"And people laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas you have to use big words to express them, haven't you?"

*phew* Long day. Loooong day. All the foreigners went to Gimhae, as I was telling you we were going to. There was a lot of walking, a lot of tombs, a lot of learning about gruesome burial practices. All in good fun, though, I assure you. It was fun to get to know some of my fellow internationals...now classes will be a LOT more fun! One of the girls I got to know a bit sounds like ET...for REALZ. It's a creepy little voice that she has...and I looove listening to her talk. haha! That is probably not a very complimentary thing to say...but I have nothing but love for people, and I don't mean it in a bad way. It's just so true!

It was also an interesting day in communications...I met a dude from New York today, so shooting the breeze, was, well, a breeze. Everyone ELSE though was another story. I love being in this environment, I really do. I am constantly intrigued not only by the amazing new things I learn about Korea, but by the other cultures here also. A challenge, though, is getting one's meaning across during a discussion. And these aren't high falootin' discussions either...we might be talking about where we want to eat for dinner, or when one of us is flying back to our home country. 'Tis difficult sometimes! But we make it work and somehow end up being friends anyway. Weird.

Another discovery: everyone listens to Eminem. They do! It doesn't matter if a person likes him or not, everyone listens. There must be something terribly mesmerizing about him...maybe he has some really grand things to say. Or maybe everyone just thinks that everyone else thinks Eminem is where it's at. I really couldn't tell you...I wasn't really going anywhere with this. :) hehe.

One more note: tonight I ate at a restaurant call "Dontong" (I think, anyway) who's name doesn't really have a meaning...but it kind of mean "Pig Pile" or something. You know what we ate? Yeah, pig. Each table had a little cook pit thing in the center, and waiters and waitresses would come roast meat and vegetables on it for you. I am really coming to like this "eating in common" with everyone at the table, where everyone shares dishes and food. It's more cozy, I guess, than what I'm used to. I had a lot of fun hanging out with Minjee, Willie boy and Harry (still have to learn his Korean name...darn blast it all) after the field trip today. Still gotta get past that language barrier! But we're working on it...we'll get there.

"If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear."

Or he may be Korean and has no idea what you're saying.

The plan for today was to explore Pukyong National University's campus more extensively in addition to completing some homework for my Business Ethics class. Korea seems to think negatively about that idea, though, because it's actually cold and rainy outside. Korea has a subtropical climate...and it changed it just for me. I should probably take that as a sign of good feelings...but instead, I will spite it and go outside anyway! It's actually a nice change from the usual ridiculously humid and hot fare we usually get.

The library shall be defeated today, one way or another. It becomes a task more difficult, though, when asking people for directions, etc, is a long and laborious process. I realize that most of the people here speak very little English, and I respect that. I don't expect people to know exactly what I'm saying...I just wish it they wouldn't feel embarrassed to use the little English that they DO have and point me in the right direction. I suppose it must just be a personal issue that I need to get past...I can do this on my own if I am persistent enough. So...on to the library!

"You're doing it wrong"

Ah, the phrase. It's been a good companion this past week or so. I've never been to Korean English class, but from what I've experienced it must be the first phrase taught to young Koreans. In the past few days, I've learned the correct way to do many things...like how to mix my food yesterday, take the "even floor only" elevator and get past the "push only" door. Such things wouldn't be a problem if I could read Korean. Or had common sense.

Despite such issues, I am beginning to feel more at home here. Locating my classroom is a cinch (woot :p), I've gone off-campus without becoming terribly lost, and I've used a Korean phone with some sufficient level of skill! It is all quite wicked, as my British peers would say. Today's challenge was to find and use the campus ATM...and I was half successful. It was victorious this round, but it shall taste my vengeance soon! haha. It shall offer up its many units of Korean won sometime...maybe after I take a nap.

In other news...I was saddened to find no midget bananas in the cafeteria today...they're some of the few things I can actually identify among the options there. In a supposedly "fair" substitution, though, there WAS banana milk. Maybe it's a special day in the cafeteria...I have yet to see. There are many things I have yet to see and experience. This weekend, for example, all the international kids are going to Gimhae, one of the historical districts in South Korea and hometown to my roommate, Jeongmin. I am looking forward to meeting the rest of the foreigners...I don't even know how many of us there are! As odd as it may sound, I rather enjoy being a minority. Is that weird? Perhaps. But who wouldn't be pleasantly taken aback by being informed that one's hairstyle looks like those of fictional comic book characters? I may not know much about Korea, but I think that counts as a compliment. Similarly, a "you're doing it wrong" comment is almost affectionate...or maybe that's just in my case. Anyway...the field trip should be pretty cool. I only hope that there's "push only" doors and even-floor elevators. Cuz I'm totally a pro at those.

"It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like 'What about lunch?"'

Well, it has come time to write the dreaded first post...dreaded because one is either talking into empty space (which seems a bit loony, in my opinion) or because one is expecting one's words to be the delight of others. It would come as a shock if this blog were to be the delight of anyone, so I shall assume I am talking to empty space...but hey, I like being loony. Perhaps it builds character. Or perhaps it keeps me awake in the afternoons so I can get over this past week's jet lag. Whatever this blog is for, it shall be what it shall be. And that's that, I suppose.

Not that I've thought about it much, but I wonder how many variations of banana exist in the world. There must be many. I thought I was quite the connossieur of bananas until lunch today, when I discovered the tiniest banana I had ever seen. It was a ridiculously small banana...otherwise I probably wouldn't mention it. I mean, it must have been the mutant offspring of some radioactive, secret-lab experiment bananas, but it didn't get any cool powers except its smallness. It turns out the banana would be the most ordinary part of today.

For the past few days, I've been residing in the dynamic city of Pusan, South Korea, as an exchange student at a international summer school program. I've never traveled abroad or been intensely exposed to another culture, so its has been quite the adventure! But I like adventure...it can take you places. I also think the word "exposed" has some negative connotations, but really, I don't mind enough to go back and change it to something else. Anyway....one of the new things I've learned is that remembering Korean names is HARD. Not that I ever thought it would be easy...I just didn't think I'd struggle this much. This lesson was reaffirmed today at lunch when I had gone through the lunch line of boiled fish, kimchi, spinach, rice, some brightly colored sauces and midget bananas (Yes, I've decided on midget. I don't think that word should be thought of as offensive to smaller that average folks...I rather like the idea of having a nickname for being yourself...there's no such nickname for folks of average height. It would be cool if there WAS.) So...after the midget bananas, I thought I'd just have a seat, finish my spot of lunch and be on  my merry way to go Skype talk with my Papi, but NO. It wasn't to be that easy. One of the Korean students who's name I could not remember (I had only spoken to her once!) invited me to sit at her table, which really was quite nice of her. I just feel bad that so many people remember my name and I have such a hard time returning the favor. There aren't many Americans here, though, so I suppose they do have an advantage. As we all began our lunch, one of the people at my table noticed that I had assembled my lunch in the wrong fashion. (It always seems to be the case...and the Korean students loooove to fix my silly mistakes for me). So we go back to the lunch line, which was quite unecessary, I thought, so she could show me the right way of mixing some tuna-y substance with cabbage, carrots, rice and Sriracha sauce...and she wasn't stingy about any of it. So now I have this huge bowl of food, which I frankly did not have room enough to eat. And it turns out that she put a TON of hot sauce on it as well...Koreans do seem fond of their spicy food, which I am fine with, but this was a little beyond my abilities. Funny thing is, she did it on purpose! It's kind of funny in hindsight, because they all seem to find it humorous when even the skin on my arms flushes from the spiciness of the food. It was all in good fun; having meals with people who hardly understand what one is saying is always an interesting time! In the end, it was all good...I learned to pay attention to my food and now I'm definitely NOT going to forget her name. "Minjoo" :) Now if only I could remember the rest of their names!