BIP 2012: Sine Die...Or Is It?

Min A, me, Yoo Shin, Min Ji, Jessica, Min Ji, Julia (our RA), Diana, Soo Min at the Farewell Party

"It well may be that we will never meet again, in this lifetime, so let me say before we part..."

For those who have never studied parliamentary procedure or done a mock legislature, the term "sine die" is used at the end of a legislative session. It means "the end of the end." That's probably pretty accurate for the last few days of my life.

As you can guess, Bahrom International Program 2012 is over. I finally got home on Friday night, and was met by my boyfriend with flowers and my parents with a pillow-spread backseat and snacks. It went so fast. It seemed like I just got to Incheon International Airport when I had to go back and get on the plane. 

People keep asking me, "How was your trip?" It's so difficult to fit four weeks of memories into a couple of sentences. Why is it that when I try to explain it, it's in no way as powerful as I remember?

How can I capture the sunlight glinting off the islands and the ocean as I landed at the airport? How can I tell about the streets filled with bustling people and the yummy smells of street food? How can I express my deep feelings of friendship for all these wonderful people that my friends and family may never meet? How can I express the awe of looking down at the mountains from Seokguram Grotto? How can I recreate my wonder at the sight of Gyeongju or at the throbbing of a Korean percussion ensemble? How can I explain the haunting and unreachable beauty of the Demilitarized Zone, and the longing it created in my heart? How can I tell you that I left a part of myself in Seoul with the people that I love there?

Me, Soo Jin, Eun Ji, Sun Young, Kimberly, and Min Ji at graduation 

(this was part of my project group)

"So much of me is made of what I learned from you..."

My wonderful unit members and I at graduation

"You'll be with me, like a handprint on my heart..."

I can't. Plain and simple. There's no way I can make you experience it in your imagination exactly as I did. But I hope I've given you a taste...maybe enough to give you an appetite for an adventure of your own, in South Korea or elsewhere. 

And as for "the end of the end"? Well, many of my Korean friends are coming to study in the United States this year, so we're hoping for some fun visits. My BIP roommate Min A will be joining me at college this year, which is really exciting. And there's always Facebook and Skype...gotta love modern technology. I guess what I'm trying to say is this: even though BIP is over for us, the memories and the people will always remain in our hearts. If we want it, we can still have each other. And isn't that what the program was all about, anyway? 

So I don't really believe this is sine die for us...it's only the beginning of a new journey. 

"And now whatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend...because I knew you, I have been changed for good."
(all quotations from the song "For Good" from the musical Wicked)

Thanks for following my Adventures in Seoul,

Laura

Time for a Lecture...Part 1

Since I only have a week left in Seoul, (which is really hard to believe, by the way), I thought I'd share a little more of the academic side of my life in South Korea. Now don't worry, I don't plan to literally transcribe any of the lectures. And some of them weren't the "conventional" lecture, anyway.

For the conventional lectures, we've had Korean Contemporary Issues, History, Language, Economics, Religion, Politics, and Architecture. I got some good background on Korea that really helped me to appreciate other aspects of the program more. Here is a picture of us right before one of the lectures.

Diana, Soo Min, Min Ji, and Yoo Shin (one or two of us did not want a picture taken :-)

Now for the not-so-orthodox academics...

Traditional Korean Instruments:
A Korean percussion group came and performed their music for us, then taught us how to play the instruments. That was a lot of fun...although the kwang jing (a Korean gong-like instrument) was a bit loud.

Learning the janggu (traditional Korean drum)

Traditional Korean percussion group

Incheon Pottery Village:
This is a place that has a museum for traditional Korean ceramics (a big part of the country's heritage), as well as a shop where I bought some of the work of these artists. So beautiful! And then we got to make our own pottery and decorate it. I put my name on it in Korean: 로라

Me making a traditional vase with the help of a true expert...this man teaches ceramics in a university!

Korean Music:
This definitely wasn't typical. We were treated to performances by some of the most famous traditional artists in Korea, all in beautiful hanbok (the Korean traditional outfit) What is hanbok, you may ask? Well, keep reading...

Either a gayageum or a geomungo...it depends on how many strings it has.

Either a daegeum, a junggeum, or a sogeum...which one depends on size and again I'm not sure. 

That's a good start...I'll continue with more details of our hands-on lectures soon.

Until next time,

Laura

Things I Like in South Korea

So this is going to be full of randomness...basically this is a bunch pictures that I found interesting or unique or...well, you get the idea. And they didn't fit anywhere else...so here we go!

 A shelf of books in the dessert cafe we visited...obviously light reading, since they feature titles such as "Molecular Quantum Mechanics" and "Mechanism in Organic Chemistry."

Coffee machine...ok, we totally need these in the United States! Put in about 30 cents and out comes a small, but fresh cup of pretty much any coffee you can imagine. This is a wonderful invention!

 Just because I thought it was funny, and probably describes my life right now...and come to think of it, the lives of those who interact with me. Hmmm...anyway, it would also make a great sign to put on a dorm room door! (hint, hint, dear roommate :-)

 Coffee in a juice box-like thing. This is also a wonderful invention. Good for staying awake. Have you noticed that I have two pictures of coffee? But what can I say, there is lots of it here and I'm a college student. Enough said.

A chipmunk. Yes, I know that this was not very remarkable. But it was very amusing, because we found the chipmunk as we hiked up a mountain. And the whole group stopped in the middle of the path and began to take pictures. And I was thinking, "Uh, guys? If you like chipmunks and squirrels this much, you should come to Pennsylvania and take some of ours." Anyway, I liked the mountain view better, but I had to admit that this little guy was awfully cute.

Until next time,

Laura

Homestay Weekend (insert creative title here)

Last weekend was homestay weekend, which meant the dorm was closed for 24 hours while we went home with our new Korean friends. It was a great weekend, and we did a lot of different things. First, we rode the cable car to Namsan, which is a mountain that has parks and an observation tower:

The N Seoul Tower

View from the top

At the top, there was a large section where couples would write messages on locks, hearts, and iphone cases, and then attach them to whatever space was available. 

Sculpture with the messages inside

But I was really surprised to see this on one of the hearts:

I'm not quite sure why it was on there, but I thought it was cool.

Then we went to Dongdaemun, which is a famous shopping center. Sadly, I didn't buy anything. However, we stopped at a stream and took a rest.

It was so beautiful and cool...

Then we stopped at a restaurant which had grills in the middle of the tables. We got to grill our own pork and eat it with rice and veggies. Yum! After that, I went back to the subway, met my homestay buddy Yoo Shin, and went home with her. Her parents were so sweet and nice, and they have a beautiful home. 

The next morning, we went to church, and then headed to Coex, which is a gigantic underground shopping mall. It also has an aquarium.

Me at the entrance

Barbara Manateeeeeee...... (for all the VeggieTales fans in my life)

Humboldt Penguin...this guy knew how to pose!

We then went to dinner and had Andong chicken, which is steamed chicken, noodles, and vegetables in a sauce...so yummy!

Pictures of Coex, courtesy of Soo Min (the other person in the pics is Yoo Shin)

We shopped, had smoothies, and then headed back to the dorm. So tired, but an amazing weekend!

Until next time,

Laura

"If Anything Matters, Then Everything Matters": Reflections from a Subway

So one thing I haven't talked about much is the subways here. Now, subways might not be unusual for most people in the United States, but I come from a small town where there are no taxis, much less subways. And an interesting thing I noticed was how separated everyone seemed to be. In my small town, I catch the eye of complete strangers and we smile and maybe nod. But when I tried to do that on the subway, people looked right through me, totally deadpan. Until last night. Three very different people. Three very different conversations. Three divine appointments.
1. I saw a little girl in pink and green tennis shoes with two black pigtails. I gave her my best "little kid" smile. Usually, that would have been the end of it, but her aunt saw me smiling and told her to say "hi." The next thing I knew, I was in a conversation with Joanna, who had never been to Korea before and was having a very good time visiting her family. We talked about piano and school and compared our tennis shoes (hers were much more stylish than mine). It was time to get off the subway, so I said goodbye to Joanna and her aunt, and headed for the door. Before I could go, however, that little girl came up to me shyly and said something softly. "What did you say? I didn't hear you, " I asked."You're pretty," she said, giving me the brightest, most beautiful smile I've ever seen. "Well, so are you," I smiled back. "Have fun in Korea!"
2. Then we changed to another subway. Out of habit, I smiled at a younger man sitting a few feet down the row from me. He smiled back. Oh, I thought, that's nice. Another friendly person. This was fine until I realized he was still looking at me and smiling as I chatted with my friend about our dogs and her apartment where we were going to stay. This made me a little uncomfortable. My discomfort increased exponentially when he asked, "How old are you?" Oh dear, this is awkward...and a little freaky, I thought. My tendency is to escape from awkward situations, but you can't exactly get away on a subway.
3. Then came the third conversation, which thankfully interrupted the second at this point. An older gentlemen across the aisle struck up a conversation with me, saying he loved to practice his English. It turned out that he was a retired English teacher, who had taught in a high school in Seoul for many years. He described his trip to London (which he enjoyed greatly), and seemed pleased when I told him that I intended to become a teacher. Although I couldn't hear everything he said, I enjoyed our conversation very much. Quite an intelligent and pleasant person.
All in all, it was an interesting evening. Some parts of it were more enjoyable than others. Joanna completely brightened up my night, the English teacher let me see someone passionate for their subject, and Mr. What-Is-Your-Age?...well, my friend theorized that he was drunk.
So why do I say divine appointments? Because, if I'm a Christian, I believe that those "chance" encounters were planned long before I knew I'd be in Korea. Long before I was born. And whether people even remember that they met or not, their meeting causes some tiny and unrecognized effect in the other. Hence the quote by W. Paul Young: "If anything matters, then everything matters." Even a subway ride at 9 PM under the streets of Seoul, South Korea. Nothing is too big for God to conform to His purposes. Nothing is too small for Him to work into His pattern. Nothing is meaningless; He uses it all.

Gyeongju: There and Back Again

So, the three day trip...We visited Gyeongju, which is the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (pronounced shee-la). It has many important and interesting historical artifacts. We stayed for two nights and saw so many things...

This is where we stayed. Five star, huge bathroom, lake view, and an enormous breakfast (with American food!). The only downside was that a cup of tea cost $8...

Hyundai Hotel in Gyeongju

(yes, the same company that makes the cars)

View from the balcony the first night...just perfect

The lobby...it speaks for itself

The second day was ridiculously busy, but also terrific. We started early in the morning by going to Seokguram Grotto, which is man-made cave and statue of Buddha that was completed over a thousand years ago. It's amazing that it's so well preserved. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside it, so I'm borrowing a photo from the Official Site of Korean Tourism.

Inside the Grotto

Fountain at the entrance-the water was delicious!

After that, we headed to Bulguksa Temple, also over a thousand years old. Very beautiful, but also very hot! And it had very high staircases! The symbolism of the staircases was that the way of Buddha was hard, but the three flights of steep stairs with no railing made me a little woozy. 

 One of the entrances to the temple

Rock sculptures by which people "send their wishes" to heaven

By then we were all hot and tired, so we had lunch and headed to the beach. This says it all.

(from left) Yoo Shin, Min A, Soo Min, Diana, Me, Soo Ji, and Jessica

Although this was a long day, we weren't done yet. We quickly took showers and hopped back in the bus to visit the tomb of an ancient Korean king. This is the one place where I didn't take any pictures. For one thing, I was really tired and didn't want to take any more. And for another, I thought it was a little creepy to walk around a tomb and photograph it. But one of the staff members took a group picture outside, so here we go...

The group outside Cheonmachong ("Heavenly Horse Tomb")

But of all the sights we saw, I think the mountains were the best. (Ok, I'm a western PA girl and it shows). I'm pretty sure I amused the other students by taking big gulps of fresh air and staring at the mountains for five minutes at a time. But it was totally worth it. 

 The view from Mt. Tohamsan (near the Grotto)

The view from the bus window on the way

I have so much more I could show and say. But I guess this will give you a taste of the trip.

Until next time,

Laura

Please Check Your Ego At The Door

That should have been the sign outside Seoul Women's University when I arrived. When traveling to another country, one is bound to do some things that are...well...a little embarrassing. Unintentionally stupid, but nevertheless embarrassing. So, to entertain you while I work on some blogs about our 3-day trip, here is a list of embarrassing moments from the last week and a half.

At the dinner table:
At first, I was really bad with chopsticks. (Ok, who am I kidding? I'm still really bad with chopsticks) But the first few days involved more moving my mouth to the chopsticks than vice versa. I also spilled water on a table and dropped several pieces of silverware on myself, the floor, and other people. Oops.

In the rain:
For people at school who know me, I love running around in the rain. Splashing, soaking up the water, becoming "one with the puddle" (for my roommate and others who know what I mean)...it's pretty awesome. But Seoul's rainy season just started on Friday...and when we complain about Grove City being rainy, we have no idea what we're talking about. So today I dressed in a white skirt and light blue top, a good choice for a hot day...so I thought. Then it started to pour buckets. As I love puddles, I didn't exactly avoid them...and might have stepped in a few intentionally. Perhaps a poor life choice when wearing flip-flops that were extremely...floppy. On the way to the lecture, I felt my back getting damp. Oh well, it was just some rain blowing in. It'll dry. On the way back, I tramped in more puddles, and felt a giant wave hit my back. Oooo. "What happened to you? Did you fall down?" everyone asked. What's the big deal? It's just water I thought. Then I got back to the dorm. The whole back of me was covered with mud. I spent the next 40 minutes doing laundry. So much for blending in.

While walking:
You'd think this would be a fairly basic activity in any country, but apparently going out of the U.S. affects it. I tripped up the steps and over a curb. I've banged my shins on what seems like every single piece of furniture in the dorm, from the corner of my bed to the bottom of the shower door. And to top it off, I was skyping with my boyfriend and complaining at length about my recent bout of clumsiness. I got up to move the laptop and promptly banged into the armchair near me. Yes, it was extremely entertaining. No, he didn't come out and say so.

At a Buddhist temple:
Ok, this was probably the worst. And it actually wasn't the least bit funny at the time, at least for me. We toured a temple on our 3-day trip which contained many different buildings with various statues of Buddha. The first one we looked at had a monk praying, and seemed to be a larger and more important one. A sign on it said "no pictures." Of course, I didn't take any pictures. A little later in the tour, we came to a much smaller shrine that didn't seem to have any signs on it. Oh good, I thought, now I can get a picture. I pulled out my camera and snapped a quick shot, when I caught a Buddhist lady in the corner of the shrine giving me a very blank, slightly irritated look. "Laura!" hissed one of my friends,"No pictures!" She pointed to a sign further along the wall. The worst part about it was that the lady didn't speak any English, so I couldn't really apologize...

So I'm learning to leave my ego behind when I get out of bed in the morning. It probably wasn't worth the suitcase space, anyway. And I've been thinking about how many interesting experiences and opportunities we miss in life because we're afraid of making fools out of ourselves. We all struggle with that to some extent, I believe. But this shouldn't stop us from trying new things or, more importantly, doing what God calls us to do.
And besides that, it's not entirely unhealthy to embarrass ourselves sometimes. It's a miracle tonic for keeping human beings humble. I know. I've been taking a daily dose. :-)