Last Friday I was finally able to come to Cheldelin Middle School and visit Mrs. Cadotte and Mrs. Parrott’s classes! To those of you who were able to make it, thank you so much! It was a lot of fun seeing you in person and having the chance to wrap up our project! To those of you who couldn’t be there, we spent lunch period trying snacks that I brought from Korea, asking final questions, and watching a video I made of my last week in Seoul (you can find this video in the previous post on the blog). Again, thank you all so much for participating in my project. I had such a fun time writing the blog for you all and I hope you enjoyed it! This is probably the last you’ll hear from me but if you want to keep following my travels in Korea (I’m going back for another 4 months!) you can follow my personal blog here.
I finally made it back to America and was able to spend a fantastic Christmas with my family ^^ Below is a video of all the adventures I had during my last week in Seoul – we’re going to watch this during our final celebration once school starts again!
The holiday season is kicking into full gear here in Korea! Of course, they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here so some of my American friends and I rented a place and tried to cook our own Thanksgiving dinner! Christmas on the other hand is quite popular here – we even had a Christmas party at our dorm! I have to say though, I’m really excited to go home and celebrate Christmas with my family! Only 2 weeks left until my flight back to Oregon! And on that note, this is the end! Again, thank you all SO MUCH for participating, it meant the world to me – if you’re interested in keeping up with my travels still, I have a personal blog that you’re welcome to follow! It’s a little less educational and I mainly just talk about my own travels… maybe some of you would like it ^^ click here!
Also, don’t forget, I’ll see you all after winter break in person!!~
A couple weeks ago I told you all that I would be interviewing a Korean student your age and I asked you to come up with some questions for me to ask her! I asked one of my best friends, 이태영 Taeyoung Lee, if I could interview his niece and I was able to skype with her this week. Her name is 김하영 HaYoung Kim. HaYoung is in the 7th grade and lives in Seoul.
A quick note on Korean names: In Korea, the last name comes first! So in the case of my friend, 이 [Lee] is his last name and 태 [Tae] 영 [young] is his first name. So in Korean I would call him 이태영 [LeeTaeYoung], rather than 태영이 [Taeyoung Lee]. Same with his niece: 김 [Kim] 하영 [HaYoung]. Another fun fact: “Kim” is the most common Korean last name. 22% of Koreans have this last name! Needless to say, this can get pretty confusing, as my first name is Kim.
HaYoung at a pet cafe!
Me and Taeyoung
Above are two pictures of HaYoung with her dog! And also one of me and my close friend and HaYoung’s uncle, Taeyoung!
What is your daily routine? Can you tell us what a day at school is like? Do you like your school and your classes? What’s your favorite subject?
일과표 어때요? 평일 어떻게 지내는지 말 해 줘요. 학교이랑 수업을 좋아해요? 제일 좋아하는 과목이 뭐예요?
“I wake up at 7 am and go to school by 8:30. I am at school until 8 pm and come back home. I go to Art middle school and I like my school because I can take a major class. I like P.E the most because I can wear comfortable clothes and move a lot.”
“나는 7시에 일어나서 8시 30분까지 학교에가고 저녁 8시까지 학교에 있다가 집에옵니다. 나는 예술중학교에 다니는데 수업중에 전공수업이 있어서 좋습니다. 체육을 제일 좋아합니다. 편한 옷을 입고 웅직여서 좋습니다.”
What do you like to do for fun? What do you do with your friends? What are your hobbies?
주로 여가로 뭐해요? 친구랑 뭐해요? 취미가 뭐예요?
“I usually watch TV or take a nap in my free time. I go shopping with my friends around school. My hobby is dancing. My major is Korean traditional dance so I like dancing.”
“여가 시간에 TV를 보거나 잠을 잡니다. 친구랑 학교주번에서 쇼핑을 합니다. 취미는 춤추는 것입니다. 나는 무욤을 해서 춤추는 것을 좋습니다.”
Here’s an example of traditional Korean dancing!
What’s your favorite food? Favorite music? Favorite tv show?
제일 좋아하는 음식? 음악? 텔레비전 프로그램?
“My favorite food is ddokbokki (spicy rice cakes) because it is spicy, chewy, and sticky. My favorite music is idol music and I love BTS! ❤❤❤ My favorite TV show is ‘아는형님’ (Bros who I know) because it is really fun and funny comparing to other shows.”
“제일 좋아하는 음식은 떡볶이입니다. 뗙볶이는 매곰하면서로 쪽깃해서 맛있기 때문입니다. 제일 좋아하는 음악은 아이돌 음악입니다. 방탄소년단 팬이기 때문입니다. ❤❤❤ 제일 좋아하는 TV 프로그램인 ‘마는형님’ 입니다. 다른 프로그램과 다르게 재미있기 때문입니다.”
HaYoung’s favorite food, spicy rice cakes, and a music video by her favorite group, BTS:
What do you think about America? Do you like American food, books, movies, music, etc? Is there anything about America you think is weird?
한국 학생 생각에는 미국이 어때요? 이상이나 신기한 게 있어요? 미국 음식, 음악, 책, 영화 등을 좋아해요?
“I think the U.S is really open. It is very surprising for me that eating bread and bacon for breakfast every day. I like hamburgers and I like Marvel movie series. One more thing, I do really love Finn and Jake from Adventure Time ❤❤”
“제 생각엔 미국은 개방적인 나랑인 것 같습니다. 아아싱으로 빵이나 베이컨을 먹는게 신기힙니다. 미국 음식인 햄버거로 좋아하고 미국 영화 마블 시리즈를 그리고 미국 만화인 핀과 제이크의 어드밴처타임을 좋아합니다. 공장히 사랑합니다 ❤❤”
Are there any questions you want to ask the American class?
미국 학생에게 물어 보고 싶은 말이 있어요?
“I heard from my friend that in America, you can choose and take the classes that are related to what you want to do in the future. Is that true???”
“친구에게 들우건데 미국에서는 자신의 잔고에 대한 과목안 맞충 수업으로 가르쳐 준다는데, 사실인가요??”
I’m not 100% sure what HaYoung meant by this question. I think for the most part you get to pick some classes (like electives) but there’s certain guidelines. Once you get to college you have much more liberty! In Korea however, I believe that you can focus your studies on certain things as early as in middle school! Even HaYoung said that her major was Korean dance!
Well everyone… That was our last big blog post! Keep your eyes peeled for one more picture of week but other than that, we’re done! I just wanted to say again that I’ve enjoyed sharing my blog with you guys so much! Writing the blog has been such a great way for me to reflect on my experiences and I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts as well! I hope you all learned a lot and enjoyed the blog as much as I did~ Remember, I’ll be coming to Cheldelin after winter break to meet you all in person! I can’t wait! Also, if you guys have any final comments or questions, leave a comment!
Last weekend I went to a traditional Korean bathhouse (찜질방 jjimjilbang) for the first time! To be honest, I was a bit scared to go because you have to be completely undressed while you’re in the actual bath section! It really wasn’t bad at all though, to everyone there it was completely normal so I didn’t really feel uncomfortable. As for what you actually do at the bathhouse: you first pay and then split of to the male and female sections. You get undressed in the locker room and then you have full access to a variety of different pools and showers of different temperature water. After you soak and shower you can get dressed in an outfit they provide you and go to the sauna section. At the Jjimjilbang I went to, there was a fire room, a red clay sauna, a salt sauna, an herb sauna, and a cool room. You can also eat snacks, watch tv, play games, or take a nap! I also made video of my trip so you can see more of what it’s like:
Hi everyone! Believe it or not, this is our second to last blog together! I can’t believe time has flown by so quickly and I’m really going to miss being able to share my experiences with you!
For one of our final blog posts, I want to talk about something that is absolutely fundamental to understanding Korean culture: Confucianism. Have you ever heard of this word before? If you’ve ever thought to yourself while reading my blog, “wow, that’s an interesting difference, I wonder why they do that”, Confucianism very well might be the answer!
What is Confucianism?
Confucianism is many things: a set of traditions, a philosophy, a way of life, and in many ways, a religion. Confucianism was created by a Chinese man named Confucius who was born around 550BC. Confucius was a very righteous man who spent his life teaching other what he believed was the most upright way to live.
Confucian ideas were spread to Korea fairly early on in it’s history. However, it wasn’t until the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) that Confucianism was really embraced.
Confucian Ideas:
Confucian ideology required that all people at all levels of society try to be the best, most righteous person they could be. Here are some of the most important ideas that Confucius wrote about.
Humaneness and righteousness: all people should strive to be pure and do only things that will benefit themselves and others. Treat people how you want to be treated.
Loyalty: people should be loyal to those who are above them
Filial Piety: one should respect and take care of their parents, family, and ancestors. Everyone should uphold their role and status in life so that they do not bring shame to their family.
Relationships: everyone should know their proper place in society and their relationships with others.
Junzi – the ideal person: one who upholds all Confucian values and does a lot for others, disciplines them self, speaks little, is loyal, is obedient and is knowledgeable.
Confucianism in Modern Korea:
Confucianism was deeply ingrained in every part of society during the Joseon Dynasty and the values were strictly upheld. Since the Joseon Dynasty Confucianism’s influence has greatly diminished. However, many of the core ideas and traditions are still very important to daily Korean life.
For example, filial piety and relationships are still very important values to Koreans. To many Koreans, family comes before all else. Also, many Koreans still think it is very important to perform rituals for their ancestors and to do rituals during important holidays (such as the lunar new year and Korean thanksgiving, Chuseok).
Table setting for a ritual celebrating death of family member
I would argue, however, that one of the most important remaining values of Confucianism is the idea of maintaining proper relationships. In Korea, hierarchy (social levels, who’s higher than you, who’s under you) is incredibly important. Things like age, social status, occupation, gender, etc. can greatly impact how you treat someone and the level of respect you show them. This has been perhaps one of the most difficult things for me to get used to in Korea. In America, if I met someone at my school who was a couple years older than me, I would treat them much the same as someone my age. In Korea, however, it would most likely be expected that I speak to them more formally, greet them with a bow, and do other various gesture to show that I’m being polite. Below are some common ways to show respect:
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Discussion:
While you have been reading my blog over the weeks, has there been anything that has surprised you or that you found weird about Korean culture? Do you think the culture difference you spotted could be a result of Confucianism?
For the Korean students in the class: when you came to America did you find it hard to adjust because of this? Or if you were born in America, do you see this cultural difference in your parents or other family?
Which differences stand out to you the most? How would you describe American (or whichever country your from) culture in contrast to a Confucian culture like Korea?
A while ago I was able to visit a traditional village near my college called Oeam Folk Village. The village is preserved so that the traditions and way of life from hundreds of years ago can be remembered in the modern day. Oeam Village was founded around 500 years ago and is still inhabited by the direct descendants of the founder! The village isn’t just a tourist attraction, it is the actual home of a few dozen people who live their lives without modern comforts in order to preserve a vital part of Korean culture. One of the most fun attractions is that you can pound and eat your own rice cakes made from rice harvested at the village!
Whether or not you want to, I’m sure that all of you are hearing a lot about the election in the US! Tensions are really high and many people are very upset in the US right now. Even though I’m all the way across the world I’m still being affected by this political drama! To make it even more intense, during the last few weeks Korea has been embroiled in a huge political scandal!
Background:
The current president of South Korea is a woman named Park Geun-Hye (박근혜).
Park Geun-Hye is currently in the 4th year of her 5 year-long presidency. However, a couple weeks ago big news came out about a scandal involving her and her close friend Choi Soon-sil (취순실).
The Scandal:
The media went crazy when word got out that Choi Soon-sil had actually been significantly influencing Park Geun-Hye during her presidency. In fact, it is said that Choi Soon-sil was given access to many classified government documents and had even help write Park Geun-Hye’s speeches! Things got even more heated when it was announced that Choi Soon-sil was known to be a part of a shamanistic religious cult. People are very upset because they feel their country is being led by a shaman women that they don’t know and didn’t elect. In addition to these aligations, Choi has also been accused of using her influence with Park Geun-Hye to recieve bribes. She has also apparently embezzled money from several non-profit organizations.
The Aftermath:
Choi Soon-sil was out of the country when news broke out of the scandal. When she arrived back in the country, however, she was immediately arrested and an investigation is going on now. In addition, the president is being severely criticized and her approval rating has gone below 5% which is incredibly low! In addition, many government officials have resigned as a result of the scandal. For the past few weeks there have been non-stop protests in Seoul. One article said that over 100,000 people were gathered in Seoul to protest at one point (even one of my classmates went to protest)! Below are pictures of the protests – you can see people holding red signs saying “Park Geun-Hye resign” and the big blue and yellow sign says “Impeach Park Geun-Hye”.
Here’s a short video that shows just how many people were out protesting. It’s also actually quite beautiful – I hope you all can see it if you’re on the school tablets!
My Experience:
Honestly, it has been a little scary being in Korea during this time! While I haven’t really seen the impacts of the protesting due to the fact that I’m so far away from Seoul, the scandal has been a really hot topic. I don’t really know much about Korean politics but I’ve asked many of my Korean friends about the president and I’ve never heard anything good about her, even before the scandal. One of my friends told me that he thinks she has no skill for politics and is just kind of a puppet. When I asked my friends about what they think of the scandal one of them said, “I don’t need to watch dramas anymore. Real life is more exciting than the drama”. Yet even though my friends told me that most Koreans don’t approve of Park and even though there are thousands of protesters in Seoul, many of my friends do not think that Park will be impeached or step down. They said that no one has every been impeached in Korea and it’s kind of difficult so it seems unlikely. Because Park only has less than a year left in her term, many think that she will stay in office but just hand over a lot of her power to the Prime Minister… No matter what happens, it’s already been a bit of a roller coaster ride and I’m sure that there is only more drama to unfold! From what I’ve heard from my family, not much news of this has spread to the US yet. The other day though my mom posted this picture on my Facebook page taken from the Gazette Times!
Discussion:
What are your thoughts on this scandal?
How would you feel if you were in my place? Scared? Angry? Neither?
Would you be surprised if something like this happened in America? How would you feel?
Do you think that president Park will be or should be impeached?
One of my first big adventures in Korea was going to Sindo Island! The island is located off the North West coast of Korea. It was kind of hard to get there because the island is so small and not a lot of people go there! We had to take two trains, two taxis and a boat to get to the house we stayed at! Once we got there though, it was amazing! It was very quiet and relaxing and we got to enjoy the beach and eat delicious sea food (I tried conch for the first time!). We also were able to rent bikes and bike around the island. Korea has a lot of small little islands off it’s coast, I hope I can visit some more before I leave!
It’s already been 6 weeks; can you believe that!? We’re over half way done with the blog! As I’m writing this I only have 44 days left until my flight back home! Crazy.
Anyway, this week we’re going to talk about Korean entertainment! Korea is actually quite famous for having an excellent entertainment industry, especially when it comes to music and TV dramas. I’ll be sure to make some suggestions if any of you want to watch or listen on your own!
Background
After the Korean war, Korea was left devastated, physically, culturally, and economically. After all the bad things that happened, Korea wanted to rebuild itself and become much more than the agricultural country it was before. In the decade following the war, Korea improved it’s economy to such a degree that it was called a miracle! In the wake of all of these improvements the country was making, many people took the opportunity to create brand new industries, like entertainment. From the 1950’s to 2000, Korea introduced things like movie theaters, television shows, and singing groups. While Korea was beginning to really enjoy these things, something very unexpected happened and people all around Asia began enjoying Korean entertainment culture! Before anyone knew it, Korean pop groups and TV dramas were being watched like crazy in Japan and China especially. This phenomenon is known as the “Hallyu Wave” and in some ways can still be seen today!
K-Pop
K-pop is one thing that Korea is very famous for. In fact, I believe many of you said that you had heard K-pop before. Remember Gangnam Style that was all the rage a couple of years ago? That was a very popular Korean song that got a lot of people around the world interested in Korean music!
The Korean music industry is known for being very intense. There are several large companies that create and run some of the most famous idol groups in the country. These companies usually hold auditions throughout the year to search for talented individuals (I even know someone who tried out!). If a person gets picked, they become a trainee and have to practice very hard night and day for years before they even have the chance to be chosen to join a group! There are also a couple shows similar to “American Idol” (one is called K-pop Star) that try to find super stars through a reality TV show.
Many groups that do debut, however, become incredibly famous. Many of the most famous groups have fan clubs and at some concerts, fans will even organize synchronized cheering! Because of this, K-pop concerts can be a lot of fun! I hope that I will get to go to one while I’m here! Below, I included a playlist of some songs that I hear on daily basis here in Korea. These are some of the most popular songs right now! I hear these on the street, in every store, and at the noraebang! Speaking of which, I don’t think I’ve talked about the noraebang yet! “Noraebang” means “song room”, but it’s really just a place to do karaoke! You can go sit in a private room with you and your friends and choose from hundreds of songs to sing (even American music! It’s very popular!) – it’s coin operated and only cost usually less that twenty five cents a song!
Korean Dramas
Dramas are another think that Korea is very famous for, especially throughout the rest of Asia. Korean dramas are especially popular because they do an amazing job of evoking feelings from the viewer. It’s very difficult to explain why the dramas are so likable and addictive but I think the reason is because the shows play on emotions that are universal. Everyone understands what it is like to have feelings for someone, therefore if a story is about liking someone, they can relate and feel the emotions as if it was happening to them. In my opinion, it is because Korean dramas do this so well that they are so successful.
Even if you don’t think you would like to watch a drama, I suggest you try watching an episode! Even if you don’t want to watch it for the story, it’s amazing how much about Korean culture you can learn from watching a couple episodes! If you are interested in trying a Korean drama, you could use dramafever.com. Right now I am watching a drama called “Jealousy Incarnate” and I’m really enjoying it!
Korean Variety Shows
Variety shows are perhaps the least known of the things we’ve been talking about, but they’re outrageously entertaining. It’s difficult to describe a variety show because we really don’t have anything like it in the United States. I guess the most solid definition I could give is “an unscripted challenge-based reality TV show”. Typically, a variety show will have a set cast that is on the show every week, along with a weekly appearance by some famous celebrities. Each week the cast is given various activities or games that they must succeed at in order to win that week. These shows are incredibly funny due to the fact that they are unscripted and involve some pretty zany activities. Also, because the cast is the same every week, you can get to know the cast and there are many inside jokes on the show. Below is a segment from the show “Infinity Challenge”, Korea’s #1 variety show. On this week, the American actor Jack Black visited Korea and joined the show!
Korean Movies
I would say in terms of international recognition, Korean movies are not incredibly famous. There have been a couple movies that have been popular outside of Korea, mostly in other parts of Asia. There is one movie called “Oldboy”, however, that is quite popular in America and is even on one of IMDB’s most popular lists. Lack of international recognition, however, does not mean that Korean movies aren’t good! I’ve watched quite a few Korean movies that I’ve really enjoyed, sometimes it’s just hard to know which movies to watch! Discussion
Have you ever enjoyed entertainment from other cultures? From Korea? How was it different from American entertainment?
Are there pros and cons of enjoying entertainment from other cultures? What can we learn from these kinds of entertainment?
After watching a few minutes of the Korean music videos and variety show I included, how do you think they’re different than American MVs and shows?
Also, last week I asked you all to provide me with some questions that you would like to ask to a Korean middle schooler. If you haven’t done that already, please do!
Kim Dodds Reporting Live from Korea 