냉면 냉면 냉면!*

* = cold noodles, cold noodles, cold noodles! (naengmyeon naengmyeon naengmyeon!)

I'm sorry that isn't a more provacative/educational title. More of the soundtrack to my life summer, this is a new song that just came out as part of kind of a joke concert in which some unlikely pairs of singers & comedians battled it out for...no good reason, I guess. For the (very, very few) people who are curious, that's SNSD's Jessica and comedian Park Myeong Soo. I haven't found a really great translation yet (and no, I can't do it myself), but it's something about love being cold like naengmyeon, which is a Korean dish made of cold buckwheat noodles, served either in icy broth or with hot red pepper paste. Dana, please do your homework and stop listening to KPOP CUTE! I love.

(Should I be sorry to admit that I downloaded this the minute I found it? Along with this ballad from a drama, sung by SNSD's Tiffany? Or 2 ringtones for "Genie," to be added to my phone within 24 hours of me getting back to the States? You're right, I shouldn't admit to any of it. Forget I said that.)

So. Week...6 is it, now? Crap.

So some of you might remember that I spent 5 days touristing through the very green hinterlands of South Korea, if South Korea even has hinterlands. Anyway, the trip was intended for students studying at Sogang's International Summer College, but the invitation was extended to Yalies to go at a discounted rate. Surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly, I don't know), only three of us out of about a dozen decided to go. I was conflicted at first, because going would mean missing a full week of classes, but I decided to go after Hayeon told me that I should never throw away the opportunity to see the rest of Korea when a) the trip was so well organized and it would be almost impossible to replicate that on my own and b) it was relatively inexpensive. So away I went, on a bus packed with American students, for five days venturing in and out of temples, tombs, museums, and special "cultural activities."

Our schedule for the trip was pretty hectic (we changed sleeping accomodations every night), but we managed to cover a huge chunk of the country. Granted, South Korea is about the size of New Jersey, so this really isn't a feat. Our first stops were in or around Seoul, but by the second day we were a few hours south in the city of Jeonju (famous for its cuisine, and more importantly its BIBIMBAP, a fabulous mixed rice dish that we got to make!). The next day, we went all the way to very tip of the peninsula, and the fourth/fifth days were spent in Gyeongju, which is an ancient capital city of Korea. Gyeongju was especially nice, because it is incredibly spacious and lush, which is something you don't see very often in Seoul or the two next largest cities (Jeonju and Busan). The reason for this is because there is so much history buried within the soil of Gyeongju that they can't develop the land. It's an incredibly small city that seems to consist entirely of hotels/hostels and the people that work in them. But it is also home to some splendid temples and tombs, many of which I was lucky enough to see.

In the end, I'm glad that I went on the trip, but I was really happy to get back to Seoul. The worst part of the whole thing was, surprisingly, the people. The trip basically reminded me of when I was in high school and we took that ill-fated 3 day trip to Washington, D.C. in my junior year. There was a lot of immaturity, unfortunately, which is something I've come not to expect from university students. This is certainly not to say that everyone was like that - I did meet some very, very redeeming people, some of whom I intend to keep in touch with for the duration of my stay in Korea. Plus, we went out for some EPIC karaoke - I literally sang absolutely every Korean song I know, including some that I didn't. It was awesome.

All that being said, however, it is worth commenting that If you go sight-seeing in Korea, don't expect to see Europe. I found Europe totally awe-inspiring and magnificent when I was there last summer, but I definitely was not nearly as moved by what I saw in Korea, even in its most storied national treasures. However, that doesn't mean that I couldn't see something to appreciate, and there is something to be said for the love and affection that I feel for this city, this country, and these people that I never felt for any place in Europe. I might have lusted after Paris, but it was just infatuation, I swear. Okay, that was an awkward analogy and you can forget I said it. Point being: Korea, all of your temples may look like they were painted by the same damn artist with the same 5 colors, but I love you still.

There are too many to post, but some select pictures ought to fill in the gaps in the words (NB = no caption means I can't remember at this present moment where the hell I took the picture, and will dig through my trip schedule and try to figure it out later):

prep work for 비빔밥 (bibimbap, literally "mixed rice") - a delicious meal made of sliced sauteed vegetables served mixed into rice with a spicy red pepper paste sauce.

those aren't hills, they're actually tombs - the above appears as two hills, which means that both a king and queen are buried there (the queen's is larger!). Picture taken at Tumuli Park in Gyeongju.

last stop - a pagoda in Gyeongju

one of those redeeming people, Yeorin Unni - she's a grad student who works at the KLEC office on the 7th floor and was on the trip as staff. LOVE HER. I'm seeing her tomorrow :)

yet another fabulous unni, Jihyang Unni - I know I complained about the culture of age here, but being a 동생 (dongsaeng, or little sibling) is AWESOME. Everyone is so good to you!

on the last day, we went to the East Sea - in the background is the tomb of a general who wished to be buried at sea. In the foreground, the three intrepid Yalies (me, Bob, and Hisashi) who braved the trip.

Trip aside, it should please the masses that I (appear to have) passed all of my midterms! Turns out I'm just barely passing speaking (expected) but my teacher thinks that I can pass the level if I continue to work hard. She actually wrote down on top of a piece of paper "100%," pointed to it, and said, "Jangmi, when we are in class, how much out of this number do you actually understand?" I answered as truthfully as I could without making myself sound like an idiot (70%, which is probably accurate. Some days maybe 80%). In reality, we all know that I absolutely should not be in level 3, but she hasn't kicked me out so there you go. I feel badly that I am probably not going to do well in my classes, but what can I say? The insanely competitive kid in me really wanted to rise to the challenge of level 3 and refused to accept that I may have bit off more than I can chew when I cracked open the listening CD. Lucky for me, if I pass the level (and I'll be damn happy and proud to have done so, if I do), I'll have a full year to conquer Level 3/4 at Yale (I think? Where I'm going to be placed is ambiguous as of right now) and then I can worry about what comes next when I come to it.

That being said, I suppose it is time for me to declare what has become increasingly obvious since I've been here: there is simply no way that being here for one summer and completing level 3 at Sogang (god-willing) is going to magically confer upon my insolent tongue fluency in the Korean language. The same can be said for finishing level 4 at Yale. What then?

I come back.

For a year (at least).

I don't know why. But I must be fluent in this language. I have to be. Somebody commented to me once that when you force people to speak in an unfamiliar tongue with you, then you don't hear who they truly are; similarly, if you can't UNDERSTAND what they're saying, then you won't know either. As my list of friends and go-to people in this country grows longer and longer, I realize that I want to HEAR them for who they are instead of who they are when they are stumbling over broken English in an attempt to communicate with me. It's an obvious fact that languages separate people, and its unrealistic to learn every language out there for the sake of communicating with EVERYONE, but we should do what we can when we can. This is my small part.

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. A second Light Fellowship is by no means a guaranteed opportunity, and competition definitely goes up for seniors applying for year-long grants. But I can see myself here. I was walking around in Seoul after dinner tonight and realized for the first time that I thought of Yale not with eager anticipation, but with kind of a sinking feeling in my stomach. I used to worry all the time what would happen after I graduate next year - how could I build another life after that university, after being surrounded by my best friends, by professors, by opportunities? But since being here, I realized I can do it. I am doing it. And I don't want to leave. How can I leave when I've just gotten started? How can I leave when I haven't met SNSD yet??? Kidding (kind of).

July 14. My program ends a month from today, which at least means that I still have a full month here.

I miss this place and I haven't even left yet.

Sigh. I will enjoy it while I can. As the rainy season pounds the roof of this goshitel (it's a noise I've gotten used to, as it rains like I've never seen here), I find myself with yet another craving for banana milk and another rush of warm gratitude towards my new BB cream, a revolutionary Korean concealer that has done wonders for my skin. Awesome.

I'm going to the convenience store.

Jangmi out.