Korean translation, 년[neon,nyawn]: year



Korean translation, 년[neon,nyawn]: year




To whoever is looking at this blog, know that while although one of the functions of this blog is to inform others of my time here, I also use this blog as a way to document what I am doing in Korea for myself. I do this so that come a year, two years, ten, twenty from now, I can look back and remember some of the the amazing people I met, the places I went and the meaningful experiences I had.

Why am I in Seoul, anyways?

Why am I in Seoul, anyways? I'm studying language in Seoul for the year through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth operated by the U.S. State Department. While in Seoul, I attend a local Korean high school as a regular Korean student and have intensive language classes three times a week at an international institute in Seoul. My school is a digital media vocational school. Both in school and in many other settings, I am often the only American they have met and almost always the only Jew. As such, I have an important role, not only as an American or a Jew, but as The American and The Jew. Because of this, I have been prone to some alarming, but insightful questions. Like when it was drizzling outside, weather that does not necessarily warrant carrying an umbrella, but being asked by my host brother, "Do all Jews not use umbrellas?" I am constantly being put in new situations. I make mistakes sometimes. Like when I clearly asked for "not spicy," however later realized, tears in my eyes, that the woman's shocked expression when I ordered "meh-un tteokbokki" was not from my Korean ordering skills, but was because I had probably been the first foreigner to specifically ask for the spiciest food on the menu. These year as the non-umbrella-carrying-spicy-food-eating-American-Jew living in Seoul has been exhausting and exhilarating, but a year of experiences I will bring with me for the rest of my life. .

Exhibits and Dancing

Went to COEX for the fourth time to a cloud-computing expo, which we all agreed was slightly 재미없다 (uninteresting), but fun walking around with some friends. 

Low point of the day: I was so tired, I had to buy a coffee, but the only coffee shop I was near in COEX had small portions and high prices. It reminded me of a quite from Poppie, probably quote from some Woody Allen play, "the food is bad and the portions are small!" 

Made it through the day only to return to school and be told that we were going to have a dance in front of the school on Friday and would have to memorize the dance, right now. And so I stayed at school for hours, dancing. For all it's worth, I got to eat some 라면 (Ramen) with the kids, which brought me back to some late rehearsal days eating pizza with the cast at WYHS. 

Was invited to play football (soccer) with the class next Friday. 추구를잘못해 (I don't play soccer well) is what I said, but the invitation still stood!