K-POP

Last weekend, I was able to use my foreigner status to score free tickets to a Korean pop (K-pop) festival called Asia Is One. I went with a group of people and we had NO IDEA what we were getting ourselves into. The concert was held at the World Cup Stadium. When we got off the subway and got above ground, I was immediately overwhelmed by hundreds, possibly thousands of teeny boppers who were super energized to see their soul mates perform. I have had my fair share of experiences in Asia with feeling claustrophobic, so I was able to function. After figuring out our ticket situation and dodging the stampede of screamers running into the stadium, we found our way to our seats. As we entered the "loading zone" into the stadium, we were blown with some sort of antibacterial air that supposedly got rid of the swine flu germs that were all over our bodies. We also went through cameras that tested our body temperature. I felt like I was in some sort of experiment. I probably was. Fabulous. All I knew was that I was swine free and relieved. ha. We entered the stadium and waited for the show to begin. They kept playing the most depressing clip of children in Indonesia moving and carrying rocks on their heads. I'm not sure what the point of that was, but I'm pretty sure I saw it about 20 times during the show. It kinda puts a damper on the screaming and dancing atmosphere. Big Bang was the headliner. When they were finished and came back for the encore, everyone was surprised that it was a different band singing. Strange. All of the bands were entertaining and made me giggle during the entire 4 hour show. Yes, 4 hours. I will be ok if I never listen to K-pop again. I got to hear all the songs that my students have been tormenting me with for months. I have to be careful about saying "Nobody", "Sorry", "I don't care", etc. My students will literally stop what they are doing and sing those damn songs. A lot of the popular songs have a few English words or phrases in them. Right now, there is a commercial on TV that says "Ole!". I hear "Ole" probably 100 times a day, everyday. I love my life. Really, I do.

Here are some of the AMAZING pictures from the concert performers. ha.


RUN!!!!


Paranoia, Paranoia. Everybody's paranoid. Yes, they are serious.



"Girls Generation" Yes, they really have this many members in their group.



I love the lead singer's hair. It looks so natural.


I know your life is now changed by seeing these pictures. Not the best quality, but you can get the idea. Watching all of the girls in the crowds crying, dancing to the music (you can tell they have been rehearsing daily for months), and singing every word, brought me back to my own boy band days. I had a slight obsession with the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync. When I say slight, I mean extreme. I went to way too many concerts and was totally those girls. Awesome. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

ps. I never cried. That's a little much, even for me.


Bye, Bye, Bye, BYE BYE! (Do you know that song???)


xoxo

1 Month left in Korea.

Be Risky

Hello! I'm not sure why, but I am in a "writing in my blog rut". My time here in Korea is coming to an end and it is really starting to stress me out. There is a large possibility that I will be back next year, but also a possibility that I will be somewhere else. During my short life, I have learned that no matter how much you can plan or prepare for something, nothing will ever go exactly the way you think. For example, I NEVER thought that I would be in Korea right now. I SHOULD be in Denver starting my second year of teaching. Ha Ha! I didn't think that little old me from the "country" of Lakeville, MN could have the opportunity to teach abroad without getting eaten alive by the world. But the thing is, anyone can do it. You can do anything, big or small, as long as you are okay with risking everything in hopes of succeeding. So, has this year been a success? For sure, without a doubt. Did I miss my family and friends? Did I miss out on once in a lifetime events like birthdays, holidays, special events, growing children, and laughter? YES. I have learned that when you follow your dreams, nothing is going to be easy. You have to give up VERY important things and risk it all to follow your heart. So, we will see where the wind takes me and where my path will lead. I am open to anything, which is really scary. I just want to change the world. Is that so hard? ha.

According to the media and the government, the world is in danger. The swine flu is making Koreans crazy. I got sprayed with hand sanitizer as I entered a soccer stadium. My school is spraying kids as they enter school and will begin taking temperatures daily, as well. I think the flu is something to be concerned about but it is becoming ridiculous. There is only so much you can do to prevent from getting sick, other than hibernating in your house for the next 6 months. Take your vitamins, get plenty of rest, eat healthy, and exercise. Do what your doctor told you to do when you were five. Also, try not to eat off the floor or lick your shoes. Everyone needs to chill out and stop watching the news. Does the North Korea situation ring a bell? FYI, they have reopened the border here and tensions are at an all time low. So, take care of yourself, but don't forget to live your life. There is no reason to live in fear.



Did you know...

- Koreans believe that there ancestors are their connection to God. Ancestors are kind of like Mary in Catholicism. If Koreans visit the tombs of their loved ones, they will be blessed. They must visit their tombs during Chusok (thanksgiving) every year and preform some sort of ritual/ceremony.
- Korean women are "asked" to quit their jobs when they get married, especially in the business industries. Businesses believe that once women are married, they have too many distractions at home and cannot perform at the same efficiency as before.
- I have a coworker who is pregnant, but she has not acknowledge it yet. It is normal not to converse about it, because it is the workplace. I'm not sure if she is trying to hide it, but her belly clearly gives it away.
- My first grade student wrote a story about finding a baby bird. It was really cute. He even drew a picture and labeled every image. He labeled the bird poop "shit". I didn't have the heart to tell him it was a bad word because he was so proud of his picture and excited to show me. I laughed about it the rest of the day.
- My trouble maker twin boys hid cicadas (HUGE, LOUD bugs) in their pants. Thankfully, it was not in my class. The teacher figured it out because he heard the bugs humming and a student jumping up and down holding his crotch. I guess they were biting or moving around- apparently it isn't comfortable to have bugs down your pants.
- Korean women look like they are going to rob a bank when they are working outside. It is common for them to wear pants, long sleeve shirts, gloves, and hats that have fabric on them that covers their neck and face. Sometimes the only skin you can see is their eyes. Men don't cover up as much, you can usually see their face. I'm not sure if they are worried about skin cancer or getting tan. In the past, people's classes were determined through the shade of their skin. If you were tan, you were seen as a laborer and of a lower class because you worked outside. The wealthy worked inside or not at all, so they were more white.



Be happy. Smile. Laugh. Life isn't guaranteed for anyone. Live like today is your last. TAKE RISKS.

xoxo