figuring out a place to eat for lunch or trying to describe our interests, the language of communication is Korean.  This can be a challenge sometimes, and we have reached many roadblocks in or conversations due to my shortage of vocabulary.  But through a continual desire to improve our language skills as well as deepen our care for each other, these obstacles are very easy to overcome.  There is one Japanese student named Hwa Gi who has been really patient with me and helps me whenever I don't understand something.  We've made a good connection over this past week, and I'm grateful for his friendship.  He is also eager to learn English, which I gladly help him with too.

So I sort of feel like I've been living two separate lives this past week--my life as a student at Sogang and my life at the hasukjib.  While both provide great learning opportunities, they are very different in what they teach and how they teach it.  As a student at Sogang, I am not around Korean students but rather other international students learning Korean.  At the hasukjib, however, I am one of two foreign students living with seven other Korean students.  Thus, my time at the hasukjib provides more opportunities to interact with and learn from native Korean speakers.  

Additionally, there is no Nuna at Sogang University.  Only at the hasukjib.  I have learned things from her that the professors at the university don't teach.  First of all, she works really hard to make sure that we are well fed every morning and evening, never asking for anything in return.  Second of all, she has taught me a lot about proper dining etiquette and introduced me to a wide assortment of different Korean food (everyday there's something different!).  Although I probably understand about 16% of what she is saying, we've managed to get along.  She doesn't seem to want to slow down when she speaks to me, and doesn't realize that I can't understand her when she talks really fast.  Either that or she's just impatient.  Most of the time I usually am able to greet her and say thank you for the meal.  However, there was one night where we actually held a conversation about the bi bim bap she made.  During that meal she apparently thought that I had put to much spicy sauce in my dish, and proceeded to put more rice in my bowl to make it less spicy.  I told her it was okay but she insisted to make it better for me.  I guess you could call it bonding.

I think I have eaten more spicy food here than I ever had in my whole life.  I haven't gone a meal yet without something spicy.  It's unbelievable!  And very delicious!  I wonder if I'll ever get tired of it.  I naturally love to eat so it shouldn't be a problem I don't think.  Hwa Gi, Mikiko (another Japanese student) and I recently went to eat Naeng Myeon and a restaurant nearby campus.  It's a spicy noodle dish and especially good to eat in the heat of the summer because it is cold.  My Japanese friends taught me how to slurp up my noodles vigorously which is good manners in Japan, and I taught them how to do a shaka sign.  In the end, we were all very content and only spent about $4 each!

Although studying and living in Korea have been good so far, I still hope to get out and run around somehow.  I really enjoy playing sports, and hope I can find some outlet to engage in physical activity.  Sogang has a lot of sports clubs and good facilities including a bunch of really nice clay tennis courts.  Maybe this can be a goal for next week to find some sort of group or people who I can play sports with, which would also be a great way to improve my language skills.

Arrival

I arrived in Korea a couple of nights ago.  It took about a total of twelve hours to get from Hawai’i to Japan and finally to Korea.  I remember arriving at the airport in Korea and just hearing a jumble of Korean voices jumping at me from all different directions.  It was a bit overwhelming but also exciting at the same time.  And it was at that moment that I realized how much my language skills would benefit and be stretched from immersing myself in this completely foreign place.  I almost didn’t make it through the customs check point, since I didn’t fill in an address for where I would be staying in Korea (I really didn’t know where I was going to live yet).  But luckily I made it through and made it to the hotel for the night.

            Yesterday morning I met up with HY Chung and Mr. HK Lee who helped me look for the right hasukjib or gosiwon.  I am extremely grateful for the kindness they showed, and really benefited from their guidance this first day roaming around Seoul.  Not only did they help me settle in to the hasukjib that I chose, but they took me to the mart to buy basic necessities, took me to a delicious bulgogi restaurant (where it’s customary to eat and shove a whole roll of lettuce, bulgogi and rice into your mouth in one bite) and helped me become acquainted with the Sogang campus before my first day of school tomorrow.  I was touched and overwhelmed by their generosity, and hope to continue to learn about the city and culture from where they left me.

            The Nuna (older sister) in charge of the hasukjib I am living at cooks breakfast and dinner every day for us!  I had my first homemade dinner last night, and it was spicy and delicious.  I  also got to meet some of  the other students living here—three girls—one from Japan and two from Seoul.  Although I know my Korean is still nowhere near fluent, we conversed with each other only in Korean, since the other students speak little English.  I could tell one of the girls, however, was interested in practicing her English.  Hopefully, there will be more mutual exchange like this, and I was glad that we could keep a conversation in Korean going in spite of my weak vocabulary J. I’ll be practicing on it.  

Today was my first day of class at Sogang.  It was a struggle but I made it through it.  Luckily, there were these nice Japanese girls who helped me when I didn't understand something (about half the time), but we had to communicate through Korean because they did not speak English.  I feel like this first week of classes is going to be tough trying to get a feel for the courses and understand what the professors are saying and trying to communicate to us. I'd say that there was a diversity of students representing many different countries who were enrolled in Korean language classes.  It was cool to see all these different students coming to study Korean.  After class we went to a Korean restaurant and I had bi bim bap for only $4!  What a deal!