Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

As you may remember, it's been years since the first time you put 'necessities' in my stocking: deodorant, floss, lotion, and the like. And the whole of my college years involved my 'big present' consisting of a pile of textbooks. I've taken these developments with grace, only slightly ruing my waning adolescence. And, now that I've completed my second day of school, I think it's time to fully embrace my adulthood by foregoing all pretensions of a happy Christmas. Thus I present this year's list.


School supplies

• 7 6-packs of highlighters, rainbow colours
• 6 3-packs of yellow, orange and pink highlighters
• 3 3-packs of yellow highlighters

Health and Beauty

• 1 free pass to optometrist of my choosing for a new prescription
• 2 new lenses for my glasses
• 1 year's supply of contact lenses

Grocery

• 3 bags of gourmet coffee [OR] 1 espresso maker
• 3 bottles of Tylenol PM (gelcaps, thank you)

Household

• 3 2-packs 60-watt "soft white" non-halogen light bulbs for desk lamp

Automotive

• directions to a medical center that will pay for blood, plasma, ova, kidneys, whatever

Any remaining quantities of Christmas magic can be applied to:

• 1 Canon EOS macro lens [AND/OR]
• 1 Canon EOS wide-angle lens [AND/OR]
• 1 Canon EOS telephoto zoom lens

In exchange for above services, as well as any other required services*, I will continue to believe in you for approximately one year. The fulfillment of your services will not be deemed complete until the items are in my possession (under my tree).


Sincerely,

Monica Kim


*I reserve the right to change this list. This right will expire at 11:59:59 PM EST on 23 December, 2009, giving you a minimum of 24 hours to comply with any changes.

As cosignor AND transit company CEO, you are compelled to certify that reindeer are fed only 'organic' magic oats, as per WFGO rule 17. Also, it is your responsibility to comply with regulations and statutes established by Congress, the FAA and DoD while in American airspace. You are hereby warned that you are on the radar and non-compliance can result in a trial in Federal court or by military tribunal.

Elven labour must be conducted in a 'sweat-free' environment, as per NP statute 24 s. 49(a)(ii). Failure to comply can result in a $2500 fine and up to 10 months in jail.

Today's post

Finally. I'm getting to today's post. Which, after three hours of typing and editing, is technically yesterday's post. But I'm going to call it today's post.

Today, I had my first day of Orientation. Which is quite marvelous, because it took me less than 45 minutes to prepare for it. This includes showering, outfit-choosing, and make-up. Amazing.

I'm a member of Section 14. Sounds like some secret government agency. Sections 11, 12 & 13 are each composed of 100+ students, but luckily for me, Section 14 is much smaller. Oh happy day.

During orientation, Dean Lawrence was talking. I spent most of my time listening fairly attentively, but something really caught my attention. He was talking about how to survive our 1L, and he got on the topic of our drive. What's driving us as students? What will drive us as lawyers? Money? Prestige? Power? Position?

Then he said something that gave me a moment of panic. Ever since I took a law school prep course a few days ago, I've been feeling a little overwhelmed, a little panicky. There's so much I don't know that I'll be expected to know. For once, I may not be one of the smartest people in my group. Can I handle disappointing myself? I'm completely unprepared for this. Can I earn a GPA that will maintain my scholarship? WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO?

His words made it worse. He said, "Remember why you decided to study law."

I took my LSAT for the first time in 2006. Since then, I've graduated college, got a job, moved to a different country, met a boy. So much has happened, yet in the back of my mind, law school has always lingered. It's just always been 'the next step.' It's been what's been expected of me, and what I've expected myself to do. Last year, I wondered if it was really the right path for me, but I brushed aside those queries because it had been, for so long, 'the next step.'

And he told me to remember why I decided to study law, and I asked myself why I decided to study to law and I realized what I had known in the back of my mind for a very long time: that I couldn't answer that question.

Thankfully, he answered the question. He reminded me that it wasn't the money, the prestige, or the power (although, admittedly, those are certainly some perks). He reminded me what that naive idealist had thought three years ago: it's a means to do something good. And now, just a little more knowledgeable, a little less naive, I know that I can still do something good.

I just have to remember why I decided to study law.

What I love about America

Yet another list compiled on the plane.


10 July

Now that I've listed the things I’ll miss about Korea, I think it’s fair to go into things I’m super excited about in the US.

• Obviously I’m excited about seeing my family and friends, and Fat Tommy.
• Heterogeneity: It goes past seeing only black hair and black eyes. I’m so excited about the variety in the US. In Korea, you hear one K-pop song non-stop for two months, or you see a shirt that a character wore on a popular TV drama EVERYWHERE. The US isn’t fadless, but the difference in styles and the individuality is more noticeable.
• Fitting in while remaining different: In a similar vein, it’ll be great to not be abnormal anymore. It’s not that only that I look different because of my mixed ethnicity. It’s that I dress differently and (thank God!) act differently. If I ever fall into cute sissy girl mode, please, just shoot me.
• Food: Mexican, pit barbecue, and real cheese.
  
• Beer: Tasty beer that doesn’t cost 10 bucks. I think a Guinness & Bass half’n’half is in good order.
• English: English, English, English, this mother tongue that I’ve missed so much. Korean’s not so bad, but it’ll be nice to read something and not have to translate it.

20 August

Now, to make one special note. In Korea, it's easy to make fun of Koreans. Especially the people who are my age, since they should really know better. The women, and men, are kinda sissies. Women pretend to be wusses to "cute-ify" themselves in front of their boyfriends. You can always tell when a woman is on the phone with a man because her voice will go 4 pitches higher and she'll giggle a lot more. Men...I'm not sure if they really are stronger than the women. They certainly lack any muscle tone to disprove my theories. I'm ok with metro guys. But they're not metro; they're just pretty boys. And usually mama's boys. *I'm talking about popular culture; there are still a few sensible people running around.*

I couldn't wait to get back to the US, where people are normal.

Back here, after one week in the law school dorm, I realize that American 20-somethings are pretty stupid, too. These are all people with at least bachelor's degrees, yet they act like morons. Apparently neither their parents nor their Greek siblings taught them how to hold their liquor, because I've heard drunken bellowing almost every night. Inside and outside of my apartment building. And let's not even get started on, like, those totally weird accents, and, ya know, like, those weird space fillers that predominantly, ya know, women tend to interject into, like, their speech? Or, ya know, to end everything with, like, a question mark? Like it's a question, even though it's a statement?

[Let me do some social commentary here, too. In Korea, the older people get drunk and act like morons. This is because they're higher up in the hierarchy and they've 'earned' the right to act stupid and people shouldn't call them out on it. The younger people, while drunk, don't act like idiots (at least in the presence of the older ones). Contrast that to the US, where younger people get drunk and act like morons. Here, instead, the mindset is that they're young and stupid and haven't learned how to properly conduct themselves in public settings. Older people are more cultured and have wisened up enough to realize that such behaviour is inappropriate.

Let me conclude. In each culture, there are sufficient numbers of people who live down to society's expectations of their stupidity to make my generalizations valid.]

Moving on. Korean 20-somethings, I apologize. I ridiculed you for your silliness. While that was perfectly legitimate, well-grounded and just, I was wrong in ethnocentrically thinking that 20-somethings in my culture aren't as silly as you. In fact, they are. What I've come to realize through this mental debacle is that I'm more mature than other people my age. I rock.

Korea unforgotten

I'm on a roll here. Like butter. Unfortunately, as per, I managed to...defer...my blogging until I had a sizable pile. Since I want to do these chronologically, I had to type some up as I went along (the last Korealists), and I have to finish these before I actually get to "today's."

So, yet another list, this time of things I miss about Korea. I actually typed this up on my Word processor on the plane, so...it's pretty old.

10 July
I was supposed to have written this before. Unfortunately, there were extenuating circumstances that prevented me from doing so. I've been really busy in the last two months: we had a demo lesson in mid-June, which meant that the first two weeks of June were spent preparing it. After that, my time was spent getting my documents together, as well as dealing with a fiasco between my school and our real estate agent over my housing. It was a mess. With school over, my last 9 days in July were spent meeting people, conquering a mountain, and transferring funds between bank accounts. And I’ve been internetless. Survival was doubtful for awhile. In a word, Hectic.

Let's move on. Things I'll miss about Korea. I’ve gathered a few lists, and I’ve lost just as many. So I spent a few minutes of my plane ride developing a new list of things that I’m going to miss about Korea. (It’s about 1am Korea time here, and a large percent of the plane is asleep. I accidentally put my earphone jack into the microphone outlet, and turned my mute off. It was loud. oops hehe)

There’s no particular order to this, with the exception of numbers one and two.

1. 김대용: He was definitely the hardest to leave. For days, I’ve been crying every time I thought about him (I never witnessed a single tear come from his eyes, but he called when I was boarding and I could hear the tears in his voice). He’s the most gentle, affable, contented and patient man that I know. I know I don’t deserve him, but somehow I got lucky.
2. My “family” and friends: There are so many wonderful people, I can’t even begin to go through them all. Some have already left, while others I’m leaving. I just hope that we can stay in touch so that we can meet up when I return to Korea. Or so, wherever they might live in the world, I have a sofa to sleep on if I come a-knockin.
   
3. Food: Korean food is, in my unbiased opinion, one of the best cuisines in the world (along with Indian, Thai & German. yum). There are so many things that one might miss about Korean food: 닭갈비, 떡만두국 when fighting a cold, 삼계탕 or 콩국수 on a hot summer day, or my favourite black sesame seed cereal. And need I mention fruits? I’ll never eat watermelon or strawberries with the same gusto. Luckily, mom & dad have Korean pears and persimmon growing in their garden. Perhaps what I’ll miss the most, though, even more than 한식 or 김밥, is a simple snack of 떡복기 순대 at midnight from the cart outside.
4. 술: What’s food without drink? Most gyopo Koreans think soju when they think Korean drink. I’ll admit I’m not a big fan. During my tenure, I tried to sample the traditional drinks, and think that I’ve experienced a fair bit. Give me a bottle of 백새주, 복분자 or a bowl of 막걸리, and I’ll be super happy. And bamboo wine, with its spicy cinnamoniness, is a new flavor that I doubt I’ll find outside of Korea.
5. Wonderful places: Seoul is home, but need I admit that Seoraksan tops the list of places to take a short holiday? Beautiful scenery, great exercise, 20 minutes from the beach, and rife with happy memories… Another thing I’ll really miss is seeing Namsan Tower. To me, that defines Seoul. Seoul is not Seoul without those beautiful lights piercing the haze. Also, Jeollado, with its rolling hills and farmland, and down-to-earth natural people -- it's weird knowing that I can't hop on a train for a weekend trip to that rustic area.
6. Urbanity: Officetels, where I head downstairs to the 24-hour convenience store at 2am to buy toilet paper. 100 Mb/s internet connection at $40 a month, instead of 30 Mb/s connection at $60/month, like the US. Mobile reception EVERYWHERE. It’s great sending a picture to friends of a mountain conquest…at 1700 metres. Obviously I wouldn’t feel this way if I didn’t live in the Seoul MA. [after being in the US for a month, cell phone reception is driving me nuts!! And yes, everything closes by 10pm, even 'convenience' stores]
   
7. Low medical costs: I got quality medical care without getting robbed. Wicked.
8. Low crime rates: This didn’t really come to mind immediately, but I think it’s something that I’ve grown to take for granted. Leaving my purse at the table while I grab my coffee or walking through a low-traffic area at night just doesn’t scare me anymore. I guess I should change that attitude pronto, before I get mugged.
9. Speed cameras: What a simple, effective solution to speeding. Now, if I'm correct in assuming that the purpose of a speed limit is to lower accidents/fatalities/injuries, and not to increase any slush funds, the idea of speed cameras is perfect. In Korea, they place cameras in dangerous areas, and warn drivers about the cameras with pretty yellow signs. The driver slows to the appropriate speed, and once the danger area is passed, speeds back up. Simple. Efficient. Purposeful. Contrast that to the US, where tax dollars are wasted with cops sitting in gas-guzzlers, gunning down speeders. Instead they could be walking the beat, assuring citizens that their neighbourhoods are protected and watched after by a thoughtful and caring police force, building repoire with their communities, and deterring crime simply by their presence. Even worse are speed traps, but I'm not going to mention slush funds again because that's unfair.
   
10. Movie theater seating: I don't care how much a movie theater "hypes" up a movie by making people wait in line, WE NEED THIS! How stupid is it to arrive at a theatre 4 hours early? Or to have to sit apart from one's friends because there aren't seats together? Just let me pick my seat when I buy a ticket, because my time is more valuable than a line, and if I can't share overpriced popcorn with people I care about, I don't want to spend 10 bucks on a ticket.
    
11. Restaurant simplicities: I loved getting a buzzer when I went to a coffee shop. But what can top that? A service bell on the restaurant table, so I can buzz the server. I don't have to waste the server's time, and the server doesn't have to waste mine. Culinary bliss.

Now that I'm back in the US, let me go ahead an add some more as they come to me.

• Electronic selection: I'm sorry, Best Buy, you're just not what I need at this point in my life. All I want is a simple outlet converter. $2, maybe $3. Just a 220 to 110 volt. I don't need the $20 international switch-out-the-gadget-roo premium pack. And if I want a wire to connect my DS with my PC, you should have it. And seriously, nobody in the US makes car stereo faces that play off of SD memory cards? Who wants a flash drive sticking out, ready to stab somebody in the eye? Also, no, iPod is NOT the only music/video player available. I miss Yongsan.
• Did I already mention DaeYong?
• Public transit ease: Maybe it's just DC. I want metro busses that have their major stops written on the bus. Or at least at the bus stop. Or somewhere besides a massive online .pdf. I wanna know where these things are going before I get on them.
  

Korealist 2009: my accomplishments and my deferments

I'd hate to think that I can fail at anything. Rumour has it that I can, but I beg to differ. Therefore, I'd prefer if everyone think of my failures as...deferments. To be accomplished next time I go to Korea.

So, to recap the list:

1. Tour the three Seoul palaces I haven't yet visited: 창덕궁, 창경궁, & 경희궁
On 24 May, D & I went to 창덕궁, and on 27 June, Anna & I did a quick walk-thru (it was hot, and there was nothing significant there!) of 경희궁. 창경궁 is deferred.

2. Climb Mt. Bukhan
Done

3. Watch a Bears baseball game in Jamsil
Done. Twice.

4. Watch an Ilhwa soccer game.
Deferred. Might be exchanged for Seoul FC.

5. Buy a nice camera a whole day wandering around Seoul, taking pictures.
I bought the nice camera, and I've wandered around Seoul (and other areas) multiple times, but I never got quite the picture that I wanted (a clear shot of N. Seoul Tower at night). So defer the N. Seoul Tower shot til next time.

6. See the giant free-standing Buddha on Songnisan.
Deferred.

7. See the parted waters in Jindo.
I went. I walked. I waded. I wondered.

8. Actually visit Busan.
Done.

9. Actually visit Japan.
Technically, I stopped in Tokyo on a layover. Does that count? If not, deferred.

10. Eat live octopus
Done.

11. Do my taxes in August.
I don't think I technically have to do my taxes, since I didn't make any money in the US. I guess I'll find out when the IRS comes knocking.

12. See Dokdo
Deferred.

13. Visit the folk village in Yongin.
I'm still not sure if this should have been a priority. I just kinda threw it on cuz it's one of those things you're supposed to do. But, ok, deferred.

14. Master past tense
I may have forgotten it, but done.

15. Learn future tense
Ditto on 14

16. Buy a new mp3 player.
I wasn't sure if my phone would work with a US carrier (it doesn't) so I never actually did this while in Korea. But happily, my dad doesn't know how to use the one I bought for his birthday last year, so my mom "gave" it to me. Preloaded with the Eagles and Air Supply. Sweet. It's the gift that keeps giving.

17. Buy external memory
Done. And it's almost kinda full.

18. See the Zen Rocks in northern Seoul
Done.

19. Visit Seodaemun Prison
Done

So, the grand total

Done: 10
Deferred: 4
Questionable / halfsies: 3
Totally unnecessary in retrospect: 2

And, I managed to squeeze in two extras that I didn't list, but should have: 두륜산, and...

대청봉! @ 1708 metres


Those that have been deferred/halfsie'd will be composing Korealist: 20_ _. Here are some other early frontrunners that may make the cut:

• Conquer Mt. Jiri, SK's tallest mountain
• Scan Jeju's beauty from atop Mt. Halla
• Photograph a sunset from Taean Coastal park
• Actually go somewhere in Gangwon-do that ISN'T Seoraksan
• Check out Gyeongsangdo, which I heartlessly ignored over the last two years (this includes forcing HaKyung to redo Sobaeksan just for the fun of it^^)

Korealist 2009: 19

19: visit Seodaemun Prison

Oops. This is really late, since I've been in the US for over a month. But so are the next two posts, so it's not that bad.

On 27 June Anna & I checked out Seodaemun Prison, and I still remember how I felt. The English descriptions were a little bit funny; it would say what a certain document is, and apparently the English-speaker is supposed to know its significance, etc. Since we've all taken university-level courses on occupation-era Korean history?

Of course the creepiest part was walking through the sections with the figurines undergoing torture. I decided that that'd be the perfect place for a haunted sleepover dare. But I think the worst exhibit was where they were torturing a female prisoner; they were doing the 'shove the needle under the fingernail' that really grosses me out everytime I think about it. I had seen it in a movie and it had grossed me out then, and as I type I'm getting a little nauseous thinking about it.

Anna really puts the horrors of the prison into perspective in this rather candid photo