meet the cast

I feel like a few introductions are in order.

starring Ruby Higgins and Canara Heinke

co-starring Jo JaeYoung 조재영 as our interpreter and friend

the Yang family as my Host Family

and introducing Yang JiWoo 양지우 as my host sister

 

casting by: The SSCA and the Gangjin sister cities program.   

what have i gotten myself into

sorry, I know I haven't posted but I have had literally zero time haha I have never had a schedule as busy as this in my entire life.  right now it's midnight and I am finally getting around to organizing all my pictures and thoughts.  we had our last activity tonight: a dinner with the director of general affairs in Gangjin.  it was delicious let me tell you that right now.  so i may be coming home in two days but I still will post about my travels because I want to remember them.  and we need to remember that this is only the beginning!  i am returning after all

ruby learns english

day one:  

background, Korea is one of the most homogeneous countries if not the most homogeneous country on the planet.  so when Canara and I walked off the plane (which side stories may or may not include almost walking into the men's bathroom) we noticed that right away we were literally the only white people in the airport.  then we were the only white people on the bus and at the rest stop. then we were the only white people in the entire town. at least as far as we noticed.  never in my life have I experienced the idea that I am a minority.  when Canara and I walked the streets people would literally stop their conversations, what they were doing, and stare.  so naturally we were casted as the English volunteers right away.  

so actual start of day one:  Canara and I stayed in the Dasan Training Center 

we ate our breakfast of little sandwiches and banana milk in PLASTIC BOTTLES (no one understood my excitement about that) not really understanding what was going to go on in the next few weeks.  two things were really cool.  one: it was the first place we went to that you has to take your shoes off to enter. and two: the view. 

(no no, it's no big deal.  just a huge shrine to some ancient Korean thing.  take no notice.)

 

our first schedule was to work with the teachers if the Gangjin Foreign Language Town.  

it was amazing.  we got to work with the kids and play with them.  let's be honest here, my mental age was the same as theirs so we all became fast friends. 

day two: 

I don't know if you have ever experienced humidity like Korea's... but let me tell you.   immediately after walking outside there is a layer of sweat covering your entire body and the air is so thick, you feel like you are swimming.  so when we heard that our first activity was a hike, not even the teachers were excited.  but it was so worth it. 

 the final destination was Baeknyeonsa or  백년사 which is a Buddhist temple.  

it was at this moment that I knew I was in the right place at the right time.  I knew that this was an experience of a lifetime. 

"let's eat together deliciously"

finally after 10 hours of flying, 6 hours of driving, 5 hours of sleep and 4 hours of trying to control a group of elementary students, I met my host family!  (I am realizing now that I forgot to take a picture of them... all in good time.)

I will say this though; Koreans know how to present food.  this is a picture of where we were eating.  we had our own separate room which was pretty neat.  it had a sliding door and everything!! 

all I could think of when they were placing the food on the table is:  man, my dad would love this.

granted, the fish and shrimp still had their eyes (all I could think of was: my mom would hate this) but it was still so yummy!

a few pictures

this was our meal on the plane ride there!  it's bibimbab or as mom calls it "beepbopboop"

 me acting like a silly-head in front of Korean customs which actually took like 30secs.  I was very surprised. (this may or may not have been right after we ALMOST walked into the men's restroom....)

what I saw the first time I ever stood on Korean soil... beautiful, eh? haha (jk it just looked like any other airport...) 

we stopped at a rests top on our way to Gwangju via charter bus.  not only was this rest stop the most fantastic rest stop ever, they sold MILKIS!  which everyone knows is delicious (Catherine can vouch for me...)

a dream is a wish your heart makes

I woke up this morning knowing two things: 1.) that the "blemish" on my face had at least doubled in size and 2.) that this was the last morning in quite a bit that I would wake up in the great US of A. 

it is no secret to anyone where my passion lies. in fact anyone living within a 10 mile radius of me knows. to illustrate my point further-- I'm pretty sure that there are people all over the country who know.  here's why: I'm that weird white girl that is majoring in Korean for no other  reason then I love it. and that catches people's attention-- they remember and they tell other people.  

when people (I'm speaking in general of course) find out that I am a college student, the first question that they naturally ask is: "so, what are you studying?"  

I have learned to both hate and love this inquiry.  on one hand I am able to share by passion with another human being (which is what makes life so wonderful) and on the other I am setting myself up for about 20 minutes of explanations, correcting stereotypes, North Korean communist jokes, and completely unrelated remarks people make to try to relate: "I had a sister who lived in Japan; Japanese is like Korean, right?" "I think my neighbors have Korean friends..."

BUT I have accepted this as my fate.  if I had 1,000 KRW for every time someone made the comment: "why Korea?" (usually followed by the same perplexed facial expression) I would come out of my adventures in the black.

so why? why am I on a plane at this very moment (though this blog post will be published later) traveling 5520 miles across the Pacific Ocean? why did I make this life-changing decision? because let's face it, I am not going to return the same person.  why?  it all goes back to the same reason.  at some point during my excitement of Korean pop culture and my rush to know absolutely everything about that country.  I was touched by the beauty of the people, culture and language.  while I inheirently tend to become overly excited about new things (hmmm... I wonder where I got that from... dad?), this time it struck a chord in my excitable heart. and there it will stay.  

and who do I have to thank for it?  my French teacher who introduced me to Kpop?  perhaps the creators if Pokémon who raised me to love all things Asian? maybe Melinda Phillips who, in 5th grade,  taught me how to read Manga?  I guess I should thank God-- when it comes around to it, I should always thank God.

now I'll be the first one to admit that I have chased dreams all my life: Ruby the Archaeologist; Dr. Ruby, M.D; Ruby the Superhero (ok that one is more like a fantasy).  and all my life I feel like they have slipped out from under me like a rug  at the mercy of the practical joker named Fate.  but not this time.  this time I caught up.  this girl has succeeded, and no one can take that away.