Coming home from Korea
I step off the airplane and into the Salt Lake City airport. This is right where I was four months, six classes, two scars, 875 pictures, infinite acquaintances, three airports, and 24 hours of travel ago. Iíve just finished up a semester abroad where I studied painting at Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea.
I spend the first week refraining from squatting, giving the two hand wave, and saying ìkamsahamnidaî after I order food. Iím honestly a little lost because not only do I wake up at four in the morning feeling ready to go, I have piles of information about the nearest subway station, good art galleries, and the best places to eat floating around my head; and they donít quite match up with Logan, Utah. Also, what am I supposed to do on weekends without karaoke?
I slowly pull it back together and readjust myself to America. I email and facebook my friends, print pictures, write down memories, and look back either with laughter or disbelief at all of the people, places, classes, and adventures Iíve encountered over the last semester. I also think back to the moments where I almost decided not to go to Korea. Thank goodness those moments passed because I have just begun to discover that life is better when we spend our time living it.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Thursday, December 17, 2009
EPIC BLOG
Many an epic happening happened to me my last couple of weeks in Korea. Therefore I was so caught up in the epic-ness that therefore I did not blog. Therefore, I shall create a series of sub blogs in the EPIC BLOG for your viewing pleasure.
"I AM A FAMOUS SINGER!"
So I'm friends with the owners of the Bebop Guesthouse that I stayed in for the first week that I was in Korea. Therefore, they are super rad, super chill Korean homies and I get to chill with them from time to time. (a favorite past time). In fact, they are so cool that they got an article published about them in a local magazine, which led to a book publisher asking them to write a book (they are currently working on it), and then they got approached by the local cable peeps to do a show! ANyWhO, Olive, one of the part owners invited me to come over and see when the TV crew was coming. So I get to the guest house and they had already been interviewed and now the cable crew is just chillin around the guest house. Therefore I thought they were just hanging out and taking some shots and just spending some time in the place. So I just chill too with my friends, the other guests, and the cable crew. Suddenly this guy walks in with fantastic hair, the skinniest legs I've ever seen, his own camera out recording, and declares, "I am a famous singer." The French guy, the German guy, the Austrian girl and I just sort of look at him and nod and are like, "ok, cool." Turns out, he IS a famous singer! In fact, he is the lead singer of the Kpop group 2AM. Jo Kwon! and turns out that he wants to make documentaries or something- therefore, they are making a TV show documenting him making a documentary. Among other things, I spent the rest of the night participating in a scripted documentary, eating kimchi pancakes, and being personally serenaded to by Jo Kwon. I also realize that I have my camera with me, so I start making a documentary of the documentary of the documentary, if you follow.
McDonalds At Your Door
It's four in the morning, where else in the world can you order McDonalds on the phone (free delivery) and in less than ten minutes hear a knock on your studio door? If that's not a happy meal, I don't know what is.
Take Me To The Riot!
So...apparently my school is not heated. In fact, the painting building was colder inside than it was outside, and dang, it was cold outside. Therefore, stay warm in my studio I wore three shirts, a sweater, a sweatshirt, my ski jacket, a scarf, a Vermont turtle fur warmest hat on earth hat, running spandex, and jeans. I also drug my easel next to a small space heater and drank hot water. Unlike the other hard core Koreans, I only endured a couple nights of this before I decided that staying in my warm room was the only way to fight the injustice of a school who cares not for the students therefore frozen fingers. (or maybe it was just super nice and warm in there...)
I Therefore Left The Riot
Actually I once thought that some sort of riot was happening in front of my school late at night when I saw maybe sixty bikes strewn across an open area and a group of people cheering and stuff. Turns out it was just the end of a bike race. Therefore, I was unimpressed, and left before the police could not show up.
Korean Hippies, So Rad
I had the privilege of following my friend Olive to her friends home. (almost in North Korea it twas) We first visited this amazing artist's town, I believe the spelling is Henryi? Then we jogged up to visit her friends home. IT was SO cool! Very traditional, floors heated by fire, buckets of cabbage for making kimchi, fruit hanging to dry, nature, and the like.
This Is A Really Hard
Oh bother, so many things to do, such a short amount of time. Therefore, what do you do? You plan the EPIC weekend of fun!!
A. Studio Party-dinner and kareoke! (Koreans!)
B. After the studio party, therefore hit the club! (Aussies! Americans! Kyrguzstan!)
C. Leave the club at 6 AM
D. sleep (but not for long!)
E. Next party-dinner and kareoke! (Everybody!)
F. Leave that party for a slumber party! (Mormons!)
G. Visit the Seoul Temple
H. Go to church-dinner and Nacho Libre after!
I. Pack up, lunch with MK, dinner with homies! goodbye presents! (Everybody!)
J. Say goodbye to Sukara, to Jack, and to the French!
K. To the Airport Bus! (made possible by the help of The Aussies! and Jack!)
L. Fly away home.
M. Therfore.
Why Is Everyone So Cool??
I am upset that everyone I met in Korea was so cool. Therefore, it made it difficult to leave. I would especially like to give shout outs to the following groups of people for taking such good care of me and making my life wonderful. Thank you to the LDS branch- where doing "Ok" was not acceptable until you were doing "Awesome," to MK, Olive, and Jin of the Bebop Guesthouse-for getting me started and seeing me through my entire stay in Hongdae, to the girls in my studio-for getting me a studio space, teaching me Korean, sharing their culture, and making memories, to the Kimchi club-for accepting all of us foreigners and being committed to having a fun time, to the other International Students-for so many fun memories, adventures, and misadventures, to everyone back home-who kept me going with all of your encouragement and good wishes. AND if you were not mentioned and think you should be, by George, you should be!!! Thank you!!!
"I AM A FAMOUS SINGER!"
So I'm friends with the owners of the Bebop Guesthouse that I stayed in for the first week that I was in Korea. Therefore, they are super rad, super chill Korean homies and I get to chill with them from time to time. (a favorite past time). In fact, they are so cool that they got an article published about them in a local magazine, which led to a book publisher asking them to write a book (they are currently working on it), and then they got approached by the local cable peeps to do a show! ANyWhO, Olive, one of the part owners invited me to come over and see when the TV crew was coming. So I get to the guest house and they had already been interviewed and now the cable crew is just chillin around the guest house. Therefore I thought they were just hanging out and taking some shots and just spending some time in the place. So I just chill too with my friends, the other guests, and the cable crew. Suddenly this guy walks in with fantastic hair, the skinniest legs I've ever seen, his own camera out recording, and declares, "I am a famous singer." The French guy, the German guy, the Austrian girl and I just sort of look at him and nod and are like, "ok, cool." Turns out, he IS a famous singer! In fact, he is the lead singer of the Kpop group 2AM. Jo Kwon! and turns out that he wants to make documentaries or something- therefore, they are making a TV show documenting him making a documentary. Among other things, I spent the rest of the night participating in a scripted documentary, eating kimchi pancakes, and being personally serenaded to by Jo Kwon. I also realize that I have my camera with me, so I start making a documentary of the documentary of the documentary, if you follow.
McDonalds At Your Door
It's four in the morning, where else in the world can you order McDonalds on the phone (free delivery) and in less than ten minutes hear a knock on your studio door? If that's not a happy meal, I don't know what is.
Take Me To The Riot!
So...apparently my school is not heated. In fact, the painting building was colder inside than it was outside, and dang, it was cold outside. Therefore, stay warm in my studio I wore three shirts, a sweater, a sweatshirt, my ski jacket, a scarf, a Vermont turtle fur warmest hat on earth hat, running spandex, and jeans. I also drug my easel next to a small space heater and drank hot water. Unlike the other hard core Koreans, I only endured a couple nights of this before I decided that staying in my warm room was the only way to fight the injustice of a school who cares not for the students therefore frozen fingers. (or maybe it was just super nice and warm in there...)
I Therefore Left The Riot
Actually I once thought that some sort of riot was happening in front of my school late at night when I saw maybe sixty bikes strewn across an open area and a group of people cheering and stuff. Turns out it was just the end of a bike race. Therefore, I was unimpressed, and left before the police could not show up.
Korean Hippies, So Rad
I had the privilege of following my friend Olive to her friends home. (almost in North Korea it twas) We first visited this amazing artist's town, I believe the spelling is Henryi? Then we jogged up to visit her friends home. IT was SO cool! Very traditional, floors heated by fire, buckets of cabbage for making kimchi, fruit hanging to dry, nature, and the like.
This Is A Really Hard
Oh bother, so many things to do, such a short amount of time. Therefore, what do you do? You plan the EPIC weekend of fun!!
A. Studio Party-dinner and kareoke! (Koreans!)
B. After the studio party, therefore hit the club! (Aussies! Americans! Kyrguzstan!)
C. Leave the club at 6 AM
D. sleep (but not for long!)
E. Next party-dinner and kareoke! (Everybody!)
F. Leave that party for a slumber party! (Mormons!)
G. Visit the Seoul Temple
H. Go to church-dinner and Nacho Libre after!
I. Pack up, lunch with MK, dinner with homies! goodbye presents! (Everybody!)
J. Say goodbye to Sukara, to Jack, and to the French!
K. To the Airport Bus! (made possible by the help of The Aussies! and Jack!)
L. Fly away home.
M. Therfore.
Why Is Everyone So Cool??
I am upset that everyone I met in Korea was so cool. Therefore, it made it difficult to leave. I would especially like to give shout outs to the following groups of people for taking such good care of me and making my life wonderful. Thank you to the LDS branch- where doing "Ok" was not acceptable until you were doing "Awesome," to MK, Olive, and Jin of the Bebop Guesthouse-for getting me started and seeing me through my entire stay in Hongdae, to the girls in my studio-for getting me a studio space, teaching me Korean, sharing their culture, and making memories, to the Kimchi club-for accepting all of us foreigners and being committed to having a fun time, to the other International Students-for so many fun memories, adventures, and misadventures, to everyone back home-who kept me going with all of your encouragement and good wishes. AND if you were not mentioned and think you should be, by George, you should be!!! Thank you!!!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Time To Say Annyong
awkalwalawllll;;;! today is my last day in the land of South Korea. I'm so sad to leave, but so excited to see the fam! and whatever friends I have left over! :) It was an epic last couple of weeks, therefore I shall write an epic blog all about it, this short blog is just to prepare you for the great things to come. Including: making it on korean cable TV, freezing to death, eating way too much food, more deep thoughts, maybe some pictures, maybe something inspiring, maybe you will even cry! that would be something. Maybe you are crying right now, just reading about the good things to come. It's okay, I get a little choked up meself. we can all cry a little I spose...but for now, I shall sleep, the Australians shall help me carry my luggage to the airport bus stop (bless them), I shall fly to Tokyo! (and sit in the airport for a couple hours), fly to San Fran (and sit in the airport for a couple hours), fly to SLC!!!!!!!!!!! and see Mom and John and cookie dough. :D plus I get to live December 15th twice! think about that! Annyong!!!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Observations
I smell like Korean restaurants.
Smells of mystery waft up the stairways of the dorm from the boy's floor.
My scriptures smell like Shey because a sample of Clinique Happy Heart spilled in a pocket.
My life smells like teen spirit.
Smells of mystery waft up the stairways of the dorm from the boy's floor.
My scriptures smell like Shey because a sample of Clinique Happy Heart spilled in a pocket.
My life smells like teen spirit.
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