I have never had a real reason to buy an mp3 player. But I will be on the move almost constantly for the next six months; I now have my reason. Within hours of my purchase of an Apple iPod 80gig Classic, I discover Keith has received a Microsoft Zune for Christmas. After suggesting we bring our machines and have them battle to the death (plus internet research later) I discovered the following:
Same price, same hard drive space, same audio quality, basically same set of features, same weight and overall size.
Zune screen is much larger.
iPod battery lasts a lot longer.
Zune accepts more video formats.
Zune only works on PCs and noticed that software only runs on Vista. iPod works on both platforms and all OS versions. Noting also that my music is primarily on a Mac and it sorted on that Mac, iPod wins here.
Zune does not recognize DRM copyright protection meaning you can legally purchase music but will not have the ability to play it.
Zune requires software hacking to accept Unicode. When trying display a non-Roman based alphabet the words show up as squares or as gibberish instead of the correct letters or characters. What this means is I will not be able to read any of the song names of my Asian music; which is almost all of it.
If you are curious what your computer can read and what it can't click on any of the following links to see if there is Asian script or a bunch of small boxes:
Test Korean
Test Japanese
Test Chinese Simplified
If Unicode is not supported then it also means I will have a really hard time getting a Zune repaired anywhere in Asia, meanwhile there are a number of Apple Authorized Resellers in multiple Asian countries. The warranty reason alone is worth me keeping the iPod and the Unicode reason really hammers it home.
End result: I am really happy with what I bought and don't feel any regret~^____^ v
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Back In the US
Christmas Eve - Finished packing bags and my room. Left Nonsan around 1pm, arrive Yongsan Station around 4, Myeondong at 7, met friend at 8, dinner 8:30, Namsan Tower, arrived at apartment at 1 am.
Christmas Day - Woke up 7:30, shower and breakfast, airport bus to Incheon, reorganized suitcases, grabbed a dounut and drank my water bottle dry before they could confiscate it and later refilled it (3x during the trip), left Korea 12 noon, arrived in Japan, Immigration and Customs with only one shoulder bag: "Um, is that all you have?" asked Customs, left the airport, exchanged currency, strolled around some more, bought a few items, airplane left 45 minutes late, arrived in LAX, Immigrations and Customs, freshened up in bathroom, met Grandpa for lunch 11:30 am, rode home, fell asleep around 5:30 pm, woke up 1 am.
I came back knowing I will return to Korea in two weeks. That combined with sitting around Nonsan for 3 days with nothing to do, has allowed me to mentially prepare myself for the return. Returning from Yonsei I went through heavy reverse culture shock. This time around I feel more prepared and, do I say I feel very American right now?
Christmas Day - Woke up 7:30, shower and breakfast, airport bus to Incheon, reorganized suitcases, grabbed a dounut and drank my water bottle dry before they could confiscate it and later refilled it (3x during the trip), left Korea 12 noon, arrived in Japan, Immigration and Customs with only one shoulder bag: "Um, is that all you have?" asked Customs, left the airport, exchanged currency, strolled around some more, bought a few items, airplane left 45 minutes late, arrived in LAX, Immigrations and Customs, freshened up in bathroom, met Grandpa for lunch 11:30 am, rode home, fell asleep around 5:30 pm, woke up 1 am.
I came back knowing I will return to Korea in two weeks. That combined with sitting around Nonsan for 3 days with nothing to do, has allowed me to mentially prepare myself for the return. Returning from Yonsei I went through heavy reverse culture shock. This time around I feel more prepared and, do I say I feel very American right now?
Friday, December 21, 2007
The Other Side of the Coin
I mentioned some of the good things about being foreign but I left out some of the bad things of being foreign. Life can be very hard for foreigners in any country, that is pretty standard fair. A lack of communication, racism, getting charged more for things; these can all be very common things.
I really haven't had much of a problem with racism. In East-Asian countries (read not Southeast Asian countries - I don't know about those) it is a good thing to be white. The Korean people are usually very kind and I have found very willing to help in a number of circumstances. As I have found out it is not as good to be brown or black in this country.
Getting charged more for items, yeah it happens on occasion. Truth is you can normally tell when it is going on and if you are careful it won't happen much. Truth is this, as are all the other items, happens to foreigners in all countries.
Lack of communication is the biggest problem for myself. Between cultural assumptions and me not hearing everything, I get skipped on a fair amount of information. Korean being a language I can speak some of, I can do all of the necessary things; I can buy soap, I can get a taxi, I can buy train tickets a week ahead of time, etc. But having a real conversation with real thoughts, can be awfully hard to come by. As I recently had, I needed to have a conversation with an individual about a very important issue and spent around an hour only to find myself unsuccessful. I had to call a friend who intervened on my behalf and was able to get everything taken care of and translated back to me in about 10 minutes. Situations like that make you feel helpless and very needy.
I really haven't had much of a problem with racism. In East-Asian countries (read not Southeast Asian countries - I don't know about those) it is a good thing to be white. The Korean people are usually very kind and I have found very willing to help in a number of circumstances. As I have found out it is not as good to be brown or black in this country.
Getting charged more for items, yeah it happens on occasion. Truth is you can normally tell when it is going on and if you are careful it won't happen much. Truth is this, as are all the other items, happens to foreigners in all countries.
Lack of communication is the biggest problem for myself. Between cultural assumptions and me not hearing everything, I get skipped on a fair amount of information. Korean being a language I can speak some of, I can do all of the necessary things; I can buy soap, I can get a taxi, I can buy train tickets a week ahead of time, etc. But having a real conversation with real thoughts, can be awfully hard to come by. As I recently had, I needed to have a conversation with an individual about a very important issue and spent around an hour only to find myself unsuccessful. I had to call a friend who intervened on my behalf and was able to get everything taken care of and translated back to me in about 10 minutes. Situations like that make you feel helpless and very needy.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Salvation Army
I was getting ready to ride the subway and I heard a familiar ringing sound off to the side. I had forgotten that this is the time of the year for the bell ringers to come out and generally gather in the subways, as per better temperatures.
Don't have cash on you? Not a problem~ use your subway card or debit card.
Don't have a debit card but have an audio book? Not a problem~you can drop off your book as well.
When Dad had visited we saw a group gathering around a stage. I've never know the group to have a band or two. Turns out the Salvation Army has a pretty strong presence in this country since 1908 when they first arrived.
Doing some quick searching I found some old pictures showing those familiar buckets being passed around and being used in the city. Everything from food kitchens in the city to those for kids at a school. Found a school in a remote area and then with some newer uniforms and sending the kids marching off to school. Mobile Clinic~ Making and repairing clothes~ And a cute little picture to finish it off.
Don't have cash on you? Not a problem~ use your subway card or debit card.
Don't have a debit card but have an audio book? Not a problem~you can drop off your book as well.
When Dad had visited we saw a group gathering around a stage. I've never know the group to have a band or two. Turns out the Salvation Army has a pretty strong presence in this country since 1908 when they first arrived.
Doing some quick searching I found some old pictures showing those familiar buckets being passed around and being used in the city. Everything from food kitchens in the city to those for kids at a school. Found a school in a remote area and then with some newer uniforms and sending the kids marching off to school. Mobile Clinic~ Making and repairing clothes~ And a cute little picture to finish it off.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Foreigners
Sometimes it can really be benifitual to be a foreigner in Asia. This is not always true as there is the occasion where it is a negative thing (ask me about drunks on trains :) I still stumble with the language but despite that people don't expect me to understand the language or the culture. I've been taught by several people outside of this country that, for an example, if you get pulled over simply speak in English and speak it really fast. For the officer it will not be worth the trouble and you can usually get away with it.
Now I haven't been pulled over seeing how I haven't driven here yet, but I have had other examples.
The school started a campaign that on Wednesday everyone needs to clean their plate; no food trash allowed. Well my first Wednesday that this program started, no one told me about what I need to do. So despite them telling me no and rejecting my tray, I didn't understand what was going on and they took it anyway.
Another time I went back for seconds so I could have a midnight snack. It looked like they were telling me I shouldn't or wasn't allowed to, or something along those lines. But I honestly didn't understand and after a moments pause they gave me seconds ^^
Sometimes when kids get punished they have kitchen duty which includes serving food. One of the sophomore students (aka not in my class) was serving and I wanted more food. It took a minute for him to understand (with me talking in Korean) that I wanted more food. He had a look on his face like he wanted to tell me something; like he should give me a reason not to give me more food. But he discovered it was easier to give me more food than it was to try and explain in English. I got the food I wanted :)
ㅋㅋㅋ *Happy~*
Now I haven't been pulled over seeing how I haven't driven here yet, but I have had other examples.
The school started a campaign that on Wednesday everyone needs to clean their plate; no food trash allowed. Well my first Wednesday that this program started, no one told me about what I need to do. So despite them telling me no and rejecting my tray, I didn't understand what was going on and they took it anyway.
Another time I went back for seconds so I could have a midnight snack. It looked like they were telling me I shouldn't or wasn't allowed to, or something along those lines. But I honestly didn't understand and after a moments pause they gave me seconds ^^
Sometimes when kids get punished they have kitchen duty which includes serving food. One of the sophomore students (aka not in my class) was serving and I wanted more food. It took a minute for him to understand (with me talking in Korean) that I wanted more food. He had a look on his face like he wanted to tell me something; like he should give me a reason not to give me more food. But he discovered it was easier to give me more food than it was to try and explain in English. I got the food I wanted :)
ㅋㅋㅋ *Happy~*
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Translation Styles
I have noticed there are two main ways to translate things; the first being literal 'word for word' translations and the other being 'sentence for sentence.'
The first one is the worse of the two. Languages are not all the same, that is why they can be such a pain going from one to the other.
Korean and English have completely different sentence structures. Example:
Korean: 내일 난 학교에 갈게요.
English: Tomorrow I school to the will go.
I have seen a number of subtitled movies and a few time it is in this method. This is also what happens when you translate subtitles using a translation program. Despite it looking odd this can actually be really benefitual if I am trying to learn the language; I can see how it flows and how it thinks.
The other method is 'sentence for sentence' or 'thought for thought.' The structure may have to change, the words used may have to be changed, but the thoughts get across; which is the point of translating.
Korean: 내일 학교 가요.
English (word for word): Tomorrow school go.
English (thought for thought) Tomorrow I will go to school.
If someone does not know another language needs more or less (or different words) then they might change the structure, but the words will be misleading.
-Korean in a group society, so words like "my" "I" "me" are not really used. So in many sentences the subject is dropped; in English you cannot do this.
-English needs the tenses to be correct, Korean is more lax. In English you must use verbs in the future tense even though you have already stated it will be in the future ("tomorrow," "next week"). But in Korean, if you have already told the person "next week..." you don't need to conjugate the verb to the future tense; they already know it is in the future.
Another example of how literal translations can be misleading is what responce will a person have when they do not understand. In Korean, if you do not understand what someone is saying and you want them to repeat it, you simply say "yes?" This can really be a problem when, to English speakers, it sounds like the person agreed with me (by stating "yes") when really they were trying to tell me they didn't hear me.
"Okay" has really bugged me until I understood how Koreans use this word. In English it can be used as a form of confirmation or if things are good they are 'okay.' Examples:
"Are you okay?" "Is the food okay?" "My head feels okay now."
In Korean "okay" is used also as "yes." Example:
Rick: So you saw a movie last weekend?
Student: Okay!
This really confused me as students used "okay" = "yes."
I may not be in a Korean Language class or studying vocab as hard as I should be, but I am learning alot about how the language works~
The first one is the worse of the two. Languages are not all the same, that is why they can be such a pain going from one to the other.
Korean and English have completely different sentence structures. Example:
Korean: 내일 난 학교에 갈게요.
English: Tomorrow I school to the will go.
I have seen a number of subtitled movies and a few time it is in this method. This is also what happens when you translate subtitles using a translation program. Despite it looking odd this can actually be really benefitual if I am trying to learn the language; I can see how it flows and how it thinks.
The other method is 'sentence for sentence' or 'thought for thought.' The structure may have to change, the words used may have to be changed, but the thoughts get across; which is the point of translating.
Korean: 내일 학교 가요.
English (word for word): Tomorrow school go.
English (thought for thought) Tomorrow I will go to school.
If someone does not know another language needs more or less (or different words) then they might change the structure, but the words will be misleading.
-Korean in a group society, so words like "my" "I" "me" are not really used. So in many sentences the subject is dropped; in English you cannot do this.
-English needs the tenses to be correct, Korean is more lax. In English you must use verbs in the future tense even though you have already stated it will be in the future ("tomorrow," "next week"). But in Korean, if you have already told the person "next week..." you don't need to conjugate the verb to the future tense; they already know it is in the future.
Another example of how literal translations can be misleading is what responce will a person have when they do not understand. In Korean, if you do not understand what someone is saying and you want them to repeat it, you simply say "yes?" This can really be a problem when, to English speakers, it sounds like the person agreed with me (by stating "yes") when really they were trying to tell me they didn't hear me.
"Okay" has really bugged me until I understood how Koreans use this word. In English it can be used as a form of confirmation or if things are good they are 'okay.' Examples:
"Are you okay?" "Is the food okay?" "My head feels okay now."
In Korean "okay" is used also as "yes." Example:
Rick: So you saw a movie last weekend?
Student: Okay!
This really confused me as students used "okay" = "yes."
I may not be in a Korean Language class or studying vocab as hard as I should be, but I am learning alot about how the language works~
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Snow~
The second snow of the season didn't last as long as the first. The first stayed the night and the second had too small of flakes to last.
The temperature is perfect for snow as ice on the field can now support the weight of students or myself. Also the stairs are starting to get iced over. We'll see who gets hurt first...
The temperature is perfect for snow as ice on the field can now support the weight of students or myself. Also the stairs are starting to get iced over. We'll see who gets hurt first...
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Christmas Season
It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Korea. The Myeondong area in Seoul is looking quite nice. I was told it looks a bit like New York; I will leave that to the people who have been to the city, as I have not. Even the trees look pretty right now. This is what it looked like at the end of my study abroad. One of my last memories is with Kevin with the city decked out.
Next we found a cool displace outside of a mall; it was Christmas around the world. You could see Japan, China, Korea, France (the soldier looks eastern European to me), The United States, and even The North Pole.
Just a few weeks until Christmas~
Next we found a cool displace outside of a mall; it was Christmas around the world. You could see Japan, China, Korea, France (the soldier looks eastern European to me), The United States, and even The North Pole.
Just a few weeks until Christmas~
Monday, November 26, 2007
As Simple as Toast
I was asked by someone recently "what is the difference between toast and sandwiches?"
Well in the West you usually get toast with butter and strawberry or blueberry jam; simple.
But I noticed about five months ago I walked by a place called Isaac Toast which sells slushes, ice cream, bagels, a few sandwiches, and 31 kinds of toast. Well, what can you get on toast? I asked this to my class and they replied: butter, strawberry jam, blueberry jam, kiwi, sweet potato, ham, bacon, turkey, chicken, several kinds of cheese, beef or steak, lettuce, cabbage, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sweet cream (difference than butter), kimchee, pickles, onions, tomatoes, various sauces that are unique to Isaac Toast, eggs (and Koreans love eggs might I add), chocolate, or french fries.
Not to mention you could also get salt, pepper, various kinds of oils, green peppers, green onions, korean chili peppers, mango, carrots, strawberry, pineapple, banana, or apples on your toast.
No wonder they were having a hard time discerning toast from sandwiches.
Thanks to Carissa as well who introduced me to Indonesian style toast which has several layers of condensed milk and Dutch chocolate sprinkles. Oh my~
Well in the West you usually get toast with butter and strawberry or blueberry jam; simple.
But I noticed about five months ago I walked by a place called Isaac Toast which sells slushes, ice cream, bagels, a few sandwiches, and 31 kinds of toast. Well, what can you get on toast? I asked this to my class and they replied: butter, strawberry jam, blueberry jam, kiwi, sweet potato, ham, bacon, turkey, chicken, several kinds of cheese, beef or steak, lettuce, cabbage, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sweet cream (difference than butter), kimchee, pickles, onions, tomatoes, various sauces that are unique to Isaac Toast, eggs (and Koreans love eggs might I add), chocolate, or french fries.
Not to mention you could also get salt, pepper, various kinds of oils, green peppers, green onions, korean chili peppers, mango, carrots, strawberry, pineapple, banana, or apples on your toast.
No wonder they were having a hard time discerning toast from sandwiches.
Thanks to Carissa as well who introduced me to Indonesian style toast which has several layers of condensed milk and Dutch chocolate sprinkles. Oh my~
Sunday, November 25, 2007
School Festival II
One of the funnest things of the festival was the outside fair. My biggest complaint is they wanted to sell us food to eat right after finishing lunch....
But anyways there were muffins, cheese balls, candy canes, and what is that? Tortilla chips?
French toast, chocolate cookies, yogurt, and cherry Coke (Coke mixed with Kool Aid and actually pretty good for a few sips). Not to mention the cookies with names and words written on them. I must admit it was a great marketing idea to put "I love Han Teacher" on a cookie or "MiYoung and GyeongShin" on a heart shaped cookie.
The tortilla chips and the Churros can be purchased from Costco. The toaster oven cooking method + frying pan proved to be an interesting combo.
There was also boiled fish as well as chicken on a stick with optional cheese (really good). Turn the corner and you see various small candies, dumplings (pan fried or steamed) and bread with honey inside. The 'dalkona' was really good as well. You take sugar and melt it over an open flame, mix in coffee or green tea if you like, and then pour it out and make it into shapes if you wish.
Walk around a little more and you can get your face painted or you could toss water balloons. Or how about the classic hammering nails into wood?
Surprisingly there was a boxing ring. Several of the teachers got into the ring and as you can see really got into it.
And do you remember that arcade game where you got the rubber mallet and had to hit the things that popped up? Hehehehehe And don't worry, the kids were fine.
On the last night of the festival there was the Dress Party. Now there is nothing like the Prom in Korean culture, so this was huge for the students. They kept telling me this has to be one of the first dress parties at a high school in Korea, ever.
Not really feeling it, I decided to pass until I found out that all of the teachers were dressing in student uniforms. Oh alright, I'm in. This was the first time I have ever worn a student uniform and I found it comfortable. And as you can see not all of the students dressed up really formal. In this end this was the highlight of the festival. I had a lot of fun that night.
But anyways there were muffins, cheese balls, candy canes, and what is that? Tortilla chips?
French toast, chocolate cookies, yogurt, and cherry Coke (Coke mixed with Kool Aid and actually pretty good for a few sips). Not to mention the cookies with names and words written on them. I must admit it was a great marketing idea to put "I love Han Teacher" on a cookie or "MiYoung and GyeongShin" on a heart shaped cookie.
The tortilla chips and the Churros can be purchased from Costco. The toaster oven cooking method + frying pan proved to be an interesting combo.
There was also boiled fish as well as chicken on a stick with optional cheese (really good). Turn the corner and you see various small candies, dumplings (pan fried or steamed) and bread with honey inside. The 'dalkona' was really good as well. You take sugar and melt it over an open flame, mix in coffee or green tea if you like, and then pour it out and make it into shapes if you wish.
Walk around a little more and you can get your face painted or you could toss water balloons. Or how about the classic hammering nails into wood?
Surprisingly there was a boxing ring. Several of the teachers got into the ring and as you can see really got into it.
And do you remember that arcade game where you got the rubber mallet and had to hit the things that popped up? Hehehehehe And don't worry, the kids were fine.
On the last night of the festival there was the Dress Party. Now there is nothing like the Prom in Korean culture, so this was huge for the students. They kept telling me this has to be one of the first dress parties at a high school in Korea, ever.
Not really feeling it, I decided to pass until I found out that all of the teachers were dressing in student uniforms. Oh alright, I'm in. This was the first time I have ever worn a student uniform and I found it comfortable. And as you can see not all of the students dressed up really formal. In this end this was the highlight of the festival. I had a lot of fun that night.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
School Festival I
In Korean culture there is a school festival once a year. This applies to high schools, universities, and possibly junior highs. It is normally one day, all day, with a lot of buildup and time prepping. Our school had ours over a four day span, which felt kind of long.
There were various games of basketball, a kickball competition, and what sports day is complete without multiple rounds of soccer? Notice the black shirts have different characters on the backs so they can spell out things.
The multi-purpose room was decked out quite nicely (although the light crew was amateurish when it came to controlling their lights). It did bring back happy memories of JPS and the various gigs in LA~ A number of parents came for the events bringing along children and siblings. The stage held a number of performances by the students including singing and dancing numbers.
Construction will begin soon on the new building, and with so many parents staying a few nights, it only made sense to hold a groundbreaking ceremony. The ribbon was cut and scoops of dirt were shoveled out by literally everyone and their brother as they encouraged people to come out and take a shovelful.
Among the many posters and signs advertising the various events, one in particular applies to me. Students in teams of 4 would have to give me hints about a secret word, using only English, and I had to guess what they were talking about. Turned out to be pretty fun.
Coffee shop was nice. The staff was fun and the menu was nicely made. I have only had rose tea once before and mixing it with doupookie from a different snack shop didn't improve the taste.
On the next to last evening they held a bonfire. I took a few pictures and was really suprised how well this fire picture turned out. Towards the end sweet potatoes wrapped in tin foil were tossed in. Upon retrieving these goodies the students discovered the abilities of soot and soon began tagging everyone they could. The Chinese teacher got it the worst. And I think mine turned out pretty funny.
There were various games of basketball, a kickball competition, and what sports day is complete without multiple rounds of soccer? Notice the black shirts have different characters on the backs so they can spell out things.
The multi-purpose room was decked out quite nicely (although the light crew was amateurish when it came to controlling their lights). It did bring back happy memories of JPS and the various gigs in LA~ A number of parents came for the events bringing along children and siblings. The stage held a number of performances by the students including singing and dancing numbers.
Construction will begin soon on the new building, and with so many parents staying a few nights, it only made sense to hold a groundbreaking ceremony. The ribbon was cut and scoops of dirt were shoveled out by literally everyone and their brother as they encouraged people to come out and take a shovelful.
Among the many posters and signs advertising the various events, one in particular applies to me. Students in teams of 4 would have to give me hints about a secret word, using only English, and I had to guess what they were talking about. Turned out to be pretty fun.
Coffee shop was nice. The staff was fun and the menu was nicely made. I have only had rose tea once before and mixing it with doupookie from a different snack shop didn't improve the taste.
On the next to last evening they held a bonfire. I took a few pictures and was really suprised how well this fire picture turned out. Towards the end sweet potatoes wrapped in tin foil were tossed in. Upon retrieving these goodies the students discovered the abilities of soot and soon began tagging everyone they could. The Chinese teacher got it the worst. And I think mine turned out pretty funny.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Evening Adventure
I have developed a saying in the last few months; "Every day in Korea, my life is an adventure." I usually say this about once a week when something strange happens or when something catches me off guard. Tonight, it was ADT.
The internet wasn't working in my room so I went to the Teacher Room to finish my lesson plans and surf the web. Most of the teachers don't have their own computer as they have access in this room whenever they want for free.
I was the last one out, locked everything up, set the alarm and the locks, and went outside to change my shoes when all of a sudden the alarm went off. Turns out one of the doors that looked closed was off just enough to trigger the alarm.
I got to it with 10 seconds and was about to leave again when the landline started ringing. Figuring it was one of the staff I picked it up and started the conversation off in English; so they would know it was me. However, much to my suprise, it was ADT - the security company.
Considering how fast this all went down I am proud of myself to get out "Hello. I made a mistake.... I'm a foreigner and I don't speak Korean very well.... I am alone in the office... Yes, this is the right number. Yes this is the school in question..... Hang on a second..." and tried to call someone who I knew would be up. My friend did not pick up and I found out our security guy on the other line gave up. At this point he knew enough to know it was a mistake and also knew enough that there was going to be nothing more he could get out of me.
I've passed word on to the powers that be and now I'm going to bed. Night~
The internet wasn't working in my room so I went to the Teacher Room to finish my lesson plans and surf the web. Most of the teachers don't have their own computer as they have access in this room whenever they want for free.
I was the last one out, locked everything up, set the alarm and the locks, and went outside to change my shoes when all of a sudden the alarm went off. Turns out one of the doors that looked closed was off just enough to trigger the alarm.
I got to it with 10 seconds and was about to leave again when the landline started ringing. Figuring it was one of the staff I picked it up and started the conversation off in English; so they would know it was me. However, much to my suprise, it was ADT - the security company.
Considering how fast this all went down I am proud of myself to get out "Hello. I made a mistake.... I'm a foreigner and I don't speak Korean very well.... I am alone in the office... Yes, this is the right number. Yes this is the school in question..... Hang on a second..." and tried to call someone who I knew would be up. My friend did not pick up and I found out our security guy on the other line gave up. At this point he knew enough to know it was a mistake and also knew enough that there was going to be nothing more he could get out of me.
I've passed word on to the powers that be and now I'm going to bed. Night~
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Lost in Translation
I have heard before that certain things just don't translate from one language to another. The first example of this I saw was at a church service on Yonsei University's campus. There were three of us foreigners each with UN style earphones getting a translation of the church sermon. Then the translator stopped translating for several minutes. When she stated to speak again she apologized and told us the sermon example from taken from a funny story involving miscommunication due to dialects differences within the peninsula and there simply was no way to accurately translate the story.
The next year I saw a word written in Japanese and asked my Japanese speaking friend what it meant. He said "you know when it is autumn and you are sitting in a pagoda enjoying the scenery? What is the word for that in English?" He was dead serious as that was ONE Single Word in Japanese to describe all of that.
As I am learning Korean I have learned some of the words that just don't translate into English. These are the more enjoyable ones:
내숭 (Nae sung) - False shyness (used to be cute). There is a equivalent to this in Chinese as well.
아저씨 (Ah jo shee) - An old man. Not a negative word, simply stating the truth in a respectful way. Whole lot nicer than saying "Gramps" or "Hey Grandpa!" in English.
아줌마 (Ah ju ma) or 아주머니 (Ah ju mo nee) - An old woman. Koreans will say there are three kinds of people: men, women, and ahgeemas. These ladies are often crass and very blunt sometimes with a cackle for a laugh. Not a negative word if used for women who are actually old.
애교 (Ae kyo) - A girl who acts really cute toward her boyfriend.
오빠 (Oh pa) - A term that girls will use for an older guy. He could be her brother, cousin, boyfriend, or even husband. There are a lot of flirty elements with this word; it's all in how you use it.
꾀병 (Kae byong) - Fake sickness to get out of class.
남남 북녀 (Nam nam bok nyo) - This is a play on words which means "In the South (Korea) it is the men who are handsome and in the North (Korea) it is the women."
The next year I saw a word written in Japanese and asked my Japanese speaking friend what it meant. He said "you know when it is autumn and you are sitting in a pagoda enjoying the scenery? What is the word for that in English?" He was dead serious as that was ONE Single Word in Japanese to describe all of that.
As I am learning Korean I have learned some of the words that just don't translate into English. These are the more enjoyable ones:
내숭 (Nae sung) - False shyness (used to be cute). There is a equivalent to this in Chinese as well.
아저씨 (Ah jo shee) - An old man. Not a negative word, simply stating the truth in a respectful way. Whole lot nicer than saying "Gramps" or "Hey Grandpa!" in English.
아줌마 (Ah ju ma) or 아주머니 (Ah ju mo nee) - An old woman. Koreans will say there are three kinds of people: men, women, and ahgeemas. These ladies are often crass and very blunt sometimes with a cackle for a laugh. Not a negative word if used for women who are actually old.
애교 (Ae kyo) - A girl who acts really cute toward her boyfriend.
오빠 (Oh pa) - A term that girls will use for an older guy. He could be her brother, cousin, boyfriend, or even husband. There are a lot of flirty elements with this word; it's all in how you use it.
꾀병 (Kae byong) - Fake sickness to get out of class.
남남 북녀 (Nam nam bok nyo) - This is a play on words which means "In the South (Korea) it is the men who are handsome and in the North (Korea) it is the women."
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Dare You To Imitate Me
Since I am not enrolled in a Korean Language Class currently, I am learning the language through listening and asking questions with vocab to supplement. I am learning new info as well as refining information I have learned before.
The Korean Language always has a flat tone (unlike Chinese, thank you God) unless you are asking a "yes / no" question; then and only then will your tone go upwards at the end of the sentence. I have been told my accent and pronunciation is good except in this area. When I am happy or getting excited I often raise my tone at the end of the sentence.
This obviously stands out as kind of odd. Henceforth when people imitate me they will raise their tone at the end of the sentence. I usually don't understand that they are teasing me and will get kind of excited: "I was right! They are raising their tone! I do that too!" >_<'
Another way people imitate me is by saying 아마도 (maybe) as I often say that word. It is best combined with a raised tone~
Third example I caught in class last week. I was asking the students a cultural question and before I could respond one student very quietly whispered "that's interesting" before the words had a chance to leave my lips. I had to reply, I had to let him know I heard. I made eye contact and replied "you're right, it is interesting." ㅋㅋ
The last really distinctive thing I do is my style of laugh. I have yet to hear people try to copy that :) And I double dare you to try ^^
The Korean Language always has a flat tone (unlike Chinese, thank you God) unless you are asking a "yes / no" question; then and only then will your tone go upwards at the end of the sentence. I have been told my accent and pronunciation is good except in this area. When I am happy or getting excited I often raise my tone at the end of the sentence.
This obviously stands out as kind of odd. Henceforth when people imitate me they will raise their tone at the end of the sentence. I usually don't understand that they are teasing me and will get kind of excited: "I was right! They are raising their tone! I do that too!" >_<'
Another way people imitate me is by saying 아마도 (maybe) as I often say that word. It is best combined with a raised tone~
Third example I caught in class last week. I was asking the students a cultural question and before I could respond one student very quietly whispered "that's interesting" before the words had a chance to leave my lips. I had to reply, I had to let him know I heard. I made eye contact and replied "you're right, it is interesting." ㅋㅋ
The last really distinctive thing I do is my style of laugh. I have yet to hear people try to copy that :) And I double dare you to try ^^
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Dollars and Cents
I have always bought airplane tickets through a travel agent or through a website. The latter of the two is where the cheaper tickets are which is why I shop online. I know the Christmas season is pricey for traveling international but $1,855 for a ticket? That's a bit excessive. Especially when I found out, via MiYoung, that I could buy the same ticket for around $1,100 (1,150,000 Won) after tax. I also found that if I had a few more days off and done this about a month ago, I could have flown for around $700.
I'll take my ticket for $750 cheaper than US websites offer, thank you.
I have known for awhile that the value of the Won is getting stronger. The amount of Won you can buy with a Dollar has been decreasing (in favor of the Koreans) for years. This has been a bummer for me going from Dollars -> Won, but now that my paycheck is coming in as Won, I am smiling all the way to the bank. That coupled with the fact that the value of the Dollar is decreasing, and I realize the paycheck is getting a little more valuable each month, which gets me that much closer to paying off my student loans.
I'll take my ticket for $750 cheaper than US websites offer, thank you.
I have known for awhile that the value of the Won is getting stronger. The amount of Won you can buy with a Dollar has been decreasing (in favor of the Koreans) for years. This has been a bummer for me going from Dollars -> Won, but now that my paycheck is coming in as Won, I am smiling all the way to the bank. That coupled with the fact that the value of the Dollar is decreasing, and I realize the paycheck is getting a little more valuable each month, which gets me that much closer to paying off my student loans.
Monday, November 5, 2007
In Class
I could not pass up this opportunity. The computer in this classroom has a virus so I am playing a song from my laptop and into a guitar amp. I am literally teaching class right now and posting on my blog at the same time. I don't think I will get this chance again soon. At least I sure hope not.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
"All Good Things"
The biggest adjustment has been flexibility. In the US I was quite flexible as I found things changing in my jobs in LA had changes all the time. I never found myself stressed as I was paid by the hour, overtime is nice, and as long as I am on the clock they have all rights for me to work; I'm cool with that.
Asian ideas of schedules are drastically different from that of the West; all things are subject to change. I don't mind this as long as I know things have changed. But finding out hours or days later than everyone else is not exactly okay. I've raised this point several times recently but it has yet to stick.
What has really brought me peace on this issue is that other teacher's are often caught off guard as well. It truly has.
My boss told me it was on the board outside as well as the announcement this morning and a week ago. And things like an announcement on the PA are helpful. Helpful for almost everyone. As are notes on the board; as long as I can understand enough words of it or grab someone to help me understand if it looks important.
I felt rather brass asking him if my job (description) included understand the notes written in Korean posted outside of our office.
Going from two classes to four classes and finding out the late morning of....grrrr
Dizmas helped me get most of it out of my system, but there is still a bit left.
I think for today I will be using the song "All Good Things" by Nelly Furtado....I just need to make a lesson out of it in the next 20 minutes.
By order of my boss it is now up to the people who make the schedules to tell me when they have changed it. hehehehe (wondering if/when she is going to hear since she is not here right now)
Update: The day turned for the best as I was about to go to class I heard an announcement. Purely in Korean (that's fine) but I was in the bathroom so I couldn't hear it. I figured I might as well ask someone and found out the next class (my first class) is canceled as there is a meeting for the school festival. Had a great laugh over the irony of this and happy I still have a sense of humorㅋㅋㅋ I'm going to ride my bike and then hit lunch.
Asian ideas of schedules are drastically different from that of the West; all things are subject to change. I don't mind this as long as I know things have changed. But finding out hours or days later than everyone else is not exactly okay. I've raised this point several times recently but it has yet to stick.
What has really brought me peace on this issue is that other teacher's are often caught off guard as well. It truly has.
My boss told me it was on the board outside as well as the announcement this morning and a week ago. And things like an announcement on the PA are helpful. Helpful for almost everyone. As are notes on the board; as long as I can understand enough words of it or grab someone to help me understand if it looks important.
I felt rather brass asking him if my job (description) included understand the notes written in Korean posted outside of our office.
Going from two classes to four classes and finding out the late morning of....grrrr
Dizmas helped me get most of it out of my system, but there is still a bit left.
I think for today I will be using the song "All Good Things" by Nelly Furtado....I just need to make a lesson out of it in the next 20 minutes.
By order of my boss it is now up to the people who make the schedules to tell me when they have changed it. hehehehe (wondering if/when she is going to hear since she is not here right now)
Update: The day turned for the best as I was about to go to class I heard an announcement. Purely in Korean (that's fine) but I was in the bathroom so I couldn't hear it. I figured I might as well ask someone and found out the next class (my first class) is canceled as there is a meeting for the school festival. Had a great laugh over the irony of this and happy I still have a sense of humorㅋㅋㅋ I'm going to ride my bike and then hit lunch.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Showers of Surprise
I figured that studying Korean culture off and on for seven years would mean I am no longer suprised by things. I am think that I would already know all of the differences between Korean and American culture. The biggest surprise this time around has been the shattering of this belief.
This last weekend I stayed with some close friends down in Busan. As it is getting late they, being the wonderful hosts that they are, offer me the first shower. I brush teeth, wash face, and use the toilet; all of my usual bedtime preparations. A few minutes after I return they discover that I, alas, have not taken a shower. A few weeks ago this group was smaller and I received suprised expressions but nothing beyond that. But now that I call one person in the group "big sister" and another person in the group "big brother," things are different; I have a deeper relationship with them than I did before.
Fast-forward 45 minutes and I have discovered that normal nighttime preparations always include washing your feet; this is a must. People sit on the floor, sleep on blankets on the floor, shoes are left by the door in a sunken area so the real floor of the house will not get dirty, in older days the woman of the house would daily clean the floor, sometimes have dinner or a snack sitting on the floor. As you can see the floor being clean is a very big issue. Even if you take a shower in the morning (like a good Westerner) it is a must to wash your feet at night so they are clean before they get into your bed.
I kind of feel proud that all of the big culture shock items I already know about and respect. I know all of the culture shock items on websites. I know all the culture shock items in books. I am now getting into the unspoken stuff. The things where Westerners never slip-up on because they never get this far into the culture. Honestly how many Americans do you know have spent multiple nights in a Korean's house? And even if they do make a mistake (like the feet thing) they must be in a very close relationship with the people for them to be that honest and open.
Goshdernit, I feel mighty proud~
This last weekend I stayed with some close friends down in Busan. As it is getting late they, being the wonderful hosts that they are, offer me the first shower. I brush teeth, wash face, and use the toilet; all of my usual bedtime preparations. A few minutes after I return they discover that I, alas, have not taken a shower. A few weeks ago this group was smaller and I received suprised expressions but nothing beyond that. But now that I call one person in the group "big sister" and another person in the group "big brother," things are different; I have a deeper relationship with them than I did before.
Fast-forward 45 minutes and I have discovered that normal nighttime preparations always include washing your feet; this is a must. People sit on the floor, sleep on blankets on the floor, shoes are left by the door in a sunken area so the real floor of the house will not get dirty, in older days the woman of the house would daily clean the floor, sometimes have dinner or a snack sitting on the floor. As you can see the floor being clean is a very big issue. Even if you take a shower in the morning (like a good Westerner) it is a must to wash your feet at night so they are clean before they get into your bed.
I kind of feel proud that all of the big culture shock items I already know about and respect. I know all of the culture shock items on websites. I know all the culture shock items in books. I am now getting into the unspoken stuff. The things where Westerners never slip-up on because they never get this far into the culture. Honestly how many Americans do you know have spent multiple nights in a Korean's house? And even if they do make a mistake (like the feet thing) they must be in a very close relationship with the people for them to be that honest and open.
Goshdernit, I feel mighty proud~
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
생일 축하합니다~
생일 축하합니다 생일 축하합니다
Blah blah blah 이차드~
생일 축하합니다~!
Today was my birthday and I had a blast. Breakfast was good, talked to family through the web for a few hours, finished a movie I started the night before, and because I don't have classes today I was able to do all of this pretty easily.
The rear wheel of my bike was out of alignment and it turned out to be an easy fix. Within 10 minutes I was off riding away and went farther than I had gone before. Path went to paved, dirt, paved, dirt (first time this far), paved bridge, dirt, little concrete as it dipped downhill into the stream with about 2" water, dirt, and then I had to turn around because the road was covered to tarps with rice drying. It is harvest season so I am seeing this all over the place.
At first I was hesitant to ride through the water, especially since the path was at such a downhill angle; I made 2 round trips. I felt like a little kid, it was such a blast. I know some people laugh when they hear my laugh; I've heard comments about it on 2 continents now :) But after going through the water I laughed like I have not laughed in years. It was so refreshing.
Ended the hour long bike ride just in time to get lunch in the cafeteria. Lunch was so good; bulgogi (barbecued beef) with fresh lettuce and steamed rice; which is one of my favorite dishes in Korea.
Now a few people had told me happy birthday that morning but nothing big had happened and I was wondering if something would. This was my second birthday outside of the US; the first was at Yonsei and my classmates took me out to pizza. Had like 7 countries represented at the table; it was wonderful.
Back to today, soon after I sat down with my food I heard a student start tapping out the birthday song on the piano - you know 'just practicing.' I hear a couple students say "birthday" behind me, real quiet like. Then the Chinese teacher and the RD stood up and starting singing me the birthday song in Chinese. Fun~
Someone hits the lights and a cake is brought out from the kitchen. Before I realize it all of the teachers and soon all of the students in the cafeteria start singing me happy birthday. The funny thing is I truly don't remember what language they were singing in ^^
The rest of the day has had random bursts of singing from groups of students; again in various languages. Gifts include cool fridge magnets, a pack of pomegranate gum, onion snack, persimmons, mandarins, candy bar, peach drink, and steamed bread.
download -> Utada Hikaru - MTV Unplugged "Parody" 7 megs
Update: I thought the day was over when I was given a few more gifts by friends and then told I could listen to a story at 10:50 on the 3rd floor (I get cryptic messages now and then so this did not raise any suspension ). At 10:50 I found the entire female student population crammed into one of the dorm hallways with a birthday cake of 'choco pies' (cookies in effect) with candles built in sitting on top of a box of cookies. They sang Happy Birthday to me in two languages, gave me a large bottle of corn tea, several energy drinks, and two handmade cards.
This has been my best birthday ever, period.
Blah blah blah 이차드~
생일 축하합니다~!
Today was my birthday and I had a blast. Breakfast was good, talked to family through the web for a few hours, finished a movie I started the night before, and because I don't have classes today I was able to do all of this pretty easily.
The rear wheel of my bike was out of alignment and it turned out to be an easy fix. Within 10 minutes I was off riding away and went farther than I had gone before. Path went to paved, dirt, paved, dirt (first time this far), paved bridge, dirt, little concrete as it dipped downhill into the stream with about 2" water, dirt, and then I had to turn around because the road was covered to tarps with rice drying. It is harvest season so I am seeing this all over the place.
At first I was hesitant to ride through the water, especially since the path was at such a downhill angle; I made 2 round trips. I felt like a little kid, it was such a blast. I know some people laugh when they hear my laugh; I've heard comments about it on 2 continents now :) But after going through the water I laughed like I have not laughed in years. It was so refreshing.
Ended the hour long bike ride just in time to get lunch in the cafeteria. Lunch was so good; bulgogi (barbecued beef) with fresh lettuce and steamed rice; which is one of my favorite dishes in Korea.
Now a few people had told me happy birthday that morning but nothing big had happened and I was wondering if something would. This was my second birthday outside of the US; the first was at Yonsei and my classmates took me out to pizza. Had like 7 countries represented at the table; it was wonderful.
Back to today, soon after I sat down with my food I heard a student start tapping out the birthday song on the piano - you know 'just practicing.' I hear a couple students say "birthday" behind me, real quiet like. Then the Chinese teacher and the RD stood up and starting singing me the birthday song in Chinese. Fun~
Someone hits the lights and a cake is brought out from the kitchen. Before I realize it all of the teachers and soon all of the students in the cafeteria start singing me happy birthday. The funny thing is I truly don't remember what language they were singing in ^^
The rest of the day has had random bursts of singing from groups of students; again in various languages. Gifts include cool fridge magnets, a pack of pomegranate gum, onion snack, persimmons, mandarins, candy bar, peach drink, and steamed bread.
download -> Utada Hikaru - MTV Unplugged "Parody" 7 megs
Update: I thought the day was over when I was given a few more gifts by friends and then told I could listen to a story at 10:50 on the 3rd floor (I get cryptic messages now and then so this did not raise any suspension ). At 10:50 I found the entire female student population crammed into one of the dorm hallways with a birthday cake of 'choco pies' (cookies in effect) with candles built in sitting on top of a box of cookies. They sang Happy Birthday to me in two languages, gave me a large bottle of corn tea, several energy drinks, and two handmade cards.
This has been my best birthday ever, period.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
English Room Opening
In Korea hiring a private tutor for an hour can cost between $25 ~ $50 an hour. So whenever people hear about an English Room or an English Zone (read: Free) they get excited. It is the opportunity to practice the language without having to pay dearly for it.
Our school has been talking about opening our own English Room for awhile and after getting a native speaker and pushing from the parents of the students, we have now opened the English Zone. We are holding a contest as well to get a better name for the room.
In certain countries you can measure the success of something by the pairs of shoes outside. For opening day we had a good turnout. With the guys on one side playing board games or other games and on the other side the girls were chatting and starting on a puzzle.
We've got a really good selection of various games, puzzles, movies, and soon will have a great selection of books.
For opening week MiYoung and myself will be manning the room every lunch and dinner. After the initial startup time we will each be manning the room only once a week.
Our school has been talking about opening our own English Room for awhile and after getting a native speaker and pushing from the parents of the students, we have now opened the English Zone. We are holding a contest as well to get a better name for the room.
In certain countries you can measure the success of something by the pairs of shoes outside. For opening day we had a good turnout. With the guys on one side playing board games or other games and on the other side the girls were chatting and starting on a puzzle.
We've got a really good selection of various games, puzzles, movies, and soon will have a great selection of books.
For opening week MiYoung and myself will be manning the room every lunch and dinner. After the initial startup time we will each be manning the room only once a week.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The Mandu Killer
There are plenty of food items which can translate from one language to another; rice, chopsticks, soy sauce, etc.
But there are even more things which have no English equivalent to them. Things like "nang myun" (cold noodles), "kimchee" (fermented cabbage in red chili peppers), and "doupookie" (thick slices of rice based noodles with spicy sauce and chunks of meat).
Certain things like "mandu" = "dumplings/pot stickers." I am not sure why but almost no one here has learned the word "dumpling" despite knowing the names for all other food products.
Keep in mind that Korean, like all other living languages, has a tendency to change over time. A lot of words and phrases from English have become Korean in recent years. The words translate but the meanings sometimes change. The word "killer," in Korean, means someone who devours a kind of food (great huh?).
My new nickname over lunch; ~The Mandu Killer~
I am thinking about putting that in the name slot for my room.
But there are even more things which have no English equivalent to them. Things like "nang myun" (cold noodles), "kimchee" (fermented cabbage in red chili peppers), and "doupookie" (thick slices of rice based noodles with spicy sauce and chunks of meat).
Certain things like "mandu" = "dumplings/pot stickers." I am not sure why but almost no one here has learned the word "dumpling" despite knowing the names for all other food products.
Keep in mind that Korean, like all other living languages, has a tendency to change over time. A lot of words and phrases from English have become Korean in recent years. The words translate but the meanings sometimes change. The word "killer," in Korean, means someone who devours a kind of food (great huh?).
My new nickname over lunch; ~The Mandu Killer~
I am thinking about putting that in the name slot for my room.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
YonGoJon
Seoul University is the undisputed top university in the nation. The 2nd and 3rd place spots are a bit more fuzzy. Yonsei University; where I was an exchange student, and Korean University; where I lived this last summer, are rival schools. Every year they meet for 5 different sporting games as a way of competition.
Yonsei University calls these games YonGoJon.
Korea (Goraeya) University calls these games GoYonJon.
We saw the soccer game which was in a large sports stadium south-east of the river. If my friends didn't tell me the details I would have missed the event. And after all it is a lot more fun to go with friends then to go alone.
Right before the game started they showed a bunch of videos teasing and taunting each other. These were hilarious. They included a number of well known actors and actresses promoting one school or the other. One of my favorite actresses was promoting the other side; so sad.
I had no idea our school had so many flag wavers. I say again, so many flag wavers. Everyone in the stands were doing choreographed dances. But there is no way that they flag wavers could lead the dances. Which is why each university had three stages set up for the main cheer squad leaders. Let's take a closer look at those costumes. And what about the competition, Korean University?
I grabbed some audio with the still camera so you can hear part of one of the cheers. And if the crowds were now as hyper as you wanted, simply set off some fireworks to liven things up.
The game ends and everyone heads towards the field to continue to dance and cheer. I noticed how tongue-in-cheek the rivilary was as conga lines of Korea Univ students were coming to our side. So for kicks we conga'd over to the other side as well, where we weren't exactly alone.
Yonsei's mascot is an eagle which Korea's is a tiger. The tiger costumes looked more like Tony The Tiger but Yonsei students call them kitties. So I got a picture with some of the Korea cats before heading over to Sinchon; the happening place near Yonsei University. Besides the dancing and break dancing in the streets, there was a stage set up with a concert going on. Tradition states that if you go to a store as a group and start chanting and cheering they will give you free food and drink.
Yonsei University calls these games YonGoJon.
Korea (Goraeya) University calls these games GoYonJon.
We saw the soccer game which was in a large sports stadium south-east of the river. If my friends didn't tell me the details I would have missed the event. And after all it is a lot more fun to go with friends then to go alone.
Right before the game started they showed a bunch of videos teasing and taunting each other. These were hilarious. They included a number of well known actors and actresses promoting one school or the other. One of my favorite actresses was promoting the other side; so sad.
I had no idea our school had so many flag wavers. I say again, so many flag wavers. Everyone in the stands were doing choreographed dances. But there is no way that they flag wavers could lead the dances. Which is why each university had three stages set up for the main cheer squad leaders. Let's take a closer look at those costumes. And what about the competition, Korean University?
I grabbed some audio with the still camera so you can hear part of one of the cheers. And if the crowds were now as hyper as you wanted, simply set off some fireworks to liven things up.
The game ends and everyone heads towards the field to continue to dance and cheer. I noticed how tongue-in-cheek the rivilary was as conga lines of Korea Univ students were coming to our side. So for kicks we conga'd over to the other side as well, where we weren't exactly alone.
Yonsei's mascot is an eagle which Korea's is a tiger. The tiger costumes looked more like Tony The Tiger but Yonsei students call them kitties. So I got a picture with some of the Korea cats before heading over to Sinchon; the happening place near Yonsei University. Besides the dancing and break dancing in the streets, there was a stage set up with a concert going on. Tradition states that if you go to a store as a group and start chanting and cheering they will give you free food and drink.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Japanese Adventure Part II
As night fell a crowd gathered around a small stage in the middle of the mall. They were from Sweden and, as all traveling Swedes do, began to play with fire. It almost looks like they are spelling out words. More fire. And finale.
And what trip to Japan is complete without seeing at least one robot roaming the streets?
Ate dinner late at a cheap priced restaurant. The food was really good.
I didn't have enough money so I had to hit an ATM. The problem was I got the exchange rate of Korean and Japan confused and instead of taking out $50 I took out $500; overdrawing my account.
Saw probably the only dryer in the city as dryers are mainly used only in America.
Cool bridge. And view of the inside. Which was connected to another mall. Complete with cute shirts, good size arcade with the Taiko drum game and the crane game with gifts of chocolate or potato chips, and a movie theater.
Everything is cute in Japan, from the buses to the security guards.
Our tourism books said that the real happening place of the city was on the other side of the river. Turns out that is the prostitution area of the city. Amongst that we found a pet store. Who would have thought? Want a $600 kitten? How about some clothes for them?
Found another small restaurant where the food was great and the people were really friendly. Friendly until they gave us soup for "free" and then tried to charge us for it. Still, the soup was so good I would opt for going there again sometime in the future.
Street vendor cart. Briefly went to a temple of some sort. And another shot.
Next morning found a photo studio complete with a couple of Korean style dresses (a lot of Korean tourists come to this city). Can you find the Korean style dress amongst the Japanese?
Got my visa and got bad directions so I went to the wrong harbor. Went to the correct port just in time to see my ride sail away. Waited another hour and was able to hop onto a different boat.
I want to go back to Japan again but next time without the stress and with someone who knows the country / language.
And what trip to Japan is complete without seeing at least one robot roaming the streets?
Ate dinner late at a cheap priced restaurant. The food was really good.
I didn't have enough money so I had to hit an ATM. The problem was I got the exchange rate of Korean and Japan confused and instead of taking out $50 I took out $500; overdrawing my account.
Saw probably the only dryer in the city as dryers are mainly used only in America.
Cool bridge. And view of the inside. Which was connected to another mall. Complete with cute shirts, good size arcade with the Taiko drum game and the crane game with gifts of chocolate or potato chips, and a movie theater.
Everything is cute in Japan, from the buses to the security guards.
Our tourism books said that the real happening place of the city was on the other side of the river. Turns out that is the prostitution area of the city. Amongst that we found a pet store. Who would have thought? Want a $600 kitten? How about some clothes for them?
Found another small restaurant where the food was great and the people were really friendly. Friendly until they gave us soup for "free" and then tried to charge us for it. Still, the soup was so good I would opt for going there again sometime in the future.
Street vendor cart. Briefly went to a temple of some sort. And another shot.
Next morning found a photo studio complete with a couple of Korean style dresses (a lot of Korean tourists come to this city). Can you find the Korean style dress amongst the Japanese?
Got my visa and got bad directions so I went to the wrong harbor. Went to the correct port just in time to see my ride sail away. Waited another hour and was able to hop onto a different boat.
I want to go back to Japan again but next time without the stress and with someone who knows the country / language.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Japanese Adventure
In order to work in Korea I had to get a new visa (which cancels out the one I just got 5 months ago). The entire trip was thrown together and literally came down to "if I took five more minutes here or took the subway as opposed to a taxi I would not have made the ferry and hence not got to the visa office in time and therefore would have started work late." Stressful two days~
In the ferry I watched a group of people play a traditional card game; yet to understand the rules. Saw that the tv and the chair/table were all attached to the floor in some way. Watched a traditional Japanese parade on tv. Fun stuff.
Woke up the next morning to see I was in another country. Found I could barely fit into the seat on the bus and that we were driving on the other side of the road. Passed by the Fukuoka Hard Rock Cafe which was of course located next to the Yahoo! Dome where the Hawks play.
Subway was clean, open, and really quiet. I do enjoy having a choice of toilets when I go to the bathroom. It is better than being stuck with one design or the other. And was reminded again that I was in Japan. Loved the bakery. We spent a lot of time in that shop.
Putting a bike warning sign in the middle of the sidewalk, on the ground, almost guarentes you will be run over by a bike as soon as you read the sign. Did see a number of bikes and scooters in 36 hours.
Rear of the hotel had a nice view from the street. Front was nearly impossible to find as it was hidden in a marketplace. Smallest room as well as the smallest bathroom that I have ever used. Decided against the hotels where you rent a bed in the side of a wall.
Flower shop. Stumbled across a mall with interesting design which looked nice in day time and even better during the light and water show synchronized to the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean.
And this was all before night fall...
In the ferry I watched a group of people play a traditional card game; yet to understand the rules. Saw that the tv and the chair/table were all attached to the floor in some way. Watched a traditional Japanese parade on tv. Fun stuff.
Woke up the next morning to see I was in another country. Found I could barely fit into the seat on the bus and that we were driving on the other side of the road. Passed by the Fukuoka Hard Rock Cafe which was of course located next to the Yahoo! Dome where the Hawks play.
Subway was clean, open, and really quiet. I do enjoy having a choice of toilets when I go to the bathroom. It is better than being stuck with one design or the other. And was reminded again that I was in Japan. Loved the bakery. We spent a lot of time in that shop.
Putting a bike warning sign in the middle of the sidewalk, on the ground, almost guarentes you will be run over by a bike as soon as you read the sign. Did see a number of bikes and scooters in 36 hours.
Rear of the hotel had a nice view from the street. Front was nearly impossible to find as it was hidden in a marketplace. Smallest room as well as the smallest bathroom that I have ever used. Decided against the hotels where you rent a bed in the side of a wall.
Flower shop. Stumbled across a mall with interesting design which looked nice in day time and even better during the light and water show synchronized to the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean.
And this was all before night fall...
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Speak of the Devil
You know it is a bad sign when you walk into your place of work and your boss is looking at you and one of your co-workers is pointing a finger at you. You walk toward your desk and you are told "you are no gentleman."
Okay....and what exactly did I do to get that greeting?
Fast-forward about ten minutes and I understand they were using a saying similar to "speak of the devil;" you talk about someone and then poof, they magically appear. Turns out "you are not a nobleman/you are no nobleman" is a saying.
I know there are some weird sayings in English and I know they are some strange sayings in Korean (I have a book of them ^^) but imagine having to tell someone what "speak of the devil" means in another language and making sure they understand that you were not literally calling them the anti-Christ...it took five minutes for me to understand they were not upset at me and were just using a common saying.
And I just wanted to see if there was any extra yangyam chicken leftover in the fridge...
Okay....and what exactly did I do to get that greeting?
Fast-forward about ten minutes and I understand they were using a saying similar to "speak of the devil;" you talk about someone and then poof, they magically appear. Turns out "you are not a nobleman/you are no nobleman" is a saying.
I know there are some weird sayings in English and I know they are some strange sayings in Korean (I have a book of them ^^) but imagine having to tell someone what "speak of the devil" means in another language and making sure they understand that you were not literally calling them the anti-Christ...it took five minutes for me to understand they were not upset at me and were just using a common saying.
And I just wanted to see if there was any extra yangyam chicken leftover in the fridge...
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Beating the Breast
Flipping through the channels I came across a show called "Scandal" twice in the past four months. If a woman believes that her husband/boyfriend is cheating she calls this tv show up. TV show tails him to confirm if he is cheating and if so they let her out of the car and let the "real drama unfold." Faces, licence plates, and the names of businesses are blurred but the voices are tweaked to sound like chickmonks.
So why do I bring up this Jerry Springer-esk show? No, it's not the fact that a cat fight with chickmonk voices is perversly amusing on some level. The first time I came across this show, the woman was overcome not with wrath, but with incredible sadness. She got out her initial anger and now was squatting by the side of the road wailing. And I watched for the first time in my life when a person literally beat their breast.
Up until a few months ago, the only time I can remember hearing about people beating their breast was in the Old Testamont. And within the past four months I have personally witnessed it about a dozen times; none of which were are dramatic, but all of these people wished to express pain or frustration or hardships of some sort. I've even learned a common word to say while beating your breast.
But why do I remember just hearing about it in the Old Testamont and not the New? The Old Testamont was written to a Hebrew, a Middle-Eastern perspecive. The New Testamont was written to a Gentile, or Western perspective.
Shortly before coming here I was told it's called The Middle-EAST for a reason. That same night they gave stories from an Arabic nation where people were oversome with emotions and took a fist to their chest.
I've done well in Korea, in Taiwan, and in some poor parts in China. A mild form of curiosity hits with me wondering how well I would do just due west of here. It's suprising to know just how much is the same.
So why do I bring up this Jerry Springer-esk show? No, it's not the fact that a cat fight with chickmonk voices is perversly amusing on some level. The first time I came across this show, the woman was overcome not with wrath, but with incredible sadness. She got out her initial anger and now was squatting by the side of the road wailing. And I watched for the first time in my life when a person literally beat their breast.
Up until a few months ago, the only time I can remember hearing about people beating their breast was in the Old Testamont. And within the past four months I have personally witnessed it about a dozen times; none of which were are dramatic, but all of these people wished to express pain or frustration or hardships of some sort. I've even learned a common word to say while beating your breast.
But why do I remember just hearing about it in the Old Testamont and not the New? The Old Testamont was written to a Hebrew, a Middle-Eastern perspecive. The New Testamont was written to a Gentile, or Western perspective.
Shortly before coming here I was told it's called The Middle-EAST for a reason. That same night they gave stories from an Arabic nation where people were oversome with emotions and took a fist to their chest.
I've done well in Korea, in Taiwan, and in some poor parts in China. A mild form of curiosity hits with me wondering how well I would do just due west of here. It's suprising to know just how much is the same.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
I Get to Stay Legal~
The Immigration Office finished with my immigration card, effectively a green card, and I was able to pick that up in Daejon today. With having that card I now have a social security number as well. With having that number I was able to transfer money to my US bank account, open a Korean band account, and get health insurance all in the same afternoon.
So I'm legal
Have health insurance
Bank account
Ability to wire money
Not bad for an afternoon.
We were paid this past Monday and I was able to exchange almost 30,000 Yen ($300) into Korean Won, which meant I had money to transfer.
The timing for getting paid is also good because tomorrow is the first day we have off for Chusok; the Korean Thanksgiving. I will be spending the next 10 days in Seoul, living at three different places, and be able to run around in the city. Looking forward to it.
So I'm legal
Have health insurance
Bank account
Ability to wire money
Not bad for an afternoon.
We were paid this past Monday and I was able to exchange almost 30,000 Yen ($300) into Korean Won, which meant I had money to transfer.
The timing for getting paid is also good because tomorrow is the first day we have off for Chusok; the Korean Thanksgiving. I will be spending the next 10 days in Seoul, living at three different places, and be able to run around in the city. Looking forward to it.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Not All It's Cracked-Up To Be
After trying unsuccessfully three times to go horse back riding (1x no one told me until too late, 2nd time unclear on starting time, 3rd time canceled to rain) I was finally able to go tonight. We had to leave quickly so I only had 4 minutes to scarf down dinner before hopping into the school van. I felt like we were back in China upon seeing the style of driving; adventure with every turn and for the first time an unsteady stomach.
45 minutes to get there, 45 minutes to get back. A total of 20 students for 2 horses and beginning lessons which means we went around in a large circle with 10 minutes of riding time per student for this 4 hour tour.
My body is not exactly Asia-sized so the largest chaps were cutting off circulation (and then had me wait 20 minutes before I could ride). My feet are big and the stirrups small, so I could not get the ball of my foot through the stirrup which is impossible for leverage. They brought over a stool, which you could tell had spent most of it's life outside in the sun, so when I stepped on it my foot went right through. When riding the horse they kept telling me "10 cm" in Korean, which is fine except I wasn't sure how big 10 cm is until I finished my ride and used my cell phone to do a conversion (yes, I love this phone).
The ride was a nice 10 minutes and was relaxing for the most part...I guess. Oh and we sat through a lecture for 40~50 minutes which had nothing to do with riding horses (international trade and hopes for university classes with horses as the subject).
I'm ready for this vacation. I'm ready to go back to Seoul. Bring on Chusok and let's go back to the city~
45 minutes to get there, 45 minutes to get back. A total of 20 students for 2 horses and beginning lessons which means we went around in a large circle with 10 minutes of riding time per student for this 4 hour tour.
My body is not exactly Asia-sized so the largest chaps were cutting off circulation (and then had me wait 20 minutes before I could ride). My feet are big and the stirrups small, so I could not get the ball of my foot through the stirrup which is impossible for leverage. They brought over a stool, which you could tell had spent most of it's life outside in the sun, so when I stepped on it my foot went right through. When riding the horse they kept telling me "10 cm" in Korean, which is fine except I wasn't sure how big 10 cm is until I finished my ride and used my cell phone to do a conversion (yes, I love this phone).
The ride was a nice 10 minutes and was relaxing for the most part...I guess. Oh and we sat through a lecture for 40~50 minutes which had nothing to do with riding horses (international trade and hopes for university classes with horses as the subject).
I'm ready for this vacation. I'm ready to go back to Seoul. Bring on Chusok and let's go back to the city~
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Rick's "Uh 으" List
In English we write one letter after another in usually a straight line. In Korean we write letters in cluster form and when these clusters are put together you have words. My Korean name is Lee ChaDu (from Richard). It is composed of ㅇㅣㅊㅏㄷㅡ, but is written 이차드.
ㅈㅏ ㄹ -> 잘
ㅁ ㅏㅅ -> 맛
Each cluster has to have at least 2 letters in it, it cannot have just one. So words like "cheese," "card," or "English" must add either 으 (Uh) or 이 (E) to the end of the word to follow the cluster rule.
The problem is these added sounds are not dropped when they speak in English. So I put together lists of offending words and we did a few exercises with them. My favorite exercise is they must use at least two of these words in a sentence.
The following are some sentences made in class:
Eat a lot of food is stupid.
I have card enough (credit card).
I have enough game card (credit card again).
Tom is like France Cheese.
Wow! Taste is delicious.
I love Elvis cheese in France.
This weekend I will go to gorgeous place.
I have enough to money.
Wait happy weekend.
I now understand where a lot of that Engrish comes from~
ㅈㅏ ㄹ -> 잘
ㅁ ㅏㅅ -> 맛
Each cluster has to have at least 2 letters in it, it cannot have just one. So words like "cheese," "card," or "English" must add either 으 (Uh) or 이 (E) to the end of the word to follow the cluster rule.
The problem is these added sounds are not dropped when they speak in English. So I put together lists of offending words and we did a few exercises with them. My favorite exercise is they must use at least two of these words in a sentence.
The following are some sentences made in class:
Eat a lot of food is stupid.
I have card enough (credit card).
I have enough game card (credit card again).
Tom is like France Cheese.
Wow! Taste is delicious.
I love Elvis cheese in France.
This weekend I will go to gorgeous place.
I have enough to money.
Wait happy weekend.
I now understand where a lot of that Engrish comes from~
Sunday, September 9, 2007
The Importance of Rice
As Westerners we understand that rice is important in Asian culture but we fail to understand just how important rice is. I now present you "Rick's Guide to Rice" ~
With the format of "English - Korean"
Breakfast - Morning Rice (아침밥)
Lunch - Lunch Rice (점심밥)
Dinner - Evening Rice (저녁밥)
Dog Food - Dog Rice (캐밥)
Korean sushi - Seaweed Rice (김밥)
Japanese sushi - "Cho" Rice (초밥)
This snack item - (literally translated) 3-sided seaweed rice (삼객김밥)
Appetite - Rice Taste (밥맛)
To have a good appetite - (literally translated) Rice Good Eat (밥이 잘 먹히다)
Boiled Buckwheat - Buckwheat Rice (메밀밥)
Boiled Barley and Rice - Barley Rice (보리밥)
Meat, veggies and rice dish - Mixed Rice (비빔밥)
Boiled Rice - Uncooked Rice Cooked Rice (쌀밥)
When you order a meal you are in all actuality ordering rice and side dishes. So while we order things like barbecued meat we are really ordering rice with a side of barbecued meat. With exception to your rice, everything you eat at a meal is a "side dish."
Like Eskimos have different words for snow, Koreans have two different words for "rice" to tell the person if it is cooked (밥) or not (쌀).
You can add rice to most soups in the country as well and you will frequently see people mixing the two together. So enough though you are eating soup for lunch, you are still getting your rice.
With the format of "English - Korean"
Breakfast - Morning Rice (아침밥)
Lunch - Lunch Rice (점심밥)
Dinner - Evening Rice (저녁밥)
Dog Food - Dog Rice (캐밥)
Korean sushi - Seaweed Rice (김밥)
Japanese sushi - "Cho" Rice (초밥)
This snack item - (literally translated) 3-sided seaweed rice (삼객김밥)
Appetite - Rice Taste (밥맛)
To have a good appetite - (literally translated) Rice Good Eat (밥이 잘 먹히다)
Boiled Buckwheat - Buckwheat Rice (메밀밥)
Boiled Barley and Rice - Barley Rice (보리밥)
Meat, veggies and rice dish - Mixed Rice (비빔밥)
Boiled Rice - Uncooked Rice Cooked Rice (쌀밥)
When you order a meal you are in all actuality ordering rice and side dishes. So while we order things like barbecued meat we are really ordering rice with a side of barbecued meat. With exception to your rice, everything you eat at a meal is a "side dish."
Like Eskimos have different words for snow, Koreans have two different words for "rice" to tell the person if it is cooked (밥) or not (쌀).
You can add rice to most soups in the country as well and you will frequently see people mixing the two together. So enough though you are eating soup for lunch, you are still getting your rice.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Rain Rain
I love seeing the weather on tv whenever I am somewhere other than my hometown or LA. What is normal for everyone seems rather exciting and new. You are seeing something that no one else gets to see.
That is why I love seeing the satellite pictures from time to time; it affirms where I am.
The rainy season started about month and a half late and once it began it has stayed longer than normal. This last week started sunny and very quickly turned to heavy showers. Check out Weather.com's satellite picture of the area. Most of the peninsula is covered by a massive cloud that extends into China~
I can just hear it now: "It's cloudy in the entire South."
That is why I love seeing the satellite pictures from time to time; it affirms where I am.
The rainy season started about month and a half late and once it began it has stayed longer than normal. This last week started sunny and very quickly turned to heavy showers. Check out Weather.com's satellite picture of the area. Most of the peninsula is covered by a massive cloud that extends into China~
I can just hear it now: "It's cloudy in the entire South."
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Bell Intl' High School
After a crazy trip to Japan I have my new visa, got to use it for the first time, and am back in the country where I feel at home. Japan was nice but the stress of the last minute trip and being unable to plan for it made me happy to be heading back on the ferry back to Busan, South Korea.
I picked up the Branners at the airport in Incheon and we had a few hours together on the bus before getting back to my place, hurriedly packing up the remainder of my things, having the manager at Crimson House agree to mail a box of my stuff to the new address, drop off the Branners at the airport bus stop, and catch the next train down to Bell and jumped right into training sessions for the teachers.
The next day was more relaxed, had a light breakfast while string outside at the rain (water in the air brings out colors; so staring at the rice patties and the mountains was a wonderful way to start the day). Lunch was sashimi with tons of side dishes, then went to the movie theater, and finally a public bath; the third I have been to.
I've got all my stuff minus a computer screen and should be getting a desk/chair today.
Getting to know the teachers well and the fact that I am learning their language makes them more relaxed to speak mine; something I have found true in all groups.
And today the students come~
I picked up the Branners at the airport in Incheon and we had a few hours together on the bus before getting back to my place, hurriedly packing up the remainder of my things, having the manager at Crimson House agree to mail a box of my stuff to the new address, drop off the Branners at the airport bus stop, and catch the next train down to Bell and jumped right into training sessions for the teachers.
The next day was more relaxed, had a light breakfast while string outside at the rain (water in the air brings out colors; so staring at the rice patties and the mountains was a wonderful way to start the day). Lunch was sashimi with tons of side dishes, then went to the movie theater, and finally a public bath; the third I have been to.
I've got all my stuff minus a computer screen and should be getting a desk/chair today.
Getting to know the teachers well and the fact that I am learning their language makes them more relaxed to speak mine; something I have found true in all groups.
And today the students come~
Friday, August 17, 2007
A Simple Transaction
Our Korean Language Class is designed for common everyday conversations and I must admit it truly is geared toward that. Take this translated sample dialogue:
Note: Remember Korea is a family culture so you can call people "big sister," or "big brother" or "aunt" or "uncle" without them being blood relatives.
Customer: How much is this?
Owner: $5
Customer: That's a little expensive. Hey Aunt, if you lower the price for me I will buy a bunch of them.
Owner: Oh boy, your Korean sure is good. $4 each.
Customer: Thanks Auntie. I'll take 3.
See? Real simple. Now let's use those same exact words in a real life example:
Rick: How much for this?
Owner: $5
Rick: That's a little expensive. Hey Auntie, if you lower the price I will buy a bunch.
Owner: What?
Rick: Um, Auntie, if you lower the price I will buy a bunch of them.
Owner: They sure are a good price. Not expensive at all. Cheap price.
Rick: If you could, um, lower the price I will get a bunch.
Owner: How many do you want?
Rick: 10
Owner: 6 it is. $30 please.
Rick: No no. A discount please.
Owner: These are good quality, Korean cotton. See the tag? "Made in Korea." No discount. $30 please. Here I will count them out for you: 1, 2, 3, (huge dialect change and I can no longer recognize the numbers 4, 5, and 6).
See? It's just like the sample conversation from the book! Real easy, good price! ^____^
(Currently listening to the cd I bought from a mariachi band~) Click me to download.
Note: Remember Korea is a family culture so you can call people "big sister," or "big brother" or "aunt" or "uncle" without them being blood relatives.
Customer: How much is this?
Owner: $5
Customer: That's a little expensive. Hey Aunt, if you lower the price for me I will buy a bunch of them.
Owner: Oh boy, your Korean sure is good. $4 each.
Customer: Thanks Auntie. I'll take 3.
See? Real simple. Now let's use those same exact words in a real life example:
Rick: How much for this?
Owner: $5
Rick: That's a little expensive. Hey Auntie, if you lower the price I will buy a bunch.
Owner: What?
Rick: Um, Auntie, if you lower the price I will buy a bunch of them.
Owner: They sure are a good price. Not expensive at all. Cheap price.
Rick: If you could, um, lower the price I will get a bunch.
Owner: How many do you want?
Rick: 10
Owner: 6 it is. $30 please.
Rick: No no. A discount please.
Owner: These are good quality, Korean cotton. See the tag? "Made in Korea." No discount. $30 please. Here I will count them out for you: 1, 2, 3, (huge dialect change and I can no longer recognize the numbers 4, 5, and 6).
See? It's just like the sample conversation from the book! Real easy, good price! ^____^
(Currently listening to the cd I bought from a mariachi band~) Click me to download.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Server Check-Up
The server is undergoing some maintenance and so I will wait until it is over before I post again. My father is here with me and we are having a blast. I've got a lot of photos I would love to share and will be posting some of those once the server is fully back up and running.
Going to Bell School tomorrow, should be getting paperwork for visa and the trip to Japan soon, and will be moving down to Bell at the end of this month.
Pray that the paperwork goes well. I would love to see some friends who have a layover in town right before I have to work.
Going to Bell School tomorrow, should be getting paperwork for visa and the trip to Japan soon, and will be moving down to Bell at the end of this month.
Pray that the paperwork goes well. I would love to see some friends who have a layover in town right before I have to work.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Summer Jobs
*Sigh* Summer jobs are so boring. I was meeting with EunHye at the subway station near Lotte World and caught these two daydreaming. Lotte Bakery, alright that makes sense. But what is the guy selling? Peanut Buttered Roast Squid. Nothing says "fun day" quite like peanut buttered squid when visiting a theme park~
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Walk Around the Neighborhood
I enjoy taking walks and last week I was bored so I took a stroll. I found a map of the area (note how the streets take shape) and a whole bunch of computer screens. Then I looked around the side and saw a few more and then ever more under the tarp.
The side streets are fun. You look one way and you see one style of street. You turn around and see another. Walk another 25 feet and it changes again as does turning your head off to the side.
Took a subway ride and found an underground bookstore shopping area. You can see more books outside of the store and what is this? A Mexican Mariachi band and the crowd listening on the steps. They thanked their audience in Korean and introduced their next song either in Korean or in Spanish.
Spanish + English = Spanglish
Korean + English = Konglish
Chinese+ English = Chinglish
Spanish + Korean = (unknown)
This was on a different walk but worth mentioning. Most store owners here are extremely trusting. You will sometimes find fully stocked stores with their owner fast asleep. This gentleman (while very hard to wake up) was extremely generous as I left the store with 13ish music posters he gave me for free (I got a Jaurim poster!).
And what walk is complete without a trip to my favorite restaurant? I failed to realize that Korean "twi-kim" is the same as Japanese tempura. And one of the best parts is I can buy 4 for roughly a buck from street vendors. Here is my custom twi-kim with doupookie sauce combo and a drink or two to boot ^^
The side streets are fun. You look one way and you see one style of street. You turn around and see another. Walk another 25 feet and it changes again as does turning your head off to the side.
Took a subway ride and found an underground bookstore shopping area. You can see more books outside of the store and what is this? A Mexican Mariachi band and the crowd listening on the steps. They thanked their audience in Korean and introduced their next song either in Korean or in Spanish.
Spanish + English = Spanglish
Korean + English = Konglish
Chinese+ English = Chinglish
Spanish + Korean = (unknown)
This was on a different walk but worth mentioning. Most store owners here are extremely trusting. You will sometimes find fully stocked stores with their owner fast asleep. This gentleman (while very hard to wake up) was extremely generous as I left the store with 13ish music posters he gave me for free (I got a Jaurim poster!).
And what walk is complete without a trip to my favorite restaurant? I failed to realize that Korean "twi-kim" is the same as Japanese tempura. And one of the best parts is I can buy 4 for roughly a buck from street vendors. Here is my custom twi-kim with doupookie sauce combo and a drink or two to boot ^^
Saturday, July 28, 2007
I'm On TV~ 나는 텔레비전에 나왔었어요~ ㅋㅋㅋ
I had posted before about how I was taped for the TV show Sponge and how I was waiting until it was on TV. Well last night was my first TV appearance. So here is the file (23 megs) and the file again (5 megs). And now my running commentary:
Up Next: Sponge
Welcome to Sponge, these are the hosts of the program.
With this show viewers submit interesting tidbits of info to the show and some are selected to become segments on Sponge. They introduce the segment with a video clip and then ask the contestants what this means or what the segment will be about.
The sentence says "In Chinese this means ."
The hosts interact and cracks jokes here and there. But what does this sign mean?
Sorry, but no additional hints.
Is it something that a wife would do or a sign for a wife?
Is it something to do with love? This man is unsure.
The answer, "In Chinese this means the number 10."
There are a number of things and signs that a hand can make. Let's go to the fish market and see if this is one of the signs that they do. Nope, not really.
Let's ask our foreign friends.
The Russian says 'something to do with love.'
The American says 'it looks like a promise.'
The Japanese and the Vietnamese both think it is something food related.
The Chinese teacher (speaking in Chinese) demonstrates the sign for us.
Well, let's count in Korean, and now in Japanese, and in Russian, and English. What's this? He's counting in Korean? Caption says "He's been in Korea for a very long time." Alright, let's try that again. And finally in Chinese, which seems to confuse our other foreign friends.
1 -5 and then 6-10 written in Chinese with the phonetic alphabet.
The NUMBER 10.
I want peaches! Caption says 'Chinese don't need to speak to count.'
The submitted information is given a score of 1-5 stars and the submitter is gives money in connection with the number of stars received.
End of the program (host still counting).
Thank you for watching Sponge~.
Up Next: Sponge
Welcome to Sponge, these are the hosts of the program.
With this show viewers submit interesting tidbits of info to the show and some are selected to become segments on Sponge. They introduce the segment with a video clip and then ask the contestants what this means or what the segment will be about.
The sentence says "In Chinese this means ."
The hosts interact and cracks jokes here and there. But what does this sign mean?
Sorry, but no additional hints.
Is it something that a wife would do or a sign for a wife?
Is it something to do with love? This man is unsure.
The answer, "In Chinese this means the number 10."
There are a number of things and signs that a hand can make. Let's go to the fish market and see if this is one of the signs that they do. Nope, not really.
Let's ask our foreign friends.
The Russian says 'something to do with love.'
The American says 'it looks like a promise.'
The Japanese and the Vietnamese both think it is something food related.
The Chinese teacher (speaking in Chinese) demonstrates the sign for us.
Well, let's count in Korean, and now in Japanese, and in Russian, and English. What's this? He's counting in Korean? Caption says "He's been in Korea for a very long time." Alright, let's try that again. And finally in Chinese, which seems to confuse our other foreign friends.
1 -5 and then 6-10 written in Chinese with the phonetic alphabet.
The NUMBER 10.
I want peaches! Caption says 'Chinese don't need to speak to count.'
The submitted information is given a score of 1-5 stars and the submitter is gives money in connection with the number of stars received.
End of the program (host still counting).
Thank you for watching Sponge~.
Monday, July 23, 2007
A Simple Walk
Not the best picture but one of my best food finds in awhile. While eating a lunch of rapookie with a side dish of kimchee, the owner of the restaurant gave me a free roll of kimbap. I decided to dip the kimbap in the rapookie and put a slice of kimchee on top.
It was glorious.
Afterwards, I remembered hearing that it is supposedly only a 45 minute walk from school to home, I decided I would try it out. I set off in the direction of the subway line and enjoyed looking here and there.
I passed a building materials storage area with a good supply of bamboo. This was quickly followed by a residential area and then a small park.
Instead of trying to be located away from your competition, in Korea and China there is sometimes the idea to be located as close as you can to your competition. You get enough of the same product stores located next to each other and now the area is know for having that product. While certain streets in Korea might have, say, a lot of metal shops located next to each other, China will have entire cities with the same product that they manufacture, example: bed spreads or pillows. Now the area has a reputation and people will come from farther away to visit your area to buy your product.
Saw some veggies for sale and I even found where they make those stereotypical street vendor carts that sell dopoukie!
Passed a home with a short door and then a few blocks away passed store after store with hand held power tools. I could have sworn I was in China with how this store was laid out. Fifty feet later I crossed over a nice bridge and was surprised to see how well designed the concrete river was. I will take this any day over the one in LA.
Last photo is of some additional street vendors standing in front of a traditional style wall. I am not sure what was on the other side but am guessing some buildings from the Joseon Dynasty.
I was excited to find a used DVD store among all of this. These were mostly not from rental stores (rental store boxes aren't as good in my opinion) and was able to snag 15 movies for $66. The owner decided to give me a deal and knocked it down to $60 ^_^ so $4 each.
With all of the side trips and detours the walk ended up being 4 1/2 hours long with me walking almost the entire time on a route I have never been and only asking for directions once.
It was glorious.
Afterwards, I remembered hearing that it is supposedly only a 45 minute walk from school to home, I decided I would try it out. I set off in the direction of the subway line and enjoyed looking here and there.
I passed a building materials storage area with a good supply of bamboo. This was quickly followed by a residential area and then a small park.
Instead of trying to be located away from your competition, in Korea and China there is sometimes the idea to be located as close as you can to your competition. You get enough of the same product stores located next to each other and now the area is know for having that product. While certain streets in Korea might have, say, a lot of metal shops located next to each other, China will have entire cities with the same product that they manufacture, example: bed spreads or pillows. Now the area has a reputation and people will come from farther away to visit your area to buy your product.
Saw some veggies for sale and I even found where they make those stereotypical street vendor carts that sell dopoukie!
Passed a home with a short door and then a few blocks away passed store after store with hand held power tools. I could have sworn I was in China with how this store was laid out. Fifty feet later I crossed over a nice bridge and was surprised to see how well designed the concrete river was. I will take this any day over the one in LA.
Last photo is of some additional street vendors standing in front of a traditional style wall. I am not sure what was on the other side but am guessing some buildings from the Joseon Dynasty.
I was excited to find a used DVD store among all of this. These were mostly not from rental stores (rental store boxes aren't as good in my opinion) and was able to snag 15 movies for $66. The owner decided to give me a deal and knocked it down to $60 ^_^ so $4 each.
With all of the side trips and detours the walk ended up being 4 1/2 hours long with me walking almost the entire time on a route I have never been and only asking for directions once.
Friday, July 20, 2007
As Easy As 1 2 3
When talking to friends from Asia I have noticed that counting beyond a thousand becomes an issue. Fingers are pulled out and counted upon. But why? That has never made sense. Never made sense until I learned how to count in Asian.
I already posted on how to count with your fingers in Korean and Chinese, but counting larger numbers are more interesting.
In Korean there are two number systems: 1 is from China (Sino-Korean) and the other is pure Korean. 1-10 in Chinese and Sino-Korean are really simliar except 1 and 2 are swapped. Bescides that the Sino-Korean is a lot easier to use and count with. In fact the pure Korean system stops after 99 and by default people change to Sino-Korean at that point. But which system do people use?
1-10 (Korean)
11+ (Korean but sometimes Sino-Korean)
100+ (Sino-Korean)
Telephone numbers (Sino-Korean but sometimes a mix of Korean since #1 and #2 can sound similiar when said fast)
Counting beyond 100 in Sino-Korean (remember, Chinese system) gets interesting as well:
# (English) >Korean<
100 (one hundred) <백 = one hundred>
1,000 (one thousand) <천 = one thousand>
10,000 (ten thousand) <만 = ten thousand>
100,000 (hundred thousand) <십만 = ten ten-thousand>
1,000,000 (million) <백만 = hundred ten-thousand>
10,000,000 (ten million) <천만 = thousand ten-thousand>
100,000,000 (hundred million) <억 = (single word) 100 million>
(sorry it looks so messy; the blog destroyed my formatting)
Seeing an advertisement on the subway that said "300 억," so three hundred billion.
Now it all makes sense, right?
I already posted on how to count with your fingers in Korean and Chinese, but counting larger numbers are more interesting.
In Korean there are two number systems: 1 is from China (Sino-Korean) and the other is pure Korean. 1-10 in Chinese and Sino-Korean are really simliar except 1 and 2 are swapped. Bescides that the Sino-Korean is a lot easier to use and count with. In fact the pure Korean system stops after 99 and by default people change to Sino-Korean at that point. But which system do people use?
1-10 (Korean)
11+ (Korean but sometimes Sino-Korean)
100+ (Sino-Korean)
Telephone numbers (Sino-Korean but sometimes a mix of Korean since #1 and #2 can sound similiar when said fast)
Counting beyond 100 in Sino-Korean (remember, Chinese system) gets interesting as well:
# (English) >Korean<
100 (one hundred) <백 = one hundred>
1,000 (one thousand) <천 = one thousand>
10,000 (ten thousand) <만 = ten thousand>
100,000 (hundred thousand) <십만 = ten ten-thousand>
1,000,000 (million) <백만 = hundred ten-thousand>
10,000,000 (ten million) <천만 = thousand ten-thousand>
100,000,000 (hundred million) <억 = (single word) 100 million>
(sorry it looks so messy; the blog destroyed my formatting)
Seeing an advertisement on the subway that said "300 억," so three hundred billion.
Now it all makes sense, right?
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Keeping the Balance
A lot has changed in the past few months...a lot. I wanted to go to schol for summer to learn the language and it also was a great excuse to go to the country that I love.
Trying to figure out how much time should be devoted to class (4 days a week, 4 hours a day, with now three sets of homework per class and 1 set 2x a week + vocab words), meeting with friends some of which I have known for 7 years, travalign to cities I have never been to/travel within this city, goin to the coffee shop that I love and do homework and get tutoring for free.
I only have a limited time in this city and so I need to get my use out of that while I can. As for the language; I already have my BA and I will be in the country after summer as well. I have learned that tryign to learn Korean while not is Korea, really doesn't work out that well.
I know that it is okay to let my grades drop since the grades themselves don't really matter. But for my whole life I have worked incredibly hard to get the best grades that I can. I feel like I am going against my own nature.
I'm having fun. I'm learning the language. And if I don't get all of my homework down, so be it. Grades should not control my life.
Trying to figure out how much time should be devoted to class (4 days a week, 4 hours a day, with now three sets of homework per class and 1 set 2x a week + vocab words), meeting with friends some of which I have known for 7 years, travalign to cities I have never been to/travel within this city, goin to the coffee shop that I love and do homework and get tutoring for free.
I only have a limited time in this city and so I need to get my use out of that while I can. As for the language; I already have my BA and I will be in the country after summer as well. I have learned that tryign to learn Korean while not is Korea, really doesn't work out that well.
I know that it is okay to let my grades drop since the grades themselves don't really matter. But for my whole life I have worked incredibly hard to get the best grades that I can. I feel like I am going against my own nature.
I'm having fun. I'm learning the language. And if I don't get all of my homework down, so be it. Grades should not control my life.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Filming at KBS Studios / KBS 스튜디오에 촬영이에요
I really got a kick out of the taping of "Sponge" at KBS Studios. We had people from Korea, Russia, Japan, China, Vietnam, and the US who were taped for this show. They are doing a segment on the differences in counting between various countries. While most of the countries I mentioned have a very simply 'raise a finger, lower a finger' method, the Chinese way is completely different and that really was the focus.
Korean was the only language used when giving directions for us; which was not a problem since everyone was in Level 4 of the Korean Language Program at HanYang Univerisity. Oh, my mistake, everyone except for me.
If you have not seen "Lost In Translation" then you need to watch this sequence. If you have seen the movie then you need to watch this scene again:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cUt7JmUIix4
That scene and the scene where Bob is waiting in the hospital waiting room are my two favorite segments by far. The clip started to go through my mind halfway through the taping because I wasn't completely positive what they wanted me to. Thankfully the other students had a really good grip on English and were able to help me when I didn't understand. Oh yeah, Blooper Reels are called NG. And I left my footprint in the NG world as well by starting to count in Korean instead of English :P
The show is on every Saturday around dinner time, so I will be checking it the next few weeks to see when I will air on "Sponge."
Korean was the only language used when giving directions for us; which was not a problem since everyone was in Level 4 of the Korean Language Program at HanYang Univerisity. Oh, my mistake, everyone except for me.
If you have not seen "Lost In Translation" then you need to watch this sequence. If you have seen the movie then you need to watch this scene again:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cUt7JmUIix4
That scene and the scene where Bob is waiting in the hospital waiting room are my two favorite segments by far. The clip started to go through my mind halfway through the taping because I wasn't completely positive what they wanted me to. Thankfully the other students had a really good grip on English and were able to help me when I didn't understand. Oh yeah, Blooper Reels are called NG. And I left my footprint in the NG world as well by starting to count in Korean instead of English :P
The show is on every Saturday around dinner time, so I will be checking it the next few weeks to see when I will air on "Sponge."
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Exodus / 출애굽기
Amazing how God opens doors and closes others. I first visited Korea 7 years ago and have been wanting to live here for the past 5 years or so. When I was getting ready for this 3 month summer trip I found out not many people expected me to be coming back. After I departed for the East I started to understand why; the doors to return to the States were closing and it was a wonderful feeling.
Before I could start to look for a job I met with an old friend and it was not long until I found out there was a wonderful open door to stay in Korea. It would be a teaching job at a high school where a good friend of mine works. I've been able to visit the school twice and stayed in the student / staff dorms on both occasions.
Needless to say I have accepted the position and will begin work the week after my language classes in Seoul finish.
In 2004 Utada Hikaru, one of my favorite artists, released an album named Exodus. It's title song is about her leaving her home country to pursue life overseas. She has tasted when it is like and cannot live without it. It is the one song that truly describes the way I have been feeling the past few years. Something that no one else has been able to understand other than a few people. It has been a thing of frustration that I could only go for small trips; that I always had to return shortly after. I actually dreaded this trip a little, knowing that at the end of summer I must leave. But now the time has come. Now I can have my Exodus.
So enjoy Utada Hikaru - Exodus 04 and see if you can understand a bit more of where I have been:
With you these streets are heaven
Now home feels so foreign
They told me I was mistaken, infatuated
And I was afraid to trust my hunches
Now I am ready
Daddy don't be mad that I'm leaving
Please let me worry about me
Mama don't you worry about me
This is my story...
CHORUS
Through mountains high and valleys low
The ocean, through the desert snow
We'll say goodbye to the friends we know
This is our Exodus' 04
Through traffic jams in Tokyo
new music on the radio
We'll say goodbye to the world we know
This is our Exodus' 04
Landscapes keep changing
History teaches something
I know I could be mistaken
but my heart has spoken
I cannot redirect my feelings
The waves have parted
Daddy don't be mad that I'm leaving
Please let me worry about me
Mama don't you worry about me
This is my story...
CHORUS
I'm listening
to a music never ending
my baby
Don't you know I'll never let you down
you've opened me
to so many different endings
but baby
I know that you'll always be around
CHORUS x2
(traffic jams in Tokyo
new music on the radio)
(traffic jams in Tokyo
new music on the radio) (radio)
마침내. 저 지금은 집에서 살아요.
이 노래는 뿐 눈물났어요.
끝나요? 아니요, 시작이에요~
아 하나님, 하나님
Before I could start to look for a job I met with an old friend and it was not long until I found out there was a wonderful open door to stay in Korea. It would be a teaching job at a high school where a good friend of mine works. I've been able to visit the school twice and stayed in the student / staff dorms on both occasions.
Needless to say I have accepted the position and will begin work the week after my language classes in Seoul finish.
In 2004 Utada Hikaru, one of my favorite artists, released an album named Exodus. It's title song is about her leaving her home country to pursue life overseas. She has tasted when it is like and cannot live without it. It is the one song that truly describes the way I have been feeling the past few years. Something that no one else has been able to understand other than a few people. It has been a thing of frustration that I could only go for small trips; that I always had to return shortly after. I actually dreaded this trip a little, knowing that at the end of summer I must leave. But now the time has come. Now I can have my Exodus.
So enjoy Utada Hikaru - Exodus 04 and see if you can understand a bit more of where I have been:
With you these streets are heaven
Now home feels so foreign
They told me I was mistaken, infatuated
And I was afraid to trust my hunches
Now I am ready
Daddy don't be mad that I'm leaving
Please let me worry about me
Mama don't you worry about me
This is my story...
CHORUS
Through mountains high and valleys low
The ocean, through the desert snow
We'll say goodbye to the friends we know
This is our Exodus' 04
Through traffic jams in Tokyo
new music on the radio
We'll say goodbye to the world we know
This is our Exodus' 04
Landscapes keep changing
History teaches something
I know I could be mistaken
but my heart has spoken
I cannot redirect my feelings
The waves have parted
Daddy don't be mad that I'm leaving
Please let me worry about me
Mama don't you worry about me
This is my story...
CHORUS
I'm listening
to a music never ending
my baby
Don't you know I'll never let you down
you've opened me
to so many different endings
but baby
I know that you'll always be around
CHORUS x2
(traffic jams in Tokyo
new music on the radio)
(traffic jams in Tokyo
new music on the radio) (radio)
마침내. 저 지금은 집에서 살아요.
이 노래는 뿐 눈물났어요.
끝나요? 아니요, 시작이에요~
아 하나님, 하나님
Monday, July 9, 2007
Do you remember this commercial?
With that last great line in mind, "Follow me! Follow me to freedom!" check out the cool picture I took while at the subway.
With that last great line in mind, "Follow me! Follow me to freedom!" check out the cool picture I took while at the subway.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Dad, a Foreign~ / 아빠 외국~
I know I get looks, I get stares, but it is really funny when a child does it. The thing is I normally don't get to hear what the child says; I'm usually too far away.
I had been studying for the whole afternoon and I was tired, I was walking home. I see this small girl standing at the crosswalk waiting for the light to turn. She sees me and her eyes grow large. She runs to her father and says "아빠, 오국 / Dad, a foreign" (the word for 'foreigner' is different, she just said 'foreign').
I look at her and say "외국? / Foreign?"
She nods her head as I say hello to her in Korean. She then tries to imitate me by sticking out her chest, raising her shoulders a bit and in the deepest voice she can muster says hello back to me in Korean.
(repeat 2x)
I walk away laughing. Hahahaha (and I am still laughing~)
I had been studying for the whole afternoon and I was tired, I was walking home. I see this small girl standing at the crosswalk waiting for the light to turn. She sees me and her eyes grow large. She runs to her father and says "아빠, 오국 / Dad, a foreign" (the word for 'foreigner' is different, she just said 'foreign').
I look at her and say "외국? / Foreign?"
She nods her head as I say hello to her in Korean. She then tries to imitate me by sticking out her chest, raising her shoulders a bit and in the deepest voice she can muster says hello back to me in Korean.
(repeat 2x)
I walk away laughing. Hahahaha (and I am still laughing~)
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
KBS 스폰지
So I might be on TV tomorrow. Might be, unsure.
There is an excursion through the school that I am passing on (fast forward a few days to now) I was asked something about a TV channel and if I was interested. Whatever it is, sure I'm interested.
3 brief discussions later (only part of one was in English) I found out there is a TV show called 스폰지 "Sponge" that is a comedy/trivia show (?) and they want to interview foreigners about how they count with their hand in their home culture (I think). So I was told to meet on campus at 6 pm and ...yeah.
So you never know; my hand might be famous. My hand and all that blond arm hair.
There is an excursion through the school that I am passing on (fast forward a few days to now) I was asked something about a TV channel and if I was interested. Whatever it is, sure I'm interested.
3 brief discussions later (only part of one was in English) I found out there is a TV show called 스폰지 "Sponge" that is a comedy/trivia show (?) and they want to interview foreigners about how they count with their hand in their home culture (I think). So I was told to meet on campus at 6 pm and ...yeah.
So you never know; my hand might be famous. My hand and all that blond arm hair.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Pine Bud Drink / 솔의 눈
I have been eying a drink in the vending machine for some time. The name is intriguing and I have been curious to taste it.
이 병 이름이 아주 재미있어요. 마시기 원했어요.
Well I spent my 50 cents and gave it a try. The smell was almost exactly that of an air freshener. The taste was alright but I am afraid I can't get past the idea of drinking an air freshener.
하 하 하, 이것은 탈취 스프레이! ㅋㅋㅋ~ 잦잦잦잦~
Cheers~
Rick
마셔요~
이차드
이 병 이름이 아주 재미있어요. 마시기 원했어요.
Well I spent my 50 cents and gave it a try. The smell was almost exactly that of an air freshener. The taste was alright but I am afraid I can't get past the idea of drinking an air freshener.
하 하 하, 이것은 탈취 스프레이! ㅋㅋㅋ~ 잦잦잦잦~
Cheers~
Rick
마셔요~
이차드
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Just a Little Walk.../저금 산책이에요...
I was hungry and the restaurant I wanted to go to was closed; so I kept walking. I passed a concrete river and kept going. I went through a traditional outdoor market and kept going. Had dumpling soup; kept walking. Passed a memorial site built by of one last kings of the Joseon Dynasty; it was closed so I had to walk around.
Found a film building and struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was exiting. Korea, like China and the UK, have subsidized film industries. We talked and walked. He brought me through KyungHi University. Took me to a international video rental store; wonderful selection. Parted ways, found a Quickly tea store; kept walking and eventually took the subway back.
My 3 minute walk down the street to get dinner turned into a 3 hour adventure. Not bad for a lazy Saturday.
Found a film building and struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was exiting. Korea, like China and the UK, have subsidized film industries. We talked and walked. He brought me through KyungHi University. Took me to a international video rental store; wonderful selection. Parted ways, found a Quickly tea store; kept walking and eventually took the subway back.
My 3 minute walk down the street to get dinner turned into a 3 hour adventure. Not bad for a lazy Saturday.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Dinner and a Movie
Wandering around led me into a used video/dvd/manga store. When video rental stores want to get rid of old stock they generally don't use the shelf space and prefer to sell them off to private venders. Most of these end up on used DVD sites and there are a few stores, but are really hard to find. So you can image how excited I was when I bumped into this store.
This store was a buck cheaper than the stores I have been to before; $4 per. Simply said I can get movies for the price of one theater ticket. With opportunities like this it really isn't worth bootlegging.
I took advantage of the situation and uh, got a few movies. Should keep me busy for awhile.
This store was a buck cheaper than the stores I have been to before; $4 per. Simply said I can get movies for the price of one theater ticket. With opportunities like this it really isn't worth bootlegging.
I took advantage of the situation and uh, got a few movies. Should keep me busy for awhile.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
First Complete Conversation
Today marked a milestone in this language learning adventure. I started, held, and finished my first conversation where I didn't need to ask them to repeat anything, slow down, or clarify a word I didn't know. It was short, it was sweet, and it was complete.
I have not had much time to study the 30~50 new vocab words a day; my effort is clearly paying off. Also referencing meeting MiYoung and her boyfriend in which I was not allowed to speak in English for the rest of the night. I understood the jest of almost everything said that night~
Need to work on:
*Vocab
*Speaking and Listening Skills (my pronouncation is good as is my accent). Speed for speaking really.
I have not had much time to study the 30~50 new vocab words a day; my effort is clearly paying off. Also referencing meeting MiYoung and her boyfriend in which I was not allowed to speak in English for the rest of the night. I understood the jest of almost everything said that night~
Need to work on:
*Vocab
*Speaking and Listening Skills (my pronouncation is good as is my accent). Speed for speaking really.
Friday, June 22, 2007
End of the Week / 집에 있어요
It's Friday, Korean class went well, I can tell I am understanding the language more and being in the beginning class allows me to make connections in the language where I didn't before. Aka it is making more sense.
Lunch with a friend. Nap. Watched TV and went out for my favorite kind of 'twikim' (fried foods). Weather was perfect for a walk. An hour and a half later I was getting kind of tired. And I don't exactly want to walk back that distance right now. Thankfully the subway is still running at this hour and I remembered passing a few stations.
I know how to say it in Chinese, I think I know how to say it in Korean, but either way I'm feeling real comfy~
Lunch with a friend. Nap. Watched TV and went out for my favorite kind of 'twikim' (fried foods). Weather was perfect for a walk. An hour and a half later I was getting kind of tired. And I don't exactly want to walk back that distance right now. Thankfully the subway is still running at this hour and I remembered passing a few stations.
I know how to say it in Chinese, I think I know how to say it in Korean, but either way I'm feeling real comfy~
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Language Class at Hanyang Univ.
When I was a student at Yonsei our language class was mainly built from English speaking backgrounds. The Korean-American, the Chinese-Korean-American, the Americans, the Europeans, etc. We would break from class and the default language in the hallway would be English, the true Universal Language.
But here at Hanyang things are different. There are only two or three white guys in the entire program *waves hand* And our class make up is quite interesting:
5 Chinese
5 Mongolians
2 Saudis
1 Indian
1 Japanese
and the Lone American
See how many of these languages you can recognize. The writing is all on the wall. And here is a larger size if you want it.
So when we take a break I hear Chinese to my right, Arabic to my left, and Mongolian across the room. English really won't get you very far in class; Korean truly is the Universal Language here.
But here at Hanyang things are different. There are only two or three white guys in the entire program *waves hand* And our class make up is quite interesting:
5 Chinese
5 Mongolians
2 Saudis
1 Indian
1 Japanese
and the Lone American
See how many of these languages you can recognize. The writing is all on the wall. And here is a larger size if you want it.
So when we take a break I hear Chinese to my right, Arabic to my left, and Mongolian across the room. English really won't get you very far in class; Korean truly is the Universal Language here.
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