Day 18

Koreans dance in K-pop videos. Koreans dance in competitions. Koreans dance at concerts. Koreans dance while doing school cheers. Koreans. dance.

You'd think that a school would have only a few cheers for its sporting events, but no. Yonsei University has full-fledged song-length dances. My friends and I stumbled upon an auditorium after dinner. A bunch of students were practicing cheers for 연고존. Little did we know, we'd be getting a workout. Dancing, jumping, bouncing, etc. nonstop for about 30 minutes. I was exhausting. But it's truly amazing how much school spirit these people have. Their energy is amazing and I love it. I could never do that at UCI.

Last night, I grabbed a poster off a wall from a building. The poster is a bunch of pictures of the Yonsei hockey team. I'm not quite sure whether the poster was advertising the hockey game or the hockey team's skin, but it's too lol to pass up.

Day 15

Fyi, 15 is my favorite number. That makes this post special. Tyvm.

I went to noraebang for the first time last night for Roger's birthday. It was pretty awesome, considering I usually say I'm not a karaoke fan. My Wedding Dress dance was an epic fail, but at least I did it. I won't post any pictures on here though, cause the color of my face is dramatically different when I'm intoxicated... Not cute.

But this is.

<3

Sometimes, I wish I could watch all the things that go on at home. I know my grandfather probably wishes he could see me. You see, he's been sick with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It basically means that his nerve cells are giving out on him. He can barely move half of his entire body. There is no cure.

I didn't get teary eyed when I said goodbye to anybody. Not even my mom. But I did when I said goodbye to him because I could tell that he was too. It's sad to think of what he'll be like when I get back. He's an amazing person that doesn't deserve this. Everything I have is because of him. I probably wouldn't even be in Korea if he was not my grandfather. He's the greatest.

Day 13

I'm definitely liking all of my classes so far. Here's a breakdown of what I'm taking.

1. Political Communication

2. Law & Society

3. Korean Social Welfare

4. Intro to Music and Its Meaning

5. Beginning Korean

My schedule looked so beautiful with all five of these classes. I would start class at 11am everyday. And I would have a gap everyday before Beginning Korean. But after everyone displayed their concern, I decided that 19 units wasn't a good idea. I think I just wanted to have the perfect-looking schedule. If I kept the 19 units, I would start class everyday at 11am (with the exception of morning volunteering on Wednesdays). I would have a gap everyday before Beginning Korean and I would finish that at 6pm everyday. Sadly, I had to dismantle it, but I probably won't regret it. I pretty much have all of Monday free now.

Beginning Korean is an awesome class too. I have it everyday for two hours, but it flies by pretty fast. I feel like I'm in kindergarten again, learning my vowels and consonants. Intro to Music and Its Meaning is also really enjoyable. All we do is listen to classical music and learn about how different pieces are formed. Even though I don't know how to play it, the piano is my favorite instrument. It's really nice how my teacher has a keyboard in class and plays it to help us learn. I've always liked classical music, and now I'm getting into it even more. I'll be so sophisticated by the end of the semester.

Day 12

Sorry, I know this has nothing to do about my adventures in Korea. But I've always wanted to write about this and I'm in writing mode. Bear with me.

Get a Real Major

"Sociology... Umm... so that's sort of like Psychology, right?"

I'm always a little peeved whenever anyone disses Sociology, intentionally or unintentionally. Most people say it's a useless major, but they can't even tell you what it means or what students actually learn in a Sociology class. Well, I'll tell you. Sociology is the study of human society. How do we, as human beings, create the world we live in today? Not in the tangible aspect. But in the aspect of how we function together as interrelated parts? In the aspect of how we fall apart through conflict. In the aspect of how we symbolize and attach meanings to different things in the world.

Nobody ever seems to wonder about how our world works. Everyday, we just accept the lives we live and run with it. Sociology plays a role in our lives every single day and we fail to realize how important it is. Do you know why all the Black kids live in the same neighborhood? Have you ever felt awful for eating meat after learning what they do to farm animals?? Can you tell me the difference between Weber and Marx's theories???

Sorry, that wasn't quite fair.

"So what do you want to do with a Sociology major?"

Honestly, I haven't completely figured out what I want to do periods. I know I want to travel the world. I want to understand how different people live everyday. I didn't choose my major with the idea that I want to be a social worker. Many majors don't even relate to one's eventual profession. My dad majored in Accounting and now he works as a technician. My uncle majored in Chemistry and now he sells insurance.

All I know is that Sociology isn't necessarily going to be a dealmaker when it comes to finding a job in the future. It's not fancy or impressive-looking. But to me, it's a subject that I value very much. It has given me so much insight into the world. Before starting college, I was pretty naive and knew little about the world and its problems. All I could tell you was that genocide is undesirable and a wide spread of tuberculosis would be nasty.

If anything, Sociology has contributed more towards personal growth rather than my career. That's why I've never changed majors. I take the classes because I care about what they have to say. My professors merely present me with information. The learning for me comes afterwards. Sociology teaches me how to stand up for and defend what I believe in. To me, that's more important than constructing a molecule out of plastic.

"Oh!! Wait, what??"

Hey, if you still don't understand, I'm sure Intro to Sociology doesn't have any prerequisites.

Day 9

EAP definitely treats UC students like royalty. We get class counseling and best of all, free field trips. Today, we went to Hanok Village, which has a bunch of traditional houses. We got to wear traditional looking outfits and play tradition instruments. I got to play the changgo, which is a type of drum. It was quite fun, but exhausting when the guy made us go faster.

After that, we explored Hanok Village a little more, found a time capsule that wouldn't be opened until 2394 I think, and then went off to eat dinner. The meal was quite expensive, but since EAP pays for everything, I loved it. We sat down on the floor with pillows and ate really delicious bulgogi. Walking around town was pretty fun too. I saw the only Starbucks Coffee in the entire world that was written in a different language. I felt so triumphant, even though I walked past it 10 minutes before I found it.

Java Chip Frappuccino 주세요!

Finally, we went to the N Seoul Tower, on top of Namsan Mountain. It's a tall observation tower that overlooks the entire city of Seoul.

The view was quite a sight. It went around a full 360°. The weather was perfect too. No rain, no snow, no fog.

Twin Peaks who?

I also went to the Teddy Bear Museum. It was just a bunch of Teddy Bears dressed up like ancient Koreans. My mom would die in that place. She would need all of them for her collection at home.

Awww.

The city lights of Seoul were so amazing. The city is enormous. I definitely want to come back by the end of the year. To get back down the mountain, we rode a cable car.

Sidenote 1: I went to a Hello Kitty Cafe. Everything, down to the toilet, has Hello Kitty on it.

Meow.

Sidenote 2: I had a drink called "Orgasim" the other night. Sadly, it tasted far from orgasimic. Sadness.

Day 5

Don't walk. Walk faster.

I swear, all I've been doing in Korea is walk. It's incredible exercise. I kept wondering how Koreans can live long if they drink, smoke and eat beef all the time. But now I understand. They get so much exercise from walking everywhere.

And they walk so fast too. I rode the subway for the first time today. Once I got off at a stop, I look back and there's a Korean stampede coming my way. I had to walk so fast just so I wouldn't run into them. It's funny how they get on escalators too. If you want to stand, you have to stay on the right side. If you need to walk up the escalator, you're on the left side. Why can't Americans understand this concept??

Anyway, today I went a ₩7,900 KBBQ buffet. The lady who served us tried to speak to us in Korean, but nobody knew what she was saying. Apparently she felt most comfortable with me because I look the most Asian. She took my hand and brought me over to all the food and tried to explain to me everything. I liked her though! She was so nice to us. The fact that the total cost was less than $7 makes me feel like I get ripped off in Ktown or Cerittos. Especially when the service is less than impressive.

In other news, I got a volunteer job at Ewha Institute of Childhood Education. I get to interact with 3-5 year old Korean kids. I can teach them English, read them stories, play soccer with them, etc. It's once a week, every Wednesday and I'm extremely excited for it.

Day 2

"Haha. I cockfaced you."

It was just too funny!

That's all for now.