Dear Readers,

My name is Hau and my nickname is Halmoni, meaning grandma.  I am a student at the University of Michigan who is participating in the GCC Korea program.  This program will expose me to different aspects of the Korean culture, education, military, and women's human rights.  For this blog, I will update you with my perspectives and some interesting stories about my stay in Seoul, Korea.  Seoul so far is an endless night city with many places to visit, many people to pass through on the subway station, and many food to eat.  I am excited to explore my reflection about this city.

Love,

Hau

As a class, we participated in the Halmoni's weekly protest in front of the Japanese embassy in Korea.  Along with us, there were the halmonies, other students, and advocates who are passionated or willing to lend a helping hand in the movement to demand for justice for the halmonies (grandmas).   The halmonies were captured or used against their will as sexual slaves (also known as comfort women) for the Japanese soldiers during the Japanese occupation of Korea.  However, even over fifty years, the halmonies have yet to receive an official apology or acknowledgement that the incident did happened.  They have yet to obtain the social justice for the pain struck against them during wartime and the lost of their youth.

Witnessing the protesting scene with the surviving halmonies in the blazing hot sun helped me understand the importance and the determination of the halmonies to fight for justice.  I understood that the military sexual slavery is a serious problem that is still existing today, a problem that needs more global attention to  hopefully intervene to soothe the pain of those who were hurt and reduce severity of the problem.

The halmonies' action of committing to the weekly protest inspired me to persevere with my passion and to fight for social justice for all members of this world.  The commitment to fight with hope for the brighter future for the younger  generations is the first step to initiate a justified international policy--a policy that will liberate the halmonies from their painful nightmares and allow them peace.  The halmonies might not want a governmental policy that compensate them monetary but they want a humane justice--acknowledgement of their suffering.

Korea is a country where there is many people who speaks English because English is embedded in the children's education since primary school.  Children are exposed to Korean and English-speakers teachers who focus on teaching them the language.  The teachers introduce them to technical grammar skills, listening, and verbally speaking ways of using English.  Some children from affluence families or from families who can afford Hakwon education receive more practices and ways to improve their language knowledge.  The focus of English education is also encouraged by the Korean government because the people in Korea believes English is a international language that is essential for global exchange of resources and knowledge.  With that mindset in place, I feel privileged.  I can easily use English, a language I already learned, to communicate with others and not having to learn Korean to communicate with the people here.

International students in Ann Arbor must be struggling and having a hard time.  The people in Ann Arbor are friendly but it is not easy to approach them and ask to be friends without being seen as "weird."  They international students have to learn the culture and the social norms of Ann Arbor to adjust to the environment.  If they cannot adapt to the culture and the environment, then the students will feel lonely and isolated.  Their adjustment process will also be complicated if they speak English with an accent.  Many Americans distant themselves away from people who speak English with an accent because they are not used to hearing the language that way or that they think they cannot understand the individuals.  The distance or the alienation will further depress the students and make them miss home more.

Even though I am abroad in a foreign land, my experience is not the same as international students.  Many people in Korea speak English and it seems that they like Americans (even the ones that look Asian like me).

My partner and I discussed what we have as privileges, based on our race, education, gender, and other identities.  One thing we mentioned was the privilege of being able to speak English.  In an Asian country where the official language is Korean not English, we were not scared if we were lost because we were comforted by the fact that most Koreans can speak English.  English was our way of communication and we were hoping (even expecting) them to speak the language, instead of their native language--Korean.  Fortunately for us, most Koreans speak adequate or proficient English to converse with us.  However, on the flip side, if two Koreans come to the US, they are expected to speak English.  The people in the United States do not accept the idea of changing themselves to welcome others, such as encouraging students as a national movement to learn another language.  By not bending our ways to suit others' needs, we, in a way, display a sense of superiority over people from other nations.

Besides sharing our privileges, my partner and I also explored our challenges based on our identities.  One thing we shared in common is our identities as a female in Korea.  In Korea, it is against the social norm for women to show their shoulders.  They can wear the shortest miniskirt or shorts, but it is strange if they wear tank tops, baring their shoulders.  As female, my partner and I do not want to disrespect the Korean culture or social norms; therefore, we often have to wear a long sleeve shirt or cardigan over our outfits to cover our shoulders in the hot weather.  However, the guys in our group are not struggling as much.  Most of them wear T-shirts and are not restricted by the cultural norm of not showing their shoulders.

The National Art Museum looks like a typical museum with many sculptures, paintings, and ceramics.  The museum holds many Buddhist statues and it has many video clips and English captions delineating the arts.  Without the captions, I would not be able to understand the rich meaning and value of each art piece.  Of all the sections in the museum, I especially enjoyed the pottery and the Buddhist statues sections.  The pottery pieces were so beautiful!  They looked so simple yet so elegant; I wished I could have some of the pieces at home.  As for the Buddhist statues, it was interesting to examine different Buddhas and to learn what each one specializes in (e.g. medicine, rain, enlightenment, etc.).  Besides these two sections, there were many other areas in the museum that is attractive to visitors, such as the history of Korea, the ancient Korean weapons and tools, as well as the gift shops.  Visitors could enjoy the wide variety of arts and could even purchase some creative gift items.  But ultimately, visitors, as myself, could experience the interrelation between art and culture.  Art and culture cannot exist without each other--they enhanced one another.  Understanding the culture helped me see the aesthetic of the art and seeing the art enhanced my appreciation for the culture.

USO presentation was informative and interesting.  I knew very little about the politics and the functions of our military.  The session gave me a better understanding about the relationship between Korea and the US military.  The negative viewpoints about the relationship between two countries existed because of the skewness portrayal from both the US and Korean's media, as well as the lack of understanding about the alliances between the two countries.  The lack of understanding added with the negative coverage from the media influenced how people, especially the younger generations, perceive the US military bases in South Korea.  Many civilians like me do not know that the US soldiers are engaging in community service activities such as building hospitals and tutoring children, and that most of them are not conducting devious and immoral acts like rapping Korean women.  The US soldiers here in Korea follows their strict military rules and oblige to the Korean laws.  Most of them do not engage in immoral acts and they are the ones who need emotional support.  By being far away from home, the US soldiers need entertainment activities provided by the USO to feel less homesick and more optimistic about their well-beings.  They need something to remind them of home and need a place to relax.  The services provided the soldiers entertainment and comforts, as well as strengthen the relationship between Korea and the US.

Similar to them, I need to randomly be in a similar environment that can remind me of home and where I can relax.  I need to watch and do what I normally do in the States to feel less homesick.

After listening to Christal Phillips' presentation I became more open-minded to work or study in a foreign country.  Ms. Phillips is a member of the Institute for Poverty Alleviation and International Development at Yonsei University (IPAID).  IPAID is a research institution that aims to alleviate poverty and connect developing countries to domestic and global poverty reduction efforts.  Even though the work focuses on reducing poverty in less developed countries, I do not think their objectives are hypothetical.  Poverty is poverty, and I do not think I should discriminate against any attempts of trying to minimize poverty.  However, I do think that the Korean government should also direct their attention to issues such as homelessness and hunger within the country.  While passing out food with PLUR, I saw many homeless people who would benefit from any governmental aid.  They are living in poverty and they need the social, economical, and political support from the Korean government to attain some motivation and stability to improve their living conditions.  Combat against poverty needs to take place anywhere poverty exists, both within the country and in less developed countries.

After spending some time in Korea, I have the following questions:

1) Why does some areas in Seoul smell so foul?
2) Where can I find more fruits variety (other than asian pears, pineapples, bananas, melons, and oranges)?
3) What are some popular things couples like to do (e.g. couples' shoes, t-shirts, etc.)?

Hopefully, by the end of my trip, I will find the answers to these questions.

Volunteering at Teach Your Seoul-PLUR was interesting and exhausting.  The children were cute but very rambunctious.  They were extremely rowdy and it was hard to control them since I do not speak the language.  It was challenging to control the younger children because they were uncontrollable!  Many of the children liked to play violently with each other, running and screaming all over the small room.  It was crazy!  It was fun learning new games and pretending like I have as much energy as them.  Even though I knew that I will not likely to interact with them again, I interacted with the children with my best effort.  I wanted to expose them to American games and speak English as much as possible.  My interaction with them provided a more in depth perspectives of the Korean culture and helped me learn how to better communicate with children when there is a language culture in the future.

I love shopping at Namdaemun.   Namdaemun is one of the many shopping places in Seoul that has delicious street food and cheap products.  There are many fake goods there, such as Coach and Louis Vuitton wallets and bags for a cheaper price if compare to the real products but still more expensive than the ones in China.  Other "copied" products include glasses frames, watches, jewelry, and clothes.  The copied products are made of lesser quality and bad craftsmanship (i.e. bad replication of brand's labels such as Chanel and Coach), targeting people with little money and people who do not know how to distinguish real products from fake ones.  The act of purchasing fake products signifies that differences in class or wealth in our society.  People with less wealth would not be able to buy the real expensive brand name products as compared to affluent individuals.  Although there is an difference in the meaning behind the availability of copied products, it was fun shopping in the area as a foreigner.  I enjoy bargaining for different products while snacking with various types of street food.

DMZ:

After visiting the DMZ, I understood why South Koreans are not frantic about the North Koreans' threats.    The DMZ is a sensitive area where both Koreas keep a vigilant guard on each other.  The Koreas know many information about each other and they both acquired a detailed description of the land surrounding and within the DMZ.  The extent of how well the Koreas comprehend about each other may perhaps assure me that the situation between the countries is not that worrisome; I can live comfortably if I live in Seoul.  The situation seemed dangerous to me as an American because the US media blow up the situation.  However, in actuality, it could be that The US' meddling in the situation escalates the problems between two countries and hinders the time it takes for the Koreas to compromise.  The interests of too many parties (e.g. US, North Korea, South Korea) in this problem delays the understanding of each other, resulting in the lack of understanding between each party or a closed, muddle relationship.

My reactions while visiting the DMZ was also unexpected.  Before I visited the place, I thought the DMZ was strictly regulated because it is a sensitive military zone between North and South Korea.  I was afraid that if I was not dressed orderly or if I did something culturally inappropriate, then I would be evicted and that I would embarrass my country and school.  However, the DMZ was not as fearful as I assumed it to be.  I enjoyed the tour and the exercise as I walked through the dark tunnel with groundwater dripping on top of my head.  It was fun!

Everyone in Korea is so friendly!  I can easily receive assistance from a stranger if I am lost or when I looked fatigue (which is most of the time).  It warms my heart when an individual asked me if I needed help dragging my luggage up the hill or when someone earnestly assisted me with my errands even though he was not free.  They are so nice that I am assured that I will be safe and healthy for my stay in Korea.  If I need help, someone will be willing help me and I will not be left stranded alone.

Korea is still an intriguing and new culture that I am excitingly unraveling everyday.  I seek to learn more about Korea and investigate its hidden or not so hidden treasures.  I am currently engaged with exploring Korea that I have yet to have any questions about the culture.