Aloha all!
I am now fully settled back into life in Hawaii and finally have some time to sit down and reflect on the past semester spent in Seoul, South Korea. Needless to say, studying and living in Korea for these past four months was truly an amazing experience. And I would not have been able to do this without the generous help of Mr. Graeme Freeman and Mrs. Doreen Freeman. I can definitely say that this was the best time that I've had in my life. Every time I think back to the memories of living in Korea, it still feels unreal to me. I never would have dreamt that I would be able to live on my own in a foreign country for such an extended period of time. After living in Korea for so long, it really feels like my home away from home. Even now, I feel "homesick" when I think of Korea and all the wonderful people that I have met there (or it could just be the reverse culture shock speaking).
Although I miss practically everything about Korea, what I will miss the most is the group of lifelong friends I made there. Not only did I meet many Korean friends, I also met a large number of international friends. Although most of us are separated now, I am glad to know that I have friends all across the globe. This was a true "international" exchange experience as I got closer to my international friends and learned more about their countries. This experience gave me new interest and reason to travel to many other countries in the future.
After doing this exchange program, I feel that it has changed me in many ways. Not only have I learned many things throughout this trip, but I have also gotten to know myself a little bit better. This experience has molded me into a more independent and wiser person. I can now say that I succeeded in living on my own and taking care of myself in a foreign country. It has also taught me to fix what I don't like about myself and overcome my fears. One example is that I've always been a shy and timid person and I've always wanted to be more sociable around people. Being in a foreign country and not knowing anybody gave me the perfect opportunity to break out of my shell. Although I still and always will have my shy personality, I feel that I have improved and become a more well-rounded individual than I was before.
To wrap it all up, my semester in Korea was amazing, crazy, unforgettable, and definitely too short. If ever given another chance like this I would take it in a heartbeat. As I finish up my last semester at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, I need to start thinking about jobs and my future career. Although many things are unclear at this point, one thing is for sure: I really fell in love with Korea while I was there and I am longing to go back as soon as possible. I don't know what the future may bring, but I hope it will allow me to find myself in Korea again.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Sunday, November 25, 2012
MT: Membership Training
Hello all~ I hope that everyone has had a great Thanksgiving weekend! Although I missed out on celebrating Thanksgiving this year, I am extremely thankful that I am here in Korea and given the great opportunity to study and live here this semester. And even though I miss my family and friends back home in Hawaii, I feel so lucky to have met so many great people in Korea! I have gotten so close to my new international friends that we truly feel like a family.
This leads me to my topic for today: Membership Training (MT). So what exactly is an MT? Its main purpose is to help members of a group or organization bond and get to know one another better. MTs are usually held at camps, guesthouses, mountains, etc. Basically it involves traveling to a far place and bonding over drinking and games. (Of course the destination, length, and activities planned for each MT varies depending on the group.)
I had only a very vague idea of what MT was before coming to Korea and I am so glad that I got to participate in one with my KUBA group. :) For our MT, we traveled to Gumi, which is a country-side area approximately four hours from Seoul. One of our KUBA managers' family lives there and they graciously let us stay in their guesthouse for two nights and two days. We left Korea University around 7pm and arrived in Gumi around 11pm. Once we got to our guesthouse, we ate many persimmons (which is one of the things they grow there). Our dinner was a delicious chicken soup called 삼계탕(samgyetang) with side dishes.
Much thanks to our KUBA buddy's family for preparing ALL of our food and drinks! It's not easy to plan and prepare meals for almost 30 people!! 정말 감사합니다!
The next day was supposed to be an entire day of doing farm work and making food but the weather did not agree with our plans. Due to the rain, we were forced to stay indoors and just play games (such as human knot, friendly wrestling, hide-and-seek, etc.) and relax. Nevertheless, I still had a great time bonding with my group members.
Our last day in Gumi was a nice one so we took the opportunity to make up for the farm work we missed the previous day. We rode a truck to the fields where we got to harvest beans! It was hard work but lots of fun!
This leads me to my topic for today: Membership Training (MT). So what exactly is an MT? Its main purpose is to help members of a group or organization bond and get to know one another better. MTs are usually held at camps, guesthouses, mountains, etc. Basically it involves traveling to a far place and bonding over drinking and games. (Of course the destination, length, and activities planned for each MT varies depending on the group.)
I had only a very vague idea of what MT was before coming to Korea and I am so glad that I got to participate in one with my KUBA group. :) For our MT, we traveled to Gumi, which is a country-side area approximately four hours from Seoul. One of our KUBA managers' family lives there and they graciously let us stay in their guesthouse for two nights and two days. We left Korea University around 7pm and arrived in Gumi around 11pm. Once we got to our guesthouse, we ate many persimmons (which is one of the things they grow there). Our dinner was a delicious chicken soup called 삼계탕(samgyetang) with side dishes.
Much thanks to our KUBA buddy's family for preparing ALL of our food and drinks! It's not easy to plan and prepare meals for almost 30 people!! 정말 감사합니다!
The next day was supposed to be an entire day of doing farm work and making food but the weather did not agree with our plans. Due to the rain, we were forced to stay indoors and just play games (such as human knot, friendly wrestling, hide-and-seek, etc.) and relax. Nevertheless, I still had a great time bonding with my group members.
Our last day in Gumi was a nice one so we took the opportunity to make up for the farm work we missed the previous day. We rode a truck to the fields where we got to harvest beans! It was hard work but lots of fun!
I will never forget this MT! KUBA 19th GROUP 1! ☺
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
October Highlights [Part 2]: Noryangjin Fish Market & Ilsan Lake Park
More October adventures~
노량진 수산시장 (Noryangjin Fish Market)
A few of my fellow exchange student friends recommended this place for eating huge, delicious crabs and other seafood so they brought me and some other friends here to try the amazing seafood. I'm not a huge seafood enthusiast (especially not for fish or sashimi), but the crab here is seriously delicious. Like a little piece of heaven. I was also brave enough to try live octopus for the first time!!
So once we got to the fish market, we bought whatever seafood that we wanted to eat. We ended up getting crabs, live octopus, scallops, and sashimi. This fish market is actually quite expensive compared to other places such as Busan. After purchasing our seafood, we took it to a restaurant located inside the fish market and had it prepared for us to enjoy. Of course, we had pay a cooking fee at the restaurant and it is calculated based on the number of people in your party. This was definitely a most interesting and delicious experience for me!
일산호수공원 (Ilsan Lake Park) - Musical Fountain
My friend really wanted to visit this place and said that there is a show every weekend in October around 7pm. From Korea University, it takes over an hour by subway to get to Ilsan. It is located near Gimpo International Airport and northwest of Seoul. Ilsan Lake Park is home to the largest man-made lake. My friends and I visited the lake first and then proceeded to look for the musical fountain. The park is huge and it took us a long time to finally reach the fountain. Although we missed the beginning of the show, it was still worth the long trip.
노량진 수산시장 (Noryangjin Fish Market)
A few of my fellow exchange student friends recommended this place for eating huge, delicious crabs and other seafood so they brought me and some other friends here to try the amazing seafood. I'm not a huge seafood enthusiast (especially not for fish or sashimi), but the crab here is seriously delicious. Like a little piece of heaven. I was also brave enough to try live octopus for the first time!!
So once we got to the fish market, we bought whatever seafood that we wanted to eat. We ended up getting crabs, live octopus, scallops, and sashimi. This fish market is actually quite expensive compared to other places such as Busan. After purchasing our seafood, we took it to a restaurant located inside the fish market and had it prepared for us to enjoy. Of course, we had pay a cooking fee at the restaurant and it is calculated based on the number of people in your party. This was definitely a most interesting and delicious experience for me!
일산호수공원 (Ilsan Lake Park) - Musical Fountain
My friend really wanted to visit this place and said that there is a show every weekend in October around 7pm. From Korea University, it takes over an hour by subway to get to Ilsan. It is located near Gimpo International Airport and northwest of Seoul. Ilsan Lake Park is home to the largest man-made lake. My friends and I visited the lake first and then proceeded to look for the musical fountain. The park is huge and it took us a long time to finally reach the fountain. Although we missed the beginning of the show, it was still worth the long trip.
So that's it for the big things I did during October.
P.S. Fall is really kicking in here in Korea and the weather is becoming very chilly. I really love this season though because it's chilly without being unbearably cold AND I get to watch the leaves change color for the first time in my life! :) However, I know its only going to get colder and winter in Korea is quite bitter. I think adjusting to the cold will be my biggest challenge while I'm here. Living in Hawaii my whole life has definitely not prepared me for this, hah.
P.S. Fall is really kicking in here in Korea and the weather is becoming very chilly. I really love this season though because it's chilly without being unbearably cold AND I get to watch the leaves change color for the first time in my life! :) However, I know its only going to get colder and winter in Korea is quite bitter. I think adjusting to the cold will be my biggest challenge while I'm here. Living in Hawaii my whole life has definitely not prepared me for this, hah.
P.P.S. I can't believe we are already halfway through the semester! It really does not feel like I have been in Korea for over two months. Time sure flies when you're having fun! There are still so many things left to do and places to visit!
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