Hey everyone, sorry about the lack of posting, things have just been really busy. I’ve pretty much been locking myself in my room, in the library, or in scattered coffee shops around town just studying studying studying.
Mid terms are this week, and I have a paper due Monday, a Korean midterm like Tuesday or Wednesday and then I have a 15 min presentation and paper due the following week. It’s not necessarily things that I’m not used to, but I really want to do well on these papers and tests so I don’t have to worry about the rest of the term. But yeah, so that’s why I did some lack of posting.
While researching topics for my papers, I’ve come across some really interesting topics and information about Korean history and culture, for example, the commodity of Coffee.
Here in Korea, you can’t really find good coffee. Well, good coffee as in brewed strong coffee. Everything here is mostly instant coffee, or canned coffee that is sold in super markets. Coffee shops are present here in Korea, but it’s mostly for the act of going to the coffee shop, not necessarily for the taste of coffee. In addition, even the coffee that is sold here in Korea is really weak. There are chains here such as Angle-In-Us Coffee, or Holly’s Coffee, and you’ll see the usual Starbucks coffee shops, but even in these chains, the coffee isn’t as good as back at home. I thought that perhaps Starbucks coffee would give me the same “experience” as back in the states, but IT’S A LIEEEE. There is no such thing as iced coffee with the white chocolate, there is no such thing as a good cappuccino, and there is no such thing as coffee having more than one shot of espresso. RAAAAAAR.
Back to my point… here is a short lesson on the coffee industry in Korea:
Fist of all, coffee in Korea didn’t appear until 100 years ago. I read an article by Bak Sungmee entitled From Strange Bitter Concoction to Romantic Necessity, and she states that it was only with the availability of powdered instant coffee as part of American military ration of food during and after the Korean War that a significant number of Koreans started to enjoy coffee. Right now Korean’s are the leading consumer of instant coffee. In 2003, the portion of Instant Coffee in the Korean market was over 90%, while in other countries it was only 20%. Surprisingly, I find Starbucks in Korea is definitely different than in the States. Starbucks in the States prides itself on meeting the individual needs such as ordering those ridiculously complicated lattes, or cappuccinos, but in Korea Starbucks doesn’t necessarily function in that manner. In Korea, Starbucks is utilized mainly for its atmosphere, no necessarily its’ taste. Often times, expressed in Dangmee’s article, Koreans usually order bland drinks such as lattes or americanos. In my experience, there isn’t even an option for Soy milk which I found really surprising. If you ask for a special drink, the cashiers more often than not will tell you there isn’t even a button on the register to perform the function.
Sigggh. So basically, my coffee search goes on. However, I have found a decent coffee place in Hongdai where they brew good strong black coffee and the atmosphere is perfect. It’s not that busy, it’s pretty small, and the guy running the shop is in his late 20’s and really nice. He has decorated the place pretty eclectic, with even A FOIL on the wall! A FOIL! I’m so excited! Then he has this like super old record player, with large speakers, his art work floating around, books and music everywhere, and really cool coffee maker concoctions. I really enjoy it here. The guy is really nice, and chill, and he seems really pensive as he sits in the corner always listening to music and doing work on his lap top. The owner and friend (possibly co-owner) always give us free refills, and chocolate, and it’s great. I will take a picture with him soon I think. He really threw me off today when Ryo and I were just doing work on our laptops, and he sat down near us and asked us if we knew where the apple symbol on Ryo’s apple computer came from. We both didn’t know, and then he proceeded to tell us where it came from, and with perfect English. I was really taken aback with his diverse vocabulary in the 3 min he talked to us, and I think that may just be the beginning of our talks. I really want to ask him about the foil on the wall, and see if he fences ^_^, but I think I will save that for another time.
In other news, I did decide to take a break from the sukjeh (homework) and we went out to this really nice bar in Hongdai. It was pretty hole-in-the-wall-ish as well, but really cool. The place was pretty small, but it had character. When you sit down, there are pens and paper where you can write down requests for songs that you would like to hear, and then you give it to the Ajusshi (older man). From there, the Ajusshi looks at your request and either tears it up, or plays your stuff. I kind of liked the elitism, and it was a nice change from the commercial bars in Shinchon.
So I really wish that someone could come visit me in Korea. Drastic change of topic but whatever. I really miss my family, and I miss my friends and since I’m having so much fun here I want them to share the experience with me. I really didn’t think that anyone else would have family come visit them, but it turns out EVERYONE’S family is coming, and I feel all left out…wah., wah right? I will do all that I can to take more pictures so you guys can live vicariously through me, and so I can pretend that you guys are here, but sigh…it’s just not the same. I really want Shannon to come up considering she’s never been out here, and I think she would really enjoy herself. I really miss her like SOOOOO much, and she would just fall in love with the shopping, mountains, and hey, she would get to see me! Too bad my family doesn’t have a million dollars right?
What else. Oh yeah, people here are just amazing. I’ve made good friends with a couple kids here, and it’s really nice to feel close with people so far away from those who were closest to me. Not that it makes me forget about those at home, but it’s great to find good friends to share things with here, and to putz around town. I really wasn’t expecting to find people that I really connected with on deeper levels, so it’s just a pleasant surprise. The unfortunately thing is, (like always in my case) we will be departing each other soon. Of course there is always the seeing each other once a year if not more, but really, unless everyone moves to NYC, San Fran, or Seattle (which oddly enough one person lives in each of these cities), it just won’t be the same. I spend literally every day with these people. Which seeing a person every day is weird for me in-and-of itself considering I live alone in Columbus, and do my on thing for hours during the day, but to want to spend more time with them which is like doubly-weird (puha). I really love how everyone has their own little quirks about them that makes them so special and dear to me…for example:
Hannah a.k.a Hanners: queen of awesome stories, and mumbling side comments in midst of conversation. She should write books…many many books. I’m sure of that. She’s also my partner in crime to pull the “we are too old for this shit” when I house kids are being immature, and stupid. This usually happens when 19 year olds try to drink too much. (I’m too old to be dealing with that stuff now, and so we bond). She also has an affection for reading books before she goes to sleep, and therefore speeds through books. I’m totally jealous of her book knowledge. One day I will have read as many books as Hanners.
Angelica a.k.a Jelly: Coined the phrases “Yooooooo” “we should totally cute a rug!” “Duuuuude” She’s my little jersey/nyc girl that is a doll. She’s totally amazing, and has a brain for archiving music. This girl would put any music guru to shame, and it totally took me by surprise. I have no idea how she knows everything that she knows, but she amazes me by the day. I also love that she’s totally not a music snob like everyone else. She also has an affection for helping people, talking with others through their problems, and really being aware when someone needs help, or needs to talk. Aww Jelly.
Ryo a.k.a Ryo Geo: God love em, this is probably my best guy friend here. Probably everyone else’s as well. Ryo has the tendency to pucker his lips in affirmation of any statement, or he just does them while he ponders information. He also likes to rub/tap his belly when he’s standing around, waiting, or thinking about what to do next. There is also the times when both mannerisms occur at the same time…that’s the point when I usually laugh to myself about how adorable it is. Mannerisms in any form are just cute to me. Ryo also threw me by surprise with how much he knows about International Relations and his affection for knowledge. It’s always nice to bounce ideas off him, or to learn something new that he picked up from wiki. Good thing is Ryo has a balance of being an intellectual, and being completely corny, so both never get old. Ohhhh Ryo.
Alex: the intense artist from New York. I really like Alex because he totally helps to satiate the side of me that yearns for listening to symphonies, go to art galleries, take pictures, see the theatre, go to coffee shops and talk about family or philosophy. He is quite a character, and he as well has some spunk under all the “intensity”. He has a affection for making fun of my mannerisms and noises, and in turn makes me laugh at myself. A very nice guy all in all.
So yeah, those are a couple of my close friends. It’s getting late or I would write about the Austrians or James from Seattle, or Pat from Vancouver, but that will wait another day. I love you fam and friends. I will try and write more soon.
Heeeeey everyone. I'm a bit sick today...bleh. Yesterday I woke up with this sore throat, stuffy nose, and felt suuuper groggy. I'm not really sure what it is, but it's not getting better. I'm thinking it might be a sinus infection, or a product of sharing food with Pat and Ryo, both of whom are/were sick. Allegedly you can only get sick in the incubation phase of a cold, and they have been sick for about a week and half, so they are deflecting the blame, the little punks. I refuse to believe this whether it's true or not just so I can give them some grief. heh.
Last weekend was TONS of fun. I have never experienced anything like Yongojeon before, and honestly, I don't think that anywhere else in the world has something quite like it. I posted pictures of the game, and I'm working on posting Youtube videos of the cheering, because the photos don't do the games justice. No one could understand the magnitude of the cheering and screaming, with just looking at my crappy pictures. All the pictures came out blurry because everyone was moving the e-n-t-i-r-e time, so they just look like I was drunk while taking the photos. OY, but it was great. Basically Yongojeon is the series of games between Korea University and Yonsei University, a long standing rivalry that has been there for decades. You can think of it like the Michigan vs. Ohio State rivalry. In any case, it happens once a year, and basically how it's set up is there are 5 games, and at the end of the 5 games they declare the winners at the closing ceremony. The sports aren't really the focus of the games considering both teams suck at each sport, so it's all about the fun and the cheering.
The cheering is called Akaraka. In the Spring both Universities set aside a day or two with the entire student body and they teach everyone coordinated cheers. This is all in preparation for the games in the Fall. After everyone learns the cheers in the Spring, they bring their A game to Yongojeon. It's something like "you got served", where both universities try and show each other up with the cheers, their singing, music, and how long you can keep up the cheering. It's nothing short of amazing. EVERYONE cheers, EVERYONE sings, and EVERYONE does this throughout the entire game. This means you are singing, dancing, cheering, for at least four hours each time, plus the rowdiness after the games. It blew my mind…school spirit up the wazoo.
After the games, students bum rush the field, meet up with their respected clubs that have their own screen printed t-shirts and flags, and they dance in the middle of the field in circles. Then each club takes the train into Shinchon where the second half of the fun begins.
Every year in preparation for Yongojeon, clubs, bars, restaurants, and street food, make massive serving samples, over stock their shelves with booze and beer, and together take a massive hit from the Student body. Every year after the games, clubs on both sides (Korea and Yonsei University) form trains of people, and do cheers in front of each store and beg for free food and beer. They chant the Yonsei University anthem and jump in circles, and low and behold, trays of Soju, and platters of food come rushing out to the students. An unreal amount of alcohol and food is consumed that day, and it's ALL FREE. It was just so much fun! The restaurants and bars are almost forced to do this, because A. It’s been tradition, and B. if they don't, the students will boycott the facility and will put them out of business. It's insane and so awesome. While everyone is making trains of people and begging for food, students also chant in the streets with their flags dancing together. Korean University students form circles of people and cheer, then Yonsei students make a circle around those kids and cheer with them. It's all in good fun, and so awesome.
Basically, I loved it. The rivalry was all about having fun, and there was no animosity between the two groups at any point in time. Really, the sports didn't even really matter, it was more about the cheers, and the fun of it all. Korea partied with Yonsei, and Yonsei with Korea, and it was soooo cool. I'm just like in awe of the peaceful rivalry, and how unified everyone was about having it be completely good natured and fun. Back in the States, especially at OSU, people can be such dicks and not understand it is just a game. They key cars, throw beer bottles at opposing teams, and get in fights with each other. It's such a juvenile and hyper masculine way to treat competition and sports. raaaaaaar. This is where I wish the US was more like Korea in this manner. Grant it, we actually have respectable teams, and we are actually amazing athletes, but I don't necessarily think these matters. We shouldn't condone the behavior of dangerous competitiveness. I think players as well as others need to have more sportsmanship. Hmpf.
Anyways, it was great. Such a good, good weekend. Plus, it's actually fall in Korea now! I forgot how much I loved the fall. The weather is perfect, the sky is finally clear here, and the air is dry. Everyone is really pumped to do stuff outside, and I'm excited. I'm supposed to go hiking again soon, and Ryo and I have made a pact-ish to start playing tennis since the weather is going to be awesome for the next month or so. I need to get in shape too. Not working out is bothering me, and all the rice and carbs has made me put on 5 pounds that I definitely didn't want to put on. I'm not sure how people do it here...they are stick thin, but honestly, the food isn’t really as healthy as I thought it was going to be; the food is all rice and noodles, no fruit, and no nuts. There are veggies and tofu, but nothing that is significant enough for it to offset all the carb intake. I think my body just isn't used to it unlike the locals here. They can stand to eat rice 4 times a day, and not put on any weight. I was told though, that many Koreans have diet/eating disorders which might explain some of that, but still, they are just generally smaller.
What else, I dunno, things are just going well. Everyone is getting closer, and we all seem to by jiving really nicely. Classes are good, and I seem to be on top of my studies which are nice. On another note, I need to start to get back on the hunt to shop for Shannon. Fall is here, so all the scarves/hoodies are out, and are so fucking cute. I just want to buy her everything. Muhahahaha. She's totally going to have the best Christmas ever, and I can't wait to see the look on her face. I'm making decent money here, so it frees up spending cash that I can spend on her and myself. ^_^ YAY! This way I don't have to feel guilty that I'm spending my loan money on clothes.
So, I'm going to go...I need to study some more. I hope everyone is doing well. I'll be back with fun facts of Korea soon!
p.s. if anyone is interested, here is a book that has been recommended in every one of my classes: Bruce Cummings Korea's Place in the Sun: a modern history. There are mixed feelings about the book among the student body here at UIC, because some students feel that it's not scholarly enough, and too many things are put in laments terms, but the consensus is that you should read it anways.
Hey Chingoos (friends). As a preface, I spell the Korean words out how they might be spelled in English, so obviously, that's not how you would spell it in Korean, and it's maybe not even the most accurate way to spell that in English, but alas, Amy's Konglish has arrived, so let the teaching begin...
Today was pretty good. I'm super tired right now. I had a Korean word test that was really hard this afternoon, and Iit left me pretty exhausted. Korean is just really hard. This language is not for the dyslexic, let me put it that way. Saying Korean words is much easier than spelling them out. Oy. Plus not to mention there are multiple ways to write out something that sounds the same, but means completely different things. I really do think it is completely different than any other language I have learned by far. I think just the way you study has to be different. At this point I have learned Spanish and German, and learning both these languages can't compare to me trying to learn Korean. The way you study is different, the sounds are different, the characters are different. I really am proud of myself though, I'm trying really hard, and so are all my Chingoos. We band together at night and study together, we make Konglish (Korean words dispersed in our English conversation) a daily habit to help as well; plus the fact that we don't want to look stupid in class is more motivation to study. I must say, today was a bit disheartening because the first three people to walk out of the room today after the test were the only three Chinese students in the class. Bitches, but secretly we're so jealous. We all felt a little burn after that one for more than one reason.
It will get better though, I can tell. I refuse to get lower than a B in that class, and an A is ideal right now. I don't want to bring back any grades lower than that to the states because its Grad school time. I'm hoping for all A's! fight fight!
So I've kindof deviated from my usual commentary on the Korean culture so here are some fun facts:
-1st off it is mogie CENTRAL here. Mogie is Korean for mosquitoe. They are everywhere. Apparently, they come in swarms after the monsoons, and when I came I just missed the big infiltration of Korea. However, they are still around, and in BIG numbers. They are k-i-l-l-i-n-g me. I'm trying to fight them off, but they seem to smell fresh meat, and swarm the I House. My friend Hannah has them so bad, and had such a bad allergic reaction, that she had to get steroids for them. AHHHHHH!!!! Mogies die! die! die!
-2nd, Going to the bathroom in Korea is an experience. If you aren't throwing away your used tissue from your behind in waste paper baskets, which seem highly unsanitary to me, you are squatting over a hold-in-the-ground toilet. Now, I'm not sure what the floor toilet is all about, and I really don't know the purpose, but I feel like I'm like out in the woods and trying not to pee on myself. Plus, you don't know whether you can do a #2 because the water pressure in those things doesn't seem quite conducive for the consistency...I'm baffled really. It's all pretty awkward if you ask me. But remember what I said before, in the fact that where Korea lacks on one end, completely makes up for it on the other; they have toilets that are to high tech I don't know what to do with it. I mean there are like little pictures trrrrrying to show what function does what, but really, it's all crazy! There is like a button to shoot water like 20 different ways, and then there is like a dryer thing...I mean honestly I don't even know what half the buttons do. But what I do know, is I definitely had a rumble with the toilet at the Doctor Fish Cafe. (Skip this part if you don't like a little bathroom humor):
So here I am at Doctor Fish Cafe, using the bathroom in their nice restrooms...I'm done, I throw my toilet paper in the waste paper basket, pull the pants up, you know the drill. so I turn around, and I think, now lets inspect the buttons and see what they do... So I'm looking at the mini pictures with the writing all in Korean of course, and I'm just curious what some of the ambiguous buttons are. So I look down, and I see like a spray button, a shower button, a wind button etc. I look at the spray button, then look at presumably where the water would come out, and wonder, would this button spray up, down, sideways? hmmmmm. :ponder further: Then I decide to see what it can do. I press the button and watch where the water will come out.
SPHHHHHHHHSSHHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH!!!!!!! Toilet water RIGHT IN THE FACE! It keeps coming, and coming! I'm like fighting water back, spatting all over, trying to find which button makes the water STOP. I'm frantically looking for it, water is spouting out everywhere, and so in a panic, I close the lid of the toilet. Yeah, this didn't do anything because water was spewing from the sides! So I'm freaking out, looking for the button, and finally I find what looks to be it, and I press the button. Phew. It stops. But my face is covered in water, and there is some water on my shirt, and there is water all over the toilet. HYSTERICAL. Classic move by Amy :takes bow: So I try and clean up, leave the bathroom, and start laughing hysterically to my friends, who also, took part in making fun of me as well. Sighhhh.
Moving on:
-3rd, the new drama I am watching is called Goong S. Again, you can find this at www.mysoju.com. I haven't really gotten very far, but I heard it was good. So for everyone, a.k.a Caroline and the girls, that's the new drama that I'm told I would like, so I think you all would like that too.
-4th, apparently there is a new drama being filmed in Hongai as we speak! I have no idea what it is, but Chingoos and I are going to go scope it out for shits a giggles.
5th, the big Yonsei vs. Korea University games is this weekend. Everyone on this campus is going and it's going to be CRAZYYYYYY! I might have mentioned it before, but it gets live here at Yonsei, and especially Shinchon as well. I think I mentioned this before, but after the games on Fri, and Sat night, Shinchon is booming with people. At night they all bum rush the bars, order food, and get free drinks all night long from every bar in the area! It will be a weekend of tons of fun, games, and massive school spirit! I'm really curious how it will compare to OSU spirit. Buckeyes are really hard to beat, so we will see ^_^.
Well, that's all for tonight. Off to watch the drama and read the rest of A Wrinkle in Time.
