I hate rain.
Both the Han river and the other river by my house are still horribly bloated, but not as bad as they have been. The flooding here is intense. Some of the subways flooded and when it rains. . . just stay inside if you can. Koreans have been saying this is the worst weather in 100 years. Look, I grew up in Kansas, where fierce thuderstorms happen all the time, and I'm still going "wtf!?" Anyways, it's still cloudy today, but it isn't raining now so I'm happy.
Now that that's out of the way, I guess now I'll appologize! I've been really busy the past week!
Last Wednesday, Akira, Emma, Alexia, Emma's host sister, Akira's penpal and I all went to the Everysing noraebang in Apgujong. Why is it so important that I tell you the exact location of this noraebang? Because Kim Heechul filmed his M&D music video there. Our room was in the video and we got to see the room he was in!! ^.^
Celebrity spazzing aside, noraebang was really fun! Emma's host sister spent the first 10 minutes playing Super Junior songs so that Emma and I would get up to sing/dance to them. . . except we didn't know the words xDDDDD
We stayed there for well over an hour (maybe two?) and afterwards went to the store downstairs, which was a mini shrine to all the pop groups under SM Entertainment (except Amber Liu, as Akira and I wish to point out). I bought a Yesung cellphone charm and a clearfile! Alexia and I took sticker pictures where you could make it look like various SME celebrities were with you. I now have sticker pictures with Yesung and Hangeng~!
On Thursday, my support group met up with Akira's and we went ice skating. Interesting fact: Gayoung happens to be taking skating lessons over summer break. So she was there! Akira and I skated around, yelling at my supported, Sungwoo as he skated circles around us and literally pushing us to go faster. Towards the end of our session, Akira and I found him on his butt and it went something this:
"Seungwoo! I thought you were good at skating!"
"No! nonononononononono! I'm good! just-" at this point we were just laughing. Revenge!
That night, I met up with my long-time penpal Sohyun and we went to Super Junior Kiss the Radio(Sukira or KTR) at KBS together. Sukira is a radio show hosted by Super Junior's Eeteuk and Eunhyuk. They usually have guests and that day it just happened to be Jungmo from TRAX (a korean rock group I like) and who helped Heechul with the M&D project ^.^ He played guitar in the studio and I have waaaay too many pictures.
That weekend, we went to Bucheon for a camp. My host family went to Busan because of family issues.
In Bucheon we met up with Korean high school students and went on scavenger hunts around the city. After dinner we had free time and we played Korean games until after 2 in the morning when they finally told us to go to bed!
The the next day we had a talent show, where both NSLI-Y kids and the Korean students preformed. I have lots of videos, but my I had my small memory card in so I didn't get full videos. And now my flashdrive is full so it's way too hard to upload them >< I'll go buy a new flashdrive or something. . .
Sunday night my host family wasn't going to be back until Monday, so I went with Akira's sister to jjimjilbang again and had fun! But I think her sister thinks we are crazy.
Monday my host family came home, so I bought them a cheese cake.
Tuesday, is a very special date for many reasons. I met up with my friend Dayun, the damn rain from hell started, and Yesung's family opened a cafe, so naturally I went! Let me tell you in great detail about htis event so that you can understand why I now hate rain.
Akira, Alexia, Emma and I get off the train and are standing in the exit of the station. It looks bad out, but we figure it'll be okay if we just run into the Tom n Tom's not 100 yards from the exit. We put up our umbrellas and go for it. . . It was like someone took the biggest, deepest bucket they could find and dumped it over Seoul. Even with umbreallas, we were soaked. For awhile we were standing under the awning of Tom n Tom's, then it started too look suspiciously like it was gonna blow off. So we moved inside. Eventually we met up with Dayun and the rain stopped enough that we made it to Handel and Gretel. It was pretty packed and we waited more than 30 minutes for a table. Why is that bad? It's a coffee shop! Who waits for tables at a coffee shop?
But we got one. The coffee was amazing. I ended up buying two plus a sandwich. Apparently not long after we left, Yesung showed up. I missed my chance T.T But it's okay. The coffee is good enough that I'm going to become a frequent customer. There is hope!!
Wednesday we learned Talchum and I learned to hate rain even more. Talchum is traditional mask dancing. It's actually really fun! We got to make masks and learn a little about the culture behind it. The activity was actually fun enough to make it worth the hell we had to go through to get there:
Most of Seoul, by this time, was flooded. It was about a two mile walk from the station to the school where we learned. It was pouring down rain, and the roads were rivers. By the time we arrived, even the girl with the rain coat was drinched. It was disgusting! I felt like a drowned rat!!
That night, Akira and I went out with some Korean friends and learned the words for colors (because this had not been taught in class yet) and also had a good discussion on the differences on Korea and America.
Thursday Akira and I met early to get coffee and a muffin and Handel and Gretel. It was amazing, as usual. I'm getting really good at order coffee in Korean. After class let out, my host mom took the two of us to this huge bookstore and we bought comics to practice reading! We also have gone through our entire textbook, and the teacher said we aren't getting new ones, so I guess I'll go buy the next set from the Sogang book store because my grammar is still pretty limited. I also guess that means I'm past Korean 2 in high school and Korean 1 in college. WOO!
And now, I want to study a little!!! I'll try to get pictures up, but if I can't save them anywhere, it's a little more difficult ><
Sorry to be so late!!
Showing posts with label sogang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sogang. Show all posts
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
What's Up With Me, and a Few Pros and Cons to Living In Korea (Pt. 1)
After my last post, Aunt Lee and I went up to Insadong. Insadong is pretty much a tourist district, with lots of expensive, handmade Korean goods! Many traditional looking trinkets are for sale at prices that make you shiver and are sold at every street vendor for the next mile or so! For the most part, Aunt Lee told me to wait to buy something because we are going to Dongdaemun this weekend~! YES. Cheap shopping is my best friend, and there is a lot of it in Korea!
Aside from shopping, Insadong also has an art gallery that we went through, displaying many traditional arts that are still practiced by people today (see the pictures). A lot of the artisans working that day were really friendly (from the Korean I could gather) and the kind ajuma making horse hair hats even insisted for a photo with me! The hat I'm wearing? Yup. That's horse hair!
The ajuma in the picture is wearing a traditional korean outfit called a hanbok. I really really want to wear one sometime, so if I do, I'll definitely upload some better pictures!!
Another really interesting fact about Insadong is that all the shop names are required to be in Korean. There are subtitles for most things to help out foreigners, but where in other parts of Seoul you will see shops like Tous Les Jours and Tom n Tom's Coffee, you won't in Insadong. English (and other languages as far as I know) aren't allowed. For instance, this is a picture of the Starbucks there, which is (supposedly) the only Starbucks in the world where the sign is not written in English!
While we were there, we met up with Aunt Lee's brother and his family. Together, we ate patbingsu which is a little like shaved ice, but with a little more oomph (still working on food post. A better description will be there!). After that, we went to this really cool roofless shopping mall, where instead of having steps up to each floor, the whole building is a continuous spiral. At the top is a cafe and an outdoor eating area. I think I've mentioned this before, but one of my favourite things about Seoul is that there are huge, forested mountains right next to the city. In Insadong, the buildings go up and up and suddenly BAM! there's a mountain! I love it!
Monday before school, Akira and I met up for coffee and Tom n Tom's, which is pretty much a Starbucks knockoff. It's good though, and they have this bread that's cheap and it's a pretty decent place to study. Both of our families are gone in the mornings, so we get pretty bored after awhile and usually meet about an hour before classes start.
After classes, Akira, Emma and I went out for patbingsu because Emma hadn't had it before (I don't know that Akira had either actually. . .). It was delicious, as all Korean food is, and we had a good time talking about various aspects of Korea.
Emma lives about an hour and a half from Sogang, so she had to leave when we finished. Akira's family wouldn't be home until around 10 that night, so she and I went to Paris Baguette after that. I ended up buying a small cake for my host family and she got a sandwich. The bags are really cute and say "Mon Amie, Mon Amour, Mon Paris Baguette." Yes, I'm keeping it.
On the subway home, we stopped by a magazine stand and I found the recent issue of W Korea, which has pictures of Super Junior in it from when they were in Paris. Don't worry, I bought it! I really like the photography in general of Korean magazines, so I was really happy to get this ^.^
When I got home, Gayoung greeted me at the door (which is rare) and gave me a hug. This girl is adorable, I tell you! Anyways, I managed to hid the cake from her, before I took my shower, slid it onto the table. Not five minutes later, Gayoung came into the kitchen and went "Cake!?" Mission: success.
Later that night, I decided to take a few pictures from my apartment landing.
What a view!
Aunt Lee said there was an even better view at Mapo bridge, so we hopped on our bikes and took the Hangang trail to Mapo! Seoul at night is so beautiful!
Tuesday we met with our supporters and studied. It was interesting. After class, I went home and we went to a restaurant that served Korean style soup. The waitress was one of Aunt Lee's friends who was in Gapyeong.Her daughter, who is my age, also came along so I got to make a Korean friend~! Gayoung was being silly and Aunt Lee would tell me how to scold her in Korean, which made everyone laugh. The food was really good and I really want to go back sometime!!
Wednesday. . . here is were things start to get complicated! On Wednesday I was planning to post (actually, I had written most of what is before this Wednesday morning!) but then, while randomly surfing on facebook, I noticed on the the RD's (Gooseul) for the program posted a picture of everyone doing Taekwondo. I was suddenly very very confused because I had no clue it was so soon. Well, it turns out the other RD had been sending out emails and text messages about it all (none of which I got), and it really was today. Naturally, I got very upset, very quickly. I'm not usually one to cry, but ever since I heard we would being doing Taekwondo in Korea, I'd been looking forward to it.
I checked my email again multiple times, and then went through all the documents we had been given since coming here. Sure enough, in the handbook it was printed that we were doing Taekwondo today. Sadly, I still had absolutely no clue where to go. At about 10:30, Gooseul called me and asked if I was coming. I managed to tell her that I had no clue it was today and didn't know how to get there. She told me to hail a cab and then call her again. So I quickly through everything together for class and dashed out the door. I learned how to hail a cab and after some confusion, I was able to get there!! The cab driver was really nice especially considering I speak very limited Korean. Also, please understand that in Korea, traffic signs are more of a suggestion than a law. Red lights only mean look both ways before crowwing the street. . .He got me there in under 20 minutes and I got to actualy participate. We sparred a little, which was a blast, and then they had us break boards. We wrote down dreams on them and one by one broke them in two. It was really great! I still have my wood in my suitcase!
After that, my friends Sofia and I went to lunch at one of the bakery/coffee shops near Sogang. I bought a sandwich, but only ate about a fourth of it (remember this sandwich!)
When we got to school, Emma and Sofia were moved out of my class so it was just me and a girl named Katrina sitting at our table. During break, I ended up giving Katrina the rest of my sandwich.
That night, my childhood ended. Heres a little surprise. I had thought all along that Harry Potter came out the 14th here. This is a lie, and I must not tell lies. It came out on the 13th, so naturally, I asked my host mom if we could go see it. Turns out, she and Gayoung love Harry Potter, so on the 12th, we reserved tickets.
Quick fact about reserving tickets in Korea. Actually, quick fact about trying to sign up for anything online in Korea: YOU MUST HAVE A KSSN (Korean Social Security Number). In other words, you must be a ressident of Korea. Or you can't sign up. This is uber annoying.
Regardless, on the 13th, I literally ran home from school and barely made it home by 6:00 (our movie is at 6:20). After lots of confusion we made it to the theatre!
Oh my god. If I typed up everything I had to say about this movie, I would make this post so long none of you would read it (if you are still reading this far, I aplaud you!). For the last time, I was sucked into the world of Harry Potter, the world that I've grown up with. Watching the actors on the screen was like seeing old friends after a long time, seeing how much they had grown, seeing what they had become. It was all very moving.
It also gave me a really warm feeling inside. Here I was, sitting in a movie theatre in Korea, half a world away from where I had seen every other movie, and yet, it felt exactly the same. People still gasped, laughed, and cried with every scene. The only difference, really, was that I was the only non-Asian (most likely non-Korean, but I can't be 100% sure) in the theatre, and there were Korean subtitles on the bottom that I couldn't help but read every so often.
After the last scene faded, I realized that was it. There wasn't anything else. it was over. It was time to grow up a little more, and move on, taking with me the happy memories to cherish forever.
Although. . . it bothered me a little bit that there wasn't a "The End." before the credits. . . I really wanted it to say that . . .
So, then came Thursday. Well, I was supposed to go to norae bang with my group, but remember that little sandwich? Yeah. It gave me food poisoning. So I spent the morning miserable in bed waiting to feel well enough that I could go to school. I learned that in Korea, why your stomache hurts, you drink warm water. Aunt Lee would also come in from time to time and massage my stomache and body, which, actually, helped a lot. By the time I had to leave for school, I was feeling well enough to go.
After talking a little before class, I found out Katrina had the same thing the night before. Oh little sandwich. . .
During that class period, a very odd thing happened. Katrina said her foot was hurting a little where she had a blister, and by the time it was 5:30, her ankle had almost double in size. Turns out, a boy in another class had a similar issue with a cut on his hand.
After some thought, and talking it over with various people, we've sort of decided there must be some kind of bacteria that isn't in America that is making people sick/swell (I'm not the only one who's been sick).
Friday morning rolled around and I still wasn't feeling well, so I went back to the doctor. I have four different meds I'm now taking, but they do make me feel a lot better. However, one is really weird. . . It's like toothpaste thats sat in the sun so its gooy... bleh. I would like to add, however, that my two trips to the doctor plus my medicine still haven't reached more than 50 USD and that is without insurance.
Other than having no appitite and being rediculously tired all the time, I'm feeling a lot better now. Hopefully, I'll be up and running again soon so I can do more than sit at home!!
Comments:
Bryan: You beat Mum AND Jillian! Congradualtions!! I have to say, your comment made me laugh. And I haven't found it yet. I've been on about 5 different subway lines but no luck yet. . .
Shelbi: I just go to the local place with my host mom. There is a pharmacy next door.
Mrs. Dossey: Not a problem! I harrassed her about it the other day, so maybe she'll put some up soon!
Mom: I've missed you and JT talking to eachother through comments xDD And Gayoung is adorable! ^.^
Uncle Mike: English is taught here starting in Elementry school. My host sister already knows quite a few words and phrases and studies English for about an hour every day. English and surprisingly French are pretty popular. Though I don't know anyone who speaks French here, it's on lots of clothes and many shops have French names.
Aunt Nancy, Lena, and Grammy: I have so much to say about Korean food that I'm working up a whole post about it (with a little help from my host mom!) I have lists of things I've eaten and I've been tryign to take as many picture as possible!! Breakfast here is pretty much a smaller version of every other meal. We have rice, some type of main dish, and then side dishes. Lots and lots of food!
Mrs. Sharpnack: I'm so happy you are reading!! Studying isn't so bad. Though I haven't memorized every piece of vocab, but I usually start to pick it up after a day or two. The pace of our classes is super fast. We cover a unit every two days.
As for slang. . . yes and no. Korean has three (four?) ways of speaking formal, polite, and plain. Plain is considered super rude to speak to anyone older than you or people you don't know well. So when I speak, I always try to use the polite, but sometimes my host mom corrects me when I talk to Gayoung and asks me to use the plain, which then usually messes me up and I'll speak plain to people older than me. It's really confusing and I usually end up repeating myself a few times to make sure I'm not being rude!
And typing this tl;dr has completely exhausted my energy reserves. Today, Aunt Lee said we would just stay home so I can rest.
Next time, hopefully I won't be suddenly, and randomly busy/sick and I'll update sooner~!
Aside from shopping, Insadong also has an art gallery that we went through, displaying many traditional arts that are still practiced by people today (see the pictures). A lot of the artisans working that day were really friendly (from the Korean I could gather) and the kind ajuma making horse hair hats even insisted for a photo with me! The hat I'm wearing? Yup. That's horse hair!
The ajuma in the picture is wearing a traditional korean outfit called a hanbok. I really really want to wear one sometime, so if I do, I'll definitely upload some better pictures!!
Another really interesting fact about Insadong is that all the shop names are required to be in Korean. There are subtitles for most things to help out foreigners, but where in other parts of Seoul you will see shops like Tous Les Jours and Tom n Tom's Coffee, you won't in Insadong. English (and other languages as far as I know) aren't allowed. For instance, this is a picture of the Starbucks there, which is (supposedly) the only Starbucks in the world where the sign is not written in English!
While we were there, we met up with Aunt Lee's brother and his family. Together, we ate patbingsu which is a little like shaved ice, but with a little more oomph (still working on food post. A better description will be there!). After that, we went to this really cool roofless shopping mall, where instead of having steps up to each floor, the whole building is a continuous spiral. At the top is a cafe and an outdoor eating area. I think I've mentioned this before, but one of my favourite things about Seoul is that there are huge, forested mountains right next to the city. In Insadong, the buildings go up and up and suddenly BAM! there's a mountain! I love it!
Monday before school, Akira and I met up for coffee and Tom n Tom's, which is pretty much a Starbucks knockoff. It's good though, and they have this bread that's cheap and it's a pretty decent place to study. Both of our families are gone in the mornings, so we get pretty bored after awhile and usually meet about an hour before classes start.
After classes, Akira, Emma and I went out for patbingsu because Emma hadn't had it before (I don't know that Akira had either actually. . .). It was delicious, as all Korean food is, and we had a good time talking about various aspects of Korea.
Emma lives about an hour and a half from Sogang, so she had to leave when we finished. Akira's family wouldn't be home until around 10 that night, so she and I went to Paris Baguette after that. I ended up buying a small cake for my host family and she got a sandwich. The bags are really cute and say "Mon Amie, Mon Amour, Mon Paris Baguette." Yes, I'm keeping it.
On the subway home, we stopped by a magazine stand and I found the recent issue of W Korea, which has pictures of Super Junior in it from when they were in Paris. Don't worry, I bought it! I really like the photography in general of Korean magazines, so I was really happy to get this ^.^
When I got home, Gayoung greeted me at the door (which is rare) and gave me a hug. This girl is adorable, I tell you! Anyways, I managed to hid the cake from her, before I took my shower, slid it onto the table. Not five minutes later, Gayoung came into the kitchen and went "Cake!?" Mission: success.
Later that night, I decided to take a few pictures from my apartment landing.
What a view!
Aunt Lee said there was an even better view at Mapo bridge, so we hopped on our bikes and took the Hangang trail to Mapo! Seoul at night is so beautiful!
Tuesday we met with our supporters and studied. It was interesting. After class, I went home and we went to a restaurant that served Korean style soup. The waitress was one of Aunt Lee's friends who was in Gapyeong.Her daughter, who is my age, also came along so I got to make a Korean friend~! Gayoung was being silly and Aunt Lee would tell me how to scold her in Korean, which made everyone laugh. The food was really good and I really want to go back sometime!!
Wednesday. . . here is were things start to get complicated! On Wednesday I was planning to post (actually, I had written most of what is before this Wednesday morning!) but then, while randomly surfing on facebook, I noticed on the the RD's (Gooseul) for the program posted a picture of everyone doing Taekwondo. I was suddenly very very confused because I had no clue it was so soon. Well, it turns out the other RD had been sending out emails and text messages about it all (none of which I got), and it really was today. Naturally, I got very upset, very quickly. I'm not usually one to cry, but ever since I heard we would being doing Taekwondo in Korea, I'd been looking forward to it.
I checked my email again multiple times, and then went through all the documents we had been given since coming here. Sure enough, in the handbook it was printed that we were doing Taekwondo today. Sadly, I still had absolutely no clue where to go. At about 10:30, Gooseul called me and asked if I was coming. I managed to tell her that I had no clue it was today and didn't know how to get there. She told me to hail a cab and then call her again. So I quickly through everything together for class and dashed out the door. I learned how to hail a cab and after some confusion, I was able to get there!! The cab driver was really nice especially considering I speak very limited Korean. Also, please understand that in Korea, traffic signs are more of a suggestion than a law. Red lights only mean look both ways before crowwing the street. . .He got me there in under 20 minutes and I got to actualy participate. We sparred a little, which was a blast, and then they had us break boards. We wrote down dreams on them and one by one broke them in two. It was really great! I still have my wood in my suitcase!
After that, my friends Sofia and I went to lunch at one of the bakery/coffee shops near Sogang. I bought a sandwich, but only ate about a fourth of it (remember this sandwich!)
When we got to school, Emma and Sofia were moved out of my class so it was just me and a girl named Katrina sitting at our table. During break, I ended up giving Katrina the rest of my sandwich.
That night, my childhood ended. Heres a little surprise. I had thought all along that Harry Potter came out the 14th here. This is a lie, and I must not tell lies. It came out on the 13th, so naturally, I asked my host mom if we could go see it. Turns out, she and Gayoung love Harry Potter, so on the 12th, we reserved tickets.
Quick fact about reserving tickets in Korea. Actually, quick fact about trying to sign up for anything online in Korea: YOU MUST HAVE A KSSN (Korean Social Security Number). In other words, you must be a ressident of Korea. Or you can't sign up. This is uber annoying.
Regardless, on the 13th, I literally ran home from school and barely made it home by 6:00 (our movie is at 6:20). After lots of confusion we made it to the theatre!
Oh my god. If I typed up everything I had to say about this movie, I would make this post so long none of you would read it (if you are still reading this far, I aplaud you!). For the last time, I was sucked into the world of Harry Potter, the world that I've grown up with. Watching the actors on the screen was like seeing old friends after a long time, seeing how much they had grown, seeing what they had become. It was all very moving.
It also gave me a really warm feeling inside. Here I was, sitting in a movie theatre in Korea, half a world away from where I had seen every other movie, and yet, it felt exactly the same. People still gasped, laughed, and cried with every scene. The only difference, really, was that I was the only non-Asian (most likely non-Korean, but I can't be 100% sure) in the theatre, and there were Korean subtitles on the bottom that I couldn't help but read every so often.
After the last scene faded, I realized that was it. There wasn't anything else. it was over. It was time to grow up a little more, and move on, taking with me the happy memories to cherish forever.
Although. . . it bothered me a little bit that there wasn't a "The End." before the credits. . . I really wanted it to say that . . .
So, then came Thursday. Well, I was supposed to go to norae bang with my group, but remember that little sandwich? Yeah. It gave me food poisoning. So I spent the morning miserable in bed waiting to feel well enough that I could go to school. I learned that in Korea, why your stomache hurts, you drink warm water. Aunt Lee would also come in from time to time and massage my stomache and body, which, actually, helped a lot. By the time I had to leave for school, I was feeling well enough to go.
After talking a little before class, I found out Katrina had the same thing the night before. Oh little sandwich. . .
During that class period, a very odd thing happened. Katrina said her foot was hurting a little where she had a blister, and by the time it was 5:30, her ankle had almost double in size. Turns out, a boy in another class had a similar issue with a cut on his hand.
After some thought, and talking it over with various people, we've sort of decided there must be some kind of bacteria that isn't in America that is making people sick/swell (I'm not the only one who's been sick).
Friday morning rolled around and I still wasn't feeling well, so I went back to the doctor. I have four different meds I'm now taking, but they do make me feel a lot better. However, one is really weird. . . It's like toothpaste thats sat in the sun so its gooy... bleh. I would like to add, however, that my two trips to the doctor plus my medicine still haven't reached more than 50 USD and that is without insurance.
Other than having no appitite and being rediculously tired all the time, I'm feeling a lot better now. Hopefully, I'll be up and running again soon so I can do more than sit at home!!
Comments:
Bryan: You beat Mum AND Jillian! Congradualtions!! I have to say, your comment made me laugh. And I haven't found it yet. I've been on about 5 different subway lines but no luck yet. . .
Shelbi: I just go to the local place with my host mom. There is a pharmacy next door.
Mrs. Dossey: Not a problem! I harrassed her about it the other day, so maybe she'll put some up soon!
Mom: I've missed you and JT talking to eachother through comments xDD And Gayoung is adorable! ^.^
Uncle Mike: English is taught here starting in Elementry school. My host sister already knows quite a few words and phrases and studies English for about an hour every day. English and surprisingly French are pretty popular. Though I don't know anyone who speaks French here, it's on lots of clothes and many shops have French names.
Aunt Nancy, Lena, and Grammy: I have so much to say about Korean food that I'm working up a whole post about it (with a little help from my host mom!) I have lists of things I've eaten and I've been tryign to take as many picture as possible!! Breakfast here is pretty much a smaller version of every other meal. We have rice, some type of main dish, and then side dishes. Lots and lots of food!
Mrs. Sharpnack: I'm so happy you are reading!! Studying isn't so bad. Though I haven't memorized every piece of vocab, but I usually start to pick it up after a day or two. The pace of our classes is super fast. We cover a unit every two days.
As for slang. . . yes and no. Korean has three (four?) ways of speaking formal, polite, and plain. Plain is considered super rude to speak to anyone older than you or people you don't know well. So when I speak, I always try to use the polite, but sometimes my host mom corrects me when I talk to Gayoung and asks me to use the plain, which then usually messes me up and I'll speak plain to people older than me. It's really confusing and I usually end up repeating myself a few times to make sure I'm not being rude!
And typing this tl;dr has completely exhausted my energy reserves. Today, Aunt Lee said we would just stay home so I can rest.
Next time, hopefully I won't be suddenly, and randomly busy/sick and I'll update sooner~!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Subways, Hello Kitty, and Gapyeong
Okay, so I haven't posted in almost a week because I was waiting for something really interesting to post about.
My past week has pretty much gone like this:
Get up, eat breakfast with Aunt Lee and Gayoung (Jaehak leaves super early), see Gayoung off to school, then find something to do until 12:40 when I leave for school. I've decided I don't like afternoon school. Not one bit.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays we meet in groups with a Korean supporter who gives us extra tutoring sessions and takes us around Seoul. My group members are Sarah and Peter, our supporter is Seungwoo. Seungwoo is hilarious in a very dorky sort of way. He obviously isn't comfortable with his English, so he tries to make a joke out of it (even though his English really isn't that bad. . . .). On Tuesdays, we meet him at his university to study and on Thursdays, we go somewhere. This Thursday, we went to. . . somewhere (I can tell you the subway stop, but not the town ><) and made traditional Korean paper fans. Then we went to another place where there is a giant market for lunch. I got to see pig heads. . . Sadly, I didn't get any pictures ><
As for school, it's pretty great. Monday we took a placement test, and somehow I managed to end up in intermediate. Tuesday was a complete joke. We pretty much just reviewed hangul, the Korean written alphabet, for 4 hours. Wednesday it picked up a little and Thursday we got our textbooks, and we are actually learning things now~! Yaaaay!!! We also have at least 10 pages of homeowrk a night (record to beat is currently 20 pgs).
Monday, since it was the 4th, Akira and I went out to "celebrate". We went to Tom n Tom's Coffee, one of the thousands of coffee shops in Korea. (Basic layout of a Korean street: coffee shop, make-up shop, cellphone shop, restaurant, coffee shop, clothes shop, cellphone shop, make-up shop, stand selling iphone 4 cases, coffee shop.) We ordered italian sodas and apple cinnamon bread/toast. We were expecting the usual, Starbucks size scone or something. . . holy crap we were wrong! It was huge and we didn't even finish it >< Pictures posted.
After that, we roamed Sincheon and went shopping! We found this super cute clothes store and I bought two dresses and a long shirt for less than 25$. I love it. Otherwise, we didn't find much else. . . .
When I got home, Gayoung, Aunt Lee, and I went for a walk on the Han River. I think I may end up dedicating a whole post on the Han River, because it's so beautiful. I cross is every day on the way to school, and it's my favourite part of the ride. I'll have to take some more pictures. . . Anyways, on our walk, I finally saw fireworks on the 4th for the first time in 3 years. I was pretty darn happy!
Tuesday evening I went to get a new phone because mine liked to shut off when ever it felt like it, and Thursday was my trip to the doctor. I'm happy to say I can pretty much hear again!
Wednesday, Emma, Akira and I went to Ewha where we saw the most offensive shirt we've ever laid eyes upon, Korea hipster, and more cheap clothes. Afterwards, we went to McDonalds, which, I must say, is a must while abroad.
Friday, Akira and I met up for lunch, since we live super close and have nothing to do in the mornings, and then met up after class and went to Hongdae. There was a very particular reason we were going to Hongdae: the Hello Kitty Cafe.
We took the subway to Hongdae and within 10 minutes, got lost (well, we could get back to the subway, just not the cafe). Akira had been there before, but they had gotten lost on the way there as well, and we went in a lot of circles. We asked about 5 different people how to get there and eventually found it. OH MY GOD HELLO KITTY CAFE ALKSJFLAKSDJLAK.
Yeah. That was pretty much my mind then intire time. We ordered caramel macciatos and waffles shaped like the cat herself! It was super yummy ^.^ Then we navigated home and found a much quicker route from teh subway, so we can get there easier next time!
Then, yesterday I went with Gayoung and Aunt Lee to Gapyeong! Gapyeong is up in the moutains and I'm not really sure how far away it was because on the way up we were stuck in traffic and on the way back, Aunt Lee got lost!! But we pretty much went up to this little area where you could rent a super small house and stay for a bit. There was a stream that was so clean you could drink from it, and lots of trees and mountains. It was very lovely!! We ate a late lunch/ early dinner with some of Aunt Lee's friends on an outside, traditional table. I felt like Anthony Bordain, except, I wasn't allowed to drink. Sorry Anthony. There was a TV on a covered platform next to us (there are pictures so you can look for a better description) and they had Music Core on, which was interesting to watch. I picked up a few works here and there and over all had a good time! On the way home, Aunt Lee got lost and we didn't get home umtil after 10:00!!
Now, in this post I've talked a lot about the subways. Why, you may ask? Because they are amazaing. I walk about two blocks to my subway entrance and once I'm on, I can get pretty much anywhere in Seoul. It's absolutely wonderful!! Aunt Lee gave me a little pocket map I can keep in my purse which makes transfers super easy! The only thing I don't like about the subway is the fact that it is a subway. Except for crossing the Han River, it's all underground, so there's no view >< But it's still very convienient!
Now to reply to comments, since JT is so desperate for them! ^.^
Ellen: I'm sorry >< I will have to check with you before I post something about language again!!!
Mom: Come on! Leave more of a comment than that!
Zach: You will love this: my trip to the doctor and my two bottles of antibiotic cost me less than 25$. And that's without insurance! And I'm actually not teaching English (you have to have a degree to teach) but I'm going to a university here to learn Korean. Thank you so much for reading though!!
Emma's Aunt Susan: I'm sorry!! But thank you for reading!!
Jen: Thank you!!
Jt: :p this better??
My past week has pretty much gone like this:
Get up, eat breakfast with Aunt Lee and Gayoung (Jaehak leaves super early), see Gayoung off to school, then find something to do until 12:40 when I leave for school. I've decided I don't like afternoon school. Not one bit.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays we meet in groups with a Korean supporter who gives us extra tutoring sessions and takes us around Seoul. My group members are Sarah and Peter, our supporter is Seungwoo. Seungwoo is hilarious in a very dorky sort of way. He obviously isn't comfortable with his English, so he tries to make a joke out of it (even though his English really isn't that bad. . . .). On Tuesdays, we meet him at his university to study and on Thursdays, we go somewhere. This Thursday, we went to. . . somewhere (I can tell you the subway stop, but not the town ><) and made traditional Korean paper fans. Then we went to another place where there is a giant market for lunch. I got to see pig heads. . . Sadly, I didn't get any pictures ><
As for school, it's pretty great. Monday we took a placement test, and somehow I managed to end up in intermediate. Tuesday was a complete joke. We pretty much just reviewed hangul, the Korean written alphabet, for 4 hours. Wednesday it picked up a little and Thursday we got our textbooks, and we are actually learning things now~! Yaaaay!!! We also have at least 10 pages of homeowrk a night (record to beat is currently 20 pgs).
Monday, since it was the 4th, Akira and I went out to "celebrate". We went to Tom n Tom's Coffee, one of the thousands of coffee shops in Korea. (Basic layout of a Korean street: coffee shop, make-up shop, cellphone shop, restaurant, coffee shop, clothes shop, cellphone shop, make-up shop, stand selling iphone 4 cases, coffee shop.) We ordered italian sodas and apple cinnamon bread/toast. We were expecting the usual, Starbucks size scone or something. . . holy crap we were wrong! It was huge and we didn't even finish it >< Pictures posted.
After that, we roamed Sincheon and went shopping! We found this super cute clothes store and I bought two dresses and a long shirt for less than 25$. I love it. Otherwise, we didn't find much else. . . .
When I got home, Gayoung, Aunt Lee, and I went for a walk on the Han River. I think I may end up dedicating a whole post on the Han River, because it's so beautiful. I cross is every day on the way to school, and it's my favourite part of the ride. I'll have to take some more pictures. . . Anyways, on our walk, I finally saw fireworks on the 4th for the first time in 3 years. I was pretty darn happy!
Tuesday evening I went to get a new phone because mine liked to shut off when ever it felt like it, and Thursday was my trip to the doctor. I'm happy to say I can pretty much hear again!
Wednesday, Emma, Akira and I went to Ewha where we saw the most offensive shirt we've ever laid eyes upon, Korea hipster, and more cheap clothes. Afterwards, we went to McDonalds, which, I must say, is a must while abroad.
Friday, Akira and I met up for lunch, since we live super close and have nothing to do in the mornings, and then met up after class and went to Hongdae. There was a very particular reason we were going to Hongdae: the Hello Kitty Cafe.
We took the subway to Hongdae and within 10 minutes, got lost (well, we could get back to the subway, just not the cafe). Akira had been there before, but they had gotten lost on the way there as well, and we went in a lot of circles. We asked about 5 different people how to get there and eventually found it. OH MY GOD HELLO KITTY CAFE ALKSJFLAKSDJLAK.
Yeah. That was pretty much my mind then intire time. We ordered caramel macciatos and waffles shaped like the cat herself! It was super yummy ^.^ Then we navigated home and found a much quicker route from teh subway, so we can get there easier next time!
Then, yesterday I went with Gayoung and Aunt Lee to Gapyeong! Gapyeong is up in the moutains and I'm not really sure how far away it was because on the way up we were stuck in traffic and on the way back, Aunt Lee got lost!! But we pretty much went up to this little area where you could rent a super small house and stay for a bit. There was a stream that was so clean you could drink from it, and lots of trees and mountains. It was very lovely!! We ate a late lunch/ early dinner with some of Aunt Lee's friends on an outside, traditional table. I felt like Anthony Bordain, except, I wasn't allowed to drink. Sorry Anthony. There was a TV on a covered platform next to us (there are pictures so you can look for a better description) and they had Music Core on, which was interesting to watch. I picked up a few works here and there and over all had a good time! On the way home, Aunt Lee got lost and we didn't get home umtil after 10:00!!
Now, in this post I've talked a lot about the subways. Why, you may ask? Because they are amazaing. I walk about two blocks to my subway entrance and once I'm on, I can get pretty much anywhere in Seoul. It's absolutely wonderful!! Aunt Lee gave me a little pocket map I can keep in my purse which makes transfers super easy! The only thing I don't like about the subway is the fact that it is a subway. Except for crossing the Han River, it's all underground, so there's no view >< But it's still very convienient!
Now to reply to comments, since JT is so desperate for them! ^.^
Ellen: I'm sorry >< I will have to check with you before I post something about language again!!!
Mom: Come on! Leave more of a comment than that!
Zach: You will love this: my trip to the doctor and my two bottles of antibiotic cost me less than 25$. And that's without insurance! And I'm actually not teaching English (you have to have a degree to teach) but I'm going to a university here to learn Korean. Thank you so much for reading though!!
Emma's Aunt Susan: I'm sorry!! But thank you for reading!!
Jen: Thank you!!
Jt: :p this better??
Sunday, July 3, 2011
찜질방
So, I thought instead about blogging about every single aspect of my day, I'll talk a little about what I did, then some intersting aspect of Korean culture. Today: 찜질방.
But first, what happened yesterday. After blogging, we ate breakfast and Jaehak (host dad) turned on the news. When it ended about 30 minutes later, much to my horror, my host mom suggested another show to watch. Her suggestion was based on an accidental occurance the day before, where I had my Korean notebook open to the particles page (particles. . . don't exist in English, sorry, can't explain them). One of the practice sentences was from when Emma was over during her Spring Break and read "수퍼주니아를 사랑해요." I can already hear Shelbi laughing. . . . Anyways, in English, that reads "I love Super Junior." Oops. I was trying to avoid annoying my host family with my obsession, but Aunt Lee (host mom) is just too clever I guess. . . .
So some channel with music videos was switched on. Most. Awkward. Moment. Ever. . . But Aunt Lee likes Nickhun? Despite Jaehak obviously not liking anything to do with k-pop, I think she is a little more open to it (seeing as how later in the car, she started playing various other artists from her iPhone ). I would also like to point out for those of you who like k-pop and watch MVs a lot, they look like cheap soaps on korean television. I don't think I'll watch them again. Now, I fully plan to have a post about how obsessed Korea is with idols, but I'm waiting until I have more pictures to give you a full example. Today is 찜질방. Not idols. 찜질방 is better.
After lunch, we went to 북천 (Bukchon) which is a nice little town where there are many tradidtional houses and a huge palace. We went to the 한옥 (Hanok) museam, and I learned lots about how Korean houses were built. Interesting point: the stove area was built lower than the rest of the house and the heat from it was carried through vents under the house to a chimny on the other side, thus, heating the entire house through the floor. I thought was pretty awesome. . .
And, since it was pouring down rain (does it ever stop rainning here?) we headed for the car, but not without stopping by a coffee stand where I had the single best caramel macchiato I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. I want to go back *.*
Now, the important part: 찜질방. Read: Jjimjilbang. 찜질방 is the Korean sauna. But to explain the Korean sauna, you have to take step back to talk about the Korean bathhouse, which I actually don't know the name for . . .
Korean public baths are pretty much the greatest things ever. You go, shower, and then soak in various degrees of bath water to your hearts content. Some pools have jets to massage you, some pools have jets that help pound down fat (they hurt T.T) ect ect. You can even swim in some (see: Gayoung, who brought goggles). Afterwards you feel super relaxed and super clean!!
When you have soaked to your hearts content, you wash off and go change into these orange. . .outfits and go to the 찜질방 which is a coed area with like 10 diffrerent saunas. Its pretty much this big room, with mats laid out, and there are many many other rooms with glass windows where people sit and overheat. Its wonderful~!
For this next section, please prepare your celcius converter. We worked our way up. Starting at 43C degrees, we progressed up to 49C and 57C. Then we hung outside on the mats for a bit and I learned a few new Korean words! Then we went to the ice room, which was -1C. Across from the ice room was an oddly shapped room with no windows, just a low door to a circular, clay-walled room. I asked Aunt Lee what it was and she said it's super hot and asked if I could try. So we went in~! I have no idea how hot it was, but within about 10 seconds, I was sweating and in a minute I was drenched. The lights inside were dimmed and it was crowded, but oddly comfortable. A sand timer sat in the middle of the room to keep people from staying in too long.
I have no idea how hot that room was, but it was hotter than the 67C room we went into next!
Over all, it was really relaxing. both the bath and 찜질방 are really good for your health and body. I'm definitely going back!
Sadly enough, it didn't fix my ear. Still can't hear out of my left ear. Becoming concerned ><
Today I have a test, so I'm going to go study now!
Happy 4th of July USA~!
But first, what happened yesterday. After blogging, we ate breakfast and Jaehak (host dad) turned on the news. When it ended about 30 minutes later, much to my horror, my host mom suggested another show to watch. Her suggestion was based on an accidental occurance the day before, where I had my Korean notebook open to the particles page (particles. . . don't exist in English, sorry, can't explain them). One of the practice sentences was from when Emma was over during her Spring Break and read "수퍼주니아를 사랑해요." I can already hear Shelbi laughing. . . . Anyways, in English, that reads "I love Super Junior." Oops. I was trying to avoid annoying my host family with my obsession, but Aunt Lee (host mom) is just too clever I guess. . . .
So some channel with music videos was switched on. Most. Awkward. Moment. Ever. . . But Aunt Lee likes Nickhun? Despite Jaehak obviously not liking anything to do with k-pop, I think she is a little more open to it (seeing as how later in the car, she started playing various other artists from her iPhone ). I would also like to point out for those of you who like k-pop and watch MVs a lot, they look like cheap soaps on korean television. I don't think I'll watch them again. Now, I fully plan to have a post about how obsessed Korea is with idols, but I'm waiting until I have more pictures to give you a full example. Today is 찜질방. Not idols. 찜질방 is better.
After lunch, we went to 북천 (Bukchon) which is a nice little town where there are many tradidtional houses and a huge palace. We went to the 한옥 (Hanok) museam, and I learned lots about how Korean houses were built. Interesting point: the stove area was built lower than the rest of the house and the heat from it was carried through vents under the house to a chimny on the other side, thus, heating the entire house through the floor. I thought was pretty awesome. . .
And, since it was pouring down rain (does it ever stop rainning here?) we headed for the car, but not without stopping by a coffee stand where I had the single best caramel macchiato I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. I want to go back *.*
Now, the important part: 찜질방. Read: Jjimjilbang. 찜질방 is the Korean sauna. But to explain the Korean sauna, you have to take step back to talk about the Korean bathhouse, which I actually don't know the name for . . .
Korean public baths are pretty much the greatest things ever. You go, shower, and then soak in various degrees of bath water to your hearts content. Some pools have jets to massage you, some pools have jets that help pound down fat (they hurt T.T) ect ect. You can even swim in some (see: Gayoung, who brought goggles). Afterwards you feel super relaxed and super clean!!
When you have soaked to your hearts content, you wash off and go change into these orange. . .outfits and go to the 찜질방 which is a coed area with like 10 diffrerent saunas. Its pretty much this big room, with mats laid out, and there are many many other rooms with glass windows where people sit and overheat. Its wonderful~!
For this next section, please prepare your celcius converter. We worked our way up. Starting at 43C degrees, we progressed up to 49C and 57C. Then we hung outside on the mats for a bit and I learned a few new Korean words! Then we went to the ice room, which was -1C. Across from the ice room was an oddly shapped room with no windows, just a low door to a circular, clay-walled room. I asked Aunt Lee what it was and she said it's super hot and asked if I could try. So we went in~! I have no idea how hot it was, but within about 10 seconds, I was sweating and in a minute I was drenched. The lights inside were dimmed and it was crowded, but oddly comfortable. A sand timer sat in the middle of the room to keep people from staying in too long.
I have no idea how hot that room was, but it was hotter than the 67C room we went into next!
Over all, it was really relaxing. both the bath and 찜질방 are really good for your health and body. I'm definitely going back!
Sadly enough, it didn't fix my ear. Still can't hear out of my left ear. Becoming concerned ><
Today I have a test, so I'm going to go study now!
Happy 4th of July USA~!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Myeongdong and Host Family
This is probably going to end up being a small novel with all I have to talk about.
I guess let's start with how life worked living at the hostel. After landing, we lived in a hostel for three nights and two days. Hostels are great. Except that I was rooming with 10 other girls >< It was loud and a little nerve-wrecking! But I made it~
The first day, we went to a welcoming ceremony hosted by the US embassy. Highlight: 4 students from a girl's university came and played traditional instraments for us! Then, we ate lunch at the YWCA in Myeongdong. . . . Then we had free time. In Myeongdong. After coming from CLI, Akira, Emma and I had no clue what to do when they said, okay, be back in the lobby in an hour!!
Myeongdong is the shopping district (appearently) of Seoul. It's over priced and VERY crowded at night during the weekend. Akira ended up going to the hospital because her strep had been acting up, so Emma and I roamed around alone. Now, you're probably like "Oh my god! She had to go to the hospital?? Is she okay?" Note: Korea has universal healthcare. You are not feeling well? Go to the hospital! It only cost about 20-25$ for her visit and her meds and now she says shes feeling amazing~!
After that, we went to another place that I cannot remember to meet the college students who are supposed to be our guides/friends through all of this. My guide is Seungwoo. There are too other people in my group, Peter (who is Chinese) and Sarah (who is Korean). I feel really awkward >< Luckily, for that day, we had an activity with another group and I was with Alexia and a girl named Audra. We all had a lot of fun! Seungwoo is hilarious.
The next day we went to orientation. LOOONG. But it was pretty nice.
Afterwards we went back ot the hostel. And guess what: "Curfew is 9."
Oh my god. I feel like a free woman.
So Akira, Emma, and I went back to Myeongdong. Akira and I dragged Emma to sticker pictures (purikura) and Akira and I had a blast. Emma warmed up to it after while. Then Emma had to go back because her host family was picking her up early. Akira and I went into a little shop where she got a cellphone case and some BIGBANG merch. Then we found a street vendor selling icecream~! It was about a 1.50$ for a towering cone. This was how we found out that in Korea, you must eat your icecream very very fast! It took less than five minutes for us to feel like idiots because we had chocolate icecream dripping on us ><
The next day, our host families came.
My host family is a mom, a dad, and a 7 year old girl. Oddly enough, we get along very very well~! Yesterdeay, they picked me up in the car and we drove to the house. Then the dad had to go to work, so the mom and I waited for Kayoung to get home. When she did, we ate bulgogi for lunch and then went to Sogang by subway so I knew how to get there. We were going to go to the bathhouse, but when we got back from Sogang, I pretty much crashed><
When I woke up, we ate dinner (which was just a wrap with leftover bugolgi and vegetables) and then I handed out gifts. Kayoung hasn't stopped playing with the marble game I got her, so I'm pretty happy about that.
When I woke up this morning (about an hour later than I wanted too >>) Kayougn came in and we played the marble game xD
Then we had breakfast, which was. . . actually, I'm not really sure what it was, but it was good! Kimchi for breakfast however. . . this is new. And will take some getting used to!
Theres a lot more I want to write, but I'm worried that I'm taking too long to type this! Pictures (though not many!) are up!
Also, my ears still haven't popped. Yesterday, I thought they finally had, but this morning when I woke up, I still couldn't hear out of my left one ><
I guess let's start with how life worked living at the hostel. After landing, we lived in a hostel for three nights and two days. Hostels are great. Except that I was rooming with 10 other girls >< It was loud and a little nerve-wrecking! But I made it~
The first day, we went to a welcoming ceremony hosted by the US embassy. Highlight: 4 students from a girl's university came and played traditional instraments for us! Then, we ate lunch at the YWCA in Myeongdong. . . . Then we had free time. In Myeongdong. After coming from CLI, Akira, Emma and I had no clue what to do when they said, okay, be back in the lobby in an hour!!
Myeongdong is the shopping district (appearently) of Seoul. It's over priced and VERY crowded at night during the weekend. Akira ended up going to the hospital because her strep had been acting up, so Emma and I roamed around alone. Now, you're probably like "Oh my god! She had to go to the hospital?? Is she okay?" Note: Korea has universal healthcare. You are not feeling well? Go to the hospital! It only cost about 20-25$ for her visit and her meds and now she says shes feeling amazing~!
After that, we went to another place that I cannot remember to meet the college students who are supposed to be our guides/friends through all of this. My guide is Seungwoo. There are too other people in my group, Peter (who is Chinese) and Sarah (who is Korean). I feel really awkward >< Luckily, for that day, we had an activity with another group and I was with Alexia and a girl named Audra. We all had a lot of fun! Seungwoo is hilarious.
The next day we went to orientation. LOOONG. But it was pretty nice.
Afterwards we went back ot the hostel. And guess what: "Curfew is 9."
Oh my god. I feel like a free woman.
So Akira, Emma, and I went back to Myeongdong. Akira and I dragged Emma to sticker pictures (purikura) and Akira and I had a blast. Emma warmed up to it after while. Then Emma had to go back because her host family was picking her up early. Akira and I went into a little shop where she got a cellphone case and some BIGBANG merch. Then we found a street vendor selling icecream~! It was about a 1.50$ for a towering cone. This was how we found out that in Korea, you must eat your icecream very very fast! It took less than five minutes for us to feel like idiots because we had chocolate icecream dripping on us ><
The next day, our host families came.
My host family is a mom, a dad, and a 7 year old girl. Oddly enough, we get along very very well~! Yesterdeay, they picked me up in the car and we drove to the house. Then the dad had to go to work, so the mom and I waited for Kayoung to get home. When she did, we ate bulgogi for lunch and then went to Sogang by subway so I knew how to get there. We were going to go to the bathhouse, but when we got back from Sogang, I pretty much crashed><
When I woke up, we ate dinner (which was just a wrap with leftover bugolgi and vegetables) and then I handed out gifts. Kayoung hasn't stopped playing with the marble game I got her, so I'm pretty happy about that.
When I woke up this morning (about an hour later than I wanted too >>) Kayougn came in and we played the marble game xD
Then we had breakfast, which was. . . actually, I'm not really sure what it was, but it was good! Kimchi for breakfast however. . . this is new. And will take some getting used to!
Theres a lot more I want to write, but I'm worried that I'm taking too long to type this! Pictures (though not many!) are up!
Also, my ears still haven't popped. Yesterday, I thought they finally had, but this morning when I woke up, I still couldn't hear out of my left one ><
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