A Wedding and a Preview

School has slowed down a little, at least till finals, at the end of February. We also have a short break coming up next week for the lunar new year. We'll get about 5 days off.

I had a great weekend, and have been having very good weekends as of late. I think it's because I have finally become more accustomed to all of it, and most of it has become second nature, but fortunately, new experiences are not in short supply.

This weekend after my usual weekly dose of nightlife on Fridays, R&R on Saturdays, and church on Sundays, I decided to crash a wedding of one of the members of the church. Crashing makes it sound so uncouth. I just happened to go without being invited. I simply love weddings. I had also yet to have gone to a Korean wedding. This was an interesting wedding though. It was a Mexican-American G.I. getting married to a half Korean woman. The service was beautiful, with music, and dual narration, Korean and English, on behalf of the bilingual pastor. There were also two receptions. One Korea, and one more American/Slightly Latino in nature. It was a pretty typical wedding, but they get me every time.

Of more note, however, is where the second reception was held. Yongsan garrison, a massive U.S. military base in the middle of Seoul, you come in through the gates, and you fell like you are in small town America with everything to your local Baskin Robbins to American style parks. I had never been, but it surely exceeded any sort of expectations I had had. Getting in was a bit of a a problem though, for me at least. It is more than understandable, particularly after seeing a film like The Kingdom last year. It was a only a problem, though, because I had not RSVPed to the wedding, and therefore was not on the clearance list. I mean, how could I right, I wasn't even invited. I was trying to pull an Owen Wilson ala Wedding Crashers, but I'm sure they never tried to get in to a military wedding. Well, I lacked the appropriate identification, e.g. a passport, or alien registration card, so I simply went home and came back with my passport, and I even made it back in time for the slide show. Something that really boosted my confidence is the fact that on my way back to the base, I struck up a non-stop, fairly interesting conversation with the taxi driver, and when he asked how long I had been in Korea, he couldn't believe it; these little instances really are the extra little logs that keep the engine going sometimes. It is also quite interesting, but I have become a lot more confident in class this week, speaking my mind more openly, and to my pleasant surprise it is coming out very satisfactorily. Regardless of the frustration that plagues the learning a foreign language most of the time, one just needs to be receptive to the small hints that signal to progress, and thank goodness, lately they have been plentiful.

Another thing I really give thanks for right now is that I chose to do and academic year in Korea, for a reason that I stated as far back as my personal statement for the fellowship; that I wanted to experience all four seasons in Korea, and oh boy, do they have four seasons, almost as finely delineated as a picture book, split relatively evenly, except for an exceptionally short Fall. I say this, because, now that I am in to my third or second and a half season, depending on how you look at it, season, the experience has completely evolved, owed partially to my own personal growth, but also on the change in my environment, something that directly derives itself from the changing seasons. Trivially speaking, Winter will bring along some skiing for next week, the same way that fall brought me plenty of pleasurable hikes among the flaming foliage, and summer made me wish I had an air conditioner in my room. However, there are also countless subtler changes as well. All I really want to say with this longwinded paragraph is that I feel it is imperative to spend an entire year in any country anyone tries to understand at a deeper level.

Speaking of understanding at a deeper level, I have recently caught wind of an underground youth movement that is going on in Seoul's more bohemian areas, a movement called: Korealism. It is quite playful, but in my opinion, very relevant as to the current evolution of this country with a new generation coming up. I have read some of the literature, a weekly publication with poetry and prose, and spoken to some of the zealots, briefly though. I can't say much about it, yet, but it was very refreshing to find this sort of cultural and intellectual curiousness in a youth that is at best extremely confused, and at worst, completely oblivious and completely entangled in consumer society, driven completely but what they see on television. So I will continue to delve into this movement, this so called Korealism, when I get some more time, I may even upload some of the poetry. Some of it is written by expats, in English of course, and give a fair amount of decent insight of what Korea is actually like in a relatively terse fashion. Some of the works in the weekly really hit the nail on the head in my view. So hopefully more on Korealism later. One of the people they mention in their manifesto is Ko-leopatra, someone's alter-ego within the movement. Like I stated before, they are very playful, and have a great sense of humor about it, but I have been impressed by the quality of both the material in the publication and the overall ideas of what these revolutionary youngsters are talking about.

Lastly, after the long and arduous ordeal that was my documentary, it has finally come to completion and thus broadcast fruition. The premiere/preview event is this coming Friday, the 31st, the people form the network, crew, people, my friends will be there, and I am actually a bit nervous about it. The channel that ultimately bought it was Korea's Success Channel, a cable network dedicated to documentaries and anything and everything inspirational. They actually cut me out of the original documentary and gave me my own 30 minute spot on the channel, that is just how weird I am I guess. The documentary's name translated into English is: Designing Life, Adam Young, a bit corny, but it is Korea, after all. So that is all that is new in life. Coming up is, finals next month, a trip to Thailand, I cancelled Japan, I am seriously falling in love with South East Asia, any who, some possible shows coming up. I spent that past couple months writing more material, and by the end of this month I should have at least 10 viable originals. If you'd like to check them out, check on the "My Music" link, and it will take you to my myspace music page. Thanks for reading, and if you happen to listen to my tunes thanks for that as well.

Goodbye Midterms

Yesterday was the last portion of the whole midterm experience, the speaking test. Part of it was working through some scenarios with a partner, in Korean of course, and the other one was a one on one interview with the teacher to sort of the a self-evaluation of my progress. My teacher basically had to say that my fluency is good, and that I just need to work on sounding less and less like a Japanese speaking Korean, and more and more like an actual Korean, mostly things having to do with certain nuances in pronunciation and intonation and what not.

Today I also secured a couple of tickets for my next trip. I was planning on going to Australia, but since it is high season the ticket was pretty pricey, so I am going to wait until May when off season is at its nadir. So for now, I will be going to Thailand around my brother's brithday, and then off to Japan. I was invited to go on a rotary club ski trip so the covered costs of all the skiing accoutrament should balance itself out with the cost of the ticket, and it will also be a nice dose of nostlgia taking me back to the high school exchange student days.

The weather report here in Seoul: friggin freezing. it was minus 9 degress celsius today, don't know what that translates to in farenheit, but, pretty much, ridiculously cold. I am spending a lot of time indoors, however, since I have made a ton of new friends as of late, I have been going out a lot at night. I am very happy to continue making friends from all over, and allowing people to keep my prejudices at bay and my mind as open as possible. I'll put up some pictures as soon as I can. Not much else is going on. I payed my final Sogang tuition today, and that will put me through the end of May, and after that, I am planning on embarking on a South East Asian Oddyssey and after a long long while I shall once again be stateside. I had considered staying all the way through September, but I think nine months will be enough for me. I am also seriously considering doing my sophomore year in Beijing with Yale's PKU prgram, so I wanna get a nice quality summer wit the fam in before I head again to traverse the globe, it is also my brother's senior year in college coming up, so I want to be there for him to be the helping hand that I never had when the wild time that is applying to schools comes around.

So I have pretty much decided, a bit different from my original plans, to underachieve a little this summer. For once in my life. A lot of things have influenced my decision, and I am not 100 percent sure. It is still so tempting when I recieve all the IEFP and UCS emails from Yale, crammed with amazing opportunities, but the way I see it, opportunities come and go, and plans are allowed to change, but little sisters that are 3, turning ten, and a brother who is about to embark on life only comes once in a lifetime, so I forego arduous personal statement writing, and relentless recommendation seeking to enjoy my first relatively stress free spring, and consequently, summer. However, I do still need to apply for the PKU program. Whatev. I guess that what I'm saying is that I am finally opting to not try not to complicate my life more than I have to.

Wow, the above paragaph came out a little melodramatic. Thank you for reading.

Midterms and a somewhat late reflection on last term

I have gotten through midterms. I did much better than I had expected. Now I just need to get through my speech. Which I believe needs to be 20 minutes long. I need to turn in a script of the speech tomorrow, and I will be presenting it next Tuesday. I believe I will do a speech on the Beatles. a very universal subject that I believe everyone in my class will be able to appreciate, and I also wanted to choose a lighter topic for once.

I am well into my second term at Sogang, after skipping a level, and it is going well, but I never really wrote any closing words about my first term at Sogang.

The first term at Sogang was an interesting mix of old and new for me, material wise. After having come off of a summer with zero Korean, my Korean was nowhere near the level it was in May of 2007, so through a stroke of fate, I was put into level 2, which, now in hindsight, I believe was the best possible level for me at that point. The beginning of the term was mostly review for me, but then we finally started moving into uncharted territory, and it is very true that in the Sogang program, level 2 is the keystone that holds all of your Korean together, so it is a very important level to have done well. I ended up completing the level with a final percentage somewhere in the 90s, can't remember exactly now. I had great teachers, all very special in their own way, however my favorite was my male speaking teacher, I still go downstairs to say hi to him everyday.

I also had a great class. I made 10 friends and 2 enemies. The enemies came about on their accord. I did nothing but be myself. And, honestly, the only source of stress last term came from these two individuals' antagonism towards me. However, I a not one to really let this sort of thing worry me, so it was not much more than a footnote concerning my first term at Sogang. I was indeed bored most of the time, so my this is the reason my teachers, realizing this, encouraged me to skip level three and move right in to the next step in Korean language study at Sogang. The jump between 3 and 4 is huge, day and night. However, given the fact that the first three months in any new place are the hardest, having a relatively easier time at school was very beneficial in making sure that the foundation I created for the rest of my stay in Korea was suitable. Now, school has become a much bigger part of my experience here, just given the new challenges of fourth level. We are actually reading real things now, talking about real issues, debating, and there is simply a much higher level of competency in Korean which makes the class atmosphere a lot more engaging. I am not going to lie, it is still often a little slow for me, but I continue to find ways to challenge myself if Sogang won't do it for me. I am half way thru my second term, so about half way through my entire experience here. It has been a remarkable journey thus far, and I am very excited about what lies ahead.

PICTURES!!!! AT LAST!

After three months of being unable to post pics, I was finally able to. 50 pictures, two per week, chronicling my activities as a Light Fellow, enjoy! And now that I have figured it out, there will be around two per week through June of this year, for all who read my blog, Thank you!

Adam

Busan International Film Festival!!!! the 12th I think! The lady in the second picture is the director of the documentary that airs this month and features no one other than moi. Third picture is me being filmed. I am excited and also so nervous for this documentary to come out, I mean they followed and filmed my life for nearly three months and the anyone living in S. Korea will be able to see it, gulp. I love the attention though, haha. Last pic, me holding a giant crab!

Mexico!!!!!!! First Pic: Mexican Pride at the Zocalo's Flag! Second pic: adjacent to the Zocalo, the largest cathedral in Latin America, area wise, I believe, it's not the tallest, because I remember I went to the tallest in Argentina, ; ). Picture three: The thing, (or person I guess), that I love the most in this world, up there with my other siblings and family too, don't be jealous Jessy! I love you too!! Picture 4: My favorite cousin, Israel, he is like a brother to me, it was great seeing him, we have a great time together. Last pic: My beautiful family!

A few more of Thailand. The first one: this is a picture of a little girl from Sri Lanka selling flowers. These kind of children are one of the things that really break my heart. They are also a big part of why I am trying to be something in life, to give these type of children the opportunity to do something. I think I get it from my mom. Next pic: A couple more of the girls who showed me around that part of Thailand. Third Pic. Khao Chee Chan. Khao means hill in Thai. I went to a bunch of Khaos while in Thailand, and this one is definitely one of the most impressive ones. It is a gigantic Buddha lasered into the side of this massive hill, pretty spectacular.

Thailand!!!!!! First pic: one of the numerous and majestic temples that line the Thai scenery. These things go up almost as fast as the commercial buildings that go up in Seoul, I swear I blink or turn away once and it's built. The South Koreans sure are industrious little fellas. Second pic: Myself and the Thai Jack Sparrow; this is one of the most hilarious people I have ever met. I usually don't laugh out loud but this guy did. He had it down, the drunken gait, the talk, he even said "there goes my black pearl as a taxi went by", not to mention the phony international driver's license that said Jack Sparrow, or was it phony? Third and Fourth Pic: My brother and I in front of a shrine to a queen who drowned. We were at Pliu waterfall. It was absolutely stunning. When you first get there, you may think the water is black, but actually, it is as clear as can be and is actually just brimming with fish. Check out my brother's blog for a picture. Last pic: This is On, she showed me around Chonburi when I headed out that way.

A day out with Lucas, my partner in music, each standing behind our respective statues of our Chinese zodiac, the dragon and the rat.

A day at Seoul Grand Park on a beautiful autumn day in Seoul, some of the most beautiful fall foliage I have seen in my life here in Korea. And, of course, a bear at their zoo, I was impressed, although terribly saddened, by the large selection of animals they had. They even had a giant tortoise from The Galapagos. He looked so hot under the heat lamp he was under!!

The infamous picture of the infamous Paris Hilton. She is on the right. Boy, was that a crazy night. It was funny, because when she came out it was almost as if she had forgotten what country she was in. Oh Paris.

First pic is a building at Ehwa Women's University. The area I live in, Shinchon, is great because it has three major universities, Ehwa, Yonsei (who I think is a wannabe Yale, haha), and Sogang, so it is a very happening and youthful part of Seoul. Notice the Ivy League-esque architecture of the building.

There I am with a Korean statue, and then my good friend Shaonan, great kid. I was going to go to China with him for Christmas, but since I am planning on being at PKU next year, we agreed to do it next year.

Last pic is a building at the Yonsei campus; they have a beautiful campus. It is on a type of hill, with a lot of trees, and great places to sit and read, or just relax. They also have little traditional looking places like the one in the pic.

Out on the town pics. My favorite snack when I'm out, little mini eggs. My friend Geoff, from Sacramento, also at Sogang with me, and I partying it up, at the club the restaurant with the Koreans, and after a long night of dancing on club day, the last friday of every month. Unlimited clubbing at all the clubs in Hongdae for 15 bucks. Geoff Fattig, my partner in crime.

Our tour guide, a shot of the imposing N. Korean flag, largest in the world, and a model of the DMZ.

More pics of the DMZ. The flags of the countries that had some say in the ordeal. Me, lightheartedly, mocking the guard, and a close up shot of the building on the North Korean side that for a long time was only a facade of a building, the power of communist propaganda.

These are all DMZ pics from my visit back in October. Pictures of guards by the famous pagoda. And the blue buildings, half in N and half in S Korea, where the diplomatic meetings that decided both places fates in relation to each other are made.

The first pic is Shaonan and Mashuika in the foreground, a good chinese friend of mine and a girl from Mongolia, respectively, and in the background. A swedish lady who is married to the Israeli ambassador to Korea. We didn't get along very well. Speaking of ambassadors, I am good friends with the son of the Argentine ambassador to Korea; we met in Japan. How small the world is. Also, speaking of a small world. One of the things I really like about Sogang is the number of cultures that come together to learn Korea. I had never met anyone from Bangladesh or Uzbekistan and now I have a person from each of those country in my class, very refreshing.

Next picture, good friends of mine. Two middle-aged Japanese ladies. Chie and Mizue. We go out every once and a while for karaoke and drinks. They are kind of like older sisters. They are a lot of fun, and I am picking up a lot of old women Japanese idioms, haha. it's strange, I don't ever really get along to great with people my age. I always joke that I am an old man stuck in a young body, fortunately too.

last pic, is the front part of the Sogang campus. This is the gate I walk through every morning.

This is my speaking class during second level as well with my favorite teacher at Songang. Mr. Im. He is a great guy. This is the guy that hooked me up with fourth level, and skipping third, we've been to karaoke together, and he loves hanging out with out class, great guy. Also notice the crucifix in the background, nothing like a Jesuit college in Korea.

This is my second level writing class. 9am to 10 am every morning form September through the end of November.