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.