2007/12/30

The Weather Outside Is Frightful

It's about 7 AM here, just before sunrise, and I'm getting ready for my last day of work this Christmas break.

Watching the weather report on TV in Korean - and understanding it - I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Watching the weather report on TV - and understanding it - I feel a sense of gloom descend as I prepare to step out into a wind chill of 14 F (-10 C).

2007/12/23

Transposing Plato into a New Key

Here's a translation I attempted of a passage from Plato's Republic (which I came across on a forum). The passage had previously been translated into Korean, so I was essentially taking the text even further from the original. Anyway, read my attempt below, and then compare it with an English version I found online.

[My Translation]
Music and art education are of great importance because it is rhythm and melody, more than anything else, that go down deep into the soul and give the soul firm guidance. Anyone who learns music properly can achieve gracefulness; otherwise, the exact opposite will result. In addition to this, let us consider someone who has been properly instructed in music. Presuming nothing has gone wrong in his education, he will be able to instantly recognize what is not beautiful. Naturally, such things will be unpleasant for him, but he will also be able to praise the beautiful. As he willingly accepts beauty into his soul, he will be nurtured by it and will himself become beautiful and good.
(Plato's Republic)

[A Translation from the Greek, NOT mine]
"...Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful, or of him who is ill-educated ungraceful; and also because he who has received this true education of the inner being will most shrewdly perceive omissions or faults in art and nature, and with a true taste, while he praises and rejoices over and receives into his soul the good, and becomes noble and good..."
(http://www.galileolibrary.com/ebooks/eu05/platorepublic_page_39.htm)



Me outside the Van Gogh Exhibit at the Seoul Metropolitan Museum of Art



2007/12/12

All Words, No Action

I'm well into my second week of level 5 at Sogang University. Maybe I should explain what the program is like for those of you who, um, aren't within driving distance of Korea. Which, presumably, is all of you.

1) Location - The tenth story of the highest building on the Sogang University campus. I'm not technically a student of Sogang, since I'm attending the affiliated language program, but I do have a student card and have access to the various facilities there, including the gym and the library.

2) Schedule - I take classes four hours a day, five days a week, making it a pretty intense schedule. This doesn't take into account the homework, of which there's a considerable amount. There are also additional classes available to those who are interested and ambitious (I suppose I may fall into category) like a pronunciation class that I took today.

3) Material - The first hour of the day is a writing class. We review the material covered in the other classes and implement it in our own free writing assignments. Next is a video class, which focuses on improving our listening skills. Right now we're watching a movie called "Christmas in August." Finally is two hours of reading and speaking, which is where we get most of the new material, including vocab and grammar. Perhaps needless to say, all these classes are taught in Korean. Since I'm in level 5 out of 6, this isn't surprising, but even level 1 is taught entirely in Korean. I really can't imagine how that works...!

I'll add some more topics when they occur to me. For now, another picture - pretty good looking, huh?

2007/12/08

A Taste of Translation

Some of you may not know this, but I'm quite interested in translation and am currently exploring the possibility of this as a career. Incidentally, if any of you have any ideas or suggestions about graduate programs or translation services for me, please share them!

Following is a translation exercise I did this morning. I took an interview included among the reading assignments in my textbook and did my best to translate it into relatively faithful, relatively readable English. Of course, you can't compare it with the original unless you're pretty proficient in Korean, but... you may be interested anyway to learn a little about alcohol in Korean culture!

Well, here goes:

---

Park Chan Hui (abbr. Park): We have Professor Choe In Cheol with us today to look into the Korean attitude toward alcohol. Professor Choe, Koreans are pretty big drinkers of alcohol, aren't they?

Choe In Cheol (abbr. Choe): That's right. In a study of alcohol consumption among countries around the world, Korea ranked as one of the highest.

Park: So why is it that Koreans drink so much?

Choe: It appears that there is a connection to certain characteristics of the Korean mentality. In Korean society, compared to most other societies, people tend to place a high value on personal relationships (인간 관계), so even at the workplace it's common for personal relationships to come first, not work. Additionally, since fostering solidarity among workers is so important, employees often go out for dinner together (회식) after work. It's only natural for there to be a lot more chances to drink together when people spend so much time together.

Park: So Koreans don't necessarily drink a lot because they enjoy it.

Choe: Exactly. Of course, there are also people who drink a lot simply because they enjoy it. But even people who don't enjoy alcohol end up drinking because of the Korean custom of "pressuring people to drink" (술을 권하는). As a result, when you ask people why they drink, you'll frequently hear that it's not because they want to drink. Others say that they drink not because they like alcohol but rather because they like people.

Park: (laughing) Yes, it's the same for me. When I make plans to see someone, I say, "Why don't we get a drink or something." The thing I'm curious about though, Professor, is why Koreans think they have to drink to maintain their personal relationships.

Choe: In Korean society, there are a lot of rules you have to keep based on your age, your gender, and your status. These rules mean that even though you want to get closer to someone, it's hard to speak freely, and, what's more, even when you have some complaints that you'd like to share, it's ordinarily quite hard to do so. Since drinking tends to reduce that kind of difficulty, it becomes easier to have relaxed conversation.

Park: When you talk to people who enjoy drinking, it seems like they've got nothing negative to say about it. (laughter) In actuality, though, there are quite a few downsides as well. For instance, it's bad for your health.

Choe: Absolutely. As a matter of fact Korean society is gradually starting to place a higher value on the worth and happiness of the individual. Instead of going out for a drink with other people, the number of people pursuing their own private hobbies is increasing. Furthermore, the transition to a five day workweek has resulted in a decrease in the number of days for drinking.

Park: So you're saying that Korean society is changing from one that thinks of the 'group' first ('우리') to one that thinks of the individual ('개인'). Okay, today we looked into "a society that pressures people to drink" (술 권하는 사회) with Professor Choe In Cheol. Thank you for your time, Professor.

Choi: Thank you!

Some alcohol in Korea


2007/11/29

What I've Come to Realize

I'm very rarely satisfied with what I do, who I am.

I'm always making plans and never implementing them.

I hate saying no to people.

---

In light of all this, I am very self-consciously planning to set aside some time to think about all of the things I'm dissatisfied with in my life and find a way to resolve them.




2007/11/25

Faces and Names

Lots of things have happened here since I wrote last. In fact, lots of things happened before I wrote last, things that I never wrote about for lack of time or energy or creativity or some such excuse, easy enough to find.

One of these recent happenings is a good one, both for my happiness here as a student in Korea and for your happiness there as my earnest, faithful readers. (Yes, that's me flattering you, even if you are neither earnest nor faithful, nor a reader.)

To cut to the chase - I finally broke down and got internet at my boarding house. This will cost me about $35 a month, not bad, considering the installation was free, the first month bill is waived, and I get a free MP3 player to boot.

(Another little something I didn't get around to mentioning was me losing my MP3 player.)

And now, allow me to recapture your wandering attention with a few PICTURES!



Some of my classmates from level 4 at Sogang University's Korean program.
(Another milestone: passed the class, moving up to level 5, as well as bigger and better things, one hopes, starting in December.)


I like her, and she...?


잘 있어! Chal issoyo! (Take care!)

David

2007/10/10

Admittedly, Pictures Can't Express the Grave Insolence of Jazz





Last week, I did a big presentation for my class on a topic of my choice. The topic, as the title of this post and the three pictures may suggest, was jazz. It's actually been a while since I've thought about jazz at length, even though I spent a lot of time listening (and playing) the music a few years back. But seeing as there are a couple of good jazz clubs in Seoul, I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and hear some good jazz while preparing for my presentation. Here are a couple of shots from a place called "All That Jazz." The music, in case the pictures don't make it especially clear, was fantastic.

-David

2007/09/18

They Say I'm Well Connected

I can see your cynical expressions right now--I can even read your thoughts. "He's in Korea, and he said he'd blog. Right... That'll be the day. David? Actually following through on a resolution?"

Well, here I am, posting again! There's a good reason for the change, too. Don't worry, though: there haven't been any emergencies and I haven't made any huge life decisions lately. I'm still relatively intact, and I'm still unmarried.

But I've gotten my computer configured to work with Sogang university's wireless network, which means that

1) I don't have to shell out the extra 30 bucks a month to get internet at home
2) since I can use the free wireless here.*

Oh, and there's a third consequence:

3) You'll see me online a lot more often. Maybe get more emails from me, too!

Next time, I promise it'll be a little more substantive than this.

David

*You are welcome to infer, if you wish, that I am both lazy and a cheapskate. I won't deny it.

2007/08/20

A Room of My Own

I'm back in Seoul. This post will have to be short because it's late and I've got an interview early. Also I'm racking up the bill at this internet cafe.

Points to note:
1) I have a house. Er, a room at a boarding house. Yeah, and the $450 a month nets me two meals a day but there's no sink in the bathroom.

2) I'm gonna start my Korean classes at level 4. That's a level higher than expected. The interviewer even gave me the option of starting at level 5! He was pretty impressed with my speaking level, it seems.

3) Think that Chinese will replace English internationally? Check out this pretty decent article which discusses the foreign language market around the world. It paints a good picture of S. Korea, incidentally.

Annyeongi kyeseyo! (Good bye!)

2007/08/05

The Deep South

Korea at last.

After 24 hours in planes and airports, five days in the sweltering, sweat-drenched heat of Taiwan, several thousand incomprehensibly fascinating Chinese characters plastered over billboards, signs, and menus, countless pieces of priceless pottery in museums, and the tallest building in the world, I've made it.

Everything has changed. Before, I was sitting around lazily at home wasting time on the computer. Now, I'm sitting around lazily at a summer English camp wasting time on the computer.

No pictures this week. Many apologies! My camera's here, but the cable's not.

Location: Busan. You can see what wikipedia and the city itself have to say about the biggest city on the south coast of Korea.

2007/07/27

Goodbye, Again


Not to my blog, though. Don't worry about that. It may have been more than a week since I've written last, but I've been a little busy traveling up and down the country.

My travels took me from my home near Fort Smith to Little Rock, from there to Tulsa, from there to Dallas, and from there back home again. That involved a fair amount of driving - and a fair number of visits to the gas station where I had to fork over an unfair amount of cash - but it was worth it.

To Matt, Owen, Anna, Spring, Chris W, Chris L, Cassia, Joel, Mandy, Jen, Sarah, Mary Beth, Chad, Laura, Mr. & Mrs. Neale, and Mr. & Mrs. Carr: thanks for welcoming me back to the US just as I'm about to leave again. I guess it was a bit of a homecoming and a bit of a farewell mixed together.

And now: packing. I'm leaving here around 7:30 tomorrow morning, and I haven't even started putting my stuff in my bags! Well, I've always managed to round everything up before, so I suspect I'll get it done once again.

Next stop: Taiwan!

2007/07/17

Where Do I Go from Here?


Korea, of course.

But some people haven't been satisfied with this answer. They like to know about those nasty things called details. They are unusually fond of asking hard questions. They want to know my reasons. And my whereabouts. What gives them the right, I could easily ask?

Being the pushover I am, I've put the details below along with a helpful map:


July
20: visit Owen in Tulsa
22: visit Matt, Spring, Chris, and Sarah in Dallas
24: return home, begin packing
26: watch Camelot, the musical (local Fort Smith production)
27: eat a Korean meal with my parents in Fayetteville
28: fly to Taiwan to visit my uncle John

August
3: return to Korea! arrive in Seoul
4: catch a bus from Seoul to Pusan (also spelled Busan, which incidentally is beating out Pusan on google hits by about 2 to 1)
6: start teaching kids again at a summer camp(this offer good for a limited time only!)
17: finish the camp and return to Seoul
18: start looking for a place to live

September
3: start my classes at 서강대학교 (Seogang Daehakkyo) - Sogang University.

You'll notice that toward the end of August my meticulous schedule becomes a little...open-ended. This is because I'm not entirely sure what will happen after that time. Never fear! Not only am I pretty sure that I will indeed do something, but I also have this blog, with which you can stay informed.

~David

PS - What's this about a kid holding up a sign written in some illegible script surrounded by some panting dogs?
In Korean, it says: "Please don't eat my friends."

[picture taken from The Marmot's Hole, a Korean blog]

2007/07/15

Saving the Best for Last, or on the Seventh Day, God Made Korean Food

Today's Sunday, and I did the usual thing that people in the south do. Went to church. As I predicted last Sunday, I went to the local Korean service.

Once there, the usual things happened. I guess that might not mean much to those who haven't been to a Korean service before, so here's the rundown:

1) Singing in Korean

2) Praying in Korean
This goes on for quite some time. On this occasion, the woman praying was so emotional that I didn't really need to understand what she was saying to detect how deeply she felt about it. Which is a little fortunate, since I didn't understand most of what she was saying anyway.

3) Preaching in Korean
It was about the greatest commandment. I got that much of it at least. Of course, I also had a Korean-English Bible to refer to.

4) Giving tithes and offerings
Since they weren't using Korean currency, I don't really feel honest adding "in Korean" here.

5) Stretching
No, not horizons, or credibility. Just stretching arms. Left, right, forward... Seriously, this was part of the service. I thought it was rather considerate, actually.

6) Ku ku pal pal i sam sa (definitely in Korean)
This is the 9988234 chant I described on my other blog.

7) Eating Korean food
Including:
steamed spinach
turnip kimchi
And lots of this

Best of all, I got to take a heaping plate of leftovers home! Three weeks from now, I won't have to depend upon church potlucks for my Korean fix. I'll be having it three meals a day. And that's some food for thought.

2007/07/13

I Have My Reasons

I really do, as much as you may wonder why in the world David is off to another country - and not Europe, mind you, or Canada or some other reasonable place - teaching English, learning Korean, leaving his friends and family behind and dealing with numerous inconveniences. There were the two months with no hot water, and diplomas submitted and not returned, and taxis that wouldn't pick up foreigners. Why put up with it all? Why stumble into law offices where hardly a word of English is spoken and try to get a document notarized that costs 50 dollars extra simply because - it's in English?

You might look at it a different way, though. Why live out your life in the ordinary way, continuing after a relatively uneventful, mostly successful cruise through college to the obvious grad program? Why idle away at home or in an easy career, thinking the same ideas and repeating the same words until the groove they wear in the mind is smooth and too deep to scramble out of?

Korea is, for me, another way to explore myself. It offers a history influenced by but distinct from the West, a people receptive of Western ways but uncertain of Westerners. It offers a language more challenging than those studied in American high schools because it is unrelated to English, a language bewildering because it reflects the intricate system of formality and courtesy ingrained in Korean society.

To learn it well, I have to try hard, and to keep on trying longer than I've ever done. I am a meddler and a dabbler, a prince of dilettantes, and no sooner have I started a new project than I've set it down again. This time, though I'm going to find my follow through. I'm going round the world again, and - this time - I'm not coming back until I've finished what I started.

2007/07/12

More Soon

I've just gotten this blog going, but as you can see it's mostly skeletal. A bunch of scaffolding around the mere frame of a work, hardly begun.

See: Title.

Later, you'll be able to learn all about my continuing efforts to learn Korean, as well as miscellaneous observations about life, literature, culture. I.e. what you no doubt expect from blogs. But here language comes first.

Hope you'll keep me company as I learn.

David