China

I was very excited to visit Beijing. I had watched a lot of the 2008 Olympics, and I had this perception of what it would be like when we got there. I thought everyone would be nice, it wouldn't be that dirty, there wouldn't be that much smog, etc. I had seen all of these beautiful views of China when I was watching all of the coverage, so I thought that would be what I experienced.

The first full day we were there we went to the Great Wall. We went to a popular area, so it was crowded. However, the views were spectacular. I always thought of the wall as being flat and easy to walk, even though I had seen how mountainous it was through photos and television. It was a work out to climb and see what I wanted to, but it was my favorite experience in China. I loved being able to see far out and see how huge the wall is. I have always wanted to go to the Great Wall, and I am extremely glad I got to do it.

While there were things in Beijing that I liked and was glad I did, there were things that made me appreciate Seoul more and more. The smog affected me greatly. I found it a lot harder, and I had to use my inhaler everyday. I also had a problem with allergies, and my sinuses clogges up pretty quickly. I felt like I was wheezing with every step I took. It made me wish for lots of trees and fresh air. Also, the visibility around the city was very poor due to the smog. A lot of my photos of things have this grayish haze around them. I couldn't get a good shot of the city and buildings at all because all you could practically see was smog. I definitely think that there needs to be something done in all cities with smog because it is so tough to deal with when there is as much of it as there was in Beijing.

I also did not like the bathrooms at all in China. I always had to think twice about whether or not I really had to go. All of the bathrooms in public and in the restaurants were these little porcelain holes in the ground. They also never had any toilet paper, so I always had to remember to bring some with me wherever I went.

Another thing that got on my nerves a little bit was the water. You could not drink the water from the tap because it was not clean. I had to drink only from bottled water or drink a soda or beer. I also had to remember to brush my teeth with bottled water. It was a bit frustrating because I like to drink water out of my personal water bottle so I don't waste plastic bottles, but that wasn't an option in China. We also could not get any soda or drinks with ice in it because the ice could make us sick also. However, the more we were there, the more I got used to using bottled water and not drinking anything from the tap.

The most bizarre experience I had was when I went to the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. We got there early, and there was a very long line. The people in the line were pushy and cut in front of others. It seemed like they had no concept of an orderly line. Going through the line did not take that long, but they did not allow cameras, and we had cameras with us, so we got kicked out of the line. They seemed very strict about that rule. Not only could you not take photos, which should be the case, but you could not even have a camera on you. We went back a second time around without our cameras, and they let us through. I was surprised that they let me through with my cell phone because it has a camera on it.

We went in, and all of the people were shoving their way to see Mao's body. I thought it was creepy that they keep his body preserved and put it on display. It was interesting to see how the people reacted when they saw him. They were very in awe of him, and it seemed that he was almost like a god to them. It's different coming from the U.S. where we are taught that communism is bad and Chairman Mao was not a good man. It was interesting to see communism and someone I studied in history in high school through a different lens. I also thought it was somewhat ironic that people were selling all sorts of Mao products outside and around Tiananmen Square. We also went and saw the Great Hall of the People afterwards, and it was really neat to see a government building in China.

I liked being in Beijing, but it made me miss and appreciate Seoul and South Korea even more. I was really happy to be back after five days and not have to worry about brushing my teeth with bottled water.

K-Pop Update

As I have been in Korea for a little bit longer, I have discovered more K-Pop music. It does seem like this is the main genre of music here, much like the top 40 music in the U.S. I have been on youtube watching different groups and performers, and watching music videos and entertainment channels on the television here. The scene seems to be dominated by girl group (the Wonder Girls for example) or boy bands ( like Beast). It reminds me of when I was around 13 and the Backstreet Boys, Nsync, and Britney Spears dominated the music charts and MTV. I have found out that there is a thriving indie scene at the Hongdae area where you can go to listen to live music.

One artist the I have discovered is Lee Hyori. She is supposed to be the Beyonce of Korea. Some of her videos remind me of Lady Gaga. She has modeled her music throughout the years after what female artist has been popular in the U.S. such as Britney Spears (whom she was accused of plagiarizing at one point.) I like that she has put on a persona as a strong female in Korea like when she is so strong that her body crumbles the car in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang video. She has also become the highest paid female singer in Korea.

I also found out that a very popular male artist is Rain. He is also an actor who has been in the

American movie Ninja Assassin. He has also been in several Korean movies. He even made

People's 2007 list of most beautiful people in the world and has appeared on the Colbert

Report. This year he won the most badass award at the MTV Movie Awards. It's interesting

that he is very known in the U.S. mainly for acting, but he is also very big in the K-Pop world.

He has also started his own entertainment company.

Stephen Colbert even poked fun at Rain and Kpop.

Another interesting thing is how there aren't many places that have cds or dvds to buy. Lotte

Mart has a little section. I did find an actual cd store in Myeongdong. I think this is the way that

the U.S. is heading in terms of selling cds. I think most people already get their music

electronically, so music sections and stores will continue to shrink. One thing that I do like

about buying cds in Korea is that generally they have better packaging. There are usually

photo books that accompany the cd. Also, they have a tendency to make what they label "mini

albums" that have five songs on them.

Random Thoughts

After being in Seoul for about a week, I have made some interesting observations. I have gone to a store called Lotte Mart a couple of times, and it surprises me how much like Wal Mart it is. They sell a lot of different things for a low price. Lotte has some of its own brands, and it even has a baseball team called the Lotte Giants. It also has a theme park called Lotte World. While Wal Mart has a lot of stores and products, I am thankful that it does not have its own theme park or baseball team.

In fact I have been surprised how much different things companies produce here. Companies like Samsung and LG make a little bit of everything ranging from expected things like televisions to water dispensers, sports teams, etc. The only U.S. counterpart to this might be G.E.

We also went to an open market called Namdaemun, which was very different from Lotte mart and the other stores that I have been to in Korea. It was chaotic and had all sorts of things for sale. I got a red korea soccer shirt for the world cup. It was fun to walk around and see all of the different people and things. We also walked around the city trying to find another market, but we eventually gave up and went back to Sookmyung. There was definitely a contrast between this market and Lotte World.

I also saw a funny guy singing at the market in front of a store. He was pretty entertaining.

On Saturday, we went to the Korean Folk Village. I liked seeing how Koreans lived throughout history. It is really interesting to see how far Korea has come in so relatively few years. It put a lot of things in perspective and made me think about it more when I walk through Seoul. My favorite part of the village was playing on the swings. Instead of sitting down on them, you had to stand up on the wood plank. I really had to use my arms to get moving on it. I also enjoyed the see saw where I also had to stand up. It was a little scary because it took a lot more coordination, and it was easy to fall off. Eventually a lady shoved me off and taught Andrea how to use it. It was very entertaining to see other people get going on it.

K-Pop

One thing I have noticed while in Korea is the music. I always enjoy listening to different music, especially when I travel to different places and countries. The most popular type of music here seems to be pop music they label "K-Pop." It is very similar to American pop music, and there are several boy bands and girl bands that dance and sing. Some of the songs tend to have both English and Korean in them, which is an interesting mix. The repetition of the music makes it get stuck in my head, and I find myself singing it when I am relaxing or walking around.

Several stores play this type of music along with regular American pop music that I hear all of the time in the U.S. I haven't really heard any other types of popular music that we have in the U.S. like rock, indie, or hip hop. It mainly seems centered on pop music that you can dance to.

One of the popular songs that keeps getting stuck in my head and that is played everywhere I go is by a group called CN Blue (Code Name Blue). Here is their music video:

I have liked watching all of the music videos on the tv. I hope to be able to hear some different popular genres and bands while I am here.

Here is another video that I have found of a K-Pop group. It has a little more of a hip hop vibe to it.

I also found this interesting video on youtube of applegirl002 who is a South Korean who uses

iphone apps to sing popular music. I thought it was interesting because we talked in class about

how the government had to change some regulations to get the iphone on the market here. If it

wasn't for the rules changing, she would not be able to do her videos that have gotten several

million views on youtube. She found a very innovative way to use the device.

new blog

This will be where I blog about my experiences from studying abroad in South Korea. I have already had some interesting experiences in Seoul. I will post refections, photos, and other things while I am here.