Blogs from Sinchon, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea, Asia

Hello everyone! I know it has been a long time since I've updated my journal about my time in Korea. Lately life has been a little hectic and difficult to find time to sit down and type out everything about what has been happening. I will try and write more and shorter entries so everyone can keep up. I've been doing a lousy job of that lately but I promise to improve on it. Let me know what you think. I hope everyone is doing fine and is enjoying their lives. Out of the Game The past few days have been very slow. As most of you already know, I had surgery a few days ago for a condition that recurred during past few months due to straining of my abdomen most likely from breakdancing. I ... read more

Besides being my first day of Korean class, today it really came home to me how much English has become a global language. I have started to make friends too! I'm in Level 1 Korean, but there are shades of gray within each level I have come to discover. I'm in section 3, which means that I know the alphabet and can write what I hear, with some limited comprehension, but I don't have the fully functional grammatical structures down. The class is broken down into four 50-minute periods- two for grammar and vocab, one for reading and one for conversation and listening comprehension. There are a lot of Japanese in the program, but also a surprising number of other nations represented. In fact, I met people from 4 different continents today! Europe is pretty well ... read more

Actually woke up for class today. David woke me up. Psych, bleh. Art History, Prof got pretty pissed when a girl put her head down during 'discussion' time. There's usually an awkward silence when nobody knows what to discuss of the art she puts up. and she yelled at us for wasting time, say that we're being graded for it. pretty serious. Had lunch w/ stella and then tried to read up on Romans so I could write my paper. didn't get much done. Korean class. First hour, a bunch of people were missing. maybe 4-5 people. doesnt sound like many, but our class consists of 14 students. then john came late. anyhow, i spilled my coffee when i got overexcited/upset about being #3 to go during our speaking final. that was kind of embarrassing. might ... read more

So today is/was monday. It was another struggle waking up. I do it to myself. Psych was boring, but Professor Zaidel is actually giving justification to some of her nazi 'rules.' They actually make sense. Damnit. Well I still dont like her...but now for fewer reasons. Before it was because she had crazy rules without explanation, but we're learning about 'learning' and 'conditioning' now and so she gave psychological support for some crazy things. Example: 'feedback session' after an exam is mandatory. (i actually didnt have a problem with this one because i like to find out how i did after a test) some other people may not care to know how they do. It's because people learn better when they immediate feedback(positive or negative). Another example: no rescheduling of exams or make-ups for any reason; ... read more

It's my brother's birthday today. He is turning 18, and I can't be more thrilled and excited about that. I also can't help to acknowledge the distance and it makes my heart ache a little to know that I can't celebrate yet another milestone in his life. I've missed a lot. He may never read this, but as 18 year old brothers go he is definitely in the tops: He's funny, he's goofy, he's nice, he's smart, he's a good friend, he's good at putting things together, he's thoughtful, he's a guitar hero, he's got manners and uses them frequently, he is very handsome, he's clever, he's curious, he is spectacular at every sport he tries, he's outdoorsy, he treats women well and he is turning out to be an amazing man. As I sit here ... read more