Day 39: Flash floods

Night before the flood

Third floor damages

Day 39 started with me waking up an hour later than the normal time I wake up. The night before I forgot to set my alarm as I was going to sleep. I intended on getting up early to finish up the remainder of my homework, but that didn't happen. Instead, I rushed to class before I was late. It's been the rainy reason lately so it was pouring outside. Unfortunately, this day seemed to be the worst rain day we have encountered. I quickly rushed to class to find out that classes were cancelled because the campus was flooding and no cars could enter the front gates without going for a swim. At first I was pretty excited because I was able to get away with the one day I forgot to do my homework. Later, though, we all discovered that the flood had caused more damage to Yonsei University than we had expected. 

Library

Yonsei University in Wonju is located beside of a large lake and is surrounded my mountains. In the midst of the flash flood, a landslide occurred and mud piled onto the side of the professor's building and the library. The library's basement was damaged with just water damage, but the professor's offices did not get off so easily. The mudslide piled so high that the third floor was filled with an inch of mud everywhere. A couple days after the storm one of our professors asked some of the students to please give him a hand in moving all of his books out of his office. At this time none of us really knew the damage that was done to the professor's building. When we got there we learned that the professors were struggling this entire week with what happened. All the professors were working together to move all of their undamaged documents and equipment out. Some of the students pitched in to speed up the process. It was pretty sad to see all of these wonderful educators expressions as they salvaged what was left of belongings. Although this was unfortunate, it was great to see everyone working together to get everything completed. The group mentality was strong and I had a great time getting to know professor on a more personal level.

Just giving a helping hand

Day 27 & 34: Ancient Weddings, Tea Ceremonies, and Cooking

It's been a while since I've updated my blog. I wanted to apologize to anyone who's been closely following my experience while I've been in Korean. Classes have become a lot more demanding and midterms were last week. Anyways, let's talk about what I've been up to in the past couple of weeks.

Day 27

This day was spent going to a  traditional Confucian temple that has been standing for several centuries. At this temple we were greeted by a group of people dressed in traditional Korean dresses called the Hanbok 한복. We were told that we were going to take part in a traditional Korean tea ceremony, well they forgot about telling us that we were going to dress up in ancient traditional wedding outfits too. Korea has been in the rainy season for a couple of weeks now, so we were pretty fortunate that it wasn't as hot as it has normally been. We all dressed up in different types of Hanbok that all held different significant meanings. Each individual Hanbok represented a hierarchical status in the family. We were all apparently dressed up in wedding attire too. I got to be the King! I'll say the overall experience was a little embarrassing, but it was fun as well!

After dressing up and taking a lot of pictures, we undressed and started to learn about traditional tea ceremonies in Korea. It was explicitly explained to us and proper etiquette was highly valued when in came to these ceremonies.

The biggest take away from this excursion was learning how Korea has Confucian ideals impeded to the very core and nature of society today.

Day 34

This day was spent going to cooking class and learning how to make a traditional dish called Japchae 잡채. For those of you who don't know me, I actually really love to cook. As a kid growing up I learned how to cook several Korean dishes with my mother at home. Since I live off campus back in the United States, I have to cook every meal. I usually spend half of the time cooking Korean food, so going to a Korea cooking class was extremely fun. I already knew how to cook Japchae, but I was glad to learn a new recipe and probably change up my personal recipe a little bit based off the lesson I attended. The group I was with was just amazing and we had an awesome time. Korean food is something I'm not going to write too much on now, because I plan to extensively write on it later on.

Day 20-21: Seoul 서울 Part 2

Last Friday all of the students in the CLS program left for a weekend excursion in Seoul. When we were all seated on the bus and started to take off, the program directors handed us a series of maps of various locations we would be visiting within the city. Along with these maps we were given an assignment that required us to complete a variety of tasks at each designated located. They entailed finding specific foods, talking pictures and selfies at specific locations, and tracking down historical objects in the National Museum of Korea.

We began our day by visiting Gwanghwamun 광화문. This was a located in a very dense location of Seoul and is located right infront of the Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace 경복궁. Gwanghwamun is famous because it was the main gate to the Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace during the Joseon Dynasty. It stands as an important landmark to Korean history. The main gate is also known for the famous changing of the guards ceremony. Every hour between 10:00 and 3:00, guards at the main gate will perform a changing of the guards ceremony. I personally really enjoyed watching this ancient custom that's elegantly preserved. I would also like to give a shout out to the guards for their high level of discipline and tolerance to both tourist and the heat. This weekend there was an announcement that stated that Seoul had a heat advisory and it was the hottest day so far this summer.

After passing the guards we were capable of walking around the courtyards of Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace. This palace was originally constructed in 1395, but from a series of wars and also Japanese occupation it has been destroyed and reconstructed on numerous occasions. I was really impressed by the architectural designs of the royal palace and also how well the colors on the infrastructure were maintained. I was really glad to come here because it really peaked my interest in ancient Korean history. I'm an amateur in this department, but I hope to gain more knowledge in this area in the near future.

After the Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace, we left to visit the Bukchon Hanok Villages 북촌 한옥마을. Walking around Bukchon was difficult because the majority of the Korea peninsula is mountainous. Bukchon showcases the famous Hanok Villages in numerous parts of the area. Some neighborhoods are built along mountain sides which makes the neighborhoods like quite beautiful. The Hanok Villages represent over 600 years of Korea history and Eastern architectural design. If it wasn't so hot I would have loved to stay the whole day in Bukchon.

After visiting Bukchon we all walked to the booming markets of Insadong 인사동. Insadong was a cultural melting-pot. Many foreigners like to spend their time here to get a view of Korean culture in the marketplace. This was a great location to buy souvenirs that showcased Korean culture through the arts. I didn't have much time to send here, but with this short time I had I really enjoyed window shopping and observing the the market life in Korea.

It was finally getting dark so our next stop on the list was visiting the North Seoul Tower N서울타워. The North Seoul Tower looked like it was a typical location for many couples to go on for a date. Although this many have appeared like it was the case, I still really enjoyed seeing the city lights from one of the highest points in Seoul.

The next morning we went to the National Museum of Korea 중앙박물관. At the museum we were given an assignment to track down five objects on a list and write a description of what it was in Korean. Two of the items were the same for everyone, but other than that we all had different objects. One of my friends who happens to be a 재미교포 just like myself decided to team up and tackle the assignment as fast as we could. At first I hated the assignment because I just wanted to enjoy the museum. I'm a huge fan of museums and really enjoy taking my time to see everything, this task on the other hand had to be completed so my friend and I decided to rush through the museum as ask every guard on every floor where each object was. Turns our we had a lot of fun doing this and finished with a lot of time to see all of the museum. I would like to give a shout out to all of the guards, because they were extremely knowledgable about the location of artifacts and were very kind and helpful. The National Museum of Korea does a great job in showcasing ancient Korean culture, but it also shows many historical artifacts pertaining to Ancient Eastern Asian history. Like every place I've been to till now I was quite impressed.

After this National Museum of Korea our final stop was at the Kwangjang Market 광장시장. The Kwangjang Market was very crowded but very exciting. This marketplace is known for the expansive variety of street food they sell. Here I was capable of eating numerous famous dishes. I had a great time observing the fast pace of the food markets in the Kwangjang Market.


This was my second time to visit Seoul. Although I covered a lot of ground in just a couple of day, I know that I need to come back at least one more time! Seoul is probably one of my favorite cities in the world and I honestly don't think I can get enough of it! Till next time, Seoul.

P.S. I've heard that some Koreans have taken interest in reading my blog. I'm really glad to hear this! If you want to ever talk about what my impressions on Korea are, or if you don't understand some of the things I write about, please feel free to ask me any questions. 괜찮아요!

Day 18: Dinner with North Korean Refugees

If there is one thing I've learned from going abroad, it's that we take the small things in life for granted. Today I had the pleasure of meeting eight North Korean refugees over dinner and had the chance to speak with one of them extensively. Many of my friends back home may know that I'm quite passionate about the various atrocities that occur in North Korea. The atrocities I speak of are what the people of North Korea go through on a daily basis, not what the government is portrayed as by American news stations. Liberty is a universal right, not a privilege. 

The dinner started with an introduction by a man named 박상영 (Park Sangyoung). He set the tone by asking us a variety of questions, specifically pertaining to the meaning of risk. He asked us if we knew the weight of personal risk, the risk of defecting, the risk on family, the risk of life, and the risk of freedom. Do I think about these questions on a daily basis? Well, the answer is no. I don't think about the magnitude of these risks or how they shape my life, and that's because it's these small things that I've been blessed with not having to worry about. The haven of home is a bubble of ignorance that I've been naively sheltered by for the majority of my life, and these opportunities to go overseas and to meet incredible people continue to always shape my view of the world. 

After the introduction by 박상영, a group of refugees that spread to different tables in the room began to speak with us. I was fortunate to have the ever so wonderful 금향 (Geum Hyang) at our table to speak about her hardships. 금향  is twenty-five years old and defected from North Korea five years ago. Her journey begins when she crossed into China by swimming across a poorly monitored portion of the Yalu River. When she reached Chinese soil she banged on the door of a farmers house and begged for help in Korean. She had no Madarin skills at the time and also held the risk of being deported back to North Korea if found. Luckily, the first door she approached took her in and helped her seek refuge in China. She eventually made her way to a small city located in the Heilongjiang province, where she did field work for three years. She made a living in China by cutting corn on a daily basis and learning Mandarin through daily interactions. I was excited to communicate with her with both Korean and Mandarin. After three years of working, 금향  had saved up a reasonable some of money. With the money she had saved she decided to call a random number in South Korea. With this one phone call she asked the stranger on the other line to please help her get to South Korea. With the money she saved up she sent the money to this one person, where they proceeded to help her get to South Korea. She was instructed to travel to Laos and reach the South Korean Embassy. When 금향  finally reached Laos, her ticket was purchased by the before mentioned individual and she was off to South Korea. 금향  has now been living in South Korea for two years and has been taking classes at a school for North Korean refugees in Wonju.

금향  spoke about how life was in North Korea and how the rest of the world was portrayed when she was there. Her whole life she was led to believe that the world was something it is not. The North Korean government taught her that America and South Korea were the worse enemies in the world, and that China and Russia were great countries. China was considered a prosperous nation with too much to offer, while Americans were portrayed with super bright blonde hair and very long arched noses and South Koreans were just terrible. She also said that American dummies were set up in public to walk by and hit with bats as an act of humiliation. This was when I told her that I was a 재미교포 (American born Korean), and she was shocked, but in a good way.

"We were told that you guys were all monsters, but when I met you all for the first time laughing together and joking around a couple of weeks ago, all my fears and preconceived beliefs melted away. You're all kind and just human." -금향 

Five students had the pleasure of living with the North Korean refugees while the other students had a host family for the first week of our program. This was the first time 금향 had met Americans. 금향 also said that she had never been in a prison camp, but she also said that she saw many of her friends get sent off the them to never return. She was taught that all of the surrounding countries did not want the unification of North and South Korea. She believed her whole life that what North Korea had said was true.

Meeting 금향 was an incredible experience. She had a tremendous amount of wisdom to offer and epitomized the meaning of optimism. She told us that in North Korea people were doing well. She also said that her family was doing well too. Her family is actually still in North Korea and she hasn't been in contact with them since she has left. No pictures of this event are shown for this very reason. Some of the refugees still have family members in North Korea, and if their identity is revealed it's considered an act of treson. Three generations of family members of known defectors will be sent to concentration camps for life where their identities will be stripped from the world. She says that she stills cries often because of how much she misses her parents and wishes she could be with them once again. She then said that doing well to the people of North Korea does not mean that they have bread on the table, stability in the homes, and a warm bed to sleep in. "You are doing well if you know in your heart and mind that you can survive," she said. 

금향 was probably one of the most outgoing people I've ever met in my life. We asked her why she had such a glistening personality and her response was straight forward. She said that when she was in North Korea and even in China, she was extremely shy and always kept to herself. She was always in hiding, afraid, and a very fragile person. She says that the person she is today is someone that you would have never recognized five year back. What she then said was that, "If North Korea and South Korea unify some day, I want to be outgoing and confident so I can someday show my mom and dad the person I've become so I can make them proud of me." 

금향 is in fact the most positive person I have met in my entire life, and any parent should be proud to have her as a daughter. She told us that she wishes for the unification of North Korea and South Korea. She says that some South Koreans believe in unification but many also do not believe in it. She says that the older generation holds a lot of hostility towards North Korea because of the atrocities that occurred during the Korean War. After this she said that that was the past and this is the future. She believes that we should forgive the sins of the past and move forward laughing and being happy together. Some people may read this and believe that it's not possible to do this, that it's ridiculous and naive to make this claim, and that 금향 doesn't know anything about what she's talking about. Well, I'm sorry if you feel that way, but words can barely describe the energy and passion that was given off from 금향. I agree in what she believes in, and whether it's possible or not, nothing will happen by doing nothing. Nothing will happen by ignoring the situation. Nothing will happen by not trying to at least increase awareness. What risks are you willing to take?

금향 is someone who has hopes and dreams just like anyone else. She wants to study for ten years then travel around the world. She wants to see the Pyramids of Giza, backpack across Europe, and see what America is truly all about. Meeting 금향 has been one of the most humbling experiences in my life and I couldn't be more happy to say that I met her. 

Day 14-15: Seoul 서울 Part 1

This past Saturday and Sunday was spent checking out the capital of South Korea, Seoul. Many of you who personally know me may here me say that when you go to China, the last place you should go to is Beijing. I'd say that's it's pretty different here. I would definitely recommend giving Seoul a look. As usual, I was incredibly impressed by what South Korea has to offer from its capital. Seoul is incredibly advance and is also internationally friendly. The subway, bus, and taxi systems are well established and quite sophisticated. People are actually quiet in the bus and subway systems. Also, everywhere you go has free wifi, including the subways. In Seoul, I had a chance to walk around Itaewon (이태원동), a robustly international component of the city. There I had the chance to go to a famous dumpling restaurant that was owned by native Chinese, and I also got to speak a little Mandarin with them! Afterwards we visited the biggest biggest Mosque in Seoul. Following this exciting trip we rode a water taxi along the Han River and got to have a nice river side view of the bustling city. 

In the two days I was in Seoul I realized that it was far to big to cover in such a short amount of time. Seoul is dear to me because it's the capital of South Korea, but also because it's where my Dad is from. In the two and a half weeks I've been in South Korea I've had to opportunity to visited the two cities both of my parents grew up in. This country is has too much to offer, but I don't have enough time to see all of it. 

P.S. If you wish to see all the pictures I have taken so far, please feel free to view my Facebook albums!

Day 13: Traditional Korean Archery (국궁)

Today, like most days, was very hot in Wonju. After classes ended the students got together and left campus to learn some Traditional Korean Archery. We were instructed to wear long pants and close toed shoes. It's been getting hotter by the day and the humidity is beginning to pick up as well. Other than the heat, I have nothing else to complain about here. I'm having the time of my life!

South Korea is world famous for their archery teams in the Olympic games. Last summer South Korea took the gold medal for the women's individuals and team event, gold for the men's individuals, and bronze for the men's team event. 화이팅! Although it's not quite the same, it was still pretty exciting to shoot a bow in South Korea. With this being said, I never hit the target once haha. I guess I'm not meant to become a professional archer. 

Day 11/12: Taekwondo (태권도) 하고 Special Needs Volunteering

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon taking a Taekwondo class at Yonsei University with all of my classmates. I purposely chose a position in the far back corner, but unfortunately ten minutes in someone informed the instructors that I was a black belt so I was put in front of the class on one side of the room to help demonstrate. To be completely honest I was pretty embarrassed, but I also had an amazing time with all of my classmates. We spend the time getting to know each other better and honestly making complete fools of ourselves. Overall I would said it was an awesome day.

Today, after class I went to a special needs center with half of my classmates to help volunteer. When we first arrived we didn't know what we getting into and what to expect. As usual, we were greeted kindly by all the staff and were asked to helped with many of the residents at this center. Many of the people living at the center were brought here because their families had difficulties in giving appropriate attention and care to their loved ones. The center is out in the countryside and is a beautiful location. I had the pleasure of helping out a young boy that could not speak well, but he could understand us relatively well. We walked around the complex a few times and played with some of his friends, and the entire time he was latched onto my arm. We became pretty good friends by the end of the day I would say. This center was a great place to understand one of many volunteer opportunities in South Korea and what it has to offer. The students in the CLS program will be volunteering here once a week so I'll be sure to write an extensive blog of my experience here in the future.