Abroad in Korea

Guilt and Redemption, the Positive Side to a Negative Story [In Bruges, 2008]

2013-12-12T19:25:00.000-05:00

[from google img. search]

The film “In Bruges,” released in 2008, incorporates some of the best parts of classic film noir in order to address the neglected questions that the genre raised. The strong emotions felt by Ray offer a portrait of the mind, as was witnessed with Cody Jarett in “White Heat.” “In Bruges,” also examines the way we see justice, in the style of Fritz Lang’s “M.” Ray, however, isn’t psychotic, or even someone too different from most that see the film. Ray is uncomfortably close to all of mankind, driven by the need for money, the need for happiness, and ultimately, salvation. The movie asks questions that probe deep into the heart, projecting images of our own guilt. Going farther, it offers us a way out of the purgatory that is Bruges – a medieval city that is simultaneously fairy tale and, as Jimmy the midget puts it, “Boschian nightmare.”

Bruges, in the tradition of “Chinatown,” is a location that serves as a metaphor something else. In this vision, the hopes of our childhood evaporate as we grow older. On one of his first days in Bruges, Ray observes two children jumping around excitedly. He stares with longing at their innocence, having just killed a priest and boy in London. Right after, a dog next to him gives a knowing look. Everywhere that Ray goes, he is followed by his past and the resultant grief. The somber piano plays throughout the film, akin to the zither in “The Third Man,” oppressing the otherwise beautiful Belgian city. Even when he meets the girl with whom he eventually falls in love, she instantly reminds him of the knot in his spirit, the terrible crime of shooting a little boy.

The movie as a whole has repeatedly been called funny, or labeled as a comedy by serious movie critics. When the movie ends, however, the oppressive piano keys remain stroked in our mind. The dialogue is cheeky, but only as a matter of being faithful to the characters that make up the film. For example, Ray’s fascination with midgets strikes us as being humorous at first. Yet, we never really find out why he is so in awe of them. In terms of size, he may see them as being like children, and since they never grow in height it offers an interesting parable to Ray’s own disillusionment:

“Ray: A lot of midgets tend to kill themselves. A disproportionate amount, actually. Hervé Villechaize off of Fantasy Island. I think somebody from the Time Bandits did. I suppose they must get really sad about like... being really little and that... people looking at them, laughing at them, calling them names. You know, "short arse". There's another famous midget. I miss him but I can't remember. It's not the R2D2 man; no, he's still going. I hope your midget doesn't kill himself. Your dream sequence will be fucked.
Chloë: He doesn't like being called a midget. He prefers dwarf. Ray: This is exactly my point! People going around calling you a midget when you want to be called a dwarf. Of course you're going to blow your head off.”

- Quote copied and pasted, IMDB.com

Eventually, Ray and Jimmy (the dwarf in question) become decent acquaintances. At the end of the film, when Ray and Chloe are enjoying a beer and Jimmy offers to have them come to a film shoot, Chloe explains that she wants a quiet night. The allusion here is that Ray and Chloe will have sex - Jimmy, who resorts to prostitutes, remarks, “In another life,” before walking away. He serves as an interestingly neutral counterpoint in Bruges’ strong willed eco-system.

Given Ray’s strong affinity toward anything that reminds him of being a little boy, the act of shooting a child is possibly the most traumatic thing that could happen to him. After the boy and the priest die together from his hand, he becomes concerned – not from the law, or death, but for his soul. He tells Ken that the only way he can make his guilt go away is if he dies. We’re all born feeling a great measure of guilt for things that, if left un-addressed, will eventually consume us. Even the child who was shot in this movie had guilt that he carried with him. When he was shot in a church he hoped to repent for, “being moody, being bad at maths, and being sad.” Ken, in a snippet of dialogue from after they’re in the museum observing paintings of judgment, asserts, “The things we’re taught as a child never really leave you.” Ken then goes on to explain how you can try to be nice and live a good life, but in reality it doesn’t always work out. “If ya tried to help an old lady with her shopping, she would just think you were trying to nick her shopping – that’s the world we live in,” Ray adds. This dialogue between the two characters after the museum scene seems to explain the situation of how difficult it is to try and lead a morally decent life. The way we view guilt and judgment seems to be ill-suited towards life itself, leading Harry at the end to commit suicide over the misjudgment of a situation. Before killing himself he utters, “You have to stick to your principles.”

What the movie causes the audience to consider is whether those who commit the worst crimes should be given a chance to change their ways. Do we misinterpret the Bible in a medieval, Boschian sense and give it the attributes of punishment or of the deeper value of forgiveness? A telling question is to ask whether Harry Waters is a good man. As a hit man he has struck down many people he deems to be evil, including the killer of Ken’s wife. He is also a family man, with strong values about the proper life. Simultaneously, in a religious context, he takes the role of punishment reserved for God, and he is angered so quickly that he abuses most of the people around him, even calling them inanimate objects. Another way to look at it is whether director Martin McDonagh meant Waters to represent God himself. Having love of a medieval city, and acting the way he does, it would provide commentary on the literary sentiment of God being a tyrant.

If Harry Waters is God then Ken would be an apt symbol of Satan, who rebelled against God. In the movie, we can see a very strong parallel between Satan’s fall from Heaven and Ken’s fall from a bell tower. Furthermore, it is clear that Ken is Harry’s favorite hit man, as Satan was God’s favorite angel. The act of God essentially killing himself, would then lead to an idea that the medieval sense of punishment and that concept for God isn’t fit to survive in today’s world. Harry’s anger of creating a world for Ray, and him not being happy with it, is un-thinkable:

Harry: [about Ray] So he's having a really nice time?

Ken: Well, I'm having a really nice time. I'm not sure it's really his cup of tea.

Harry: [after a long pause] What?

Ken: You know, I'm not sure it's really his thing.

Harry: What do you mean it's not really his thing? What's that supposed to mean? It's not really his thing. What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

Ken: Nothing, Harry.

Harry: It's a fairytale town, isn't it? How's a fairytale town not somebody's fucking thing?

[Quote copied and pasted, IMDB.com]

If Harry and Ken truly are meant to represent God and Satan, then what it means is that God created a world full of pain and suffering for humans. When Ken tells Ray that Harry had meant to give him one last good memory in Bruges, Ray laughs and asks him why not the Bahamas? Ken replies that it would’ve been too expensive. This would imply that God didn’t want to take the time to make the world a better place - he is flawed in ways that a human might be.

Many forces seem to play against Ray’s fate, it doesn’t seem as though life gives him many decision he can make for himself. Perhaps this was the reason why he became a hit man for money in the first place. He can’t even take his own life and when he comes close to it, he is stopped by Ken. When Ken says he can’t kill himself, Ray responds, “You’re allowed to but I’m not, how is that fair?” He is so hopeless in his path of life, but thanks to an angel like Ken, he is able to regain hope. As Ken explains, he may have killed the boy, but perhaps he can save the next one. He can do no good to mankind while he is dead. Ray’s decision to go on living, and the idea that he can even make decisions, is the path towards his redemption. Even when stopped while trying to leave Bruges, he makes a crucial decision to reach out towards the girl he comes to love. He begins to realize that he can make decisions within his sphere of influence, and is ruled by inward principles instead of outside forces.

The movie is very quiet and sometimes slow, as is par for the course for a plotline that involves people waiting for something to happen. Yet in the scene where Harry chases after Ray, the slow movements throughout the film of the somber piano break forth like a dam. We see that Ray finally has a will to live. He is running from the gun instead of pointing one towards his own head. Of course, God’s judgment finally does come down on him, being shot multiple times. In the scene where Harry shoots the head off of Jimmy, we see that McDonagh borrowed from Hitchcock the idea of, “doubling.” The purpose of doubling scenes was adapted in this film is to show that this God-like force of nature that is Harry Waters is fallible. The forces of guilt, and of judgment, no longer hold sway over Ray. Harry’s murder of Ray is just as evil a deed as any murder.

The final monologue in the film is perhaps one of the many places where critiques go wrong and call this film something of a black comedy. The irreverent style of what Ray has to say is shrugged off as being a joke, but in reality it is when we finally see light at the tunnel for this bleak film. Even as he finishes his monologue, the last scene we have, where the musical movements of string instruments and piano finally conclude, we see nothing but white light. Whether Ray has passed on, or whether he somehow manages to survive is irrelevant. He has made peace with what he must do, and with who he is as a living human being.

There's a Christmas tree somewhere in London with a bunch of presents underneath it that'll never be opened. And I thought, if I survive all of this, I'd go to that house, apologize to the mother there, and accept whatever punishment she chose for me. Prison... death... didn't matter. Because at least in prison and at least in death, you know, I wouldn't be in fuckin' Bruges. But then, like a flash, it came to me. And I realized, fuck man, maybe that's what hell is: the entire rest of eternity spent in fuckin' Bruges. And I really really hoped I wouldn't die. I really really hoped I wouldn't die.

[quote from IMDB.com]

Bruges could stand for any number of things, a mental location of crippling guilt, and a place to hide, purgatory, or Earth itself. Despite whatever location it may come to symbolize, the idea that someone who murders a child and a priest simultaneously could hope to go on living and make a positive difference is as human a concept as one can get.

The beauty of a good film is the variety of ways it could be interpreted. “In Bruges,” could be interpreted in higher religious contexts, as representing the murkiness of human morals, the issue of punishment, or whichever way one feels inclined. Since we all carry guilt for our actions, and much of the world believes in a higher power, or heaven and hell, or sees the world existentially, the effect of this film is therapeutic. It is a neo-noir which somehow creates a positive, real message despite a string of heart crushing events. Redemption is possible anywhere, even in Bruges.

Digital Photography Portfolio, Part III

2013-12-05T18:36:00.000-05:00

11. Doug Carney, the Metal Man

For this project, I was supposed to take environmental portraits. I must say, following around Doug Carney can be a dangerous exercise. He told me to follow him into this room without a jacket or face mask. I got sprayed with sparks, but I quickly threw on gear after that and got some neat shots of sparks flying and him.

12. Finally Got This Phone

We had to experiment with the light studio, taking pictures of our phone with the lights on and off. Then we merged the two shots together in photoshop and I made this goofy advertisement. I love this phone.

13. The Jousting Tournament

The Rennaisance Faire was a swell time had by my brother, his friend and I. Needless to say, you will see some very interesting characters here. We had legs of turkey and mead as we watched characters joust. It's one of those situations where you feel weird for not being weird.

14. The Secret World of Rennaisance Faires

Full-time blacksmiths, leather shops (weird), these things made of leather called Gritchels (also weird), magic shows, sword-swallowing and exotic reptiles. I never would've imagined what a Renn-Faire actually is like. All I can say is, avoid anything having to do with leather.

15. Volleyball Excursion

Our class went to Hartwick's final volleyball game of the Fall season. They started off as underdogs but eventually took home the win. Shooting in this space required raising the ISO setting, shooting gray cards and fussing with shutter speeds. All in all, a learning experience.

Digital Photography Portfolio, Part II

2013-12-05T14:55:00.000-05:00

6. Eternal

A stone statue of Buddha with flowers the die eventually - yet the people always replace them. Something that lives in the minds of the people speaks more to an eternity than something that never breaks down.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/traveler-magazine/photo-contest/2013/entries/225575/view/

7. Shaky Foundation

We, as humans, are always doing things we know we shouldn't be doing. Building cities in places that are essentially deserts, constructing a large bridge on top of the worst bedrock imaginable (serpentinite) based on the opinion of a single geologist, or even building the city on top of a fault line in the first place! I suppose, then again, we weren't really supposed to go to the Moon either.

8. San Francisco Adventure

After finding a random staircase, we continued our day of stumbling upon the houses of not only the rich, but the lucky. An adventure would most likely be required to even be aware of some of these locations with beautiful views by Telegraph Hill.

9. Hopeful for the Future

I love this photo taken at my cousin's wedding. She had gotten married to a man from France, so half of those present spoke only French, and the other half mostly just English. During a speech, I captured these three looking towards the speaker with approval, while my aunt looked at the man her daughter had married.

10. Diplomacy

As we pulled away from the DMZ, I tried as hard as I could to take as many photos as I could of the North Korean side. Two buildings stand on either side of the border, one South Korean, one North. In the middle are these United Nations designated blue buildings where they can have meetings. The DMZ is a surreal place where the problems of the world seem so strange and incomprehensible. The buildings on either side competed for height, the North Koreans used to blast propaganda from loud speakers until a few years ago, and the environment is eerily quiet. Millions of land mines make up the border, making it one of the most naturally preserved areas in the world. We were told by the U.S. military tour guide that we were not to point, as it would be used in North Korean propaganda. Also, we were notified that the openings in the shades of the building had binoculars behind them.

Digital Photography Portfolio, Part I

2013-12-05T13:51:00.002-05:00

I wasn't sure of a good place to catalogue twenty photos for my Intro to Digital Photography final. I thought more about it and decided that since my decision to purchase a camera began with a decision to go to South Korea, this place would make the most sense.

1. Still-Life of Foreign Currency

Although the task of creating a still-life was never assigned, I felt like something needed to be done with the resource of a lighting studio. The currencies represented here are bills from Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, China, Turkey, and North Korea. What countries choose to represent on their currency is always a matter of no small interest. These countries displayed are relatively unfamiliar to the West, and so looking at their currency offers some insights. Mao Zedong is displayed on every Chinese bill, likewise Kim Il-Sung, former leader of North Korea, is displayed on this bill in the top right from 1992. The South Korean bills, in close proximity to both of these countries, instead feature prominent figures from Korean history, as well as beautiful landscape paintings.

On the UAE bills, there is a falcon on one side and a janbiya on the other. Both of these are important symbols to Arab culture. The janbiya is the curved dagger used in many ceremonies worn at the belt. Although the janbiya is a weapon, it is unsheathed only during times of extreme conflict. The falcon is important to Arab culture, 1/3rd of all falconers in the world hail from Arab countries. The bird symbolizes force and courage. The fact that the UAE uses symbols important to all Arab cultures reflects the very new ideology of statehood in the so-called "Middle East." Next time you get a chance, have yourself and someone else look at a map and write down all of the countries you consider to be Middle Eastern. The results will tell you the extent to which the term is politically defined, as opposed to being defined geographically.

The bill from Afghanistan, the blue one underneath North Korea in the top right, has an interesting history as well. The Afghan monies were created by the United States in order to flood the economy and devalue the currency of the Taliban. On one side of the bill there appears to be an airport, the other side is the Blue Mosque. The bill from Turkey, although it is buried under coins on the far right side with the crescent moon peaking out, reflects the secularism of politics and science important to many Turks. Some would say they are both Middle Eastern countries, but clearly see themselves very differently.

Much more could be said about the currency, including the chrysanthemum on Chinese coins and how its meaning differs from our negative symbolism of the flower in the West.

For myself, the image makes me think of what we display on the U.S. currency. Presidents, buildings located in D.C. (an incredibly small, unrepresented part of our much larger country), Roman symbolism of politics, and mysterious pyramids of power with an eye at the top. The meaning portrayed by our own currency seems to communicate fear. This is fear of those in power, perpetuated by an assertion of dominance by the few. When you consider American money it actually communicates the very antithesis of democracy, and is much more disturbing than even Mao Zedong's gaze.

Considering North Korea, despite obviously being one of the most horrifying nations of the planet, the idea of a great leader confers pride to it's people. Even having one "great leader", you at least know who is responsible for what happens. The government of the United States is so densely assembled you are never truly sure who is responsible for what. The power of free speech may allow me to write what I am writing now, but whether any writing actually makes a difference that would change the way we interact with those in power is worth questioning.

Last, a quote from the movie Kiss Me Deadly, "First you find a little thread, the thread leads you to a piece of string, the string leads to a rope, and from the rope you hang by the neck."

Other photos from my studio session:

2. The Phantom Skyline of Shanghai

Shanghai, since its explosive growth in the mid-1800's, has been the site of decadence, usurpation, sex, drugs, and refuge. It seems to be a living set from a film noir movie. When I set up my tripod that rainy night on the side of the Huangpu river, I decided I would want a photo that would reflect the shadiness of the city's history. While most photos of this skyline seek to display how tall the buildings are - a sight which is no doubt impressive - I wanted to reflect the nature of progress.

Shrouded in the fog is a building which will be 122 floors high when it is complete, with each floor being completed in the space of a week. I stood beneath three of Shanghai's tallest buildings. They are the Jinmao tower at 88 floors, Shanghai World Financial Center and the under-construction Shanghai tower. Looking straight up at these buildings in the middle of the day, the smog was so dense that there was no way to see the tops of these buildings. Instead, what I saw was construction hooks come from out of the haze. It looked like some sort of heavenly power was going fishing.

3. Pemmaquid Lighthouse

This is a photo taken when my family finally went on vacation again. It had been years. The lighthouse is the same one featured on the state quarter of Maine. I am lucky to have captured a silhouette of a solitary figure standing in the tower. It serves to perpetuate the dream of this structure's glory days, when it actually was used to save lives. A fellow by the name of Marcus Hanna used to live here in the early 1900's. He is the most famous lighthouse keeper in the history of Maine. During a blizzard, in freezing temperatures, he saved the ship the Australia which had crashed on the rocks in the foreground of this image. Admittedly, with the blue of the sky, it's hard to imagine this scene.

4. Fear of Success

In this New York Times reviewed pizza place run out of a traditional Korean home in Seoul, a former blacksmith uses his knowledge of fire to make his famous pizzas. I ran into so much good food in Seoul, a complaint from owners seemed to be that they had too much business. Pizza, like coffee, is a fairly new avenue for Korea. With white pizza, they will sometimes serve a side of whipped cream or honey. It's actually quite delicious!

The image is able to reflect the pressured environment under which many of these successful innovators suddenly find themselves. It was all I could do not to get in their way.

5. Bohemian China

I did all I could to surreptitiously snap this photo. This woman looked almost as if she was posing. The neighborhood of Tianzifang in Shanghai is filled with all of these neat alley-way shops. This one offered a great view out of the window of the hustle outside. All of the shops here, due to their increasing tourist value, are incredibly expensive. The person I came with had a beer - I just sort of tried to soak in the environment. They had books all over the walls with all different languages which you could just pick up and read. They also had board games. One was a matching game with photos of Shanghai life. I was tempted to make off with it because it looked so neglected anyway. The person I came with was more pious about it so unfortunately I didn't grab the souvenir. I walked up to a few other Europeans inside and had a joke with them about how random the book choices were. I'm not sure if the owners realize how preposterous it seems to read Shakespeare on a casual whim.

Pinched by a Dream

2012-08-23T17:33:00.000-04:00

To begin to catalogue all of the happenings, revelations and insights of the past few months is now my new struggle. At times I wake up in the morning unable to believe how fortunate I am to have experienced what I did and I shrug it off as something that just might have happened. As soon as I open any form of social media, be it my cellphone, Facebook or E-mail, I am reminded that I did indeed go across the world. I did, in fact, meet some of the most memorable people of my young life. Even without an internet connection, the remnants of my star-crossed love for this foreign land are to be found in photos I've taken, things I've written down, etc.

It's not easy to go back in time. It takes courage to write about things that affect me as they did. Having the knowledge that the world's day is starting elsewhere while you lie down to sleep has a way of making you feel small upon first returning. I've come to recognize it as the way of travel, something that removes your ability to speak, to shatter the reality you've grown up with. From this small seed-like state, your new mind is able to grow.

If Asia has planted a seed in my mind then I have no doubt that it will, like the society I encountered, spring into an over-growth and my new voice will return stronger than it ever was before. Like Gandalf the Grey plunging into the depths to return I will soon find a new magic in my old way of life.

Returning home is, to say the least, not how you expect it when you're having the time of your life learning something new every minute of every hour. It's maddening - and for good reason. I became bitter that these times abroad had passed me by, that I hadn't had known the wash of colours from neon signs and the noise of the Korean street years earlier when I was staring at pitch black every night outside of my window. It was in this black empty space that I would fill in vivid images of thriving life from my imagination. If I had known these memories I now have to be absolute realities somewhere in the world then there isn't a doubt in my mind I would have done everything to make it a reality for myself even sooner.

I was being offered the most lucrative internships and opportunities at a time when I had grown accustomed to helping my father paint houses or being ripped off for money doing odd-jobs for unpredictable people. I was like any other disillusioned college student, placing calls to work in some supermarket or fast-food chain minimum wage gig and receiving no answer. When you know you're better than that, as most people employed in these situations know, the inevitable outcome is to lose faith in yourself.

Life before Korea clearly wasn't satisfying my hope in a brighter future. Yet I expected things to somehow be different when I returned. I took the risk to escape into another life and consequently caught a glimpse of an infinitely exciting parallel reality. It wasn't even so long ago that I was taking off on a fifteen hour plane ride with no solid expectation, no close friends, an inability to communicate with people whose home I would be entering into, nothing. There was nothing attached to me besides the baggage that came with me on the plane and the baggage in my mind I'd be leaving at the gate to Incheon International.

There were so many firsts for me, so many avenues for living one's life, a door was opened up to me.
Then four months later the door shut.

That was something I wasn't expecting. Every simple thing weighs down on you when you return and have your formerly new way of life snatched away from you. No more chopsticks when you go to eat (despite how good you were getting), no more "Kam-sa-ham-nida." Cheap and crazy taxi-cab drivers driving you home after a 5 A.M. bar session? I can't even buy alcohol now. Don't even get me started on internet cafes. All of those friends for whom even mention of their names can be painful and yet somehow make you laugh, the little things you miss the most.

Oh, and those things I used to hate about life in Korea? Well, that's not as easy to remember now.

Furthermore, despite what we say about technology easing the distance between people across the world, I am now inclined to believe that the opposite is true. Indeed, at the end of the day it can only serve to remind people of how far away they are, how hopeless contact can seem over the invisible miles of the internet. When this faces you, it helps to remember that the decision to come back in contact with whoever it may be is up to you. Create common ground, close the gap.

What I returned to when I came home was different from the place I had flown home from, but was home different itself? The simple answer is: No. "Can I make it different?" This is the question I needed to ask in those beginning sombre days. To ask this question is to remember why I set out in the first place. Knowing that things actually are different for your having gone requires faith. Little signs, such as the ones found on my social media, my pictures, or even a package of snacks that arrived from my mother's Korean colleague even as I was writing this are what become necessary for keeping the dream alive.

Part of the dream besides helping myself is to help others travel the world, no matter where they're from. If I can do it through writing, then that is one way. If you can't read what I'm writing then I'm here to help you learn English. If my writing doesn't help then maybe the images I've captured will. If none of these things make you want to see the rest of the world then you must be living in a good place and hopefully I'll see you soon. Climbing back up to the high place I was let down from I want to try and keep writing, as hard as it can be, about those cherished times I had for everyone else's sake.

As anyone who has been to Asia and really experienced the unknown, head-swirling feeling of discovery knows, a taste is never enough. I've been shown where to go, now it's time to find the way back. It will take everything I've got and it's not about to be easy, but my life depends on it.

Mount Seoraksan Adventure - Part One.

2012-05-05T07:25:00.001-04:00

THE NIGHT before the bus took off at 6 A.M. never ended. I waited at the appointed area at an ungodly time with my boots strapped, a tripod on my back and my camera bag. After the night's events the only climbing I wanted to do was maybe into my bed, but I knew well that I was somehow supposed to climb a mountain just six hours from then. The distance to the mountain looks big on a map, but in reality South Korea is about the size of Wisconsin and by bus the ride was only about three hours. In my flipped head space a shorter ride was a dreadful prospect. Every minute had to count to maximize sleep time.

As I waited for everyone to come down to the meeting spot other exchange students who weren't going on the trip were just starting to return home from getting obscenely drunk. I could hear them a mile away, coming back with trinkets which they had no recollection of acquiring. One girl had a giant stuffed teddy bear about half her size. I'm not exactly sure where they had been and they really didn't know either. I'm not sure why I tried asking them.

Those students who were going on the trip were in a similar stupor. They had went out with me the night before and I ended up having to call about three people to get them to wake up before they forfeited their $100 and one of the most memorable experiences they could have in Korea. Luckily for them, after about eight missed calls, they woke up and came down before we were forced to ditch them so we could make the bus on time.

We navigated the subways where the alcoholic and workaholic mingled in the early morning hours. Sitting on both sides of a disheveled man with his head in his hands sat two stern men in pinstripe suits. The ride was particularly bumpy - surely he learned his lesson for drinking so much and lingering on that train, however he most likely forgot it shortly after. For the entire train ride we looked at him with slight pity for his situation.

Eventually we ended up at the spot where the bus would pick us up with thirty minutes to spare. With tired minds we stumbled upon a nearby shopping centre where we split up for a short period of time to eat our breakfast. For myself and my friend Eshaan, this was a fast food burger at the South Korean McDonalds-style knockoff Lotteria. The "Super Double Burger", as it was referred to on the menu, was delicious but of questionable quality. It became abundantly clear after this meal that I had better treat my body a little bit better if I were to make it up the mountain with all of my camera gear.

I was ready to fall asleep anywhere, but when I sat down inside the lit-up interior of the tour bus I was given a second wind. Suddenly I was wide awake and completely exhilarated by the prospect of leaving the city for the first time. I had been in Korea for close to two months and for that entire period had only seen the flashy life of Seoul. It was time to leave the faces covered in make-up and modified by plastic surgery and see something organic for a change. I threw on my headphones and began listening to some music to match the occasion, something auspicious was in order to match this new-found feeling of discovery. I laid my backpack down on the empty seat next to me. I was ready to tackle the world.

A minute or two later I fell into a deep sleep. My bag became my pillow.

I was at home, hanging out with my friends on a summer day in my home town. I was looking at the fields and enjoying the breeze. I think if I remember correctly there was a barbecue or something, or at least, I smelled barbecue. My parents were there and my dogs were running around. We were just enjoying time sitting out on the deck at sunset. The memory is hazy.

"I think maybe we should wake up Ben," I heard Jochem say. I had just happened to wake up when I heard that. "I'm awake," responding as I lifted my head to look out the window. I saw where we were to have lunch. I felt like a brand new person. I was finally out of Seoul and we were in the middle of no-where and I had an all-you-can-eat bibimbap buffet in my near future. I ate as much as possible to recoup any strength that the nap didn't cover.

When the meal was over, I went right back on the bus, fell into another deep slumber and had another crazy dream.

I woke up, exited the bus and was blown away:

The second part of this story includes pictures and stories of the climb to the top of the mountain, an alpine town and a chance encounter with an interesting individual...

Spring Syndrome

2012-04-17T06:41:00.000-04:00

RIGHT NOW in Korea the weather has decided to open up its good side to me. Halfway through April I can finally write under the shade of these beautiful and travel-brochure-like flowering trees in nothing but shorts, shades and a t-shirt. The smells of construction and barbecue awkwardly come at me in separate blasts over a great distance to where I am peacefully sitting on this bench.

I am overlooking the scenic lake that plays the star role of the Konkuk University campus. From time to time a frosty breeze reminds me that I was wearing a down jacket a week and a half ago, which is a small eternity for an exchange student. Things move slow here.

Still, two months into my adventure overseas, I move on knowing that time still moves as it always has. It's a little like staring at a sand timer, watching every little grain stack up until the job is done (for now). Only it's not just the time that has been flipped around - with you asleep while I'm awake - my entire life and the way I look at it has been overturned in a similar fashion.

2011 was a year for a lot of heavy things, not only for me but almost anyone I talked to. I remember it got so bad that the entire world thought that at the rate things were going everything would come to an end by the time we hit December of 2012. We entertained ourselves with this thought, sure. But I bet even John Cusack would agree that the whole idea of the world ending with things the way they were was like a scene from a bad movie. I like to think that we as humans deserve something better than that disaster.

Looking out at the Seoul skyline I see army helicopters. In fact, I've seen them every day I've been here. They look big and scary, sometimes rolling out in groups of five. The other day one was even so close to the ground I thought that if I pulled out my camera and zoomed in I could see the person driving it. I remember something though: Those big scary looking helicopters make rounds every day to keep the border in check. Although these helicopters still haunt the skies, they are a reminder of the trouble that still exists in the world while we are free to go about our care-free day-to-day.

As far as trouble in the world goes I see the situation improving. We can take comfort in the fact that evil governments such as the one found in North Korea were the norm only a century ago. Now they are the laughing stock of the world, having to lie to everyone (themselves included) just to continue existing. As for what these governments say about us we can rest assured that whatever truth their arguments once had against the modern world is now disappearing. I've found that even on its busiest day, nature still decides whether the sky will be blue in Seoul. This is true even with its status as the second largest metropolitan area on the planet.

Furthermore, people are learning more and more about the world they live in. I have found in the space of two months that, although the language barrier may still be high, this wall of communication has no trace of barbed wire and there are even those from the other side who offer a hand to pull you over. More people are willing to scale this obstacle not because they think the grass is greener, but simply because the grass is different. We embrace change and difference, this may be what separates us from past generations. Due to all their sacrifice we are wiser for all that happened in the past one-hundred years.

I like sitting out in the Sun until I'm burnt or tanned. It's not because of fashion or because I happen to be whiter than the rice I've been eating every morning or these flower petals that fall down on me as I write under this tree. It's because things can change at any moment, whether it be the weather, the wind, a woman, or the way I live. At least if I have a sun burn or a tan I can remember this good day and take it with me through any changes - good or bad. It's one of those rare moments where you were able to sit so long in the sun and just absorb the moment.

I'm not sure if it's only the Sun that makes me feel hopeful. At least if it is, I'm sure there are good reasons to be hopeful. Contrary to what we thought in 2011, I believe 2012 will mark not just the end but also the beginning. In this new movie everyone will have a role and will be too busy living to stop and watch another actor.

Tackling the Kraken

2012-03-18T03:45:00.001-04:00

In my last post I told you about nakchi. That is, octopus that's been cooked and prepared. Delicious? Sure. But how do you mark a month in Korea the right way? The way that would make Koreans proud? This is san-nakchi, a way to mark a trip thats already one quarter of the way through. Just saying that makes me sad, so that's why I'm glad this happened:

At first Besarta and I (another exchange student, the one telling me not to die in the video) were the only ones who would eat this, but when we finally arrived with a group of about twenty to Noryangjin fish market suddenly everyone was in the mood to eat live squirming octopus tentacles. Don't ask me how that works.

Attack!!!

My only regret is that there were so many people to split this food with. It was honestly some really good stuff. Afterwards we moved on to have a more substantial meal of raw fish with the typical Korean hors d'oeuvres: lettuce wraps, garlic, hot peppers, more of that delicious red fire sauce from the video, you know how it goes. Of course, and this is the foodie bonus with Noryangjin, you pick out your own fish or octopus, whatever it is you're eating, and the restaurants prepare it for you in the correct fashion.

The raw fish segment

This banquet took place at a time when restaurant managers might be bidding on their wholesale fish stock for the day, around 2 A.M. in the morning to be exact. It was a very surreal and artistic sort of vibe that I picked up from the place. The most vivid image I had was of a cat wandering around mewing to itself and ignoring my attempts to make friends. I couldn't help but be struck by a hungry feline wandering around what is probably the biggest fish market in the country.

Within Seoul I feel as if mixed within the craziness are little images that inspire a quick moment of reflection and mystery.

We all had fun

How can you not when a night starts like this?

And the food was good, right Kevin?

Of course it was.

Korea Demands Your Attention (and won't give it back)

2012-03-12T12:03:00.000-04:00

This is Seoul, South Korea:

You may have noticed. Look back at the posts I made when I first arrived. I set out to keep a consistent blog of my travels and ended up in a whirlpool of activities that made touching a computer for more than 20 minutes sheer blasphemy.

In that time I spent a lot of money, saw a lot of things, went out and flowed with the rhythm of the city day and night. A typical day for two weeks straight consisted of walking around and seeing what made Seoul tick - be it monuments, a show, food (both on and off the street), shopping, Buddhist temples, ancient royal palaces, and most importantly, the people. After I was done doing all of these things during the day I would take a nap then get up and go out into the neon wash of Seoul's night life. It is not only the people who live here as native Koreans but other exchange students who are pivotal to giving my experience context. We learn together what it means to be somewhere we've never been, no matter how nice whatever we left behind is. The other foreigners come from places like Stockholm, Paris, Nice, Bangkok, Beijing, Holland, India, Ghana, Italy, Finland - where do I stop with this list? These are places I dreamed of seeing, with people I dreamed of meeting, and here I am. Before this trip the canvas in my mind that I called "The World" was blank with the blue skies and fields from where I had grown up my whole life.

Now that has all changed. All of us have so far only met some Koreans, mainly dealt with the language barrier and therefore been at a disadvantage towards meeting so many who aren't good with English. The barrier is hard work and every day is some sort of work and so this is how it becomes. But this is all soon to change. We have started language classes and though I studied the language as much as one reasonably could before leaving, I find much to my frustration that my skills have splashed against the aforementioned barrier like water on rock. We're putting ourselves in more situations that require us to know Korean. It's one thing I've learned since being here that to truly separate yourself from the people is to spend your entire stay in a foreign place expecting people to adapt to you and not the other way around.

Adapting to such a different culture is easier said than done. It requires serious effort but the other alternative would be dissatisfaction and homesickness. This process of adapting is a two-way street however. I feel being in such a tiny group of Americans has really opened my eyes to the way I am perceived by others as a representative of what some consider "the most important country in the world". This is an arguable sentiment in my opinion, but interesting none the less.

I showed some Korean friends from my English teaching class my home-town in N.Y., a small place which is incredibly dull but picturesque. They said "Wow! The American dream!" It was an old term that I thought might have died somewhere between the 30's and the 50's. It made me question whether the American dream might be something that exists everywhere else but in America. Around where I live it seems as if such a sentiment would be laughable and received in the most jaded sense imaginable.

But that's a discussion for another day. Right now my only goal is to see if each day for the next week I can make it through spending less than 10,000 Won (the equivalent of about $10 in America). It's expensive here and I am a little horrified at what sort of bills I will have racked up in the coming months.

Also today was a sad day. Our program advisor Danbee Kim, who has been nothing but understanding of my antics, the worst of which being when I missed our planned excursion to Gyeongju (I will return when the weather is better) and the most common of which being when I won't answer my phone or call her on accident, has suddenly announced her departure from I.S.A. (I like to think it wasn't because of anything I might have done).

From the Left: Samantha Marquez, Danbee Kim, Jassmin Penado, Diana Ngo, Abby Cryan, Derek Koebrick, and myself.
International Study Abroad (I.S.A.) Spring 2012

Regardless, I am sure our new advisor will be really nice and hopefully as accommodating. Its her first time with an I.S.A. group and we will do our best to make her less intimidated of a new and unique job such as the one being passed on to her.

But, alas. I must thank Danbee for many things. Class registration, times when I overslept, and oh - who could forget this gem:

Winner: Blue team

That's right. Danbee went ahead and secured us some V.I.P. tickets to one of Seoul's most hilarious and talked-about show, Nanta. There was knife-juggling, all sorts of fire, people getting stuck in trash cans (Diana Ngo, one of my friends, couldn't quite help out the performer with that), and insane drum solos. I made it up to Danbee by winning the dumpling competition for the I.S.A. record book.

That same night, before the cooking performance of course, she treated us all to the best dinner I have had in Seoul - no questions asked. She came up with the idea after I had initially said how I like to eat spicy things (see the Jjimdak dish from my last post). This heavenly meal consisted of spicy octopus referred to in Korean as Nahkchi along with Kimchi octopus pancake. Danbee warned and prepared us all for the spiciness that would ensue, and I upped the ante by ordering us one bottle of soju.

What came next was the tastiest thing I've had in I don't even know how long. The nahkchi was mixed with bibimbap and though the pancake was absolute heaven, the thrill of meeting my spicy match in the heated battle of the year was enough to have me leaving more pancake for them and more fire for myself.

Octopus Pancake, Nahkchipajeon, Photo Credit goes to:
travelingbuddies.wordpress.com

Unfortunately I did not bring a camera along with me that time as part of my philosophy of experiencing first and photos second. The photo from Jassmin Penado and Samantha Marquez's travel blog seems to tactfully evade the real show-stopping fire that was nahkchi bibimbap. In a move of undeserved generosity, Danbee pulled us out of the hell fire with a stop to the corner store for some banana milk.

And so that night, like a lot of the other great nights and days courtesy of our program, is the reason why I will miss our advisor. International Study Abroad higher-ups, if you're reading this, give Danbee Kim an employee of the month award or something. She covered all our bases between work and play without the slightest irritation. Due to her patience, I feel like I'm playing while at work, studying and thriving in a city that never sleeps.
-------
For future reference, make sure you've eaten something good before reading this blog.
You've chosen the wrong country to learn more about if you can't get your greedy hands on something like this:

This Sundae is one of the slightly more adventurous foods, but when weighing risk

and reward with food, you ought to take more chances in the name of your taste-buds.

Okay okay, enough torture with food. In the meantime though this has been what I've been doing...

Staying warm

Saying Hi to the neighbors

Strolling through campus

Meeting new faces (Hello Inhye!)

Eating college kid food, About 5 dollars a plate.

Sleeping between class

Listening to new music, in a new place:

Much love to all my family and friends, and all you who read and are interested in the world.
-B

Pictures are worth a thousand words...

2012-02-18T22:39:00.000-05:00

So here are some pictures.
gotta make it quick so I can see more, live more, eat more.
Click the pictures to expand. Read on.

Kimchi is delicious

Manduguk, Dumpling soup

One of the many views of Seoul

Coffee drink of some sort

Chillin' with a shake and a cigar

Saw this place in passing, the name escapes me now.

Dressing up as a scholar from the Joseon dynasty. The two cranes represent this.

Street view better than Google can do.

Tea ceremony in a traditional house (Hanok)

Jjimdak - a spicy clear noodle dish with succulent morsels of chicken (Watch out for bones)

Rooftops of Hanoks in Insadong

Wall art with messages and couples signing their names.

Rooftop view of Insadong

Looked over a ledge and found this.
I didn't even collect on this but I really should've, knowing how amazing food is here...

There were some more things I wanted to photograph and take footage of, but of course my fancy-schmancy DSLR ran out of battery. I will return to the same spot and take better pictures of the wonders I found as I progressed down Insadong.

I found out how to use the Seoul subway, which I had approached with some degree of trepidation. However, with touchscreen informational terminals located with a special button for foreigners, I found it incredibly easy to navigate. The trains were massive and the entire subway was spotless and high-tech. At no point was I ever in fear of being robbed or accosted by strangers. This is a smart city.

Until next time.

The Arrival

2012-02-17T19:32:00.000-05:00

I boarded the plane to Korea with an innocent idea of a 'long plane ride'. I was fortunate enough to fly next to two laid-back individuals. One was Tom, an older Vietnamese man with a grasp of English that was enough for a small joke here and there (he sort of struck me as a 47-year-old kid with his affinity for creature comforts). On my left was my other comrade, Eun-Ji, a charming and pretty girl who I was shocked to find was actually 27 and married. She had studied in the U.S. for four years and now was returning to Seoul.
Throughout the flight she gave me tips and helped me to understand some things. Her most emphasized point was to never say, "What?" if I was trying to understand someone. The translation of this statement in Asian cultures implies that the person you're addressing might actually be crazy and makes people feel self-conscious. She was big in convincing me not to fear speaking the language and making a few mistakes.
Korean Air was very much to my liking. You're able to play Street Fighter on the seat in front of you and I watched the movie 50/50, as well as Blind (블라인드). This, of course, was while me and Tom were supplied with a beer and the three of us munched on bibimbap.
Towards the end of the flight Tom and I went to the back of the plane and took pictures flying over China (We couldn't fly over North Korea as you might imagine). This spectacle attracted one or two passengers and an air hostess. These women were about as professional as possible and their attire reminded me very much of some 1950s travel videos.
The Seoul Incheon airport was incredibly clean, quiet, and spacious. The baggage claim was almost reminiscent of some place of worship. This is where myself and two other people from my program rendezvoused and ironically found ourselves worshiping for the Bag Gods to deliver our suitcases. Our prayers were answered in short order.
With barely any time to experience the fabled "Best Airport in the World" I was ushered out with our group by our adviser Danbee and put into the back of a deluxe taxi. We were seeing lots of random skyscrapers and condominiums awkwardly jutting out of the cold greenish-brown landscape. Mountains are everywhere, which were absolutely stunning but seem to create wind that cuts through any layers you're wearing.
Derrick, another student apart of the I.S.A. group became my room mate. We came up to the third floor of our dorm building and found that all the lights were turned off and no one was actually there. Understandably a little off-put by this, we found our door and fumbled at the futuristic locking mechanism for a while. It requires you to punch a button and then wave your card in front of it. I know, not very complicated but it looks like it at first. Among other oddities in our room (besides having our own bathroom) is the fact that our shower is a walk-in with a drain under the sink. I don't know how this doesn't produce mold but it doesn't, I guess.
We found much to our chagrin that we didn't have any pillows or toilet paper and other necessities and decided to head out and find something. On our way out to search the streets for these things we found the other people who would be living in our hall and, thankfully, a light switch. These people living on our floor were business students from Ghana, the Netherlands, Germany and India, all of whom were in the same boat as us and didn't know a lick of Korean.
As the one person with some understanding of the language and the ability to read what it says, I willingly led us out to where I had seen the most action when we pulled in at first. As a side mission we searched for food as well.
I was so absolutely dead tired that I could barely hold my end of any encounter in Korean. Our quest had ended with everyone else getting Burger King (figures) and myself and the guy from India enjoying some street food. It tasted like spicy ravioli.
And of course after that I collapsed in a heap on my new bed.

Chicago O'Hare Airport

View over China

View over China pt.2

Seoul Incheon Airport

Around the World in Some Odd Hours

2012-02-15T06:29:00.001-05:00

I am currently pulling into the Syracuse airport. Making a hasty note on my phone before an even quicker get away. 20 minutes until I board. It begins.

To Yell into a Vacuum

2012-02-08T17:07:00.000-05:00

No one can articulate a syllable which is not filled with tenderness and fear, which is not, in one of these languages, the powerful name of a god. To speak is to fall into tautology. This wordy and useless epistle already exists in one of the thirty volumes of the five shelves of the innumerable hexagons - and its refutation as well. (An n number of possible languages use the same vocabulary; in some of them, the symbol library allows the correct defintion a ubiquitous and lasting system of hexagonal galleries, but library is bread or pyramid or anything else, and these seven words which define it have another value. You who read me, are You sure of understanding my language?)

- The Library of Babel, by Jorge Luis Borges

LANGUAGE, the one thing by which we speak and are understood. The words we choose to utter are symbolic of something. By learning other languages a distinction becomes clear immediately: We really aren't sure what it is we are trying to represent. The train tracks that made up the spine of our country in the 19th century lit the way for the sinister 'Iron Horse', from which a over a million buffalo were shot. These buffalo were the only way through which tribes could maintain their lifestyle. The trees that make up our country today are all new growths. The ancient woods that came before met their end by an unfortunate definition and an unfit name. What sort of name is apt for any living thing that has the ability to last for centuries - growing stronger with time, and supplying the very air we breathe?

Certainly it can't only be as Dictionary.com puts it:
"a plant having a permanently woody main stem or trunk, ordinarily growing to a considerable height, and usually developing branches at some distance from the ground."

They list this definition of a tree as a noun - person, place or thing. Yet while fitting under this classification, in terms of what this thing is we're given a very basic description. We're not told what a tree does for us, though it be the only reason we're given the rare chance to ponder its meaning. If this definition was the only thing I had to go on when establishing my relationship with trees I would see no problem with cutting one down if it caused me even the slightest inconvenience.

It is becoming increasingly important in our world to see things for what they are. How many priceless things have been destroyed before their meaning was fully apparent to us? We're all human and make mistakes, and though we're forgiven enough to learn from or even redeem most of our failures, some mistakes are final.
We should be glad to have made it this far with all of the hare-brained schemes ever conceived by man that were undoubtedly the result of misinformation. We live in a time of fast changes, in which thinking twice can mean being left out to dry indefinitely. Increasingly we are given a slim allowance for any one miscalculation. We must see things for what they are and act correctly. Before making any decision or following any pursuit we should read a book - but not just any book, the best book available on the subject. Only in books is the language we use to describe the world around us taken so seriously. In the world of a book, like the world we live in, the consequences of written language are very real.

How do we set limits and boundaries with language? What would you call what I'm writing here? A person could easily describe it as an essay on philosophy or an essay on anthropology. It could also be an essay on economics, or, basic as the definition of a tree, an essay on language. Yet I'd be most happy if you simply called it an essay. The word 'essay' and how Dictionary.com defines it happens to encapsulate my argument perfectly:

Essay:

a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.
anything resembling such a composition: a picture essay.
an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.
Philately . a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued.
Obsolete . a tentative effort; trial; assay.

The fifth meaning of the word essay is now obsolete. Yet, this is only a sign of our times. In today's world it's better to define something with any definition than it is to make only a tentative effort. The third meaning given by this dictionary tries to leverage this by making an essay an attempt to accomplish, implying that you can actually accomplish the description of something with inherently flawed language. Our languages serve only as a conduit for thought. To write an essay that could come close to accomplishing anything a person would have to start out with the fifth definition in mind.

I believe that the destructive nature of language comes with its ability to irrevocably symbolize our ideas and end all future discussion on any one topic. This is the opposite goal of why languages were created. With the advent of the internet more and more people have found a home for their stream of consciousness in places like Twitter or instant messaging. Though obviously not news to anyone, the quality of communication has degraded. How we word our sentences is of both supreme and negligible importance. Consider the difference between #%@ing and making love, being killed and being murdered, or an oil spill and a clean-up. How is it that one word seems to make all the difference when the reality remains the same? How often have we reacted based solely on a choice of words? We are in the throes of the ever-misleadingly titled Information Age. We are more vulnerable than ever before.

With more information we've become less informed. We've become more jaded about everything we do, say, and accomplish. We are forced to put a limit on everything without once acknowledging that, yes, there is a limit to these things, but what we can do is in fact limitless. In The Library of Babel, Borges writes:

"The certitude that everything has been written negates us, or turns us into phantoms"

As I travel overseas to Korea, there will be lots of strange things for me to experience and encounter. There will be times when I try different cuisine and save the recipe, and times when I'll have a taste and spit it out. You can't help the way you feel. At no point in time should you ever attempt to do so; To lie to yourself is to deny the obvious and obscure your view of the world. If people start to see things for how they actually are and remain unbiased in this effort, then the degrading effects of globalization could become a new Renaissance for mankind as a whole. To search for and explore, to find your own definitions that have no words, this would be the pinnacle of the human spirit.

"I say that it is not illogical to think that the world is infinite. Those who judge it to be limited postulate that in remote places the corridors could conceivably come to an end - which is absurd. Those who imagine it to be without limit forget that the possible number of books does have such a limit. I venture to suggest this solution to the ancient problem: The Library is unlimited and cyclical" - Jorge Luis Borges

Meditations

2012-02-06T23:42:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm still home for now. In this post I'd like to give you a small taste of what I'm leaving behind.
I've called this photo album Interstate 8 - after the song by Modest Mouse. Nothing really changes here.
Click 'Read More' to see the slideshow/web album.

My last shots from home

Note: If you want to view these pictures in the correct resolution, please click on the slideshow to be taken to the actual album. From there find the 'Fullscreen' button. If this slideshow doesn't play for you, here is the link to the album.
https://picasaweb.google.com/115683239013751574028/Interstate8?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKOt2oLA-Zzv3wE&feat=directlink

The Hardest Tongue-Twisters...

2012-02-05T09:49:00.000-05:00

DO you like puzzles? Well, Korean is kind of like that. I've loved Korean for the fact that it can be as tedious as a crossword but unlike a crossword isn't a total waste of your time. Like, it's actually possible to 'get'. It has been called the most scientific language ever created. Most letters of the Korean alphabet are pronounced the same regardless of their placement within a syllable.

Before this small peninsular country existed in my consciousness I wrote off all Asian languages as a wash and all other Latin-based languages as a snore. You mean to tell me that the word for chocolate in Spanish is...chocolate?! No way, stop, that is too interesting. Guess what the French word for chocolate is? Chocolat. Now that's a word that's about as interesting as the movie was.

It's really no wonder that as the two main languages offered in public school the only real goal of learning either Spanish or French is to convince the bureaucracy of whatever state you're living in that you are 'well-rounded'. For most kids the only factor that goes into learning one or the other is whether Spanish or French is easier somehow, or, perhaps, if their older siblings happen to have notes they could copy from. This trend continues into college where people actually pay for the classes they take. Only in the case of a college student their choice is based off of whatever they slid by with in High School. How well-rounded can someone be if they learn to fear pursuing something different and only exhibit this mythical trait when forced?

I feel like schools have removed all of the gratification one would feel from learning a language of their own volition. Specifically, the moment where two people from totally different background are reduced to hand signals to convey their meaning. In this case each remembered word from your language of study becomes a valuable fulcrum of understanding. You're interested in the heritage of the person you're talking to, which entails all of the history and customs you've been fascinated with. In this rare and quintessentially human experience you find that the person to whom you're speaking is a living vessel who may confirm or deny all that you have, until that point, only heard.

When I was in D.C. for that previously recounted week of delirium and heat I had one such encounter. From the Korean matron of a subway restaurant I learned that her father lived in Korea and that you always get your Kimchi with rice (김치 하고 밥). Much was spoken, little was understood, but all was remembered.

To those of you who passed French well before I, and I assure you that could be anyone, all I can say is: Enjoy being well-rounded. For your part you can believe what you've been told. For my part I believe that if we were all well-rounded then this Earth would make for a more perfect sphere. Maybe while were at it we could make a class that teaches students to be wise, just to save parents the trouble. We could call it Health class, make that a requirement, and see how things go. If that doesn't work I guess we'll just read them their rights.

With that said, here are some tongue-twisters that will make you wish the Korean language was never conceived. Enjoy!

Bonus: Try to sound out a word using this:

간장공장 공장장은 장 공장장이고 된장공장 공장장은 강 공장장이다.
The manager of the soy sauce factory is Manager Jang and the manager of the soy paste factory is Manager Gang

경찰청 쇠창살 외철창살, 검찰청 쇠창살 쌍철창살
The police headquarters' iron window bar (has) single-layer iron bars; the public prosecutor's office's iron window bar (has) double-layered iron bars.

저 분은 백 법학박사이고 이 분은 박 법학박사이다.
That is Mr. Baek, a doctor of laws, and this is Mr. Park, also a doctor of laws.

And now to separate the chobu from the gosu...

안촉촉한 초코칩 나라에 살던 안촉촉한 초코칩이 촉촉한 초코칩 나라의 촉촉한 초코칩을 보고 촉촉한 초코칩이 되고 싶어서 촉촉한 초코칩 나라에 갔는데 촉촉한 초코칩 나라의 문지기가 "넌 촉촉한 초코칩이 아니고 안촉촉한 초코칩이니까 안촉촉한 초코칩 나라에서 살아"라고해서 안촉촉한 초코칩은 촉촉한 초코칩이 되는것을 포기하고 안촉촉한 초코칩 나라로 돌아갔다.
A non-moist chocolate chip cookie that lived in non-moist chocolate chip cookie land saw a moist chocolate chip cookie from moist chocolate chip cookie land and wanted to become a moist chocolate chip cookie and so went to moist chocolate chip cookie land, but the gate-keeper of moist chocolate chip cookie land said, "You are not a moist chocolate chip cookie, but a non-moist chocolate chip cookie, so live in non-moist chocolate chip cookie land," so the non-moist chocolate chip cookie gave up on becoming a moist chocolate chip cookie and went back to non-moist chocolate chip cookie land.

That last one is a little sad, actually.

(Source for tongue twisters: http://www.alphadictionary.com/fun/tongue-twisters/korean_tongue_twisters.html)

Traveler Spirit

2012-02-04T11:30:00.000-05:00

WELL, that's a relief. I just looked over everything for the I.S.A. program and guess what? I'm getting out of here. All of the requirements before leaving are complete. I'm gonna capitalize on this small moment where people can actually be jealous of what I'm doing. Hey, why not? Feels good. Last time I did something worth talking about all it amounted to was melting in the street heat of D.C. for a week. Walking out the door into that haze I could almost picture a sand timer over my head counting down before I oozed into some crack in the sidewalk. Perhaps Washington was the Vegas of its time, built over a swamp instead of a desert. I'm sure back in those politically charged days it must have been as much fun to get into a debate as it is to lose all of your money on the Strip. I mean, probably not, but why else is it the capital? Something exciting must have been happening.

Some say that Seoul during the winter is about as depressing as it gets. Yet I don't see this being the case. Maybe the reason is because I feel I'm under the same revolutionary spirit that had Jefferson envisioning a swamp to be the nerve center for a great society. It's the sign, the Eagle on the cactus that points to Tenochtitlan.

Since childhood I've always been interested in countries and how they've ebbed through time. For example, is it strange to anyone else that Mongolia was at one point the closest thing we've ever had to an empire that conquered the planet? Now when do we hear that country's name, save for when relations with the Chinese turn sour, if at all? To be honest I think it was the childhood wonder that has been such a strong force in my desire to travel. This is a desire that, up until a few months ago, I thought was shared by everybody.

Who wasn't young once and enchanted by the stereotypical images of pyramids and sunshine and camels sauntering through an endless landscape of sand? Who didn't honestly believe somewhere in their childish mind that they would one day be that adventurer, macheteing their way through some overgrown jungle?

But I'm not a child anymore. The real adventure in life has always come from less obvious venues. The gray of a city obscures just as the dirt covering the 'X' that marks the spot, so to speak. Ancient mysteries are remembered and forgotten, causing enlightenment for the whole world on the occasional good day. As a citizen of the world, as we ultimately all are, I deem my job in Korea to be like sifting for gold. To expose for good or ill what treasures may exist where few care to look.

I believe these treasures will come in the form of a different way of viewing life. A unique way of viewing life is the real backbone of any particular nationality, tribe, or simply any group of people who see themselves as sharing a common heritage. The real value of a trip that makes everything worth it is the ability to learn how to live differently. Consequently, one can find themselves living a new life entirely.

I don't know if I'll understand the non-adventurer types, the "home-bodies", as they've been described to me. Maybe they've been held down by their own society which constantly states, "We've been there, the whole world has been discovered." Discovery and exploration is the essence of the human spirit. If you listen to this train of thought then the last place you can explore is the bottom of the ocean. At every turn it seems to me that this is the only place a country would like to send its explorers, the people who realize that its impossible for one place to be the best in the world. To hear that all Parisians are snobs, the people in the town next to mine are rednecks, or any generalization for that matter, has never been enough to dampen my freedom to find out for myself. Seeing only half the world will never be enough, you couldn't convince me otherwise if it were a trip to the Moon. I encourage everyone to see what potential exists for living a full life before it becomes impossible to ever do so.

For now though, I am prepared to bid adieu to the States...

The dust settles, resulting in a scattered recollection

2011-12-29T01:28:00.000-05:00

It is now December 28th. As I notice fellow Hartwick College students take off on the j-term study abroad trips, where a month is spent taking a class in places like

South Africa

China

, and

Thailand

, the reality comes back for my own decision. A month and a few days from now I will be embarking on a long plane ride. Hopefully there will be some cool places to spend a layover done in the style of Anthony Bourdain's new show on the Travel Channel. Personally I'm rooting for Hong Kong or Tokyo. I figure these places would be good to quickly adjust me to living in a city with ten million inhabitants for four months.

My projected thirteen hours of restlessness will no doubt leave me stranded in some place like San Fran. With my luck, I expect to meet an untimely end getting hit by a cable car. If not, I’ll trip over a Deadhead (bad pun) and roll down one of those terraced hills like a pinball before splashing unconscious into the bay. I’ll wash up on Alcatraz and spend my afterlife being the constant subject of ghost tours, trying in vain to tell people just how un-cool my death was over EVP’s. If my layover does leave me in San Fran, my motivation to stop cowering in the airport for fear of screwing up somehow and missing the plane will only take me as far as the hotdog trolley.

"DUDE, DID YOU JUST HEAR THAT?!"

----------------------------------------------------------------
Seoul is fixing to throw my five senses into orbit.

The Banpo Bridge, Seoul

For once in these pre-departure posts, I would like to spend some time looking back instead of forward. As you can see from the last post, one where I was only just sending in an application, a lot has happened and I have left you, dear reader, un-scooped. Of course judging from the page-views I guess this hasn’t been a cause for sadness.

I was accepted to the International Study Abroad program on November 18^th. Here’s the official link to the program details: http://studiesabroad.co.uk/seoul. This news came just in time for Thanksgiving break, a time that I and students all over the

United States

spent flipping off the calendar in hopes that the rest of the semester would bug-off. Only for me this was also the time when I was filling out lots of forms.

Studying for finals, writing/stressing papers and reading expiration dates became a way of life for that long, long, stretch of time after break. My room-mate and I spent many nights cursing the assignments yet to be done, foregoing work for a few nights in a row to watch the

U.K.

series Survivors. Do I recommend watching this show while in a rational mindset? Nope. Do I recommend this show while hoping that an incurable disease sweeps the Earth and turns cities into a post-apocalyptic playground? Why, yes, in fact. Oh, the population of the world is now 1/3 of what it used to be? Looks like that F won’t be counting after all.

As with most predicted end-of-days scenarios, the date of finals came and passed. Those final days of acting homeless and living in the library paid off and I actually did fine. I moved out of my cabin at the Pine Lake campus at my school and spent the next week or two hanging with the family. This was a welcome respite, but it can also be tiring in its own way at times. Kim Jong Il also died, which is awesome except for Kim Jong Un. I think it can be widely agreed that his demeanor is considerably more cold and calculating than his clown-like father. No more threats from a guy in his dad’s gym outfit.

Now, Christmas is over and I am again in the rare position of being master of my own time. Now we are at the present. Look out for updates!

Three Korean inspired dishes I had this semester:

Kimchi (김치) – Pickled Cabbage w/ red chilis

Found on Closet Cooking Blog being delicious

I bought a jar of this in a Korean specialty store in Syracuse. This stuff is not for everyone, but it certainly is for me. It boasts an intimidating, though not unbearable rotting smell. Don’t be lame though. Try a little with rice or in your ramen noodles. This pickled treat is larger than life in

Korea

. It’s spicy, crisp and (not so importantly) pretty good for you.

Tilapia Fillet with Gochujang (고추장) – fermented red chili paste

“You bought tilapia as a college student?” You must be thinking I drove my parent’s Audi to school, but really there was a two for one special at the grocery store. This paste and fish is a combo that’s nothing short of delicious. Eat this as fish and chips and you’ll be in heaven. This paste is supposed to be really hot, and either I’ve burnt my taste buds out or this wasn’t too bad -- but still had a nice kick. Classy, subtle flavor. All you have to do is place the fillets in a greased baking pan, throw on an unhealthy amount of butter (think Paula Deen), and use your head when applying those spices. Garlic salt, oregano, sesame seeds, get that sizzlin’ and bubblin’ for ten minutes per 1/3” of thickness.

Bibimbap (비빔밥) – a mixed meal of sautéed veggies, rice, gochujang, fried egg, carrots, kimchi, and beef usually served warm

Photo-Friendly Bibimbap

An Abomination

The picture above is the bibimbap I prepared, which, it should be noted, is miles from how it should be. I used carrots, bean sprouts, rice, a fried egg, sesame seeds and maybe something else that has slipped my mind. Oh well. It’s best when set in the oven so that the rice takes on an authentic baked quality and the meal is kept at a good temperature. This will definitely give you that full, satisfied feeling.

Outset and Introduction...

2011-09-27T18:19:00.000-04:00

For my application to study abroad they asked me for a personal statement. Among the questions they ask of the applicant are the following:
-What are your academic goals?
-Why do you want to study abroad?
-Why have you chosen this particular program?
-What does this program mean to you personally and professionally?

Without further ado, this is the personal statement attached to my application:

I am strongly magnetized in the direction of studying Korea. I believe there is much to be learned from this country which has stood in the shadow of China and Japan for many others. Korea has many distinct features which are applicable to economics and political science. Studying here will help me to decide which field I want to focus on which will lead to my declaration of one of those two majors. My senior thesis will most likely be based on the issues in that society. Some examples of issues I could explore would be the question of re-unification of the two Koreas or the impact on Korea’s economy which technology has made.

The Korean War still lingers fresh in the mind of every Korean citizen. After the Korean War, the South had a GDP which was on par with Ghana. Now it is one of the world’s top economies while the North still suffers under the yoke of one of the last pure Communist countries in the world. This is just an example of the many different paths I could expand upon for a senior thesis. This is a goldmine of economic and political research and whichever one interests me more from my experience abroad will be my declared major. I will also be maintaining an entertaining and educational blog based upon said experience. I am treating this experience like an independent field project.

For these reasons, Korea is undoubtedly a sound choice in my professional development. Yet these reasons dis-regard the vast opportunities for personal discovery. I grew up in a village with a serious lack of diversity. This, I feel, has left a huge hole in my childhood. Every day after school I would collapse exhausted on to my couch and dream of other places. I would reach for the T.V. remote and without fail I would always end up tuned in to the Travel Channel. As long as the program covered somewhere other than my town I would be interested.

When I arrived at college I immediately set out to fix this problem. I became friends with people from vastly different backgrounds and asked questions and listened intently to what they had to say. I met a girl from Korea and she and I became good friends. I became interested in how, for instance, she could speak so fluidly in a language so alien to anything I had known whenever her mother called, hang up the phone and then speak perfect English. What I had only heard of from foreign places through the T.V. or from small talk in passing conversation within the bounds of my village was now accessible to me. I began asking her more questions, watching Korean movies, and when finally Christmas came I picked up a present for myself; a Korean language book.

I learned the Korean alphabet easily; it was meant to be this way when King Sejong developed it in the Fifteenth Century. Soon I was able to read what (to the uninitiated) appears to be another hopelessly complicated Asian script. I was encouraged by this and became even more entrenched in my interest.

It has been almost a year since this discovery of reading. My motivation to learn more has only grown and I am ready to go abroad. This year is the only year I can comfortably travel before buckling down to declare and complete a major. The questions I have will find answer here. Most consuming of all is the curiosity I have with regards to what the world holds for me.