Sunday, July 31, 2016

Day 34

Today I woke up at 10:0AM. I stayed in bed until 10:43AM because I enjoyed the embrace of sleep. Then, I got out of bed and washed up. My aunt came over and made breakfast. I ate breakfast with my sister. It was so delicious! Then, I got prepared to leave and sat in the living room, watching youtube videos and holding conversations in Korean with some people from the Hellotalk app.

The piano teacher came over and gave me some bread from Manoffin. It was surprisingly hot, but that made it really tasty. It was so nice of her to give me food! I appreciate her kindness and plan on getting some kind of present for her before I leave to repay her. I then got my stuff ready and left for Gangnam.

It was a nice, slightly hot day. The wind was blowing every now and then, allowing my body to ignore the heat. The subway station was basically empty as well, so I had peace and quiet. I waited for the subway train to arrive with my bear earbuds on, patiently enjoying the time I was given to relax. Then, I got onto the train and arrived at Gangnam in no time.

Over there, I followed the same routine that I had done last week: walk straight, take a left here, take a right there, see the kimbap store, take a left and exit. Then, I walked straight until I saw a Caffe Pascucci, and I went inside. This cafe was on the corner of the street, bordering a crosswalk, so there were large windows allowing light to come in from two sides. I got a mocha granata and sat down, listening to story time videos while doing my Korean homework. The restaurant started out with only one or two groups of people sitting down, but by the end of two hours, there were at least nine other groups of people sitting down, including a person who seemed to be getting an interview.

During this time, I didn't have many conversations with people through the Hellotalk app nor from Kakao talk, so I focused on doing my homework and did all the easy parts. Then, I felt like I was staying in that cafe for too long, so I walked over to Yangsan station and went to the cafe that was right outside of an exit. This was also a Caffe Pascucci. As you can probably tell, I really like this cafe. I got a green tea granata and sat by the window in the corner of the store, charging my laptop and ipod. There, I had a few conversations in Korean to keep up with and I finished the long part of my homework, which were the parts where you read a story and answer questions, and other parts where you have to write a short response to a prompt.

After two hours in this cafe, it was already 7:30. I walked around for a while, exploring the limits of yangsan. I went into a daiko store and bought some cute colored pens and three micro fiber cloths to carry around with me because my face is waaay too greasy here to not carry around those cloths. At around 8:00, I returned to the station and went into another Caffe Pascucci. Here, I bought a grapefruit ade.

I sat in the corner, having a dedicated conversation in Korean. Also, I typed up emails to my future professors talking about how I am in Korea and how i'm very excited to attend their classes. After about thirty minutes, I returned home. On the way back, I noticed that the Caffe Pascucci near my house was already closed, but it was only 8:50PM, when the other day, I saw it open until 11:00PM. Surprised, I kept on my path home.

When I got home, I saw that my brother returned from camping! He told me that my mom also returned and I was greeted by her smiling face! I really missed my mom and I gave her the present that I had bought for her. As I was turning on the heat for the water, I also saw my dad sitting down on the dinner table. It was so wonderful to see all of their smiling faces again! I took a shower and ate dinner with my mom, having a conversation in Korean about how things were, my plans for the near future, and talking about her trip to Europe.

I think maybe my brother wanted to have a homestay sister? so maybe I as a disappointment to him, but oh well. I'm not such an interesting person so that makes things even worse, I think. Oh well.

My mother got me some chocolates and a shirt from Austria and we talked about how the road was closed due to Putin living in his second house. On the cookies that my mother brought for me, there was Russian and I read it out loud. It was basically English but transliterated into Russian, so we all understood what it meant.

Then, I wrote in this blog. I'm now done. Tomorrow, I start a new week, one of the two weeks that remain in the program. Talking to my mother, I notice how much I have grown through the program and it excites me to know that I still have time to push even harder than before, this time, no powerpoint that I have to work on, and I also have the wonderful resource of the Hello Talk app to help me further push myself in the language. It has gotten to the point where I naturally think in Korean when I try to speak in other languages other than English. However, the one thing that I don't know how to translate but still want to use is the phrase '¡Que lastima!'

For now, I will say goodnight. See you all later~!


Day 34



-end

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Day 33

I woke up today at 10:00AM. I slept for over eight hours. Feeling good, I washed up. I ate breakfast that my aunt prepared for me. It was so good. Then, I went on my computer and created quizlet sets for this week and next week's vocabulary. I also watched story time videos and had small conversations in Korean with people through the Hello Talk app.

At 1:00PM, I got a call from Ariel inviting me to go to 이대 with her and Elliya. I was planning on going to 강남 to find a gift for my mother, since she is returning from her class reunion from Europe tomorrow or on Monday. I was also going to go to a 피시방 with 박효재. I didn't care about where I bought the gift so long as I actually bought it, so I used the restroom and went to 이대 to meet up with my friends. The ride there was longer than expected - it took about 40-50 minutes where the subway app said that it would take 32 minutes. The subway was so crowded and the green line stations had almost no room at all to wait in line, but I eventually got to 이대. 

I walked out of the second exit to meet my friends and immediately I saw an art box. Getting really excited, I went into the art box and saw so many cute things. I was dying from cuteness and aesthetic overload. Looking through the merchandise, I got a call from Ariel. I told her where I was and they surprised me while I was looking at small animal plushies (I bought an owl). I saw Elliya coming, but I didn't recognize the blob getting closer to me to actually be someone I know, so she scared me a bit when she quickly got to me.

After a little bit of looking, I cashed out and ended up spending about 25 dollars on a lot of stuff. The most expensive of all of my items was a new set of headphones since my old pair is just about to break. They costed only $5 dollars. I got a face mask for when I'm sick, a really really cute shower headband, a cash book for 6 months of purchases, headphones, a cute bear headphone holder, a small owl plushie, and a small hand towel to pat my greasy face in the humid climate. All of this for 25 dollars and they were all 5 dollars or less. 

Then, we all walked around and checked out clothing stores around the streets together. Elliya and Ariel bought a couple of things and I enjoyed seeing the different fashion. Also, music blasted from every store, so it was super lit all the time. This one store played old trot style music and electro swing-ish type music. The employees were clapping along and it felt so fun to just be in the store. The one employee next to the changing rooms knew his fashion and helped people choose clothing. You could see his eyes looking at people when they chose something that would not go well on them or when the size would not fit (Ariel).

In some of the other stores, we would just look around and an employee would tell us the price and we would just book it out of there. Why get a decent shirt for 37 dollars when you can get a cuter one for only 5? smh. I got a ton (5) of socks because the male fashion was not as plentiful as the female fashion and the male fashion was 4x pricier than the female counterpart, so I decided against wasting money when I could maybe just buy stuff online through g-mart. Anyways, I was planning on buying clothing with my mother when she returned, so I wasn't about to go against that plan and just buy clothing today.

Then, we toured the University. It was actually super pretty and, in Korean university terms, it was diverse looking. There were different styles of buildings, there was a garden, and statues. However, there is a steep hill and if there was a reason not to attend the college, it would be because of that hill. Having to go up that hill in the hot, humid weather was -not- fun.

Then, we looked for a cafe to rest at and I got some street food. Spicy chicken. It was good, but very messy. We went into a cafe right beside exit 2 and ate oreo Bingsu. I also got a mango banana smoothie that was super good, but my stomach felt gross because of the strange combination of food that I had just ate. Ariel and Elliya were zooming in on people's features and trying to guess what part of the body was zoomed in on while we all waited for Sarah to arrive. I was also waiting for 박효재 to arrive, as her 학원 was just about to end.

Sarah arrived first and so we walked around a little bit more before I got a phone call from 박효재. I walked from the other side of the market road to exit 2 and met her. We went into a 피시방 that was in the same building as the place where we got 오레오 빙수. We played 롤 for two hours. We played three games: two pvp and one ai game. It was so much fun! We won everything even though the second game was looking grim. I played Cait, Zyra, and Lux in that order. 한국 피시방에서 컴퓨터를 하면 you can play every champion without having to purchase them and you get a 10% IP boost. I had to borrow one of 박효재's friend's accounts because my American account was not compatible with the Korean accounts. 

Afterwards, we looked for food and immediately spotted Elliya, Ariel, and Sarah sitting down in front of a park thing. We got some food and talked for a bit and then went into a convenience store to get some water for 박효재. I also got some 바나나 우유 and saw 롤 characters on sprite bottles. It was funny. Then, we all went to 홍대 together! Over there, we saw street performers and Elliya tried to get some picture with them, but they were a bit rude to us and shooshed us off. Elliya was frustrated because she wanted her pictures, but we saw another group of street performers and she waited for their performance to end so she could take a picture with them.

Me and 박효재 went into two stores right by the performers and I found a present for my mother- a stuffed bear in a army uniform. If you have watched Descendants of the Sun, you will know what I'm talking about. Seeing that the time was already 10:40PM and that I would already get home late if I left right then and there, I rushed out of there and headed toward the subway station. Along the way, I got a call from 박효재 who was also deciding to head home, but got lost along the way, so I met up with her and we both headed home. We talked about our day and it was really fun!

I got home eventually and I think these two people were trying to talk to me, but It was already getting pretty late and I was not finna come home super late, so I kept super speed walking and ignored them. Also, my headphones were in and I couldn't hear them well, so I wouldn't even have acknowledged them if I wasn't in a rush. Actually, acknowledging people at all on the streets is just not a thing here unless you know the other person, so... w/e.

I got home and took a shower and wrote this blog and now im about to go to sleep. Tomorrow, I'm planning on finding a Gongcha and I will study Korean there just about all day. I love the aesthetic and I need to study, especially since I had so much fun today. If my mother doesn't arrive home tomorrow, I will definitely be out. Who knows if my friends will have plans and invite me, but right now my goal is to study Korean and get ready for the following week. 

However, that's for tomorrow to decide for me, so I will end this here and say goodnight! Bye guys~



-end

Friday, July 29, 2016

Day 32

Today I did not wake to get out of my bed. It was raining hard, so my room was darker than usual, making my bed feel so much more comfortable and inviting. However, I remembered that I had to study for my Korean tests, so I quickly got up and washed up. The house was dark and silent. I was really enjoying the gloominess, it felt very comfortable. I studied until I had to leave for school.

On the way to the subway, it was raining really hard. I practiced my Korean prompts with myself and reviewed the Korean grammar that I had learned while I was sitting on the train. I was really lucky to get a seat in the usually already crowded train at Sadang station. I got to school continuing to practice my Korean. Because nobody was awake when I was studying in the morning, I didn't eat breakfast at home, so I was planning on cheap breakfast at a nearby convenience store. However, I ran out of time and ended up not being able to buy anything before school started.

I got through my first test well, probably only missing 2-3 questions. Then, we learned some more Korean grammar. This time, we learned about -지다 and 은 지 되다. It was challenging, so our teacher said that we will work on it more next week. Out teacher had lost the time and taught over our break, but when she realized this, she let us rest.

I went to a convenience store and tried to look for some 김밥, but they only had food that you had to microwave to eat. Everything else was out of order. I got what looked to be the most delicious of all the choices: a kimchi pork with rice meal and a coconut mint drink that I expected to be delicious, but was absolutely disgusting. I ran out of time, so I couldn't microwave the food, so I had to wait until the next break to cook my meal. I was not happy about this and my disappointing drink, so it put me in a bad mood.

During the second class, me and Ariel did the speaking test prompt and we passed. Then, we went to the OTHER convenience store and I was able to buy some food and microwave the kimchi pork that I had bought. When we got back to school and I ate my food, it was actually pretty good. I also bought a kinder egg, chocolate milk, and a fake cheddar bread thing.

We learned a tongue twister in Korean in class before we were released. Me and my crew got lunch at this nearby bagel place and mandu place. I got a nutella hole (bagel) and it tasted nothing like nutella - just chocolate. Then, we got some drinks at Gongcha before we all went to our separate culture club activities.

On the way to culture club, me and Elliya talked about China and some other things. At the Taekwondo place, we practiced our presentation again. Afterwards, I headed to youngsan station in order to watch a movie with friends.

Me and Elliya browsed through the stores in the station while we waited for our other friends to arrive from their culture clubs. We got tickets for 부산행 and eventually got into the theater. It was different from what I expected, but it was very similar to the way that and American theater is. First of all, the chairs were super soft. Second of all, there was a large space in between the seats and the movie and people could walk there-- there was no stage nor 'front row seats.' We sat in the second or third row and saw the movie. It was an honestly good movie and, though we didn't have subtitles in English, one could understand the entire movie without having to speak a lick of Korean.

Then, I got home and spoke with Korean friends until 1AM and wrote this blog and will now go to sleep.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Day 31

Today I woke up feeling tired, yet again. I stayed up late because I was speaking with some new Korean friends that I had made. I had a dream about going on a vacation with my fellow NSLI-Yians. I don't remember the details, but it was the first dream with NSLI-Yians that I had had during the duration of this trip. I'm not sure how I even got to dream because I didn't even sleep long enough... perhaps something woke me up while I was sleeping and caused me to stay in REM, the human body is a complicated mechanism.

I ate breakfast a bit late with my father this morning and we spoke in Korean. However, it was a bit difficult to speak in Korean this time because I was tired, so I had a little bit of trouble paying attention. After eating my bibimbap breakfast, I rushed over to school and got ready to learn. Today, we switched seats and I ended up sitting in the far right corner near the air conditioner, next to Cynthia and Peter. We learned a lot of Korean today. This week, we got through three chapters. There is so much vocabulary to learn and so much to study and do just in class, that when combined with things to do outside of class and outside of the program, it's very overwhelming! This truly is an intensive, demanding experience that requires one to stay motivated and hard working. I ate lunch at a Japanese restaurant with Cricket, Kyle, and Brandon.

After class, we met up with out supporters once more. I got frustrated during my meeting because Korean. Outside of my supporter meeting, I feel like I can speak and understand Korean at a certain level, but when I am in the supporter meeting, it's as if I had never even heard of the language. It was frustrating because I knew what I wanted to say and I knew that what I wanted to say was simple, but for some reason, my mind was just not working. This always happens during supporter meetings, but I was able to explain my frustration to my supporter and I worked through it. In the end, I was able to accomplish a simple task that had at the beginning of the meeting been something impossible for my jumbled brain.

Afterwards, I went to a nearby cafe and studied for my tests tomorrow. Walking to the subway station, I felt tired and kind of walked passively, just listening to my surroundings. I got home soon enough and ate dinner that my aunt prepared with my brother and sister. It was so delicious! Seriously good! I then studied for my tests tomorrow, but I also was busy with doing my supporter homework from Tuesday and by my friends messaging me on the Hello Talk app, Facebook, and through the Kakao talk app. It's so fun to have people to talk to in Korean!

It's already 1 again.. time passes by so quickly in Korea!

I need to go to sleep now. Goodnight!

-end

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Day 30

Good mornind, or afternoon, or evening -- depending on what time you are reading this! Ah, today was truly an eventful day!

I woke up tired, my eyes felt tired and my body felt tired. I thought that my day would not go so well because my eyes felt super super tired. I picked myself out of bed and got ready. My cellphone was across the room and was about to ring in two minutes, so I had to reach it and disable the alarms before it exploded in noise.

I ate breakfast with my brother and father. I couldn't speak that much Korean to my father because my brother just translated everything once I didn't understand, so there wasn't that level of trying to understand and communicate in just Korean. I went to school and on my way, I saw a lady run through the doors just as they were closing. She gave herself a double thumbs up and the day just continued from there.

As I was walking to school, it started to rain, so I quickly got to the school and was about to finish my homework when I got distracted and started using the HelloTalk app. I had to go up to class without finishing my homework, but I was just about done anyway. I got through class and everything was gucci. During the break in between classes, some friends and I went to the 7/11 nearby and got some food. The cashier is so nice and understanding!

After school, me, Ariel, and Sarah all went to a GG fast-food type restaurant. I say fast food as in you will get to-go food in 5 minutes rather than a place that slops grease into a paper bag. I got a cup of mandu and soup. It was really hot, but so delicious! After eating for 10 minutes, me and Ariel had to go to do our community service. We went to exit 10 and met with all the other people who were supposed to do the same community service as us.

We all went to 면덕 Highschool and we were separated into three groups. Also, each one of us NSLI-Yians were assigned to have a Korean student as a partner. We toured the campus and stopped at the fifth floor to present our powerpoints that we had prepared. We were given a cool nature themed planner, information on the school, the school's English newspaper, and some delicious 떡 treats. It was so cool!

The Korean students' powerpoints were very well prepared and I learned a lot about the Korean education system, like how students have to choose between science schools and liberal arts school and how Korean highschoolers basically live in class. We presented our powerpoints and ended the day.

After all ended, I went to a restaurant to eat dinner with my supporter 준, Sebastian, Peter, Ariel, Hope, and Trudi. I had some type of bean noodle soup. It tasted like soy milk and it was actually really delicious. There were small pieces in the soup that tasted a bit like matcha, which was very strange. We had a lot of fun eating dinner together.

As we were heading back home, Trudi, Sebstian, and Jun decided to go to the nearby 시장. We also encountered an old man on a bicycle trying to bike through a crowd, shouting "자자자자자자!" It was definitely an interesting experience.

I'm currently writing this blog right next to my brother and sister. They are watching some kind of Japanese movie or drama and I love their relationship! They just break into song or playfully beat each other up, and it's so adorable!

I spent the last few hours chatting with some of the new friends that I have made in Korea through the 한민켐프, Hello Talk, and today's activity, but now I am super sleepy!!

I will end this here for now. Goodnight everyone~!

-end

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Day 29

I woke up today feeling ok. I wasn't awake, but I wasn't particularly sleepy. I quickly washed my face and went into the living room to eat breakfast. However, my father wasn't quite finished preparing breakfast, so I just rested for a while and listened to songs on Youtube. I still had some homework left to do, but I decided to wait until I got to school to do it before my class started. My father shortly called me over for breakfast.

We had simple stuff: beef, kimchi, seaweed, rice, egg, and some apples and nectarines. It was delicious! I spoke to my father during breakfast and we had a conversation about my day, Korean food, and the hot weather. It was so nice to talk to him and to also speak in Korean! It's a bit harder to understand what he says when compared to my mother, but it's great to not have an English translation available all the time, we are both pushing ourselves to be expressive in each other's languages. When I say something he doesn't understand in English, I have to say it in Korean to the best of my ability. If I don't understand something in Korean, he explains it in English to the best of his ability. I love that we are able to communicate through the language barrier!

However, we ended up talking so much that the time flew by and it was already 8:10AM. Usually, I would leave at 7:50AM. I quickly walked to the subway station and rushed over to the school and got to my class 3 minutes late, but people were not in their seats yet, so I was fine. According to my dad, it was the middle of the hotter days of summer, so it was super hot, but I was still wearing pants, a long sleeve shirt, and a jacket. Although it was a little bit hot today, I didn't have a clean pair of shorts and I had to sacrifice having to be a little sweaty in order to still have a decent style.

School was very fun today! I was hot, so I moved seats to a seat nearby the air condition. In the middle of class, the window slammed open, causing a shock through the classroom. This happened twice. We also got our second stipends today. I received my stipend early because I got to the table where they were handing out the stipend before everyone else did, so I was able to get my stipend before the time that I was meant to receive it.

After class ended, I went to an Itallian restaurant with my friend and we ate pizza. It was pretty good, but there were large chucks of some kind of fake cheese that, to me, tasted like sour cream. I did not like this part about the pizza. I practiced speaking Korean with my friends as much as I possibly could and ate pizza! We then split up into our supporter groups and studied for a while.

I met up at cafe arena again for my supporter class and this time, we discussed describing other people. It was simple stuff, but I guess my mind was not cooperating and I couldn't understand or speak Korean at that time at all. It was as if I took a few steps back in Korean, but my mind also seemed to be very distracted by a lot of things going on in the cafe, the music, some people in the cafe moving in a distracting manner, other supporter groups talking, and other thoughts that lead my mind elsewhere. As a result, I felt really bad after the class.

However, my mood returned back to a good mood after I got some bubble tea at a place that I really wanted to visit for a while, but was closed due to some family holiday. With my friends, we got bubble tea there and I started my profile on the Hello talk app. It was really exciting and I got some conversations with other people in no time at all! Then, we met up with another friend and went to look for some clothing. We tried ate some mandu and I got some galbi mandu. The taste was very similar to home made hamburgers. It was something very surprising and unexpected, but it was still super delicious!

We stopped by a convenience store and I bought a red bean fish ice cream sandwich. It was so. so. good. omg. I def recommend it to everyone ever. We looked for the highschool(s) that were nearby our school, but we couldn't find them, so we ended up trying to ask for help. The people who were helping us thought that we were looking to enroll in classes and tried to help us get into the university's dorm, but we explained the situation and escaped. Although we didn't really get to find the highschool, it was a funny and interesting experience! We ended the day and went back home uneventfully.

I took a shower and did my homework and spoke to some people on the Hello Talk app. Today was a good day! Tomorrow, I will do my community service with my group. We are going to a girl's high school and presenting a powerpoint on how American school life is different from Korean school life. I'm not sure if we will be doing more, but I believe that the Korean students will also present to us.

My sister and brother are singing kpop right now - me gustas tu. I think that its so cute and funny~!
Well. I'm done for now. I will write again tomorrow! bye byeeeee!

Day 28 & 29


-end

Monday, July 25, 2016

Day 28

I woke up today sleepy. I got out of bed and my father called me to eat breakfast. I went to go eat breakfast with him and it was silent for a little bit, I didn't know what to say or if I should talk. My dad asked me if I ate certain Korean foods and I responded. I then started talking about my week and we had a small conversation. It was nice to talk to him and to even talk in Korean at all, especially with my mother in Austria. I felt very good afterwards and it gave me a good start to the day.

I got to school and tried to say hello to some people, but they were busy and didn't even look at me. I felt bad because of this and my day turned bad. I got through school tired and feeling bad, but it eventually ended and I got home as quickly as I possibly could. I had forgotten my bag and wallet at home, so I couldn't even get lunch until I got home.

I took a shower and felt 100x better, so I went out to Gangnam and walked around for a bit until I saw a gongcha. I got a taro bubble tea there and then I went to Paris Baguette and got some cheese bread. Then, I watched some youtube videos for a while until I decided that I had been there long enough. I then went back into the subway station and went into a cafe pascucci. I ordered a red bean guranada.

거기에 분위기 아주 좋아서 기분이 좋았어요! The music was a jazzy house and made me feel very comfortable. Something that I really appreciate about Korean stores is that their background music is on point. The KT mobile buildings always have the poppin music and the cafes and restaurant always play the most smoothest and calmest jazz music. It's honestly so great and I love spending my time there.

I spoke with Jullian from America and held a Korean conversation through Kakaotalk with Ariel as I watched Youtube videos in the cafe. At around 7:00PM, I decided to go home. I bought a drink from Keva Juice before I went home- it was a dragon fruit and mango mixture. Pretty good!

Going home, I felt nice. Today turned around for the better! I really enjoyed being in the cafes and not trying to look for places to go or things to do, just staying calm and chill and doing what I love - watching youtube videos and talking to people.

When I got home, I did my homework and supporter group homework. This time, I was a customer making a reservation for sometime later in the day. I spoke with a Korean friend that I had made during the camp and I continued my Korean conversation with Ariel. Today ended well, and i'm glad that my soured mood didn't carry on throughout the day.

Well, I've finished with today's talking, so I will see you all later! Have this video of our camp!





-end

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Day 27

Today I woke up at 9:30AM. I kept pushing back my alarm until 10:00AM and then stayed in bed for a bit before getting myself washed up. I dressed up in clothing for going out, because it was the weekend and I'm not doing enough outside of my house. I wanted to shop for clothing in Seoul station and watch a horror movie to end the day, but nobody wanted to come with me or they were unavailable, so I just went by myself.

Before leaving, I re-updated my blog to include Friday and Saturday's events, which took me a long while. My aunt and sister were awake and soon, my aunt's daughter was also awake. We ate breakfast together and I finished up my blog. My sister was having a piano lesson and my aunt and her daughter were out somewhere I think, so I just left alone. Walking down my road, I felt really sad that I had to be alone in Korea once again, but I just blasted my music so that I could at least ignore everyone around me and be in my own little world.

Instead of doing what I originally planned to do, I decided that I was going to explore Sadang, because I always transfer at that stop, but I had never actually seen the city there. I walked around in the subway for a while before going out of different exits and going back in to see where other exits lead me. It was kind of a dead place to be honest, at least in the morning. I walked around some more and found a place called 'Pastel city.' It was this really large building that had a bookstore on the bottom, a clothing store on the second floor, and restaurants everywhere else. I got a few school supplies and tried to find Crime and Punishment in Korean, but it was sold out.

Going out alone was 3/10 this time. It wasn't absolutely horrible like last time, but I can't say that I had a fun time being alone and not knowing anything or being able to talk to anyone. I got some food at a nearby Paris Baguette and I just watched YouTube videos there and ate bread there by myself, being the only foreigner among a crowded restaurant. I really, really wanted to go to a PC bang, but I didn't want to go by myself because 1. I don't know how to act 2. I don't know how to talk to people to know how to act and 3. I didn't want to embarrass myself because of points 1 and 2. When in a group, anything is fine because it becomes a bonding experience and memory. When alone, however, its just a rough experience and you can't laugh it off during that moment.

I went home, feeling sweaty from the heat, and I tried to go on the other side of the road while going home so that I could stop by the cafe that I saw on Saturday and study there, but I passed it without knowing and just ended up going straight home. I wanted to go up and hike through the mountain right next to my house, but I was afraid that I was doing something wrong, so I left it to be done at a later time.

I got home and added pictures and videos to my blog posts and watched a couple of youtube videos before eating dinner with my family. My father and brother had returned from being out to attend my grandparent's anniversary of passing, so we all ate together. I then studied Korean some more and wrote this blog. I'm now going to prepare for tomorrow and go to bed.

I can't wait for tomorrow to come and for everything to be so much better once more. I feel so stupid not knowing enough Korean to be able to participate in all these conversations and even though I'm working so hard, it never feels like it's enough. When i'm in school and see my progress, however, I do feel like i'm getting somewhere and I have the relief of talking to people who are also kind of going through what I am going through as well.

Class just goes by so quickly and I don't have enough time to cement my knowledge on subjects and vocabulary-- everything that I am learning is completely new to me while other people already know a little, a lot, or all of what is being taught. I'm not comparing myself to people, but it's just really disheartening to try your hardest to participate in a conversation where other people can easily speak Korean and you can't even understand one word.

I await my mother's return. I always talk to her about my day and she listens to me. When I talk to her, I can understand more or less what she is saying, and I get to practice my Korean without feeling like a complete idiot. She comes back next Monday I believe, so until then, I will just study super hard and I guess continue what I am doing and try to take as much opportunities as I can. If I could speak Korean well, it would be so much easier to have an amazing time, but right now I'm working my hardest to get the most out of what I can.

I hope everyone back home is all right and getting using their vacation time wisely. I know that my sister passed her PCAT exam, so I'm very proud of her! Well, for now I will say goodbye, but look again tomorrow and I will..... see ya!



-end

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Day 26

I woke up today at 7:50, but I was so tired and kept pushing my alarm clock further and further until it was already 8:05AM. Knowing that I had a camp at 9:00AM and that it would take about 30-40 minutes to get to my destination, I washed myself up and sped walk down the sidewalk to quickly get to 홍대 university. I had emptied my backpack so that it would not feel like hell to lug around, but it was still a bit of a hassle to carry, especially with how sore my arms and back were from carrying heavy stuff the day before. Just to be sure, I texted JT and Madeline to let them know that I may be a bit late.

I arrived at Hongik Station and exited the train. I tried to follow the signs to get to exit 2, but I kept of getting confused and ended up getting lost within a small radius. I kept on walking until I heard some loud voices, which I assumed was my NSLI-Y peers. I continued to walk toward the voices until I saw my friends, and I also saw Madeline and let her know that I was present. After waiting in the hot subway for everyone to arrive, we walked out of the subway as a group and headed towards the camp location. Before actually going into the building that hosted the camp, we stopped by a convenience store.

In this store, us 50 some NSLI-Yians crowded the small store. I got some 꿀 호떡, coconut water, and a coconut mango drink. I got the small honey pancakes because I had to rush out of the house this morning without eating breakfast. We went up to the fifth floor of the camp building and discovered that the hosting crew had already prepared breakfast and some snacks for us. I just saw it as another opportunity to get food, so I got some snacks and a pizza bread thing. The pizza bread thing was not something that I really liked, so I couldn't finish it.

During the camp, we played a few ice breaker games including human bingo, and then we broke up into groups. The groups that we were assigned to were on the back of our lanyards. We were broken up into groups with some NSLI-Yians, korean students, and two supporters. My group was group 기린. We played a few group bonding games like quick massage and save the 양파링. Then, we got some M&M's and answered questions about ourselves based on the color of the M&M that we got.

After all of this, each group received an assignment for the day: a place to go to where they will film a 30 second video on whatever they were assigned to explain or talk about. We were assigned to go to a flea market and to explain two things in the flea market: an old sort of calculator that was like an abacus, and a large cylindrical shape that had holes in it to circulate air and make people cooler in the summer when they bug the thing. 

Before actually heading to the flea market, we stopped by a restaurant to eat some lunch. We got some 닭갈비 and 냉면.  It was so good, but the galbi got a bit spicier with each bite to me, so I couldn't eat so much of it. We spoke with the other korean students and talked about ourselves and our countries. It was really cool, but I was kind of tired and sleepy because it was super hot outside and we had been walking for a little while.

This feeling only got worse as we finished eating because our stomachs were full and that only made us even more sleepy! We walked some more and took the subway for a while before actually arriving at the market. The flea market stretched across a road and was packed with all types of antiques and cool items. The people who worked there were very nice and spoke with us, helping us find things and making sure things were good.

As we were making the video, people watched us and formed a sort of crowd. It was very interesting, but it didn't affect our performance once bit. Before returning to the camp building with our mission completed, we stopped by the same convenience store and got some ice cream. I got a banana shaped and flavored ice cream. Back at the camp site, the hosting group had prepared tea and an ice cup for us to enjoy. I got the blue lemonade flavor and went back into my group with the other giraffes.

We played maou for a small while before having to create a poster that talked about three things that we learned from our expedition. After each group presented their poster, we all watched a video that combined the entirety of each group's presentations. It was really cool to see what other people did and what they learned about Korea! As the camp concluded, we each got certificates of participation and took some group pictures. I made sure to get the contact information of each person in my group so that we could stay in touch and possibly do something later before I return to the states.

With a couple of friends and another Korean student, I went to eat dinner and go around Hongdae to look for a gift for the Korean friend's friend. We met up with another one of the Korean student's friend and looked around. We spoke some English to the student's friend and I massacred some Korean back towards him. We stopped by an Ediya's coffee and I got some bubble tea. It was a really nice trip and I felt sad when we had to part.

On the way back, me, Ariel, and Sarah found another one of the Korean students going back home on the same subway train. We spoke for a little bit before me and Sarah had to go the opposite way that Ariel and the Korean student had to go. It was a really fun day and I really wish that we had at the very least, one more day to spend with our new friends. As I got closer home, I bought a lemon-honey drink and listened to some music. Walking home at night alone, I saw some places nearby my house that were still open at 10:30PM. I kept them in my memory, sure to stop by there some day in the future.

I got home late and finished the powerpoint presentation, making sure everything was smooth. Then, I wrote in my blog until 1:00AM and cut it short, feeling so tired from the day.

Today was an honestly fun day and I wish that there was another day just like it-- everyone together with all the Korean students, having fun and going out for the day, learning about each other and making our own little memories. This experience reminds me that I'm halfway through the program. I've made a lot of progress, but I'm not where I want to be yet. I feel bad because I haven't studied as much as I had been the first two weeks, but that's because i'm too busy doing homework and studying to study.

I went to sleep feeling super tired, glad to have some rest. Today had passed and I was off to bed.
-end

Day 25

I worked on my powerpoint homework all night nonstop. It was my first all-nighter in Korea and I felt super dead. I worked hard on the design of the powerpoint, listening to scary stories and kpop. When 5:00AM rolled by, my mother woke up. She notified me that today was my sister's birthday and that we would celebrate at 6:30AM.

We ate ice cream cake and sang happy birthday to her. It was nice. Then, I went to school, bringing my large laptop with me so that I could further work on the powerpoint after classes and culture club ended. I got to school feeling super tired and sweaty because it was a hot day and walking with the weight on my backpack felt like a workout. I got to school and began to work on my powerpoint when I discovered that I had forgotten my laptop charger. I continued working on my powerpoint with my computer at 10% battery left until classes began.

I struggled to stay awake in class today. We were writing some phrases in our workbooks and I began to fall asleep. As I began daydreaming and drifting off, my teacher said something to me. It seemed as if I was staring at a question because I didn't understand what it meant, but in reality, I was just super tired and about to fall asleep.

For the second half of school, we got a small tour of the traditional areas of 홍대 went to a 시장. I got some delicious 떡볶이, 돼지고구, 고구마, and 파전. With the small road of the market along with my heavy backpack and full stomach, I was not feeling up to being awake. However, I still had to go to my culture club. I dragged myself through the streets, feeling so tired. Cynthia was very kind to me and carried my heavy backpack for a while until we had to go our separate ways. It was such a relief to not feel the weight on my shoulders.

In the subway, I apparently ran out of money on my T-card and had to refill it. When I went to refill my hard, a problem occurred: I only had a 50 $ bill and the machine will not allow you to use 50 $ bills unless you are refilling your card for at least 40 $, so I had to borrow money from Madeline while the rest of the group was already in the subway waiting for the train to come. On the actual train itself, I was struggling to stay awake. I was standing up, holding onto a hand thing and sleeping on my arm. It was super uncomfortable and there were people sitting in front of me, making things 10x more awkward and horrible.

We got to the taekwondo place and had to wait outside for about 5-10 minute because people were inside doing a sort of ceremony or class. These people were more professional and had black belts on. We got through our class and I was placed in a group with four other NSLI-Yians to demonstrate the basic punches and kicks. We will practice this demonstration and perform it in three weeks during the ending ceremony.

I met up with my friends after a long while and we went to KFC. The chicken was very different: it wasn't crunchy and the taste was sort of bland, but also still kind of good? The chicken nuggets were horrible to me though. It was as if the chicken nugget breading had corn in it. I didn't very much like it and I don't really recommend it.

We went around the city for a little bit, looking for a store that sold something that I could buy for my sister as a present. However, there were not many stores and the ones that were open were the ones that sold food only, so we just headed back home. On my way home, I had a huge struggle in staying awake. There were many instances where I was about to sleep while sitting down, but I managed to stay awake and, while almost missing my stop and going the complete wrong directions a few times, managed to get home.

I did some homework next to my brother and played a game of League of Legends. My sister came home and brought some of her friends to celebrate her birthday. I kept on doing homework until I was too tired to stay up and I went to sleep.

Today I felt so tired and my bad was so heavy, but its over and there were still so many great memories that I had made. I look forward to my camp tomorrow!



통인시장


-end

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Day 24

I woke up today pushing my alarm clock over and over again. I did not want to wake up! However, I pushed myself out of bed again today. I ate breakfast at the standard time, reviewing for my tests in school. I walked to school feeling tired today. It was already kind of hot and it was only the morning. tssch.

As I was walking to school, I saw RJun (how do I spell his name) at a juice shake shop nearby the college. I talked to him for a little bit and also ordered a pineapple drink. Later on, Ashey joined me and ordered a watermelon drink. The drinks were exactly as you would expect them to be. Fruit, but in liquid form. It tasted exactly as it would if you were to buy a fruit in a store and eat it. When I got to school, we started our tests.

For the first test, there were some things that I wasn't sure about, but fortunately everybody in the class passed! For the second test, we we spoke with the teacher one by one. Because of my name, I was the last one to go. Because of this, I went to a convenience store prior to my test and bought melon milk, canned royal milk tea, and a very carbonated orange drink in a tiny glass bottle. The orange drink was disgusting. The royal milk tea was worth the 60 cents, but it wasn't the best drink. The melon milk was bae, as expected.

I think I did ok during the speaking test, but I was a bit shaken by the fact that it was all recorded. Then, we went to lunch. I went to a bookstore and bought a horror comic book to help me Korean. In Korea, the horror genre is very underappreciated. Not many people like being scared, so its almost impossible to find scary things here. Thus, I was super excited to discover such a book.

I bought a galbi kimbap roll (it was delicious) at a convenience store right next to the bookstore and I went down to a bubble tea shop that I like and bought melon bubble tea (it was so delicious!!!). I definitely know that bubble tea will be one of the huge things I will miss here. In Portland, there will be bubble tea, but there won't be as many flavors and it won't be at the same quality standard.

Then, I went to 경복궁 palace with my supporter group and two other supporter groups. It was so pretty and I enjoyed seeing the traditional parts of Korea, but it was so hot and humid and my backpack seemed to get wetter and heavier as we passed through the buildings. We then went to a restaurant nearby and got some green tea pat bingsu. It was so. so. so. good! The green tea flavor was imbued in the ice and the flavors were just amazing. I was in a happy place while eating the bingsu. We also played that heads up game with our supporters. It was a lot of fun and we got to talk to them and learn about them as well. Definitely a needed break from all the studying!

After this, Eliya, Ariel, Sarah, Mackenzie, and I all went to 홍대. We went to a repair shop to fix Eliya's phone and then went over to a restaurant. However, I had to leave before the food arrived, so I went home. I had to hold my nose through the smoking alley, but I got through safely.

At home, I spoke with my mom in Korean about my day. I spoke with much more ease than I usually do. I can feel my improvements and it makes me excited! She talked with me about her travel to Europe tomorrow and what to expect and do during the week that she is gone. I love my family~!

Well, I have a lot more homework to do still. Tomorrow, the 나무반 squad will go to a 시장 and it will be so much fun. I will say goodbye for now and have a nice day or night, where ever you are!

View post on imgur.com




-end

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Day 23

I woke up early today to write my blog post for yesterday. I quickly ate breakfast and headed for school. It felt like a long walk to school. I was listening to Stromae while walking, lugging around a super heavy bag. I got to school and sat down in my seat, waiting for school to begin.

Class was a breeze today. I sat up straight with my feet firmly on the ground so that I wouldn't get comfortable and fall asleep. Today's content was very easy to understand and I was back up to understanding 98% of what was said in class. Between the first and second class, I ran to the nearby 7/11 and got some snacks.


When class ended, my friend group went over to a barbecue restaurant nearby exit 8. It was lunch time, so they only sold soup at the time, but it was still very good and filling. The soup was spicy, but it kept the taste and wasn't too spicy. It was a $5 well spent. Me, Ariel, and Peter then met up at a cafe and worked on the powerpoint project. We finished it up and sent it to our supporter.

Then, we studied a bit more and visited a park nearby the school. We ate some toast sandwich things that were delicious and I picked up a fruit on the ground that I watched fall from a tree. In the park, we played the make-a-story-one-word-at-a-time game and we talked about stuffs. It was really fun!

Then, I went home and studied for my test for tomorrow. I'm so tired.

-end

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Day 22

I wake up today a bit earlier than usual- 6:20AM. My tired body doesn't recognize my alarm clock at first and doesn't get up, but I get the point at 6:25AM and actually wake up. I get ready in a daze, feeling so tired. I wash up and then bring my homework into the living room. I work on it and nearly get through all of it. This morning, my family went to the hospital around 7:00AM. So, I was left alone to do my homework and eat breakfast.

Listening to music and doing homework, my time started to run thin. I ate breakfast late again-- this time at 7:40AM. I usually begin to leave at 7:40AM. I scarfed down a breakfast while listening to IU sing a song about Christmas and then ran out the door, feeling bad for leaving dishes in the sink.


Walking down the street while listening to some upbeat Russian music, I was thinking about my busy day. I had to go to school, do homework, review vocabulary, create more vocabulary card sets, review THAT vocabulary, study the grammar points for the test on Thursday, do my supporter project, plan out what I will do for the project, etc, etc, etc. As each week passes, the workload accumulates into a horrific mass of 'stuff.' I study hard, but that leaves me no time to study, and then I can't study things that I should study because I don't have time to study as a result of my studying. What?


I get to school feeling exhausted because today was slightly hot and humid, plus I was carrying my large laptop in my bag so I could work on my supporter project later today. I usually don't think my backpack is heavy because I'm used to the large load, but today, my backpack was basically a bowling ball or two with straps to carry them with.


At school, I go to the vending machine and purchase two drinks I had never tried prior: a pink peachy, milky drink and a blue, carbonated, 'healthy' drink. They were both way too sweet and I did not enjoy drinking either of them.


I went through class quickly, beginning to feel very tired during the second class and losing focus. I had to really push myself today to pay attention in class, and the material that we were learning felt a bit complicated to me. We learned about Noun이/가 Noun+보다 더/덜 Adjective, and Plural Noun 중에서. My tiny mind had a bit trouble comprehending this while also feeling sleepy.


Today, I felt like I understood less that 75% of what was being said. I need to study more, but I need to study before I can study and then I have to work before I can study to study. Whew. Class ended and I felt relieved. I went to a convenience store with Anna, Emma, and Sophia to get lunch. I got some strange popcorn chicken thing, tuna kimbap, a free pororo chocolate drink that came with the chicken thing, and a whole big box of chocolate pies. A box of two chocolate pies costed about $2 while a box of 12 pies was only $4.80. How does this make sense?


Anyway, we ate our lunch on some tables right outside of the college entrance (yes, we had to walk up the hill again and up the stairs under the hear) and talked about stuff. Future plans, travelling plans, school, just stuff. Afterwards, I went with Emma to 설빙 because many support groups (including both of our groups) were meeting at that location. I met with my group today and got a Jeju orange drink.


In our supporter groups this time, we role played being at a store and having to return something while giving a reason for our return, and we also roleplayed making a reservation at a hotel and choosing what room and how many people we will reserve the room(s) for. At first, I couldn't understand one thing, but as time went on, I was once again able to catch onto the speaking patterns and I could understand more and more. It was a bit difficult at first, but with more understanding, it actually became pretty fun. The only kind of grievance I have is that its a class with its own homework while we also have regular class with regular homework, so it's a bit killer. I was hoping that being with the supporter would kind of be like a vacation where we go out and see Korea, but I was disappointing. I mean, having another class is nice I guess, but the work is honestly a bit suffocating, which is not good in this context because I'm not experiencing Korea when I'm stuck studying all day.


Afterwards, I went to a cafe with some of my friends and we worked on the powerpoint for our supporter group. It was based on explaining high school life in America. We all collaborated and made a general outline for the outline. Then, we went to a mandu place, but I didn't get anything because I was full. If you get the chance to drink black milk bubble tea, do so! It's really good. Anyway, I came home late from studying and started working on the powerpoint design this time. On top of this, I was trying to download my songs onto my ipod (which I successfully did after some tinkering!), look for content for the powerpoint, work on the design of the powerpoint, and talk to my group about our plan: I do the general design and put my content in and then we meet up the next day and edit the powerpoint, adding their own perspectives of school and smoothing out the minute differences as we go. School in America is very different depending on where you live, so it's very important that we bring attention to the relevant and large differences and also the similarities.


In Korea, time goes by so quickly. Working on homework, the clock suddenly skipped through 3 hours and before I know it, it was already almost 12:30! I had finished my design and brushed my teeth and headed to bed, feeling very tired. Working non-stop with something kind of interesting that required thinking, I didn't have a moment where I felt REALLY tired. However, I just slowly felt more and more tired as time progressed.


It's morning now because I had no time to write this blog yesterday, i'm super tired and have to leave my house for school or else I will be late. Yes, I have a lot on my plate, but I will be fine! I'm a diligent worker when the motivation is in the right place and while my brain is getting a bit overloaded and i'm very tired, i'm still having a great time and am learning a lot. In times of stress, it's important to look at the positives and remember that the most beautiful of gems form under the most greatest of pressure.


For now, I will say bye. I hope everyone is having a great time. I love and miss everyone back at home~! Ciao




-end

Monday, July 18, 2016

Day 21 Extra


가: 이름이 뭐예요?
      What is your name?

나: 이찬주이에요.
      Lee Chanju.

가: 몇 살이에요?
      How old are you?

나: 열다섯 살이에요.
      15 years old.

가: 어디에 살아요?
      Where do you live?

나: 서울에 살아요.
      In Seoul.

가: 주말에 무엇을 해요?
      What do you do during the weekend?

나: 책을 읽고 컴퓨터 게임을 해요.
      I read books and play computer games.

가: 성격이 어때요?
      What is your personality like?

나: 착해요.
      Kind.

가: 무엇이 되고 싶어요?
      What do you want to become?

나: 스포츠 에이전트가 되고 싶어요.
      I want to become a sports agent.

가: 네, 감사합니다~!
      Thank you!





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(the fam is slep so i am 조용한 남자)
[also i'm sure this is filled with errors, but i'm still 한국어 아기 그래서 다 괜찮아~yo]


이찬주는 열다섯 살이고 저는 아홉 살이서 이찬주가 남덩생이에요.
Lee Chanju is 15 years old and I am 19 years old, so Lee Chanju is a (male) dongsaeng.

서울에 살아요. 그리고, 시간이 있을 때, 책을 읽고 컴퓨터 게임을 해요.
He lives in Seoul and when he has free time, he reads books or plays computer games.

주에 많이 일어요. 그런데, 주말에 많이 쉬어요.
During the week, he works. However, during the weekends, he rests a lot. 

저는 이찬주에게서 도와 받았기 때문에 이찬주의 성격이 착해요.
Because I received help from Lee Chanju, his personality is kind.

스포츠 에이전트가 되고 싶어요. 그럼 활발할 것 같아요!
He wants to be a sports agent. Then, he appears to be active!

좋운 작업이에요!
What a good job!