This weekend, I went with Kyunghye and her parents to Danyang to tour and to see Mom Byeon play in a Ping-pong tournament. I left after my Korean writing class to catch the subway to Seoul. I met them in Seoul on Friday and we left for Danyang the next day. Oh, that night I watched this awesome Bollywood movie with Hyesun called "3 Idiots" it was fabulous and I recommend it to those who like good Bollywood.
On Saturday, we went to see Omma (Korean for Mother) Byeon play Ping pong doubles with her partner. The ping pong tournament was held in a gym with about thrity ping pong tables spread across the room. There were at least twenty different matches being played at any given time. There was never a dull moment at the tournament because there were so many matches to keep track of. Omma Byeon and her partner finished the tournament in second place. Oh, I also met an Olympic gold medalist, one of my life goals! One of the hosts of the tournament won a gold medal for Korea in Ping pong. Omma Byeon introduced me and Kyunghye to her. She was very sweet and took a picture with us.
After the game, we went to our hotel and ate Samgyepseol with Omma Byeon's partner and his father. It was nice after a day jam packed with Ping pong to sit and eat together. After dinner, I played Blokus with Kyunghye, Omma Byeon's partner, and his father. We also played Go Stop, which is a game played with Korean cards. It is a ton of fun once you know the rules. We also watched part of the Asian games while playing Poker, an interesting combination!
Today, I went with Oppa (Korean for Father) Byeon and Kyung Hye for a day full of touring around Danyang. We first went to a cave, which is one of the things that Danyang is famous for. The cave was absolutely stunning! It was a lot different from caves in Missouri, the ceilings were much taller, which I think produced more gorgeous formations in the cave. It was much warmer in the cave than outside, where we witnessed the first snowfall of the year!
After we explored the cave, we went on a boat tour of the man made river in Danyang. Danyang has a lot of tall rocky mountains, which was beautiful to see from the river. In Asan where I go to school, it is flat with the exception of a few large hills. It was a nice change of sites to see the imposing mountains of Danyang.
The last part of our Danyang touring was a huge temple complex just outside of the city. There were about twelve different Buddhist temples in the complex. To get to the temples, you had to climb over half of the mountain, which was not an easy task! The temple was not the same as the majority of the temples in Korea. For starters, they were all built within the last ten years, which means they don't have the same feel as the old temples out in the countryside. In one of these temples we went to, there was an elevator and a computer room, a far cry from the centuries old temples in other parts of Korea.
I was so happy to join the Byeons to see Omma Byeon play the sport she loves and to see a new part of Korea. It was great to spend time with Kyunghye now that her exam is over. I have three weeks left in the semester, time has gone by so fast!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving from South Korea! This is the first Thanksgiving I have celebrated away from home. This morning, I had exchanges with Korean students. I talked with my exchanges about American Thanksgiving, we even watched part of last years Macy's parade. In the evening, I had dinner with Dyra, Sarah, Michelle, and Xiao Chen. We had chicken (the closest thing to turkey) and watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." We also discussed Thanksgiving and the upcoming Christmas season. Talking about Thanksgiving helped remind me the reason for the holiday: giving thanks for the blessings of the past year.
As I looked back to last Thanksgiving, there are so many things that I am thankful for. My family is in good health. God has given me another year to learn and grow as His child. I completed my first year of college. I am now studying in a beautiful country. I have so many new friends that a year ago, I would never have imagined I would meet. I have learned so much about myself and the world around me since last Thanksgiving.
I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving!
As I looked back to last Thanksgiving, there are so many things that I am thankful for. My family is in good health. God has given me another year to learn and grow as His child. I completed my first year of college. I am now studying in a beautiful country. I have so many new friends that a year ago, I would never have imagined I would meet. I have learned so much about myself and the world around me since last Thanksgiving.
I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Conference and Border Tension
Today I went to a school sponsered conference in Seoul that discussed the development of regions to benefit the global economy. The official name of the conference was "International Forum of Regional Development." About twenty students from Soonchunhyang went to listen to speakers from around the world talking about ways that small communities can survive in the global economy.
We had to meet in front of school at 7:30. I overslept and woke up at 7:20! I scrambled to get my stuff together and I got on the bus a few minutes before we left. The conference was held in the auditorium that the G20 was held a few weeks before, pretty cool! In the morning, there were a few speakers summerizing several approaches local communities can stimulate their economy by utilizing local products to attract a larger consumer group.
The conference provided lunch. The conference was held in one of the nicest hotels in Seoul, and we ate at the hotel restaurant. It was a buffet with lots of different cuisines: sushi, ribs, lamb chops, crab legs, and Korean food. There was this great fruit bar as well with lots of fresh fruit (which is quite expensive in Korea compared to the US). It was an awesome lunch and made the day a whole lot better.
After lunch was more speakers in the conference room. When the speakers spoke other languages, we were provided earpieces with a translator. It was pretty cool, I felt like I was at the UN or something! I learned a lot about the importance of small regions to maintain their identity by selling local products rather than producing foreign products. I think as the world shrinks, we are losing the individuality of different regions. I really liked the premise of this conference because it promoted this return to individuality.
On our way back to school, I saw on the TV (every bus has a huge flat screen TV at the front for the passengers to watch) that North Korea attacked two of South Korea's western islands. It was a retaliation towards the military drills that South Korea has been practicing for the last week. One Korean marine was killed and there is a lot of tension at the border. I could tell that it was serious because the usually happy-go-lucky newsreporters didn't have their typical smile but instead a solemn look. The director from the international program that went with us to the conference reassured us that this happens almost every year, and if it escalated to a more serious problem, he would let us know.
Personally, I am not worried. I know, here I am in one of the most dangerous countries (The South and the North technically are still at war since the South refused to sign a peace agreement back in the 1950's), but the way I see it: I am more likely to die or get seriously hurt back in the States. More people die of car accidents or violence in the US than from North Korean bombs. I don't want to live in fear of what may happen and pass chances of a lifetime (like coming to study in Korea). If it is my time to leave this earth, it will happen regardless of what I do. I will not deny opportunities that will enrich my life just because of the possible risks. I don't think this makes me brave or crazy, it's just the way I see it.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Suite Field Trip
This weekend, I went with Jin Ju, Belle, Carrie, and Jin Ju's friend to Icheon. We stayed in a traditional Joseon Dynasty house, went to a temple, and made pottery. When we arrived yesterday afternoon, we walked to the temple, which is similar to all of the other temples in Korea. I like to go to temples and find what makes it different from other temples.
After we explored the temple, we went back to the traditional house that we were staying in, which was connected to the pottery building. The house was definately rustic! The room didn't look like it had been cleaned and the sheets were dirty! Oh well, it was an experiance that we will remember. We had a great dinner: Beef BBQ, Korean style. Belle cooked the meat outside. After it was cooked, we wrapped the meat in a leaf with kimchi, garlic, and other spices. It was really delicious, especially since beef is not a common meat in Korea.
After dinner, we went to the pottery building where the host gave us a brief history of pottery in Korea. He spoke in Korean so I have no clue what he said, oh well. He helped us mold our pottery pieces, I chose a serving dish, which is a large plate with a small edge. After making our pieces of pottery, we went back to our "rustic" room where we turned on the floors (all of the heat in Korean homes comes from the floor) and played cards. Carrie and I taught the girls seven different card games. They loved playing all of the games, we played for about three hours.
Today, we woke up and etched designs on our pieces of pottery. I was not feeling to artistically inspired, but it turned out ok. Carrie made this really cool Bamboo design on her jar. We left in the late morning and began to make our way back to school. It is about a two hour bus ride from Icheon to Cheonan, which is another twenty minutes by subway to school. When we got to Cheonan, we had lunch and went shopping in one of the markets. We went to two of the famous cosmetic stores here in Korea: The Face Shop and Skin Food. They are like Bath and Body Works except they have a lot of facial skin care products. Women in Korea are obsessed with the appearence of their face. I like to go to these stores and pick a cheap facial product to try for fun. It is a huge part of Korean culture: the desire for the perfect face. The Korean girls in our group were buying all kinds of products, it always surprises me how they are so focused on their appearence. I have been taught to value inner beauty, and it breaks my heart to see women who do not feel confident in themselves unless they work on their appearence for over two hours each morning (there really is a girl in my suite who does this). Don't get me wrong, I like to glam up from time to time, but it is not a defining factor of who I am to the point that I would feel incomplete without appearing a certain way. I don't think this obsession for so called beauty is only a Korean thing, you can see it in every culture. I just wish that we could look past our outer appearence and value people for the person inside, argh!
On Tuesday, I am going to a conference in Seoul. It is a seminar for college students about the growing trend of buying local and how it is benefitting the global economy. It sounds interesting and will be a good reason to leave campus to learn something different.
After we explored the temple, we went back to the traditional house that we were staying in, which was connected to the pottery building. The house was definately rustic! The room didn't look like it had been cleaned and the sheets were dirty! Oh well, it was an experiance that we will remember. We had a great dinner: Beef BBQ, Korean style. Belle cooked the meat outside. After it was cooked, we wrapped the meat in a leaf with kimchi, garlic, and other spices. It was really delicious, especially since beef is not a common meat in Korea.
After dinner, we went to the pottery building where the host gave us a brief history of pottery in Korea. He spoke in Korean so I have no clue what he said, oh well. He helped us mold our pottery pieces, I chose a serving dish, which is a large plate with a small edge. After making our pieces of pottery, we went back to our "rustic" room where we turned on the floors (all of the heat in Korean homes comes from the floor) and played cards. Carrie and I taught the girls seven different card games. They loved playing all of the games, we played for about three hours.
Today, we woke up and etched designs on our pieces of pottery. I was not feeling to artistically inspired, but it turned out ok. Carrie made this really cool Bamboo design on her jar. We left in the late morning and began to make our way back to school. It is about a two hour bus ride from Icheon to Cheonan, which is another twenty minutes by subway to school. When we got to Cheonan, we had lunch and went shopping in one of the markets. We went to two of the famous cosmetic stores here in Korea: The Face Shop and Skin Food. They are like Bath and Body Works except they have a lot of facial skin care products. Women in Korea are obsessed with the appearence of their face. I like to go to these stores and pick a cheap facial product to try for fun. It is a huge part of Korean culture: the desire for the perfect face. The Korean girls in our group were buying all kinds of products, it always surprises me how they are so focused on their appearence. I have been taught to value inner beauty, and it breaks my heart to see women who do not feel confident in themselves unless they work on their appearence for over two hours each morning (there really is a girl in my suite who does this). Don't get me wrong, I like to glam up from time to time, but it is not a defining factor of who I am to the point that I would feel incomplete without appearing a certain way. I don't think this obsession for so called beauty is only a Korean thing, you can see it in every culture. I just wish that we could look past our outer appearence and value people for the person inside, argh!
On Tuesday, I am going to a conference in Seoul. It is a seminar for college students about the growing trend of buying local and how it is benefitting the global economy. It sounds interesting and will be a good reason to leave campus to learn something different.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Bali Bali Bali!
Today, I had exchanges in the morning. After my exchanges, Dyra invited me to go see "Social Network" with her in Cheonan. We decided to plan to go to the early evening showing, which meant that we would have to leave about an hour before the show. I took a nap before we were supposed to meet, bad idea! I slept too long and we missed the early evening show.
We decided to go to one of the nearby markets while we waited for the later show. We ate some street food, which included boiled fish, fried shrimp, and fried Korean dumplings. A lot of the street vendors in the markets have small enclosed spaces with a table and chairs for people to eat their food. The vendor we went to also had a TV with the Asian games on the channel. The Asian games are like the Olympics only on a smaller scale. There is a Korean swimmer who is doing very well, a few days ago he beat his Chinese rival in the event that he lost in the Beijing Olympics. There is a lot of excitement about this swimmer in Korea because he is doing very well. After eating our food and cheering for Korea with the store vendor, we went to a few of the small boutiques in the market.
After some shopping, we headed over to the theater for the movie. In Korea, the seats in the theater are assigned. We had to find the seat that matched our ticket. In Korea, most English movies are played in English with Korean subtitles. It is hard to find dubbed movies while they are in theaters. The movie was in English, which was great. It was hard for Dyra at times to understand some of the actors mumbling, but she liked the movie.
When the movie was over, we looked at our phones, and it was 11! We had an hour to make it back to campus. We hurried out of the theater, yelling to each other "Bali" which means "Hurry" in Korean. We got to the subway station, but we missed our train by five minutes! We had to wait until 11:40 to catch the subway, which is a twenty minute trip. We would be cutting it very close! At midnight, my dorm is locked, so you can't get in until morning. If locked out, you have two options: Tough it out by spending the night somewhere, or climbing into the second story window of the guys dorm tower that is left unlocked so people can get in. We didn't want to have to face either of these options. We met Bermet at the station, she was on her way back from Seoul. As we got closer to the station, we were reving up to dash out of the station. We grabbed a taxi and told the driver "Global Village, Bali Bali Bali!" He drove like he was in the Amazing Race, I think if I ever run the Amazing Race, he would be my ideal driver. He got us to the dorm just in time to run through the front door. It was quite an adventure rushing back to campus before curfew.
We decided to go to one of the nearby markets while we waited for the later show. We ate some street food, which included boiled fish, fried shrimp, and fried Korean dumplings. A lot of the street vendors in the markets have small enclosed spaces with a table and chairs for people to eat their food. The vendor we went to also had a TV with the Asian games on the channel. The Asian games are like the Olympics only on a smaller scale. There is a Korean swimmer who is doing very well, a few days ago he beat his Chinese rival in the event that he lost in the Beijing Olympics. There is a lot of excitement about this swimmer in Korea because he is doing very well. After eating our food and cheering for Korea with the store vendor, we went to a few of the small boutiques in the market.
After some shopping, we headed over to the theater for the movie. In Korea, the seats in the theater are assigned. We had to find the seat that matched our ticket. In Korea, most English movies are played in English with Korean subtitles. It is hard to find dubbed movies while they are in theaters. The movie was in English, which was great. It was hard for Dyra at times to understand some of the actors mumbling, but she liked the movie.
When the movie was over, we looked at our phones, and it was 11! We had an hour to make it back to campus. We hurried out of the theater, yelling to each other "Bali" which means "Hurry" in Korean. We got to the subway station, but we missed our train by five minutes! We had to wait until 11:40 to catch the subway, which is a twenty minute trip. We would be cutting it very close! At midnight, my dorm is locked, so you can't get in until morning. If locked out, you have two options: Tough it out by spending the night somewhere, or climbing into the second story window of the guys dorm tower that is left unlocked so people can get in. We didn't want to have to face either of these options. We met Bermet at the station, she was on her way back from Seoul. As we got closer to the station, we were reving up to dash out of the station. We grabbed a taxi and told the driver "Global Village, Bali Bali Bali!" He drove like he was in the Amazing Race, I think if I ever run the Amazing Race, he would be my ideal driver. He got us to the dorm just in time to run through the front door. It was quite an adventure rushing back to campus before curfew.
Monday, November 15, 2010
The King and the Clown
Today in Korean History, our teacher gave us a break from lectures and presentations by showing a Korean movie called "The King and the Clown." I have seen this movie once with Hyesun, but it was hard for me to understand what was going on because of the cultural and historical details. Watching it a second time allowed me to enjoy the movie rather than trying to figure out what was going on. It is about the most notorious King of the Joseon dynasty and probably all of Korean history. He murdered his brother to become king and was the only king to be removed from his post by the Korean people. Records of his rule show that he was paranoid and would kill anyone who threatened his position as king. The movie follows two fictional clowns who become the kings entertainers. As the king becomes more insane, the clowns begin to fear for their lives. It is a great movie and accurately shows life in the Joseon dynasty. It was also nice to watch history come to life in a sense that would have been impossible to grasp from a textbook. One of my Korean friends from my class is trying to find the movie with English subtitles for me to take home, so you guys can get a taste of Korea.
I have to admit, now that we are getting closer to Thanksgiving/Christmas season and my birthday, I am feeling a little homesick for the first time. I am having the time of my life here in Korea and wouldn't trade it for anything, but this will be my first holiday season without my family. Korea doesn't celebrate American Thanksgiving and Christmas is a smaller holiday that isn't celebrated with family. It will be very strange for me not to celebrate these two very important family holidays with my family at home. I am so thankful that I have the Byeon's and Derek's family here in Korea, I think I would be a complete mess at times if I didn't have their love and support so close to where I am. They are family to me, and it will be great to celebrate Christmas and my birthday with them. Derek is coming back to Korea for Christmas, which is great! As of right now, I am planning to celebrate my birthday with both of my Korean families together. For Christmas, I am hoping to spend time with both families individually, but we are still figuring out the details.
My mom and sisters are coming in January, which I am very excited about! I have over two months off in the winter, so I am still deciding on travel plans. I am hoping that after Christmas, I will not be in Korea for too long, I want to see as much of Asia as possible. I will keep all of you updated about my winter break plans as I get them worked out.
I have to admit, now that we are getting closer to Thanksgiving/Christmas season and my birthday, I am feeling a little homesick for the first time. I am having the time of my life here in Korea and wouldn't trade it for anything, but this will be my first holiday season without my family. Korea doesn't celebrate American Thanksgiving and Christmas is a smaller holiday that isn't celebrated with family. It will be very strange for me not to celebrate these two very important family holidays with my family at home. I am so thankful that I have the Byeon's and Derek's family here in Korea, I think I would be a complete mess at times if I didn't have their love and support so close to where I am. They are family to me, and it will be great to celebrate Christmas and my birthday with them. Derek is coming back to Korea for Christmas, which is great! As of right now, I am planning to celebrate my birthday with both of my Korean families together. For Christmas, I am hoping to spend time with both families individually, but we are still figuring out the details.
My mom and sisters are coming in January, which I am very excited about! I have over two months off in the winter, so I am still deciding on travel plans. I am hoping that after Christmas, I will not be in Korea for too long, I want to see as much of Asia as possible. I will keep all of you updated about my winter break plans as I get them worked out.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
A Quiet Weekend
So, I think this week of classes was the first "normal" week, by saying that I mean that: none of my classes were canceled and I had homework and/or quizes in all of my classes. I don't know if there is a definition of a normal week because this week was very strange to me. I think we create this image of what we think normal would look like, yet when we see that image in reality, it does not provide the comfort that we were hoping for. This idea has resonated for me in a larger scale than a weekly schedule. I have come to realize that I enjoy life with flexibility. I know a year ago I couldn't have imagined that I would be in South Korea having the time of my life learning and traveling in such a culturally rich country. I think it's important to have goals and dreams, but also be able to be open to different ways to carry out those ambitions. That is one of the most important lessons I have learned in the past year: Be flexible!
Today, I went to Osan to explore the markets and streets of the town. I had invited a few friends to come, but almost all of them went to Seoul for the weekend. The people that didn't go wanted to stay around campus for the day, so I ventured on my own. I had read that Osan has one of the oldest markets in Korea, so I wanted to see this 400 year old market. Unfortunately, I didn't find it, but I did find another market that had a lot of character. It was fun to see a new town and get off campus for a while.
On Tuesday, I have a Korean writing test. Along with that, my CID group has a presentation due next week. My group has a terrible case of procrastination and we haven't started our presentaion! The rest of this weekend will be pretty quiet, I will be studying for my test and trying to get my CID group together so we can get this project done! Along with studying tomorrow, I am going to have a movie/game night with Xiao Chen and a few other friends. The next few weekends will be pretty crazy. I have my suite fieldtrip next weekend. In two weeks I'm going to see Eomeoni (Mother) Byeon play in a ping pong tournament with Kyunghye. Of course, plans are subject to change!
Today, I went to Osan to explore the markets and streets of the town. I had invited a few friends to come, but almost all of them went to Seoul for the weekend. The people that didn't go wanted to stay around campus for the day, so I ventured on my own. I had read that Osan has one of the oldest markets in Korea, so I wanted to see this 400 year old market. Unfortunately, I didn't find it, but I did find another market that had a lot of character. It was fun to see a new town and get off campus for a while.
On Tuesday, I have a Korean writing test. Along with that, my CID group has a presentation due next week. My group has a terrible case of procrastination and we haven't started our presentaion! The rest of this weekend will be pretty quiet, I will be studying for my test and trying to get my CID group together so we can get this project done! Along with studying tomorrow, I am going to have a movie/game night with Xiao Chen and a few other friends. The next few weekends will be pretty crazy. I have my suite fieldtrip next weekend. In two weeks I'm going to see Eomeoni (Mother) Byeon play in a ping pong tournament with Kyunghye. Of course, plans are subject to change!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
I Voted Today
On Friday, after requesting an absentee ballot for the midterm election almost two months ago, I received my ballot. Granted, it came three days after the election, and it says that if it isn't received by November 2nd, it won't be counted. Regardless, I wanted to vote by completing the ballot, even if it won't be counted. For all of you who remember, I was a month shy of being able to vote last election, so this was my first time voting!
Today, I set some time aside to vote. Tomorrow I will mail it back to Missouri, it will then be up to them whether to count it or not. My voice was heard six thousand miles away about my convictions concerning the future of my country!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Friendly Korea
Today, I decided to take a trip to Cheonan just to wander around. I haven't traveled too much on my own since coming here, so it was nice to explore markets, several streets, and different shops on my own. For those of you who may be worried about my safety traveling alone when I know very little of the language, there is no reason to worry. Korea has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. I think this is because Korean culture is the production of almost two thousand years of Confucian influence. Korea applied Confucious teaching to every aspect of society. As a result, commiting a crime is the greatest dishonor not only to you, but to your family. Causing your family pain is the greatest disgrace in Korean society. That is one thing that I really appreciate about Korean culture: people are very concious about how their decisions will affect their family and community. Granted, there are times where individuality takes precedence, but I really respect the sensitivity Korean people have about the ramifications of their decisions.
I took the subway to Cheonan, where I walked a few of the main streets, browsing a few of the shops. I also went to Yawoori, which is the mall in Cheonan. Malls in Korea are a bit different from the USA. They are usually at least five or six stories, one in Seoul is over ten stories tall! They are not as wide as American malls, but they make up for that in height. In the mall, there are only small stores. Each floor is open with no walls to divide each store. It feels like a fancy open air market. I don't really like Yawoori because the stores are really expensive and mostly sell Western brands.
After visiting Yawoori, I bought some lunch at a restaurant down the street. While I was eating, this adorable four year old Korean boy walked over with his mom. He bowed (another Confucian influence!) and introduced himself in pretty good English. I was very impressed. His mom told me that he has been learning English and wanted to meet me when he saw me eating a few tables away. I was also able to talk with them in the little Korean I have learned.
I also went to an open air market, which has a lot more personality than Yawoori. The first time I went to one of these markets, I was hit with some culture shock! There are shops that sell chicken feet, small beetles, and an assortment of live seafood for you to choose from. The yells of the vendors, the smell of the piles of fish, and the taste of Korean street food was one of the first times I knew I wasn't in Missouri anymore! Now walking through these markets is a kind of comfort for me. They have so much character and really represent everyday life for Koreans. I met this lovely lady who owned the store I was browsing. She asked me a few questions about where I was from. Though we couldn't understand each other very well because of the language barrier, we were able to laugh and try the best we could! I really think Korea should make "Friendly Korea" their motto. At different points today, there were countless people who came up to talk to me. Even though I went around Cheonan alone, I felt like all of the people from Cheonan were my travel buddies.
Tomorrow, I'm going to watch a movie with Hong, Yun Yue, and a few other friends. We haven't had a lot of time to hang out, so it will be great to catch up. I also have to study for a Korean speaking test on Monday.
I took the subway to Cheonan, where I walked a few of the main streets, browsing a few of the shops. I also went to Yawoori, which is the mall in Cheonan. Malls in Korea are a bit different from the USA. They are usually at least five or six stories, one in Seoul is over ten stories tall! They are not as wide as American malls, but they make up for that in height. In the mall, there are only small stores. Each floor is open with no walls to divide each store. It feels like a fancy open air market. I don't really like Yawoori because the stores are really expensive and mostly sell Western brands.
After visiting Yawoori, I bought some lunch at a restaurant down the street. While I was eating, this adorable four year old Korean boy walked over with his mom. He bowed (another Confucian influence!) and introduced himself in pretty good English. I was very impressed. His mom told me that he has been learning English and wanted to meet me when he saw me eating a few tables away. I was also able to talk with them in the little Korean I have learned.
I also went to an open air market, which has a lot more personality than Yawoori. The first time I went to one of these markets, I was hit with some culture shock! There are shops that sell chicken feet, small beetles, and an assortment of live seafood for you to choose from. The yells of the vendors, the smell of the piles of fish, and the taste of Korean street food was one of the first times I knew I wasn't in Missouri anymore! Now walking through these markets is a kind of comfort for me. They have so much character and really represent everyday life for Koreans. I met this lovely lady who owned the store I was browsing. She asked me a few questions about where I was from. Though we couldn't understand each other very well because of the language barrier, we were able to laugh and try the best we could! I really think Korea should make "Friendly Korea" their motto. At different points today, there were countless people who came up to talk to me. Even though I went around Cheonan alone, I felt like all of the people from Cheonan were my travel buddies.
Tomorrow, I'm going to watch a movie with Hong, Yun Yue, and a few other friends. We haven't had a lot of time to hang out, so it will be great to catch up. I also have to study for a Korean speaking test on Monday.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Karaoke
For those who don't know, Koreans love Karaoke, big time. It is one of the most popular pastimes of Koreans young and old. In Korea, there are "Karaoke rooms" which are buildings with several rooms equipped with huge screens, speakers, and crazy lights. When you go to a Noraebang (karaoke), you pay to use a room to sing per hour. It is always loud and tons of fun singing with a large group songs you recognize and songs you can't even understand the language. You could completely butcher a song and it wouldn't matter, Noraebang is about spending time with friends. Coming from America, where you can only find Karaoke in bars, I was excited to see how much Koreans get into Karaoke.
Today was my friend Savonne's 21st birthday. She is from Cambodia and speaks Korean really well. She is such a sweetheart and always has a huge infectous smile on her face. Dyra planned a surprise party for her, and boy was she surprised! We bought her a cake and some kimchi chicken (fried chicken sauted in kimchi, a popular takeout dish). After celebrating in her suite, we went to a Noraebang to sing Karaoke. The Karaoke group included Savonne, Dyra, Sinath (from Cambodia), Sovannarith (from Cambodia), Elena (from Uzbekistan), and two Korean students from one of Savonne's classes. We went to a Noraebang near campus and belted out Korean and English songs. When you sing Karaoke in Korea, you can't help but conjure your inner pop star. It is so much fun, especially singing with a large group that is belting out songs even when you don't know all the words. Dyra has a great voice, her voice reminds me of Maraih Carey. I told her I am expecting to hear an album from her in five years. After about an hour and a half of singing and dancing, we left the Noraebang, laughing all the way back to campus about our Karaoke party.
Today was my friend Savonne's 21st birthday. She is from Cambodia and speaks Korean really well. She is such a sweetheart and always has a huge infectous smile on her face. Dyra planned a surprise party for her, and boy was she surprised! We bought her a cake and some kimchi chicken (fried chicken sauted in kimchi, a popular takeout dish). After celebrating in her suite, we went to a Noraebang to sing Karaoke. The Karaoke group included Savonne, Dyra, Sinath (from Cambodia), Sovannarith (from Cambodia), Elena (from Uzbekistan), and two Korean students from one of Savonne's classes. We went to a Noraebang near campus and belted out Korean and English songs. When you sing Karaoke in Korea, you can't help but conjure your inner pop star. It is so much fun, especially singing with a large group that is belting out songs even when you don't know all the words. Dyra has a great voice, her voice reminds me of Maraih Carey. I told her I am expecting to hear an album from her in five years. After about an hour and a half of singing and dancing, we left the Noraebang, laughing all the way back to campus about our Karaoke party.
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