Weekend Update

Well this will just be a quick update. 

Saturday my friend, Kasey, and I went to visit my friend HyunJoo. We took the bus and it was the first time I had been on a public bus without any adults. It was a little frustrating not knowing where to go, but learning the Korean alphabet from the CNY Korean School really, really helped us. We were able to read street signs and write down certain destinations. We asked some people for help and one man went totally out of his way to lead us to the next bus station. (We had to transfer). We were so grateful for his kindness. On the way back, one woman overheard us asking someone how to get to a certain bus station, and she asked us if we needed help because she spoke english. I even asked a little boy if he knew how to get to Ewha. Haha. 

We made it to HyunJoo's safely there and back and she was so hospitable to both of us. Whenever I'm at her house, we always eat full Korean meals, and she made my favorites: Bulgogi (Korean meat) and Mandu (Korean dumpling). She also took us to try Pat Bing Soo (a popular Korean treat that usually consists of shaved ice, sweet red been paste, and whatever toppings you want on it). I had never had Pat Bing Soo before, but had heard a lot about it. We got the Red bean flavor and the Green tea flavor. I loved the red bean flavored Pat Bing Soo, and the green tea flavored one was also good. The red bean one had fruit on it and it was very refreshing from the humid air. 

The weekend was fun and it was nice to experience Korea's public transportation system. Kasey and I were both very impressed with the cleanliness. Everyone was also so friendly and helpful. The busses are so efficient in Seoul, along with the subways.

That's all for now! (For some pictures, look below)

Allie

First weekend with Ewha!

It has been an amazing weekend so far, and it's only friday! 

Last night I went out with my PEACE buddy and our "group" (Insung, William, Jenn, and Kasey) and we went to NoreBang (the very popular Korean version of Karaoke). You can find a Norebang place ANYWHERE in Seoul. It is one of the most common activities. What you do is you go in and you get a room and it has a TV and a HUGE book full of songs to choose from, Korean or American. We reserved an hour and went to a room that had the front outside view from this HUGE mirror. The busy Seoul street outside could see our every move. The room even had an upstairs. NoreBang was sooo much fun! We sang many songs and even danced a little. My friend and I are really into Korean music, so we knew many of the songs that were played. Though our Korean was not that great, we still managed to earn a score in the 90s. (Yes, it rates how well you do). 

Today was our first field trip with the International group and it was a show called, "Ballerina Who Falls in Love with a B-Boy." A "B-Boy" is a breakdancer. They are very popular in Korea and are still gaining more and more attention everyday. Everyone on campus was excited about the show because I think most of us hadn't really seen a "real" B-Boy show. (There are sometimes shows on the streets). We all took the subway to HongDae and excitedly piled into the theatre. The theatre was small, but comfortable, which made the show seem more personal. The show was absolutely AMAZING. Everyone was into it and it was so much fun. There were even B-Girls! I loved watching the main B-Girl show off her moves.

The storyline was about a ballerina has no interest in breakdancing until she sees a local crew dancing near her dance studio. The breakdancing crew absolutely despises and makes fun of the whole idea of ballet and tries to show her what "real" dancing is about. In the end, the ballerina decides she doesn't want to be a ballerina anymore and falls in love with a B-Boy who is, along with his crew, impressed by her natural breakdancing skills. The dancing was amazing, there was almost no talking in the entire show, which made everything very animated and lively. The acting was great and everything was easy to follow. THere were sort of scary parts, but it was really cool to see a show that you normally would never see in the States. If they had shows like this in America, I think they would be big hits. After the show, the Ewha students got to meet/take pictures with the Cast. It was an amazing experience and my friend, Kasey, and I are talking about going to the show again. I hope that if some of you readers get the opportunity to go to Korea, you are able to try to see a "B-Boy" show. You won't regret it.

That's really all for now. Please see below for some pictures from the show and if you'd like to see some of the MANY videos I took, please go to youtube and type in my username in the search box: yoojin15 . The first video is one of mine, but if you look to the right, you'll see my username in a link. Click that and it will take you to my page and the videos from the show tonight will be there. 

Again, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to email me!

Allie

Sun, School, Shopping!

Wow, it's been an eventful 3 days at Ewha. There's been so much business, I feel like I've been here for 3 weeks already!

It's been really hot and humid, but it's not as bad as I expected it to be. I'm in school for most of the day anyway. 

School is long, but definitely worth part of the experience. There are so many different ideas and points of view. My second day of classes was better than the first. The Hallyu (Korean Wave / Popular culture) still consists of all girls, but there were newcomers today. We talked about how Korea's movies and TV dramas expand to other countries like Japan, China, and Taiwan. A lot of the time, Korean dramas are more popular outside of Korea! There are 4 Hong Kong students in the class, and they all knew the subjects that we were talking about; some Koreans in the class didn't know what we were talking about also.

My next class, Asian/American representation in US Media is also very interesting. Today we talked about the history of stereotypes and why stereotypes are the way they are. We discussed the 4 most common Asian stereotypes in the world today. My professor, Dr. Oh, made very good points and the reading assignments really help me understand  and learn about US Media in relation to Asian Americans. I don't want to offend anyone's ideas, but if you want to hear more about the class and what we discussed, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. ( yoojin15@gmail.com)

My Korean language class is probably the most tiring because it's from 2:50-5:50 after my first 2. The Korean language takes a lot of thinking and remembering and TONS of repetition to remember. My professor, Shin Hye Jung shi (shi is the Korean way to be polite, like saying Mr. or Mrs.) is very well prepared and never stops activity unless we're on break. (We're allowed 2  10 minute breaks). For the first time in my life, I read a full paragraph in Korean and actually understood what the entire thing said. I was amazed and proud. I answered questions about the paragraph also. My class is really great--we're all learning together and there's so much student interaction. We all have to answer questions, ask questions to each other, role play, and I'm feeling more and more comfortable speaking in front of everyone.

My friend and I just got back from a little shopping and walking around Seoul. The shopping is HUGE here in Korea, and there is so much to buy, it's hard to get through one street in the day! It was a lot of fun, but the one of the downsides is that employees assume I know Korean and when they say something I don't know, it's awkward to say something that might not be the right thing to say. Usually I just say "Neh," which is "Yes" in Korean. Or I usually bow my head a little and smile. On the other hand, I'm getting better and better. Yesterday I was exchanging my money somewhere and the man at the counter asked me (in Korean) if I attended Yonsei University. (Yonsei is another university right near Ewha. There are 4 big universities in the same area, so there is so much to do and people to meet). I was surprised that I understood his question and answered him by saying, "Aniyo, Ewha hakkyo." (No, Ewha school). He understood and I was happy that I actually had a conversation, though very, very brief, with a native Korean.

Everyone is so nice here and I really like it. I'm not sure where my mind is right now, whether I'm thinking it's better than home or whatever. I definitely miss home. At the same time, this is a great experience and I love visiting my roots. Like my professor, Dr. Oh, said yesterday, "There are 4 stages to having the full experience while here. 1. The "I can't believe I'm here" stage. 2. The comparing of home stage. 3. Getting past the compare stage. 4. Really seeing the country and having the full experience. (These weren't the exact words he used, but it was something along these lines).

I not sure which stage I am at right now, but I'm really enjoying my time here and I hope I can experience the "full experience" before I go home. (which Dr. Oh said takes 6 months to a year, so it doesn't look like that will happen :P).

Will write more later! Hope this has not disappointed anyone!

Allie

Ewha is Great!

Arrived at Incheon and was so lucky that our great friend Hyun Joo Huh met me. She is a professor who we met while she studied at Syracuse University. I spent the weekend with her and then checked into Ewha on Sunday.

Monday was Orientation. I took the Korean language test, which was RIDICULOUSLY HARD!!!! I had to take the beginner's one, the one that people who don't know anything about Korean took. And I had to do an interview, and it was hard. So....I'm in the Beginner's class.

My first class was about Hallyu: Globalization and Nationalism with Dr. Lee. It's very, very  interesting. There are about 9 of us, all girls, and everyone has different reasons for being in the class and being at Ewha. There's a TON of diversity. I've made friends with a really nice Chinese girl named Dawn. There's a girl from Rochester whi is also adopted, and she is really into videogames, along with another girl from Boston who did her term paper on MMORPGs and how videogames are portrayed and what aspects in them leads to globalization. It's really cool. I told them about my mom's research and videogame class at Le Moyne, and how my brother plays WoW. There's another girl who is half Philipino/half Korean, another girl who is from Japan but lived in Europe, and another girl from Vancouver. All the backgrounds are so diverse and it is so coll to meet so many different people. We had to say why we chose the class, and I said that I was really into Korean music and how my family went to the Korean Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl last year and this year. Dr. Lee asked which artist was my favorite and I said Dong Bang Shin Gi (and I heard some ooooohhhh - LOL). She asked me to explain them to the people who don't know them. There is so much to learn----everyone is going to be leaning something new.

Dr. Oh's class was next. It's great, but it will be a lot of work (40 pages to read already tonight!). There are 4 people including me, 2 people for whom English is not their native language.

My Korean language class is really good, too. I'm learning tons.

Friday we go on a field trip to see a show called "Ballerina loves a B-boy" -- it's breakdancing and ballet.

Ewha is great. I love it here :)

Off to Ewha

Left Syracuse this morning...got to O'Hare, got from terminal 3 to Terminal 5 and boarded Korean Air flight. more once I arrive in Seoul.

Courses

I will be taking three courses: 

1. Understanding Hallyu: Globalization and Nationalism in Korean Popular Culture

2. Asian-American Representation in U.S. Media

3. Korean Language Level I

Getting Ready

I will be leaving for Ewha Women's University on Friday June 20.....less than 1 week away!