I have been wanting to go to New York City for quite a while now. The last time I went there was in 2005. I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was lovely. I spent four and a half hours looking at artworks of various kinds. I saw Korean art, Mayan relics, old musical instruments, and much more. I wish I got to see everything. Later I went back to NYC and saw the American Museum of Natural History. It was a fun day.
I was hoping to get there when I returned from Korea in 2006. Thankfully I did get to go to a Broadway play with my family. That was a good time.
Last Christmastime I tried to go there again, but everyone I knew was too busy to go there with me.
Now, I am hoping to get there soon. I really want to go back to Manhattan and see the museums and Central Park again.
Here are some things that are coming up:
The Morgan Library is having an exhibit on A Christmas Carol and Mozart's original music.
The Museum of Modern Art will have an exhibit that includes Pollock's works.
November 30, 2010
November 28, 2010
Going Home
This month was rough. I have been frustrated again and again. This whole year has been frustrating. I haven't liked my job situation or my housing situation. I have had so many negative things happening. I know that I need a break. I think going home for a while is what I need to do. I don't want to be negative, so I must look on the positive side of things.
I do know that I don't want to live with my family for a long time. I will be 31 years old in March and I want to be on my own. My family also is always telling me what to do. It's not fun. I must be on my own so I can make my own choices.
I am going to miss Korea. I do want to go back again next year. Yet for now, I must take a rest. I only decided a few weeks ago enough was enough. I must make some plans for the future.
I do know that I don't want to live with my family for a long time. I will be 31 years old in March and I want to be on my own. My family also is always telling me what to do. It's not fun. I must be on my own so I can make my own choices.
I am going to miss Korea. I do want to go back again next year. Yet for now, I must take a rest. I only decided a few weeks ago enough was enough. I must make some plans for the future.
November 12, 2010
Gracie: 15 Year Anniversary
Today Gracie has been dead for 15 years, according to my Bible. She was a foster child of a family I knew. She was HIV+ and passed away at the age of 5. I loved Gracie very much and she is someone that will always be special to me.
Because of Gracie, I have always felt sympathetic for people with HIV. I have wanted to do something for people with HIV, most especially children with the disease since they couldn't help being born with it. I wanted to do that in Gracie's honour. Well, I haven't gotten around to much. I do feel that I need to do some activism.
After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, many orphans who were in the process of being adopted were quickly sent out of the country. Haiti put a moratorium on new adoptions for a while, just to make sure that the children being adopted out were truly orphans and not misplaced. I was curious as to what adoption in Haiti is about. I read that Haitian adoptions may take 18-24 months to be completed. I wish it were faster, so the kids can get to new homes quicker. I was surprised that HIV+ positive children are available.
It turns out that new laws in the United States and some other countries have allowed children with HIV to be adopted from other countries. Also, there are much better drugs than before, so having HIV doesn't have to mean a very short life like Gracie had. I am thankful those kids have better chances now.
Because of Gracie, I have always felt sympathetic for people with HIV. I have wanted to do something for people with HIV, most especially children with the disease since they couldn't help being born with it. I wanted to do that in Gracie's honour. Well, I haven't gotten around to much. I do feel that I need to do some activism.
After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, many orphans who were in the process of being adopted were quickly sent out of the country. Haiti put a moratorium on new adoptions for a while, just to make sure that the children being adopted out were truly orphans and not misplaced. I was curious as to what adoption in Haiti is about. I read that Haitian adoptions may take 18-24 months to be completed. I wish it were faster, so the kids can get to new homes quicker. I was surprised that HIV+ positive children are available.
It turns out that new laws in the United States and some other countries have allowed children with HIV to be adopted from other countries. Also, there are much better drugs than before, so having HIV doesn't have to mean a very short life like Gracie had. I am thankful those kids have better chances now.
Peppero Stick Day
November 11 is Peppero Stick Day. Since the day is 11/11, it represents Peppero Sticks. Those are the stick pretzels that are covered in chocolate. When I first came to Korea in 2005, Peppero Stick Day was a big deal. I received many Peppero Sticks from my students. I didn't know what to do with them all, I had some for a long time. Thankfully, they keep well.
Unfortunately, when I moved into an apartment that summer, I found a drawer filled with Peppero Sticks. I knew nothing of the unofficial holiday. So, I didn't know the sticks were months old. I bit into a number of them and realized they are all old. I had to throw them all out. That was a killjoy.
Unfortunately, when I moved into an apartment that summer, I found a drawer filled with Peppero Sticks. I knew nothing of the unofficial holiday. So, I didn't know the sticks were months old. I bit into a number of them and realized they are all old. I had to throw them all out. That was a killjoy.
November 11, 2010
What to Study...
Last month I went to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. I think the campus is very beautiful. I came across many students from a variety of backgrounds who were speaking a lot of different languages. It was great.
I decided to go there to learn more about their graduate programmes. I have thought of many different study options. I have so many interests that it's hard to pinpoint what I really want to do. I do need to sharpen my skills somewhere though.
I found that Hankuk University has a strong emphasis on "area studies". They have majors in Middle Eastern & African studies, North American studies, European Union studies, South & Southeast Asian studies, Russia and CIS studies, and Latin American studies. There are also degrees in international law and development. There is also a dual degree with the University of Peace in Costa Rica in international law and human rights. Korean, Japanese, and Chinese studies are also offered, being taught in the native tongues. All the other majors are offered in English.
I do find all of those interesting of course. Well, I find the Middle Eastern and African studies major to be most interesting of them all, mostly because the Middle East and North Africa is the closest thing to terra incognita you can find on Planet Earth in the 21st century. Russia and CIS is also interesting because I grew up hearing about the USSR and how terrible life was there. I saw the huge mass on my globe and always wondered what was in there. Latin American studies is something I want to learn more about because I have been to South America and have fallen in love with it. I took Spanish in high school. I did think of studying in Argentina to learn Spanish.
So, where does that leave me? Well, I have wondered, what could I do with a degree in any of those? Well, there is always research. Also, there is translation of literature. Government employment may also be available.
Yet, I also love the outdoors. I also want to learn more about environmental studies. I found a programme in Norway. It is International Environmental Studies. If I study that, I am sure I won't be sorry.
UMB Norwary, Int'l Environmental Studies Programme
The catch is, they prefer applicants who have previous degrees in ecology, biology, development studies, social sciences, etc.
Sometimes I wish I didn't have so many interests...
I decided to go there to learn more about their graduate programmes. I have thought of many different study options. I have so many interests that it's hard to pinpoint what I really want to do. I do need to sharpen my skills somewhere though.
I found that Hankuk University has a strong emphasis on "area studies". They have majors in Middle Eastern & African studies, North American studies, European Union studies, South & Southeast Asian studies, Russia and CIS studies, and Latin American studies. There are also degrees in international law and development. There is also a dual degree with the University of Peace in Costa Rica in international law and human rights. Korean, Japanese, and Chinese studies are also offered, being taught in the native tongues. All the other majors are offered in English.
I do find all of those interesting of course. Well, I find the Middle Eastern and African studies major to be most interesting of them all, mostly because the Middle East and North Africa is the closest thing to terra incognita you can find on Planet Earth in the 21st century. Russia and CIS is also interesting because I grew up hearing about the USSR and how terrible life was there. I saw the huge mass on my globe and always wondered what was in there. Latin American studies is something I want to learn more about because I have been to South America and have fallen in love with it. I took Spanish in high school. I did think of studying in Argentina to learn Spanish.
So, where does that leave me? Well, I have wondered, what could I do with a degree in any of those? Well, there is always research. Also, there is translation of literature. Government employment may also be available.
Yet, I also love the outdoors. I also want to learn more about environmental studies. I found a programme in Norway. It is International Environmental Studies. If I study that, I am sure I won't be sorry.
UMB Norwary, Int'l Environmental Studies Programme
The catch is, they prefer applicants who have previous degrees in ecology, biology, development studies, social sciences, etc.
Sometimes I wish I didn't have so many interests...
November 10, 2010
Taking a Break From Blogging
I have taken a break from blogging. I have been very busy lately. I went away last weekend on a retreat in Chungpyeong, Gyeonggi-do. It was with a church group and I had a good time. I met some very cool people. We had a speaker from Dallas, Texas. I really enjoyed the music and workshops. I would go back again.
On Sunday everyone was supposed to return to Seoul after 4 pm, but I had a wedding to attend at 1 pm. I grabbed a taxi and headed for the bus stop. Thankfully I had been there once before and therefore didn't feel nervous about it. I took a bus for Seoul and got to the wedding on time.
The wedding was very beautiful. The bride chose to have the wedding in burgundy, her favourite colour. She had her bridesmaids in knee-length dresses that were lacy. She had a gorgeous dress that was very sparkly (in true Korean fashion) with a long train.
One thing unusual about them was the fact that the groom was Korean and the bride was African-American. There aren't many Korean men around who have foreign girlfriends, yet the numbers are rising. Usually it's the other way around, with foreign men having Korean women. I have only seen a Korean man with a black woman twice before. Heck with it though. I can see that the couple is really in love and I am sure their children will be very cute.
As soon as the wedding was over I quickly headed off to a farewell party back in Gyeonggi-do at Dosim. I brought some cake from the wedding for everyone. I will miss the couple, but they had to go home because they got laid off. They gave a lot of their things away. I came back with some cooking oil, toiletries, and a keyboard stand. I already got their keyboard the week before. I am happy to have it.
I didn't get back to almost 4 am. I was happy to get home, yet I had to work in the morning. I was acting like a zombie. It was worth it though.
On Sunday everyone was supposed to return to Seoul after 4 pm, but I had a wedding to attend at 1 pm. I grabbed a taxi and headed for the bus stop. Thankfully I had been there once before and therefore didn't feel nervous about it. I took a bus for Seoul and got to the wedding on time.
The wedding was very beautiful. The bride chose to have the wedding in burgundy, her favourite colour. She had her bridesmaids in knee-length dresses that were lacy. She had a gorgeous dress that was very sparkly (in true Korean fashion) with a long train.
One thing unusual about them was the fact that the groom was Korean and the bride was African-American. There aren't many Korean men around who have foreign girlfriends, yet the numbers are rising. Usually it's the other way around, with foreign men having Korean women. I have only seen a Korean man with a black woman twice before. Heck with it though. I can see that the couple is really in love and I am sure their children will be very cute.
As soon as the wedding was over I quickly headed off to a farewell party back in Gyeonggi-do at Dosim. I brought some cake from the wedding for everyone. I will miss the couple, but they had to go home because they got laid off. They gave a lot of their things away. I came back with some cooking oil, toiletries, and a keyboard stand. I already got their keyboard the week before. I am happy to have it.
I didn't get back to almost 4 am. I was happy to get home, yet I had to work in the morning. I was acting like a zombie. It was worth it though.
November 1, 2010
France Has a Burqa Ban
France almost unanimously voted to ban the wearing of burqas. I think it's dispicable. If women want to wear those because of their religion and culture, then they should be able to do so. Many women around the world wear burqas and head scarves because they feel that is modest. It's not always because they are oppressed.
I used to think the French supported multiculturalism and freedom of thought, yet they seem to be promoting only western values and secularism these days.
I used to think the French supported multiculturalism and freedom of thought, yet they seem to be promoting only western values and secularism these days.
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