Mid Summer Crisis!

Last week it suddenly hit me that my time in Korea is more than halfway over! NOOO!! I don't ever want this experience to end!! I also noticed that I haven't taken advantage of the easy traveling options from Yeosu to other places in Korea. Until recently I had only gone to Seoul but their is so much more to Korea than just Seoul. Because of my "mid-life crisis" I pulled together a list of places that I want to go to before the end of the summer. So this is my.....

 Summer To-do/Bucket List:

Odongdo - An island right across from Expo site. I can either go by shuttle bus or walking. Why I still haven't gone there I have no idea!

Gwangju - To meet with my new friend who came with her school to Expo.

Gyeongju - Korean Pre-modern history was one of my favorite classes last semester. I really want to go to Gyeongju, the old capital of Silla dynasty, and see the historical buildings. This trip is an absolute must!

Rest of expo - So much more to check out! I still haven't been to the Korean Pavilion (completed 7/1), Aquarium, most of the Business Pavilions, and the Theme Pavilion (completed 7/1).

Busan (completed 6/27-28) - To explore and also meet a friend I met in San Diego, Cali. I went this past break. The beaches there are amazing! I can't wait to go back.

Suncheon - It's about 2 train stops from away from Yeosu. To me, the nature of Suncheon is what makes it attractive.

Yeosu/Jeollanam-do - There is so much more in Yeosu than just the expo. A friend recommended I go to Hyangilam Temple. I also want to check out the historical part of Yeosu (Yi Sun-sin square).

Songnisan National Park - It's a little farther than other places I want to go to but I saw pictures and the park looks amazing!

DMZ tour - I might have to wait until I come back to Korea but this is something that I really want to experience.

천사의집- Angel House

Welcome to Angel House!

If you take the SeoulMetro to Yeonsinae Station 연신내역 , walk up the stairs of Exit 3, take bus number 703 to Goyang market고양시장, ride it for about 30 minutes, transfer to minibus number 54, and ride it all the way to the end of the bus line, you’ll find Angel House 천사의집, an orphanage catered to people with disabilities. Every first and third Saturday of each month, a group of volunteers take a trip to Angel House to help out for the day. Saturday June 3, 2012, three Student Ambassadors of the USA pavilion traveled to Seoul in order to be a part of this group. The ambassadors include Eric Park, Brisbane Naomi, and myself.

Because of its location in Goyangsi Dukyangu 고양시 덕양구 on the edge of Seoul, the residents have very little interaction with people outside of Angel House, hence why the first and third Saturday of each month is really special to them. Using the word orphanage is not quite the appropriate description for Angel House. The house is home to 50 residents of all ages with various disabilities.

When we arrived, the 40+ volunteers split up into 4 groups. Brisbane and I joined the laundry team while Eric joined the cooking team. Being part of the laundry team did not just involve washing, drying, and folding. The washing method we used made it feel like we were back in the 1800s. One of the volunteers started by stomping in a big tub of wet laundry, 7 other volunteers, including Brisbane and me, used wooden scrub boards to clean the clothing one-by-one with soap, and the rest washed the soap out in the washing machine and hung the clothes on the clothing line. During this time, Brisbane and I had the chance to chat with other volunteers. Everyone had a different reason for being in Korea and volunteering at Angel House. For some volunteers, this was their first time at Angel House. Others, like Nadia, a chemical engineer from Mozambique, are veterans. We also met an English teacher from Cincinnati, OH, two engineering students from Seoul, retired US soldiers, and an English teacher from Great Britain.

Working hard scrubbing! This was my first time using a wooden scrubbing board. Left: Engineering student friend, Yohan. Right: English Teacher from Great Britain.

끝나! All finished!

After about 1.5 hours later, with the laundry completely finished, we went back into the house and helped put instruction stickers on the back of nail polish packets. We didn’t know why exactly we were doing it but our best guess was the company that owns the product supports Angel House in some way or another and Angel House repays them back with small labor tasks. After tediously putting sticker-after-sticker on, it was time for the residents and the volunteers to eat dinner together. The cooking team made black bean noodles자장면and dumplings 만두. Once dinner was finished and everything was cleaned up, everyone headed upstairs for music, fun, and games. During this time the volunteers got to meet more residents, converse with them, take pictures together, etc. Game time was not perfect though. One of the residents started kicking and punching other residents. It took a while for him to calm down but once he did all peace was restored and everyone continued to have a fun time together.

Picture time!

Dancing~ :)

As 7pm rolled around, it was time for the volunteers to return to the city. You could tell the residents were very grateful, however, I felt even more grateful. I noticed

by the end of the visit that my mind had forgotten all about things outside of Angel

House, including my cellphone. Usually I am constantly checking my phone to see if

there is Wi-Fi or if any messages arrived. However, during the 5 hours I spent at Angel

House I did not take out my phone once. Parting with Angel House was not sad in the slightest because we know that we will be back next month, hopefully with even more Student Ambassadors.

Brisbane, Eric, and me with one of the residence

Same Place, Completely Different Reason

This is my second time coming to Seoul and navigating around is getting easier and easier. Getting on the right side of the platform to go in the right direction was a challenge once I arrived at Yongsan but once that was sorted out getting around was easy peasy. 

I was scheduled to work today but an opportunity arose that I couldn't pass up. Today, at 1:30pm, I will be going to an orphanage called Angel House along with two other Student Ambassadors, Eric and Brisbane. Angel House is not a regular orphanage. What makes this orphanage special is it caters specifically to children with physical disabilities of varying degrees. Every first Saturday of each month, 40 volunteers go up to this orphanage, located in the outskirts of Seoul. As volunteers we help out by cleaning, making food, feeding and interacting with the children.

Beginning in high school, my ideal job was to start and orphanage, or at least work at on, in either China or South Korea. At the moment this is as close to that dream I will get but I know that it will be an experience like no other. 

For the summer I am enrolled in a class. Each week we have to write a journal entry about any topic of our choosing that relates in some way to the assigned reading. For my first entry I will be writing about being disabled in Korea. From my personal experience through travelling via metro, Korea is not 100% accommodating to people of disabilities. I will elaborate on this late, but for now, it's time to head to Angel House. Of course I'll be writing a blog entry about Angel House and my experience there so wait for the update!

Annyeong~

"Chef" Symone

Back home in DC the majority of my meals were microwaved food from Whole Foods. In Massachusetts my school's campus has 13 dining halls to choose from. This being said, I rarely, aka never, cook. Here in Yeosu I've given myself the challenge to cook filling and to-some-extent-healthy meals. Here's my progress so far.

Dish #1

Ddokbokggi - Spicy Rice Cakes
I added cucumber to make it my special :)

It tasted good but it's made badly. There is hardly enough sauce. I didn't know to add water until the nice cleaning 이모 (aunt) gave me cooking advice. I'll know for next time! 

Final meal-- Spicy rice cakes, rice in tofu wrap, and pickled radish

Dish #2:
Bean Sprout Soup

I saw it at a restaurant and decided to attempt to make it. Key word: attempt. It wasn't too bad but the taste could have been a lot better.

Final meal-- left over Spicy rice cake, bean sprout soup, and pickled radish (if you can't tell it's my favorite side dish)

Dish #3:

Soba noodles 

I learned about Soba noodles from a graduated senior friend, Sarah Kang. My noodles aren't the same as hers but it was still very tasty. Since the noodles are served cold I can make a big batch and bring it to work in tubberware for lunch/dinner. 

Put the noodles in soy sauce, chopped garlic, and a litttlleeee bit of sesame oil.

Final meal-- Soba, left-over bean sprout soup, and fruit (kiwi and korean melon)

I'm running out of food and needed to eat what I had left so that's why the components of this meal are very random. 

All of these meals are really simple to make but I have to start somewhere! Just that fact that I'm chopping up fresh vegetables and cooking them is amazing to me. I feel like an adult!!!!!!

Within the week Chelsea and I are going to cook for our friends at the Australian, Thai, and German Pavilion. We were trying to think of what types of dishes fell under the category of "American food". Our result: Soul food. We'll make fried chicken, mash potatoes, macaroni and cheese, etc. We'll see how that goes.

More updates coming soon! Thanks for reading :)

John Legend!!!

Last night John Legend came to the Expo!!!!!! Why John Legend, of all people? I still have no clue but the concert was great! John Legend is an artist that both me and my mom enjoy. I got off of work at 3pm with the plan to get there asap and get good seats. I didn't get their until 4:30pm yet the whole place was nearly packed! I had nooooooo idea that John Legend's popularity was so huge in Korea.

Hope you don't have to go to the bathroom... this is only 1/3 of the crowd

We got really close but we had to sit on the ground. Thanks to my 24x super zoom camera I was able to get some good pictures and videos! During the 3 hour wait we took some power naps and made friends with the people around us. A really nice 이모 (Aunt) shared her kimbap with us. After hours of waiting and discomfort the concert finally began!! John Legend rolled up to the stage in his car and when he got out tons of girls were screaming their heads off... one of those girls may or may not have been me. The concert was only an hour  long but he sang a bunch of songs (many I'm embarrassed to say I didn't recognize). BUT he did sing my two favorite songs: Green Light and Ordinary People. What was annoying was when he was playing there was so much talking happening and even verbal fights in the crowd. Later I asked an 오빠 (older brother) who also went to the concert how big Legend's popularity was in Korea. Apparently its not HUGE. He's known but not like American pop artists. I found out the majority of the people who came had no idea who John Legend was.  Annoying? Yes. But I had an awesome time with Chelsea who is a huge fan of JL. I can't wait to go to more concerts!

Super zoom camera is awesome!!!!!

Byeee! 

First Official Days of Work; Life so far

Long time no post!

Saturday was the opening of the Expo! We started work at 7:45am (ugh so early) so that we could be sworn in by Ambassador Kim ---->

 and greet the first visitors to the USA pavilion. I also got to have lunch with Deputy Assistant Secretary Stout. ---> 

During that time we were able to ask her about her job and her role within the government. Talking to her and listening to her story is making me think again about what I want to study in college. I definitely will major in East Asian Studies but I'm not sure whether I want to stick with film as a minor or work towards the International Relations Certificate. When talking with DAS Stout, one thing she said the resonated was her offices commitment to People-to-People Diplomacy. Over the past few days I've met and interacted with so many people ranging from toddlers to grandmas and grandpas who come from Asia, Africa, Austrailia, etc.  I'm not crazy about government/ politics but I want to continue this kind of interaction with people of so many different backgrounds.

Other than working at the Pavilion, I've been exploring around Yeosu.  I've been to the super market twice already. I'm trying to cook myself food rather than buying stuff. So far I've made 유부초밥, Spaggetti, and.... that's it! I bought ddokbbokgi (spicy rice cakes) to make but I haven't gotten around to it.
Since vegetables and fruit are so expensive at the supermarkets, Chelsea and I recently found a local 시장 (street market).

my attempt at 유부초밥... it's a little messy but practice makes perfect :)

I also met some AWESOME friends from Thailand. Now that I think about it, I've hung out with them every night since I've met them. Two nights ago they invited us to have dinner in their apartment. They actually know how to cook so it was a real treat. Thai food= yummy!!!

The majority of my Thai friends~

Eating Thai food at their apartment

 I also met amazzzzingggg Korean-Aussie friends! After finishing work at 3pm today I went around to other pavilions to get stamps for the Expo passport (trying to one from each country). During that time a befriended a guy from Japan, a girl from Kazakhstan, and a couple of guys from Angola! Tell me where else you can meet people who live thousands of miles away from each other in until 3 hours? This is exactly why World Expo's are such amazing opportunities that everyone should know about. Also, meeting all of these people makes me want to learn all of the world's languages! My next language project is Thai! Since beginning work I've used English, Korean, and Chinese! Speaking with Chinese visitors reminded me house much I truly LOVE speaking Chinese. I just really dislike learning/being tested on it. Since I'm not taking Chinese next semester I'll have to find a way to still use it.

The weather the past few days reminds me of Massachusetts weather.. it's been cold, overcast, and today through tomorrow it is supposed to rain. I still love the town of Yeosu but I had enough of cold weather all school year, I'm ready for warm weather!




Side note: It's graduation time! Congrats to all of the Smithies, Umassers, and Mohos! Good luck with everything in the future!

Eating on a Budget; Taxis in Yeosu

In this program we get a 216,000 won ($27) per day stipend for food.  I've never had to be on a budget for food...ever! And when I'm on a budget I get really stingy with money.  Despite how much I want to go out and eat every day, in order to save money I'm going to have to go grocery shopping and learn how to cook. I'm trying to save as much money as possible so that I can gather the left-over money from each day and put it towards buying a train (or bus) ticket to Seoul!!! My first trip to Seoul will be on March 21st and 22nd to celebrate my friend, Chelsea's, 21st birthday! And when I mean Seoul I really mean HONGDAE!!!! (Hongdae is a district near Ewha and Yonsei Univeristy with lots of clubs). 

Saturday night, after our first shift, my friends Chelsea, Bjorn, Josh, and I were planning to go to Lotte Mart (a big supermarket with almost everything). That was a hugggggggge failure. Lotte Mart is not walking distance from the Expo so we decided to take a cab. Our first mistake: leaving at the same time 1/3 of Expo visitors. In hopes to find a taxi on a more busier street we walked further away from the expo. On multiple occasions within that one night we were rejected my taxi drivers. We were even about to physically get into one but then he said "No". I asked why but he just drove away. -.-.... Are taxi drivers prejudice towards foreigners???? I pretty sure they are. Next time we'll be more prepared. First, if we want to go anywhere by cab we'll have the front text of our apartment complex to call for us. Second, if we take the bus (which is free during expo!) we'll get a map of Yeosu and of the bus routes. At least we learned early. After 1.5 hours, we gave up on going to Lotte mart and went to a Minimart instead where I bought today's breakfast:

Corn Flakes with Flion the Lion (i'm not making this up)

Soy bean milk (thanks to Bjorn I found it)

and Minute Maid OJ (this was provided by Coca Cola since they are one of our sponsors)

Yumm~

Today hopefully I can get some fruit (which I heard is so much more expensive here than in the States :( ), eggs, and soup. More healthier options.

There is still so much to write about but it's time to go out and explore!
Thanks for reading! 

Observation #1

Since the day I got to Yeosu, we have been training and working from 8am to 6pm. I've been exhausted and unable to keep my eyes open at 9:30pm, 10:00 if I'm lucky. For me that is reallllly weird. I can't go to sleep before 12am during the school year but I'm going to bed before 10:00 during the summer. That's a little mixed up. I also find myself waking up about an hour before my alarm. For instance today (Sunday), since it was my day off, I set an alarm for 9:00am but I work up a little before 8. Usually I would go back to sleep but I want to utilize as much of the day as possible! Sleep is no longer a priority anymore. I want to have more adventures!!!!!

Day 2 and 3: Updates!

And here's for a much needed update:

On Thursday and Friday we had orientation and FINALLY I know exactly what the role of the student ambassadors is: we are running the USA pavilion. Simple? Hardly. Other than us, there are about 15 other people (I can't say adults because we are all adults) on the USA Pavilion Team. They are the ones who did all the backstage preparations like design, retail, etc.  When the description of the program said Student Ambassadors will be the face of America, that was no joke. When people come to our pavilion we are the ones they interact. Some people have never come into contact with Americans before so we are their first impression. PRESSURE!

Yesterday (Saturday) was what the Expo calls a "soft" opening. The official opening of the Expo isn't until May 12th , however, they have this day as a test-run sort of thing. But, a soft opening is hardly that. The expo invites over 130,000 people...that's a lot! During this soft opening everyone got to trial-run each position (Preshow, Main Show, Post Show, Retail, and Queue line). Yesterday I started out in Main Show and then was rotated around to Queue line, which I think is the BEST! If you know me you know I love interacting with people so this position is perfect! I spoke with a lot of children (in both Korean and English), their parents, and elder people. I also was asked to take a lot of pictures with people (mainly kids). There was one guy who try to slyly take a couple of pictures of me. He failed because 1. It was extremely obvious and 2. His camera shutter sound was really loud. HAHA but it's okay, a little creepy, but okay. 

Today (Sunday) is our off day. I slept in.. a little (8:00am). Me and my friend Chelsea are planning to go find a beach (it's Yeosu, there has got to be beaches somewhere) and also go to Lotte Mart to buy groceries because I can't keep eating out every day. I still have to finish a take home test. Once I finish that I'll truly be finish with my first-year in college. I also am going to dedicate some time today for worship. I feel that I progressed a lot in building my faith these last two semesters. Although I don't have the support and help of friends back in Northampton, I still need to continue to build my faith and make it stronger. Doing that in Yeosu will be the ultimate test for me.

So that's the run down of the past couple of days. I'll be writing some other blogs on my specific things.

Thanks for reading~

YEOSU!!!

Words can't express how happy I am to finally be in Yeosu! We are in our apartment unpacking now. Here are pictures of our place... its SO CUTE! This is basically exactly what I want my place to look like when I move to Korea :) take a look~

우리 집이다!! Our House :)

She has arrived- Day #1

I'm in Korea!!!!!! 대한민국에 왔습니다

After a 14 hour flight (which didn't seem that long with hw and movies/tv shows) I finally arrived at Incheon Airport at 5:30ish. I didn't' sleep much on the flight so I am not jet lagged at all!  

Incheon or Seoul from the Plane

When I arrived, more than half of the Student Ambassadors had already arrived. Everyone is soooo nice and excited for the next 3.5 months. 

2 of the 40 Student Ambassadors: Chelsea and Grace

Tonight we are staying in Seoul and tomorrow morning (at 5am yuck!) we are catching a flight to Yeosu! Once we get there I bet we will be put straight to work Dx 

Our hotel room in Seoul. The bathroom is more amazing!

Oh! and all of my photos are taken with my Lumix super zoom camera.. the zoom is crazyyyy (24x) but all the more better for me to stalk from a far :) 

I can't wait to arrive at the Expo. From the pictures online everything looks amazing! Can't wait to take my own pictures.

Thanks for reading~ stay tuned!

SA's Names Released

THAT'S MY NAME!!!!!!!

The names of the 2012 Expo Student Ambassadors were released on Tuesday! SA's Name's Released! They said the Korean and American press will be trying to contact the SAs for comments and stuff. I didn't expect it to be such a big thing!

Reality is really hitting me seeing my name on that list. This time next week I'll be in to Seoul and I'M NOT READY!!!!!! D; I'm in the midst of studying for my two language exams and working on a take-home exam. Even though I'm really stressed, I just have to tough it out for a couple more days and then it can "relax". Expresso, let's become friends for the next 5 days! 


SAs have started to contact each other via Facebook and email. From the people I have met so far, they all seem extremely nice and I can't wait to live/work/do everything else with them.

Recently I've been missing DC a lot. I never get home sick but today it hit me that I won't be going home for a really long time. So much is happening in DC. My high school friends will be graduating in June. They are growing up so fast! My 9th grade English teacher just had her second baby boy!!!! (Congrats Thu). I hope to babysit him when I come back home.

Time to get back to studying.
Wait for updates! Hopefully the next post will be from Korea!

D-13 'til Take-off!

Just 13 more days until I'm on a 14-hour plane ride to Seoul. That means 13 more days to finish 3 group projects, 13 more days to pack and store everything, and 13 more days left of my freshmen year :(. BUT since my time here is limited I just have to keep reminding myself to worry less and enjoy  this time with my friends more.

What will I be doing in Korea?

I have been chosen to be one of 40 student ambassadors to represent the USA Pavilion at the 2012 Expo in Yeosu, South Korea. It's a mouthful but it will be a blast! 

Here is a rundown of what my life will be like for 15 weeks!

Where is Yeosu?

At the verrrrrrry bottom of the Korean peninsula. It's closer to Busan than it is to Seoul. It'll be interesting going to a non-city area.

While I'm in Yeosu, I'm going to try my best to update this blog with pictures and videos! This beauty here is what I hopefully will use to document this one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

잠깐만 기다려주세요~ Please wait for updates :)

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Traveling the world, one country at a time.