Sunday Happenings

Sunday morning, we woke up early to attend Mass at the Myeong-dong Cathedral. I had visited once before and was inspired by the Korean worship and the building itself. Outside of the church, a beautiful nativity set had been arranged. We took some pictures here and then left to walk around the town. We took a break from the cold and ate some kalguksoo at the restaurant called Myeongdong Gyoza. The soup broth was so flavorful and comforting from the outside chill. Next, we walked around some more. I showed my Mom the Milgiore shopping mall and the Japanese-founded store, UNIQLO, which is very popular in Korea. The specific UNIQLO store in Myeong-dong just opened about a month ago~my Mom wasn't too keen on looking around there because of the loud messages the sales associates were shouting. We left and went to Yonsei to pack up some stuff for my Mom to take home.



Back at the hotel, we relaxed watching some Korean t.v. and then took a necessary nap. It was a good decision! Around 5:30 p.m., we headed back to Sinchon to get some coffee at Cafe Bene. Then my Mom and I met up with some of my friends for samygpsal dinner. It was delicious!~My mom was amazed when we fried the kimchi and at the taste of fried kimchi/cooked pork combination. We had to have a waffle at Casse Croute after dinner. Boy was it good, but a tad bit too cold for the frozen yogurt inside. The waffle was basically frozen itself in a matter of minutes. Lastly, we headed towards the shoppers haven, Dongdaemun. We walked around and shopped with my friends. Then it was midnight and time to head back to the hotel after another long, but full day. I'm really happy that my Mom came to Korea.

As for me now, I'm back at school studying and doing homework for the remaining time here. 16 days.

News Article and Video About Protests in Korea, December 2011
http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20111204000214
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/news_asia/2011-12-05/south-korean-riot-police-scuffle-with-protesters.html

Time with my Mom

On Saturday, my Mom and I covered so much ground in Seoul! Our day started with my Mom's first adventure on the Seoul Metro from the Hongje station to Sinchon. We really enjoyed staying at the Grand Suites Residence, a sister hotel to the Grand Hilton. We had lots of space to roam and a TV too! In Sinchon, we walked toward the main gate of Yonsei University, but first stopped for a hot drink at Holly's Coffee. We walked through campus and I pointed out the library, student union and new Christmas tree in front of the Underwood statue.

I had to attend a reverse culture-shock workshop that day, so my mom had some time to read in the lobby of the SK House. Then, she met my study abroad program director and her assistant. Next, I showed her my small dormitory and we posted some photos for family at home to see. We had dakgalbi for lunch in Sinchon with my friend, Hyun, and my mom loved it! We continued walking after lunch to Ehwa Women's University and some shopping. This area is one of my favorites in Seoul. We met my friend, Lucy, close to the subway station and headed to Deoksu Palace from there. I had never been to this palace before, but it was beautiful like all the others. It is some comical, however, that such a traditional palace is in such a commercial area (you can see the high rise buildings from the traditional steps). We were lucky to see some of the remaining foliage too.

After coming to Deoksu, our next plan of going to Gyungbokun was hindered by the tumultuous, crowded atmosphere we found ourselves in on the main road where the statue of King Sejong is . There were thousands of policemen in the square because of the protestors. It was amazing. And the weather was freezing. We finally got out of that area and made our way to my favorite place in Seoul~Samcheongdong (or what my mom would later call the "Laguna Beach of Korea"). LOL. DInner there was wonderful. Lastly on Saturday, we went to the Somerset Hotel for dessert. My mom got a cannoli and I indulged in a chocolate-pistachio cake. Heaven. That was our first day. We slept so well and woke up early for a trip to Myeong-dong to celebrate Mass at the Cathedral.

미소 performance!!♥정동극장

Waffles with Regina :)

Dinner with Korean Language Friends

저는 일본에 가서

Updating all friends and family, here I go! There is so much to tell about the past two weeks since I returned from Japan. But I will work backward starting with tonight, an early Friday morning in Seoul. Tonight, I went with some great guy friends to a place in Mapo called Burgerholic, that some people are bold enough to compare to In 'N Out. "The Holic Set" was wonderful, but not so delicious as to warrant that comparison in my Californian opinion. The burger was made well with tender beef, topped with lettuce, jalepenos, thousand island "secret sauce," and a crisp, fried egg (my personal favorite being the sunny-side up egg). After that, we came back to Yonsei to hang out & I had my guitar lesson which I'm really enjoying. I've been practicing a lot & have learned ten chords thus far. My fingers have even started to build some calluses which I am happy about so I can practice longer. Can't wait until I can play actual songs...Oh another fun item to report is that I submitted a photo I took in Korea to the dormitory photo contest, and it's displayed in the lobby with five sticker votes as of now :)

My Dad's visit to Korea was really wonderful, and I am excited to say that my Mom will also be visiting me in just two weeks (December 2-5). I feel blessed that they can travel here and experience Korea like I have these past four months. My Dad arrived on a Friday evening and I picked him up from Incheon Airport. We took a luxury bus to the Ramada Hotel in Dongdaemun, settled in, then explored the famous shopping town for some authentic food. That night was my dad's first stab at the bibimbap and soju combo! The next morning, my Dad and I walking towards Namsan Tower attempting to reach it by foot, but we finally reached the peak by cab after we took a wrong turn. The tree leaves were so beautiful & the weather was surprisingly perfect and clear even with the forecasters predicting rain into the early afternoon. We called my mom once we got to the top and then my Dad decided he wanted to take the cable car down, and I agreed, but once the car got going and I looked down...well, the entire ride down, let's just say I was staring at the floor. Next, we walked around Gyeongbokyun Palace and Gwanghamun general square. I took my dad to Yonsei campus and showed him SK house. We had lunch at Dalgi "strawberry" restaurant where my favorite dish is bulgogi in a hot pot with rice and raw egg. After a rejuvenating nap, we went out to dinner with my Korean friend for the best samgyetang in Seoul then had coffee and cake dessert. The finale event of my Dad's stay and the best time of the day was karaoke together. My dad even stole my beer! Needless to say, we had a fun time & he left for Jakarta that Sunday morning :(

Japan is perhaps the trip I've wanted to update you all on most of all, but just haven't had the time. I still really don't have time, but I am wide awake at 2:30am kst because of this great milk tea drink called Tejava, so...The picture above is from our night tour of Kyoto. We were walking back to meet the bus after walking about six hours that day and I saw this great sunset as we were coming out of the Korea town. It was really neat to have an experience in Japan, but it was more culturally shocking than my entire time in Korea has been because I don't have much knowledge about Japanese culture or language. My favorite parts of our trip were the visiting the temples, eating the food and people-watching. I indulged in a kobe beef steak, tried authentic Japanese sushi, shabu shabu and other fresh seafood. The temples, especially King Todajii's Golden Temple, were impressive and intricate creations. The people were so interesting to observe and were very kind. The youth culture there is so different from anything I've seen~the dress and styles so unique. Things in Japan were very expensive and it was a pain to use yen given its high inflation. Next post, I can write the specific names of the places we visited, just don't have them with me now.

I'm sad this experience will be over in one month because I have made many good friends and really love the Korean language. In basically a months' time, I will home for Christmas with my family in warm California, but I will be leaving behind the best time of my life. This study abroad experience has taught me so much & I am grateful to God for being with me each step of the way. I will write again soon after my Mom's visit if I have time before finals. I hope everyone is doing really well and staying safe.

Japan Photo Update

Hi everyone! I am back safely to Korea from a sightseeing tour of Japan, particularly beautiful Kyoto and Osaka. I have made a photo blog so that everyone can see all the photos I have taken, not just a few here and there. Hope you enjoy them! Anyhoot - Click the link below to enter my photo diary. I don't have time to tell about all the experiences in Japan at the moment, but I will post again when I have a free moment.

Exciting news...I am really happy that I will see my Dad this weekend in Seoul :) Mr. Kennedy is also coming to Korea hehe.

===>>> http://minus.com/beaglelover

My Favorite Shades of Green & Yellow

Thought I'd share some pictures from yesterday and today of the beautiful Yonsei campus. Hope you like them! And of course, I can give a midterm update haha. I'm surviving and almost done :) I did well on Korean reading comprehension, pronunciation and listening tests, but haven't got the results from the speaking and writing portions yet. I finished my history take-home exam due tomorrow and this afternoon, I took my midterm for giftedness and creativity which was a little more challenging than expected. The test format was 33 fill-in-the-blank questions with 2 to 7 items each. No partial credit given :( Tonight I will be up writing my cinema essay comparing the remembrance of the past in the films A Single Spark and Sopyonje. They are examples of Korean New Wave films that emerged in the 1990s. They were difficult movies to watch because they deal with antagonistic themes of traditional/modern, trauma/post-trauma, poverty and the harsh treatment of workers in sweatshops, however, I'm glad I watched them. The Pansori singing style depicted as the central medium in Sopyonje was very moving. Hope everyone in the States is having a good start to the week. I also decided which classes I will be taking this winter at Santa Clara: International Economics, Health Psychology, Writing in Psychology, Singing Lessons and Calculus. And perhaps the most exciting news of all is that I will be traveling to Thailand from November 17-20 to visit my Dad :))) Ta-ta for now! Check back for Japan update in early November!

Over Two Months Gone

Hello again! Thanks for continuing to check my blog! I have quite to catch you up on considering I haven't written in a few weeks. Here we go :0 The week I went to Samcheongdong with Lucy, I also went to this place called Myeongdong with some friends to purchase some winter items for the cold weather. In the evenings lately, it's been in the 40s (soon to be 30s)! I got a warm coat, beige hat and a green scarf - all are really thick! Really random, but I also participated in a linguistics study and made 20,000 won for my time = more spending money :) On the 8th, we had our first meeting with North Korean refugee students as part of the BACK Project, and it was really fun. We played games at the Yonsei auditorium to get to know each other and then, we went to the Han River to watch the Annual Fireworks show. It was the most beautiful display I've ever seen! This past Saturday we met with the students again, but focused our time on teaching an English lesson & of course, played the human knot game.

Last week was eventful as well. I had my first paper due in my education class as well as an hour-long presentation on a forty page chapter. It was an experience I never had before, but I am happy I did well. It has been really wonderful to see the intense effort my Korean classmates put into their presentation work. It has really been a strong motivator for me to do my best and be a confident public speaker. I am also happy to say I had the opportunity to play tennis last weekend & am looking forward to another match this Sunday.

This past Monday, my friend Penny and I went to Hongdae after Korean class to search for this Japanese Ramyeon place called Menya Saidame. It took forever to find the place because of my poor sense of direction, but after asking many locals and using Penny's iPad, we finally made it & boy was it worth all the walking! The broth was delicious, as were the pork, noodles and onions inside :) Penny and I were in heaven haha. We also paired our meal with some sake which made the soup and gyoza all the better. Tuesday night, I spent the evening out to celebrate my friend's birthday, but ever since then have been preparing for midterms and such. The picture above is from Tuesday night with friends.

I had my first midterm today in Korean, listening and reading comprehension. Tomorrow I have an 8 minute interview/speaking test (a little nerve-racking) and then Monday, we conclude with the writing test. I've been working on my history midterm (essay) and intend to finish tomorrow. Then all I have left is a paper for my cinema class discussing historical remembrance in two films, A Single Spark & Sopyonjae and education exam. Needless to say, I will be doing a lot of studying this weekend. Hope everyone is doing well! Two months have passed, and there's only two more to go before Christmas and home.

How Could I Forget About Costco!

Can you guess what this is? .....????? My friends and I were in shock when we saw all the people at the food court in Costco eating this like a salad in addition to the other items they had. Korean Costco serves bulgogi bake (like American chicken bake), hot dog set (like American set but more expensive and not as tasty), secret bulgogi pizza that is not on the menu, and yogurt ice cream. Anyway, this curious food photo is made of minced onions, packaged relish, mustard and ketchup squirted onto a plate. Since everyone was making it, my friends and I made our own onion salad and I was the brave one to test first. It wasn't too bad, but the concept is just so strange to me. I never thought three condiments and one vegetable could make a dish. One of my friends suggested that since Costco serves mainly Americanized foods, Koreans thought of making this salad to act as a sort-of stand-in Korean side dish, a little more like home.

삼청동

Hello again! Sorry it has been awhile. I always find myself very busy, but the good kind of busy where everything is still exciting. I will try my best to recap some events and places I have been to that I've really enjoyed. Last weekend, I met my friend, Lucy, who is in the photo above at Samcheondong for an evening out. It was the first time I used the Seoul Metro by myself. Very momentous haha. I told Lucy some of the sentences I can make in Korean and later she said "캐서린 한국말 잘 한다" which translates to Katherine speaks Hangul well. I still have so much to learn, but I feel more comfortable now with my Korean ability than before. We had 녹두전 (mung-bean pancake) and dukkgalbi (thick rice noodle plus really great meat) from the most popular restaurant on this romantic, beautiful road. Then we devoured an ice cream waffle. I will go with Lucy soon to a Korean monastery after midterms pass.

This week I also went to a place call Myeongdong for some night shopping with new friends. I found a warm winter jacket, thick scarf and fluffy brown hat. I want to be prepared for the chilly winter here. The sharp turn between summer and fall really scared people, including me. It dropped about ten degrees in just two days a week or so ago. The approaching winter will be a memorable experience since I have never faced such cold temperatures. Tonight I went to Gangnam for a short time with my friend Rachel to eat and shop. It was the first time I ever got shoved outside of the subway, and twice! Tomorrow is the first day that I will be volunteering with my program talking with North Korean refugees. We will meet and greet, then have a picnic with games, then go to the Han River to watch the popular firework show. Sunday is reserved all day for studying and homework and cruel laundry haha. Goodnight to those in Korea, but good morning to my American family and friends!

KOREA FRIENDS

Seoul in True Fall

Hi all of you nice folks checking this page! Have a few new updates to talk about. First is that today I woke up to rain! The weather is changing to be much cooler, and I can feel the winter inching forwards. I can't wait to walk outside in November and December in the cold to see the street vendors and everyone bundled in warm Korean clothes.

Secondly, the picture of the delicious food above is what I ate after a full meal of chicken at the Korean Language Institute. It is called Honey Butter Bread with Green Tea and Vanilla-Chocolate Ice Cream on top. I'm proud to say I ordered in Korean as best I could. It tasted delicious, but the Zoo Cafe I was in was even cooler. There were paintings of animals on the wall and stuffed animals you could take with you while you study. I read for my cinema class a bit. Then, went to find some street food with my friends. We found this great chicken kabob cart with a line at least 12 people deep. The chicken was temperature hot and spicy hot, the latter only experienced by me and not my other friends. We walked around Ehwa Women's University for a bit then ventured into a photobooth place. We took the classic Korean pictures and I had a good time.

Tomorrow, we have the day off regular classes except Korean language. I will meet my friend, JungAe, to eat my first Korean sushi dish then we will hike up Ansan Mountain on which Yonsei University campus is located. Next, I will tutor my friend Da-bin in cursive handwriting and attend Korean class. I am proud to say I achieved an A on my first vocabulary test; I hope I can keep that up! Saturday evening I will attend the Lotte Family Concert with my FLC (Free Language Class) buddies where we will see BEAST, FT ISLAND and BIG BANG perform at Jamsil Stadium. I have lots of reading to do for classes, but still will find time to skype friends on Sunday and Monday (October 3rd is Korean National Foundation Day Holiday). I'm finding out that I like being in Korea more and more with the many great friendships I am making. I am also in better health now, but the mosquitos are still pretty relentless. Just sprayed bug repellant before bed - hoping this will save me as there is one sneaky mosquito lurking around my dorm. I tried to smack it with my Creativity book that finally arrived today, but to no avail. Have a great Thursday US friends. This is Katherine saying goodnight.

Jejudo Details and Life

Hi Family and Friends! Sorry I haven't posted an update in a while. I've been so busy. Here's a quick refresh of my Jejudo Trip and life update...

So, last Thursday I went immediately after Korean class with my friends Rachel, Penny, Feng and Morgan running with our luggage to the Sinchon subway station. Class finished at 5:50 and our flight to Jejudo from Gimpo airport left at 7:55. We were going so fast haha! We made it on time and hopped on the Eastar Jet plane. The flight attendants were so accommodating and stylish with their uniforms. The flight was quick and there was an in-flight game of the Korean rock-paper-scissors to give away a free ticket. All my friends had no idea what was going on lol. In the evening, we took a taxi to our pension home at the north part of the island. The taxi driver was so nice, and he agreed to take us on an island tour Saturday.

The pension was comfortable and homely. I slept on the floor mats again but I think it's okay. We all got settled in and talked about the plan for the next day, sleeping only two hours! I awoke at 3:30 am to take a taxi to go to Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak). We hiked to the top of the mountain and sat at the observation deck only to watch the faint light of the sun appear in the fog :( (This is our trip secret that we didn't actually get to see the sunrise, but the experience was good enough). Next, we stopped for some delicious seafood. Poor Rachel is allergic so she couldn't taste the sea urchin, crab, lobster, abalone, muscles, clams and fish like I did. Finally on Friday, we took a ferry boat to Udo Island (it is supposedly shaped like a cow but I didn't see it). We took an island bus tour to see a horse park, incredible landscapes and a beautiful white sand beach. All the other girls rode horseback, but I decided not too as the horses were sprinting up hills and across the valley, and that terrifies me. I tried peanut gelato and liked it a lot. At this point, my back was very sunburned and we had been up for over 12 hours so it was time to head back. Rachel and I went back to the pension house and ordered jajamyeong. That night I slept for 14 hours.

Saturday morning we got going around 9 am and met the nice taxi driver for our day adventure. He took us to Hallim Park first. It was very pretty with many flowers, bonzai trees, a traditional Hanok village, "the garden with beautiful birds," and large ugly ostriches. That day, the temperature was 32 degrees C and too hot! We drove along the coast and stopped at the most beautiful landscape with HallaSan in the background. We had an authentic local lunch; I ate seafood soup again only for 6,000KRW :) I've been eating so much here. Teddy Bear Museum followed the beach. It was hilarious to see historical events played out with Teddy Bears. Then, we made our way to the Five-Sand beach. The sand has five colors in it and when we got there, it was the perfect moment. The sun was slowing coming down and the water was just right.

Lastly we went to Chongiyeon Waterfall (Rachel's Korean name) to take some final pictures and try this delicious fluffy bread with red bean paste inside (I'm sorry but I have already forgotten the Korean name). I have come to like the taste now of the red bean paste, especially in pastries. Black pork Samgypsal was our dinner and we paired it with the local soju that tastes stronger than the stuff in Seoul. The full day with the taxi driver only cost 20,000KRW each. I got some Jeju chocolate tangerine souvenirs and brought back orange makegolli which tastes like orange bread to me and not very good lol. The trip was a success and a good friend-bonding experience. Thank goodness we had Rachel to speak fluent Korean because Jeju had less English speakers than in Seoul in my opinion. I hope to return to the Island one day. I returned to campus Sunday afternoon after carrying about ten pounds for over two miles haha. Exhaustion was an understatement.

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Since last week, I have been sick with a cold. I am doing my best to rest and get better especially since school is picking up. I am feeling better today though, and feel like the worst is over. I will meet Lucy Huh this weekend at Costco for a fun evening and attend YonKoJon rugby and soccer games on Saturday. This sporting event showcases the biggest college rivalry there is in Korea. I'll be in the stands cheering for Yonsei with my new hoodie. Classes are going well. I'm really enjoying cinema class and Korean language.

Last night, I had my first FLC (Free Language Class) after KLI. In this class, I am able to learn informal Korean and slang (basically, the stuff that comes much later but is used most often among friends). I just got back from Gangnam, a more wealthier part of Seoul with my friend, JungAe. We went out to eat at this place called GORILLAS IN THE KITCHEN and I enjoyed it very much. All the beautiful clothes here make me want to toss my wardrobe at home and start fresh :P

Jejudo Trip, Cheongiyeon Waterfall :)

Days Go By

Hi again from Korea!

I am happy here and doing well except for a slight stuffy nose. I hope it goes away for the Chusok holiday. The first week of classes is almost done at Yonsei, and I enjoy each one. My final schedule turned out to be: Beginning Korean Language (two hours everyday), Modern Korean History, Contemporary Korean Cinema and Society, Giftedness and Creativity, and the Seminar on Living and Learning in Seoul.

My favorite classes are Korean language, cinema and creativity. The Creativity class is conducted in both English and Korean as most students are Korean natives. I've started to make some Korean friends and have a language exchange partner named Dabin (he is so nice and my same age). I also signed up for YG United Soccer Club Team for fun and to stay healthy eating all the delicious foods here.

Last night, I went to In-Sa-Dong and ate Samgyetang (famous Korean chicken and ginseng soup) and tried Makgeolli (one traditional Korean liquor). I also had the rice water drink and sat by the stream that runs through central Seoul and Gwangahmun square. I need to think about the activities I'd like to do this four-day weekend and my birthday. Perhaps most exciting is that I made plans with some CIEE friends to visit Jeju Island before the winter weather rolls around. I will be there from September 15-18th. This island is beautiful and is seen in many Korean films and dramas. Look for new photos in a few weeks! Thanks for following my journey in South Korea :) The picture above is from the Digital Media City from a presentation of a high-tech home scenario. I think it's appropriate since I will probably blow out twenty candles on Monday =] Much gratitude and thankfulness! Katherine

Korean Ice Cream

Yesterday, my cell group and friends went out to Korean Barbeque "samgyupsal" and had traditional Korean ice cream afterwards called Bingsu. I enjoyed the group meal a lot. We all helped to cook the meat with chives of garlic! We ate the beef with lettuce, rice and spicy/sweet sauce. Next we went to the large ice cream shop indoors and four people shared one bingsu. My table ate yogurt bingsu ice cream while other groups tried green tea or vanilla. This group meeting last four hours in the heat, then it poured for an hour before we left. Thank goodness I carry my umbrella everywhere I go!

Today was technically the beginning of school, however, I do not have classes on Thursday so I enjoyed the day off. Just returned back from the Korean Language Placement test where I gave them my name and ID number for the beginning level class. I went to the bank all by myself this morning and toured the club tables on the main road of Yonsei campus. It feels strange to be the minority. There were so many people out walking today! The atmosphere is so different from the smallness and quietness of Santa Clara. I had kimbap for $1500 Korean won ($1.50 USD) and a one dollar waffle dessert. So tasty and cheap!

Tonight, I will be heading to the North Seoul Tower where you can take an elevator to the top and see the entire city. Then, my friends and I will go night shopping to dongdaemun (open ALL night!). Tomorrow, I have my first class called Giftedness and Creativity and Language class too. It's all getting very exciting being a student here and seeing how much pride the Yonsei Students have for their university. Good thing the mosquitos stopped biting!! Until more cool things happen in my life...

More DMZ & Weekend

Hi family and friends! I hope you are all doing well! I am happy that you are enjoying reading my blog ☺ I wanted to include some more details from the DMZ trip as well as some new happenings from this weekend.

Seoul is about 40 km away from North Korea! By bus, it took us about one hour to reach the start of the security checkpoints. Driving north, we saw the Han River to our left and protective, barb-wired fences on both sides. We also drove under two small “bridges” built for security if North Korea were to attack surprisingly. The ROK-US forces can detonate these bridges at a moments notice. We had lunch just outside the demilitarized zone in an empty café. Then we headed over to a look-out point where you could pay 500 won to see farmers working in North Korea in the industrialized town, make out the gold statue of Kim Il-Sung and the 60 pound Korean flag atop their160 m flag pole.

Next, we had the opportunity to actually walk into North Korea’s “secret” tunnel number 3 out of four or five heading to Seoul. North Koreans built these tunnels as another tactical war move and workers toiled for seven years as each dynamite blast only removed 1-2m of stone. US-ROK soldiers were able to discover the tunnels from some reported noises they were hearing in the area. So they inserted water tubes into the ground directly above and when dynamite was fired up, the water blasted towards the sky. Finally, we dug an interception tunnel into theirs. Ingenious! North Koreans denied that they even made these tunnels and tried to cover up their covert mission by spreading coal onto the rock walls. I decided not to venture into the tunnel due to asthma, but I was still able to learn a lot from the briefing we were given.

Lastly, we ventured into the Joint Security Area (JSA) after another briefing at Camp Boniface. This is where the North Korean soldiers are closely monitoring your every move. I thought the soldiers would be closer to us, but they were pretty distant. We went by US Embassy buses to the lookout points always accompanied by US and ROK soldiers. At one point, we were surrounded on all three sides by North Korea, and that made me nervous! You could see the propaganda town called Gijungdong very clearly and the sky was so blue. It is nicknamed the propaganda town because there are quite a few nice looking houses there to give the appearance that its people are living well, but these houses are vacant. Afterwards, I had fun in the DMZ gift shop haha.

Friday, we had the Yonsei cheering orientation and I had a really fun time. I danced for two hours with my friends learning about twenty new songs and dances. Yonsei pride is unrivaled! Check out youtube videos if you want to see more!

Yesterday my friend, Rachel, and I went to a late lunch-dinner of “army stew” and I liked it very much. It consists of a spicy broth, sausage, ramen noodles, cheese, scallions and rice patties. Then we went to the U-plex next to the Sinchon subway station. The U-plex is a 13-story department store. It is interesting that the workers are so attentive to your needs when you shop. In the States, you can just look around and no one will communicate with you. Here, because Korea has such a service-oriented mindset, you are constantly monitored so that if you need assistance, they can help. I guess this is frustrating to me because I cannot communicate back yet lol. Soon, very soon hopefully! Today I am relaxing and thinking about my goals more concretely for this semester. Still haven’t karaoked yet!

Oh! I also learned some Korean cultural values at the Culture Shock workshop like Jeong (sharing the spiritual and material parts of one's territory), Chemyeon (preservation of harmony, balance and homeostasis), Bunuiki (group mood), and Kibun (one's core emotional state). These values come from Confucian tradition.

Best, Katherine ☺

Korean War Memorial & DMZ Trip

Today was, by far, my favorite day in Korea. The photo shows me standing next to a Republic of Korea (ROK) soldier at the DMZ. Half of the room we stood in was on the South Korea side and the other belonged to the North Koreans. There were about six ROK soldiers there to guard us as we were being observed by a North Korean soldier from less than a soccer field's length away. My group and I were led by a US infantryman on the tour of the DMZ and were told when it was permissible to take photos. We learned a lot of history today about the war and post-armistice events. This morning, going to the Korean War Museum was also a treat! It was very well done both inside and out. Outside, there were real life tanks, planes, and missiles.

Tomorrow, we have a culture shock workshop and the seminar on living and learning in Seoul. Then in the evening, I will learn how to support Yonsei by cheering! I signed up to join some clubs yesterday: Yonsei Soccer team, One shot (photo excursions), leading an English teaching class for Korean students, and Culture Experience program. Also, I received two more mosquito bites today as a souvenir from North Korea. I am sure glad I have been taking the malaria medication!!! Lastly, I feel that my tummy has acclimated to the round-the-clock Korean diet :)

Mondays Don't Get Me Down

Anyounghaseo! It is hard to believe I have been in Seoul for over a week now! The time has passed so quickly because the program orientation has been hectic. Being here is a definite step in positive directions for me, mainly socially and culturally. I feel happy to have selected such a wonderful host country and program to help me grow up into an open-minded lady. The people are so kind and smile a lot. Many people speak English here, but I cannot wait to start learning Korean and practice with the locals. I have perfected some phrases so that I can order my food and ask how much things are when I am shopping. I think I have shopped the most here so far :0 I cannot wait to karaoke here and for my stomach to enjoy Korean food 24/7.

I wanted to add some more to the post I made yesterday about the weekend excursion as well as my Yonsei class schedule. I forgot to mention how much I liked the Korean rest stops! They were very accommodating and very unique. Korea seems to have its own fast food culture; you can encounter it in the streets as well as at the road rest stops. I tried fried dough, a pizza hot dog, fried chicken with sweet sauce and fries with what seemed to be the Kraft Mac 'N Cheese sauce. Delicious! Also at one of the Buddhist Temples we visited, two girls screamed when they saw me. Don't know if they were frightened or excited to see me haha.

I plan to take Contemporary Korean Cinema and Society, Giftedness and Creativity, Beginning Korean Language, Modern Korean History and my program's seminar on Living and Learning in Seoul. I will try to add an international economics course, however, if I am denied entry into that class, I will not be too upset.

Today, I visited the US embassy and had a briefing about what to do in case of emergencies and such. They discussed North Korea/South Korea/US relations in detail. The Embassy was located right next to an army base and close to the police station. Next, I had lunch with some friends. We ate in Sinchon area and had chicken galbi even though I was dying for chicken bulgogi. Bulgogi is my favorite and I have not had it yet. The picture above has been my favorite dish, spicy beef and squid with vegetables. I made a Korean Bank account and signed up for a local phone. Finally, we had the chance to go to a Lotte Mart to get some essentials. I got a much nicer blanket and pillow along with some breakfast snacks. It started to rain heavily in the night, so we took a taxi back to Yonsei. I am very happy here and wish my family could be here too. My dad will visit me later this Fall. Haha I talked to him today and made him look bad when I said I experienced no jet lag traveling to Seoul...Goodnight friends and family! Or better yet, good morning in the States. Love Katherine

Finally, A Post!

Hi everyone! I am safe and well. I apologize that it has taken me so long to post something here as securing an internet connection was quite the challenge for some time. I just returned this evening from a weekend excursion to three southern towns in Korea: Jeonju, Namwon & Hadong.

Friday, August 19th we departed in the morning to tour Jeonju, a vibrant city of art, culture and great food about three hours away. We had a delicious lunch with the city's specialty bibimbap. Next, we had an afternoon cultural program of mask dance. I had a lot of fun learning and performing the mask dance. The instructors really picked on me because of my terrible dancing abilities. I know there will eventually be a video and photos on Facebook to prove this :) After the dancing and exposure to much rain outside, we checked into the traditional hanok. We slept on the floor with rice pillows and one bathroom for many people. Surprisingly, I slept the best that night. We then explored the village and enjoyed a great dinner with some soju. I had beef and squid and it has been one of the best meals here. Then I went shopping with Aisha and got momentarily lost on the way back.

Saturday morning we left the Jeonju Hanok Village to drive towards Namwon, South Korea's city of love. We had a spectacular and wet experience walking around Namwon Gwanghanru Park dedicated to the famous characters of the romantic love story. Then we had a tofu sit-down lunch and were all dragged to the folk museum. This was a change of plans from hiking Jirisan Mountain due to the rainy weather. Everyone was so exhausted as there has not been much time to rest this week. Even tomorrow, I must arise at 7 am for a US Embassay briefing at 8. Next, we arrived at a family style hotel but with traditional sleeping arrangements. The evening activity was a trip to a Buddhist temple in the forest. Dinner here was very plain and the kimche tasted like very strong vinegar. We came back to the hotel and went straight to the convenience store for chocolate treats and other filling foods.

Today, I woke up with another mosquito bite. That's a total of three now!! I am so glad to be back and to have anti-itch creme here. We had an American breakfast this morning at the hotel! Eggs and bacon whoooo! We drove along the Sumjingan river, not polluted by industry, towards Hadong. This area of Hadong was and is famous for its lovely tea. We all participated in a tea ceremony, and I happened to sit down on the hostess matt so I served those at my table. It is important to hold the cups with two hands and not to spill anything. In the afternoon, we toured another Buddhist temple deep into the countryside. I've never seen bigger bugs in my entire life.

Well hope that is entertaining for now! Miss you all!! Mom, when I come home, I will have a list of foods I would like you to prepare. I was really craving your enchiladas the other day :(

5 Days Until Departure! It's Unreal...

Hello to friends and family reading my posts!

Just thought I'd fill in everyone with some recent happenings and news.

I just returned home to Southern California after working for one week at the Adobe Youth Voices Summit that took place at Santa Clara University. I was the Lounge Manager and was privileged to meet many talented youth from 16 countries across the globe. I was impressed with their creativity and inspiration seen in their media here (http://youthvoices.adobe.com/galleries/collections/24-2011-adobe-youth-voices-summit). Here is a photo of me and Arenessa after the AYV Live event on Saturday where I managed to check-in 800 guests! Enjoy!

I went shopping yesterday for some last minute items I need for my trip...I should really start packing right haha :)

The most important news is that I register for classes today on Yonsei's web portal. Cross your fingers I get into all the classes I need! Look for updates weekly once I am abroad! I will post even more photos then!

A Before-Departure Update

Trip Itinerary : Where I'll Be

Departure - August 15, 2011 SFO to Incheon arriving Aug.16 2:55 pm KST greeted by CIEE staff

~and the in-betweens~

August 16: Move in to SK Global House on Yonsei University campus

August 17-31: Student Orientation Activities

(August 19-21): Three day overnight excursion to rural South Korea

September 1: Class starts

October 20-26: Midterm Examinations

October 28-31: Excursion to Osaka, Japan with other CIEE students

December 15-21: Final Examinations

December 21: Dorm check-out

Return - December 21, 2011 Incheon to LAX in time for the holidays

A minor side-note...SCU Classes resume January 9, 2012

I thought telling you all the classes that I am hoping to take would also be a happy addition to my blog. Course registration will take place on August 11, 2011. I anticipate being in the following classes:

1. International Economics

2. Afternoon beginning level Korean Language (4-6 p.m. daily)

3. Introduction to Korean Studies

4. Counseling or Cross Cultural Psychology

5. Food and Nutrition for Physical Fitness as a possible fun elective

About to Embark on a Journey to Remember...

Hello dear friends and family,

I have decided that I would like to share my study abroad experience with all of you Internet-savvy folk through this e-blog. The countdown to my departure date has begun, and there are twenty short days until I board the plane to the "foreign" land of South Korea (it will not be foreign to me much longer, I am happy to say). I am becoming ever more excited and even more nervous for my four months away. I will be sad to be apart from you, but know that this time will pass by and I will be back by Christmas to greet you all, at home or at school. I intend to post my favorite photos from my trip here along with some weekly journal entries so that you will all feel very up-to-date on my whereabouts and shenanigans. Feel free to write to my email address to which this blog is connected. Until next time...Kat