Mid-Terms

Strange dream last night.
In my dream, I went home and was hanging out with my family, and for some reason, a professor from school was in my house. I thought that exams were online, so I was all ready to take them online, but something happened. I asked the professor if I could take the exams at home and then she said "No. You have to take them in class." Then came the panic. I started driving back to campus, but I live in the USA and my campus is in South Korea. So I'd have to take a plane and fly back and I'd never make it in time.  Then, to make matters worse, something was wrong with the pie I was making. It got a lot weirder and then I woke up. Still weirded out, now.

FACT: I mixed up the date for my Japanese exam when I was in undergrad and went home (3 hour drive), thinking it was the following week. Luckily, my professor was really cool and let me reschedule it.

Exams are not my friend. Exams are better than presentations and papers, but they're still not my friend, especially since I'm definitely not ready. Midterms are in about a week and I’m pretty dang lost in two of my four classes. Which two? Understanding International Development and Applied Economics. 

UIDC is just dense. The class is once a week for three hours.

Everything just goes over my head. “lost” is a nice way to put it. There are so many abbreviations and acronyms and everything else and it just freaking zones me out. I take furious notes and do the readings and try to pay attention in class, but as soon as it’s over…nothing. It often feels like I’m in the wrong place. Not in terms of actual location, but just…. It’s kinda like walking into the middle of a conversation. Everyone else knows what’s going on except for you. Hell, I even ask questions every now and then and still…nothing. The class is so abstract that just about anything could be on the exam. Even the papers we're writing on a bi-weekly basis seem completely irrelevant to what we're learning/have learned.

Then there’s Applied Economics.
There are a lot of similar concepts and concepts that look similar, but really aren't. I took a quiz the other day and did okay, but made some really stupid mistakes. Just...not looking forward to it. Thankfully, the midterm is only on two chapters, though.Originally, we were plowing through the book and would have had 14 chapters on the test. The professor came to the realization that it was way too much (and too quickly). Seriously, there's another class studying the same thing and they're only on Chapter FIVE, how the heck are we EIGHT  chapters ahead when we study for the same amount of time?! We've also been given weekly quizzes, so I'll at least be able to see where I stand, but still...econ can jump off a bridge because I hate it.

Did I mention the workload? I've got all freakin' semester open, and just about everything is due in the same one week span. Within 7 calendar days I have an International Business exam, Applied Economics exam, Understanding International Development presentation, Theory and Practice of Negotiation presentation and Understanding International Development paper...and of those five, four are in the same three days. 

Come on now, guys. You've got all semester. Spread this stuff out!

Also, there's that whole "international business book" fiasco. Like a good student, I went to buy the textbook for class at the beginning of the semester. Copying it was an option, but I wanted to do the LEGAL thing and actually buy the book. Ha. I paid for that choice. It took nearly six weeks and eight visits to the bookstore before they had it. In the meantime, I was copying the book chapter by chapter for class.  When the book finally did come, it was the newest edition, not the one that we were using in class. I asked the professor about it and he said "it's okay, that edition is fine". LIES. Apparently "new edition" actually means something when you're not in the USA. (Stateside "New Edition" typically means a different cover and maybe a new graph). Not so much.  There is information missing from the book. My group is doing a presentation and the case isn't even in the book!  So, I went back and asked the professor if he knew somewhere I could get a second edition book. "I can't help you". Wow. Thanks a lot. Sure, you're the one who told the class to buy the book, but you've no idea where to get it because the campus bookstore (where you buy books) is slow AND useless.

Needless to say, I've come to hate my International Business course. I have a book I can't use in a class I don't enjoy. Plus, this is probably the most labor-intensive class I have and the ONLY class I have on Monday and Wednesday.  At least I'm sure now that I never want to focus on international business. I'll have the basics, but someone else can do that. Not my style at all.

"Koreans eat books during exam times". It means that Koreans only study during exams. No fun or anything like that. I intend to study, but not like that.  I'll have to hermit a bit this weekend, but that's about all. I mean, if I don't know it by now, cramming for hours on end isn't going to do any good. Someone suggested that I'm too laid back about my studies and need to work harder. No, I don't. The keyword is "efficiency". I may only study for an hour or so, but it works because of how I study. Going to the library and reading from sunup until sundown is overkill, as far as I'm concerned.

Next week will be rough. Come the night of April 25, when it's all over, I'm going on a double date with Captain Morgan and Jack Daniels.

Travel and Jeonju

So I finally got a chance to go back and visit some people from my last city, Jeonju. It’s a little under three hours south of Suwon, but the trip down took forever. I caught a bus, thinking I’d read up on a textbook. Not so much. I fell asleep about 5 pages in and woke up a few hours later. We were still in Gyeonggi because of terrible traffic.  I got a bit more reading done, but it took five hours for what should have been a 2:45 trip.

Before I moved to Suwon, when I came up to look for a place to live, the professor who was helping me find a place told me a few things about transport in and around Suwon and the Seoul Metro (basically all of Gyeonggi province). I thought he was kidding with what he was saying. Nope. 100% true. All of it.

Two-way street. No Parking. *Really*

 First: Don’t drive. 

Traffic is nuts. Parking is nuts. On a bad weekend, you could probably get to where you’re going by taking a public bus faster than trying to drive, just because of the traffic (and designated bus lanes).

Second: Rush hour is very real

There’s not really a “rush hour” in Jeonju. You might wait an extra 10~15 minutes because there are a few more people, but that’s nothing compared to here. When people are going to and coming from work, expect to see traffic at a standstill (which makes the public transportation even more enticing...).

Third: Public transportation is a wonderful thing.

T-Money. Transport Card that can be used basically anywhere

South Korea has a great public transportation system, and the Gyeonggi province is particularly well designed. There are city buses, intercity buses, campus shuttles, a subway system, cross-country buses, a train system and taxis. All of them (except for taxis) can be tracked to the minute with any

number of applications on a smart phone. Plus you can transfer between the buses and the subways. You can even reserve tickets for buses and trains with your phone. With that in mind, driving isn’t really necessary.

Fourth: If you’re leaving town, buy tickets early.

For destinations like Seoul, it is pretty much impossible NOT to find a bus up or back. But for other places, like Jeonju, tickets are gone relatively quickly. I looked online on Saturday morning and there were 25 seats left. I got to the bus station to buy my ticket and purchased the LAST one, even though there was about an hour or so left before departure. I’d never seen that happen in Jeonju. Coming back is the same thing. I made the mistake of not checking bus times before church on Sunday. Oops. 4:30 service, last bus leaves at 6:10. Got to the bus depot and all the tickets were sold out. So I went to the train station. I was able to get a seat, but only for half of the ride. After West Daejeon (about 1.5 hours into the 3 hour train ride), I had standing room only.  So I had to go to the snack car (they’ve got a snack bar and a little karaoke room and vending machines) and find a place to sit on the floor so I wasn’t standing for the last 90+ minutes.

 Once I got to Jeonju, all was fine and good. It was nice to see friends and people I hadn’t seen for a while. I even got to go to my favorite bar and try a new drink (TNT). Of course I had a Faust, my poison of choice. That's just how I roll. I absolutely refuse to order fruity drinks, anything with a little umbrella or ANYTHING ending in –tini.We played darts and of course I ate tons of Korean food.

Jeonju is known for its traditional Korean food. Having lived there for about five years, I’m used to the flavors of the place. Kimchi changes based on the regional ingredients.  It wouldn't be a proper visit without having some kalguksu [칼국수] from Veteran [베테랑]. The restaurant only has 5 items on the menu and there's a line around the corner all day long, so you know they must be good. And, best for last, Magkeolli [막걸리] is an art form in Jeonju. Order a pot of the stuff and you get more side dishes than can fit on the table.

Kalguksu  is a soup made of noodles and clams

 <------ Veteran  Kalguksu

    Typical Kalguksu ------>

Magkeolli is an alcohol made of rice and wheat

<------ Typical Magkeolli Set

Jeonju Magkeolli Set ------>

Jeonju is quite different from Suwon. It was nice to go back and be around familiar places and people for a bit. Ah well. The weekend is over, time to get back to school.

Feedback

I know. I’ve been slacking.  Sorry about that. It’s not even that I’m busy, it’s that I just don’t have the dedication required (at least not yet).

I’ve only written three papers so far, but I’ve yet to receive any feedback about them. Unheard of in the States. You turn in a paper. A few classes later, you get it back. On the returned paper there is feedback and/or a grade. I’ve gotten nothing back. Let me say that again...I’ve gotten NOTHING back. Nor have I heard from the professors.

*LIFE EXPERIENCE-BASED DETOUR*
"But no news is good news!" Lies. Ask any hagwon (afterschool academy) teacher in South Korea, and they'll tell you. No news from the boss is NOT good news, it just means that they're just compiling everything and will give it to you all at once. I hate that. It completely blindsides you. Think you're doing well and things are going smoothly. Ah ha ha ha ha ha. Not so much.

*and now, back to where we were*
Yeah yeah. “You’re getting older. You need to be more confident in yourself and your abilities.” Tell me something I haven’t heard before. I am looking to my professors for approval, but for once, it’s to be expected. They are GRADING me. They are JUDGING me.   I want to know how I’m doing in class. Am I on the right track? Is my work up to par? Am I completely wrong and hopelessly lost? I’m even more spazzed about it because I was so unsure of my first paper that I asked to have it back at the end of class.

With feedback on a paper or assignment, it's easier to see exactly what the professor is looking for. You can pick up on what kind of quirks they have (I once had a journalism teacher who would gut papers for MLA instead of AP, despite the fact that she never actually said it in class), how they want a question answered, and the kinds of sources they prefer (some profs never accept Wikipedia. Others don't care). But without it, I'm shooting in the dark at a new target a mile away.

Then there’s that whole “limited number of A’s” thing, too. South Korea, I really can’t thank you enough for that. I didn’t have enough to worry about already, what, with not having a job and trying to figure out WTF I’m doing with my life. I now have to work AGAINST my classmates for the grade, essentially turning everyone into a competitor. We’ll not all go for the same jobs later, but right now we’re all going for the same limited number of high scores. Fail on the part of the system.

But back to the grades, I really don’t know. No one else seems to be concerned about hearing nothing, but then again, most of them are Korean or Chinese and this is apparently par for the course.  I like my USA system where I know how on (or off) course I am.

The main reason this is an issue is because I think my work is sub-par. I put in the effort, but it feels almost...too easy(?). You know what I mean? This is graduate school. People slave over books and papers and journals for hours and hours to get stuff done. I don’t do that.  Sure, I take furious notes in class and do the reading, but it feels like I’m missing something, big time.

Here’s hoping that the something I’m missing isn’t a good grade.

The English Program

Fact: My program is in English.

Fact: Most of the people are Korean or Chinese

Fact: ONLY the classes are in English.

 

Yes, the courses are in English. But to call it an English program is actually kind tricky. I don't fault the school or department or students at all, after all, this is indeed South Korea and the national language is Korean. But I find myself hesitating to participate in activities and whatnot because of language.

My "classmates" (Yes, the Radiant Ones) usually speak slow enough that I can understand (though I don't know if that's on purpose or just a really lucky break), but I know that once we get into social situations, I'm done for.

Many of the other foreigners I've run into tend to hang out with only other foreigners, since they have common languages and they don't know Korean at all, or have a very limited ability. It’s a bit better because we’re on campus and some people are taking Korean classes, but I've lost count of the number of times I’ve had someone say to me “I can’t speak English”...IN ENGLISH...and then we proceed to have a conversation in English and they hardly make a mistake. Come on now, guys. You’ve been accepted to a program taught in English. You obviously can’t suck that bad. And even if you do, I promise not to laugh at you. Even if you tell me about the “animals in the jew [zoo]” or how  “the bitch [beach] is too hot in the summer”, I won't laugh at you. My Korean is bad. My Japanese and Spanish are worse. My Chinese is non-existent. I promise to be kind(ish).

*RANT*

Try. I know it's scary. I know it's hard. But get away from people you know and try something different. So what if you look stupid? Everyone does at some point (I actually do it quite regularly, it's kinda my thing). Just...ugh. It just pisses me off that there are so many people who come to another country and only hang out with people who speak their own language and always fall back to their own little safety zone. I mean that as tourists, employees and students. All of you. Yes, it's comfortable, and as an English speaker/Chinese speaker it is painfully easy (most of the foreigners I've run into are Chinese or English teachers), but QUIT IT ALREADY!

Maybe it is too easy for me to say that because I'm strong-willed and get bored easily. I need constant change. I thrive on new isht. Despite being painfully shy at first *like with the Radiant Ones and the elder students*, once I'm good, I'm good.

To anyone planning on going to a foreign country, I've got a bit of advice for you.

Context clues are your friends.

It's quite awful, actually. I only actually understand about 80~85% of the sentence (depending on who's talking), but based on what I did understand, I can guess what the rest of it was. Add in social cues and behavioral responses and I'm pretty good to go.

Body language truly is a global language.

Bring on the World Charade Championships, because I am so ready. After 4+ years of living in South Korea, I have had to mime just about everything. Headache? Yep. Potato? Yep. My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die? Yep.

a) hiiii! b) You have a huge booger c) Drip coffee d) What?

e) Squid f) I have bad gas g) I' did something bad/ need money  h) Yeah sure ok stop talking  i) good job  j) Beer!

TV and Music teach you practical things you'd never learn otherwise.

Korean, like all other languages (except for perhaps Latin), is a living language. Read all the textbooks, take every class, get a perfect score on your exam. Good job. Now, go out and talk to someone. Listen to music. Watch a TV show. Not the same thing now, is it? There are always quirks in language that can only be learned firsthand in actual usage. I love TV because 1) I love TV and 2) I learn slang and speech patterns that will NEVER be in a textbook. Example? “고맙당”. The textbook will say “고맙다”. No translation engine or dictionary will have it because it’s not proper speech, yet you’ll hear and see it every five seconds.  It’s the difference between “Imma head home” and “I’ll head home”. No dictionary will have “Imma” in it, despite the fact that you’ll hear it every day.

  

With all of that in mind: I’ve got it easy. I have some knowledge of the language. Going somewhere completely new (like Greece or France), where I know nothing of the language and culture, I think it’d be even more difficult. Study abroad programs often say that there’s no language requirement. Perhaps not, for the courses themselves. But if you want to have the most kickass experience, a little (lot of) language is a must.

Taking Notes

Note-taking kills me. It really does. I’m several kinds of strange and nowhere is that more evident than in my notes.

I’m messy. From when I was young, I’ve been a total slob. Never once have I been told “go to your room”. No. It was always “clean your room”.  “Go to your room” would have been preferable, as at least with that there was a preset amount of time and I knew when I’d be free. Room cleaning was (and continues to be) an epic undertaking. It takes several days. I’m the only mess-face in my family though. Growing up, my twin brother’s room was typically immaculate, and so was my mom’s (at least to the extent that it could be with twins going in and out of it all the time).

I’ve not grown out of it. I managed to keep it together when I had roommates, but once I moved out to my own place, old habits returned with a vengeance. Pants hit the floor as soon as the door is closed. I take out clothes and try them on in a feeble attempt to ‘style’ myself and give up, leaving them where they land. You know how it goes...

I can NEVER have people over without notice, because it looks like a frat house/ underachieving bachelor’s pad.

Case in Point: I once called a co-worker (she lived next door) and paid her $10 to make my place presentable because I was hanging out and we randomly decided to go back to my place to play video games. Thank Jesus for large closets, long blankets and spaces under the bed!

But back to the notes: The professors typically give printouts of PowerPoint slides from the lectures. Great. Wonderful. But useless for me. I can’t use them. I have to write it down myself to remember it, especially since I’ll likely never look at those notes again.

Despite the complete and utter chaos in my house, my notes are organized and then some. There is a format. These are just a few of my “note quirks”.

1. Everything must line up, and any diagrams MUST have straight lines. Wobbly lines = NO
2. If there is an A, there MUST be a B, I don’t care if I have to make one up, there needs to be a B
3. Bullets must be evenly spaced
4. Concepts must be on the same page. I can’t turn the page mid-concept. It makes me twitchy
5. DO NOT SCRATCH OUT, GO OVER THE SAME LINE TWICE OR SWITCH WRITING UTENSILS MID-ANYTHING     

About number 5: No, seriously. I...I just can’t. I once had a pen run out about 30 minutes into class. I had to rip the page out and start over with a new pen. I am that kind of special.

With that in mind, it kills me when the professors draw charts or graphs. THEY DON’T FIT IN MY NOTES! Where do they go? I’ve taken to ripping out pages (making sure to get ALL of the little end pieces and getting a complete piece [incorrectly torn pages make my skin crawl]) and drawing the charts or graphs on them, just so I can fit them in my notes later. It really does make me incredibly uncomfortable when I can’t fit things in my notes. EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE! WHY MUST YOU MESS WITH THE NATURAL ORDER OF THE NOTEBOOK?! I can’t. I just can’t. I can’t notes.

Even my doodling, yes I still doodle, must follow the rules. Stay in the margins, no circles, no crossing out and so on. The margins of my pages are full of boxes. There are no circles. I don’t draw circles. Twelve lines and I’ve got a cube. I like cubes. I like straight lines. I don’t like circles. I CAN’T draw circles. The more frustrated I am, the faster I draw. So I’ve got a few pages where the top margin looks black. It’s not black, and it’s not mindless scribbling. It is the result of overlapping cubes.

*sigh* If only some of my rules and organization could spill out of my notebook and into my apartment (which I should be cleaning now instead of blogging, by the way)