History: Korea's Historical Sights Destroyed (The Burning of Nandaemun Gate

About three months ago (February 10, 2008) one of the most treasured historical sites in Korea was burned to the ground by a sixty-eight year old man who was upset by a land grievance. The Namdaemun Gate located in the heart of Seoul (the capital of South Korea). Before the gate was burned down to the ground in February 2008, it was the oldest wooden structure in Seoul. Although the Cultural Heritage Administration plans to rebuild Namdaemun Gate, it's a three-year project that will cost about twenty-one million dollars to rebuild.


However, what’s even more disheartening than the fact that it will cost twenty-one million dollars to rebuild this gate, is that now this is now one more historical site that is not in its original form. Unfortunately because South Korea has been invaded many times throughout history, many of its historic sites (and more accurately 90% of its non-religious historic sites) have been destroyed at some or another and especially during the Japanese Colonization Period and Korean War. According to Peter Bartholomew, president of the Korea branch of the Royal Asiatic Society and an expert on Korean architecture, it’s sad that “there’s so little left, it is just heartrending”. Namdaemun Gate was one of Korea's last historic sites in its original form, and as a result it was given the title of South Korea's No. 1 National Treasure, but now like many other historic sites it will have to be restored and rebuilt.


Some of the biggest questions raised as a result of this instance is how could this have happened, what measures did Korea take to protect this gate, and how well was this gate actually protected. After the burning of Namdaemun Gate this ignited anger in the hearts of many average citizens, politicians, and historical conservationists who demanded to know how a 610 year old historic site could’ve been so easily burned down. According to TIME when Lee Song Gun, a historian and researcher at the National Institute of Korean History, found out about that Namdaemun Gate burned down he was reduced to tears and said, “It is our pride and joy, so I feel ashamed that this happened. We should have protected it more.”


Since this was one of South Korea’s most beloved historic sites and national treasures it would make sense that it would/should be protected twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week by guards, video cameras, and other special types of equipment used to protect historic sites in other countries. For example in Japan, another country with many historic wooden structures, has taken many measure to protect its national treasures, including “sophisticated sprinklers” which are automatic and will turn on instantly if there’s ever a fire. However, according to David Mason, a professor at Kyung Hee University, “Korea’s preservation efforts are under funded and not enough attended to”. As a result, South Korea’s security system to protect its beloved historic sites fails greatly comparison, which is evident from how badly the fire damaged the gate before firefighters and government officials put it out.


Until it’s rebuilt Namdaemun Gate will remain a symbol, “a reminder of the fragility of Korea’s architectural legacy—and a test of just how serious the 5,000 year old culture is about preserving its remaining historical landmarks.”


{Video Clip: Burning of Namdaemun Gate}

Nationalism in Korea: World Cup (Where Soccer is Known as Football & a Symbol for the Country)

Korean people definitely have a love and pride for their country and one of the most evident ways in which they’ve shown it recently was at the World Cup in 2002. In fact the Seoul World Cup Stadium was built just for the World Cup in 2002 when Korea was chosen to host the World Cup along with Japan. Nationalism was clearly evident amongst the thousands of Koreans wearing red shirts with “Be the Reds!” written across it. Wearing the “Be the Reds!” t-shirt was not only a way for fans to show their adoring appreciation for their Korean team, but instead was also a way for everyone to show their love and pride in Korea. Everybody was wearing “Be the Reds!”- from the check-in-girls of Asiana Airlines to businessmen and their families, and from Buddhist nuns to the elderly. In addition, besides wearing red many popular music artists wrote songs especially for the World Cup in which the message of the song demonstrates national pride. Even the president at that time- President Kim Dae-jung is one of the 120,000 official members of the Red Devils (the cheering club for the South Korean national team). With all this pride in the Korean soccer team, it’s easy to assume that the Korean soccer team is good which would explain the overwhelming support by many Koreans. However, the Korean soccer team is actually not all that good which is why it was very surprising when the Korean soccer team showed signs of success in 2002. In fact according to an article in the Asian Times, there’s a very minimal love for soccer in South Korea; however, there’s a very great for what soccer represents- national pride. The surprising success of the 2002 Korean soccer team has also helped the Red Devils to be seen as of South Korea itself and most definitely a symbol of national pride.
{Bibliography: http://www.atimes.com/koreas/DF25Dg04.html}

{Video Clip: Koreans Demonstrating their National Pride at World Cup 2002}

{Video Clip: Singer Buzz singing “Reds Go Together!”}

Video Clip

Cyworld vs. MySpace vs. Facebook (Korea's Upcoming Technology)

Today Korea is quickly becoming one of the leading countries in technology it's one of the highly wired and biggest broadband countries in the world today, and according to CNN it's the most wired country in the world today. In fact South Korea's technology is advancing so quickly that CNN did a special video coverage called "Eye on South Korea".

According to CNN every household in Korea and every primary, junior, and high school has broadband internet in Korea. There's free television broadcasts on cell phones; professional online gamers with rock-star status (that's how seriously they take their gaming); humanoids replacing hosts, clerks, nannies and sentries; 17 million members on Cyworld; and a robot in every home by 2020.

CNN'S coverage on South Korea's Technology and Modern Culture:
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/10/12/eosk.video/index.html

{Here's Some Videos on that Website that will Highlight what I'm talking about:}

• 'Korean Wave'
• Move Over Facebook (Sample of Cyworld Homepage: http://www.cyworld.com/hansinbi1004)
• Future is Now in South Korea
• Tomorrow's Technology is Today
• Superstar e-athletes
• Cyber Education Sweeps Korea

"My Thoughts": After watching these videos it made America's technology seem like something from the stone age, and as the reporter said it's so impressive how Korea has went from one of the poorest countries to one of the most advanced countries in the world today. It's exciting to think that we can hopefully anticipate these new technological advances in the future in America. However, at the same time it's a little sad to think that despite America being a first world country in comparison to South Korea our technology is so behind.

Hallyu Wave Globally: Hallyu All Over!*~

Korean Dramas hasn’t only spread to the United States, but all over the world as well. Even Korean dramas itself have taken a global approach in its production, and it isn’t unusual to see popular Korean drama actors speaking more than one language in a drama. For example, the most common language besides Korean in Korean dramas is English; however, other languages that have also appeared in Korean dramas include German (Spring Waltz), French (My Lovely Sam-Soon & Romance in Paris), Japanese (Coffee Prince & My Girl), Chinese (My Girl), and Vietnamese (Golden Bride).

Korean Dramas have also been filmed in locations all over the world, and directors and producers don’t only limit themselves to the beautiful scenery of South Korea. For example, I’m Sorry I Love You was filmed partially in Australia, the beginning of Spring Waltz takes place in Austria, All In and Hotelier were both partially filmed in Las Vegas, Attic Cat was partially filmed in Japan, Golden Bride and Hanoi Bride were both partially filmed in Vietnam, Que Sera Sera was partially filmed in Singapore, Romance in Paris was partially filmed in Paris, France, and many other Korean dramas were filmed all over the world.

Korean dramas are neither limited by language nor location, and many of the actors and actresses actually speak more than one language. For example, one of the most popular English speaking Korean actors—Daniel Henney grew up in the United States and his first language is actually English rather than Korean. In fact many Korean actors can speak several languages, for example the very popular actor Lee Jun Ki speaks Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and English.

Due to the spread of Korean dramas globally, Korean dramas are also found all over the world, and is broadcasted in many countries including countries like Zimbabwe, Hungary, and countries in the Middle East. In Hungary the popular 2003 hit korean drama—Jewel in the Palace aired in February 2008 for the first time in a European country, and according to President Zoltan Rudi of MTV Hungarian Television, he claimed this drama will help to introduce foreign culture to the Hungarian public. In Zimbabwe, Jewel in the Palace also aired on television and although the article I read didn’t supply the viewer ratings, it discussed the Jewel in the Palace competition in Zimbabwe which was extremely successful. In Zimbabwe over 3.5 million people entered this contest from all over Zimbabwe, and there were so many contestants that ended up dividing the prize so that there were ten winners instead of only one. As a result of the successfulness of this competition, this also demonstrates the successfulness of the airing of this drama in Africa. This contest demonstrates the successfulness of this Korean drama in Africa because this wasn’t just a “lucky-number contest” or “enter your name and win”, but instead contestants were required to answer detailed questions about the content of this drama such as “what utensil was used” in a certain episode.

My purpose of discussing the Hallyu Wave at a global, national, and local level was to show that Korean dramas and Korean culture wasn’t only for Korean people, but for everyone. The Hallyu Wave has no boundaries and it’s not exclusive to a certain race, class, age, or even gender in most instances (although it is far more popular amongst women than men). The Hallyu Wave continues to excite and entice people all over the world, and I know it won’t be long before many other countries take an interest in the Hallyu Wave.

Hallyu Wave Nationally: Hallyu in the United States

Hallyu isn’t only evident in Hawaii but in other states all across the United States—from the west coast to the east coast. Like Hawaii, one of the best ways to spread Hallyu to the people is through the media, and more specifically television. Thanks to our advancing technology, the Internet and television in particular make it possible for Hallyu to reach United States citizens. Although KBFD in Hawaii is one of the only television stations to sub Korean dramas locally, Korean dramas are broadcasted in many states. For example, according to Koreanwiz.org Korean dramas are broadcasted on local stations in the following states—California (Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco), Hawaii (Maui and Oahu), Georgia (Atlanta), Illinois (Chicago), Maryland, New Jersey, New York (Bronx, Queens, New York metro area), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), Texas (Dallas), Virginia, Washington (Seattle), and Washington D.C. In addition, there are also several Korean stations that broadcast nationally to all fifty states, a few of which include—ImaginAsian TV, KBS America, and MBC America. With so much Hallyu advertisement it’s impossible for people all across America to not know at least one thing about Hallyu in some way or form. In New York there is even a theater that shows Korean films—ImaginAsian Theater, and although it doesn’t exclusively show Korean films but any Asian film, it nonetheless strongly helps to promote Hallyu in the US.

As I mentioned in my article about Hallyu Locally in Hawaii, one of the biggest ways that fans show their love and support Hallyu is through fan clubs, and Hawaii isn’t the only state with Hallyu fan clubs. In fact, some of the biggest Hallyu fan clubs are not in Hawaii but other states like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

According to an article in the Boston Globe besides cell phones, female golfers, and kimchi, one of the biggest exports has become Korean dramas. Although Korea does export Korean dramas with English subtitles it can cost quite a fortune for Korean drama fanatics and each series can cost up to a hundred dollars. However, fortunately due to the rising success of Korean dramas in the United States, the United States has their own company that produces Korean dramas with good English subtitles—YA Entertainment. In Hawaii, Korean dramas produced by YA Entertainment are sold at Wal-Mart, Costco, Borders, Blockbuster, and Tower Records for sometimes only the half the price that people pay for Korean dramas directly imported from Korea. On the mainland, these DVD’s are also sold at music and book stores, and online at amazon.com.

Although in the United States Korean dramas are most popular amongst Asian Americans, Korean dramas have also found popularity amongst non-Asian Americans as well. In an article by Boston Globe they interviewed a thirty-two year old African American woman who grew up in Durham, N.C., and she said she liked Korean dramas because “they’re not as smutty as American dramas”. Also like in Hawaii Korean dramas have found popularity amongst all age groups, and although its biggest supporters are still middle-aged women around their fifties and sixties, Korean dramas are quickly becoming popular amongst teenagers and most of the English blogs on Hallyu are written by American teenagers interested in Korean dramas.

Hallyu Wave Locally: Hallyu in Hawaii

In the United States, Hawaii is without a doubt one of the oldest and most supportive Hallyu fan bases and in fact Hawaii was one of the first states in the US to start a Korean Drama Fan Clubs. Listed below discusses Hallyu in Hawaii:

1) KBFD (Local Korean Television Station)
Hawaii is one of the only states that offers several subbed Korean dramas every night of the week and practically 24/7. Unlike many other states that although have Korean drama stations, the Korean drama do not have english subtitles and therefore many of the Korean drama fans cannot watch Korean dramas on their local Korean station. In addition, Jeff Chung, the general manager at KBFD puts out weekly synposis' and a special Hallyu article every Sunday in the Honolulu Advertiser which don't only talk about Korean dramas or relate to Korean dramas. For example, this week Jeff Chung talked about his study abroad trip to Korea and a summer Korean study abroad program.

{Sample of Jeff Chung's Article in the Honolulu Advertiser from this past Sunday: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080511/ENT05/805110314/1123/ENT}

2) Korean Drama Fan Clubs (ex. Bae Young Joon's Ohana, Ryu Si Won Fan Club, Hallyu Friends)
Hawaii doesn't only have one Korean Drama Fan Club but MANY Korean drama Fan Clubs for specialized interests. I myself belong to Hallyu Friends and the Ryu Si Won Fan Club, but in Hawaii there's probably more than ten different Korean drama fan clubs that support certain actors or singers. These clubs aren't only important because they support a certain star, but they're also important because they help to support Hallyu overall and keep the spirits of Hallyu fans alive with their enthusiasm. Their support also helps to bring Hallyu stars to Hawaii like Fly to the Sky most recently, Kim Bum Soo, Lee Jun Ki, Han Ji Won, Lee Byung Hun, etc. Many of the ladies in these Korean Drama Fan Clubs pay hundreds of dollars every time Hallyu stars to come in order to show their support and of course to meet these up close in person.

3) Beauty Touch Store
There are two Beauty Touch stores located in Hawaii, and probably the most popular one is located at the Don Quijote store near Ala Moana. Half of the store sells beauty products from Korea, and the other half of the store more importantly sells Korean dramas, CDs, Korean movies, and perhaps in some instances most importantly Korean Actors/Actresses memrobilia. For a Korean drama fan it's easy to walk into the store and spend almost a hundred dollars on korean drama memrobilia. However, in my opinion the Beauty Touch Store most importantly supports and at times host Hallyu events including a Hallyu Stars Basketball game where raised went to the Boys and Girls Club of Honolulu, Fly to the Sky Concert, Kim Bum Soo Concert, and several other events. These events that the Beauty Touch store hosts definetely helps to keep the Hallyu Spirit alive in Hawaii.

{Video Clip: From the Hawaii Fly to the Sky Concert}


4) Other forms of Support (ex. Korean Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival)
As I mentioned in a previous post the Korean Festival and the Hawaii International Festival is definetely one of the major supporters of Hallyu in Hawaii. Hawaii International Film Festival almost always annually brings in at least one Hallyu star every year, and at the Korean Festival there's always several booths related to Hallyu specifically but of course just the Korean Festival general which best demonstrates the best of Korean culture in Hawaii through it's food, entertainment, and many other culture booths like hanbok dressing and picture taking.

Pictures from Community Service Event

Hallyu & Me (Part III)

Although I didn't do these two community service projects specifically for this project, over the past year I've dedicated more than twenty hours of my time these two community service activities as part of Korean Club at Punahou School. Since the Korean community in Hawaii doesn't have many opportunities for volunteering, it was important to seize every opportunity possible! The largest and most important event where the Korean community gathers together and volunteers their time and effort is at the annual Korean Festival in July. Even though I've been to the Korean Festival before, last summer was the first summer I ever had a chance to volunteer.

The Korean Festival is very similar to the Okinawan Festival in that it has many food boths (such as Palama Market and Kimchee Hot Dog), kiddie games, culture booths (such as hanbok picture taking), entertainment including kimchee eating and karaoke contests, and so much more. The Korean festival is also the perfect place to become immersed in Korean culture, and I always visit the Hallyu booth which has an overwhelming collection of magazines, posters, pictures, and other memorobilia of Hallyu over the years. In addition, I also enjoy listening to the music which highlights both the older and more modern Korean songs. For example, this past year they had two very popular singers come from Korea- WAX and Lee Ki Chan.

{Clip of a News Report on Korean Festival 2007}



{Clip of WAX and Lee Ki Chan sining 오빠 (Oppa)}

The second community service project that I participated in besides the annual Korean Festival is the annual K-Fest sponsored by the Hawaii International Film Festival. Korean media (films, dramas, music, etc.) has become so popular in Hawaii as a result of Hallyu that Hawaii International Festival has dedicated one week to Korean Moves through K-Fest. Although I must admit it wasn't as exciting as Korean Festival, after my shift was over I was allowed to go into the theaters to watch the films for free and in that sense immerse myself in Korean culture through the movies! ^O^ This past K-Fest they had Hallyu star Lee Jun Ki make an appearance, and in the past they had other big name stars appear at the film fest such as Han Ji Won and Lee Byung Hun two other well respected veteran actors.

{Clip of Hawaii International Film Fest: Lee Jun Ki}

1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5pOxrfIpI8&feature=related

2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc2r_wgLEDk&feature=related

{Side Note: One thing that I would like to note about Korean actors and actresses that make them very different from American actors and actresses is that they're normally more personal in the sense that they'll accept leis, take pictures, and sometimes even give hugs to their fans! ^O^ This is one of the main reasons why the Korean Drama fans in Hawaii were so upset when Lee Jun Ki was rushed to the car after his arrival at the airport.}

Hallyu & Me (Part II)

For the second half of my project (besides this blog), I played three pieces from the "Seasonal Korean Dramas" (more officially known as "Endless Love" series) by the director Yoon Suk-Ho. These "Seasonal Korean Dramas" include four dramas (1 for each season). Yoon Suk-Ho has spent the majority of his cinematic career working on these, and he is by far one of the most well respected and well known veteran directors in the Korean Drama industry.

In addition, these "Seasonal Korean Dramas" have made Hallyu stars forever legendary in the Korean Drama Industry, for example Bae Young Joon who is probably the most famous and best paid Korean actor makes 200,000 US dollars/episode and 43 million US dollars/year. Even though its been six years since Winter Sonata was released in Korea it still enjoys continued fame especially in Japan where Bae Young Joon has an enormous and very dedicated fan club. In fact Bae Young Joon is so popular that Japan is releasing a cell phone based on Bae Young Joon which will be released sometime this year.

For many Hallyu fans Yoon Suk Ho's "Seasonal Korean Dramas" represents the structure or the basis of Korean dramas, which is probably because there a few Hallyu fans who haven't seen at least one of these dramas.

So...."What are the Seasonal Dramas?"

The first "Seasonal Korean Drama" was released in 2000 starring Song Seung-Hun and Song Hye-Kyo. This drama both made them legendary Hallyu Actors. So in honor of the first drama here's the main title song from Autumn Story/Autumn Fairytale/Autumn in my Heart




{My Critique: Fortunately this is one of the shortest and easiest pieces, but it's also one of my favorite songs from the drama and because it wasn't very difficult it wasn't so stressful to learn. However, since it was simple I tried my best to pay more attention to the artistry of the piece such as the dynamics and phrasing in each measure. Also making sure the melody could by clearly heard at all times. Although this piece is still by far not perfect, I hope my listener will be able to really hear the dynamics and appreciate the artistry that I tried to give to this piece.}

Compare: Here's a Video Clip of the Main Title Song from Autumn Story. Enjoy!

The second "Seaonal Korean Drama" was released in 2002 starring Bae Young-Joon and Choi Ji Woo. This drama both made them both the most well known Hallyu stars globally. At first I couldn't decide which piece to choose because there were so many excellent songs, but in the end I decided to choose one of the most well known songs from this drama so here's My Memory from Winter Sonata/Winter Ballad.



{My Critique: Although out of the three songs I learned this was the longest piece, it was probably one of my favorite pieces. However, although it was the longest piece it wasn't the most difficult piece out of the three because the technique wasn't as difficult. Nonetheless, I don't think I would ever be completely satisfied. It was difficult to record this piece because the songs is very long so if you listen really good you can actually point out the mistakes. Out of the three pieces I learned, I know this song the best and I really like the melody of this piece. In addition, this piece is also different because it has lyrics and in the drama it's normally heard with lyrics. }

Compare: Here's a Video Clip of the song My Memory w/ the English Translation

The third "Seaonal Korean Drama" was released in 2003 starring Song Seung-Hun again and Son Ye Jin. Although this drama didn't make her a legendary Hallyu star, she is still recognized today as a well respected veteran actress. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a solo piece from this drama, so I don't have a piano song for this drama. However, I'll still post a music video from this drama. Unlike the other songs I posted so far this song is more upbeat; however, I really enjoy this song because it's associated with nature scenes in Summer Scent.

Here's a Video Clip of the song Say Yes from Summer Scent!

The fourth and final "Seaonal Korean Drama" was released in 2006 starring two new actors- Seo Do-Young and Han Hyo-Joo for a change instead of veteran actors as Yoon Suk-Ho chose in the past. It also starred Korean-American actor Daniel Henney who although can't speak more Korean than an Elementary school student won Korean drama lovers over with his good looks. Danniel Henney is also relatively new and hasn't starred in many Korean dramas because he can't speak Korean; however, he speaks perfect English. In Spring Waltz he speaks mostly English and only very little Korean. So in honor of the fourth and final installment here's Teardrop Waltz from Spring Waltz.

{My Critique: This is the last song I learned and for me it was the most difficult song to learn of the three pieces. This piece was difficult because the technique was little harder, and I didn't feel I was able to covey the artistry of the piece that was suppose to, and it took several recordings for me to be somewhat satisfied. At first the piece was too fast and it sounded too rushed, then there didn't seem to be any dynamics, and because the microphone was closer to my right hand when I was playing the piano it sounded so much louder than the left hand. As a result I kept having to re-record. This piece definetely has the most mistakes, so as of right now it still needs a lot of work in my opinion.}

Compare: Here's a Video Clip of the song Teardrop Waltz. Enjoy!

The best thing about these "Seasonal Korean Dramas", and the reason why I enjoy watching them is because of the way that the director captures the best of the beauty in Korean nature, and the "Seasonal Korean Dramas" captures the beauty of the changing seasons in Korea. Although the similarities between the dramas start to get old, for example the love triangle story plot, the picturesque scenes never fails to capture my attention.

Hallyu & Me (Part I)

안녕!저는 조이입니다.만나서 반가워요 ☺
(Hello! I'm Joy. Nice to meet you!)

I first became interested in korean dramas two years ago as a result of a good friend and partially my family as well. From what started as a fanaticism for Korean dramas slowly spread into a love for Korean culture and all things Korean.

"What is Hallyu?"

In Korea the sudden interests in Korean pop culture is known as the 'Hallyu Wave'. Hallyu Wave a.k.a the Korean Wave is especially evident in Asian countries. The term Hallyu actually originated in China in mid 1999 by Beijing journalists who noticed the growing popularity of South Korean goods in China; however, today it has become a global term. The Hallyu Wave officially began with the export of Winter Sonata (the most well known and overall the most popular Korean drama).

"Riding the Hallyu Wave-> ♥" (A Mini Composition)

I’ve become Korean according to my friends and my parents, immersing myself and changing my life around me to reflect what I believe is Korean. My ears instantly perk up at the slightest mention of Korea, Korean Dramas, 하류 (Hallyu), or anything I remotely relate to being Korean. I even recently restricted myself to purchasing only clothes from South Korean brands online, my Ipod only contains music from Korean dramas or songs sung by Korean Pop Artists, and the few albums I own that include Japanese songs are sung by Korean artists. I’ve even turned my cell phone into what my friends have deemed the “K-phone” (my Iphone turned into a Korean phone), because it features pictures of Korean flower bouquets with sparkly pink netting, my favorite actor 주지훈 (Joo Ji Hoon), and of course my favorite Korean dramas like 궁 (Goong). Slightly tacky, overboard, and obsessive perhaps, but some people might say it’s a way of demonstrating my love and interests for my heritage and culture. However, I must digress, I am not Korean, not even one percent. I’m purely simply, and only Japanese.

It would be impossible to deny who I am, my Japanese heritage, the numerous bowls of おぞに (Ozoni) I’ve devoured every New Year’s morning, and going to bon dances with friends. However, while I believe it’s important to understand, appreciate, and immerse myself in my own Japanese culture, over the past three years I’ve come to not only appreciate my Japanese culture and heritage but the Korean culture as well. My interest in Korean dramas has slowly blossomed into a passion for the Korean culture, and over the past three years has probably been my greatest cultural experience. It has led me on many great adventures like learning the 한글language, participating in Korean community cultural events in Hawaii, trying new foods, joining and organizing clubs, reading a different genre of books (books popular in Korea that have been translated into English, and even turning my dislike into playing piano into something that I enjoy.

Many people are often only immersed and feel closely associated with their own culture, which is by no means wrong, but very predictable and easily appreciable. Being practically immersed in only my Japanese culture for my entire life, up until three years ago, I easily took things such as knowing what words like おぞに (Ozoni) and着物 (kimono) meant for granted. Three years ago, words like 엄마 (umma), 아빠 (appa), and 친구 (chingu) was completely foreign to me, and each time I learned a new word it was like tasting the sweetness of candy or ice cream for the first time. The words dripped with familiarity and seemed to easily flow off my tongue in some conversations with friends, as if I spoke them all my life. Learning new words became addicting, each one a delicious delicacy to be devoured. Korean language classes suddenly became a must have, and leading me from one “adventure” to another new “adventure”…

I’ll never forget the first day or Korean language classes, the slight intimidation, the fear, and the excitement all tangled up inside me. Walking to the two-story white Korean Presbyterian Church, and wondering whom my teacher would be and if anyone spoke English. I was singled out and introduced as the non-Korean girl which was very important since everyone else was Korean, even the blonde hair elementary school girl with blue eyes was half Korean and spoke and understood more Korean that I did. I couldn’t speak as well or understand as much as everyone else in my class who grew up their entire lives listening to at least one parent speak Korean. In addition to being the only non-Korean in my class, I’m also the oldest in my class as well. Receiving my two Korean workbooks were like my most cherished presents on Christmas day, but reading my assigned one or two sentences from the story about two talking pairs of shoes was one of my greatest fears. Not because I had to read it out loud (although I do fear public speaking), but because I so desperately wanted to be good at reading and speaking the Korean language, something that seemed impossible, that I couldn’t bear the thought of someone telling me I was bad at it. All the other elementary and middle school kids in my class were so lucky that all Korean words seemed to naturally role off their tongue, especially since they didn’t seem even a tenth as interested as I was. It was so easy to be jealous of the kids who could sleep at the back of the class and say the correct answers when 선상님 (seonsangnim= teacher) called on them, especially since I was rigorously taking notes. Korean classes also led me from one adventure to the next, because for the first time I got to try new authentic Korean foods that I never had the chance to try before.

I never would have got to try 떡복이 (Tukbokki= Spicy Rice Cakes) or 만두국수 (Mandooguksu= Mandoo Soup) if it wasn’t for Korean language classes. I realize that now, being the somewhat picky eater that I am, my mom would probably not have allowed me to order it at a Korean restaurant and would’ve been too afraid that I wouldn’t eat it and only waste food. Trying new “authentic” Korean foods was in many ways an adventure for me, because like my secret desperation and want to be able to speak Korean well, I also desperately wanted to like these Korean foods. I don’t think anyone was more excited to be eating spicy rice cakes than I was. I could distinctly remember one of my favorite scenes from my favorite Korean drama 궁 (Goong) where 채경 (Chae-Kyoung) was so happy to be eating spicy rice cakes with her school friends when she wasn’t suppose to, and as I reflect back on that moment I think I desperately wanted to emulate her and her happiness.

My Korean cultural experiences have also led me to think about my 금 (geum), my dreams. Since I’ve become interested in the Korean culture, my life has seemed to greatly circle around it, and my dreams have definitely changed along the way. I dream of going to Korea now, and I can almost see myself hiking up Mt. Halla and screaming at the top of my lungs to relieve stress. I imagine eating kimchi and spicy rice cakes in one of the small restaurants owned by ajummas, running through the soft yellow daisies on Jeju Island. I dream of studying Korean in college and studying abroad at the infamous and prestigious Seoul University. However, if someone told me even four years ago that learning about Korean culture would be my number one interest, I probably wouldn’t believe them. Sometimes I even wonder I must admit if I’ll wake up one morning and wonder why I enjoy learning about the Korean culture so much, especially since I’m not Korean. However, although my dreams might seem foolish, I believe that my greatest cultural experience should constitute as something that changed my life and who I am, whether it might be for better or worst. For the rest of my life, this will probably be my greatest cultural experience, because what could be a more remarkable “cultural lesson” than being able to learn to appreciate and experience a culture other than your own.