Hello again,
Week 3 in Seoul is now complete! The past week has been crazy. I’ve had the most fun exploring the city the past couple of days. In 
my last blog I mentioned about going to Gyeongbokgung Palace, and thankfully, I was able to complete that last weekend. Exploring the palace grounds, getting lost in the old architecture was truly a refreshing experience that reminded me why I was so blessed to be in Seoul.
Last week’s classes ended up going well. My classmates and I had to film a video and take lots of pictures in Yonsei’s campus for our program. It was very nerve-wracking and at the same time a very fun experience. We had to do our introductions and our video messages all in Korean. Everyone in my class was dreading this moment because no one had prepared (we were initially told that the video was optional). However, the videos didn’t turn out that bad, and it was quite fun to watch my classmates film their cute and cheesy videos.
I am truly thankful for the good group of students participating in the program this year. We all understand that we’re at different levels of learning Korean, so none of us are condescending. Instead, everyone is usually modest and very willing to help. This is a very good learning environment for me to be studying the language because I have so many people to learn from.
Looking back on my weeks’ worth of growth, and evident in my Korean cooking
class, I am pleased to say that my comprehension skills are better than I thought. Today was the first day of my cooking class and my teacher explained everything in Korean. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to me since I’m in Korea learning Korean, but usually the afternoon activities are relaxed compared to my morning class. My first afternoon-activity was pottery, and my teacher often explained things in English when he realized that half the class had blank stares on their faces. But my cooking teacher is different. I’m not sure if it’s because of her gesturing, or from the help of my classmates, but I understood what she was talking about, jokes included.
Since being here, I’ve realized that I’m too hard on myself when I learn new languages. I initially felt that because I didn’t understand every word that I wasn’t improving, but I have realized that progress and growth don’t happen overnight. I’ve made friends here whose Korean skills are much more advanced than mine, and I often look at them and wonder why I am not at that point. I know these are foolish thoughts because what I fail to realize is all the work they’ve put into their journey. I’m halfway finished completing my Korean minor, but since being on this trip, I now know that complete proficiency will probably happen long after I get my degree from Notre Dame. And although I’m not speaking with much confidence yet, with patience and determination, I know that I will improve.
This past weekend was again filled with lots of fun experiences. Our entire program went to The Demilitarized Zone and the War Memorial of Korea. Going to the DMZ was quite an experience.
With all the positive headlines between North and South Korea in the past year that talked of reunification and denuclearization, it was quite strange to stand in a place that symbolizes the clear separation between the countries. Looking out over the wall into North Korea with the flag looming high, it didn’t look that different from where I was standing. But the history, the scars, and the tensions between the two Koreas tell a different story. I learned a little more about the history between South and North Korea while visiting the War Memorial of Korea. It was a sobering experience seeing the names of all the fallen soldiers, but it was an important experience to have.
Until next time, 안녕!!