End And...

Before I begin, I would like to say that the title of this post does NOT break with my longstanding tradition of opening my blogs with Korean pop song quotes/titles/tidbits/what have you.  The above is the title to Jewlery's last album, which marked the departure of two of the group's original members, Seo In Young and Park Jung Ah.  A fitting one, if you ask me - since two members are departing, we have an "end"; since two members are staying, we have an "and."  As a recent graduate of Yale College, Class of 2010 (magna cum laude, distinction in the Political Science major, ahem), I find myself in a situation that is simultaneously an end and a beginning, or more precisely, a continuation of a journey that I began in September 2008: the quest for proficiency in the Korean language.

End, and indeed.

This blog has been revived due to the extreme generosity of the Richard U. Light Fellowship, which has afforded me the opportunity to return to South Korea for a full academic year in order to continue my Korean language study and immersion.  As such, I extend to you, dear reader, a hearty welcome to Dana in SoKo 2.0, a new and slightly improved version of Dana in SoKo 1.0.

So what's different?

1) Please take note of the new header, subject to change but unlikely to do so, and if you're a hater, then get out of here right now.  The ladies featured here are none other than SNSD (Girls' Generation, SoNyuhShiDae, etc.), what is arguably Korea's best known, most famous, and most popular girl group.  Singers of such hits as "Gee," "Genie," "Oh!," and "Run Devil Run," SNSD best encapsulates one of the things that I talk the most about (much to the chagrin of like, 90% of my friends): Kpop.  While I posted a whole slew of Kpop links last year, I plan to do much more this year, given that I now am familiar with more than like, 4 groups or singers.  In the past 10 months, my collection has grown to 125+ songs, and I download an average of 3-10 new songs a week.  Expect great things.

2) It came to my attention last year that my blog was read not only by prospective Light Fellows, but prospective Sogang-ers across the globe.  That being said, if I can ever figure out this system of "tagging" posts, I will do my best to make this blog more organized and easily accessible to readers of all backgrounds and needs.

...okay, so basically nothing has changed.  All I did was add a picture.  Sorry for the anticlimax.

Today, as it turns out, is the exact day on which I departed for South Korea last year.  Having maintained my blogular silence since August, my very, very, very few readers might be wondering what I've done with myself since then.  If this were an FAQ section, I imagine it'd look something like this

Q: How was your senior year?
A: If I had to summarize my senior year in 1 word, it would be "Korean."  My life basically revolved around three things: studying Korean language, meeting Korean friends, and plotting ways to get back to Korea ASAP.  Of these three, the last would be the most critical and the first would be the most consistent, but the second was the most affecting.  I was truly blessed and honored to get to know a wonderful, wonderful group of Korean students at Yale (mostly graduates, mostly in the Yale School of Music) who have not only helped me to gain a greater understanding and more solid grasp of conversational Korean, but who have become true and trustworthy friends in the process.

a sampling of the best people I know: Jaewon Unni, Jung Min Unni, me, Shinnee Dongsaeng, JaeIn Unni, and Adam in the background

I have to extend the majority of the credit to Jung Min Unni and JaeIn Unni, both of whom were tutors of mine who became close friends, confidants, and connections to the wider Korean community at Yale.  If not for them, I would almost definitely not have met 95% of the people I am close to today - people who I am SO HAPPY to be spending my summer with, and people whom I will dearly miss come the inevitable departures of August.

Q: Did you write your senior essay about Korea?

A: Yup.  The title is, "A Spoken Commodity: Access, Inequality, and English Language Education in South Korea."  Ask me about it if you're curious, because I don't really feel like elaborating on it here.  A lot of Korean people heavily disagreed with my opinions, so beware potential offense.

Q: Why go back to Korea?

A: Why not?  Because I have long believed that there is little merit to the undertaking of foreign language study unless you can physically and mentally immerse yourself in a culture and people who speaks the target language.  Plus, in case you haven't already figured it out, I <3 Korea.

All in all, I am a bit nervous to be leaving for a full year (it's a long time to be so far away) and heading to Korea during what is perhaps the most precarious and tumultuous period of inter-Korean relations in decades, but I am more or less confident in my level of enthusiasm to carry me through what is sure to be a long and arduous adjustment period...

I touch down in Korea at 5:20pm on June 3 after a direct flight on Korean Air (!), where I will be greeted at the airport by Jung Min Unni, one of my best friends, whose family has graciously offered to let me stay with them in their apartment in Apgujeong until I've got my feet on the ground.  I can't even put into words how touched I am by their generosity.  Former Korea Light Fellow (and current China Fellow) Philip Gant once remarked to me that in Korea, you rack up a debt you can never repay; everyone is so kind and helpful, and I'm already seeing that even though I haven't even arrived yet (in addition to the Han family's overwhelming kindness, I can't even tell you how many people have offered to buy me food or take me around - it's almost embarrassing how helpless it makes me look, but I will not look a gift horse in the mouth).

        

my much loved Jung Min Unni, who stayed at Yale an extra 3 weeks to see me graduate, 사랑하는 정민 언니; she tells me that having a non-graduate wear the graduate's mortarboard is a Korean thing.  Okay.

my best friend & roommate Hayeon, 내 제일 친한 친구 하연이

Less than a week until I begin again.