How I'm Doing
Annyeonghaseyo! Is it raining where you are? Korea's experiencing its monsoon season at the moment and I'm growing gills. My hair's unmanageable, I sweat just by walking outside, and I keep getting alerts about rising waters and even a landslide. Hope nothing gets as bad as what happened to the Kim family's home in Parasite... Even though humidity reaches 90% saturation and every day experiences heavy rainfall there are still lots of people out and about. Nearly every store sets their umbrellas out front so no one will be caught without and buildings set out stations with umbrella-shaped plastic bags so water doesn't leak all over the floors. Thanks to these conveniences the rainy season doesn't feel very inconvenient, just physically uncomfortable. During these days it's best just to enjoy the rain from indoors with a cup of coffee.
Quick update on June:
papers
papers
papers
Glad we got that out of the way.
I finally caught a breathe of humid, mask-filtered air when I submitted my paper for North Korean History on July 2nd. The very next day I rewarded myself for sticking out this weird semester with a move from my little, window-less goshiwon room to a little, window-existent goshiwon room. 😍 It's the little things. The room costs a bit more so I'll have to adjust my budget, but a window will help me feel less closed off from the world when next semester (also mostly online) rolls around. The rest of July I vowed to explore stores and coffee shops I've been adding to my list, and also fill up my social meter. I know I still can't move carefree because of the virus, but with local transmissions down to 15 people or less a day Korea feels relatively safe as long as I take precautions.
I'm an anxious person even without a virus to worry about, and often talk myself out of doing even the things I want to do, but I tried hard this past month to make an effort to meet friends and travel. I can't always control how I feel, however, and still cancel plans at the last minute or leave in the middle of a gathering. I stayed home for almost a week once because I was convinced I was sick and even got tested (negative). The test was worth it, however, because I felt confident enough to leave my room again. At least for a little while. 😅
Annyeonghaseyo! Is it raining where you are? Korea's experiencing its monsoon season at the moment and I'm growing gills. My hair's unmanageable, I sweat just by walking outside, and I keep getting alerts about rising waters and even a landslide. Hope nothing gets as bad as what happened to the Kim family's home in Parasite... Even though humidity reaches 90% saturation and every day experiences heavy rainfall there are still lots of people out and about. Nearly every store sets their umbrellas out front so no one will be caught without and buildings set out stations with umbrella-shaped plastic bags so water doesn't leak all over the floors. Thanks to these conveniences the rainy season doesn't feel very inconvenient, just physically uncomfortable. During these days it's best just to enjoy the rain from indoors with a cup of coffee.
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Kinda what monsoon season feels like |
papers
papers
papers
Glad we got that out of the way.
I finally caught a breathe of humid, mask-filtered air when I submitted my paper for North Korean History on July 2nd. The very next day I rewarded myself for sticking out this weird semester with a move from my little, window-less goshiwon room to a little, window-existent goshiwon room. 😍 It's the little things. The room costs a bit more so I'll have to adjust my budget, but a window will help me feel less closed off from the world when next semester (also mostly online) rolls around. The rest of July I vowed to explore stores and coffee shops I've been adding to my list, and also fill up my social meter. I know I still can't move carefree because of the virus, but with local transmissions down to 15 people or less a day Korea feels relatively safe as long as I take precautions.
I'm an anxious person even without a virus to worry about, and often talk myself out of doing even the things I want to do, but I tried hard this past month to make an effort to meet friends and travel. I can't always control how I feel, however, and still cancel plans at the last minute or leave in the middle of a gathering. I stayed home for almost a week once because I was convinced I was sick and even got tested (negative). The test was worth it, however, because I felt confident enough to leave my room again. At least for a little while. 😅
What I'm Watching
I've been slacking quite a bit with updates on what I'm watching, reading, and listening to, so prepare for multiple K-drama introductions!
I've been slacking quite a bit with updates on what I'm watching, reading, and listening to, so prepare for multiple K-drama introductions!
- 좋아하면 올리는 (Joh-ah-ha-myun ohl-lee-neun/Love Alarm)
- This short drama's about an app that rings when someone who "loves" you comes nearby. Though the premise sounds cutesy I appreciated that the drama includes issues that would arise in real life should this kind of app exist. For example, a stranger rang a women's love alarm and she figured the stranger had an innocent crush on her, and then he proceeded to assault her. It also explores what might happen if a man rang the love alarm of another man, or how people feel when years go by without one ring from their love alarm.
- 미생 (Misaeng)
- Misaeng, which means "unfinished life," revolves about a group of newly employed office workers. It does a great job exploring issues such as the treatment of women in the workplace, nepotism, corruption, the way superiors often take advantage of new employees, and companies' obsession with qualifications. I appreciated that the drama portrays men and women who enjoy their work but also struggle to navigate their often toxic company environment.
- 사이코지만 괜찮아 (ssa-ee-kko-ji-man kwaen-chan-ah/It's Okay to Not Be Okay)
- The direct translation from the Korean is "I'm Psycho But Ok" 😂
- This currently airing drama's about a care worker and his autistic brother who keep running from a past traumatic experience, and the slightly crazy children's author with a connection to them. Most of the drama takes place in a mental health hospital, and the audience meets some funny and endearing characters there, but the drama also maintains a somewhat haunting atmosphere. It's likely the most popular show in Korea at the moment.
- Korean Classic Film
- If you're not interested in modern dramas, you can try classic films instead! There's a YouTube channel that provides free Korean films from the 1990s and before, all with subtitles in multiples languages. I recently watched the 90s film 서편제 (Seopyeonje) about a pansori singer and his pupil, and the great lengths the singer went to make sure his pupil could master her artform.
The singing style in the film above, Seoyeonje, is called pansori, which is a uniquely Korean way of storytelling. Pansori uses sounds from deep in the throat to convey great emotion, and takes years to master. Because this style prefers the vocal creaks and depth that emerge later in life women's voices are actually considered better as they age, a refreshing idea since I've always lamented that men's voices sound richer the older they get while women's voices seem to deteriorate. But the depth and huskiness women gain through the years make their songs of hardship come to life.
Below, a short informational video on pansori.
Here's a performance of a traditional pansori tale.
In modern times, pansori has made it's way into various genres. Below, the jazz/reggae group NST & The Soul Sauce with the pansori singer Kim Yuhee.
If you really want to see something fun, here's the song 범 내려온다 (beom nae-ryo-own-da/A Tiger Comes Down) with multiple pansori singers and eccentric dancers.
Pansori sounded strange to me at first but now I really appreciate how unique and expressive it is.  |
| Okay you've seen this book plenty but I had to tell you all I FINALLY FINISHED PART 1 OF THE KOREAN TRANSLATION OF THE SORCEROR'S STONE!😁 ahem |
anyway
Korean Literature
- I wanted to read more Korean literature this summer, and I found I could rent free translated books from the Literature Translation Institute (LTI) Korea Library online. I've been listening to
their audiobooks during my morning routine or while making lunch. Here's the ones I've gotten through so far! - Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 by Nam-joo Cho
- Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 is about Korea's any-woman, and focuses on how gender affects every women's life. Ji-young realized from a young age that society treats boys differently from her, such as when she received student lunch after her male classmates, or when her male coworkers refused to promote her because they reasoned she'd just quit once she got pregnant. Though the book focuses on how women experience life in Korea, and doesn't call for explicit changes or criticize men, it's considered a feminist book and receives it's fair share of criticism, one example being when a female idol revealed she'd read the work and some of her male fans not only criticized her but burned her photos. cite-Feminist novel becomes center of controversy in South Korea.
- There doesn't seem to be a great way to talk about gender anywhere in the world, but this book does a pretty good job highlighting concrete things that happen and that women dislike, without raging against the society that permits them. I also liked how the author showed females like Ji-young's teacher and mother didn't realize they automatically favored males above themselves. Seeing them realize their partiality through interactions with younger women who expected more equal treatment proved an effective way to show the audience how different generations can challenge one another.
- Seven Years of Darkness by You-Jeong Jeong
- A thriller about the murder of a young girl in the countryside. I liked how it explored the complicated thoughts and experiences of those involved, so the reader sees things less in black and white.
- Almond by Won-Pyung Sohn
- A young adult novel about a boy who can't feel emotion. I appreciated how the author used her emotionless main character to explore how feelings influence people's decisions and relationships.
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| Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 |
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| Left: Seven Years of Darkness/ Right: Almond |
- The Vegetarian by Han Kang
- You've probably heard of this one because it won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016. It's about a women who gives up meat because of terrifying dreams, and then slowly descends into madness.
- The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang
- Here's a sweet children's story about a hen who desperately wants to raise her own chick, but she never leaves the coop until she's unable to lay any more eggs. Then she stumbles across someone else's egg. I liked the story so much I gave it to my mother for her birthday!
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| The Vegetarian |
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| The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly |
- Human Acts by Han Kang
- Ok last one I PROMISE
- Human Acts is another novel by Han Kang about the Gwangju Massacre of 1980. This was a time right after the assassination of long-time dictator Park Chung Hee, and the rise of a new dictator. 2,000 pro-democracy demonstrators in the city of Gwangju rose up and died at the hands of the police. For something so recent, people still don't really talk about it, but for Han Kang and many other authors the memory should stay alive in the minds of every Korean.
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| Human Acts |
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| Boe's doing great because I finally moved into a window room! Now I don't have to take him up to the roof to get his daily dose of sunlight. |
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I turned in my last paper (about the first leader of North Korea's attitude toward Christianity) on July 2nd and it felt soooo great to finally throw this blasted project list in the trash. Now for summer break! 
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Here's a picture from me and my friend's visit to Omelas Coffee! I wanted to go specifically because I follow the owner's cafe vlogs (remember when I mentioned café vlogs had become popular on YouTube?) When I mentioned I was a subscriber the owner gave us a giant madeleine cookie for free! The coffee brewed in house was good too! (Because I've seen the owner and coffee shop so much on YouTube it almost felt like meeting a celebrity. 😂)  I killed a bug a while back that scared a girl in my goshiwon and she gifted me with a homemade ring a few weeks later. It was so kind of her! (And a bit funny since I hardly remembered the incident.) The girls here are really sweet but we all respect each other's privacy like neighbors do in an apartment building, even though our living space more resembles a student dorm. I don't expect to make friends with everyone anymore, but I love little moments like these when our lives brush against each other. |
 Foods and drinks from June! |
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Went down to Gangnam, an area who's name literally means "south of the river." Seoul originally existed only North of the Han River, and when the city began to grow it naturally expanded South (since North Korea exists only a few miles above Seoul). This area grew as Korea did economically, so Gangnam's swankier than the older, northern side where I live, and the rich lifestyles of many who live here inspired the iconic song, Gangnam Style. I took this picture at COEX, probably Gangnam's most popular mall. It contains everything from an aquarium, to a 2-story library/bookstore, to SMTOWN, a place where fans of SM Entertainment's pop groups can buy merchandise or even experience virtual concerts, though I think it's moving to a new location soon. I didn't go inside the mall this time, but just appreciated their new GIANT screen out front. You can click the video to see it in action. So cool!
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| The Irritated Grandma and the Caffeinated Kitten in a rare photo together |
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| Me and a friend riding the subway. All public transportation requires passengers wear a mask. It's a good call because the trains fill with people when they go to or get off work, but thankfully our outing missed the rush. |
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Some graffiti in Seoul  This art reminds me how many elderly Korean people live in poverty. The country switched from underdeveloped to one of the most economically successful in the world in only 50 years, but the older generation often don't have the skills to succeed in the new Korea. I often pass grandmas and grandpas, their bodies bent in a literally L-shape, hauling used cardboard to sell.  After the sad artwork, here's some happy  Munchies from July! |
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I don't usually like these pictures with inspiring Bible verses or Christian teachings because it seems like they're encouraging me to suppress my sadness with a joy I just don't feel. But I'm trying hard to open myself up to Christians and what they want to say or what they think God is trying to say. I don't trust easily, and I've heard so many different opinions from Christians with different beliefs, so it's been really hard. But I find cutting someone or something off just because they confuse or frustrate me doesn't get me anywhere. My own faith and actions, and everyone else's faith and actions are proving very difficult to control, but I don't want to cut Christians or others out of my life because I don't know if they follow the rules as I think they ought to be followed. I can't make the world or myself what I think we ought to be, so I'm instead trying to just let myself and others be loved anyway.
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The view from Object
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