Santos in Seoul

Moving!

2010-09-01T00:59:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone! This will be my last post in Santos in Seoul because I have created a new blog aptly named Where's Janelle? to chronicle my adventures in the Peace Corps and beyond.

Please go here now for all the latest news - http://wheresjanelle.blogspot.com/

Thank you to all those who have supported my first blogging experience by reading and/or commenting! I look forward to keeping you entertained (hehe)!

MICRONESIA!!!

2010-07-17T21:50:00.001-05:00

I have officially accepted an invitation to serve as an ESL Teacher and Community Development Worker Peace Corps Volunteer in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) & Palau. How did this happen? Well…

A day after gaining official medical clearance (with a letter and everything), the placement office contacted me via email to inform me that they now had my file and would be reviewing it in due time. About two weeks later, a specialist emailed me to let me know that I could not be accommodated in my original nominated region (I suspect that peanuts are used too much in Middle Eastern cuisine) and asked if I would be okay with going to either Central Asia or the Pacific Islands sometime in September. I quickly replied that I would definitely be okay with that. She then asked if I would be willing to leave as early as September 1st. I initially put my starting date as anytime after September 20th due to my cousin’s wedding being on the 18th. I thought about it, consulted my sister (I was in Sunnyvale for two pleasant weeks), and decided that I should take advantage of this opportunity.

After sending that email, my placement officer contacted me via phone a day later to ask me a few clarification questions such as why I initially applied, if I would be okay religiously wherever I went, and also to send him an updated resume detailing my current volunteer activities. I did as he asked and on Tuesday, July 6th, the big blue invitation kit was sent to me from Washington, D.C.! Since I was in Vancouver at the time (see below post) I knew that I was officially invited via my Peace Corps account online. It was only when I returned home on July 12 that I knew I was placed in Micronesia. After a few days of reading the most urgent materials in the huge stack of paperwork they sent did I officially accept my invitation via email. I kind of wished I could have done it over the phone, but I did get a prompt reply a day after. So, the total amount of time it took me to go from applicant to invitee was five months. Awesome, yeah?

Now I have to write an aspiration statement as well as a tailored resume for the Peace Corps contacts in my country and turn those in within the next ten days. I have homework all over again! I also need to apply for my snazzy government passport and start packing. But those are small things. The amount of excitement and anticipation that I have for the next two (maybe three or longer) years is enough to sustain me until well after my service.

As my mother often likes to remind me, I am greatly blessed. :)

In other news, my trip to Sunnyvale was very relaxing and fun. I hung out with my sister and her husband for two weeks. During that time, we ate lots of different kinds of foods (Vietnemese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, American), visited places my sister wanted to go to, I learned how to knit from her (my first scarf is going quite well), and somehow made it though five seasons of Stargate SG-1. In order to repay them for their hospitality, all I have to do is sign my life away to World of Warcraft sometime in the next three days…I kid!

Gatecon 2010: Fan Report

2010-07-17T17:29:00.009-05:00

My next post will have a big Peace Corps update, but for now...

My first (and probably last) Stargate convention was, in a word, amazing.

Vancouver is such a gorgeous city. I absolutely loved it. The scenery is so beautiful, whether it be the mountains, the forests, or the beaches bordering the ocean. I had the opportunity to tour the city for a few days before the convention and I enjoyed every minute of it. We (my friend who convinced me to go, her parents, and me) went to so many places (mostly filming locations of our favorite shows) so I got a pretty good look of what Vancouver has to offer. Here’s a small sample:

Look familiar? This is Caprica from Battlestar Galactica.

I enjoy the juxtaposition.

See the guy fishing?

Chinatown! Second largest in North America

A very long bridge

The actual convention was held at the Sheraton Wall Centre, a swanky place with nice facilities and free Starbucks coffee (which is saying something when you can find a Starbucks on literally every street of downtown Vancouver). The convention began on a Thursday with registration that went very smoothly in the morning (I got my badge, info, a shirt, and signed up for two official photos that cost me $40 – they were worth it!) and a Meet’n’Greet in the evening. This involved mingling with other convention goers and talking about anything relating to Stargate. I had absolutely no idea that the actors were going to be there, so imagine my surprise when I saw Corin Nemec (Jonas Quinn from Season 6) just standing there, talking to people! I got photos with Colin Cunningham (Major Paul Davis), Corin, Cliff Simon (Ba’al), and Paul McGillion (Dr. Carson Beckett). I could have left the convention right then and there and have been super content.

But of course I didn’t since I paid for the whole weekend! Each day there were four panels consisting of the ‘honored guests.’ We asked questions and watched them banter with each other. They were all fun but the ones in which the guests had beer were hilarious. Paul revealed that he had wrestled and won against the two main muscle men of the show, amongst other things. I even had enough guts to ask him a question (favorite Atlantis episode to film and why), but it came out strange because it was such a spur of the moment idea. Oh well, glad I did ask! I had my official photos taken Saturday morning, what do you think?

Corin Nemec (he's going to be in Supernatural, talk about crossover!)

Paul McGillion (yay hug)

The auction Saturday night for the Make-A-Wish Foundation raised ridiculous amounts of money because the guests kept on encouraging the bidders. Paul McGillion would look at someone, say “It’s for the wee babies. Do you not like the babies?” and of course they had to keep on bidding. Sunday night (after 10PM) people were randomly hanging out with Corin, so I joined them and listened to his corny jokes. I only outright fangirled once when an unexpected guest showed up. Michael Trucco (Anders of Battlestar Galactica) suddenly appeared and of course I freaked out, but I was unable to take a picture with him (my friend did though while I was wandering around Vancouver. Lucky Erin!).

Thanks to the awesomeness that is Gatecon, not only did I get a chance to talk to actual (if minor) celebrities, I got to meet lots of fellow Stargate fans whom I will try my best to keep in touch with. I hope that fan run conventions will continue since this really was a wonderful experience!

You are Launched!

2010-06-17T10:13:00.003-05:00

I have FINALLY received medical clearance from the Office of Medical Services! Thank goodness!

Life update - so what have I been doing while I wait? Well, I did not get that receptionist job but I did apply for a temporary position as a field surveyor. We'll see how that turns out, but I suspect that I will have more vacation time than I bargained for. I have been volunteering at Heartland Alliance for a few weeks now, and I absolutely love it! The students are mostly Hispanic and the ones I work with are in either Level 1 or 2. I have been learning a bunch just from my different tutoring sessions, experiences I will definitely bring to my Peace Corps service.

I've also been babysitting my cousin's baby, watching more TV shows, meeting other Peace Corps nominees, fulfilling my jury duty for the year, hanging out with friends, attending graduation parties, buying manga and dvd sets, and seeing the Wonder Girls and 2PM live in person! This is my second time seeing 2PM, but I didn't really appreciate the first time because of the whole scandal thing going on. They were really popular with the crowd (I think most of the fangirls went to the concert for them). The girls themselves were pretty good, considering all the traveling they've been doing and the fact that they had to conduct their concert not only with a new member but in a foreign language. Props to them!

I am heading to Buffy's home town, apparently, to hang out with my sister for the next two weeks. Should be lots of fun and filled with delicious food to report on!

Updates and ACen Report

2010-05-16T14:15:00.000-05:00

Wow, I somehow skipped the entire month of April. Too busy studying and partying. :) I have officially graduated magna cum laude with majors in International Studies and Sociology from Illinois Wesleyan University.

I have official dental clearance from the Peace Corps (the letter came in yesterday) so now all that I am waiting for is my medical clearance, which will definitely be much tougher to pass. We'll see! I will be volunteering at Heartland Human Care Services this summer, assisting an English class and tutoring one-on-one. I also applied for a job as a receptionist to earn some money over the summer, but if that doesn't work out I won't be too sad about it. More time for vacation!

If you can't tell already, I have been pretty much chillaxing since graduation. I am watching Battlestar Galactica, various anime series, and various network shows; rewatching Stargate SG-1 in preparation for Gatecon, and annoying the poor volunteer coordinator to make sure I can get my required English tutoring hours before my Peace Corps assignment begins. I have also been keeping up with the k-pop fandom (I appreciate Super Junior's BONAMANA album, f(x)'s NU ABO, and the Wonder Girls' 2 Different Tears - I bought the last eight tickets for their Chicago concert!). My friends also created an entirely new card game based on the binary numeral system so I had to (kind of) learn how to count in binary.

The highlight of my vacation so far has definitely been Anime Central, the Midwest's largest anime convention. I have missed the past two years so coming back to it was so much fun! Friday my friend and I first went to H-Mart to buy some yummy Korean alcohol (막걸리 and 소주) and eat some delicious Korean food (부대찌개).

I went to a Naruto panel (yes, I watch it and yes, I enjoy it), a Fullmetal Alchemist panel (lame since the panelists failed to show up), Whose Line is it Anime? (absolutely hilarious), Soul Eater panels featuring Japanese voice actors Yumiko Kobayashi (Black Star), Narumi Takahira (Patty), and Kouki Uchiyama (Soul); a Fairy Tail panel (spoilers galore!), and amv viewings. I somehow also managed to fit in manga shopping (catching up on series I have been behind on for a year). Needless to say, great day!

Yesterday I went to a One Piece panel (I can't wait to see how the current anime arc ends!), a Soul Eater panel featuring Kaori Nazuka (Tsubaki), autograph sessions for the Japanese Soul Eater cast (all the voice actors and the producer), a Soul Eater panel featuring all of the Japanese voice actors as well as two English voice actors, the masquerade (kind of - it was streaming live), amv contest winners viewing, and said friend's birthday party! I also bought more manga and the cutest onigiri shirt!

Best ACen ever for me, probably because I actually attended panels instead of spending all of my time in the dealer's room! Right now I am biding my time before my graduation party for the family. I know that some of my relatives will be like "why isn't she going into something useful, like nursing?" but I am very happy with my decision to go into the Peace Corps even if I am unsure of my career path after my service ends. I'll hopefully be updating this lovely blog more now that I have loads of free time, so please bear with me, my reader(s), and thanks for stopping by!

Burning Bridges

2010-03-26T16:59:00.004-05:00

Like the new background? Thanks to Blogger's new layout designs I was able to customize the blog to my liking. Yay subtle advertising!

So, I just withdrew from the Teach for America application process. I wonder...should I have applied in the first place? I think the answer to that is yes, since I was unsure of my status for Peace Corps at the time (I just had the interview the day before!). Since my assignment in Peace Corps is not final until I actually get the invitation, I am definitely taking a risk in voluntarily limiting my options. However, I have every intention of accepting that final invitation and not that of Teach for America had I been able to get one (which I sincerely doubt but we'll never know now!). Still, I feel guilty for making my recommenders submit forms for me singing my praises (I hope!) just to have withdrawn from the whole thing.

I know that I have plenty more hard decisions to make in the future, but it feels like I have them too soon! However, I must live with no regrets and have faith in God's plan for me!

On that note, I am tentatively assigned to the Secondary Education/TEFL program in the North Africa/Middle East region! I looked on the website and the country needing Education Volunteers in that region is Jordan, so I am probably going there. I know pretty much nothing about the country so I look forward to immersing myself in its language and culture. I can't be too sure though, so I might be thrown for a loop and be placed somewhere totally different. Yay flexibility!

Guess who got nominated!!!

2010-03-12T15:27:00.003-06:00

This morning I had my follow up interview with my Peace Corps recruiter, and she is nominating me for a Secondary English Teaching position! How exciting is that! However, in order to be a competitive applicant I must complete at least 30 hours of "English, ESL, TEFL, foreign language, or literacy tutoring experience in classrooms or one-on-one."

I know what I'm going to spend my summer doing! Hopefully I will have some sort of part time job so I can earn some money and then spend the rest of my time gaining English tutoring experience (as well as going to various conventions and seeing my sister in San Francisco).

I also advanced to the second part of the Teach for America application process! This coming Tuesday I will learn more about what exactly I have to do during the interview day. I am slightly apprehensive about this since I have to teach a five minute lesson on anything of my choosing as well as have a one-on-one interview, but I know it will be a great learning process for me regardless of the outcome.

It seems that no matter what I do I will become a teacher in some sort of capacity! Which is a good thing since it's in my genes (my grandmother was an excellent teacher).

In other news, the ten pages I need to write for my senior seminar paper are due Monday morning and not today at 5PM! Yay for slacking off! I still have plenty to do over spring break (homework and planning wise) but hey, I don't have to go to class for an entire week! :)

Job Fair #2, Interview #1

2010-02-22T21:55:00.004-06:00

It has been pretty busy for me in terms of trying to find something to do with my life after college, which is always a good thing.

Last Wednesday I went to my second job fair, this time much closer to campus since it was at ISU. I visited exactly three employers, all social service agencies serving troubled youth. I considered going to the FBI booth (only due to my love of Criminal Minds, a fantastic show). The first organization I visited was very matter-of-fact and encouraged me to apply online, which kind of defeats the purpose of job fairs, in my opinion...at the next one I spoke with an employee, not a HR representative, so he seemed slightly nervous and flustered when I started asking him questions. I liked that he was very earnest and that left me with a good impression of the place. At the last agency I definitely engaged in a great conversation with the rep and I think if I follow up I might have an interview over spring break...we'll see!

Last Thursday I had an on campus interview with the Peace Corps! Since this is currently my #1 choice I was very excited and wanted to do my best. I think (hope, pray!) that I did. I was able to utilize my wide (and slightly strange yet intriguing) range of experiences in answering all of the government mandated questions. We weren't able to finish the interview due to time restrictions, but after I send in the necessary documents (if they ever get here!) my recruiter will contact me to follow up.

Last Friday I had the opportunity to speak over the phone with a national recruitment director for Teach for America. I asked her questions about the training (how do I become an effective teacher?) and she emphasized how this is a great program and why I should join if I somehow get through the application process. I then proceeded to call my brother-in-law to ask for advice in writing the letter of intent - the conversation ended up being an hour long! Come March 2nd we'll see if I made it to the next round.

Oh, options! I hope I have at least one upon graduation, but who knows what I'll do if I have more than one good one!

Stepping away for a moment...my Korea-obsessed friend (here's to you, Kara!) and I have been attempting to cook Korean food, and I must say that all of our experiments have been pretty tasty! So far we've made 김치찌개, 비빔밥, and 잡채. Anyone remember these dishes from my previous posts?

Job Fair #1

2010-02-10T20:05:00.003-06:00

Last Friday I attended the ISCPA CareerFest 2010. Job fairs are what you make of them, I quickly learned. Beforehand I researched the places I wanted to visit online and formulated some potential questions to ask (to show my interest) and also got my resume looked at (it was not quite up to par). The night before I got a suit (from my mom, thank you!) and a leather briefcase (of sorts) so I could try to look professional.

The day of I talked to 10 organizations, gave away 9 resumes, and sent 8 thank you follow up emails. In return I got 3 personal responses and 1 automated message. Not too shabby, right? Most of them were non-profits children's orgs recruiting Sociology majors.

That weekend I finally finished my Peace Corps application after putting off the essays for two weeks. I'm excited to have finally submitted it but am definitely anxious at the same time. All of my references came through for me, thank goodness, but will I be able to live up to expectations if I get an interview, the position? That is what is worrying me most. In related news, I also attended a workshop on how to utilize my study abroad experiences on a resume and in an interview. Yay for cross-cultural communication and adaptation skills! In all seriousness, I really should think of things I did abroad that would translate well in the real world. Ultimately I'm going to leave it in God's hands and try not stress out about my future too much. There's still homework to do and papers to write!

On a happier note, I got a free cup of coffee, a free chocolate bar, and my paycheck today! I may be using that money to go to Vancouver this July for Gatecon . . . you're judging me, dear reader, aren't you . . . hehe.

Commemorate!

2010-01-21T23:53:00.000-06:00

It has officially been one month since I left Seoul. I have been adjusting pretty well, I think. Almost too well...I miss eating Korean food every day, though my parental units took me to a Korean restaurant over winter break and told me to order in Korean. I tried to shock my sister with my new "upgraded" wardrobe that consists of the few shirts and leggings I bought randomly (I think in 명동, 동대문, and random subway stations) but I only succeeded in hurting my feet by hiking in artificial caves in knee-high boots.

I am attempting to maintain my language ability by teaching a friend of mine basic Korean and by going to Korean class every week at a local church near IWU (whenever it starts up again). This past Tuesday I went to the study abroad fair and basically told everyone who came up to the CIEE table that I had an amazing experience and that they should go abroad. Earlier today I attended a study abroad welcome back reception hosted by the president of IWU and told my fellow students about my fond memories of stalking boy bands.

This blog will now become a way to keep myself accountable in my attempts to gain employment after graduation. I now have accounts for Peace Corps, my #1 choice, AmeriCorps, and Teach for America. I will probably be attending a few job fairs and am considering working in B-Norm if an opportunity comes up. We'll see where life leads. Now to actually start those applications...wish me luck!

If you're new to this blog just backtrack to read about my experiences in Seoul. Otherwise feel free to follow me as I try to become ready for the real world!

Seoul searching no more

2009-12-21T08:17:00.000-06:00

I apologize for being MIA these past 20 days. I have been busy with finals (FINALLY DONE MWAHAHA) and making the most of my last days here.

During the period when I was sick I got in trouble for sleeping in class. I actually have a confession to make. Ever since my 5^th grade teacher caught me sleeping in class as a result of staying up all night to read Baby-sitters’ Club books, I have managed to fall asleep in every single one of my classes ever since. Even gym classes. Whether it’s due to all-nighters, the time of day, or the fact that the material covered in class did not interest me, I end up falling asleep. I have only been caught a few times, miraculously, but it was really embarrassing.

Anyway, during lunch that Wednesday over ラーメン (ramen) my LE partner told me she broke up with her boyfriend because he was spending too much time playing World of Warcraft! Ironically, my sister and her husband have dates playing WoW…the rest of the week I slept a lot in order to recover. Dinner on Friday was fried chicken with a side of anime. My love for Ouran High School Host Club has no end. Saturday evening I met with Emily, the English teacher I blogged about previously, and had 부대찌개 (budae jjigae) and 호떡 (hotteok, or pancake filled with fatty goodness) while discussing Fulbright with my friend interested in the program. I have decided that my favorite Korean foods are 부대찌개 and 참치찌개 (chamchi jjigae, or tuna stew).

The following Monday it was back to 자넬선생님 holding the tambourine. Since this was the week leading up to finals, I mostly stayed in so I could actually get good grades in my classes. The most interesting things would be my meals: 육개장 (yukejang, or spicy beef stew), 김치찌개 (kimchi jjigae, or kimchi stew), 돈까스 (donkkasu, or pork cutlet), 라면(ramyun), fried chicken, a lunchbox from 7/11, and leftover 잡채 (japchae, or noodles). Friday was the big CIEE farewell party. We ate genuine 한식 (Korean food), drank 막걸리 (makgeolli, or Korean rice wine) and saw JUMP, which was all sorts of awesome. All the male characters had very defined abs. Hehe.

Over the weekend I made a HomePlus run with my friend and somehow finished three papers, which I’m not how I managed but still did! One paper was about family life and adoption in Burma, another was a letter, and the last one was my big KE paper about the situation of native English speaking teachers in Korea. Since I finished editing that paper while I was at the airport I’m FINALLY DONE YAY!!!

Finals week. At my last day of volunteering the classes came together to put on a mini Christmas concert. The kids sang and danced to Christmas songs. I was recruited to dance twice for partner dances, and even though I had no idea what I was doing it was a lot of fun! Here's my class, I'm going to miss them dearly!

I basically studied and ate for the entire week. I did well on my Korean final – I ended up getting an A+ in the class! My Korean Social Welfare teacher gave in and allowed four international students to write a 3-page reflection instead of a 12-page research paper, something I will be eternally grateful for. Since we still had to take the final a group of us got together, ordered Korean food for dinner, and studied our heads off. I think the test went okay, I will find out grades next week!

Thursday was my last meeting with the program director and assistant – I will definitely miss them, they helped me with so much!

I also had one last meeting with my Filipino friends – meeting them has made me want to embrace my Filipino-American identity more. I have attempted to do this through studying the history and culture of the Philippines, but I know there's way more I can do, such as studying the language or listening more closely to my parents' stories. Since this was the last day of Korean, some classmates and I went to buy flowers and cakes for our 선생님. We then proceeded to party.

After that I went to dinner with friends, made a fruitless search for gloves, and participated in a mobile testing survey that got me money to spend over the weekend. That evening (I know, busy day) I went with my friend to stalk Super Junior’s radio show, Kiss the Radio. Even though it was freezing cold we decided it would be a good idea even though we didn’t know the exact location of the building. We, of course, ended up getting lost and getting directions from a nice subway guy. We knew we finally found the place when we saw a bunch of teenage girls clustered around a window underneath a tent. I took stalker photos. After that we stood outside in the cold for 30 minutes so we could see them leave the station, but we couldn’t take it anymore and got a taxi. The driver gave us Korean lessons. Even with my A+ in Korean I still feel horribly insufficient in the language. That’s why I have to study more, right? And here our the KTR boys, 은혁 and 이특.

Friday I met up with Korea friends at the coffee shop of an eye clinic, of all places. My friend had Lasik surgery done there and consequently got free drink coupons. Sidenote – I actually pay for coffee now! I have grown slightly more used to the taste. We then went souvenir shopping on Insa-dong street, I think I got some truly Korean things for family and friends back at home (kimchi chocolate, anybody?). For dinner we met up with my LE partner and ate delicious chicken dishes. Despite the fact they all knew my fail! Korean skills they made me order the food and pay for it in order for me to practice (or for them to tease me about my Korean).

Saturday was Lotte World with a friend I met in KSW and a friend who is an English teacher (who I of course interviewed). Lotte World (a world of magic and fantasy) was so much fun! We shopped at the little stores (I used most of my survey money) and rode various rides (my favorite has to be Pharoh’s Fury). We even went to a shooting range, and I was able to shoot a 9mm gun and get a passing score of 73.

Sunday I used my free movie ticket to watch Avatar with my friend (we agreed it gave off a Native American vibe and was a tad cliché but still a great movie), returned my cell phone, and went to mass for the final time in Korea. My last dinner in Korea was 참치찌개, a meal I will most definitely miss. I started packing at around 11PM. My whole life has been reduced to two suitcases, plus a backpack and a smaller suitcase. Here's my last Korean meal at 김밥천국 (Kimbap Heaven).

That smaller suitcase cost me $116! It’s all those Korean books. I didn't say goodbye to some of my friends (please don't be mad!) but I know we will stay connected via Facebook. I hung out at the airport for five hours, finished that huge paper, saw some famous people (I think?) filming a commercial, met up with my aunt (coming from Manila to immigrate to the U.S.), and boarded the plane. Asiana always has good food – I had 쌈밥 for dinner, which I fear might be my last Korean meal for a while…now I am back home, safe and sound. It’s good to be back but I am definitely going to miss Korea!!!

I just want to say 감사합니다 (thank you) to all my (silent) readers for staying with me despite my irregular updates and spazztastic posts. Even though I failed some missions I was assigned to while in Korea (buying a pig-rabbit, visiting the set of 무한도전, or Infinity Challenge), I had a wonderful time and am grateful that I was able to share it with all of you. If you have any questions at all, feel free to email or Facebook me. I think I will continue blogging about my life adventures, but Santos is most definitely no longer in Seoul!

Times flies...

2009-12-01T05:09:00.009-06:00

...when you're studying abroad! Lame, I know, but true nonetheless. Here's an long overdue update from the land of the morning calm.

Last last Friday I went to 이태원 with my friend in order to check out the KC Philippine Store to see if I could buy mass quantities of Filipino food for my food project. Turns out it was a small family run store that seemed pretty cool but I was too embarrassed by my utter lack of Tagalog skillz to start a conversation. I ended up calling them a week later in order to have a backup plan for acquiring food. Lunch was an utter disaster because I know I ended up eating nuts of a sort at this vegan place, no matter how much they denied it. Never again. I knew I should have questioned the protein like substance...study abroad tip #1: learn the language enough so you can ask about the food, especially if you have allergies. Never assume anything. Question anything remotely suspicious. Or else you will end up throwing up in the bathroom of a subway station.

Moving on...in the afternoon I skipped Korean class (third time only!) in order to see Super Junior members sell cabbage. Mwahaha. Here are the members I saw.

From left to right: Shindong, Eunhyuk, Leeteuk, and Sungmin (신동, 은혁, 이특, and 성민)

Even though my favorite members did not participate (they were in China) it was a lot of fun being an utter fangirl along with the screaming middle and high school girls. There were some college girls there too, so no judging! The four boys (men?) were selling cabbage for charity. They were out in the cold for two hours, entertaining the crowd by talking in different languages, singing, dancing, charming older ladies who legitimately wanted to buy cabbage, and bantering between themselves. It was surreal seeing them so close - they're way to skinny. Even the supposed "fat one" is skinny! I ended up buying three heads of cabbage for $3.00 (just so I could walk past the stage to get a really good look at them). Since I was not going to carry the cabbage with me on the subway I gave them to a waiting 아줌마 who gave me about $0.50 in return. The things I do for Super Junior...

The following morning I woke up around 4:30 AM in order to go to the airport to see my parents! Everything went pretty smoothly, thank goodness! They were able to come back and see my place (and my mom proceeded to be thoroughly impressed by the toilet). I showed them how to use the bus system and gave them a mini tour of Yonsei's campus. My mom managed to talk for the entire time we were together, which is not surprising at all, but she also took my only Yonsei sweatshirt. In return they gave me and my roommates dried mangoes, candy, and ensaymada. Love you Mom and Dad!

That evening I watched the MAMA (M.Net Asian Music Awards) on my flat screen high def TV. Anyone else surprised by some of the winners?

On Sunday I went to a Korean movie theater for the first time! They're pretty classy. I watched Good Morning, President (굿모닝 프레지던트), a Korean movie that had English subtitles (certain movie theaters around Seoul are foreigner friendly in that respect). I thought it was a great movie and I recommend it to anyone, but especially those who are remotely interested in how the Korean presidency works. After that my LE partner and I went to eat lunch at 명동교자 (Myeongdong Gyoja), a very famous, very crowded, very fast-paced restaurant known for its wonderful 칼국수 (kalguksu, or knife noodles) and ridiculously spicy 김치, even for Koreans! You know a place is worth eating at when there's constantly a line out the door (or the fact that it's been mentioned in almost every Korean travel guide). When we were finally able to get a spot we had to order and pay right away, but in return the food came literally four minutes later. It was so worth the wait outside!

Special highlights from my volunteering last Monday include playing ball with one slightly shy yet adorable little girl and reading Goodnight Moon, a childhood favorite of mine. That afternoon I was interviewed about my love for modern Korean culture (for my friend's Korea through Ethnography project). In the evening I got together with my Korean Social Welfare group and worked on making our employment presentation. The native Koreans in the group are awesome people - their English is pretty much fluent and they're so much fun to work with and talk to! Yay for making friends with the locals!

I would kind of like to forget that Wednesday but I feel it is valuable to bring up. Ever since the beginning of the semester I have been in contact with a girl who wanted to start doing an annual speech contest for exchange students about their home countries and experiences living in Seoul. I thought, why not?, and signed up. Little did I know that she expected the speech to be in Korean. :o As a Beginning Korean 1 student finally learning the "informal yet still appropriate for speaking with older people" form I of course panicked and made my LE partner translate the whole thing for me in Korean a day before the speech was due. One problem - I was totally lost since I had no idea how to pronounce some things nor had a clue about the grammar or even what the (insert beep here) I was saying. I probably should have thought of that. So of course I butchered Korean in front of a crowd of Yonsei students and three judges.

For my participation I got a "study harder and come back to Korea" comment from the head judge as well as a Yonsei mug and pen. Study abroad tip #2: if you're going to be speaking in the host language in front of host nationals (in the form of a speech contest or something similar), for the love of (insert desirable thing here) practice in front of somebody who will correct you until you sound fluent . You can't wing things like this. I found that out the hard way. Don't put something like this off until the last minute unless you want to sound like you absolutely didn't care about what you were doing. This was probably the most embarrassing thing I have done while I have been here, but it was definitely a learning experience.

Thursday was my group's day to present about employment strategies in Korea and abroad. I think we did a pretty awesome job considering our professor only interrupted us three times (some of the other groups had to deal with the professor practically taking over their presentations). Thursday was also Thanksgiving in the United States, so that evening CIEE hosted a banquet that had classic dishes like turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, ham, peas, and rolls. I did miss Filipino food a little bit though. Come to think of it, this is the second time I've missed Thanksgiving with my family, the first time being in New York with my high school marching band. Anyway...a special guest, an English teacher through CIEE, joined us for dinner and of course I had to interview her for my class! She seemed a bit hesitant at first but I think it all turned out well. If there's an opportunity before I leave we are definitely going to hang out!

Black Friday (not so much in Korea) I read my friend's Statement of Purpose in order to look for any grammar mistakes or awkward phrasing. I didn't have to change much since she has pretty awesome English skills. She's a native Korean who wants to go to graduate school in the U.S. to obtain a master's in social work. How cool is that? Perhaps I should also start thinking about options for life after college outside of Peace Corps and possibly law school. Should I take the GRE, the LSAT, or forsake all standardized tests and become a missionary?

That afternoon four classmates and our professor, who is apparently the "mother of Korean social welfare" because of her work in the field, went on a field trip to Holt Children's Services. Holt started out as an overseas adoption agency but has expanded to encompass services for domestic adoption, foster care, single parent homes, multicultural families, etc. We were able to speak with the resident social worker and got a tour of the facilities. Maybe I should become a social worker despite the low pay? I do love being an idealist (sorry expensive education)! Here's a baby receiving physical therapy.

Saturday I was supposed to go make kimchi but my body had other ideas. I am currently sick, seeing how I've been hacking up grossness and using all the toilet paper on my nose. I stayed in to work on the food project. Disappointing but my body needed the rest. Study abroad tip #3: don't forget to take care of yourself by sleeping and eating properly. Sleep especially. I have been living off of three hours of sleep per day because of my own stupidity. Don't do that, especially in a country anal about swine flu. I hope I haven't been infecting everyone...

Sunday I met up with Filipino friends (I met another one!) and we all went to eat Filipino food and then browse the Filipino Sunday Market. There my food group was able to buy lumpia and pancit. We got service lumpia for buying a huge amound of pancit. How sweet is that? We then went back to DMC in order to watch Manny Pacquiao's latest victory on my lovely TV. In the evening after mass my food group scrambled to finish our presentation. I personally scrambled to make sure the paper was at least coherent and not overlapping itself. Here's what I ate for lunch - masarap!

Monday I read The Hungry Caterpillar again to the kids and received a group hug for my efforts. It was the cutest thing ever! I then went to edit the group paper, print it, warm up the lumpia using the I-House microwave, and then go to class. Our presentation went okay but it was lacking in creativity and happy fun times which our professor grades us on. I am personally afraid my individual grade will suffer since I spoke the fewest out of my group members, but we shall see. That evening I indulged on leftovers and episodes of Ouran High School Host Club.

I only have 20 days left here in Seoul! They will be filled with way too many essays and studying for finals but I still want to have some fun before I leave! Must manage time carefully!

Days go by (and still I think of you)

2009-11-18T12:10:00.000-06:00

In honor of my Lola Sidra, who is now smiling down at her whole family from up in heaven. :)

So I am supposed to be summarizing Esping-Anderson's three welfare regimes, but of course I must procrastinate as much as possible (hence this blog entry). Such is life. I have discovered a new love for American and Japanese rock music while in Korea, whereas all I would listen to back in the states was K-pop. Such is life.

The past week was a relatively low key one for me. Monday night I ordered delivery from my favorite Chinese restaurant (in reality the only one I actually have the number for). I absolutely LOVE delivery, done promptly and without tip! Tuesday night I went to eat 삼겹살 with two absolutely fantastic (elastic) fangirls. Wednesday night I saw Cookin' Nanta, "Korea's best no.1 performance." It was a lot of fun, especially when two of my friends (and eventually the audience) got involved. Thursday I once again ordered out but this time with a friend, and we ate while listening to oldies music. Classic. Friday night I ate 라면 and the weekend I spent catching up on my favorite TV shows, taking breaks to do homework. No joke. This may be boring for some but I personally needed the time to just chill and plan what to do for my final month in Seoul! :(

Monday marked the return of 자넬선생님, resident tambourine holder and principle nemesis of little boys who watch way too many robot cartoons. The battles were epic. I read the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar to the children, throwing me back to when I was the one in the audience. A few of them have really gotten used to me since they even gave me kisses as their way of saying goodbye. Cutest kids ever!!! Monday night I was persuaded to eat out and go to, where else, 노래방, instead of do the very thing I am supposed to be working on right now. No regrets though since it was good times.

Tuesday night I ate dinner with a friend of mine who is currently having boy problems. It was amusing hearing her talk about the pros and cons of possibly pursuing a relationship when she only has a month left in the country. Hehe. Wednesday (yesterday) I finally bought shirts for my parents who I will be seeing this Saturday at Incheon International Airport (인천국제공항). I also bought myself a Korean style hat that is perfect for the increasingly cold weather. Lunch was 부대찌개 (budae jjigae), a thick soup that contains ingredients like hot dog pieces, green onions, kimchi, and even ramen noodles. Dinner was 제육덮밥‏, or pork fried rice. 맛있습니다! (a formal way of saying delicious). I apologize for recounting every meal I eat in Korea, but I want to savor Korean food as much as possible before I go back to the states and back to not getting kimchi with every meal!

Cooking with Nuns

2009-11-09T05:43:00.001-06:00

Based on just my last name, somebody thought I was from Brazil. That's a first for me. Yay for Santos around the world!

On Sunday I went with my friend to meet the Southside Hash House Harriers, "a drinking group with a running problem." Basically it's a group of English teachers who meet up over the weekend to run in the morning and drink some sort of alcohol after they run. Is that even healthy? Anyway, I was on a mission to at least interview one teacher, and luckily I was able to get three! The teachers themselves were really cool people, having come to Korea for a variety of reasons but all making the most out of their time here. The Hash, as they call themselves, also got me to participate in one of their after run specials since I was the newcomer. This involved singing a little bit of "Chicago" (woot!) and doing an interpretive dance while wearing pirate gear and searching for the long lost penis. No, don't ask. It was good times, good times.

Side note: if anyone's interested in the findings of my anthropological research I can hook you up with results sometime in December (after the final paper is written).

On Monday I was able to go back to my regularly scheduled play time with little 3-year-old Koreans. They looked at me strangely after I spoke a little of my fail! Korean and instead decided to chase me around the gym. Monday evening my roommate and I ordered Kyochon Chicken, endorsed by the one and only Super Junior. My fangirling extends to keeping the bags the chicken comes in, no joke.

Tuesday and Wednesday were homework and chill days in which I was able to order delivery on my own. I love delivery. I was feeling a little sick - I suspect that I came down with something ever since the Everland trip. Water rides in the rain, not the smartest idea ever. Wednesday I also made my language exchange partner participate in an interview about how native Korean women view beauty. I think many Korean women think that having big eyes, a small face, white skin, long hair, and a slim body are necessary in order to be considered beautiful, as well as having an amicable personality and a killer sense of fashion. Which leads to all Korean women, with a few variations, looking exactly the same, or at least striving for the same ideal. Whether it's plastic surgery or the need to conform in order to fit in, all Korean women end up looking the same. Which they're perfectly okay with, and even want. What do you think?

Thursday evening I finally met the girl whom I have been in contact with via email ever since I came to Korea. She is planning an event in which foreign exchange/visiting students share their culture and experiences living in Korea to native Korean Yonsei students in order to facilitate intercultural exchange, or something like that. The catch is that the speech has to be entirely in Korean! As a Beginning Korean I student I don't think that is even possible but I will try, nevertheless, and get plenty of help from my native Korean friends. I got some delicious 불고기 and sweet potato pizza out of the meeting!

Friday I was finally able to meet up with my mentor after not hanging out with her for about two months. The cell, which consisted of nine people, went to go eat some delicious hotpot stew thingy that had meat, veggies, and noodles in it. After that we went to a board game room where loads of games were available for the taking, and we definitely took advantage of all the card games they had to offer!

Saturday around lunch I met with a Fulbright ETA who is also an alumni of the CIEE program and who thankfully was willing to be interviewed about her experiences as an English teacher in a rural area of Korea. Check out her blog located on the left if you're interested in learning her story! We chatted (well, I mostly made her do the talking while I was furiously scribbling down notes) over delicious bowls of 비빔밥.

Saturday afternoon I did my first activity with the Giving Tree Club of Yonsei - I helped prepare an authentic Korean dinner for the elderly living at a retirement home run by nuns. I didn't know it at the time, but the group I was in comprised of singles in their early 30's. I actually participated in cooking, such as washing and chopping up vegetables, adding tons of stuff to a big pot of stew, turning meat brown, boiling up cabbage leaves, and rolling plenty of 쌈밥 (ssambap), which is basically rolled up rice and meat in cabbage leaves. Since we were able to eat the meal we created, I felt proud that it turned out delicious and happy that the old folks seemed satisfied.

Sunday/Monday morning was dedicated solely to essay writing. I somehow turned out nine pages in the span of this time. I'm still not quite sure what I wrote and if I actually answered the questions...senioritis has come big time. Bleh.

Today I returned to the childcare center. I think the kids are getting used to me - I kept getting pummeled with hugs! THEY'RE SO CUTE!!! I had my own 자넬선생님 (Janelle teacher, literally) segment - I read out loud to them in English and the real 선생님translated what I said into Korean. This involved me making funny noises and the kids laughing and hopefully having a good time.

Well, in order to prevent future crises such as the one I had yesterday, I must actually go and do some homework. I graduate in less than seven months!

And if you managed to get this far...please keep my grandma Sidra and our whole family in your prayers as she is in currently in critical condition. Thanks and God bless! :)

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T06:51:00.011-05:00

So I lost my little notebook in which I write everything I do, so this entry may be a little scatterbrained since my memory is not the best...

Last Monday I forgot to mention that I started to volunteer at Ewha Institute of Early Childhood Education and Care. I basically get to play with the cutest 3-year-olds! Since it was my first day I attempted to to introduce myself in my fail! Korea, and then the children showed me a little dance. :) After that we went to play at the gym where they basically ran around everywhere while have a grand time.

Tuesday evening I went with my language exchange partner and her friend from France to 청계천 (Cheonggyecheon) stream. It was very peaceful. And small. Very small. Here's a little bit of it.

Wednesday I studied for that KSW midterm, and luckily my friend called me at midnight to let me know that the professor posted the exact questions online! Is that even allowed? Regardless, I was able to study the right things and during the test I basically scribbled down everything I remembered. I also had the first part of my Korean midterm - the reading comprehension, where we read paragraphs and answered questions, and the listening, where all the beginning students (60 or so) gathered in an auditorium and answered questions that the teacher read.

Friday was the writing and speaking test. The writing portion involved a lot of little grammar points while the speaking basically required us to introduce ourselves, our family, and point out where objects were.

Friday night was a lot of fun. Since it was my friends birthday, we all went out to eat at an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ place and then of course went drinking. Yogurt soju is dangerously delicious. I left early in order to go to, what else, a 노래방 with slightly tipsy (if not drunk) people. Good times.

Saturday I went to the Kimchi Love Festival. Where else would have an entire weekend dedicated to 김치? I arrived a little later because I was distracted by 교보문고, or Kyobo Bookstore. They have an entire section dedicated to foreign books, as well as sections for K-pop and 만화 (manwha), the Korean equivalent of manga. I found a book that my resident director wrote!
The kimchi festival displayed many, many types of kimchi. I initially went to the wrong palace, which can only happen in Korea...the kimchi was delicious. Here's examples:

Sunday after some plans fell through I decided to visit the Catholic Martyr's Shrine, known as 절두산 (Jeoldusan). I saw the hill where Korean Catholics were persecuted for their beliefs, as well as a museum with various artifacts such as letters and pictures, and a church that can be seen in this picture.

Since I had some time before I had to go to mass I decided to explore the infamous foreigner's district, 이태원 (Itaewon), because of an English language used bookstore. 이태원 is pretty cool, actually, since you can see more foreigners than Koreans! I think Koreans go there if they want to feel like they're in the States or something. I bought some touristy postcards so send me your address if you want one!

Monday my volunteering was canceled because of, what else, H1N1. I hope the kids are alright! Some of my friends are currently down with swine flu - I hope they can recover soon! Tuesday night I first went to eat delicious if overpriced Mexican food. I then went to Hongdae to meet with the first of my interviewees for my Korea through Ethnography project, English teachers. They were all young adults making the most of their time in Korea. I interviewed them over tacos and ice cream.

Wednesday I met my LE partner and we had Chinese for lunch. I learned that she lives in area where SM and JYP Entertainment are located, and she has even shopped with Sunye from the Wonder Girls! One of her group members in her law class is the Miss Korea of 2008! Pretty cool, huh? in a slightly spur of the moment decision I went to 동대문 (Dongdaemun) to shop for clothes for my Halloween costume. Ever heard of Teen Girls Squad? I was "so and so" which required me to buy a plaid skirt. It was relatively cheap so I didn't mind, but me actually buying a skirt? Wow.

Thursday evening one significant thing that happened was me being able to order delivery on my own with my fail! Korean. I was proud of myself. :) Thursday night was the Mentor's Club Halloween party, so I dressed up in my costume (I looked like a preppy school girl) and went to the club. The only reason I was there was for Rivers crew, the first b-boy crew in Korea, and they definitely did not disappoint! The international students were dressed in the strangest yet most hilarious costumes. I attempted to dance but it was just me moving back and forth to techno music. Actually clubbing, I have discovered, is not my thing at all.

Friday night I went with I-House people to eat cheap yet tasty pizza and, of course, 노래방. It's a weekly thing. I sang a lot out of the 10 people who were there, but I think everyone had fun. Saturday (today) I went to Everland, where every day is a holiday! XD I rode on the highest inclination wooden coaster in the world, the T-Express, as well as other roller coasters before it started raining! Boo. I loved riding one of the roller coasters in the rain! We mostly did indoor activities after that, such as playing games at an arcade and bumper cars!

One of the best games ever:

Tomorrow I'm off to meet more English teachers, which should be good times. I can't believe it's already going to be November!

Halfway done but still going strong!

2009-10-19T06:09:00.011-05:00

I have LOTS to blog about concerning the last two weekends. I should be studying for my Korean Social Welfare midterm in three days...

So, JAPAN! We left from Gimpo Airport and arrived at Kansai International at approximately 10:30 AM. After a bus ride and delicious shellfish free bento we arrived at the Golden Pavilion, which is really gold.

I bought charms for my parental units, my language exchange partner, and of course myself. Hehe. The next stop was Nijo Castle, home of Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was pretty sweet. I couldn't stop thinking of Rurouni Kenshin (for those anime fans out there).

Next stop, the hotel and meeting my Technos buddy! Thankfully everything went according to plan and I met up with her and her roommate. I decided that I wanted to see the Gion district to possibly see a modern day geisha, and this worked out well since they were meeting friends there. I wanted something really Japanese so they took me to a sushi conveyor belt place that was all sorts of delicious.

While waiting for her friends to show up we chatted about life, studying abroad, memories of our first time in Japan...good times, good times. When we did find her friends they were a tad intimidating but overall pretty cool people. After finding them food we chilled on the riverside. One of the best things about Japan is the fact that there are so many rivers to chill on! I unfortunately had to leave (early start the next day) but I loved being able to see her again, back in Japan! Joelle, whenever you are in the Midwest, facebook me so we can go sushi hunting!

The next day was dedicated to the purpose of the CIEE excursion - the Korean diaspora. First on the agenda, though, was a walking tour of Kyoto, which in reality meant visiting various temples and shrines. We managed to observe a traditional wedding!

At Osaka we took a tour of Korea Town, where of course the largest concentration of Koreans in Japan can be found. Meat, kimchi, and various Korea foods could be smelt all around. I suppose I should say something meaningful here about what I learned...the number of Koreans is decreasing thanks to interracial marriages and those kids identifying themselves as Japanese. Since Koreans in Japan are third or fourth generation the language nor culture is not being passed down as much in favor of assimilating into Japanese culture. However, with the hallyu wave of Korean pop culture sweeping Asia I think more ethnic Koreans are taking pride in their heritage.

At night we were left to explore Osaka. Friends and I went to eat non-deadly okonomiyaki and of course go shopping. I ended up buying more Engrish shirts to add to my growing collection. I can't wait to wear them around IWU, hehe.

Sunday we left for the ancient capital of Japan, Nara, now the deer capital. No joke. Deer EVERYWHERE. We went to Todaiji Temple (largest wooden one in Japan) and Nara National Museum. We ate a delicious traditional lunch and returned early to spend our free time around Osaka. I bought legit clothing, surprisingly enough, and an art book for my 姉, which resulted in all my yen being totally spent!

For our final day in Japan, we went to see Osaka Castle, home of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. This was the dude who decided to invade Korea in order to prove his manhood or something. Yay Japanese history!

We then had to go to the airport. :( I loved being in Japan. I could actually communicate with people! But ultimately I am glad that I chose to study abroad in Korea - the food's cheap, my classes actually apply to my major, and I have met some pretty awesome people!

Back to routine. The week before midterms was full of people asking teachers for breaks and less homework. I had to work on a presentation for my Intercultural Communication class about Social Identity theory with a friend. I think we did fine - the class didn't seem too bored! Wednesday night I went to N Seoul Tower with my language exchange partner, adding to my list of towers that I have visited around the world (Tokyo Tower, Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Sears Tower). At the bottom was this ADORABLE teddy bear museum and the view at the top was excellent. I could see Seoul in all its sparkling glory! Anyone recognize the 궁 bears?

What did I do after that...oh yeah, I basically studied the entire weekend, with generous breaks for a traditional music concert, watching One Piece, and a 노래방 jam session with people I should hang out with more often. Today I had my Intercultural Communication midterm - I think I knew everything on there, but the extent to which I knew those things is to be determined by the professor. We'll see! Well, this turned out to be a picture post more than anything - I'll update Facebook with photos come December. XD More blogging after midterms!

I think I broke my iPod...

2009-10-08T10:52:00.007-05:00

So I should be sleeping now since I leave for Japan in approximately five hours, but I felt like I needed to update my lovely little blog. On my lovely laptop. The weather here is getting slightly chilly, but nothing a Chicagoan can't handle.

School's progressing, I'm procrastinating, it's all good. :) Last Wednesday some CIEE people went to a drama cafe, where we dressed up in traditional Korean clothing and posed for the camera. I actually had a lot of fun! Thursday I attended a Filipino dance performance entitled Bahaghari, hosted by the Philippine embassy, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Korea. Of course I went with my Filipino friends. See that I do have friends here! Hehe.

Over the weekend Koreans celebrated Chusok (추석), or Korean Thanksgiving. For me that meant Friday off! I spent my three day weekend watching Chusok specials featuring the biggest k-pop groups, eating 7-11 food, and sleeping. It was all sorts of amazing. I actually ventured out on Saturday and ended up visiting 3 museums and 2 palaces in the span of 3 hours, all for free! It was surprisingly crowded, with a lot of families taking advantage of the cultural activities such as playing instruments, creating masks, and pounding rice cake. It was quite the experience being amongst so many Koreans and everybody (including myself) thoroughly enjoyed being out and about. This is Gyeongbokgung (경복궁) Palace.

Monday was all sorts of disastrous. I was out with friends and we had Indian food. Little did I know that there were nuts ground up in the curry. One bite was enough for me to get hives by nightfall, despite taking 2 Benedryl and some Korean allergy medicine. Parental units, I have officially learned my lesson and will ask about everything I have even the slightest doubt about. And I think a gayageum is over my price range, yet would be ideal for that heavy metal band. Yes, this is my way of answering comments. XD I ended up not doing Honors Research by the way, since it would be too difficult to focus on a topic as well as my current studies while in Korea. I'll just work hard to find a job come spring semester.

Wednesday with my language exchange partner went to eat delicious shabu-shabu. I then had a presentation about Irish conversations. In the evening the ambassador from Sweden talked to the CIEE group about Kyoto for our upcoming Japan trip! I will definitely blog about it when I get back!

Happy Belated Birthday Mom!

2009-09-29T01:05:00.004-05:00

In honor of my Mom. :)

So for the past two nights I haven't actually officially slept. I had two papers due back to back, one about nonverbal communication and the other a summary about the three important factors of social policy development in Western nations from 1850-1950. If you know anything about the way I write papers my stupidity does not come off as a surprise but to those of you who think I am responsible...definitely not the case. I am someone who puts off papers until the day they are do and stay up all night to do them. What do I do in the time I am not writing the paper? Well, I have recently been hooked on One Piece and I caved in and bought the season pass for Heroes from iTunes. I totally have senioritis...

Nothing terribly exciting happened this past week. On Tuesday I went to Red Mango and a DVD bang, where we watched My Girlfriend is an Agent, a really funny and well done Korean movie, and 300. SPARTA!!!

On Wednesday I met my Language Exchange partner for the first time and she's totally awesome! We ate lunch at this cute little place that served delicious Japanese food and chatted about my lack of Korean skills, her trips studying abroad, and our mutual love for learning languages (even if I totally fail at it!). Yay for attempts at befriending native Koreans! I feel as if the program is not beneficial at all for the Koreans except that they get to meet foreigners. For the exchange students, however, we get to become friends with someone who knows perfect English, can show you around Seoul, pays for your food, and can even check your Korean homework! To me this seems very unequal so I will do my best to assist my partner by practicing possible interview questions in English and the like. Wednesday night I was surprisingly productive!

Thursday morning I totally ignored my alarm and woke up at 8:17 AM. I have class at 9:10 AM on Thursdays. After having an "oh, snap" moment I practically ran to the bus stop and was able to make it to class at 9:17 AM due to a good amount of traffic. Thursday evening I hung out with cool Filipino people! Three were half (but all Filipino at heart), one was actually from the Philippines, one was the guy who organized the gathering, and me. We ate at this cute bibimbap place, got cheap yet delicious waffles, and sung our hearts out in true Filipino style at noraebang.

Friday on my way to see a play I experienced what a sardine must feel like on the subway. I had to literally shove myself onto the car and was squished between two guys in suits. The play I saw with my friend was called Hotel Splendid, which was (now I'm going to quote myself) "a very emotional and moving play about four comfort women serving Japanese soldiers during World War II. I knew very little about the 200,000 women who were forced to have sex with the enemy every night as a part of their “patriotic duty” so I was glad to be able to watch a play like this which gave insight into a little bit of how life was like for these women, made even better because of the English subtitles! All the women were portrayed as strong and courageous human beings despite everything they had to go through. One women remained faithful to the memory of her dead husband while another somehow remained optimistic about life. What struck me the most was one subplot involving one of the women and a kamikaze pilot, which seemed to me like a real love story in true Romeo and Juliet fashion."

Saturday I went to my music class for the second time (out of a possible four times). Here's a little blurb about it: "Through the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts I am taking a weekly music class specifically designed for foreigners. Taught in English by teachers who are truly masters of their art, I am able to learn how to play the instrument I thought was the most intriguing of the traditional Korean musical instruments, the gayageum, or the 12-stringed plucked zither. This class has already allowed me to experience more of Korea’s rich musical culture by learning how to properly pluck the gayageum in order to produce lovely melodies. Even when it is hard and I just can’t seem to play the instrument properly I appreciate all the more the knowledge and patience my teacher has in showing me the correct way to do it. I already know how to play some of Korea’s traditional songs and will be giving a final performance at the end of the semester to show off my newfound skills."

The whole week I had been planning on going to the R19 B-boy world championships but things just didn't work out, so I ended up going to a fireworks show which ended up being cancelled due to...swine flu. WHY?!?!? On the bright side, the area we went to reminded me of Chicago's Lakefront. A friend and I stayed there for a little bit before meeting her friend in Hongdae. We, of course, ended up going to a bar with delicious nachos.

Sunday was procrastination, mass, more procrastination, and finally working on the first paper.

On Monday DMC residents got free pizza and rice cakes in honor of the holiday coming up, Korea's own Chusok (Thanksgiving). After that I procrastinated some more and finally gave up to write the paper. That reminds me - I also turned in an application to be a part of IWU's Mortar Board, a new Senior Honor society yet I have not heard back from them. Hopefully that works out! Now should I apply for Research Honors or just enjoy my last semester on campus job hunting? Just in case you were wondering, my program has this "Cultural Reimbursement" program where I write a blurb and they give me money back for participating in things that enhance my knowledge of Korean culture. Yay CIEE!

Korea is my Hogwarts

2009-09-21T08:59:00.006-05:00

As the schoolwork slowly but surely begins to pile up, I would like to take a moment to reflect on my past week here in Seoul ...

Monday was a normal day and friends and I ended up ordering Kyochon Chicken for delivery, which just so happens to be advertised by the men of Super Junior. Mwahaha. I kept the bags. The chicken itself was so delicious that we ended up ordering the exact same thing on Friday. My first class on Tuesday was canceled (yay!) so I got to be super lazy. I went to dinner with new friends, one of them a Filipino! According to him there are at least 5 and 1/2 Filipinos on campus (inclusive of Fil-Ams). We went to Red Mango for "the most delicious yogurt in the world" (it was pretty tasty). Wednesday I ate mackerel and kimchi 찌개 (I have been craving fish recently and have no idea why) and then went to a talk about the situation in North Korea according to a leading Russian expert.

I spent way too much money on Thursday but it was definitely worth every won. During my free time before Korean friends and I went shopping on the streets behind Ewha University, which is catered to the female fashion sense. I ended up buying two more shirts to add to my collection, as well as a funky bag and two pairs of earring to prevent the holes in my ears from closing. After Korean class friends and I went to eat at Choi's Tacos, which sounds kind of sketch but has delicious burritos. We then proceeded to go to a 찜질방 and had a naked happy time. Anyone have to read that sentence twice? Hehe. After that we then proceeded to go drinking. Thirsty Thursday! Seriously though, drinking is an undeniable part of Korean culture that everyone has to do it at least once. We got rejected by two bars but the third one was a winner. We ordered peach and yogurt flavored soju and played drinking games in order to get to know each other better. Sorry parental units, but I lost count of how many shots of soju I had! My head was a little buzzy at the end but I felt like I really got to bond with my friends.

Friday night I stayed in and fangirled with two friends in preparation for the 2009 Asia Song Festival, which I will get to shortly. We ate Kyochon Chicken, watched music videos, and attempted to do the dances. Saturday was the day I had been looking forward to since I got to Korea. Thanks to my program director everyone in CIEE got tickets and other friends were able to get their own. The crazy ones and I got up at 5AM in order to arrive at the World Cup Stadium at 6:30 AM. Talk about hard core! We had no idea what to do (and neither did the staff) so we ended up sitting in the YG fan line and were branded with numbers. Around 9AM I went to get my friend from Yonsei and upon return met more Yonsei students who knew what to do. Being a foreigner in Seoul is one of the greatest things ever - we got VIP seats!!!

After waiting around for another six hours (and helping friends get to where they needed to go - I was on the phone for half the time) the concert finally started. It was AMAZING!!! Performers from all over Asia came to Korea to represent their countries and perform their hit songs. The female performers were kind of scary (one of them reminded everyone of Xena, Warrior Princess) but everyone was entertaining in their own way. The fan chants and waving of glow sticks were so coordinated! Standout performances for me were 2NE1, V6 (they performed songs I knew - I was spazzing so much!), Gackt (man can really work a crowd), Super Junior (of course), and Big Bang (my friends were pretty much there for this group). I failed at taking good pictures, but this one of Gackt is pretty sweet.

Sunday was a nice calm day after that craziness. I finally met up with Yoon Joo, my mother's supervisor's sister (how's that for a connection!) at Myeong-Dong. We ate lunch, went to an outdoor market, and had a little dessert. It ended up being really fun! Her English was very good and made up for my not yet existent Korean skills. She told me to call her son, which I have yet to do because that would be the epitome of awkward (hi, your mom gave me your cell phone number, want to hang out? Not happening). After that excursion I attempted to do homework then went to Sogang University to attend mass. The past few weeks I have been church hopping but now I think I have found a pretty comfortable place. One funny thing is that I got in trouble for singing during the mass parts - I need to join the choir!

Today I was bombarded with things to do but I joined this really cool club called the "Giving Tree" which basically does volunteer work with Korean children! Just what I have been looking for. Now I need to get off my lazy butt and start acting like an actual college student! Or I can say I have senioritis ...

Red vs. Blue

2009-09-13T09:38:00.007-05:00

My fourth week in Korea has been very eventful! The biggest highlight would be the annual sports festival between Korea University (red) and Yonsei University (blue). It actually ended in a tie, but I will get to that shortly.

The beginning of the week consisted of attending (and falling asleep already!) in classes. I ate kimchi cheese (김치 치즈) 비빔밥 on Monday (strange but nevertheless tasty), CIEE people ate free 갈비 on Tuesday and DMC people ate 삼겹살 on Wednesday. Side question - if anyone is bothered by the random Korean I like to throw in please tell me - I figured you could learn along with me, at least the important food terminology! Everything I do not translate I have previously mentioned in my blog.

The more interesting things occurred starting Thursday, which so happened to be my 22nd birthday! I had a lot of fun celebrating here in Korea. For lunch I ate seaweed soup (미역국) because it is associated with birth and long life in Korea. After Korean class (my team lost a game due to our collective stupidity) friends and I went to eat 자장면 because it is customary for Filipinos to eat noodles for long life. After being stuffed with Chinese food we went to sing our hearts out at 노래방. At Love Story (how cheesy is that!) we were put into this very swanky room complete with red vinyl furniture, a night view of Seoul, disco lights, and a pole. I sang a bunch of English songs, attempted a few Korean ones including HUG by 동방신기 (if the song is slow enough I can read the lyrics), and did surprisingly well on a Japanese one (READY STEADY GO!!!). Back at the DMC we massacred a delicious Wild Monkey Cake (chocolate and banana ice cream). Good times. :)

Friday was the beginning of the Yon-ko sports festival! With the mentors club - my buddy was not there :( - the international students went to watch baseball, basketball, and ice hockey. I personally went to baseball and ice hockey. Both games were so much fun!!! At Yon-ko it is more about cheering than watching your team play, to be perfectly honest. Both sides had these genki cheerleaders made up of guys and girls who apparently had limitless amounts of energy. These people led the crowd in doing crazy yet coordinated dances, such as the "One Night Only" dance that consisted of hip thrusts and pointing and waving your index finger around. I had such a good time imitating yet miserably failing at the dances, which was really the point of Yon-ko - to show your Yonsei team spirit through participation. Dinner was Korean BBQ!

Saturday was rugby and soccer. I'm not a sports fan but the soccer game was pretty intense for two teams who both really failed at playing. Both sides kept on missing shots given to them as well as easy passes. Oh well! Yonsei won the basketball and ice hockey games, Korea won the baseball and soccer games, and they tied the rugby game. Good way to end the sports festival with feelings of camaraderie all around! We went back to campus, ate a free dinner, and then attended a free concert! Big acts at the concert included 4minute (don't really know their stuff but cool nonetheless), the Yonsei cheering squad, and Psy (had no idea who he was until I googled it afterward).

Sunday I attended a Korean mass at Seodaemun (I was told it would be in English but I was able to sing along at some parts!) and ate some 비빔냉면 before discovering my new love for the bus system. I then spent the rest of the day catching up on Facebook and emails (I GOT TICKETS TO THE 2009 ASIA SONG FESTIVAL YAY!!!) and eating dinner with a friend I have always wanted to get to know better. Overall the past week was pretty exhausting (it's those crazy dances!) but definitely enjoyable.

I'm on a boat!

2009-09-08T08:17:00.015-05:00

Since I have finished my Korean homework I feel justified in blogging about my past week. I have finally started classes and have had an extremely busy but amazing weekend!

Sunday night I went to a jjimjilbang (찜질방), the Korean equivalent of a bathhouse. I got naked in public for the second time in life - the first was at an onsen (温泉) in Japan - and dipped into the hot and cold baths. We also went into many saunas (cinnamon room, really hot brick room, pine room, cold room) and lounged around. It was so relaxing! A perfect way to begin the semester.

Monday I once again went to the Korean equivalent of Walmart, Home Plus, and finally finished shopping for essential things. We ate a very cheap lunch and then went on to explore Yonsei's campus, and specifically find where our classes are at. Side note - meals here can be incredibly cheap, with one example being a bowl of steaming mandu ramyeon and side dishes costing about $3.00! I love Korea! :) After that we walked around and I bought shoes to make up for my destroyed sandals. There is no turning back!

Tuesday was my first day of classes. My Korean Social Welfare class seems like it will be very interesting - the professor has done research comparing the social welfare systems of America, Japan, and Korea and tends to throw in her thoughts during lectures. The majority of students are native Korean speakers who are apprehensive of taking a class like this in English, so I think the professor will go easy on them (and thus easy on the international students!). My Korea through Ethnography class is going to be a lot of fun - we get to interview people for our final! The focus of the class is identity issues and migration, so I plan on either interviewing migrant workers or expatriate English teachers and discovering how life is like for them in this very homogeneous and proud country.

Ate, if you're reading this, please tell Dan the Man II that I finally finished The Name of the Rose and will be forever grateful for his recommendation. It was exactly the type of novel I enjoy - I even bought my own copy and brought it to Korea just so I could finish it! And my roommate's name is Joyce, just to let you know. :)

Wednesday I decided to check out the library - Yonsei has a system in which students have to reserve study spaces (up to 6 hours!) before you can study somewhere, probably because of the large amount of people who attend the school. It was quite intimidating, but I plan on studying there if I really need to get work done. My Intercultural Communication class is really big but I know it will be good - the professor is a Korean who grew up in Kenya and has the coolest accent! She is also very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject, which is critical if you want your students to retain something after the class ends. I also had my very first Korean Language class - right away the teacher started to drill the alphabet into everybody's heads. She spoke very little English and forced everyone to repeat after her, one by one. I think I will learn a lot!

Thursday highlights include lunch with two fellow fangirls, dinner at a 삼겹살 place with a fun group of people and 노래방 to wrap the day up! That was a ton of fun - I ended up singing a few songs and even danced to the YMCA! Friday I only had Korean class so after that friends and I attended a B-boy show courtesy of CIEE. The show was so much fun - the dancers did some amazing stunts and throughout I was reminded of ABDC. There were guys in sparkly shirts imitating boy band members! To end the night we watched the movie version of Mamma Mia! while drinking soju and swapping k-pop songs.

Saturday was the first day of my music class. I am learning how to play a traditional Korean 12-stringed instrument (가야금) but I am hoping to switch and take lessons for the Korean bamboo flute (단소) since I have always wanted to learn how to play a wooden flute. However, that class is in Korean ... lunch was with my friend who attends the drum class - it's so much fun learning more about my fellow international students! And if you're wondering why I don't use people's actual names, I'm just too lazy.

Saturday afternoon/evening I was able to attend the Incheon Korean Music Wave Festival 2009 because of a friend I made who overheard me talking about my love for boy bands!!! Dinner was fried chicken and radishes sold at one of the tents and our seats were special seats for foreigners pretty close to the stage. I saw artists such as F.T. Island, SHINee, Younha, 2PM, Super Junior, and Rain live in concert. Everyone performed flawlessly and the crowd kept on going wild. I screamed like the fangirl I am when my favorite artists were on! Needless to say, this was one of the best experiences I have had thus far in Korea. This picture is of Younha, by the way. I have followed her music ever since she did the ending theme for the anime Bleach. Yes, she sings in both Japanese and Korean and has an absolutely amazing voice. I'm so happy I got to see her perform live!

Sunday morning I had to wake up early to go river rafting! With a tour group friends and I went to Donggang River to go rafting, life vests and helmets included. The scenery was beautiful even if the company was a bit annoying - on our boat were these two little kids who would not stop complaining/moving/asking if they could swim. Other than that, we had a great time taking in the geology (yay!), swimming, and of course rowing.

Monday and Tuesday of this week I have been getting into the groove of going to class and being a student again. I have spent so much money on books, minutes for my phone, Home Plus shopping trips, but now that I have a schedule I think I will be able to budget properly. I also think I am both gaining and losing weight - I keep eating so much delicious Korean food - tonight I had free BBQ (갈비) - but Yonsei's campus has so many hills I think I walk it off! I have pledged to stop buying unnecessary desserts and drinks but I have not yet reached the point of exercising everyday. I might have to though because the dryer keeps on shrinking my clothes ...

Everybody loves mahjong

2009-08-30T02:47:00.004-05:00

Yes, I know this is my third blog post today, but I actually have a little free time to write some of my thoughts down about the time I spent in the Philippines. Plus, I'm watching Inkigayo live right now. :) In no particular order:

Practically everyone in the Philippines is bilingual (Tagalog and English), even trilingual depending on where they live (for example, my mother's side can speak Ilocano because they originated from Ilocos).
The cities are crowded. Very crowded. Why? I think it is because the Philippines is a very Catholic country where practices such as abortion and birth control are not commonly used among young men and women (resulting in many babies).
Churches are the place to be on Sundays since Catholicism is so widely practiced. Filipinos especially love the saints and the Virgin Mary, as demonstrated by the many rosaries hanging off of jeepneys. A special note - Communion is absolutely crazy. People, regardless of where they are sitting, rush to the front in order to receive the Eucharist. It's wonderful that they are so excited, but it could be done in a slightly more orderly fashion.
Filipinos get around by jeepneys and tricycles. The traffic is absolutely horrendous. There are no stop lights and the traffic control guys all fail at directing traffic. As a result, roads become a free-for-all where cars stop, go, and turn as they please. It's survival of the fittest.
If you are rich you hire a driver to take you everywhere because of that very reason. If you have family in the U.S. who sends you money you can also probably afford to go shopping in the air-conditioned malls (crucial) and get facials and massages. The great divide between the rich and the poor is astonishing - slums and hotels are side-by-side and children sell flowers for food while others throw away leftover Jollibee sandwiches.
Virtually every fast food restaurant serves fried chicken (since chickens are plentiful) and/or spaghetti (which is slightly sweet and comes with hot dog pieces).
Filipinos place a great deal of emphasis on beauty - many beauty pageants are held every year and women are expected to conform to the standard of beauty. If you watch Filipino TV you can see a lot of commercials for skin whitening products (even for men) as well as makeup and hair and things of that nature.
Gay men, known as bakla, are accepted as a part of Filipino society and have carved a place for themselves as trendsetters and reliable companions for women with troubles. They, however, are still looked down upon by the people of this very religious country.
Women love matchmaking. If a friend of a friend has an unattached son and you so happen to have a daughter (I'm looking at you, Mom) they will inevitably find a way to make them meet (much to their amusement/annoyance).
K-pop has invaded the Philippines! I kept hearing the "Nobody" song (by the Wondergirls for those of you who don't know or care) play on the radio and even sung by a saleslady! There was even a documentary about fangirls who love TVXQ! and a special on Sandara Park of 2NE1.
Moments of complete silence are extremely rare. There is always something in the background, whether it be the chirping bugs or an old lady yelling at everyone to buy her fresh produce.
There are more salespeople than customers in the stores - labor is cheap and there are always people willing to work for the whatever money they can get. They are also very annoying because once you demonstrate the slightest interest in a product they will jump on you and follow you either until you buy the product or leave the store. The salesladies at the cashier staple your bag though, so that is a plus.
So many Filipinos leave the country in search of jobs abroad because they cannot earn enough money for a good education for their kids in the Philippines. It is more common nowadays for kids to be raised by helpers (women who live in the household and do the chores as well as care for the children) rather than their mothers because the moms are working abroad in order to send money home. However, the kids need their mothers in their lives, not just as a source of income!
Men whose wives are abroad but need female companionship have three options - they can properly care for their kids who also miss their mom, drown their sorrows in bottles of alcohol, or find a mistress. Unfortunately the last option is becoming more common because that is a way men demonstrate their 'machismo' or something akin to that.
Bring your own toilet paper! I found this out the awkward way.

Santos in Hawaii

2009-08-29T23:19:00.004-05:00

This past May I took a class in Hawaii about multiculturalism. I got an A-, which is still good but I think I failed at the final paper or something. I did write it in a week when we had two months to do it ... Anyway, here is a little snippet that did not make it into the final draft - my paper ended up being 15 and a half pages! I just didn't want this part to go to waste so I saved it.

The argument can be made that Hawaii is indeed a place of equal opportunity for all races and ethnicities by considering the sheer amount of interracial marriages that have occurred in the state as well as the laws in place to protect such couples. Equality can also be seen through all of the residents’ willingness and ability to adapt and identify with the local island culture of Hawaii. The “aloha spirit,” the spirit of respect and good-will, is a manifestation of the local culture. The residents all have a knowledge and commitment to Hawaii, as well as regard life with a good-natured and laid-back attitude. The local island culture also emphasizes the importance of being able to appreciate the diversity of the islands and subsequent blending of all the cultures. The idea of multiculturalism is a grand one that fails to take into account the one ethnic group that resided on the islands before the first immigrants ever came – native Hawaiians.

What do my (two) readers think?

Do you have happiness?

2009-08-29T21:58:00.006-05:00

The Seoul subway system is so convenient yet confusing at the same time. This morning it took me over an hour to make my way to Myeongdong and then another 20 minutes to search for the Cathedral! You would think a Catholic church would be easy to find, but with all the exits you can take it is very easy to get disoriented very quickly. I made it in time for the most important part though! Next week I will leave 30 minutes earlier just in case.

My second week in Seoul has been a learning experience, to say the least. Tuesday was a mini-orientation at the DMC where I met other international students studying at Yonsei. I met other fangirls who are just as crazy as me! :) In the afternoon CIEE students met with four Yonsei volunteers who attempted to get us cell phones (failed) and then took us to a Chinese restaurant where I ate my very first bowl of black soybean noodles (자장면). Eating something I have only seen in dramas was very exciting, and it was delicious! After that we went to a karaoke place (노래방) and everyone sang hit k-pop songs! In my case, I sang the English parts and faked the Korean ones. That was so much fun!

The next day the Yonsei volunteers split up the CIEE group and took us on a campus tour. I already love Yonsei's campus, hills and all - it has that real oldschool feeling that I really don't get at IWU. It's VERY big though, so hopefully I get used to walking 20 minutes from one building to another (it takes 5 minutes to get from one side of IWU's campus to the other, no joke). After the tour (the library has touchscreens!) I met with my 'buddy' through Yonsei's global lounge, and we all went to first eat cold noodles (냉면) and then drink. Yes, I actually participated in drinking games. I think I had a shot and a half of soju ... my Korean mentor is really cool, as well as my fellow buddies, a girl from Singapore and a girl from Sydney, Australia.

Thursday was a big day - I finally got a cell phone! It's a slidy one, which I have always wanted. Korean phones are a million times cooler than American ones - TV, internet, mp3 player, camera, cool sound effects and cheesy ring tones - I wish I could keep it when I come back to the States! While waiting to get the phone a friend led our small group to Insa-dong, which I seriously think is the souvenir capital of Seoul. I saw socks with boy band members on them as well as more traditional fans and a bunch of key chains and cell phone charms. I plan on going back to buy souvenirs there come December.

On Friday friends and I went to eat at Pizza Hut (potato pizza with 불고기 anyone?) and then made our way to COEX, this huge shopping mall. I am currently on a mission to buy earrings (so the holes in my ear don't close), a nice tote bag/big purse with a zipper (to better prevent theft), a belt (to match a shirt I bought), and gladiator sandals (the current fashionable footwear trend). I have yet to find any I am willing to pay for ... this next part may shock you.

I, Janelle, actually went clubbing. Yes, it's true. Korea is turning me into a shopaholic and a party animal. But not really. These same friends and I went to Hongdae (홍대), where every last Friday of the month you can get into any club you want if you buy a wristband worth roughly $20. We first went to get drinks (I got a very girly ice cream cocktail that supposedly had Baily's and everyone had a shot of vodka, including myself). Afterwards we went to a place called S Club, where foreigners got in for free but everyone in the club was seriously smoking pot or something. We quickly left and caved in and spent the 20,000 won. It was worth it - the next club we went in had live rock music and I think my friend fell in love with the lead singer. Hehe. We left only after the band was done. It was an experience - everyone was jumping to the beat and I got stepped on at least three times. I don't know if I would do it again (I would rather stay in and watch anime) but I am glad that I went at least once. Hey, it's a part of Korean culture, right?

After recovering from the previous night we went out for lunch the next day and I got a spicy thick soup (육개장) to distract me from my broken sandal (the happy foot one my aunt got in the Philippines). I was walking barefoot to the food court! We then had an adventure getting to Namdaemun Market (남대문 시장) thanks to Seoul's subway system. But we all got there in one piece and shopped around - I got this very cool, kind of plaid green and white shirt, my third shirt purchase in Korea! By the time I get back my suitcase will be stuffed. Dinner was slightly disastrous - we went to a Japanese restaurant that turned out to be expensive and full of smokers. The dish I got, the Japanese equivalent of a savory pancake (お好み焼き) had nuts and shrimp, much to the displeasure of my stomach. Don't worry Mom - after my friend discovered that fact I quickly took 2 Benedryl. I only had a spoonful! お好み焼き is not supposed to have nuts or shrimp, at least I thought so!

Seoul is an amazing city where you can have a good time no matter where you go. Next Tuesday is the beginning of classes, so I need to savor the free time I have left. I plan on acting touristy tomorrow! I am excited for classes so I can have a schedule and finally start my second to last semester of college!

Southern Korea

2009-08-23T22:57:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I got back from a three day excursion to the southern part of Korea. We explored many traditional Korean folk villages and did a number of cultural activities. The first day we went to Jeonju, famous for its good food, and ate huge delicious bowls of bibimbap (비빔밥). After lunch we went to a paper factory and made our own paper, learned how to do traditional Korean masked dance, toured the village, grilled our own samgyeopsal (삼겹살), and went shopping. For those who know me I don't really shop in the States, but I figured if I can find clothes that fit me (Korean girls are so tiny!!!) with engrish on them then why not. I have already bought two Korean shirts and only a week has passed ... but everything is so cheap here! I digress. We stayed at a traditional Korean inn and slept on hardwood floors with very minimal padding. Needless to say, I was not ready for the three hour hike I went on the next day.

My roommates and I woke up to Girls' Generation (소녀시대) Genie thanks to our tour guide's cell phone alarm. Side note - I love it when I am just browsing stores and I here k-pop songs that I know play on the radio, such as SHINee's Juliette or Super Junior's Carnival. It makes the fangirl in me so happy. I also love that I can discuss this love with my fellow CIEE students. Anyway ... we went to a Confucian school and then drove to Namwon, the City of Love (apparently) because it is the setting of the famous Legend of Chunhyang. I recommend you google it (since I know the CLAMP manga better then the actual story!). Lunch was wonderful soondubu (순두부). I never thought I would like tofu so much! The mountain hike was next. It seemed pretty steep to me (this comes from someone who is perpetually out of shape) but the view was totally worth it. After that we ate dinner at a Buddhist temple with monks and observed a worship service. Dinner rules were strict - we had to only get what we could finish, talk in low tones or not talk at all, and wash our own dishes. The service started with a musical performance (?) by the monks.

We stayed at a hotel that did not have beds but instead comforters for the floor. The room was bigger so it was an improvement. My friend was gracious enough to come with me to find the one Catholic Church in the area. This was at night, so it was a little bit sketchy but everyone we asked for directions was extremely helpful and even went out of their way to help us. We were mistaken for being Chinese by one man, but he was kind enough to leave his meal and show us the church behind his motel. Unfortunately the church only had mass on Saturdays at 7:30 PM so I totally missed it. It was an adventure, though, one that made me realize how nice Koreans can be if you make the effort to reach out to them.

The last day of the excursion we went and made green tea! We learned how to do the ceremony Korean style and were able to actually experience drying out the tea leaves. Parental units, I got a box of green tea for you so I hope you will enjoy it! After that we explored our final folk village (there were ostrich) and had a delicious lunch where the local policemen come to eat. We got back too late for me to attend mass (travel dispensation? I really tried!) but my friends and I went out to dinner and basically analyzed everyone's behavior thus far.

I just got back from a culture shock workshop, which I found to be very informative since my knowledge of Korean culture is based on k-pop blogs and the few dramas I have watched. Hopefully I will learn more and have fun doing so!

DMZ

2009-08-19T20:55:00.003-05:00

August 19 was DMZ day, so we met at the extremely early time of 8AM to get on the bus. I probably should not have stayed up doing nothing on the internet! We first went to the U.S. embassy, where a panel of employees described to us their jobs and the U.S. stance in South Korea. I must admit I did not really think of foreign service with the State Department as a possible employment option (I do not want to take the test) but they made it sound like a lot of fun. Traveling every three years to a new country? Getting paid to learn a language? Right now I am paying IWU tuition (which is ridiculous) to learn Korean! The possibilities are limitless! :) In reality, I would really like to do Peace Corps. The whole application process takes a long time but I think if I stick with it and show that I am dedicated to the goals of Peace Corps (as well as have plans beyond the time of service) it is possible.

Back to Korea ... after the embassy we rode to the military base and ate lunch in their mess hall. I had this very very spicy kimchi and pork dish which I could not finish despite the amount of rice I tried to balance it out with! It was SO HOT! There were military men everywhere, either serving with the U.S. or with South Korea. It was intimidating, to say the least, but not as intimidating as when we finally arrived at the DMZ. Before that, we got an hour lecture on the history of Korea by a retired officer who served as our tour guide (along with his two half-Korean daughters).

I didn't realize just how big the DMZ was until we got there. The area is teeming with wildlife as a result of the strict don't cross the border unless you want to get shot policy enacted by the Koreas. We were able to look at North Korea's landscape via a tower (I got some illegal pictures!) as well as actually step into North Korea in a building meant for communication. Trying to make the soldiers laugh was pretty hilarious. Our tour guide, a U.S. soldier, told our group that we were the loudest one he's had. On a more serious note, a North Korean soldier watched us the entire time with a pair of binoculars and I just had to wave but was quickly told to stop. We also went down into a tunnel, the third of four discovered tunnels dug by North Koreans as a way to sneak into the South. Going down was pretty sweet but coming back up was horrible! I was covered in so much sweat! Side note - Korea is extremely humid and every time I have gone out I have seriously sweat up a storm. Disgusting. Luckily the showers at the DMC complex are wonderful. We ended our time at the DMZ with a look at the over-priced souvenir shop (I was tempted to buy some North Korean currency).

Thanks to the tour I have learned just how blessed I am. North Koreans are struggling every day just to survive, and soldiers in the army, those you would think to be the best treated, are malnourished up to the point where U.S. soldiers can see the white tips of their fingers! They cannot even afford to properly arm their soldiers even when all the money is going into the military! I can't even imagine just how worse off the citizens are. I keep reading the Koreans desire reunification but how exactly is that going to happen? Will North Korea ever stop wanting nuclear power? I don't know but I do pray that one day the two Koreas will become one country again.

After coming back I got some delicious kimbap for dinner and over-priced ice cream for dessert. I love that I have gotten to eat so much delicious Korean food and a week hasn't even passed yet! Today is a lazy day (I will probably go out exploring later) but tomorrow CIEE students will go on an excursion to the southern part of Korea. Will blog more later!

Santos in Seoul, finally!

2009-08-19T20:29:00.005-05:00

I just registered for the classes I will be taking at Yonsei. If all goes according to plan, I will be taking Korea through Ethnography, Korean Social Welfare, Intercultural Communication, and Beginning Korean Language I. Classes start on September 1st and I am anxious to begin!

I arrived in Korea August 17 and was about an hour late meeting the CIEE people. When I first stepped out into the arrival gate I panicked since I did not see a yellow sign. I walked around clearly lost for about 15 minutes and was about to risk using a public pay phone (with a handy instruction manual in English) when I decided to check one last time. Thankfully the assistant program director and her friend were there! Crisis averted. I met three other people on the program and we all rode a taxi to our 'home,' the DMC Complex. I discovered that we all had problems getting our student visa and that we were all super excited to be in Korea. We went to 7/11 for dinner (yay instant ramyun!). The area I am in seems to have a lot of 7/11's ...

The next day was our orientation. Suzanne, the program director, threw a bunch of information at us that I still need to sort out but I anticipate that this semester will be a great learning experience for me. The other students in the program (most of them are Korean and know the language) seem pretty awesome so I can't wait to get to know them better. One thing I have in common with some of the girls is our mutual love for k-pop! Hopefully we can attend the 2009 Asia Song Festival (and I can see Super Junior live!). We went to Yonsei's campus, which is HUGE, and were shown where most of our classes will be and the student lounge with a conveniently located bank.

After the orientation some of the girls and I took about an hour trip to Itaewon via walking and the subway, where there are foreigners everywhere. We ate at a little Korean place with delicious ddeokbokki (쫄볶이) and I got to discover just how large the subway system is. Must learn how to navigate!

Santos in Marungko

2009-08-12T07:09:00.006-05:00

I am having quite the time finding internet in the Philippines. I have visited several sketchy internet cafes, as well as leeched of the internet of my aunt's friend's daughter's (who was watching a Tohoshinki concert much to my amusement).

Anyway ... I am now in the impressive house of the Santos side. I have finally seen where a whole lot of money went, and I think it paid off quite well. Both my paternal grandparents are doing well, as far as I can tell. Of course, my lola just fell off her rocking chair in an attempt to transfer to the sofa so all I can do is continue to pray. I never realized the extent of the Santos family until I kept meeting cousin after cousin and constructed a family tree.

Now for Santos in emo-mode ... I have never felt so incompetent or so much like a disappointment until now, visiting family in the Philippines. The fact that I just can't speak Tagalog is going to haunt me for the rest of my life (or until I actually learn). Why didn't I learn in the 21 years (almost 22) that I have been living with my parents? Their reasons for not teaching me and my sister are as follows:

They did not want us to have a difficult time learning English.
They did not want us to have an accent and be teased by peers.
We said it "sounded funny" when we were young. What did we know then?
My mom said it was easier yelling at us in English then in Tagalog.
We were enrolled in a Tagalog class but apparently due to low enrollment it was canceled.

I know, I know, I should just get over it and teach myself so I can stop feeling like a failure. However, I just can't learn a language on my own. I need accountability, encouragement, grades! I know how important it is for me to learn ... my own grandmother (who is 93) is sitting a few feet away from me and I just can't talk to her! But it just hasn't been working.

So, a word of caution to all those Filipino-Americans out there - learn a little Tagalog before visiting the Philippines, even if it kills you. I have heard that Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur are effective. I have been teased constantly by my own parents, all my aunts and uncles, and especially my cousins for not knowing how to speak. They make fun of my futile attempts and especially my pronunciation.

I have also felt like a disappointment to my parents because of my choice of major in college. When my mom tells my relatives "International Studies and Sociology" they look at her and wonder what that is supposed to amount to. I know my mother wonders the same thing. I think she wants me to be a lawyer because that would bring prestige to the family the same way a doctor (or nurse) would, which I have repeatedly said I have no talent for. I know that being an idealist doesn't exactly amount to job opportunities, but that's what I enjoy doing. What to do ...

Santos in Batangas

2009-08-04T04:29:00.004-05:00

I am currently in the Philippines for two weeks visiting family and taking advantage of the low prices. The flight over was pretty sweet - Asiana Airlines serves bibimbap for airplane food, and there is free internet at Incheon Airport! I have eaten so many delicious Filipino dishes, but the best one by far that I have never tried before is balut. Not for the faint of heart, balut is a duck egg with the embryo still inside. You slurp the juices and then eat the nearly formed chick. Delicious.

Anyway...I am staying with my mother's side of the family. The reason I am here is because my lola (grandma) wanted to see at least one of her American grandkids. I feel so American here! There isn't much of a language barrier because English is the second official language of the Philippines, but it gets very frustrating when the relatives speak rapid Tagalog I have no hope of following, or attempting to talk to sales clerks who know English but expect you to know Tagalog. On the bright side, my aunts and uncles are amazing and my grandparents are alive and kickin' (for the most part). I am able to blend in with the crowd until I open my mouth since everyone is Filipino (I have yet to see more than a handful of foreigners).

I love being here and making my lola happy, even though I mostly bum around the house. The home-cooked food is amazing and prices for everything are ridiculously cheap. I also saw the Korean version of Boys Over Flowers playing on one of the cable channels, as well as this strange show where males impersonate female celebrities and compete to win 50,000 pesos. Yay for the Philippines. :)

New to this, can you tell?

2009-08-01T21:25:00.001-05:00

Since I'm going to be studying abroad in Seoul, I thought it would be a good idea to blog about my experiences, just as thousands of other college students have done. What makes this blog different from those other ones? Nothing really, just my own perspective, I suppose. Anyway, feel free to follow me (and give me tips) as I attempt to learn a new language, experience a new culture, and hopefully not get too lost exploring South Korea's capital city.

Why did I choose Seoul? Here are five reasons:
1) I wanted to study in the Philippines in order to learn about my heritage, but thanks to the travel warning issued by the U.S. government, my school (Illinois Wesleyan University) wouldn't allow it. So I chose South Korea because it is only second to the Philippines in having the largest amount of practicing Christians (and Catholics, yay!), and Seoul because of CIEE.
2) I took Japanese in college in order to fulfill the language requirement for Asian Studies so I considered going to Japan. However, after going on the Technos trip to Japan and seeing just how secular the country is, I didn't think I could live there for four months. I love Japan a lot though, so I'm very lucky that my program is taking a three-day excursion there!
3) Thanks to a friend of mine back in freshman year, I was exposed to Korean boy bands. As I delved deeper into k-pop I became intrigued with Korea's contemporary culture and desired to learn more about it. I even started taking Korean lessons with that same friend (who is AMAZING at languages and absolutely LOVES Korea, by the way). So by studying abroad in Seoul I figured I could attend concerts and act fangirly and not be seen as too strange.
4) I am considering international social work as a profession, so after checking the course listings as Yonsei University I discovered they had a class called Korean Social Welfare! Lucky me, huh? I am excited to learn about Korea as a part of my academic career.
5) The food. I absolutely love Korean food - it is so delicious! I have also heard that kimchi is good for weight loss.

My top 5 reasons for concern:
1) I am definitely not thin in any sense so in that regard I am in the minority. Koreans are very health conscious and might initially judge me based on physical appearance. I know everyone does that, but I think more so in Korea. K-pop stars are seriously anorexic, no joke.
2) I am not Korean and therefore a foreigner, so according to everything I have read about Koreans I will perpetually be viewed as an outsider no matter how hard I try to learn about and practice Korean culture.
3) I am Filipino-American. Filipinos in Korea often work in the service industry, which means more often then not they are of a lower social standing. My tan skin and features automatically mark me as not Korean even though I am Asian. So much for blending in! Don't get me wrong - I love being Fil-Am (whatever that entails - another blog post?) but in Korea I might face prejudice? Maybe? Can anyone correct me?
4) Despite taking Korean lessons, I definitely DO NOT know any Korean besides common words in k-pop songs. I can read (and kind of write) hangul but that's about it. Immersion is a good thing, yes?
5) I just packed yesterday and am leaving today. Procrastination at its finest. I hope I haven't forgotten anything too important!

Overall, I am very much looking forward to spending my second to last semester of college in Seoul. With luck and God's grace I am sure that my experience will be life-changing. :)