1000 Person

Whoever the 1000th person is that visits this blog...

COMMENT!~

Not a lot of time to talk, because I'm leaving for Pusan City in half an hour and I haven't even packed, but I wanted to get you all some pictures before I left.  I'm excited to go to Pusan, because it's the city I was born in.  I'm not expecting anyone to welcome me or anything, but I think it'll help put some completion on my big adventure.

Here's a picture of the group in front of the Han river.  The sparklers are for the Korean holiday (I'm not sure which one).

This is me and the pottery master trying to make traditional Korean ceramics.  Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was doing.

While this is an ordinary looking photo, it actually is a photo of the group of us in North Korea past the DMZ line.  We had to take a picture in this building... or else be arrested.  It was intense.  We also saw some North Korean tourists leave the building before we could get near.

Me at the B-boy concert.  Looking the opposite of ghetto.

Peace out everyone,

---CJ

Update

Whew!  These last few days have been crazy busy; I get done with each day and go straight to bed-regardless of what time it is.  I haven't had a whole lot of time to process it all.  I realize that most of you don't know what my daily schedule is, so here's a simple breakdown:

7:00 AM-Wake up for showering, etc.

8:00 AM-Breakfast

9:00 AM-Class on Korean Culture

12:00 PM-Lunch

Afternoon/evening: Excursion/Field Trip into Seoul

11-12 PM: Bed

I realize that it's more specific in the morning, but each afternoon and evening has been pretty different thus far.

Two nights ago we went to a show called Ballerina Meets B-Boy , this crazy theatrical performance that is nothing but non-stop breakdancing for an hour and half.  I was hesitant at first, but after seeing some of the stuff these people could do, I forgot all about my reluctance to go to the show.

Last night we went to the house of representatives and then to the largest church in the world.  It wasn't a fantastic afternoon, but pretty educational.

I've got to go make breakfast now. Peace out everyone!

---CJ

I Won!

YES!

I can't wait to get home and try it out.

Bullet List Time!

Here's a bulleted list of my activities for the last few days:

-I stayed over at Yohan's house for a homestay.  I met his parents and his adorable younger sister (she's six).  It was good times.  Yohan is originally from outside of Seoul in the countryside.  It was about a three hour trip to get there, but it was an adventure once we did.  Jake and I dipped our hands into the mud of the Korean West Sea, ate a grub (like... a small worm) that evidently is considered to be "very delicious" (it's not), and sat through nearly 8 hours of church.  Yohan's a nice guy, he gets frustrated really easily because of his English, but he's the only one that tries to make actual jokes, so that's something.

-We went to the South Korea vs. North Korea national soccer game.  Suffice to say, it was a blast.  It ended in a tie, but I still had a great time.

-We spent most of our day shopping.

-Two nights ago we went to a traditional Korean music performance.  It was actually pretty entertaining.

-One night ago, we went to a show called "Nanta", a fushion between a comedy and a STOMP-esque performance.  It genuinely laughed throughout the entire thing.  It was great.

-I'm not too homesick anymore.

-I am, however, finding it difficult to adjust to the transition back to traveling with a group.  Everything goes slower: traveling, making simple choices (where do we eat?), and even getting a metro ticket.  I got pretty frustrated today with everyone; ironically I meditated this morning on the peace of God and how I can bring that to fruition.  I guess I have a lot of work to do...

-That's all.  Everything else is going well.  Bye for now!

I'm in Love...

I think I've fallen in love with the Nikon D40.  I've been looking at purchasing one since my trusty Vivitar broke on me earlier this summer, and I've been thinking about a Digital SLR for longer than that.  Luckily, Hannah, the girl in the picture with me and the robot (I'll let you guess which is which), owns a D40 that she let me try out a few times over these last few days.

I'm not sure I'm capable of taking a poor picture with it.

Stupid blogger software won't let me give you a good resolution to view these pictures at, but I thought they turned out alright.  I'm going to probably buy one of these bad boys right when I get home, or maybe even before that.   One thing is for sure: I could definitely use one for art/graphic design/awesomeness.

A hardcore Korean guard from a weapon demonstration.  Notice me trying to look hardcore.  How sad.

Water glasses.  Amazing that her camera makes these even look good.
Ha!  Starbucks, I have infiltrated your stores and snatched a picture.  
Figurines in Insadong.

(continued)

The man, Dr. Shim.  What a kooky dude.
Chris.
Yohan.

Tired...

Folks,

Sorry I haven't gotten up to updating this in the last few days; it's been super busy and I've not had a lot of time or internet access.

I've taken a lot of pictures and will post them within the next few days.

I'm doing fine.  Everything is going well.

---CJ

Bumps

Dear Tyler,

I can't prove anything to you, unless you want to read the receipt and report I got from the doctor's office. As you might remember, my camera was damaged in an unfortunate accident involving some apple cider, and wasn't working as of the date of my bumps. I had a replacement camera, but it couldn't pick up the tiny red bumps on my arms.

Also: by the time you responded to my blog, the bumps were pretty much gone. Allergic reactions (especially when blasted by radiation on a daily basis) disappear within a few days of whatever consuming the offending food.

If you would have asked earlier, you might have caught a glimpse.

But... you didn't.

Your friend,

---CJ

Study Abroad!

Hey everyone!  Above is a picture of me and Lori, the one child I hadn't gotten a picture with yet.  I don't understand why all of the children in my pictures look so sad; they're never that sad when we're actually doing something fun (unlike taking pictures).  Anyway, I'm smiling because a certain someone insisted that I smile in my next photo.  So here!

Study Abroad

Today was the first day of the study abroad.  After a rousing breakfast of eggs and toast, we went to our first introductory course on Korean culture.  It was fairly boring, but we soon set out for the Korean National Palace.  This restored-palace is the nicest of all the palaces in Seoul (who knew there'd be so many?), and is accessible only through guided tour.  Dr. Shim made sure we knew that.  

Here is a picture of me standing in front of the palace throne room thing where the king resided.  Eat your heart out, Mulan.  And Laura Beth.  

A picture of our merry group.  Some of you might be wondering where Hannah Watters is.  Well, turns out that the floods of Cedar Rapids were a little worse than we all thought, and she's going to be joining us tomorrow night (although really, she'll be so tired we won't notice her for a few days)!  

Other than that, nothing else is really happening.   I'm feeling pretty homesick right now; I can't really explain why.  While we were in the national museum, I just sat down and missed home.  I mean, I'm having fun, but seeing the new-ness of Seoul on the faces of all of the people here is proving to be too overwhelming.  I'll get over it though; I'm not the sort of person to dwell too long on one thing like that.

Okay, that's all I have.

Much love,

---CJ

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Book Two

I read Dean Koontz's Frankenstein last week, although I never got around to telling anyone about it. I wonder if it's because I'm ashamed that I would read such campy stuff. Anyway, after reading the first part of this trilogy, I became somewhat interested and picked up the second book to read. That was two years ago. This summer, as I was packing away some books, I wanted something I could read in the plane, so I grabbed this one.

It's not a great book, really. But then again, I don't think it aims to be a piece of literary genius, either. I'd say that it did what it set out to do: entertain me without thinking much. Like watching TV.

Still, I've reported all of the other books I've read thus far, so I should tell you about this one too.

The basic story is that Dr. Frankenstein and his monster are still alive and that they are waging war against each other. On the one side, Dr. Frankenstein is creating armies of genetic monsters to destroy mankind. On the other side, his monster is trying to take him down-teaming up with a pair of lover cops in the process.

I'm embarrassed. I can't type any more.

See you later!

Final Full Day

Today is the final full day of my epic first-half adventure in Korea. Tomorrow I will start the study abroad program with the students from Dordt and Northwestern. It's a bittersweet affair; I'm looking forward to the change, but I really have enjoyed myself over this last month.

Last night Dr. Kwon and family took me out to an Italian resturant and we had a great time. At one point in the meal, Dr. Kwon told me that they consider me to be part of their family. The more I thought about this (obviously) very gracious statement, I realized that something strange has happened.

One of the biggest questions that I got before I came to Korea was: "do you want to find your birth family?" To which I would respond, "It'd be nice, but I don't expect to." And I was right. The Holt people tell me that they probably won't be able to find my mother this summer.

But it turns out that I have found a family that I have come to appreciate, learn from, and (in some small way) consider to be mine. I imagine that if I ever do meet my birth mother, I will never connect with her in the same way that I've connected with these people. It truly has been one of the most unexpected good things to happen to me while I've been over here.

Anyway, tomorrow is a day of change. I'll let you all know how that goes.

---CJ

The Zoo!

(pictured above: getting ready to leave in the van!) Today we went to the zoo! I helped watch the preschool class as they adventured to the children's zoo in downtown Seoul. Below are some pictures.

The girl who is looking right at the camera with the pudgy legs is less than two years old. Her mom figured she should get a headstart on early childhood education, so she's offically a student in the preschool class. She gets a lot of special treatment, because, well, she's less than two years old! But she's usually pretty upbeat and ignorant of her surroundings.

Watch as the children (and teacher) feed the monkey next to the sign that clearly says (in English!) don't feed the animal.

This is Jun-ya. I swear to you, he was smiling before we took the picture. But then the camera came out and he got sad. The kid doesn't like posing, obviously.

That's all. Not a lot of text, but I hop eyou enjoyed the few pictures!

---CJ

Commenting

Goodness gracious Ken and Amanda, I never saw how much you two posted in my past posts...!

ART!

After fiddling around with my camera for about half an hour, I figured out how to take photographs, provided that I have adequate lighting and a lot of time, so here is some art that I've done in the last two days!



Seri has a McDonald's toy Jazz from the movie Transformers, and since I hadn't ever drawn a transformer before, I figured I'd go off of that for a reference and fill in the blanks. It turned out a little more stout than I imagine Jazz being, and some of the perspective is a little wonky, but I think it turned out alright.

This was one of those pictures that I just get sick of working on. I got about 3/4 of the way complete, and I was really tempted to just quit and start a new picture. I'm still not sure if it was worth it.

This picture was inspired by waiting at the bus stop. Not a whole lot to say about it, really.

Heath, here is that picture of Wolverine and/or Nightcrawler you asked for at the beginning of the semester. I just can't make a more serious looking picture for the life of me; I don't know why! I'll be sure to give you the original when we see each other again.

That's all for today; I'm off to go read with James and Sean.

---CJ

Poisoned!

Doctor

Well, this morning I woke up and Dr. Kwon, in her own sleep-induced stupor, told me to get some pants on because we were going to see the doctor.

We walked the few blocks downtown and went to see a dermatologist about the little red bumps on the underside of my arms, right below my navel, and possible on my legs (although we haven't yet confirmed that those red spots are new). She asked me a lot of questions ("Did you touch any strange plants/Did you come into contact with anyone new?") while her nurse took notes. Perhaps the most (to me) absurd question was, "Did you eat any new foods or develop any new eating habits?"

No, I've always had kim-chee three times a day.

Anyway, the nurse took me to the back room, soaked my hands in bright purple water, and then gave me a shot. In the butt. She looked very embarassed to have to mime to me that she had to give me my injection there, because she couldn't just tell me in Korean...

So now the doctor officially thinks that I've eaten something strange, because if it was an outside allergy (from the yellow dust, for instance), I would be itching. I'm not supposed to eat any new food for a while, and have to continue treatment for the next few days. Including the shots in the butt. Sad day indeed.

Shirts

On the bright side, I was drawing a picture last night and Dr. Kwon came into my room with two new shirts from Bang Bang. I think she felt bad for ruining my white polo shirt with a red t-shirt, despite the fact that it was my fault. Or she thinks my clothing style is gross. Anyway, I have two new shirts now. Score.

Art

I have a few new pictures (including one for you, Heath), but I have no camera! I'll try to track something down here in a little bit...

Peace!

---CJ

(EDIT: I realized that I made a reference to the "yellow dust" in this post. For those of you that don't know, the yellow dust is dust that comes from the gobi desert. It mainly affects children, but foreigners have some trouble with it, too.)

Bumps...

Are getting worse.

I'm breaking out in small red bumps all over my body now. It was just my underarm at first, but now they're spreading.

I might need to see a doctor or something.

*eep*

(Don't worry; it doesn't itch or anything... it's just sort of gross looking.)

---CJ

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

I didn't tell any of you this, but I finished "A Hearbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by David Eggers last week. I'm still processing it, but overall I enjoyed the book. It wasn't a great book; it was no better or worse than many of the other autobiographical memoirs I have read in the past, but it did have a few points of interest.

Eggers uses some pretty smart and witty rhetorical devices to keep the readers attention. The best part about the entire experience of this book is noticing how self-aware he is. A clever comment here or there to keep things fresh and to change perspective are all I needed to keep reading this somewhat lengthy book.

I'm not sure that I would suggest it to you, but if you're interested in reading about the life of a twenty-something in the early nineties trying to raise a pre-teen boy, then this book is for you.

CJ Tries Something Korean: Dried Squid.

Dried seafood is all the rage in Korea. This (I think) stems from the fact that there was at one time no way to refrigerate food, and so drying food was the next best solution to pickling them (hence, kim-chee). Everyone developed a taste for it, and so they kept it around.

I picked up this little beauty in a convenience store in the Gangnam underground shopping terminal.




Upon opening it, I was at first really scared. How disgusting sounding, right? But then again, so is beef jerky (or elk jerky, for that matter), and so I opened my mouth, grabbed a few of the tendrils with my teeth and chomped down.

I nearly vomited.

I have not, so far, found a food in Korea that I have not been able to choke down and smile. I mean, sure, some kim chee is pretty bad. Some soup is pretty hot. But this... this... squid thing, is without a doubt the most disgusting thing I've ever put in my mouth. I spit it out almost immediately. Dr. Kwon was offended. Dr. Lim laughed, because he hates it too. I am embarrassed.

For the record, fresh squid, cooked squid, and even jellyfish taste MUCH better than this stuff.

final score:
-1000000/5

Update

Bullet point update time (because I have little time):

-Went to the Seoul Internation Film festival last night. Saw two movies, one of which was one of the best films I have seen. It is called "Wellness." I am so hip.

-I am having an allergic reaction to something and I have red bumps all over my arms. Eep. I hope I don't choke on my tongue.

-I have art, but no camera. Sad day.

-I have no camera. Sadder day.

-I will post more later. Peace!

---CJ

CJ Tries Something Korean: Miz Black Chocolate Cookies

I was in the local convenient shop the other day and saw this box of cookies sitting on the counter. I picked it up for 500 won and brought it home. The phrase on the box says, "Hope you enjoy these delicious mini chocolate cookies." I hope so too, because they look like dog food.

But you know, they aren't that bad. It's a small bag, but for such weird looking cookies (more like cereal than anything), they taste really good. It's sort of like eating the Oreo part of an Oreo McFlurry without the ice cream. Or the frosting. But the chocolate cookie part, that's for sure!

Final rating:

4/5

Sorry!

I just noticed that my last post was over three days ago. There really isn't an excuse for it, I just got busy. Or rather, I didn't get busy. I was so overwhelmed with the mundane that I hardly had anything to write about... so I didn't. Beyond finishing James Patterson's Cross, and moping around the house for a few days, I did some publicity writing for a few friends, tried to tie up some loose ends here and there via e-mail, and slept. A lot.

But I'm back. Without a camera, but I'm back.

Today was an excellent day. I woke up this morning and Dr. Kwon asked me if I wanted to go with Jun to the Korean Folk Museum. I know, I know, it doesn't sound that great. But since today was Memorial day and I didn't have any lessons, I figured I'd better get out of the house one way or the other. So Jun and I went to the Korean Folk Museum and the Korean Palace Museum. It was a ton of fun; I learned a lot about traditional culture here, and a little bit of historical information. There were guards dressed in traditional garb, and the entire thing the restored Korean Palace. I wish I had a camera, but the battery was dead. I got off a few shots, but I can't access them until I charge up the battery.

After the Korean folk museum, Jun and I went to McDonalds (where he ordered two super-sized fries and four chicken McNuggets for us) and went to his grandparents' apartment. We ate and I went shopping. I realized that the jeans I brought to Korea are on the verge of falling apart. Literally, I can see my knees through the not-yet torn fabric. So I bought some new jeans from a store called Bang Bang. They're pretty nice, and for only 25,000 won, too.

I went back, had a great Korean meal, and then I went with Jun, Juns' grandmother, and Ceri to the tallest building in Seoul. The entire floor was an observation tower, and you could see practically the entire city from there. It was night and everything was lit up, and we were 60 stories in the air... it was great.

Jun's grandmother invited me to go to a "salt bath" with her and a friend tomorrow. I have no idea what this means. All I know is that she is going to try to make my once-white but not pink clothes white again (stupid red sock) and feed me more food.

That's all I have for now,

---CJ

Water for Elephants

I just finished reading "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. It's a story that takes place within a old-fashioned circus in depression-era America. The story follows Jacob Jankowski, a twenty-three year old Cornell student who drops out of college and joins the circus after his life falls apart. In the circus, he falls in love with a few women and learns a lot about another lifestyle that is full of division, social ranks, and absurdity.

Gruen does some clever things in her writing to keep the reader entertained, and the story isn't terrible either. Unfortunately, I found the "love story" between Jacob and his main woman to be pretty two-dimensional. He loves her but there are complications. We get it.

What the author does succeed at is portraying an obscure setting in a totally believable way. There is little doubt in my mind that the circus of the 1930s and 40s must have really been similiar to what is described in this book. There are dramatic flairs, to be sure, but she claims to have based many of the outlandish stories on actual fact.

Anyway, just thought you'd like another book to read. Peace out party people!

---CJ

What Day is it Again?

Whew! Sorry that I haven't posted in a few days, folks. I just haven't had a chance to get to a computer or nothing interesting happened on either of those days. Regardless, here is a post for today.

Hofbrauhaus Seoul

Last night Mr. Kim and I went out to what he referred to as "the best micro-brewery" in Seoul. The Hofbrauhaus Seoul, a German micro-brewery that apparently has seen it fit to place an obviously European flavored chain in the middle of an Asian country. I don't think I ever got used to seeing Korean girls dressed up in German dresses>. It was a lot fun; we ate delicious homemade sausage and a sirloin steak salad and enjoyed the various ales the place had to offer. I can't imagine the place was cheap... I'm incredibly thankful to him for paying me to meet for English conversation and buying me meals, but also because he wants me to experience Korean culture from an insiders' perspective. The alternative is sitting at the apartment doing nothing, which never sounds fun.

Chris

For those of you that read this blog and know Chris Bergst, he sent me an e-mail today. I thought you might want to read it.

"It is all over!!!!!! We are done! No more pain for me! And I believed you
promised me a dance! I guess I will have to take your word for
it. I woke up May 24th with no pain but have been hesistant to make an
announcment because I wanted to me sure it was all for real. It is...
Good times!"

Chris suffered a pretty major concussion during a soccer practice last fall that took him off of the team and limited practically all of his physical activity down to zero. His brain was bruised up pretty badly, and he lived every day in constant pain. He lost his short-term memory as well. Anyway, if you're interested in e-mail Chris, please feel free to: cbergst@nwciowa.edu

I'm sure he'd appreciate it.

Art

My own Jesus Revolution! On a dinosaur!

James and Sean

James and Sean are two little guys that I work with. We read simple books and they tell me about Power Rangers. Here is a picture of the two of them with me shortly before they tried to jump me and steal all of my candy.

I forgot a title!

Church

I went to church today at Jamshil (the church that Eunices' parents are at). It was a good service, despite the fact that I couldn't understand any of it. Eunice's dad talked about how we should live lives with purpose (I don't think he's read the 40 days book) and use our gifts to further God's kingdom. Very interesting, as it doesn't line up with what I thought typical Korean theology was.

After church, Ken and Elizabeth, the two American teachers I met last week, introduced me to Mr. Lee, the conductor of the South Korean Navy band and also one of the most famous trombone players in the country. I guess he takes Ken and Elizabeth out because he wants to practice his English. Elizabeth told me that when he calls, "We have to say yes." Important guy, I guess. Anyway, we ate beef belly grilled at our table and also had some other very tasty dishes. I don't think any animal belly is "good for you", but it tastes so good.

Bartering

Today I told Elizabeth that I was going to barter in the local market, and I was going to lower the price of something, and I was going to buy it. I was through being a chump. So I strapped on the headphones, put on some Jay-Z and headed down to the Gangnam underground market. I walked into a mens' clothing store, the same one I had been to before, and I started the game.

Me: English?
Old Korean woman: Anyong!
Me: Oh.
Her: Oh! White shirt! [I had previously bough a white shirt from her.]
Me: Yeah! White shirt!
Her: Ah!
Me: Tie!
Her: Oh!
(she shows me some blue ties. I choose one.)
Me: How much?
Her: 10,000 won.
Me: Too much! [I point down] Lower!
Her: [smiles incredulously] Ah!
Me: Lower!
(she pulls out a calculator and punches in 8,000)
Her: Okay?
Me: Not great, but okay.
Her: Okay!

I then proceeded to buy another shirt and knocked off over a third of the price. Actually, she tried to sell me a shirt for 20,000 won when she had previously sold me the same shirt for 15,000 right off the bat. All in all, I got a silk shirt and a tie for 20,000 won. Victory was mine! After that, I asked her if I should wash the shirt in cold or warm water. She tried to sell me a coat. I left.

Below is a picture of me and my conquest:

Art

My friend Joe and I met for dinner last night near the Hankuuk University of Foreign Studies. We had a traditional Korean meal (with delicious soup) and caught up. I met Joe while I was in Amsterdam, and she told me call her up while I was here. I did, and it was a delight seeing her. She is such a gentle person, but very honest and full of something that is almost other-worldly in nature. Anyway, the picture below is courtesty of Joe Bok. The "Alpha" and Nandaemun market are names I needed to remember. I'm going there to look around, possibly for a new camera.

Also featured is a picture that isn't nearly as good, but I did on the subway on the way home.


I also met one of my student's older sisters. They're around 21 and 24, and they go to a local art school. We showed each other our work, and then talked about American and Korean culture. Brett, if you're reading this, they were impressed that I knew so many animes. I told them that you taught me everything I know.

Th-th-th-th-that's all folks!

---CJ