Where the heck do I begin. So sorry I have been absent from blogging for the past like...6 weeks. I've just been super busy. Lots has happened and right now I am going to attempt to dish it all out to you, or at least as much as I can. So starting with the beginning of October....
October 3rd-ish. Writing in a train station waiting for a train to Daegu. This is what I wrote: This week has been exciting and full of twists and turns. My school had midterms this week so I have been off for some time allowing me to travel and see friends and more of Korea. I thought I was going to travel more, but low and behold I was struck down with the plague. Nah, it wasn't really the plague but the head cold was bad enough to knock me out of going to Jinju for the awesome lantern festival. So as I sat in my room Saturday and Sunday I told myself well, I should probably show my excitement for the Andong Mask festival my host mom and sister planned on taking me to on the following Monday. SO my host mom who went to work on a Sunday (the woman was working a crap-ton of hours that week at her kindergarten and was SUPER busy preparing something for a department review) comes home and I'm like getting ready to tell her I'm excited for tomorrow. Then my host sister and she decide to tell me that they are sorry but we couldn't go to Andong the next day. I tried to hide the glimmer of disappointment that proceeded to cross my face. My host mother then started to explain that because HyeonSu, my host brother, had midterms starting the next day, she had to stay home so he could eat. Despite my usual default of total understanding and my prior education/knowledge in the ways of how in particular Korean and Japanese mother support all of their children's educational endeavors, I had a mess of conflicting feelings. Immediately when she said this I thought you have got to be kidding me...the kid can make himself some friggin Ramen because he hardly ever eats anything. For the most part I held my composure, but I could tell that she could see my energy drop a little and continued to say that she was sorry. I then also reassured her that I understood the circumstances and to not worry about it at all 문제 없어요. I am thankful that I did just that, even thought I could not deny my initial feelings of frustration, because what came next made NOT going to Andong or Jinju completely worth it. One, it is actually somewhat endearing how much a Korean mother or mothers in general help their children. Now I'm not talking the crazy-breathe-down-the-neck mothers....no I am talking about those who offer silent support to their families with constant positive energy. That's the type of person my host mother is as well as my real mom. :) And that's who I hope to become as well. Anyways....being a good cultural ambassador and trying to save as much face as I could was worth it. After dinner my host mom made us tea and then sat down with me on the couch. She dimmed the lights a bit - great mood setter- and we just started talking about life. She ended up telling me that she thought Americans were the best- they are friendly and open...basically she told me that because of me her opinion of America was genuinely good. I was surprised and at the same time flattered....and thankful that I was mature enough to keep my feelings in check and perspective. So we ended up talking about a bunch of stuff including the differences between American and Korean education systems (which still comes up pretty often and I am glad) and believe it or not the two of us ended up falling asleep on the couch together. Yeah, you know the way when you are having one of your friends sleep over and they share the bed with you....the people's heads are at opposite ends of the couch. Looking back on it, it was just precious.
So....some things that I want to elaborate on in posts after this consist of the following:
*October sometime- some friends come to Daegu and I pretty much show them around and we have a great time.
*Busan International Film Festival = awesome! Spent time with Fulbright friends and saw the Busan International Philharmonic Orchestra play before I saw a French film called "The Artist" that blew my mind!
*Lady in subway station in Busan tearing up when talking to me....in both Japanese and Korean....I think she was a comfort woman. It was unbelievable.
*Ice cream cone thrown out a window. 'Nuff said.
*October 14- took my 3rd grade girls out to 딱갈비(ddakgalbi) or chicken. It was awesome, but sad because we had to say goodbye to two girls transferring to Seoul.
*October 15- trip to Daegu to try and buy goodies for Halloween since I was obsessed with the idea of throwing my host sibs a legit party and having the best dang Halloween lessons ever. Result: Ashlee finding the meaning of true friendship (SHOUT OUT TO COCO AND KIRBY) and a CostCo run from hell....but is actually kinda humorous now.
*October 20-21 - Bonggok Junghakkyo's awesome school festival in which I participated! It was awesome to just walk around and meet students....and bust a move on the dance floor with one of my co-teacher's homeroom classes! The dance was a hit! And I loved every minute of it!
*October 21-24 - Fulbright Gyeongju Conference....and bread. Reunited with all the Fulbrights in Gyeongju. Loved it! and as a result some new nicknames resulted and a slogan for the Gumi Bears as well....Let's just say I'm Dancin' Bear and my friend Laura is Carnivore Bear.... :D
*Ashlee joins a Kpop spinning class, which becomes basically one of her reasons for living. It is THE BOMB. I do it 3 times a week and look like I just played 5 games of softball....or I was dipped in a pool. INTENSE and awesome. It's basically dancing on a bike.
*Halloween Lessons = Zombies. My kids took my advice on how to kill zombies and protect themselves from a zombie invasion this Halloween in Gumi. Probably the most successful and fun lesson I have taught yet. Shout out goes to KIM SALTIN...you were there with me in spirit all the way.
*Halloween Weekend Oct 29-30 = Friday night....download and subtitle with the help of a friend "Hocus Pocus" so host sister and mom can watch. Ashlee teaches a favor class on Saturday morning so that visiting students from China can see the new English room. Totally great, because it was another Zombie lesson. Then Ashlee and friends meet in Daegu for a night on the town. Ashlee stays with Coco's host family and is blown away by Coco's host brother's English. The kid is nine and like super sweet...totally pinky promised to bring my softball mit from home to play a game of catch with this kid. He's pretty friggin cool.
*Halloween 10/31- Ashlee dresses up as a witch for school. Hands out candy like it's her job and gets complements on her leggings....but the best is the conversation that happens that night when my host mom takes me out to coffee just because it is "Halloween Day" and an American holiday and we basically have a heart to heart. Possibly the best Halloween ever, despite being homesick. All my worries about connecting with the kids, and doing a good job as a homestay person are put at ease because she tells me how lucky she feels and how happy her family is. Let's just say there were some mutual tears. :D
*New obsession with Kpop has set in. Specifically a ridiculous curiosity with Big Bang and all things GD&TOP. I feel like I am in high school again.....that's all I'm saying.
*Hello November...Dinner with a lovely teacher and her daughter....I love them both!...and I start to get sick yet again....boo.
*November 6 - Kirby comes from Daegu to join host mom, host sister and I for a hike up Gumo Mountain (금오산) and we also meet up with one of my co teachers and her two little sons. We are that intense that we throw on ponchos and hike in the rain. We hike to a waterfall and eat lunch there and then we hike back down...my poor co-teacher was dragged all the way to the top by her youngest son all the while her oldest son was bawling on the 3 hour hike up the mountain. What an amazing woman that's for sure!
*November 8th- The introduction to "Korean toast" and the ambush of Laura on the street...so my host mom and I go shopping this night for a "jumper" or a jacket and on our way home "oh we are going to get YuJin some toast....she likes toast a lot." Here I am oh yeah I like toast too....I thought we were stopping at the super market to buy bread to bring it home to toast....oh no no....we go to a TOAST shop....where they basically sell toasted sandwiches and fruit drinks. Taken by surprise my host mom convinces me to get a bulgogi (all meat) toast sandwich....right before I have to go to Kpop spinning class. I am going to PUKE this sucker up if I eat it all by myself...and then I am saved. My host mom, of all people spots my friend Laura (who is a Korean adoptee and blends in quite well) walking past the toast shop on her way to the gym where I am supposed to meet her. I run after her and we basically rush-ambush her into coming back to the house with us, eating half of my sandwich, cross-checked innocently by my host mother and then out the door as fast as I could say bulgogi sandwich. Then I go to my Kpop spinning class where I sweat out the bulgogi toast sandwich and luckily do not (as I am doing the Roly Poly dance ..see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xolk2cFzlo&ob=av3n ) spew on the middle aged women who are kicking my behind when it comes to this class. It ended up being okay though!
Phew! That's a lot but at the same time not even enough! I have to go to bed though. I will elaborate soon I hope!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
Salsa...Not as Spicy as You Think...
Hey er'boday. So yeah it's been a while. And I've been SUPER busy. I sit here listening to Numa Numa and sniffing since I now have developed a cold. It's been a whirlwind of a week and a lot has gone through my head. My plans to travel to Jinju for the lantern festival today have been botched by my stupid and nagging cold. I have never had this much snot before. But wait.... that's not even the start of it.
So a few weeks ago (more like maybe 3 1/2) I had a cough. Phelmy and gross I went to the doctor with my host mom who decided to not let me pay for anything. Anyways, I take the 6 pills three times a day for 3 days that they give me and it doesn't really work that well. However, it worked in other ways....thanks antibiotics. But now I'm sick again. Stuffed like a chimney. I just finished my lowered dose of antibiotics that have done SQUAT and am still coughing up phelm. I found some Equate Sinus and Allergy stuff and it's given me some relief....but I might go get the shot to just stop it all together.
Before I was on my 2nd dose of medication for my new cough and head cold, another little surprise came around. When you say it in Korean it sounds like "salsa." Can anyone take a guess what it was? No, I did not have delicious Mexican food. No I did not stuff my face with a fatty burrito with salsa on it....No, my friends. It was 설사, seolsa....DIARRHEA. I had the craps for 2 friggin days. I thought it would stop, but then I remembered...."Wait....people DIE from having DIarrhea..." Finally I decided to tell my host mom before I started taking the other antibiotics. We were conveniently at the dinner table, just host mom, host sister and I chowin' down on some chicken and kimchi. I told my host mom and she looked up with a (O.o) look on her face and said "Why? 왜?" ....Host mom, if only I knew. So right away she whisked me away to the 약국 or pharmacy to get some antidiarrheals. (also, can i just let you all know I'm sitting here cracking up at this ridiculous story) We obtained the goods, and she made me take two pills right in the pharmacy. With some nasty ass drink that tasted like cough syrup. I almost choked on it as both my host mom and the pharmacist looked on. After gagging down the syrup and pills host mom rushed me out of the pharmacy and then we were driving somewhere. It wasn't back home.
Next thing I know my host mom pulls out her phone and types something in it and then shows me. The dictionary/translator on her phone says 본죽 : porridge; gruel; SLOPS. Trying to pronounce the words to me, I remembered that Koreans, when they get diarrhea all they eat is porridge. She was like "slops?" and I told her that was for animals....porridge would be the correct term. Or at least I hoped. We stopped at a little restaurant and went in. It was a porridge shop and quite charming. My host mom had me pick out which porridge I would be eating for the next 2 days. Of course, I pick the crab meat one. Classy salsa. She ends up getting a bunch of porridge for the whole family because apparently my host brother likes the stuff. And so begins my 2 day porridge diet. My host mom had to even pack me a lunch and I had to hide in my office and eat alone for fear of weird stares by students and co-workers alike. Nah, just kidding, they understand. People get diarrhea all the time. NOT.
Thank god, that porridge worked. Stuffed me right up. Stuffed me so much that I now have a friggin stuffy nose and head. ::sigh::
So this week teaching has been interesting. I really started questioning whether or not I'm doing a good job. I want to do the best that I can, but I am always not sure if I am. Some days were real struggles. It's hard when you are sick. But I found myself pulling energy from somewhere. I taught lessons on emotions and casual conversation. Peace out has been a success. I also roughly planned my winter break 2 week camp. It's dubbed "Around the World in 10 Days." We will see how it goes. Sometimes it is hard to connect with my host siblings too....they aren't as curious as I thought they would be. I'm just hoping I'm doing a good job with them too... I really need to get better though...I want to travel! On the agenda: October 3rd - Andong Mask Festival and Oct 7-8 Busan International Film Festival. :)
But first we have to go to 할머니's house (halmoni's/Grandma's house) because today (Oct 1) is her birthday! I made her a card and will give her some ginseng candies. My host mom and sister think halmoni will get a kick out of it. I hope she does. ^^
Until next time - may the salsa NOT be with you.
~Ashlee
So a few weeks ago (more like maybe 3 1/2) I had a cough. Phelmy and gross I went to the doctor with my host mom who decided to not let me pay for anything. Anyways, I take the 6 pills three times a day for 3 days that they give me and it doesn't really work that well. However, it worked in other ways....thanks antibiotics. But now I'm sick again. Stuffed like a chimney. I just finished my lowered dose of antibiotics that have done SQUAT and am still coughing up phelm. I found some Equate Sinus and Allergy stuff and it's given me some relief....but I might go get the shot to just stop it all together.
Before I was on my 2nd dose of medication for my new cough and head cold, another little surprise came around. When you say it in Korean it sounds like "salsa." Can anyone take a guess what it was? No, I did not have delicious Mexican food. No I did not stuff my face with a fatty burrito with salsa on it....No, my friends. It was 설사, seolsa....DIARRHEA. I had the craps for 2 friggin days. I thought it would stop, but then I remembered...."Wait....people DIE from having DIarrhea..." Finally I decided to tell my host mom before I started taking the other antibiotics. We were conveniently at the dinner table, just host mom, host sister and I chowin' down on some chicken and kimchi. I told my host mom and she looked up with a (O.o) look on her face and said "Why? 왜?" ....Host mom, if only I knew. So right away she whisked me away to the 약국 or pharmacy to get some antidiarrheals. (also, can i just let you all know I'm sitting here cracking up at this ridiculous story) We obtained the goods, and she made me take two pills right in the pharmacy. With some nasty ass drink that tasted like cough syrup. I almost choked on it as both my host mom and the pharmacist looked on. After gagging down the syrup and pills host mom rushed me out of the pharmacy and then we were driving somewhere. It wasn't back home.
Next thing I know my host mom pulls out her phone and types something in it and then shows me. The dictionary/translator on her phone says 본죽 : porridge; gruel; SLOPS. Trying to pronounce the words to me, I remembered that Koreans, when they get diarrhea all they eat is porridge. She was like "slops?" and I told her that was for animals....porridge would be the correct term. Or at least I hoped. We stopped at a little restaurant and went in. It was a porridge shop and quite charming. My host mom had me pick out which porridge I would be eating for the next 2 days. Of course, I pick the crab meat one. Classy salsa. She ends up getting a bunch of porridge for the whole family because apparently my host brother likes the stuff. And so begins my 2 day porridge diet. My host mom had to even pack me a lunch and I had to hide in my office and eat alone for fear of weird stares by students and co-workers alike. Nah, just kidding, they understand. People get diarrhea all the time. NOT.
Thank god, that porridge worked. Stuffed me right up. Stuffed me so much that I now have a friggin stuffy nose and head. ::sigh::
So this week teaching has been interesting. I really started questioning whether or not I'm doing a good job. I want to do the best that I can, but I am always not sure if I am. Some days were real struggles. It's hard when you are sick. But I found myself pulling energy from somewhere. I taught lessons on emotions and casual conversation. Peace out has been a success. I also roughly planned my winter break 2 week camp. It's dubbed "Around the World in 10 Days." We will see how it goes. Sometimes it is hard to connect with my host siblings too....they aren't as curious as I thought they would be. I'm just hoping I'm doing a good job with them too... I really need to get better though...I want to travel! On the agenda: October 3rd - Andong Mask Festival and Oct 7-8 Busan International Film Festival. :)
But first we have to go to 할머니's house (halmoni's/Grandma's house) because today (Oct 1) is her birthday! I made her a card and will give her some ginseng candies. My host mom and sister think halmoni will get a kick out of it. I hope she does. ^^
Until next time - may the salsa NOT be with you.
~Ashlee
Friday, September 9, 2011
Who Run the World? - Girls.
Usually on Fridays right after my last class I am ambushed by my boys to arm-wrestle. Today was something a bit different though- right after my last class a girl nick-named "Mushroom" and her friends come up to me and we start chatting. One boy points to her and calls her a man. And I say no, no she's a girl she's a girl. Mushroom then explains to me that she wants to be a soldier. For those of you who don't know, Korea has a female sector of their military. It's pretty legitimate. Apparently she wants to be a soldier because her sister is one, which to me, still makes me ask the question "But why do you want to be one?" Then one of my boys goes "Yeah she strong so she a man." Oh really??? I then continue to go on about how women/girls are strong too. The boys are looking like they don't believe me, and then one of them goes "wait...teacher...." and motions for me to hold up my arm and flex.That's right. I had 10-15 middle schoolers poking my biceps and in awe. I then said pointing to myself "Woman, right?" And the boys nodded, now knowing that women can be physically strong too. Also, when I got home today I had the opportunity to connect with my host brother a bit over sports. He really likes soccer and what not. I asked him what he was going to do tomorrow (Saturday) and he said go to exercise academy. I was somewhat confused and said that I had no idea there was any type of exercise academy. Basically he will go somewhere to play soccer for about 3 hours. How cool right? Then I told him that since I was about 4 years old I have been playing softball. And I told him that I guess if I averaged out the time I spent playing softball all these years I would guess it would be around 3 hours every day of my life for about 18 years, right? His eyes got this big--> O____O . I then proceeded to show him pictures of DePauw's softball team aka real strong women. He was somewhat amazed and I think he thinks that DePauw's softball team is famous.....When he asked me the question "So, is your team famous in the United States?" I pretty much said..."Well....you could say that. We are very, very special." And he nodded in agreement. Hopefully we will bond over watching some Arsenal soccer games soon...
Can we say cultural ambassadorship at its finest? I think so.
Conclusion of the day: Who run da world? GIRLS.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
Thursday, September 1, 2011
강애정((姜愛情)Kang AeJeong), Kool Aid Man, and Kickin’ It With the Fam
The other day at lunch I introduced Kool Aid Man to my host parents. My host mother all of a sudden said “OH YEAAAAH” and the way she said it completely triggered my memory of Kool Aid Man bustin through a wall and screaming “OHYEAAAAAHHHHHH” in that amusing voice. I started giggling to myself and began to introduce the lovely master of American sugary drinks who every kid bows down to. This somehow led to my host father showing me his favorite singer Kim KwangSeok….I’ll probably check out his stuff soon.
 |
| OH YEAHHHHHH |
Again sorry for not frequently updating the blog. Things have been super busy and eery night I sit down to write and I end up falling asleep or talking to people. Therefore this post will probably be a long one! So much has happened in the past week(s). Some highlights are:
*So as you all might know I have been placed in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. After coming back from Seoul all the Fulbrights were desperately trying to get ready for receiving information about their host families. I don’t think we received the information until two nights before we met them. So needless to say we were all nervous. The most nerve-racking thing for me was meeting my principal, vice-principal and co-teacher. All the Fulbrights started saying our “see you laters” early. I really miss my roomie! SHOUT OUT TO COCO! ^^
Anyways, D-Day aka Departure Day: emotional, exciting, nerve-racking- the true beginning of my year in Korea. During the ceremony when we step out of the Fulbright line and meet our vice-principal or principal and co-teacher I was greeted by my co-teacher (whom I love!) throwing a huge bouquet of flowers into my arms. It was precious.
After the ceremony there was a lot of waiting (and praying that my vice-principal’s car was big enough to hold all my dang luggage….) and then kind of an awkward car ride. It ended up not being that bad as I was whisked away from the gigantic one-building Sovietesque castle known as Jungwon. We then met up with my principal and department head for dinner at a local Gumi restaurant. I was nervous and excited to meet everyone. The comment that took the cake the most at this event was this: My co-teacher: “Now, please don’t take this the wrong way, but the principal says that he is very pleased since you have blonde hair… he thinks this will make the kids want to speak English more.” Me: “ummmmm oh…hahah thanks….?!” And then again when offered beer later in the dinner and then I politely refuse because I’m not really a beer person “Oh please don’t worry about sexual harassment. We don’t have that at our school.” I wasn’t even thinking about that….that seriously took me by surprise. Then I had to explain that I was not really into the taste of beer. I think they got it?
After dinner I was off to meet my host family. And to put it quite frankly, my host family is da bomb. You will see why later. I have two host siblings- one in elementary school and one in middle school- and my host parents are both teachers. Super sweet and unbelievably generous and invested in their children’s education. Let’s just say there is no TV in the house. That’s an indicator. J I hope I don’t disappoint my host family in any way. Especially with helping them learn English. So far I think we have a healthy balance going between Korean and English. I have much to learn! *Ashley Restaurant in Daegu – My host family is seriously so sweet. The first weekend we were together they took me to Daegu to go to a restaurant that shares my name- Ashley Restaurant. They serve all types of food there but is basically known for its Western cuisine. Also, my host mom always checks in with me to see if I really like her food, and am comfortable. I keep telling her that I am. I really am lucky to have such a great family.
*Taekwondo class at Jungwon- Sparring my Sabeomnim….bad AND good choice. So when we took our Taekwondo master out for drinks one night I decided it would be a smart and amusing choice to challenge him to a sparring match. Not just by myself…..but three of us on one. Two of my other friends were totally in- 3 girls on 1 taekwondo master….we could do it…..NOT. So hoping that we were going to get him drunk enough so he didn’t remember we shook on it. The next day was Taekwondo class. And who is the only one who shows up to sparring that day out of the original group who proposed such a preposterous idea? ME. My luck ran out with this one: right as I walked into class he smiled at me and totally remembered my challenge from the night before. He said “Ahh Ashlee, we spar to-day!” And me in a fit of fear told him “Sabeomnim, if Di-Hoa and Amy do NOT come I will NOT spar you!” And he proceeded to brush me off. And of course I was the only chump who showed up. So I think I am off the hook until I am done sparring my other partner and he starts getting his gear on and saying “Okay Ashlee! Time to spar!” I then continued to repeatedly tell him that Di-Hoa and Amy were not here therefore I could not take him one on one. So his suggestion: get two more girls who were NOT up to the challenge. One was pretty much forced into it. Needless to say, he totally handed me my behind and he was not even trying! I wish someone got that sparring match on film… I am glad that it happened though. Now we have a special, special bond. Especially after he could have easily roundhouse kicked my head in. Gotta love Sabeomnim. ^^
*Some new-found biddies! (I mean, no one could replace the true ones…just sayin) I legit have awesome co-workers. I am now the youngest employee in the school and some ladies in the office have decided to take me under their wings. It has been really great. Most of them are in their mid to late twenties and they are bunches of fun. I really look forward to bonding with them in the coming year. They even gave me a Korean name. We went to Outback Steakhouse for a co-worker’s birthday (which is WAY too expensive by the way….no I will not pay $35 for a mini steak….thank god for family style-eating culture…) and we were talking in both Korean and English and the subject of names came up. Then they decided on the spot to give me a Korean name- Kang AeJeong or 강애정((姜愛情). Let’s just say I was overwhelmingly honored. It took me forever to get a Kanji in Japan (my name = 亜朱利) And it basically took me a week and a half to get one here. So in return, I gave them all English names. ^^ I think they liked the exchange. J
*1st week of teaching- crazy and good. Some things include:
-Arm wrestling middle school boys….and beating them.
-Me: Hey kid, whaddya want to be? What is your future dream? Student: How do you spell “paelentologist?” Me: OH…um…..uh….wait a minute let me check my dictionary…::goes and gets mini pocket dictionary praying the stupid word is in it…no dice:: Me: ::sits there for a good minute trying to figure out the spelling and eventually telling the kid I will get back to him…well I guess since you can’t spell it, you can’t be that, now can ya kid?.....
- Rockstar status and an ego boost to boot! I have this boy who constantly makes it a point to come up to me and yell in my face YOU’RE SO BEAUTIFUL! It’s super sweet and hilarious at the same time.
-All I do is sweat…even more. So Korea has decided that it will carry its summer into September when, as my co-teach swears it is cool by this time. I will believe that when I see it. One day I had pit-stains to my boobs. No lie. Embarrassing? Yes. Lesson learned? Heck yes. Hoping it will help keep the Korean pounds off? HELL yes.
*Wanting to join a gym- if I don’t ill go insane –NEWSFLASH. Ashlee has joined a gym. Named ChicaGO Fitness. Go figure. My host dad made a funny joke the night I joined: “haha…oh well now you can go home every day.” Cute, huh? Joined a gym with the help of her co-teacher and the guy decided to take her muscle mass and body weight in order to join. Thanks dude, I lift on a normal basis even though by your standards I probs don’t look like I work out. He also told me that if I concentrated on dieting and exercising I would be even more glamorous….WOW! That’s great….James. Yeah he told me tonight his name was James. And the most exciting part about this gym? You change into a workout uniform…good for my host mom….bad for the gym! HEAVEN! Also, I am by far the sweatiest person there, but really I don’t think anyone is surprised by that. AM I RIGHT MOM AND DAD?! The yoga class I just took was super interesting….not at all like American yoga. It was hysterical and the ladies were sweet. Next time I am doing the spinning class afterwards!
*Wanting my Korean to get better – I have been trying to sit down and study but I feel like lesson planning has been taking the bulk of my time especially at work. Once I plan this semester I will have more time to work on Korean but for now I will just have to learn on the fly. I really really want to learn it. Especially since I can read all of it. It is amazing how frustrating things can get if you don’t know the language….reminds me of me about 2 years ago in Japan…
*Star Wars- spreadin’ American pop culture like it’s my job...OH WAIT! It IS my job!
*Worrying about whether or not I am trying too much or too hard with my host siblings
*Becoming more interested in painting my nails…all the time...thanks for that one Jenny Wilborn!
*Having the most epic day with my host sister, host mother, and host sister’s friend. Get this: host sister and her friend are 11. They like scary movies. We went to see a scary movie. I cowered like a baby. I will blog more about this later.
*Lesson planning is hard. Thank god I have resources…and family!
*Forgot most of my gifts at Jungwon- my school co-workers probably secretly think I’m an incompetent fool of an American….the gifts should be here this weekend…
*DePauw-sickness and longing – I just really miss DePauw. I love Korea and my experience here, but you will not have anything like college ever again, people. Live it up. I’m glad I did.
*Worried I’m not going to explore on my own! – I need to channel you Nikki Brueggeman!
*Worried about educating Koreans and whether or not I am really making a difference….
*Koreans eat and eat and eat some more. Seriously. Pretty much at about 11:00pm another smaller meal comes along… probably because the kids are studying half the night away.
*Native American dream catchers- a piece of American culture to carry with me wherever I go!
안녕히계세요!~
애슐리~
Friday, August 19, 2011
Update: Survivin' Seoul Weekend Part 1
 |
| Kirby, me and Colleen aka CoCo ready for a night on the town! |
These past few days have been absolutely crazy! Actually the past few weeks have been insane. All of the Fulbrights went to Seoul last weekend for our Seoul trip and had a blast to say the least. I have a few good stories from that trip that I will save for verbal reiteration to a select few. Besides having a really good time, included in that good time was a trip to the US Ambassador’s house. It was absolutely amazing! Ambassador Stevens is such a wonderful woman and such a strong, warm presence. I was able to talk with her briefly for a few minutes before I had to eat the scrumptious buffet that was there at her house. Auntie Patty, you would have loved the art in this house; I couldn’t stop thinking about how you would love the art and the interior design! ^^
Let me back track a little bit for a moment. Forgive me I am trying to cover a lot of time in one blog posting so my mind is wandering a bit. Anyways, before we arrived at the Ambassador’s house, all the Fulbrights ventured out of the Soviet-Marble-esque Castle known as Jungwon University at an early 5:00am. Once we arrived in Seoul we freshened up a bit and then pretty much headed out to the DMZ after that in two large groups. As the second group we stopped along the way at many different memorials to fallen soldiers during the Korean War and other wars. Our tour guide was really sweet and what not. We finally arrived at the Joint Security Area which is a special area where several different countries are there protecting the border. We had to pass through many check points and then were briefed on important things before heading to take pictures of the South Korean soldiers and North Korean soldiers facing each other at the border. As we were briefed, there was also a Japanese tour group along with us so at the same time I could not only understand the English descriptions but also the Japanese. That was pretty cool.
 |
| Me awkwardly taking a picture |
 |
| North Korean soldiers and tourists. |
At the border, the South Korean soldiers are in a certain Taekwondo stance with sunglasses on to basically intimidate the North Korean soldiers. We were told that we were not allowed to communicate in any way with the North Korean soldiers, this meaning verbal and nonverbal communication. We were not allowed to go into the conference room because the North Korean tourists were there at the same time. Also, we had the rare opportunity to see the North Korean tourists come down from the other side along with North Korean soldiers. Here they were, like us, touring this “hostile” area. I really have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that such a serious and important place has been made into a tourist attraction. The kicker here is that supposedly for the tour we were on, there was a brochure with two definitely Western looking foreigners staring out of binoculars and smiling. Really? That just blows my mind. I also have trouble taking pictures with me in it at places that are quite controversial etc. For example, when I was in Hiroshima, I did not stand there, smile and throw up a good ole peace sign; how can you do that where so many lives have been taken? The same goes for the DMZ/JSA. Why in the world would you want to go into a gift shop on the South Korean side of the DMZ? To buy what? A T-Shirt that says something that downplays the situation? Or does it rather mock the situation?
 |
| Soldier fulfilling his mandatory military service. |
There is a film called JSA that my friend and fellow ETA Anskar has recommended I see. It is in regards to the soldiers who face each other. Apparently it chronicles two soldiers, one South Korean and one North Korean standing there and over some time, they become friends. I hear it is a tear-jerker (?) and it is an excellent piece of film. I’d say that’s next on my list. In addition, we met a soldier who was in the United States for 7 years and graduated from Johns Hopkins with a degree in Economics and Applied Mathematics. And here he was at the border doing his mandatory military service. That was one interesting conversation to say the least.... After his 2 year service he will go back to the States to pursue his graduate degree.
 |
| South Korean soldiers in modified Taekowndo stance staring towards North Korea. Notice that they only half expose themselves to the North Koreans. |
I will update you all soon on my host family! They are absolutely amazing!!! Time for bed. ^^ZZZZZZzzzzz……
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The True Beginning - Prelude
Hey everyone!
So as you can tell it has been a VERY long time since I have written anything down in regards to my stay here in South Korea. A lot has happened in the short time that I have been here but today was a very special day- I moved to my homestay in Gumi and now am living with an amazing family of four- parents who are both school teachers, a 14 year old brother and an 11 year old sister. I am nothing but STOKED for what is ahead. I get to observe the school tomorrow and figure myself out. Thank goodness, because I am feeling a little overwhelmed; however, my family was super sweet and welcomed me with open arms. I will post more later about my car adventure and when I arrived. ^^ Until tomorrow night hopefully!
~Ashlee
So as you can tell it has been a VERY long time since I have written anything down in regards to my stay here in South Korea. A lot has happened in the short time that I have been here but today was a very special day- I moved to my homestay in Gumi and now am living with an amazing family of four- parents who are both school teachers, a 14 year old brother and an 11 year old sister. I am nothing but STOKED for what is ahead. I get to observe the school tomorrow and figure myself out. Thank goodness, because I am feeling a little overwhelmed; however, my family was super sweet and welcomed me with open arms. I will post more later about my car adventure and when I arrived. ^^ Until tomorrow night hopefully!
~Ashlee
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Riders of Bro-han, Rockstar Status, and Royally Geeking Out
Hey all! Again, I didn't update you all at the time I said I would. Things have been super busy and just trying to either sit down or lay down to do work is an effort. The effort comes in when I am trying desperately not to fall asleep when reading! So, as you might notice from the time I will post this, I am in on a Saturday night along with my lovely roommate CoCo being good students and studying Korean. These past couple of days have been busy busy busy, but also very enlightening and enriching!
A couple of things that I haven't posted about yet:
1. Night out- we all went into Goesan for some fun on the Fourth of July after a GLEE Club Mixer. We whooped it up with some Korean students who taught us some fun drinking games. It was fun!
2. I have officially joined Taekwondo, GLEE Club (an English Club for Korean Jungwon University students and ETAs), and Calligraphy, as well as joining the gym. All these extracurriculars have me wondering whether I like to over exert myself or not....oh wait! I should be used to this! :)
3. I have continued to sweat balls. Especially at the gym. Hey parentals, remember those softball days where I looked like I jumped into a pool.....yeaaaaaaaah. Awesome! :D
4. Oh. Most surprising: I now have THREE! ...yes I say THREE additional people with the same birthday as me!!!!!!! We all couldn't believe it- four Fulbright ETAs in the same grant year having the same birthday- February 2, 1989....I almost had an aneurysm trying to process the information....Fulbright.....you have something up your sleeve don't you?
5. ASHLEE THE ROCKSTAR....and supposedly Cameron Diaz. HAH! I wish.... A Korean student said I looked like her, but more importantly all of us ETAs went to school site visits to observe a real Korean class and school and present ETA's schools. About 14 of us went to an all girls' middle school in Cheongju which is about an hour away from Goesan. Let's just say there was a lot of giggling, pointing and staring, hiding of faces, wide eyes and screaming. Luckily no fainting. The ETA that we observed was awesome! She was so good with her lessons and I learned a lot from what she was doing. We had a presentation by the principal, the ETA herself, and then we observed 2 of her classes and then ate lunch at the school before heading back to the Great-Sovietesque-Marble-Building that is Jungwon. This will be a fun year for sure.
6. Oh, hey, I'm just geekin out. Michael Hurt- is amazing. He is a former ETA from 1994 and gave two talks spread out from last night to this morning. His first talk I was freaking/geeking out. His talk centered around being "other" in Korea and I am pretty sure I was that annoying girl that was bobbing her head up and down throughout the whole thing. He talked for 2 hours that night and I just kept saying "yes yes yes!" in my head to all that he was talking about in relation to what shapes Korean identity and views about race, sexuality, society etc. I experienced a lot of what he said in Japan and was so familiar with everything he touched on. I was so thankful for my DePauw education....His talk reminded me of a DePauw class and reminded me of my passion for academics and real world social issues! hmmm....Ph.D in anthropology/sociology???....^^ If you want to check out more about Michael and what he is about, here is the link to his blog: http://metropolitician.blogs.com/
7. Bro-ness: The Riders of Brohan. Today we had a teaching workshop where we learned about how to lesson plan. Let's just say I have lots of work ahead of me! I was paired with my new friends Lara, Jenny and Lauren and we had to make a lesson plan revolving around "Would you rather ____ or ____?" At the end of the session I was basically looking pretty exhausted and my throat was hurting (I've since popped some ibuprofen so hopefully I don't get sick)-- It had been a long day for all of us. Somehow we started talking about Lord of the Rings (or LOTR for fans~) and about how I am obsessed with the character/concept of Samwise Gamgee. (that's right Emily Meyers) We continued to talk about how Frodo and Sam's friendship is definitely not the "implied relationship," but instead exhibits the ultimate "bro-ness." So we decided that Fulbright is pretty much the Fellowship of the Ring/Bro, my blonde hair qualifies me as an Elf, and that every chance we get we are allowed to use "bro" in words that we want. Alpha Chi Omegas, you are familiar with this concept as well as a few choice friends. ^^ But we renamed the riders of Rohan.....the riders of Brohan. Yes. We are Fulbrights. And we are Bros.
8. We signed up for 3 days of teaching in the next few weeks. We have something called Camp Fulbright coming up where a bunch of kiddies come to run around the Marble-Soviet-Castle and learn English. My first day of teaching is July 18th! The theme for the whole camp is "Heroes"....let me know if you have any burning ideas!
So that is my few days in a nutshell. Sorry I haven't posted any pictures. I'll get on that asap. In the mean time I have to go stretch and then maybe watch a movie....um I mean study....<< >> ^_^ I have a trip to go on tomorrow! Cheongju get ready for the 'BrO-rights!
안녕히게세요! (annyeonghikyeseyo!/ Goodbye!)
~Ashlee 애슐리
A couple of things that I haven't posted about yet:
1. Night out- we all went into Goesan for some fun on the Fourth of July after a GLEE Club Mixer. We whooped it up with some Korean students who taught us some fun drinking games. It was fun!
2. I have officially joined Taekwondo, GLEE Club (an English Club for Korean Jungwon University students and ETAs), and Calligraphy, as well as joining the gym. All these extracurriculars have me wondering whether I like to over exert myself or not....oh wait! I should be used to this! :)
3. I have continued to sweat balls. Especially at the gym. Hey parentals, remember those softball days where I looked like I jumped into a pool.....yeaaaaaaaah. Awesome! :D
4. Oh. Most surprising: I now have THREE! ...yes I say THREE additional people with the same birthday as me!!!!!!! We all couldn't believe it- four Fulbright ETAs in the same grant year having the same birthday- February 2, 1989....I almost had an aneurysm trying to process the information....Fulbright.....you have something up your sleeve don't you?
5. ASHLEE THE ROCKSTAR....and supposedly Cameron Diaz. HAH! I wish.... A Korean student said I looked like her, but more importantly all of us ETAs went to school site visits to observe a real Korean class and school and present ETA's schools. About 14 of us went to an all girls' middle school in Cheongju which is about an hour away from Goesan. Let's just say there was a lot of giggling, pointing and staring, hiding of faces, wide eyes and screaming. Luckily no fainting. The ETA that we observed was awesome! She was so good with her lessons and I learned a lot from what she was doing. We had a presentation by the principal, the ETA herself, and then we observed 2 of her classes and then ate lunch at the school before heading back to the Great-Sovietesque-Marble-Building that is Jungwon. This will be a fun year for sure.
6. Oh, hey, I'm just geekin out. Michael Hurt- is amazing. He is a former ETA from 1994 and gave two talks spread out from last night to this morning. His first talk I was freaking/geeking out. His talk centered around being "other" in Korea and I am pretty sure I was that annoying girl that was bobbing her head up and down throughout the whole thing. He talked for 2 hours that night and I just kept saying "yes yes yes!" in my head to all that he was talking about in relation to what shapes Korean identity and views about race, sexuality, society etc. I experienced a lot of what he said in Japan and was so familiar with everything he touched on. I was so thankful for my DePauw education....His talk reminded me of a DePauw class and reminded me of my passion for academics and real world social issues! hmmm....Ph.D in anthropology/sociology???....^^ If you want to check out more about Michael and what he is about, here is the link to his blog: http://metropolitician.blogs.com/
7. Bro-ness: The Riders of Brohan. Today we had a teaching workshop where we learned about how to lesson plan. Let's just say I have lots of work ahead of me! I was paired with my new friends Lara, Jenny and Lauren and we had to make a lesson plan revolving around "Would you rather ____ or ____?" At the end of the session I was basically looking pretty exhausted and my throat was hurting (I've since popped some ibuprofen so hopefully I don't get sick)-- It had been a long day for all of us. Somehow we started talking about Lord of the Rings (or LOTR for fans~) and about how I am obsessed with the character/concept of Samwise Gamgee. (that's right Emily Meyers) We continued to talk about how Frodo and Sam's friendship is definitely not the "implied relationship," but instead exhibits the ultimate "bro-ness." So we decided that Fulbright is pretty much the Fellowship of the Ring/Bro, my blonde hair qualifies me as an Elf, and that every chance we get we are allowed to use "bro" in words that we want. Alpha Chi Omegas, you are familiar with this concept as well as a few choice friends. ^^ But we renamed the riders of Rohan.....the riders of Brohan. Yes. We are Fulbrights. And we are Bros.
8. We signed up for 3 days of teaching in the next few weeks. We have something called Camp Fulbright coming up where a bunch of kiddies come to run around the Marble-Soviet-Castle and learn English. My first day of teaching is July 18th! The theme for the whole camp is "Heroes"....let me know if you have any burning ideas!
So that is my few days in a nutshell. Sorry I haven't posted any pictures. I'll get on that asap. In the mean time I have to go stretch and then maybe watch a movie....um I mean study....<< >> ^_^ I have a trip to go on tomorrow! Cheongju get ready for the 'BrO-rights!
안녕히게세요! (annyeonghikyeseyo!/ Goodbye!)
~Ashlee 애슐리
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Aja Aja Fighting!!: All I Do is Sweat! Surprised Much?
Hey Everyone!
So sorry it took so long to get going on this blog-- Fulbright has been keeping us ETA's (English Teaching Assistants) very busy! Today was our first day of Korean class and I have "surprisingly" been placed in the beginning level aka section 1D (there are like...6 sections of beginner haha) the D is not for diploma; however it is for Demolition because I say it is. ^___^ Just kidding...anyways I am sitting here in my room with my roommate Colleen, or who likes to be called CoCo. She totally looks like Chanel and is super sweet! I have been eating kimchi every meal which is the delicious fermented cabbage and national dish of Korea. Yes, Ted. Even breakfast. Watch out stomach....here comes a nice treat.
No but really I do love kimchi. The health benefits are amazing even though it can sometimes smell like feet, but you get over that really quickly once you learn how to pair it with things like rice, seaweed, soup, everything else under the sun....
Okay so the past few days have been amazing. I feel so privileged to have this opportunity. There are 88 of us ETAs here in the small town of Goesan, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. In the past few days I have met some incredible people; two whom have the same birthday as me! No joke- it's super weird, because my friend Kirby who I sat next to on the plane for like 12 hours pretty much leads the same life as I do and we just found out we have the same birthday! Bah!....crazy... But the Fulbrighters are an awesome bunch and I look forward to hanging out with them even more this summer.
The first day we arrived at Seoul Incheon International Airport at about 4:45 a.m. We waited around for another 3 hours for the buses to take us on another 3 hour bus ride to Goesan and Jungwon University where we are living for the summer. And all it did was rain. Jungwon is basically a humongous block of marble. The building is massive and shiny. That's right....I said building. The whole university is ONE building. Interesting, ne? (ne = yes in Korean). The landscaping is beautiful and there are mountains all around. The first day we all were practically dying from jet lag, but basically had to push through it for which I am now grateful. I feel much better now, but still get sleepy around 5/6/7pm.
The second day in Goesan was all about going into town 3 times. The little city is about a 15 minute walk from the university that is on the hill, but it is tiring to go down there multiple times in a day...especially when you are sweating balls and the sun is threating to dry your brains out. One time it was of my own accord as well as a few other ETA's that we go exploring during a break we had between Fulbright meetings. The town is very interesting- filled with a bunch of shops that are filled with clutter, old ladies, and working men. Oh yeah, and also the bull's head and feet that we saw sitting on a platter outside a meat shop....O.o.... Then we had to go on a scavenger hunt downtown and do some weird stuff and a bunch of us decided to go out on the town last night for some festivities.
The people here in Korea are so nice. Whenever you greet them or do insa, they do the same back. Whenever you smile at them they smile back. For those of you who I have talked to about my Japan trip a while ago, this is certainly not the case for Japan....But I'm in Korea! A land that smiles back at a foreigner who is trying to get a long in the world.
Okay, this might be lame, but I will have to update you all later on my night out and what it has been like here so far....I am laying in bed doing this right now and have just fallen asleep more than 4 times....:It's a sign! Look for more in this post tomorrow!
AjaAja!
~Ashlee
So sorry it took so long to get going on this blog-- Fulbright has been keeping us ETA's (English Teaching Assistants) very busy! Today was our first day of Korean class and I have "surprisingly" been placed in the beginning level aka section 1D (there are like...6 sections of beginner haha) the D is not for diploma; however it is for Demolition because I say it is. ^___^ Just kidding...anyways I am sitting here in my room with my roommate Colleen, or who likes to be called CoCo. She totally looks like Chanel and is super sweet! I have been eating kimchi every meal which is the delicious fermented cabbage and national dish of Korea. Yes, Ted. Even breakfast. Watch out stomach....here comes a nice treat.
No but really I do love kimchi. The health benefits are amazing even though it can sometimes smell like feet, but you get over that really quickly once you learn how to pair it with things like rice, seaweed, soup, everything else under the sun....
Okay so the past few days have been amazing. I feel so privileged to have this opportunity. There are 88 of us ETAs here in the small town of Goesan, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. In the past few days I have met some incredible people; two whom have the same birthday as me! No joke- it's super weird, because my friend Kirby who I sat next to on the plane for like 12 hours pretty much leads the same life as I do and we just found out we have the same birthday! Bah!....crazy... But the Fulbrighters are an awesome bunch and I look forward to hanging out with them even more this summer.
The first day we arrived at Seoul Incheon International Airport at about 4:45 a.m. We waited around for another 3 hours for the buses to take us on another 3 hour bus ride to Goesan and Jungwon University where we are living for the summer. And all it did was rain. Jungwon is basically a humongous block of marble. The building is massive and shiny. That's right....I said building. The whole university is ONE building. Interesting, ne? (ne = yes in Korean). The landscaping is beautiful and there are mountains all around. The first day we all were practically dying from jet lag, but basically had to push through it for which I am now grateful. I feel much better now, but still get sleepy around 5/6/7pm.
The second day in Goesan was all about going into town 3 times. The little city is about a 15 minute walk from the university that is on the hill, but it is tiring to go down there multiple times in a day...especially when you are sweating balls and the sun is threating to dry your brains out. One time it was of my own accord as well as a few other ETA's that we go exploring during a break we had between Fulbright meetings. The town is very interesting- filled with a bunch of shops that are filled with clutter, old ladies, and working men. Oh yeah, and also the bull's head and feet that we saw sitting on a platter outside a meat shop....O.o.... Then we had to go on a scavenger hunt downtown and do some weird stuff and a bunch of us decided to go out on the town last night for some festivities.
The people here in Korea are so nice. Whenever you greet them or do insa, they do the same back. Whenever you smile at them they smile back. For those of you who I have talked to about my Japan trip a while ago, this is certainly not the case for Japan....But I'm in Korea! A land that smiles back at a foreigner who is trying to get a long in the world.
Okay, this might be lame, but I will have to update you all later on my night out and what it has been like here so far....I am laying in bed doing this right now and have just fallen asleep more than 4 times....:It's a sign! Look for more in this post tomorrow!
AjaAja!
~Ashlee
Sunday, June 26, 2011
It's Prep Time! - A Journey Awaits
안녕하세요! - annyeonghaseyo, or Hello!!!!
So, here I sit the Sunday before I leave for Korea and I am filled with all sorts of feelings. I am anxious and nervous for one. But I am excited to start one of the most incredible journeys of my life! There will be enormous challenges along the way; however, the fun times are about to start rollin. I still feel like I have a TON of prep work ahead of me in these next few days, as well as seeing a bunch of people for the last time in a good while. And that includes going to the Taste of Chicago with my friends Kohei and Diane! I'm ready to get my eating on! Oh....and Trueblood starts tonight! hehehe....
Until next time!
So, here I sit the Sunday before I leave for Korea and I am filled with all sorts of feelings. I am anxious and nervous for one. But I am excited to start one of the most incredible journeys of my life! There will be enormous challenges along the way; however, the fun times are about to start rollin. I still feel like I have a TON of prep work ahead of me in these next few days, as well as seeing a bunch of people for the last time in a good while. And that includes going to the Taste of Chicago with my friends Kohei and Diane! I'm ready to get my eating on! Oh....and Trueblood starts tonight! hehehe....
Until next time!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)