Stephanie in Seoul - A Preview

Dearest S,

Armed with nothing but a list of foods to eat, you came and went, and we collectively gained a few dress sizes and potentially damaged a few livers. 32nd Street will never be the same for you. Not even Kun Jip.

I'm glad you got to meet a few of my buddies, even when there were language barriers. I especially appreciate you teaching them how to properly call one another bad names in English (so long as it doesn't somehow come back to me one day). Daniel Henney, by the way, sends his regards.

I am still amazed by your ability to recognize scenes from K-dramas and movies. No wonder everyone on the street thinks you're Korean and kept asking for directions.

Finally, thank you for being so patient with my attempts to get your highlights right. (Your hair looks gooorgeous, thank goodness, huge sigh of relief. ^^)

And I'm happy you got your fill of couple tees. That was pretty freaking hilarious.

Keep smiling, darling, and I'll be seeing you stateside soon. I hope you enjoy this mini preview of your stay. (Will work on the food collage.)

Love,
Your chai-latted-out C

Yongojeon... now that's school spirit!

연고전 makes me wish I spent some undergrad time in Korea.

From Wiki...

The rivalry of Korea University and Yonsei University, the top two private institutions in the nation, is nationally renowned. These private universities are proud of and renowned for their spirit, traditions, and the gold balance of academics and athletics. So intense is the rivalry between them that the crimson-attired supporters of Korea University identify the league as the “Ko-Yon Games,” while Yonsei members in blue transpose the two syllables as "Yon-Ko". Five events: (baseball, basketball, hockey, rugby union, and soccer) are held every year.

The Yonsei University side...



The Korea University side...



These kids have a TON of energy. I can't recall a single moment that didn't feature the entire crowd in cheer, song, or dance. Check it out!

Libraries are fun

What's better than quality time spent in the library? A pretty library! Namely, Yonsei's grand spanking new beauty. It was my second time in the extension building, but my first time actually being productive in it. ^^

Plasma touch screens, seat reservation systems, movie rentals (with a multimedia center to watch them in), language lab booths, beautiful shiny new computers, ample hang out space, and study areas very reminiscent of an Apple Store (it must have been the white pod-like desks)... With this type of atmosphere - wide, open, modern, dust-free, and super duper conducive to studying - you could practically live here (says the inner nerd in me)! It certainly brought me back to college days.

Here are a few photos taken from the 7th floor roof deck -

Severance Hospital and Namsan in the background.



The northeast-ish side of Yonsei's campus.



The law school's future mock court building.



Sinchon and the 63 Building in the distance.



The (slow) glass lifts.



I heart you, Yonsei Samsung Library.

Walking tour: Yonsei and City Hall

Time to go on another blog roll!

Apparently it's that time of the year - colleges (well, two that I specifically know of, but I suspect there are more) are starting to roll out the spring festivities. Outdoor tents lined along the main campus road cater to a plethora of drinking parties, categorized by matching t-shirt wearing student organizations. In the day, you'll find street food booths, outdoor performances, massive air pumped slides, free promotional giveaways, and I believe somewhere in the middle, a special celeb-filled concert?

It happens every year, and it's quite a site to behold. A handful of people have asked me what the American equivalent is like, and I feel bad letting them down: "We don't really... have festivals."

Or do we?

In my world, lattes trumped beer, coffee shops overshadowed bars (except for the occasional really cool lounge), and restaurants always topped clubs so I'm probably not the best representative to discuss "American life" as told by classics such as American Pie. Wait, that's not even about college, is it? Case in point. I can't even get those movies straight.

I'm really starting to enjoy the walk from Insadong/Jogno to City Hall. Here are some shots of my solo rendezvous around Cheonggyecheon.

Meet my adorable ban-chingoos

I've become an expert at procrastination working well under pressure over the years, and have come to learn that blogging is best done when you shouldn't be on the computer in the first place. 2 tests down, 4 to go! ^^

After midterms, we'll be losing our wonderful classmate George (aka "Joji," the most fluent of us all) and awesome teacher. ㅠ_ㅠ All classes switch profs so that students can experience a different learning style/method for the latter half of the quarter... in my case, whyyy mess with a good thing! : (

Naturally... this turned into a photo op. I'm so lucky to be in a country where people don't grumble (*cough* you know you who are) about pictures, but rather, often beat me to the punch, whipping out their cams with kung-fu-like-speed-reflexes. Meet my adorable ban-chingoos... ^^

George, who will someday be a world famous diplomat, best-selling author, or both, gave me a little gift he scribbled in class one day, and I thought I'd share (and I hope that's ok with him)... I've definitely learned a lot in the little time that I've known him.

Modern Sensibility

To see men sprawling

To see life faultering

To see minds thralling

To idiocy's unmindful reign

To hear hell falling

To hear the weak calling

To hear dregs hauling

To tune commerce's unyielding wheel

To feel joy fleeting

To feel time creeping

To feel like sleeping

To avoid a life nearly in vain

To taste air putrid

To taste food lucid

To think taste stupid

And embrace society's heel

To know that dreams shatter

To know that mind doesn't matter

To know that freedom can tatter

In so "modern" a world

To give you perspective

In our strange times

Well, it's high time to hit the books again.

But just for kicks, take a look at today's lunch, hwedupbap (회덥밥), rice mixed with veggies and raw fish. I'm debating whether I should turn this blog into a food diary. ; )

Finally, here's a little message from my cushion (thank you 엄마) to you...

...you know I do!

연대 (Yonsei): The "Informative" Post : )

As you may know, I've been taking an intensive Korean language course at Yonsei University. This term, there are over 1000 students in the same program. I don't know have the stats, but it seems like a majority of these people come from Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or the States, and I think quite a few of them are gyopos (Koreans living abroad) like me. Half of my classmates speak Japanese, the other half Mandarin, and there's one student in the US Navy, originally from Tennessee. He's pretty much fluent, I think, and yes, it's still a trip to see someone non-Asian speaking Korean... ^^ Anyway, even though other languages are "prohibited" in the building, I usually hear English in the halls during break-time, but surprisingly haven't made any American friends. Downside? Who's going to watch the Super Bowl with me?! ㅎㅎ

There are a handful of Korean language programs at universities in Seoul (i.e. Korea University, Seoul University, Sogang University, Kyunghee University) as well as a ton of language institutes, and after "researching" - i.e. scouring the web - it seemed like Yonsei was the way to go. There seems to be heavier focus on grammar, which was most important to me. I've heard that Sogang concentrates more on speaking skills, but I'm trying to practice that with my family, friends, and language buddies - also a great way to meet new people!

Korean's one of those languages that's...well...only really spoken in this country. ^^ So I was curious to find out why people are studying here, and so far, I've discovered the following reasons:

1) Gyopos' interest in learning more about their heritage and re-connecting with family

2) Work - either they're currently working here in a foreign company, will be sent to work here by their company in the near future, or are trying to get a job here 

3) Significant other is Korean

4) Simply interested in the language/culture itself

5) College - either studying abroad, or trying to transfer into a Korean college

On another note, it's so nice to be on a real "college-y" campus... BU was pretty much just a street. I loved that it was in the city, but it would have been nice to have a few more trees scattered about. Yonsei has a "FOREST!" ^^

Oh and yes, I'm learning a TON.

*Note: Despite usage of ^^, ㅠㅠ, ㅎㅎ, ㅋㅋ, peace signs, and new found fascination for the miniskirt-legging-boot combo in the winter, I have not yet been fobbitized... you know who are... *cough* STEPHANIE...SAM...G... But for the rest of you who may not know what the heck I'm typing, or for those who can't even view Korean characters on their PC (i.e. the text comes out as funky characters like question marks, or boxes)... here's a little explanation. ^^ is equivalent to a smiley face, ㅠㅠ is a sad crying face, and ㅎㅎ and ㅋㅋ are like virtual laughs. Can you feel the joy?!