You travel, you learn

Now that I am back home from Korea for about three days now, I have reflected a lot about my time there. It was my goal to be productive this summer, and as of yet I have accomplished more than just being productive; I've grown in many ways, met new people, experienced a different culture and embarked on a new territory in a region I have always wanted to go.

Although Korea did not feel like a complete culture shock, much of what I experienced justified the other culture I was raised by - Asian culture. I am not Korean, but some of the traditions (not all) are similar to Vietnamese. Getting to experience a non-Westernized country (although slowly becoming) was beneficial for me. Spending two months in Korea taught me many lessons. This summer (brace yourselves, I'm about to get a bit personal!) I realized that I was ditching my own 'kind of people'.

I make friends with anybody, regardless of their ethic background, but I always knew I was never part of an Asian community (which is one of the reasons why I went to Korea). I don't know why; maybe it was because I was raised in a dominating Hispanic community, but still, I never put the effort into making Asian friends. It irritated me sometimes because let's be honest, a lot of Asians in America group up with each other all the time and it sometimes confused me because it didn't seem open-minded. Little minded as I was, I realized all people with similar backgrounds group up together because  they don't feel a loss of identity like I do, and therefore they could relate to each other. Diversity is a great thing, but it's also always nice to be around people who grew up in similar lifestyles and traditions as you. Otherwise, you'd feel lost.

With that, I realized that I wasn't accepting myself. I believe I have Westernized myself so much that I forget to appreciate the valuable things that I should be grateful for - my family, my dual culture (or triple + British) and the traditions I grew up with - they should be embraced.

There are changes that I want to make in my life now and I want to be able to embrace and accept all that I am, as cheesy as that sounds. Making the most of what you have is the best way to live, isn't it? I do not and in no way have the intention on being racist or am I trying to bash on my own culture - for my whole life I have been very proud of my ethic background. I guess I should say, being brought up in two different cultures while having the Westernized, individualistic society dominating my sense of direction can get frustrating. Which in ways is funny because I can get pretty bitter about American culture and miss my life in Britain very much...let's just say that identity is a complex thing. It isn't about finding out who you are; it's about what you create in your life. And for me, thus far, my identity is a combination of all these things, whether I will figure them out or not, this is who I am. 

So thank you, Korea for helping me realize all of this. I've made such great friends with new people and have made stronger bonds with friends I've known in my life longer. This summer was one huge benefit for me and I will forever be always grateful for it.

And now, I will end with a video of this summer at Dankook, made by one of my wonderful students, Subin :)

To the next adventure ahead, this blog will always be updated :)

K-pop, anyone?

Hi all! I hope you guys enjoyed the previous post about tips on traveling. KC Owen's tips are very helpful to those who are traveling anywhere around the world. If you haven't seen it yet, make sure to check it out here! When I read his post, there were some tips that I wish I could have made during my travel days that I am sure to prevent the next time.

My journey in Korea is almost ending with just about two weeks left. I am sad about this because I have enjoyed a lot of things here that I will miss terribly, such as my students, some friends I made in the program, the cultural activities, my freedom...

But to bring this post on a lighter note, here are some songs that I have caught myself either singing or stuck in my head all day while here in Korea. And yes, they are Korean songs. So, those of you who are not familiar with some Korean artists, here are a few that are new and old.

 

Sistar - "Give It To Me" 

Psy - "Gentleman" 

Girls Generation - "Gee"

4 Minute - "What's your name?"

C.N. Blue - "Wetoria" 

2NE1 - "Falling In Love" 

Dynamic Duo - BAAAM

Ailee - "U&I"

Psy - "Gangnum Style"
Of course, this song never dies.

Happy listening! xx 

A few new things

Maybe I should have made a separate blog regarding an Asian American living in an Asia country (other than her parent's native country) for two months, because I have been learning loads about the culture here and things about myself.

I am Vietnamese. That is what I call myself when people from America ask what ethnicity I am. But when I am outside of America, people ask of my nationality, in which I address that I am American. It makes sense, right? A few days ago, one of my Korean students told me that I look Asian. I replied with, "Yes, I am. My parents are from Vietnam." They were in total shock, and followed up by asking "I thought you were American, not Asian!" This is the first time I have encountered this kind of situation, for my belief in American culture is that no one is American by an ethnic background, but by a nationality. I'm not sure if other Americans feel this way, but I have been at a loss about discovering myself as both an Asian and American for so long and a part of me doesn't know how to carry on. I learn American culture while at the same time, try to learn my parent's traditions. I find it hard to do both while pleasing my parents and doing what I want as well.

Other things that I have learned here is that Koreans really love foreigners. Since I am Asian, I blend in with them. A few Koreans have spoken to me in Korean, assuming that I know it. It's pretty funny though! Also! My partner teacher is from Wales, and I don't know whether his presence is the reason why I feel more homesick for the UK than the US, or just by being here makes me miss my former home.

Other than these discoveries, I have been having a really good time. I am currently sick, which refrains me from going out as much as I want. I went out every day of this week and the only time I got to blog about this is today because I am resting from being sick! It's nice to have some time to myself though - I've been hanging around with big groups of people and it can get exhausting. This morning I walked with some music on. I haven't listened to music in a while. Something simple like this helps me rejuvenate.

Koreans are very nice. I love my students, they make my experience a whole lot more amazing. I am enjoying teaching so much that I don't want the next two weeks to pass by so quickly. I also don't want to start the summer school classes. I think I enjoy teaching more than learning in classes. But for now, I will leave with a few photos.

Before posting my photos, I just want to thank everyone who has been reading my blog. It means so much to me that people are reading it.

I love Korea!

Hello from Korea!

My experience in Korea thus far has been great. It is beautiful here and Jukjeon is pretty amazing. I love how city-like it feels. I am happy to be in this kind of environment since I stayed in the countryside during my year in Wales. Korea is very beautiful, clean and the people are nice. I feel super safe here and people are very friendly.

So far, I have explore some parts of Jukejeon and went to Gangnum. I have eaten lots of great food and have more yet to try. There is a staircase that has about 12-15 flights up to from the dormitory to the front of campus and let me tell you, going up that staircase is EXHAUSTING but by the third day now I am getting used to it. Walking around in Korea feels like a workout already; with those stairs, plus walking every where and the humidity, it's like you're walking in a sauna all the time.

The majority of the people here are from California. There are three campuses here: Fullerton, Long Beach and San Bernardino. There people here from the states such as Michigan and Ohio, and other countries like Canada, the Netherlands, Wales, England and Germany!

Yesterday we had our first day of orientation and today we will continue with another session. We received packets yesterday that give guidelines on how to teach the classes. We also got to know who our partner teacher was. I am paired up with someone from Wales, so it is quite nice to be partnered up with someone from a country I used to live in! Plus, I think it will be cool to give our students insight culture in America and culture in the UK. We were assigned to each all advanced placement classes. At first I thought it would be a challenge, but then all my students will be great English speakers, so communicating with them won't be that bad. It will indeed be more conversational compared to the beginner or intermediate students. That doesn't mean I need to try hard to teach my students, so hopefully the orientation today will help me give insight on what to teach to them.

Things in price are generally cheaper here. It's so easy to get to Seoul, there is a train system in Jukejeon that connects to Seoul and it only costs about $4 for a round trip. There is a shuttle bus that picks you up from the campus and directly to the city center for free, so it is really nice to not always purchase a ticket to get somewhere.

So, there is yet still lots to come! I will leave with some photos I have taken thus far.

I will post more soon; until next time!

It's finally here!

It is 11:15pm at night right now and I decided to post because I fear I won't have time tomorrow to blog! So here will be my last blog post here in America until I land over to South Korea! I am pretty much done packing, but because I was so nonchalant about packing so effortlessly, I am double checking and rearranging everything again. I am not as alert as much as I was before about packing. Perhaps packing for two months is not as crucial compared to a year abroad.

I received an email this morning confirming that I will be placed in Jukjeon, the main campus. I was a bit disappointed that they did not place me in Cheonan; they emailed a few students requesting one more female student to teach at Cheonan, but the time I found the email it was too late, so therefore I was placed at Jukjeon. But it's okay! Some people I know are at Jukjeon, and it is a relief knowing that I won't have to pack up again, since I will be staying in one city for both the English Village and summer school session. Everything should be fine in the end! Trying to remain positive.

Since finals barely ended on Friday, I have been rushing on getting things all together in a small amount of time and summer break hasn't really set in yet. Once I get to Korea, there will be a lot of material to learn for the teaching session (I will also be partnering up with another student who is teaching too) and have around 3-4 teaching sessions a day! Then summer school follows afterwards. Rest comes little with experience, I guess!

My flight flies out at 2pm, and I will be meeting up with friends, who are also going on the same program, and carpool to the airport. Prior to arriving at the airport, we all agreed to stop by IN-N-OUT for the last time before we fly out! 

One of my goals was to keep traveling alive once I returned from the UK, and I am happy that I am making this goal happen. I am excited to blog my experience because this will be different compared to my year studying abroad. I did not want to make my year-long experience my "golden year" because reminiscing about the past does not help. So I encourage everyone to plan for a trip ahead, even if it is a little one that keeps you rolling. Great things are just ahead.

So everyone, bye until then! South Korea, here I come!