KOREA Week X Review

Mon, July 6, 2009 at 3:20pm

10 Weeks today! It's hard to believe, but it's true. My time here is nearly 20% completed. I arrived in this unfamiliar land, the rock of a mountainous peninsula they call Korea, on Monday, April 27. I was, at the time, a true freshman in every sense of the word, and knowing only one Korean word; An-nyeong or "hello". When I think of the many things I have accomplished and the many friends I have made in the past 10 weeks, I am most proud of my vocabulary, and my ability to quickly assimilate into Korean society. Today, I feel as if I have graduated to the sophomore level. In fact, many students are amazed I have only been here two months, and they compliment me on my knowledge of the language, the culture, and the food. Jokingly, they say I am half-Korean. Despite this success, I cannot help but feel slightly disappointed in myself for slow learning of the 40+ letters of the seemingly difficult Korean alphabet, Hangul. Currently, my progress remains at around 20 letters, though I try to practice new letters everyday.

This past weekend, I spent much time reflecting on the past two months and identifying goals for July and August. These goals include: Hangul and some type of formal Korean language education, Hapkido or Taekwondo lessons, a Korean cooking class, and a deeper understanding of Buddhism. I also plan to travel extensively throughout Korea and visit each of the eight South Korea regions. This coming weekend will actually be my first time leaving the Gyeonggi-do region, home to Seoul, Sanbon, and almost three quarters of South Korea's population. My plan is to depart Sanbon early Saturday morning for Boryeong, meet the hashing group, and participate in the famous Korean Mud Festival. The following weekend, which is a four day weekend for me, I plan to visit SarakSan, a Korean national park situated atop a large mountain on the Eastern coast. Here, there is supposed to be great hiking, available campsites, and scenic views of the Eastern Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. Both weekends will be the start of many trips over the coming months, or so I hope.

The July 4th holiday was celebrated in non-traditional style. There was no barbeque, there were no fireworks, and most importantly, there were no good friends and family to celebrate with. Instead, I celebrated the holiday with students at a NoraeBang. Many songs were sung, much makgeolli was consumed, and in honor of the holiday, I sang The Boss' classic "Born in the U.S.A." As trite as this may be, it was the only song I could locate in the catalogue that represented the holiday well. And, for the first time in Korea, I actually felt a little homesick and wished I were in Northern Michigan grilling burgers and watching fireworks. It was, in many ways, a bittersweet holiday.

This week begins the first full week of classes for the new July month and revised class schedule. Friday is also pay day! Later this week, I hope to have another update, or early next week following the Mud Bash. Until then..