I love Hanbok.

I think I could live in Hanbok. Everyday. Our Korea Day ended 3 hours ago, and I'm still wearing my Hanbok.
Maybe I should consider getting a job where wearing Hanbok is one of the requirements...  I'm sure such a place exists.  Like in one of those village-museums...  I'll have to brainstorm about this. For now, I'll make a list of the pros and cons to wearing hanbok (in my so-far, limited experience):

Pros:

• It's so comfortable! Very easy to wear, too, especially once you've seen a tutorial or two.
• Once again, considering you have chosen age-appropriate colors and event-appropriate styles, complete with appropriate accessories, you will receive several hundred compliments by surrounding 아줌마 and 아저씨. 
• You feel much closer to Korean culture when wearing Hanbok, and you can finally put all those drama-learned Korean mannerisms into action.
• Oddly enough, Hanbok seems to regulate your body temperature to the perfect degree. Even in stuffy rooms and windy outdoor weather.
• Hanbok looks flattering on nearly everyone and is beautiful to look at
• People seem to understand that you are interested in more than just Kpop and that you value traditional Korean culture enough to make an effort. Again, a definite plus and a way to make good impressions.
• You will impress your Korean in-laws (Or so I've heard. If I ever experience this, you can bet I will let you know how the Hanbok thing goes.)

Cons:

• People (note: your fellow countrymen) will stare at you. Like you're from another planet. Really, American college students? You've never seen a hanbok before? You should get out of the country more often. I recommend starting with a trip to Korea. You might not want to come back!
• Unless you are in above Hanbok-necessary environment, you WILL get funny looks from surrounding event-goers.
• Sometimes, even if you are in said Hanbok-necessary environment, you will still get funny looks from surrounding people. However, this tends to be directed from Korean-Americans alone, and once the initial shock has worn off, you're good to go!
• It's a bit cumbersome, especially in winter wind. And no, I didn't find that out the hard way... 

In short, if you do a little research and know some Korean mannerisms, you can't really go wrong. (Also, please read the above list with a grain of salt. ^^)

The Korea Day event was wonderful. We all had a great time, and twice as many people showed up as we planned for. Thank goodness we had a ton of food!
All of our contestants did well and the crowd was thoroughly entertained.

I didn't think it was possible, but Korea Day made me even more excited to finally live in Korea. I am so looking forward to the Spring. And I'm also looking forward to actually being forced to use my Korean. The sounds of the language have become familiar enough to be endearing and inviting to me, and hearing so many people speaking in Korean around me made me wish that I studied 10+ hours a day. Now that I think about it, studying 10+ hours in a day really isn't a bad idea. Perhaps I should consider adding that to my schedule.

I'll try to update at some point this weekend/early next week with photos from Korea Day.
Until then, have a great week and God bless!

화이팅!

Is it just me, or does it feel like this 한복 is taking forever and a day to get here? I shouldn't expect it to arrive for at least another week, yet I already I feel like a little kid waiting impatiently for Christmas day. Yay me. Actually, I've been feeling that impatient from the moment the order was placed. 아이고... 서둘러줄래? ^_^

I met with my advisor yesterday about class approvals. The great news is that Sogang offers a wide variety of classes, so it will be easy to figure out a schedule that is beneficial to my major.The not-so-great news is that I have to run all over campus to obtain signatures and "ok"s from people in multiple departments... And it has to be done by Friday... I'm tired just thinking about it.
After going over the schedule, my advisor asked if I had met the new Korean professor in the Political Science department who has recently moved to Milwaukee from Seoul. I didn't even know we had a Korean professor here, let alone a professor in my department! My advisor walked me all the way to the man's office and Professor Kim talked with me for over 20 minutes about what to do in Seoul, places to visit, where to get a cell phone, etc. As I was walking home, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. God is just so good! I love it when He puts those wonderful little blessings in unexpected places! 감사합니다 예수님!

Hopefully my next update will be filled with photos of the 한복, so stay tuned!

빼빼로데이!

안녕하세요!

Here is a post by Jaeson Ma that really blessed me this morning. I hope it's an encouragement to you as well.

Guess who ordered her hanbok? Yup. I ordered the pink and purple one from the first photo of the previous post. I cannot wait to receive it! I was told it would be here in time for Korea Day, so I hope the company was correct.  Here is the link to the company. So far, I have been quite pleased with their staff and attention to detail. 

I also ordered some accessories (노리개, 댕기, etc.) to go along with the hanbok. The amount of thought that goes into a complete outfit is incredible. I've spent hours already researching and reading about all the different parts, and I'm still far from finished! Perhaps one day I will write a series of posts on the subject.

On to my next favorite thing this week: 

Wonder Girls~ Be My Baby

This is my current K-pop obsession. I would love to learn the whole dance and perform  with some friends at Korea Day. We'll see how that one goes...
The Wonder Girls have come a long way. I saw them in concert here in Milwaukee about 3 years ago when the Jonas Brothers came to the city. They performed "Nobody" along with one or two other songs, and really got the crowd excited. It was a fun show and I'd love to see them again. Perhaps in Korea!

We had the first orientation meeting for Sogang yesterday. I met my fellow study abroad go-ers for the first time. One girl's phone went off, and her ringtone was C.N. Blue's "LOVE Girl." As you may imagine, we were instant friends. I am definitely looking forward to spending the semester with them!
As far as planning for the trip, the agenda for the week is to finalize a class list for the Spring and turn it in by next Friday.

On a cultural sidenote, Apparently, today is 빼빼로데이 in Korea. What better way to celebrate 11/11/11 than with Japanese candy that resembles the number 1?  ...I don't know either. But it seems like Korea has it together. For my part, this may turn out to be one of my favorite celebrations. 빼빼로 is always a staple in my house.

It's off to classes for me now. I'll try to get another update in before my hanbok arrives.
Happy 빼빼로데이 !

Korea Day and Hanboks

My Korean class is hosting a Korea Day next month. Our 선생님 has invited a K-pop dance group from another university, and the Korean consulate in Chicago is endorsing the event and providing all the food. We students will be holding a K-pop contest and giving presentations of our favorite parts of Korean culture as well. It's turning into a pretty large event!

The schedule of events is looking quite promising and I am quite looking forward to the celebration, but the best part is that we can all wear 한복 for the day!

At this point, I have no idea where to find a 한복 or whether I should just order one, so I guess it's time to start researching. Google, here I come!
As I ponder this dilemma, here are a few photos of 한복 that I adore~

This is the one I am considering purchasing. Isn't it beautiful? 

I love the color combination of this one. Very simple, yet very elegant. 

You might recognize the next two from my favorite historical drama, 동이:

 

This is my favorite 한복 worn by 동이

Fall Festivities

Between exams and paperwork for Korea, I've been running around all over campus this week. I am exhausted already. Next on the list is getting my visa, purchasing flight tickets, and putting together my list of classes for next semester. I've also felt somewhat like a pincushion... Immunizations for study abroad are no joke!

I spent the weekend at home with my family. We made caramel apples, had a pumpkin carving contest, and drank hot chocolate while watching a Disney movie marathon.
The photos didn't turn out as clearly as I wanted, but here are a few:

It's off to church for me now. Have a good Halloween and stay safe!