Posts under the ‘South Korea’ category

Dear Korea,

New Places

After waking up from dreaming about you and half expecting to see you outside my window for about a week and a half, I’m starting to believe the last four months really were just a dream . . . I mean, things really didn’t exactly turn out the way I had expected and now that I’m home, you seem even farther away than before!

Growing up, I had always dreamt of seeing you again and have my parents to thank for practically making me take advantage of so many opportunities to get to know you. By the time I was in high school, I had read so much about you and fell so in love with your music that I had the nerve to say that I knew all about you . . . Even though my knowledge of your language was quite elementary, I felt as if I were more “Korean” than “American.” I think if you had seen me then, you would have either been disgusted or quite proud of the baby Hye Young (the name you gave me) you sent away on a plane. ^^;;

When I entered college, however, my love for you had cooled as I learned more about life and started to find my place in society. However, I had promised my three-year-old self, known as Sammie, that I would spend a semester with you, and so, after an uphill battle, I went . . .

More Popularity??

I don’t know what I was expecting, but even though I had grown out of little Sammie’s grand fantasies about you, I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, but your tourist ads of a highly technological first-world society are kind of misleading—not everyone can spy on their kids via cell phone ^^;;  Not that you’re third-world either! Oh no . . . yes, you have your poor spots, but so does every country . . . No, I’d gladly say that you’re second-world. ^^

Now, the boys were a WHOLE other issue—I mean, come on, do you really have to encourage skinny jeans and tight shirts for men?? I must say, I did really like how you made me wear heels though . . . Would you believe that before I visited you, I was made fun of for my inability to walk in one-inch heels?? Now I can rock your adorable 2 or 3 inch heels all day! (boo-yah! ^^) You did also teach me how to dress my age and gave me a whole lot more self-confidence . . . At home, I receive about 0.1% of the attention you eagerly gave me for my looks everyday! ㅋㅋ

Unforgettable Friends

Even though I didn’t formally learn much about your language, I didn’t really realize how much I did learn and integrate into my everyday speech until I came home. Seriously, you wouldn’t believe how many times I held back a “jincha?” (really?), “na-do” (me too), “allaseo” (I know), or a “jal cha!” (night!) when talking to my friends or family . . . I miss saying those . . . Anyways, I can at least say that I could understand about 80% of what you were saying! ^^;;

I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to do everything I promised I would . . . If your brother wasn’t making death threats, I would’ve seen the DMZ like I said I would, but hey, it’s not your fault. ^^ When I can get enough money to see you again, I’ll make sure to go there . . . and Olympic Park . . . and Bukhansan . . . yeah . . .  o_O

Funny Faces

In any case, I’m really glad I had fulfilled my promise to little Sammie. Yes, there were some things I would rather forget and there were things about you that I really didn’t expect, but I did learn some very important things about my heritage and about myself. For example, even though I don’t necessarily believe in Confucianism or the social hierarchy that came from it, the pride I had in the culture that supported it has grown stronger. Also, although some of my fairytale visions about you were disbanded, it really made me appreciate the sacrifices my birth mother made in sending me to America. No offense, but if I had grown up with you, I think I would have been a totally different person- which isn’t a bad thing, but I can’t imagine what I’d be like if I couldn’t play soccer when I was in a bad mood! ^^;;

Secret Gardens

I should thank you for helping my birth mother send me to the States . . . Yes, I don’t know the situation and I probably never will, but I think I would have had more regrets about my life if you had held onto me. I will most definitely thank you for the confidence you gave me though- I can’t remember the last time I felt good about the way I looked . . . In fact, I can’t even remember the last time I felt like I looked like a girl! ㅋㅋ But in all seriousness, even though it was a little weird to be given so much attention, I no longer feel like a high school student and I really do feel like I look like I’m twenty and deserve to be treated as such . . . I know I didn’t make many friends, my host family was absolutely wonderful!! You better take good care of them while I’m gone!! ^^

Although I know I could never be with you the rest of my life, you will definitely always be in my heart . . . I will see you again! I know I won’t talk about you much to my family and friends since our time together won’t really mean anything to them, but please understand that I will always remember you . . . Even though being with you really does feel like a dream, I know it must have been real since I have 4,000 photographs and some new clothes to prove it!! I know that I am very different from the little Sammie that dreamt about you as a little girl, but the baby Hye Young that left you 20 years ago will always be a part of me. ^^

영원히 사랑해

Thank you Korea for welcoming me back- I will see you later . . . I promise!! <3

Sincerely,

Samantha Leonard 이혜영  (LEE Hye Young)

부여 (Buyeo)

One week home and I still can’t believe it . . . Although there was a bit of a shock going to Korea, I definitely think the shock coming home was much greater. There are definitely a lot of little things you don’t really realize until you get home. For example, I was walking around downtown Ann Arbor with my friend and I thought something seemed a little strange.  After thinking about it for a while, I realized I could see the sky over the top of the buildings! Yes, it’s not very impressive, but the buildings in Seoul are two to three times as tall- you practically have to strain your neck to see the top!

서울 강남 (Seoul, Gangnam)

Building height isn’t the only physical difference between ultra-urban Seoul and suburban Michigan. On the way home from the airport, I was amazed at the number of trees lining the road and I was elated to see grass again! It was really nice to see space between the buildings as well; the landscape felt empty. I guess the fact that there were ALWAYS people in Seoul only added to the void—it was a bit strange to not have to avoid hitting people as you walked down the street . . . The absence of city noise was almost deafening- I could feel my ears straining to hear something that wasn’t there . . . The birds outside my window did wake me up at eight the next morning though ^^;;

부산 (Busan)

It was also amazing to see what little pleasures I had missed. I knew I missed using my American cell phone with its full keyboard, but being able to close it while it sent a message was AMAZING!! (In Korea, I had to wait for my message to send before I could flip it closed ^^;)  Although I was able to listen to one of my favorite radio stations online, I couldn’t wait to use my stereo via remote! Oh man, it was so nice not to burn my computer up in order to listen to music! Oh, and it’s SUPER nice to be able to drive again! (It was also quite refreshing to not see guys dressed in skinny jeans and super tight shirts . . . no offense, but I do not find that attractive in any way ^^;;)

제주도 (Jeju Island)

I do miss the World Cup hype though . . . I had to negotiate with my baby brother to watch Korea’s final round-robin match with Nigeria, but he and my mom were up for watching the US take on Algeria. (Wow, that’s hard to keep straight! ^^;) Since my family left for camp early Saturday morning, I was able to watch the Korea-Uruguay game and the US-Ghana game.  Watching games alone in my house isn’t quite the same as going to City Hall . . . *sigh*

Although I was kind of disappointed that most of my friends had already made plans for the week, I think it was good idea to keep my first week home pretty low-key. Since I’m still a little drowsy thanks to a lovely phenomenon called jetlag, I’ve been sleeping at random times because my body is still operating on Korean time. I’m also finding eating is a bit difficult—there really is more fat in American food and my body has never been good at digesting fat. I’m not too worried though, since my digestive system is cooperating more and more every day. ^^

가족 (Family)

The things I find myself missing most about Korea, though, are the friends I went to school with at Tech and my host family . . . I half expect to see my old roommate at school in the fall and it’s hard for me to fully comprehend the fact I won’t see my host family for years. (Call me pessimistic if you’d like, but I probably won’t be able to afford another trip to Korea until I get a decent job, but that’s just how life works!) Even though I’m pretty much unpacked, I still feel as if I’ll wake up in my host family’s apartment again . . . I don’t think it helps that I’ve been dreaming about Korea every night since I’ve been home. ^^;

*sigh* I wish the other side of the world wasn’t so far away . . . or going there wasn’t so expensive!  ^3^

My church family

Sunday, I went to Mass for the last time in Korea. Afterwards, the family I go to Mass with treated me to lunch as their good-bye present . . . The youngest boy was so cute- I think he’s still convinced I’ll be at church tomorrow! Unfortunately, I had to cut our meeting short so my classmate and I could finally work on our final paper together . . . Since he had stayed out late the night before to watch the marathon of World Cup games, we ended up just splitting the work. Even though it was kind of a waste of my bus money, I’m glad we didn’t try to work through it all that day, since it was also the last day I’d be able to see my oldest host sister . . . I just wish we had decided that earlier so that we could have done something together that afternoon.

Tech girls in Sinchon

After my essay exam on Monday, I met up with two of my friends who were exchange students at Michigan Tech. We ended up meeting near my school to hang out at a café and take lots of pictures before I headed off to play soccer. Although I feel as if our meeting was kind of rushed, I really needed to play soccer to get rid of all the bad energy that had accumulated over the past week. I only stayed for an hour before meeting up with my friends again for dinner, but I was in a MUCH better mood; there’s a reason why I play that sport! I also discovered how different I could look depending on what I wore: my one friend couldn’t believe how good I looked after I had showered and changed from soccer!

My favorite Kiwi

The next morning, I hopped on a train to Daejeon to see a friend I had met on my tour in Buyeo. Although it was only a short time, I was really glad I was able to go and meet him since even though he is one of my closest friends there, it is the least likely I’ll see him again since he lives in New Zealand. In any case, he showed me around town and treated me to New Zealand-style ice cream (go figure) before he saw me off on a KTX train (bullet train) home. I think that was the first time it hit me that it was time to start saying a lot of hard goodbyes- a realization that only grew stronger when my host sister painted my nails for the last time in preparation for the World Cup on Thursday . . . Although Portugal’s game against the Ivory Coast was somewhat disappointing to me, it offered me a pleasant distraction from my sad thoughts. (Even though he may not have the best attitude, Christiano Renaldo is still my favorite player ^^)

Red Devils!!

Wednesday, I rushed to finish our group project and do my laundry before meeting another Michigan Tech student for the last time. Since there wasn’t much time between the time he finished his English exam and the time I had to meet my cousin for dinner, we ended up buying an ice cream bar and walking from Insa-dong to Chungyecheon. Although I had been to this area three times at that point, my friend was able to show me some new areas, which only made me realize how much of Korea I haven’t seen. After resting at a Dunkin’ Doughnuts, we said goodbye for the last time before parting ways at the subway station. (Although we’re definitely going to see each other again, my cousin and I thought it would be a good idea to meet before I left. ^^)

Gangnam

Realizing I wouldn’t have any time to pack the next day, I really pushed to get all of my things packed before my old roommate from Tech came Thursday afternoon. Since I had accumulated a ridiculous amount of fashion magazines from my host dad and had to purchase a fair amount of text books, I had to send a box home . . . for about $120. Although I wasn’t too happy about it, I really didn’t have any other choice- it’s not like I’m going back anytime soon . . . I will eventually though ^^;;

In any case, after I had crammed and weighed everything, I jumped in the shower and got suited up in red before running off to pick up my friend at the train station. Since she had phone trouble, she had to take the later train, so we ended up grabbing something quick to eat before joining the masses at Seoul City Center to watch the World Cup game against Argentina. Although Korea lost 1:4, it was definitely an experience to be with thousands of other people cheering in the street- there really is no American parallel ^^;;

My last brush with famous people... well, sort of ^^;

After seeing my friend off the next morning, I rushed over to Sinchon to have lunch with my Yonsei mentor one more time . . . He felt really bad for not spending more time with me, but I told him that because he’s an electrical engineer, I completely understand his busy life ^^;;  After we finished eating at his favorite restaurant, I went to Gangnam to meet two of my friends. Since my one friend (the one I first stayed with in Korea) had to leave about an hour after I arrived, we sat in a café and ate free cake- I love food surveys!   When she left, my other friend (the one who had introduced me to her) just walked around and took pictures- it was my first time in what is considered the official downtown of Seoul ^^;;

So, after an extremely late night with other exchange students heading out today, my host parents and sister took me to the airport . . . I wish my host brother had skipped school, but he didn’t because of Korea’s emphasis on education- I know he wanted to cry, but I promised him I would see him again- there are no goodbyes, only see you later

Even though I’m sitting at the airport, it’s still hard to believe that this was my last week in Korea. Even though a part of me knows it’s time to go home, there’s definitely a part of me that doesn’t want to leave . . . I kind of wish I had stayed another week, since my schoolwork really affected the amount of time I could spend with people, especially my host family . . . Considering everything they’ve done for me, I don’t think I spent enough time with them this week. Although I’m sure I’ll be able to see many of these people again since I will go back to Korea eventually, it doesn’t make saying good-bye any easier . . .  <3

My own hair salon . . . sort of o_O

On my way back to Seoul on Sunday, I realized I was down to the last dollar on my pre-paid phone. So after class on Monday, I went to the store outside the apartment to buy more minutes only to be told that my subscription had ended. However, I had talked to a representative on the phone a week before who had told me that the subscription was valid until September. Unfortunately, the man working there was not very friendly and told me I had to apply to extend my subscription in the Sinchon store since the Mapo store didn’t have that service. Extremely annoyed, I ended up drowning my frustrations in blue hair dye and nail polish. I don’t know why I thought that trying to streak my own hair navy blue by myself was a good idea, but I ended up doing so nonetheless. However, since my hair is extremely resilient, the dye didn’t seem to take so I decided to go ahead and use up the rest of the dye the next day . . . I suppose the upside is that my hair no longer looks brown because of the sun ^^;;

Need I say more?? ^_~

Tuesday, I was on my way out the door when my host sister decided to apply a temporary tattoo to my arm, probably because I had tried to look good since my host mom and I were FINALLY going to CoEx, the largest underground mall in the world. Even though there wasn’t an exhibition that day, it was still cool to be able to look around a mall that was somewhat similar to American malls . . . No claustrophobic “department” organization or employees following you around! After she was finished with classes, my host sister met us there and the three of us went to Sinchon to resolve the issue with my phone: yes, there were only two weeks left, but that’s why having a phone is that much more important! Fortunately, the people at that store were much more helpful and friendly, and I ended up just having to sign a paper and pay for more minutes . . . A happy ending I must say!

Burger King in Korea . . . just as inedible as in America

Wednesday, I had made plans to meet another former exchange student at Tech after class, but since she didn’t have a phone number I could call, I had to wait for her to contact me. Unfortunately, she never called, so I ended up attempting to occupy myself with some homework. Thanks to the stifling heat and humidity, however, my computer overheated way too quickly to accomplish anything (all of my homework involved the use of my computer) so any attempt to be productive was rendered useless. And so, I spent a pretty boring and uneventful Wednesday at home

My last day of classes was supposed to be a long one . . . Normally, my Thursday classes began at nine in the morning and I had to stay on campus until my second class in the afternoon concluded at three, but I was supposed to meet with my friend to work on our group paper until seven. Since I had a break between eleven and one, I took the opportunity to have lunch one last time with my Yonsei mentor. I’m glad that worked out, since he’s one of three good friends I had made at Yonsei and that may have been the last time I could see him . . . I don’t like saying goodbyes ^^;;

My Yonsei mentor

As for the rest of my plans, however, things weren’t as successful. My partner ended up having other things to do, so he canceled on me and we set up a time to meet the next day. Since my plans had fell through the day before, being canceled on didn’t put me in a very good mood. To make matters worse, I had woken up late that morning and had to lug my computer and text books to class in order to work on this project. (Note to self: disregard Korean standards and use a backpack if you’re carrying more than five pounds . . . your shoulders will thank you.) So, feeling a bit rejected and in an overall bad mood, I decided to take a walk along the Han-gang to take pictures and spend some time alone. However, this is Seoul, so it’s impossible to be alone. Therefore, although I had tried to find an isolated corner to jump rope to burn off some negative energy, I found myself being stared at by random bikers and senior citizens using the low-impact exercise equipment. Normally, I think Americans would either ignore me or say something to me if they thought what I was doing was interesting (I used to be on a competitive jump rope team in middle school), but these people just stopped and stared . . . and stared some more. It was extremely awkward, so instead of dispelling my bad mood, it was only aggravated under the uncomfortable scrutiny.

How older Koreans stay healthy

The next day, my partner ended up canceling on me again, so my day started to look like another failure. However, my oldest host sister needed some help translating a contract of some sort from English to Korean, so she asked me to come visit her in Jincheon. Since Jincheon is a city about an hour and a half from Seoul, I would just spend the night at her apartment and we’d return to Seoul together the next day. Since this weekend was the last time I’d be able to spend time with her, it was really nice to be able to hang out with her one-on-one . . . After I helped her sort through the extremely convoluted contents of the contract, we went out to eat pizza and visited some street shops before going to her apartment to catch the opening ceremonies for the World Cup . . . I ended up falling asleep during the South Africa/Mexico game. ^^;;

No host-dad, I can't eat it all!

After we arrived in Seoul and had dinner, my host family had a goodbye party for me. They were so sweet- they bought a chocolate cake in the shape of a soccer jersey with PARK Ji Sung’s number and strategically placed candles that spelled “I love you” on top of it . . . They even ended up moving the captain’s band in front of the “7” to recreate my soccer number, 17! After singing “happy birthday” since they didn’t know what else to sing (I don’t blame them), we more or less decimated the cake while we watched South Korea cream Greece 2:0… Although I thought my host family was loud when PARK Ji Sung scored the second goal, I could hear horns honking and people screaming outside for a couple hours after the game ended!

Thanks to the World Cup, I think I can say my somewhat disappointing week turned out alright . . . There is definitely a reason why I love that sport! ^^

I wish we had cool fountains with sweet light shows . . .

After Mass last Sunday, I knew I couldn’t avoid my paper about the Catholic Persecutions in Korea any longer. However, since I was a little overwhelmed with only having three weeks left before I had to go home, I had an extremely hard time focusing. So, I decided to run. I had originally planned to go running by the Han-yang (Han River) which is only a two minute run from the apartment more often, but we all know how that goes ^^;; Anyways, this was my first time doing any “serious” running, and I was surprised that I was able to manage a mile or so without having the breathing problems I normally do when running for the first time in months! Maybe it’s just me, but I felt like a lot of people were staring at me- if you consider the fact I was the only person running and the only girl not in a cute, coordinated running suit, I guess it’s understandable . . . It was still kind of annoying though. >_<

Thankfully, I was able to finish writing my paper after that, so I had time to talk to one of my good friends after class the next day before worrying about my presentation. Maybe we talked too long (she, like me, didn’t have her presentation ready for the next day) but I think we both needed the stress break. (Note to self: procrastination ≠ fun) I’m excited, because I think we’re going to try to see a World Cup game on a huge screen downtown next week!

My friend's grandpa showing off his crop ^^

Tuesday, I presented my paper. I’m glad there’s no pressure associated with my GPA here, since it was a lot easier to make my presentation . . . Normally, I end up shaking a little before and end up stuttering if I’m nervous about getting a good grade, but since I only have to manage a “pass,” there was a lot less stress and I feel as if I did a lot better than I would have otherwise. ^^  As a reward to myself, I went out with my host mom to find shoes. Although they were lacking in the wedge sandals she wanted (most Koreans prefer stilettos), we found some really pretty off-white ones for me. Originally they were over 50,000 won, but after some negotiation, my host mom was able to convince the store keepers I looked good enough in them to sell them to us for about 40,000 . . . It was kind of funny ^^;;

Since Wednesday, June 2 was Election Day, classes were canceled (I wish it was the same for us in the States). So, after catching up on some sleep, I hopped on a train to see my old roommate in Daegu. No, I didn’t take a “bullet train” because it was too expensive, but considering it was my first time on a train since I was five years old was a new enough experience ^^;;

Haeinsa

After spending the night at her grandparents’ traditional-style home in the country, my friend’s aunt took us to the famous Haeinsa temple that houses a collection of about 80,000 Buddhist printing blocks created during the Choseon Dynasty. It was strange, even though the sign said they were reproductions, you still couldn’t take pictures of the blocks because they might catch fire.  After taking the long hike down the mountain again, we returned home and packed our stuff to go to another aunt’s place more in what you might consider the suburbs of Daegu. After eating dinner with her and her son (who would refuse to talk to me because he was too shy to use English), we went to Home Plus to try to buy our tickets for Busan the next day. However, the office was closed, so we bought ice cream and watched commercials of KIM Yuna running around with a soccer ball down the aisles.

Friends!! <3

It turned out alright though, since there was still room on the train when we went to the station the next morning. After meeting another former Michigan Tech Korean exchange student, we grabbed lunch and hit the beach! I think since it was Friday and not a Saturday, the beach (Haeundae) wasn’t that crowded . . . There was a sand sculpture contest though! My favorite was one of a volcano that had a tray with a fish, a shot glass, chopsticks, a bottle of soju, and a real 10,000 won bill at the base!  We didn’t end up swimming much, since the water wasn’t all that clean (I saw cigarette butts in the sand just offshore) and we saw a couple jelly fish, but we did make a pretty sweet sand castle! (Who said grown girls can’t have fun??) After eating dinner together, we parted ways- our one friend staying in the Busan area and the other two of us going back to Daegu . . . Although I was sad to leave her, my friend said she’s hoping to make a visit to Tech in the fall, so it was okay.  :)

Saturday, my friend and I slept in until about 11:30 before heading downtown to meet her older sister. On the subway, I felt someone grab my hand. I turned, and an older lady was admiring my nails. Soon, she found out I was from America, which was soon followed by the discovery I was adopted. She was really interested about my family and if I was happy in the States and if I had tried to find my birth mother. My friend and I told her that I had tried, but no success, and the lady went on to talk about how that was so sad, but it looked like I had grown up well and she really hopes I come back to live here and find my birth mom . . . she actually started crying! I don’t know what it is, but most Koreans are convinced that we adoptees who come back to visit are looking to stay permanently. o_O

Our sweet sand castle!

Anyways, although we had never met before, her sister said my friend talked about me so much that she felt like she had already known me for a long time! ^^;;  After looking around the Lotte Department store and Kyobo bookstore of Daegu and having some ice coffees, we headed off to a popular park to meet the sister’s boyfriend for a picnic dinner of fried chicken. It was funny, at the park, my friend and I were talking in English, and these two kids about 5 years old were calling us idiots and pigs in Korean . . . The boy thought he was so cool and in control, I couldn’t help but laugh whenever he ran away. It’s not that we didn’t know what he was saying, but my friend is too passive to say anything and I didn’t know enough Korean to form an intelligent retort, but the way he was glaring at me made me want to see if I could scare him if I got in his face a little. Did  it bother me? No, not really, he was little, but his grandpa didn’t tell him and his sister to stop, which I thought was kind of odd . . . Oh well, they’re not my kids ^^;;

After the four of us failed to see a swarm of massive fish attack anything edible in the dark, we decided to get some ice cream and take a walk. Although their English isn’t great, I could tell that my friend’s sister and her boyfriend knew English pretty well, they just didn’t have enough practice to make it come out. It was fine though, since my friend’s English has become just about fluent . . . She got some good practice in being an interpreter!  :P

Saranghae! (I love you!)

Today, I had to get up early again to catch a train back to Seoul . . . My oldest host sister is planning on picking me up at the station, so I’m pretty excited- she’s coming next weekend too, so I have time to say goodbye. T_T  I have to go to Mass at 7 though, so I’m glad I don’t have any homework due early this week . . . My friend and I need to start thinking about our group final though . . . Hmmm~~ o_O

Korean Bugles!!!

After Mass last Sunday, I decided it was finally time to break down on this homework that’s piling up, especially since I had plans for Wednesday and half of next week. So, I ended up having a pretty boring first three days of the week, trying to avoid procrastination and making some progress. Although I did make some progress during class lectures since there was no internet access, it was pretty rough battle at home . . . internet radio is great background noise, but email accounts and Facebook aren’t conducive for productivity, even if there’s nothing “new” there ^^;;

In front of the Lotte Castle

As promised, my host sister met me after class on Wednesday and we took off to Lotte World. It’s not much more than a permanent themed fair, so I wasn’t too impressed with the rides since I’m definitely a Cedar Point girl! To be quite honest, I think it’s a cheap spin-off of Disney World, with toned-down rides similar to Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Mountain, but it’s ok: I made my host sister go on more “adventurous” rides that the other girls (and some of the guys) were screaming in fright of . . . mwhahaha~ We also took photo-booth pictures together- the kind you see at movie theaters and such where you take a bunch of funny pictures and put frames and special effects around for way too much money . . . They’re really cute though, so it was worth it!

I conquered the carousel! So did she . . .

We were going to go ice skating with the little speed skaters on the indoor ice rink as well, but then we decided not to go after we found out we’d be paying $10 for a half hour since they’d be cleaning the ice . . . It’s okay though, since the ice didn’t look to good and rental skates aren’t ever really that good ^^;; So, we ended up going to Hongdae to walk around and have dinner instead. I wish we could’ve done things like that more often since we had a great time with just us girls and I like spending time with my host sister. <3

The next day, I had made plans to hang out with one of my friends from school . . . the one I embarrassed in Jeju. I don’t know, maybe that jinxed us, since everything seemed to turn out to define the phrase “ultimate fail!” After eating dinner, we had planned to go to the top of the 63 Building, but my host mom gave us the wrong bus number, so we ended up getting lost and just missing the subway for an hour… my host sister came to meet us to bail us out! We ended up just going to Shinchon (by Yonsei) to hang out with other students from Yonsei. It’s funny, since I had tried to look cute for a night out in Seoul, guys on my soccer team didn’t recognize me at all! A couple of them didn’t make the connection even after I told them who I was! I guess I can clean up pretty well, but I don’t think looking better than when I play soccer is a hard stretch . . . I could be wrong though . . . lol~

Maybe I belong in Seodaemun . . . . I look like I killed someone . . . o_O

Friday, after struggling with these papers some more, I decided to meet up with friends again . . . Three weeks isn’t a long time, you know?? Especially when you know you’re not going to see most of them again ^^;; I ended up staying at a girl friend’s place, since the last bus leaves at midnight and I didn’t call it quits on my homework until 8 or 9 . . . not worth the $1.50 I have to spend on roundtrip bus fares!

Saturday, I was boring and actually made progress on homework and did laundry . . . Yes, not much happened this week as I would have liked, but hey, there’s two weeks of class left, so of course there’s work to be done! Next week though, there’ll be more interesting stories and pictures, since I’m going to see my old roommate and another former Techie later this week! I’m so excited! They live down South, so it will be warm AND we’re going to the beach! (I love beaches!) I don’t care what the ideal skin tone in Korea is, I’m getting a tan! ^_~

With the pressure to fin- start my term papers building up, I’ve found I’ve been going out of my way to avoid it . . . almost literally! I finally bought presents for my dad and grandpa, thoroughly cleaned my room, and went to Jeju-do. In my defense, I wanted to make sure I had enough money to buy my family souvenirs (one more to go!) and my room really did have a lot of dust accumulating in odd places . . . I had also planned on going to Jeju-do at the beginning of the month, so I was already committed. ^^;

I claim this cliff for adventurers everywhere!!

In any case, Jeju-do is a small island south of the peninsula and is often referred to as “the Hawaii of Korea” in the States where you supposedly won’t find wolves, thieves, or beggars. (If you ask me, it was more like Texas where my grandma lives in winter, but maybe that’s because I remember that better than Hawaii. ) Besides good weather and GORGEOUS scenery, the volcanic island is well known for its tangerine orchards and unique variety of oranges called hallabong. It also has unique guardian statues and Korean dialect, but since my Korean still is far from great, I couldn’t tell the difference. ^^;;

Our group of 18 students (10 girls and 8 guys) left Yonsei Wednesday evening and got to Jeju that night. Since our flight was delayed an hour due to rain, we were all kind of in a bad mood and ready for bed when we finally settled into our rustic “condos” . . . My friend did win a 5,000 won (~$4) coupon for a convenience store playing rock-paper-scissors with the entire plane on the way down though! (How random is that? o_O) It was a good thing we went to bed fairly early that night, since I discovered I had only slept for a total of 13 hours over the three nights we were there when I got back ^^;;

BAHAHAHA~ don't worry, it's not real!

Thursday, we started off by going to a glass museum called the Glass Castle in southern Jeju. Basically, it’s a collection of glass works from local artists. As you can see, there was a giant ring that we all convinced my friend to pretend he was proposing to me for a picture . . . he was soooooo embarrassed! It’s probably my favorite picture because of the look on his face! Afterwards, we went to the cliffs of Jungmun. It is said that long ago, there was an old woman who waited for her husband to return home after fishing every day. However, one day, he didn’t return, so she was left sitting on the beach until she had turned into a huge column of stone. (Why are Korean stories so sad?? o_O) We ended up hopping a fence to explore a fairly huge cliff . . . in hind sight, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea since I had my bag and was wearing flip-flops, but I didn’t fall and the view was amazing!! When we were done exploring the cliff (I was the only girl who made it out there- it’s hard to scare me from a challenge!), we climbed down a super steep staircase to an alcove near to where the Japanese made sea-side caves to store weapons during World War II . . . If it wasn’t as cold, you’d think we were in the Bahamas since the water was so clear!

In case you're inclined to run through a glass maze with mirrors . . .

After appeasing most of the girls on the trip at the Teddy Bear Museum (I actually only found the one display depicting Normandy amusing since the teddy bears were “shooting” machine guns and rifles at each other o_O) and eating a not-so impressive buffet lunch, we went ATV-ing . . . I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be legal in the States, since we only had a run around a circular track to figure out how to accelerate, stop, and turn before hitting the pretty intense terrain, but it was SO much fun! The guys and girls were split into separate groups and I was a little disappointed, since we had a guide that would stop every minute or so to see if everyone was there. Since one of us wasn’t very comfortable with going fast, we did a lot of waiting, but tearing down the beach as fast as the ATV could go was absolutely amazing! Unfortunately, since we ended up going to the Teddy Bear Museum and had a boat to catch for ocean fishing, we couldn’t stay much longer than half-an-hour . . . I would definitely do it again if I could!!

Our group leader wishing he caught a big fish!

The ocean fishing turned out to be alright though: we used little shrimp as bait instead of worms, which was a little less disgusting, and were told we could eat any fish we caught. Even though I didn’t catch anything, I was told I was the “manliest” one there since I felt comfortable enough to unhook any fish without horns or sharp spikes- I didn’t feel like getting cut by a fish! Even though I usually am kind of squeamish about eating raw animal products, I decided to try the sushi. The captain of the boat did all the cleaning right then and there, and even though it was mildly disgusting, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by it! (Don’t worry, I won’t go into detail ^^;;) Since I have a thing about scales, I chose to try the one fish that had a more skin-like outer-covering because the captain was able to pull it off like a sock . . . In other words, there were scales and no bones, though it was really chewy and, well, smelled like raw fish. I can’t tell you from personal experience, but some of the people there said it was much better since it was fresh . . . It makes sense to me, so I’ll take their word for it, but I don’t think I’d eat it again ^^;;

I really did try to be a good sport about it, but this is what you get for 11,000 won

Friday, we headed off to a bonsai exhibit (Halla Botanical Garden) at 9 in the morning before attending a 5-minute “horse-riding experience” . . . Let me assure you, it is in fact possible to ride a horse for 5-minutes- you just have to line everyone up in dorky red vests and pseudo-cowboy hats to mount a pony by climbing a cement platform before walking around a tiny course. Did I enjoy it? No, not really . . . For one, judging by the way they treated us and the visible condition of the ponies, I don’t think the workers treated them well at all. Furthermore, I’ve ridden horses before, so I know that you don’t put a 6-foot man on a pony, nor do you put your foot in the stirrup all the way, since that’s one of the most dangerous things you could do. I also know how to use the reins, so if my pony is walking into a fence, of course I’m going to try to convince it not to! Needless to say, the “guide” walking us through the course was pretty upset with me, and I, being irritable from lack of sleep, didn’t like him even more . . . I did make his job easier though when we were allowed to trot, since I knew how to keep my poor, tired, and drooling pony trotting. Moral of the story: if you plan on going horseback riding in Jeju-do, try to avoid the assembly line corals if you can- I know there are others.

Atop a volcano

After lunch, my mood improved since we climbed a small inactive volcanic mountain named Seongsan Ilchul-bong with a gorgeous view at the top! Let’s just say the steep 20 minute climb was all worth it, if only to feel the breeze at the top! (One of the guys looked half-dead when he got there- it was quite amusing!) After we made the trek down again, we took a ferry to U-do, a small island across the way. It was kind of the same concept as Mackinac Island, only there were cars there and it felt really suburb-ian. After taking a short walk to the highest point of the island, we headed off to the corral beach. (Instead of sand, there’s white corral that crunches when you walk!) Even though the water was absolutely freezing, half of the guys went swimming, and I laid claim to being the only girl to dive in- told you I enjoy a challenge!

After a really late night hanging out and going as a group to a club, we headed back to Seoul at 9:20 a.m. on Saturday. Since the airport is on the same subway line as the stop near the apartment, I didn’t take the bus back to Yonsei with the rest of group. Instead, I fought off sleep on the train before stumbling home with my host brother and crashing for about 7 hours . . . I would have slept until I had to get up for Church today, but my host dad made me get up to eat dinner, even though I was too tired to even feel hungry . . . Oh well, I didn’t eat much at Jeju, so it was probably good for me!

In Preparation for Buddha's Birthday on May 21

After dragging myself to class and feeling absolutely miserable for two hours on Monday, I went to an otolaryngology clinic. Now, what is otolaryngology you say? It’s the study of ears, nose, and throat also known as ENT of course! (Say what???) So after the doctor shoved various tubes in and out of my nose and throat, she told me my nose bone wasn’t straight and gave me a prescription with orders to come back in a couple days. When I went back, she did the same thing and could not get over the fact my nose bone isn’t straight. To tell you the truth, no one’s ever told me that before, and my nose looks fine to me! I don’t what she expects me to do about it . . . I mean, besides breaking my nose and resetting it or getting plastic surgery, what can I do about it?? o_O

In any case, I didn’t go to school the next day, and although I had planned on going to class on Wednesday, waiting in line for a ticket to Akaraka for an hour and a half in the cold Tuesday didn’t help at all, so I didn’t. Since I still didn’t feel very well Wednesday night, I decided to only attend Akaraka on Thursday.

Akaraka 2010: Rebirth and Reverse

You’re probably wondering, “What on earth is Akaraka?” Well, it’s a concert that’s the climax of Yonsei University’s spring festival . . . Try to imagine Winter Carnival for a school about four times the size of Tech with an urban twist. Since I was sick, I didn’t go to the evening activities which I hear are a lot of fun, but I was determined not to miss the concert. Although my mom didn’t sound too happy with me when I told her what I was planning to do, I think she would’ve been impressed with my “surviving Akaraka with a cold” kit: a roll of toilet paper, a plastic bag to stash the-er-refuse, a bagel, Under Armour, a long sleeve t-shirt, medicine, a water bottle, and cough drops. I also wore jeans that I could roll up the legs if I got too warm, tennis shoes in case it got too cold for sandals, and my YG United soccer jersey- you had to wear blue! Anyways, I think I did a pretty good job for an 11 a.m.-10 p.m. day ^^; I did forget sunscreen and hand wipes though . . .

DJ D.O.C. revealing their new CD: Uh-huh~

I really did have a great time though . . . Even though the group we bought tickets with was in the “VIP Section”- a.k.a. the “mosh-pit”- I didn’t think I would have enough energy to stand the entire time squashed between other students and my friend thought we’d have a problem seeing there, so she found us some really nice seats. When I say “really nice”, I mean REALLY nice! Say, center-stage-three-rows-up nice! I could’ve done without the Department of Music girl that was screaming in my ear though . . . it was ringing up until I went to bed the NEXT night! In any case, we were in the PERFECT position to see Bada, Beast, 4 Minute, DJ D.O.C., After School, Drunken Tiger, and Psy! Okay, okay, I know that probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but I actually like DJ D.O.C., Drunken Tiger, and Psy, so it was a big deal to me, especially since it was my first concert!

The Fountain of Youth: "Medicine Water"

Needless to say, I was pretty tired the next day. However since my host mom seemed pretty bummed about not being able to go out much that week because of my health, I felt like I had enough energy to go on a low-key expedition. So, we went to the Seoul Foodtech 2010 fair at Kintex Mall! My host dad, who works in the food industry making candy ingredients, had a company name tag made for her and a co-worker let me borrow his (Korean names are a little harder to distinguish gender), so we were able to get in free and access the international sector! Now let me tell you, I had no idea how much I missed good-ol’ American French fries and soft pretzels! I haven’t even SEEN pretzels here! But maybe that’s because it never occurred to me to look for them . . . hmmm~ . . . In any case, she ended up having to go to my host brother’s English school after which she took me to the doctor’s again and then to pay for more minutes for my phone. Yeah, a low-key expedition ended up being another really long day ^^;;

Lookie! A traditional swing!!

Anyway, besides Akaraka, the big event for this week was a free trip to Buyeo, courtesy of the Korean Tourism Organization, or KTO. Although I wasn’t given much information, I was expecting a “tour” as in “enjoy yourself” tour. Well, even though I did have fun and met some really nice international students, it was a “give feedback on undeveloped tourist attraction for future tourists and to promote them to your home country” tour. Yes, there were students there, but there were probably only eight of us surrounded by about 40-50 important people such as the ambassador from Spain, the president of an outdoor clothing company, a prestigious dentist in Korea, a famous Korean rock star, and a Korean government official . . . Yeah, we didn’t really know what to do ^^;; I was approached by a couple of prestigious Korean men asking if I was interested in working in Korea after school and asking all about my studies though- I’ve noticed that Koreans love the idea of a Korean-adoptee “returning” to Korea.

Top of Nakhwaam- no, I won't jump off ^^;

In any case, we visited the soon to be completed Baekje History Reproduction Complex, Busosanseong (mountain), Nakhwaam (cliff), Baengmagang (river), Buyeo National Museum, and Gungnamii Lake in six hours on Saturday, and the Royal Tomb of King Muryeongwang, Gonju National Museum, Gonsanseong (mountain), and Seokiang-ri Museum in four hours on Sunday. Although I wasn’t really satisfied with the amount I could see at many of the places, it was still a good opportunity and it was free. I think the place I liked the most was Nakhwaam, though it had the saddest history. In 660 AD, after Baekje was defeated by the combined forces of Shilla and China, hundreds of court ladies threw themselves over this cliff instead of being taken as the conquerors’ concubines in order to

Nakhwaam from Baengmagang river

preserve their dignity. (In case you’re confused, in ancient Korean history, there was what is known as the Three Kingdoms: Shilla, Baekje, and Goguryo. The Three Kindgoms were constantly clashing until Shilla got help from Tang China to unify the Korean peninsula until being divided into North and South after World War II.) Even though it’s a really depressing story, it was probably the most touching location if you ignored the tour coordinators telling you it was time to go and took a minute to imagine what it might have been like for them . . . I don’t think I could do it, but if I did, I would hope I either hit a rock on the way down or hit the water in such a way so that I was dead before I drowned in the river about 300 feet below. o_O

After I finally arrived home Sunday with my health barely hanging in there, I crashed for a hour before going to Mass. Even though I’m tempted to take it easy again this week in order to gear up for Jeju-do on Wednesday, I promised my teachers I’d be in class this week, so I guess I have to go ^^;; Darn attendance points!!

Random: have you seen a toilet like this?

The month of May in Korea is full of holidays: May 1 is Workers’ Day, May 5 is Children’s Day, May 8 is Parents’ Day, May 15 is Teacher’s Day, and May 21 is Buddha’s Birthday . . . Oh, and of course, the couple holiday for this 14 is Yellow Day.

The build-up for this Children’s Day began on Sunday . . . For Korean kids, Children’s Day is like Christmas in May: they don’t have class and receive presents from their family. Since this year was my host brother’s last Children’s Day (he’ll be considered “a teenager” next year), he was more than eager to find out what he was getting . . . He even told me to give him a present to which I responded like I do to my brothers back home: “Ha! I don’t have money to spend on you . . . You can have a hug if you’d like!” *mwahaha*

A really old tree

On Monday, I presented a summary of a reading about the events surrounding the division of Korea. Although the politics behind such event are pretty dull, I think that every Westerner should study them from the East Asian perspective. Although they are controversial within Asia (Japanese accounts can vary significantly from Chinese and Korean), they aren’t as simple and heroic as Americans portray it. For instance, Korea wasn’t divided to rescue it from total Russian rule; rather it was divided by Americans in Korea who were more-or-less paranoid that any party without word “democracy” in its title would turn the country communist. To be fair, they were acting on past experiences with other colonial countries, but Korea’s political atmosphere was different: violence against select American supporters in Korea were not initiated out of anti-American or communist sentiments, but were acts of revenge for being supporters of Japan during the brutal colonization. To oversimplify the whole mess, the Americans in Korea defied orders and threw all their support behind a party that did not benefit the whole population in order to counteract a “problem” that didn’t exist . . . Thus the country was divided, creating the only remaining vestige of the Cold War today.

After class, my host sister took me to get my haircut at what they said was a famous salon named Lee Chul Hair Kerker . . . I don’t know what a “kerker” is, but it was pretty nice! I wanted to take pictures, but they put our bags and jackets into a locker as soon as we walked in. ^^;; It reminded me of that one show on TLC a few years ago about barbers switching places: this hair salon operated like the one in New York City that was featured on the show. Basically, only certain people wash hair, while other people are designated stylists, and there are only two people “qualified” to cut hair . . . That was the first time I ever experienced something like that ^^;;

Why have a Fountain of Youth when you can have a DOOR???

On our way out, my host sister and I were stopped by a flustered looking foreigner struggling to ask for directions in Korean. Let’s just say he was kind of confused when I asked him in English what he needed help with! Turns out, he was Frenchman who had come to Korea not more than a week ago and was trying to find a new place to stay since the place he his current accommodations didn’t meet his expectations. Since my host sister knows the area like the back of her hand, she offered to show him where the places on his list were. It was strange: since my host sister was not used to his rapid French accent and he didn’t quite understand her broken English, I was basically translating English into-er- English. o_O After some confusion concerning the word “free” (we thought he meant “free” as “costless”, but he meant “free” as in “vacant”) and some three-way translating between the managers, my host sister, and the Frenchman, he finally found a place he liked. Relieved, he insisted on buying the two of us coffee. Although I didn’t much like the idea- I felt like he was too interested- I knew it was a good chance for my host sister to practice English with someone other than me, so I agreed and tried to maintain distance while being polite. Apparently he knows many French Korean-adoptees that he’d like me to meet and wouldn’t stop pressing the issue until I gave him my phone number. I don’t know if it’s just a French thing or not since I hear Europeans are more demonstrative than Americans, but he keeps asking me to meet up with him and I feel as if it’s a little inappropriate since he’s eight years older than me. Fortunately, I have plenty of other things to do and my number is only good for another month ^^;;

The last palace in full use, Changdukgung is also the most Westernized

Since Wednesday was Children’s Day, my host brother and I were free from class (my host sister only has class on Tuesday and Friday). Originally, YG United was supposed to play the other exchange student team, IYC, but they didn’t reserve the field and only four of their players showed up. So my host brother ended up watching a scrimmage in the scorching hot. Fortunately, we had made plans to watch Iron Man II, so I had an excuse to leave the potentially never-ending “fun”. Since it was near 80 that day and we were playing on turf, I was overheated and couldn’t wait to take a cold shower and get out of my long-sleeve jersey. Believe it or not, there were a lot of people walking around in pants and hoodies, long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, and quilted jackets . . . Is it weird that they looked perfectly comfortable in the stuffy bus with the windows shut?? Or maybe I’m just weird since they gave me strange looks for NOT wearing winter clothes and clinging to the window like it was a sanctuary. o_O

Yes, there's a modern chimney sticking through the roof @_@

Thursday, I had to suffer through a two-hour lecture on Confucianism. I don’t know if it’s just the way my professor presented it, but I walked away from that class hating the whole system due to its hypocrisy. Yes, I am American and am therefore more used to female rights, but that’s not what I had issues with . . . I guess Koreans see Americans as being selfish, since Confucianism practices collectivism. However, I don’t see how “collectivism” equals patriarchal dictatorship: the family must wait on the father to eat, even if he’s late from work or doesn’t want to eat when everyone else is hungry. Also, if he doesn’t approve of his children’s prospective spouses, they can’t get married. Furthermore, when it comes to employment, if you’re above the age of 29, it’s practically impossible to get a job since you’d have the possibility of working under someone younger than you, which, according to the system, is unacceptable. Plus, since family is all-important, big businesses like Samsung pass the company from father to eldest son and you’re pretty much guaranteed a job if you share the same ancestral clan as your prospective boss, despite your qualifications in regards to other hopefuls . . . Maybe it’s just me, but I fail to see how that promotes the well-fare of the greater community. >_<

A former Techy and me ^_^

Fortunately, I was given a chance to de-stress from the week’s events by going to Changdeokgung on Friday. My host dad went to Japan from early Friday to late Saturday, so my host mom was free to do what she wanted all day. One of my friends from Tech, a Korean exchange student, just arrived in Korea last weekend and had nothing better to do, so he met us there. At first I was worried that my host mom would feel left-out or “in the way”- which she wasn’t- but it turned out okay, since she was able to go home early and spend quality time with my host brother while my friend went with me on a 2 hour tour of what is known as the palace’s “Secret Garden”. It’s funny, he was playing translator for me, a Canadian couple, and another European tourist! It’s amazing how much his English has improved since I met him last fall!

Afterwards, we went to Insadong for dinner and made plans to meet today to help me make an account with the Korean version of Facebook. However, it’s a little more complicated than making a Facebook account: you have to either have an alien-registration card or a Korean phone-number . . . A Korean email is great too! They also have to “authenticate the information”, whatever that means, so I don’t know if we were successful or not ^^;;

In any case, my host dad came back from Kyoto today and brought tons of Japanese snacks, natural medicine, and toothpaste . . . Interesting souvenirs, but I’ll just roll with it! ^_~;;

Yes, we all listen to our captain!

Sunday, I was hoping to take a nap between Mass and my soccer game since I got caught up in a string of Free Cell games, but my host dad insisted we go to a famous naengmyun (cold noodle soup) restaurant for lunch. I guess the problem with being famous is that when the weather’s right (in this case, warm and sunny), there’s bound to be a crowd . . . we ended up waiting in a line that curled outside of the building for about half an hour! Not only that, but it was located about 20 minutes away, so by the time we finally got back, I only had an hour before I had to be ready to play . . . I ended up crashing for 45 minutes before grabbing my host brother and hopping on a bus ^^;;

I felt bad for my host brother since even though he wanted to see me play, he more or less just hung out while we got massacred . . . Okay, so we were only beat 5-0 against the best team in the league, but still! I ended up playing for only the second half because my being leveled last time pretty much freaked everyone out, but this team actually respected the fact I was half their size and knew that they didn’t have to try very hard to beat us, so I managed to sustain a couple of turf burns . . . It’s still kind of annoying how I have to prove that I’m “good enough” to play with the guys and I DEFINITELY still don’t appreciate the dirty looks from the people not on my team for being a girl -_-

My oldest host sister and me

Thanks to the lovely weather this week, I was forced to stay at home after class for most of the week: the wind was so strong it rendered my umbrella useless since the rain was falling sideways! (My host mom, host sister and I did sneak out to go shopping in Dongdaemun though! ) The combination of nasty weather, being struck by another wave of jetlag-like symptoms, and reading the plans my friends back home are making to have a “beginning of summer get-together” next week on Facebook didn’t make for such a fun time . . . In any case, my host mom asked me to make scrambled eggs on Tuesday for dinner, so I had some relief—it’s amazing what you end up missing after being deprived of for two months! My host family was very impressed—I thought it was funny, seeing as scrambled eggs are, well, scrambled eggs: they don’t take very much effort or skill to make and that’s why they were the first things I learned how to cook! (I remember my dad teaching me when I was about 11 years old ^^;;) After my host brother finished devouring what the rest of us didn’t snag, he said “Later, please make again!”

At least Mother Nature enjoyed the weather (no, this is NOT man-made!)

So I’ve officially determined that Thursday is my least favorite day. Yes, it is the only day I have the possibility of meeting someone for lunch (which I did manage to do this week), but it really is a waste of time. ^^;; After getting on the bus by 8:15 am, I have to sit through a classmate’s presentation on a reading that I didn’t read (not going to lie about that one ^^;). Then, I get to waste three hours before my next class in which my teacher always seems to end up bragging about how she’s related to some famous person in history for two hours . . . If they both didn’t take attendance, I probably wouldn’t go . . . Sorry Mom and Dad, it’s true ^^;; Oh well, five more Thursdays! (Six officially, but I’m going on a field trip for exchange students to Cheju-do, the Hawaii of Korea, in a couple weeks! )

Don't let the photo fool you: the hills of Myeongneung are HUGE

Fortunately, Friday’s weather was sunny and warm and my host dad was off visiting his factory, so my host mom had time to take me to make another trip to Namdaemun Market to tackle my souvenir list again . . . Although I wasn’t able to find everything I wanted to get people, I discovered I had perfected the art of getting discounts: put effort into dressing well (heels and fitted clothes are a must- no sneakers, hoodies, or sweatpants . . . a little makeup doesn’t hurt either ^^;), speak English like you don’t want anyone to know (arrogance is a DEFINITE no-no!), and debate- a lot. Yes, it’s not fool-proof, but getting about $5 off a purchase isn’t bad, especially when the seller usually charges more for foreigners! Of course, you get the younger male vendors who think they can get your attention with their insistent “Hi! Sunglass girl”, but I guess I have my brothers to thank for teaching me how to “just ignore it”. ^_~

He looks happy to be guarding the late Queen Inwon

Today was also above 60 and gorgeous, so my host dad took my host mom, eldest sister, and I to Seo-oneung, essentially “five tombs” park (my other host sister and brother had other things to do) . . . I felt bad since my host dad didn’t really tell us how massive this park was, so my host sister had to make the trek in heels! To give you an idea, according to the signs on the trails, we had to walk over 2 km just to see the tombs. Then, my host dad wanted to take the slightly longer route back. Not only was the dirt path long, but the tombs are literally on the side of a mountain: there was one crest with 107 stairs! o_O She’s no wimp, but no one blamed her when she didn’t climb the two tombs you could actually get up close and personal to (I was glad she didn’t, since I had problems climbing the hills of death in sneakers!) . . . It’s funny, my host dad was convinced that we couldn’t access these last two tombs even though I knew you could (remember that free book about royal tombs I received at Taereung and Gangneung?), but my host mom made me keep quiet and do whatever he said. Fortunately, we passed the entrance to the tombs on our way out- right where I had originally said it was- so my host dad had to endure a playful “I told ya so~” before I ran off to climb the hills.

Although this week was cold and rainy for the most part, I think the temperature will finally stay in the 60’s . . . I want to experience spring in Korea before June! ^^;;