Visiting Seoul!

Most of the NSLI-Y kids go to Seoul multiple times a week even if they don't live there because of Korean class.  However, those of us in Iksan have Korean class at our high school, and until this weekend, we hadn't been back to Seoul since orientation.  Going to the big city was pretty exciting and something we'd been looking forward to for weeks.  Ami, Ashleigh, and I had to wake up super early Saturday morning (6:00 am for me...ㅜㅜ) to make it to the Iksan bus terminal in time to catch the 7:30 train to Seoul.  It took us about three hours to get to Seoul, and after a relaxing ride watching mountains and greenery out the window, we arrived at the Central City bus terminal in Gangnam.  We ended up getting to Seoul earlier than expected, so we had time to look around the bus terminal.  It was really, really nice.  The third floor was comprised entirely of stores like Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu, and the department store on the first floor was so classy we felt like we were underdressed for even browsing.

We took the subway (yay for good public transportation!) to... I don't actually remember what the area was called but I think it may have been Gyeongbok.  We ate lunch there with all the other NSLI-Y kids, and after that we went to a cooking school where we learned to make kimchi!  We didn't actually do much of the work ourselves, but it was fun to see how kimchi is made.  We also got to take the kimchi we helped make home to our host families.

After kimchi-making, we went to a museum next to the Blue House (where Korea's president lives) and learned a little bit about modern Korean history.  Then we went back to the YES office for our monthly evaluation, where we discussed the high and low points of our first six weeks in Korea.  It was really interesting to compare experiences with the other students, especially because those of us in Iksan have been really curious about life in Incheon and Seoul.

We all ate dinner together in Hongdae, and then most of the Seoul and Incheon kids had to go home.  However, since Ami, Ashleigh and I were three hours from home, we got to spend the night in Seoul.  Before turning in for the night, we explored Hongdae for a couple of hours.  It was a lot of fun-- there's nowhere similar in Iksan, and it was so energetic and lively.  I definitely want to go back when I'm in Seoul during winter break.

I'm back in Iksan now, but I had a great first monthly evaluation weekend, and I can't wait for the next visit to Seoul. :)

A List

Hi, everyone!  This is Lizzie, and I'm living in Iksan attending Hamyeol Girls High School with Ami and Ashleigh.  Since you already know a little bit about our daily school life from prior posts, I won't bore you by going over the same thing again.  Instead, I thought would talk a little bit about some of the general cultural differences, both expected and unexpected, that I have noticed here during the past six weeks.  Some of these differences have been surprisingly easy to adapt to, while others are so foreign to me that I don't think I'll ever fully get used to them.  Here are some of the most noticable points:

Things that I am getting used to/have gotten used to

• Seat belts: In America, I wouldn't leave the driveway without putting my seat belt on.  Here, seat belts are more of a suggestion rather than a rule.  I now rarely wear a seat belt unless I'm on the freeway, and I think I'm going to have a hard time remembering to wear it when I go back to the US...
• Pace of life: Koreans tend to be a lot busier than Americans.  The first few weeks I was in Korea, I was so exhausted that the only thing I wanted to do when I got home from school was go to sleep-- and I get home from school at 6:30! This is extremely early by Korean high schooler standards, but I’m at school each day for two or three more hours per day than I was in America, and this has taken some time to get used to.
• Korea food/table manners: Mealtime is very different in Korea than in is in America.  Food is so much more family-based here, and except for your rice bowl, every part of the meal is shared amongst everyone in the middle of the table.  It isn’t considered strange to touch the group food with your own utensils as it would be in America, and it is also pretty common to feed someone by putting food directly in their mouth.  At first I was really uncomfortable doing this, but now I have accepted as just a normal part of Korean food culture, even if it is strange to me.
• Touchiness: Koreans are really touchy with their friends, and girls especially will hold hands when walking together or do other things that would be seen as couple-y by American standards.  I am not a touchy person at all, and I still feel a little awkward when my classmates try to hold my hand if they are taking me somewhere, but I certainly feel less awkward than before.
• Staring: There are quite a few foreigners in Iksan, but in the suburbs where I live, I’m pretty sure I’m the only foreigner in the whole town.  The same goes for Hamyeol, where our school is located.  As a result, when Ami, Ashleigh, and I go out after school, everyone stares.  Ajussis, ajummas, harabojis, students-- everyone.  It can get pretty awkward when we walk into a convenience store to buy a snack and everyone in the whole store stops their conversations to look at us.  But as time has passed, I’ve started to become oblivious to the staring, and I oftentimes don’t notice until Ami or Ashleigh points it out.

Things I don’t think I’ll ever get used to

• Heating: I thought that coming to Korea would be tough on me weather-wise because I’m from Texas, where school is usually cancelled if the temperatures drop below freezing.  However, I’ve actually had the opposite problem: my host family is so worried about catching a cold that they turn the ondol floor heating in their house at night up to what feels like 95 degrees Fahrenheit.  In addition, I am constantly reminded to wear a jacket when I go out because it is 추워, despite the fact that it’s maybe 70 degrees outside.
• Crossing the street: Jaywalking is a lot more common here in Iksan than it was where I’m from in the US, and I’ve accepted that aspect of Korean life.  What I have not embraced, however, is the fact that I have to dash across the street unless I want to run over.  Cars here don’t stop for pedestrians here unless they are at a light-- they just expect you to run faster. ;)
• Illness: People here really like to go to the doctor’s office (or maybe it’s just my host family...).  In the US, I would only go to the doctor’s office if I was really sick, sick enough to miss school for 3 or 4 days.  However, my host family and teachers here urged me to go the hospital one of the first weeks I was here simply because I was sneezing and coughing.  The doctor there also gave me almost a week’s worth of medicine for my symptoms...
• Shoes: I’m used to taking my shoes off when I go inside, but I haven’t mastered the art of putting my shoes on without having to use my hands.  I don’t understand how Koreans are able to put tennis shoes on so fast with just their feet.  My host sister always has to wait for me in the morning because I take twice as long to put my shoes on.  It also makes me laugh whenever I see people out of the house wearing slippers, which is a pretty common thing to do here.
• Public space/pushing: In the US, if I needed to pass someone, I would say “excuse me” and wait for them to move aside first before going forward.  However, in Korea, people generally just keep going as if you are not there, kind of pushing you aside.  This struck me as rude at first, and even though I know that it isn’t by Korean standards, it always surprises me when it happens.

There are so many things about Korea and the US that are different culturally, but these are just a few points that I can think of off the top of my head.

서울영상고등학교 Pros & Cons

안녕하세요! Did everyone have a nice Chuseok (추석)? ^^

This is Kelsey once again. This time I'd like to keep my post a little shorter and share with you what so far are the best and worst aspects of my experience attending school here. For your reference I attend Seoul Visual Media High School (서울영상고등학교) with Arlyss. Let's get right to it!

3 Best Aspects

1. Attending a co-ed school: Only the Seoul students can say they do the same. I'm personally very pleased that I have the opportunity to make friends with both girls and boys my age. The day-to-day lifestyle and personality exhibited by either gender is unique, and I feel that if I spent all my time with only other females I would be missing out on half of Korean teenage culture.

2. Spending almost every class with the same group of students: In Korean high schools it's typical for each student to have a homeroom class that rotates through the day's courses together. So far it's been really fun getting to know my classmates well this way as opposed to in American style schools where I would most likely have 150+ different students to acquaint myself with. Of course I'm also making friends outside of my class, but sharing that closeknit bond with my homeroom has made adjusting and assimilating so much easier.

3. Taking a variety of unique subjects: My school specializes in (you guessed it) visual media, so of course there are special classes that cater to said subject in addition to the core subjects. The school offers students a choice of three "majors", my homeroom class's being Visual Business Administration. Some of my less than ordinary subjects include Internet Shopping (인터넷쇼핑), during which students help to design and maintain an online shopping mall, Business Management (상업인발) and Animation (애니인발). And Arlyss's major is Visual Contents, so once a week she has a three hour period devoted to all things film and video related. These subjects help to somewhat spice up what would otherwise resemble a rather bland schedule.

3 Worst Aspects

1. Leaving early on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: Korean class happens to be scheduled right after lunch, so I miss out on afternoon and after school activities on those days. This most unfortunately includes joining a club as well, as club meetings occur as the last part of the school day on Fridays. It also creates the vibe of me being a only part-time student, and the less anomalies that make me stand out (disregarding the fact that I'm white), the better.

2. Being bored 75% of the time. As much as I would love to participate in class as the average student does, the language barrier is still far too strong for that to be a possibility except in classes such as art and Taekwondo (태권도). So when the rest of the students are focusing on class material, I have to find ways to keep myself occupied, whether it be by studying Korean, which I can only do so much before my head feels like it will explode, doodling, or staring at a wall and daydreaming.

3. Eating school food. Most of my classmates agree that the meals offered by my school are some kind of imitation Korean food. Arlyss often describes them as the Korean equivalent of Chef Boyardee. It's not terrible, but lunchtime is not really something I look forward to, which is an odd thing for me to say because I'm a huge eater and usually can't wait for the next opportunity to munch on something.

Wow, that wasn't really any shorter, was it? I should work on my long-windedness. Nevertheless I hope you've found this post informative and interesting!