This may sound like a retarded point coming from me, someone who has traveled quite a bit, but the other day it struck me how similar everyone's life is across the globe, just performed in a slightly different way. I saw a woman texting on her cell phone, and because I couldn't read what she was saying, my brain was saying that she must be saying some completely original Korean thing that I couldn't understand.
And that's when it struck me . . . she was probably texting something very similar to the texts that I send. to friends, to family, whatever. Just because it looked different, my brain was thinking the ideas behind her words must be different too, when it obviously is just a matter of not being able to interpret what the words mean, not that their meaning is truly all that different from anyone else's.
Kind of a weird point, and somewhat hard to explain, but it makes sense to me.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Blood Typing
Ever since I've been in Korea, all the websites I vist know I'm in Korea, and are asking me questions appropriate to that. Would I like this page in Korean? Would I like it translated? Would I like to add my Korean name to my Facebook page? What is my blood type for my profile on Facebook?
Wait a second. What about that last one?
Turns out that Koreans say that blood type can indicate personality. Kind of like our horoscopes at home. My personality does seem to closely match my blood type (A), which means that I am kind of shy, perfectionistic, and sweet. The perfectionistic part was confirmed when I showed my dormmates something on my laptop and had to move my keyboard protecter . . . yeah. I'm a bit of a nerd.
I meant to mention yesterday that I ate something that I didn't know what it was at lunch . . . and even when my roommate explained, I still didn't know what it was. I had never heard of "bracken" before, but I ate it and it wasn't bad.
As to today's activities, we had a lecture on Korean history, and this was followed by some talk on Korean family dynamics. It was quite interesting, but I don't think I have ever been so lost in a lecture before. Mainly it was because the lecturer was so intelligent, talked so fast, and Korean history is so confusing. I never realized how easy we have it in the US only having to take care of 300 years of domestic events.
After that was lunch, which in part featured french fries, which we delicious. We also ate with forks and knives today, which was different. It seems to be that when there is a large chunk of meat to be consumed, forks and knives are supplied. Not eating meat, it just means that I get to eat Korean food with non-Korean utensils.
After lunch, we left to visit a pottery-making museum and workshop. We also got a chance to make our own pottery, but mainly it was us just touching the clay while the potter worked. After the cups/bowls/vases were formed, we got to carve our desired designs into the pottery. I made / watched the making of a bowl with double sides . . . hard to explain, but when we get it back from the kiln, hopefully I will be able to take a picture and show what it's like. The experience was kind of like extremely guided early-stage Paint-Some-Pottery.
There was also a large artist's co-op attached to the pottery museum (at least I think it was a co-op . . . kind of hard to tell precisely when everything is in Korean . . . ), but I didn't buy anything there. Partly because I left my wallet on the bus (not like I lost it, but we were told we could leave our belongings on the bus until we got back, and I didn't know shopping would be optionally involved), but partly because I don't need anything. Especially given that I'll get my piece of pottery that I made back just in time to figure out a way to shove it into my luggage. I'll definitely need to use the duffle bag that I brought for extra clothes, though I might be able to fit everything into my main suitcase, I'd definitely go over the weight limit.
It was our first rainy day today, and it's also the first day that I didn't take any pictures. Good, because I'm soon going to get terribly confused out of everything that I've photographed.
In about five minutes I have to leave to work on the first of our "Group Discussion Papers." Though no one really knows how we're going to go about this, apparently we are going to meet in a group of about 12 people, all discuss something, and then write a paper about it. All this evening. And we don't know how long it's supposed to be, or what about. Scary.
I hate group projects. I'm a loner when it comes to academics.
Wait a second. What about that last one?
Turns out that Koreans say that blood type can indicate personality. Kind of like our horoscopes at home. My personality does seem to closely match my blood type (A), which means that I am kind of shy, perfectionistic, and sweet. The perfectionistic part was confirmed when I showed my dormmates something on my laptop and had to move my keyboard protecter . . . yeah. I'm a bit of a nerd.
I meant to mention yesterday that I ate something that I didn't know what it was at lunch . . . and even when my roommate explained, I still didn't know what it was. I had never heard of "bracken" before, but I ate it and it wasn't bad.
As to today's activities, we had a lecture on Korean history, and this was followed by some talk on Korean family dynamics. It was quite interesting, but I don't think I have ever been so lost in a lecture before. Mainly it was because the lecturer was so intelligent, talked so fast, and Korean history is so confusing. I never realized how easy we have it in the US only having to take care of 300 years of domestic events.
After that was lunch, which in part featured french fries, which we delicious. We also ate with forks and knives today, which was different. It seems to be that when there is a large chunk of meat to be consumed, forks and knives are supplied. Not eating meat, it just means that I get to eat Korean food with non-Korean utensils.
After lunch, we left to visit a pottery-making museum and workshop. We also got a chance to make our own pottery, but mainly it was us just touching the clay while the potter worked. After the cups/bowls/vases were formed, we got to carve our desired designs into the pottery. I made / watched the making of a bowl with double sides . . . hard to explain, but when we get it back from the kiln, hopefully I will be able to take a picture and show what it's like. The experience was kind of like extremely guided early-stage Paint-Some-Pottery.
There was also a large artist's co-op attached to the pottery museum (at least I think it was a co-op . . . kind of hard to tell precisely when everything is in Korean . . . ), but I didn't buy anything there. Partly because I left my wallet on the bus (not like I lost it, but we were told we could leave our belongings on the bus until we got back, and I didn't know shopping would be optionally involved), but partly because I don't need anything. Especially given that I'll get my piece of pottery that I made back just in time to figure out a way to shove it into my luggage. I'll definitely need to use the duffle bag that I brought for extra clothes, though I might be able to fit everything into my main suitcase, I'd definitely go over the weight limit.
It was our first rainy day today, and it's also the first day that I didn't take any pictures. Good, because I'm soon going to get terribly confused out of everything that I've photographed.
In about five minutes I have to leave to work on the first of our "Group Discussion Papers." Though no one really knows how we're going to go about this, apparently we are going to meet in a group of about 12 people, all discuss something, and then write a paper about it. All this evening. And we don't know how long it's supposed to be, or what about. Scary.
I hate group projects. I'm a loner when it comes to academics.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Pocari Sweat Love
Today I tried Pocari Sweat from a vending machine and I LOVE IT. According to Wiki, it's a Japanese soft drink, and it's delicious. Kind of like Gatorade, but better. I'll have to see if I can find it when I get home.
I'm not sure if I can do a full post tonight, due to the fact that I am beat and kind of losing my ability to think or type clearly, but I can try.
Today's breakfast featured cocoa chex mixed with corn flakes, another odd mix, as well as apple slices and french toast and some other foods, all eaten with chopsticks and a spoon. I seem to be getting better at chopsticks, except in the cases where it is acceptable to simply spear the food you are trying to eat, and I keep trying to grasp it between two sticks.
Today we had a lecture on Korean Contemporary Issues from a wonderful professor. Everyone seemed to think he was too longwinded, and he did go past his scheduled time, but he was obviously quite learned on the topics he was speaking about, so I didn't mind the time.
Then was lunch . . . which I honestly don't remember . . .
This was then followed by a trip to Gyeongbokgung Palace, which reminded me a bit of the Forbidden City, but smaller, and more park-like. I tried to hear the guide, but she was only one guide for somewhere on the order of 40 people, so it kind of got out of hand. We also later found out it was her very first day as a guide, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. I felt sorry for her when I heard that, we were a tough group to guide (perhaps that had to do with the fact that we seemed to have all the rowdy guys with us).
We then went to Insadong, a little shopping district, and got dinner at a waffle-and-ice-cream place, that also seemed to enjoy playing Jason Mraz and Maroon 5 for its playlist. I got a few items, but will not reveal what they are, in case the recipients might be reading this. =)
Following that, we went to the stream that runs through the center of Seoul, a wonderful river in which we saw ducks and herons and fish and which has waterfalls and rocks and everything built in for fun.
Then we went to a museum about the Korean alphabet and its creator, which was lovely, but I was too tired at this point to really absorb any more information.
I know this post is short and choppy, but my brain won't divulge any more colorful details about what it is I actually did today, I suppose it's reached its "full" point and has shut off all further activity. I don't know.
I'm not sure if I can do a full post tonight, due to the fact that I am beat and kind of losing my ability to think or type clearly, but I can try.
Today's breakfast featured cocoa chex mixed with corn flakes, another odd mix, as well as apple slices and french toast and some other foods, all eaten with chopsticks and a spoon. I seem to be getting better at chopsticks, except in the cases where it is acceptable to simply spear the food you are trying to eat, and I keep trying to grasp it between two sticks.
Today we had a lecture on Korean Contemporary Issues from a wonderful professor. Everyone seemed to think he was too longwinded, and he did go past his scheduled time, but he was obviously quite learned on the topics he was speaking about, so I didn't mind the time.
Then was lunch . . . which I honestly don't remember . . .
This was then followed by a trip to Gyeongbokgung Palace, which reminded me a bit of the Forbidden City, but smaller, and more park-like. I tried to hear the guide, but she was only one guide for somewhere on the order of 40 people, so it kind of got out of hand. We also later found out it was her very first day as a guide, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. I felt sorry for her when I heard that, we were a tough group to guide (perhaps that had to do with the fact that we seemed to have all the rowdy guys with us).
We then went to Insadong, a little shopping district, and got dinner at a waffle-and-ice-cream place, that also seemed to enjoy playing Jason Mraz and Maroon 5 for its playlist. I got a few items, but will not reveal what they are, in case the recipients might be reading this. =)
Following that, we went to the stream that runs through the center of Seoul, a wonderful river in which we saw ducks and herons and fish and which has waterfalls and rocks and everything built in for fun.
Then we went to a museum about the Korean alphabet and its creator, which was lovely, but I was too tired at this point to really absorb any more information.
I know this post is short and choppy, but my brain won't divulge any more colorful details about what it is I actually did today, I suppose it's reached its "full" point and has shut off all further activity. I don't know.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
10 Minutes to 11pm Head Count
Okay, so I've got 10 minutes until our RA will stop by our room to a) make sure we are all there and b) to give us the info for the next day's activities. These meetings are every night at 11pm . . . which means you have to stay up until 11pm, or if you fall asleep, you have to get back up. I've been choosing the former option in order to not drive myself insane.
Today was the first day of lectures, and in the morning we had a crash course in Korean language and writing. It was fascinating, but about halfway through my brain reached its saturation point and I couldn't learn any more . . . but we kept going, and my poor language learning partner was trying to not go crazy when I asked her "Are you Korea?" (as in, the country) instead of "Are you Korean?" (as in, the nationality)(that little 'n' on the end can make such a difference).
After that, in the afternoon, there were ice-breaking activities, such as smashing and eating as much watermelon as possible, pushing people on little plastic carts, and trying to get as many people into a Polaroid photo as possible (sounds easy, isn't, especially when the camera is NOTHING like you would expect it to look like).
- - - - - - - -
I didn't write much before the meeting. Now I'm writing in between working on posting photos on Facebook. Where was I? Oh yes. The games today. The ice-breakers were okay, but our team didn't do well, and won only one out of five activities. The prizes were more or less the same if you won or lost, everyone ended up with Korean snack food.
After that I went back to the room and had planned on just relaxing until dinner, until someone said that they were going to the COEX Mall with some other students, and we could all go if we wanted. As it is, the group just kept growing and growing and we eventually split up into a group of 12 and ventured forth on the subways and buses and whatnot. Seoul has an EXTENSIVE transport system that I don't even dare begin to attempt on my own . . . our Korean guides are invaluable.
The COEX Mall is HUGE and very modern. We stopped into a store that had tons and tons of cutesy little things (imagine generic Hello Kitty on any accessory imaginable). Pill cases, folders, notebooks, pens . . . all with adorable graphics. I got a planner featuring (what I think is) an adorable cat figure. I don't know the name or line of the product, but I think it's neat. It also has some English phrases on it to make it "cool," but a cursory examination of the sentences makes me think they're a little out there. I'll to examine them later to see if my impressions are correct. We also stopped at a bookstore, where I got a children's book featuring (once again) a cat family. The Korean girls with us said that the book is part of a series, the first book so popular that the author decided to write some more. It's also been made into a TV series that is popular with little kids. I was going to get a book in Korean that I already know or that I know the library has (like Pinkalicious, which I did see), but then I decided it would be better to just get something brand new and not bring back American culture just translated into Korean.
We stopped in the huge food court to get some dinner, and though I wasn't hungry, a Korean girl offered to share some of her supper with me, and it did hit the spot. The soup and rice had a tiny sliver of beef in it, and what surprised me was how EXACTLY it tasted like my grandmother's roast beef. Maybe that's just because I haven't had roast beef in over a year, or maybe I just got lucky.
We then went to the COEX Aquarium, which is more like an aquarium / interactive art exhibit / zoo. There were all kinds of animals, not just fish, and some really bizarre aquariums in one part. And some fun-house mirrors.
Then was the adventure back, which involved 2 buses and 2 subways. The subways are exceptionally clean, and the buses surprisingly bumpy and hard to maintain balance on. But that might have just been the lack of motor control I had after that much walking and at that degree of exhaustion.
It's nearly midnight here, and I got up at 6am this morning (not intentionally, my body clock is just terrible confused). I think it's time for bed . . .
Today was the first day of lectures, and in the morning we had a crash course in Korean language and writing. It was fascinating, but about halfway through my brain reached its saturation point and I couldn't learn any more . . . but we kept going, and my poor language learning partner was trying to not go crazy when I asked her "Are you Korea?" (as in, the country) instead of "Are you Korean?" (as in, the nationality)(that little 'n' on the end can make such a difference).
After that, in the afternoon, there were ice-breaking activities, such as smashing and eating as much watermelon as possible, pushing people on little plastic carts, and trying to get as many people into a Polaroid photo as possible (sounds easy, isn't, especially when the camera is NOTHING like you would expect it to look like).
- - - - - - - -
I didn't write much before the meeting. Now I'm writing in between working on posting photos on Facebook. Where was I? Oh yes. The games today. The ice-breakers were okay, but our team didn't do well, and won only one out of five activities. The prizes were more or less the same if you won or lost, everyone ended up with Korean snack food.
After that I went back to the room and had planned on just relaxing until dinner, until someone said that they were going to the COEX Mall with some other students, and we could all go if we wanted. As it is, the group just kept growing and growing and we eventually split up into a group of 12 and ventured forth on the subways and buses and whatnot. Seoul has an EXTENSIVE transport system that I don't even dare begin to attempt on my own . . . our Korean guides are invaluable.
The COEX Mall is HUGE and very modern. We stopped into a store that had tons and tons of cutesy little things (imagine generic Hello Kitty on any accessory imaginable). Pill cases, folders, notebooks, pens . . . all with adorable graphics. I got a planner featuring (what I think is) an adorable cat figure. I don't know the name or line of the product, but I think it's neat. It also has some English phrases on it to make it "cool," but a cursory examination of the sentences makes me think they're a little out there. I'll to examine them later to see if my impressions are correct. We also stopped at a bookstore, where I got a children's book featuring (once again) a cat family. The Korean girls with us said that the book is part of a series, the first book so popular that the author decided to write some more. It's also been made into a TV series that is popular with little kids. I was going to get a book in Korean that I already know or that I know the library has (like Pinkalicious, which I did see), but then I decided it would be better to just get something brand new and not bring back American culture just translated into Korean.
We stopped in the huge food court to get some dinner, and though I wasn't hungry, a Korean girl offered to share some of her supper with me, and it did hit the spot. The soup and rice had a tiny sliver of beef in it, and what surprised me was how EXACTLY it tasted like my grandmother's roast beef. Maybe that's just because I haven't had roast beef in over a year, or maybe I just got lucky.
We then went to the COEX Aquarium, which is more like an aquarium / interactive art exhibit / zoo. There were all kinds of animals, not just fish, and some really bizarre aquariums in one part. And some fun-house mirrors.
Then was the adventure back, which involved 2 buses and 2 subways. The subways are exceptionally clean, and the buses surprisingly bumpy and hard to maintain balance on. But that might have just been the lack of motor control I had after that much walking and at that degree of exhaustion.
It's nearly midnight here, and I got up at 6am this morning (not intentionally, my body clock is just terrible confused). I think it's time for bed . . .
Monday, July 4, 2011
Time for Some Pictures
This is a shot of the interior of the building where the dorms and lectures and cafeteria are in . . . the first two floors are normal, but from there on up the building is a hollow square, with the center open down to the third floor. Hence, you can see the outside that's really the inside in this picture.
Another random combination: birds in cages and a vending machine! Actually, maybe the bigger question to this picture: why are there birds in cages in the building in the first place?
Seoul street. Actually more like a boulevard.
Seoul Tower! We didn't go to the top, but there's a lookout station on the side, and we did look out over that. We also got coffee in the shops inside, and used these little key-chain vending machines (I got a panda cell-phone charm).
Culture clash: China Terra Cotta Soldier standing next to the Seoul Tower.
Lock wall next to the Seoul Tower. These are "lovers locks" where a couple will go and write their names on a lock and then clip it to the wall, and throw away the key over the side. I saw this the last time I was in South Korea (I was just on Cheju Island for a day), but there that was only a few locks on a bridge, this was wall after wall after wall of locks . . . and they had even set up wire frames in the shape of trees that were covered with locks.
Seoul at night (camera is not good at taking night shots). =(
Another indication (after the locks) that this location is popular with lovers. Lit-up heart that tons of people were taking their picture in front of. (Actually, being there and seeing all the couples made me miss my own boyfriend . . . not because I wanted him there so we could take our picture in front of the heart - we are not particularly into romantic-sappy things like that - but seeing other people with their significant other kind of made me miss mine.)
Also, a squished-won machine. I don't think I had the correct change to actually use it, so I took a picture instead.
We also went in a cable car down the side of the mountain that the tower was on, but I couldn't get any good pictures of that. It took us 2 subways and 2 buses to get to the tower, and then 2 subways back. The subways were CLEAN as all get out, and they also had a set of doors on both the subway car and on the platform . . . . a simple way to avoid that whole fear-of-the-third-rail issue. (My mom is always terrified I'm going to fall of the ledge of the subway platform when we're riding together.)
At the moment that's all the photo-uploading and typing I can do. It's 1130p and I need to go take a shower and get ready for bed . . . tomorrow I get up at 730a with breakfast from 800-850a and then the first lecture starts at 9a. Nothing like a morning class . . .
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