Uncle Sam Wants ... Me?

Last weekend, I visited one of my high school friends stationed in Yokosuka. Living near a base back home, I’ve developed a sort of affinity for military communities, but this was my first time on a naval base. The ships are simply amazing, and her explanations of being out on sea made me want to join the navy too – her carrier ship houses FOUR THOUSAND other sailors on it, and after Japan, she might go as far as Morocco or France (but then she told me I’d have to take physics, so that was the end of that). Nonetheless, I’m jealous of all the opportunities the U.S. military gives – a hefty salary, yes, but more than that, a chance to travel doing something that truly honors one’s country.

Couldn't get a closeup because it is the military, after all. But isn't it grand??

Going on base was also like going back to a piece of America. (As such, I stocked up on hard to come by bathroom products like shaving gel and stick deodorant hehe). But it made me wonder, what do the Japanese think about the U.S. bases that are still here? There was that whole fiasco with the Okinawa base and Hatoyama, but from my experiences, the communities surrounding a base heavily depend on it and usually don’t want it closed down. But Japan has never really been one to embrace the West…

As for class, it’s picking up, but I still don’t feel like it’s as intense as I thought it was going to be. Don’t get me wrong, the teachers are excellent and I appreciate the fact they’re being picky on really subtle things like intonation (although it can be a drag to repeat one sentence over and over again sometimes), but I’ve still been able to sleep 7-8 hours a day – this feels absolutely amazing for someone who sleeps 4-6 at Yale. Then again, we only had three days of class this week because of two national holidays, so I could be gauging the pace too fast. Nonetheless, I’ve already noticed a considerable improvement in my writing/speechmaking (after you do a speech everyday for the last two weeks, I guess there had better be some sort of improvement). On top of that, I’ve had a strange motivation to do more than what’s taught in class, especially when it comes to expanding vocabulary. I realize that once you have the basic grammar down, nothing is as important as memorizing as many new words as you can. So I’ve been taking my Ipod Touch everywhere, storing unfamiliar words that I hear, and most importantly of all, REVIEWING them on the train – which doesn’t just mean the definition, but how they’re used in sentences. Now if only I could be as motivated about kanji…

I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by the number of outside activities the center has. Well, I guess they’re not always exactly organized by the center, but I’ve been able to sign up for a hiking trip, an excursion to Kamakura, and Noh/Bunraku performances in the last week. As such, I think my decision to go to IUC still stands … the program is excellent, I’ve still been able to meet a lot of Japanese people, and I can’t get over the fact that I live 30 minutes away from central Tokyo and 10 from central Yokohama by train.

Scramble crossing at Shibuya - only 30 min away by train! 

People ask me, is it strange to be in Japan when you should have been at Yale this year? I don’t know why, but everything just feels NATURAL about me being here. Yes, I’m become familiarized, but more than that, I get the strange sense that I was always meant to be at this place at this time at this point in my life. (I know, I’m a little crazy…) This also sounds vague, but after a summer in China, I just don’t think I could have gone back to Yale after going through a whirwind two months of seeing new places that made me think about things I never thought about before.

[I realize that my blog posts are becoming less and less thematic in lieu of just being a bunch of updates strung together – sorry about that!]

Landmark Tower (Japan's tallest building) in the morning fog on the way to school

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Weekend Shenanigans

I think last week might have felt a little isolating, since I was starting over from scratch – new place, new people, new lifestyle (well, besides the obvious “new country”). But thankfully, the weekend came, and I’m starting to really enjoy my life here.

Friday evening, I met up with a friend to eat Chinese food, and our conversation kind of set off the tone for the weekend. Since he’s also studying Chinese, I was also trying to practice a bit (and found how out horribly American my Chinese accent has become), which brought up the topic of my Chinese experience. I was saying something along the lines of “Well, I think it might be easier to make friends in China because people are more real with you there. In Japan, people are nice, but …” He gave a simply reply, “If you make more Japanese friends, you’ll probably think differently…” Something I’m still thinking about and that I hope to come to agree with this year. If anything, the rest of the weekend was a step toward that.

Afterwards, me and my roommate were looking around for things to do on a Friday night (in our words, “We’re too young to stay in and study!!”), but we didn’t feel like staying out until 4 when the trains start running again, so we scoped out the neighborhood 居酒屋.The ones we passed were chock full of salarymen, but we ended up choosing one that only had one other customer, a guy in T-shirt and jeans – before a slew of other salarymen came in. Our fellow customers weren’t much up for conversation, but it was still interesting to check out the scene as probably the only two females in our neighborhood who found themselves in a 居酒屋 that night. Eh, with all the dreariness of Japanese corporate world, I can see why these places exist as a sort of relaxation. The cherry on top was when we made our way to the door, only to have everyone in the room look our way to say a hearty good-bye, and me smiling back as the door closed, WAVING good-bye as the biggest social faux pas of the night (completely forgot I was in Japan, where you bow like every five seconds). We cracked up on the way back to the apartment – who knows what stuff they were talking about us after we left – but an experience in Japan nonetheless. In a year, we should be able to knock out the rest in our neighborhood. ;)

Next morning, I met up with a language partner I found online. We ended up hanging out the entire day, talking a lot about differences between Korea/Japan, since she’s also studying Korean on the side and has been to Korea multiples times. And I MIGHT have a chance to see TVXQ in concert on their Japan tour next year because my language partner, who’s also a huge fan, has graciously offered to apply for tickets *fingers crossed*. Either way, it was an awesome day, and I finally got a chance to practice some タメ語 after the ていねい語 overload in class all week. More and more, I realize that I’m not going to be able to learn “real” Japanese in class, no matter how hard I pour through the textbook. I feel like I’m leading a double life sometimes, drilling the 敬語 and 尊敬語 in class (which, admittedly, is an area I seriously need to work on, but we avoid けど and から like the plague), and trying to pick up as much colloquial talk outside of class.

Ended with a beautiful sunset from 大桟橋:

The sail-looking building is where I go to school!

Sunday was lunch with a friend I met at church who’s studying to be a Japanese teacher. I also finally went to Shibuya after the service to check out another church that someone recommended in the Harajuku area (when I also found out that the Toyoko-sen is actually that amazing). Still looking around for churches, but both of the ones I’ve been to are bilingual, which I’ve always appreciated from growing up in one. The afternoon church also invited me to a bilingual Bible study group, so we’ll see how that goes next week…

I know the weekend ends on Sunday, but … since one of my friends who’s studying in Korea came to Japan for a short visit, I found the perfect excuse to procrastinate and go to Tokyo again. She introduced me to a couple of her friends who are all in this international group from different universities and we went for snacks/drinks in Shibuya. I didn’t try talking as much as I should have, but it was still kind of a humbling experience to see how much my listening skills still have yet to go. The theme of the night was also Korea vs. Japan. I guess, since there’s more cultural exchange now between the two countries than ever, people think about it a lot. Or maybe I just come across a lot of people who think about that topic specifically, but it seems to be a recurring theme wherever I go. Either way, fun times … Yes, I didn’t start homework until 1:30 a.m. that night, and yes, I felt like a little like crap the next morning … but I’m already living out my philosophy the fullest – do everything in Japan that you can’t do in the U.S. (which does not count being cooped up in your room doing homework).

Also, I take back what I said about not being able to hang out as much with people from IUC – they’re all actually pretty chill people (quite a few that just finished undergrad) and the fact that they’re learning Japanese for a specific purpose gives them a kind of edge. It’s still a little hard to meet up since we all live in different places around Tokyo/Yokohama, but I’m looking forward to getting to know more of my classmates.

(Apologies for the lack of photos. Would have loved to take pictures at the 居酒屋 but of course, that would have been another major faux pas…)

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First Impressions

First week of classes are almost over! And with the reputation that IUC has, I’m thinking this will probably be one of the easiest since all we’ve done is placement tests/orientation stuff. The atmosphere here is pretty much what it presents itself as – an advanced language program for professionals, academics, and people who have pretty specific plans for the Japanese they’re learning. The facilities are also all in an office setting, set in the Pacifico Yokohama building in the ultramodern Minato Mirai district. For our first lunch after class, me and my roommate checked out a cheap cafeteria at a nearby shopping mall – and found ourselves eating with a bunch of salarymen. Even the surroundings are all about business  …

I seem a little out of place here as the only undergraduate, but I definitely expected that. I know most Yalies choose Nanzan for the campus environment, and it was definitely a tough decision between the two. When I go through it in my head, I guess I chose IUC for the following reasons:

1. Quality of instruction – After all, there’s a reason why IUC has its own Wikipedia page. Not to downplay Nanzan or anything, but IUC is supposedly one of the best Japanese language programs in the world. It also follows that it’s one of the most intense, but in the end, it’s still up to you how much time you’re willing to put toward class versus other aspects of living abroad. (A summer in HBA has taught me this – for better or for worse, I still don’t know…)  I also think, personally speaking, I end up learning more at an intense program where I might have to cut back on the pace, versus a mediocre program where I have to motivate myself to learn extra stuff on top of class. I’ll look back on this point more as class actually starts … hoping that I can keep up!

2. More independence – One thing that bothered me a little at some language programs I’ve been to. I was going to talk about this in a separate blog post about Chinese attitudes, but alas, seeing as I’m already in Japan … basically, there was a talent show at the end of HBA – which would have completely fine and enjoyable – if not for the fact everyone was forced to participate. Being our last weekend in China, I had to forget about my plans to visit some places I had yet to knock off of my list. Other issues at HBA were warning students not to visit other cities on the weekends after a student got injured on one such occasion (yes, there are liability issues, but still…) I admit I’m still a youngun’ in college, but I don’t like the feeling of constant supervision. At IUC, you're an adult, you're on your own, and that's that.

My living situation is also “domesticating” me a bit … For the first time in my twenty years, I’ve started learning how to COOK without a microwave (even if I burn things the first time!). I probably go the grocery everyday, but this is supposedly the norm in Japan. Among other things, I’m also maneuvering through Yokohama’s ridiculously complicated garbage system (I currently have six trash bags in my kitchen for garbage separation), paying and saving on bills, etc. Life is definitely tougher on your own, but the sooner I learn, the better, right?

3. Escaping the “hang out with other Yalies/students from your language program” phenomenon – Granted, I don’t have a bajillion other college students to hang out with here. But I hope that it’ll actually force me to find more Japanese friends versus people from my program. I still want to get to know the other students at IUC, since I’m considering graduate school/research after Yale – but I’m not too sure how many of them want to go out on the weekends with someone who’s 5-10 years younger them. I know it's tough making Japanese friends (not to mention the language barrier), but I'm actually not sure if it's easier on campus - surrounded by Japanese students, yes, but also surrounded by tons of foreign students. If anything, the isolated atmosphere at IUC is driving me to seek friendship elsewhere. 

4. Proximity to Tokyo – my apartment lies on the Tokyu Toyoko line, which is a 30-minute train ride to Shibuya for 260 yen – not shabby for one of the world’s most expensive transportation systems. Oh, and did I mention that Tokyo is pretty much my favorite city in the world?

The neighborhood I’m living in is pretty residential – a stark contrast to the hubbub of Wudaokou in Beijing, but on the other hand, it’s better for running – I’ve found a park a little over a mile away for some nice scenery. Biking is also an amazing way to get around - my landlady gave both me and my roommate bikes that some former students had left over (score!!). I biked to Pacifico Yokohama today and figured it would take about a half-hour one way (could be a major way to save on commute - we'll see when the weather gets colder...) We also biked to the ward library, got our library cards, and checked out some children's novels (hey, you gotta start somewhere!). And of course, if I ever get tired of the neighborhood, central Yokohama and Tokyo are pretty accessible whenever I get that big city urge. I think what I enjoy the most is just knowing that I can go somewhere at anytime, anywhere, even in a foreign country.

This is actually my third time in Japan after a summer in Hokkaido and a mission trip last winter break.  Each time, I know I get more comfortable ... but I also don't find as many surprises. I'll have to try  harder this year to learn new things,  but hopefully, it'll only make me dig past surface level. 

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Speaking in Korean (when you don't know how to speak Korean)

[Written while still in Seoul]

Trying to communicate in Korea is ironic – I can either dig up Korean I haven’t used for over 13 years or try to practice all the Japanese I’ve forgotten this summer with my roommate from Yale (whom I’m staying with at her 학수집 in Sinchon) – when all I want to do is speak CHINESE DARNIT. (Nonetheless, I’ll know a couple months later, I’ll be horrified at how much Chinese I’m gonna forget… my goal is to find language partners soon!) Though I’m somehow getting by with very raw Korean. My tongue will suddenly roll off random phrases I must have absorbed when I was five but just haven’t used since. Grammar is thrown out the window, but at least I can get my point across, and understanding other people talk is, of course, much less of a problem. Yeah, my Korean still sucks, but it makes me wonder how much I’ll pick up if I crashed in Korea for a couple months…

As for the country itself, people are often like, “Wow, it’s your first time in Korea (that counts), it must be like, some surreal return to the land of your forefathers…” (well, not exactly those words, but something on the lines of that). Actually, I’ve been sort of neutral about it – nothing has really surprised me or given me life revelations so far. My roommate was once asked, “Why go to Korea? It’s the worst of three worlds – everything is bigger in China and cleaner in Japan.” I might agree with the latter statement, at least. The mountains and temples in Korea are just smaller versions of the ones in China, and it’s a little on the dirty side (especially in the university district of Sinchon), though an improvement from China. I didn’t really have any preconceptions about Korea (aside from plastic surgery, which is of course, extremely true), so Korea has definitely not been a disappointment for me – just not a surprise either.

Along the lines of plastic surgery, I do agree that people just overall look better here – and no, I swear I’m not being biased because I’m Korean myself. Maybe it’s just plastic surgery, but on top of physique, there’s also the clothes people wear – I could care less about fashion, but after China, it was a relief to see that shoes actually matched outfits in Korea. And no wonder everyone says a Light summer in Korea is just FUN. Nightlife is pretty alive in Sinchon/Hongdae. There’s also a huge café culture with delicious 팥빙수 and various other Asian treats – although China still tops all when it comes to cheap street food. But overall, Seoul is pretty fun if you’re a young person. I’m also a little jealous of the setup for Light Fellows in Korea – sure, you land in Incheon without housing and feeling kind of helpless, but I feel like you have a lot more independence and leeway to decide what you want to do with your time in Korea. The 아줌마 at the 하숙집 that I’m staying at has also been nothing but wonderful – she cooks awesome breakfast and dinner everyday and gave me free bedding for my weeklong stay. There also seems to be a lot more free time to hang out with language partners, make friends, etc. Well, in the end, I really can’t speak for the Light experience in Korea unless I’ve actually gone through one myself, but I am enjoying my time here.

And maybe the fact that nothing surprises me is simply the fact that I’ve grown up in a Korean household. When I go back to the 하숙집 for dinner, it just feels like the dinner table at home again...

[most likely a blog post that I never finished... but I've long forgotten what else was on my mind at that time.] 

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What I've been up to in the past two weeks...

Seoul

I actually didn’t do too much roaming around in Seoul in lieu of just meeting up with friends from school. (The amount of stuff I wrote about Seoul probably reflects that - apologies in advance!) Nonetheless, it was a good time to relax after a whirlwind week of travel in China, and I still got to check out some cool places:

Biking around the World Cup Stadium

As crazy as cafe culture gets...

창덕궁 

Jeonju

Birthplace of 비빔밥! Although the quality isn’t the same at all the restaurants, so choose them wisely (preferably those away from bus terminal). It’s a smaller city than Seoul/Busan though, so we only stayed for a couple days. There’s the 한옥마을, Korean traditional village, which is definitely bigger and a lot more touristy than the one near 남산 I went to in Seoul. And you can spend your time hiking around the nearby parks, which we did one afternoon at 마이산, which also had a couple interesting of temples.

Jeonju is also where my friend introduced me to the art of Korean saunas, or 찜질방, which are a cheap alternative to hostels (~7000 for a night). I’d already been through the whole naked thing with onsens in Japan, but 찜질방s are definitely a different experience. Most shocking thing is that AFTER you soak, you get in these hot/cold igloos, usually one or two that are extremely hot (think 50-90 degrees CELSIUS) and a cold room (the one we went to was -5 C). In the heated rooms, you get some woodblocks for pillows, lay down on the heated floor, and basically just SWEAT. (This was the shocking part for someone who hates sweating after showering, but I went along for the heck of it.) Supposedly, your body soaks in the minerals from the heat or something … but the best part is finally going into the cold room and drying all that sweat off!

View at the top of 한옥마을 

비빔밥!

탑사 in between the "ears" of 마이산 

Busan

They say everything in Korea is in Seoul … but I was quite charmed by Busan. Along with having these awesome singsong accents (even the college kids have them!), people here are definitely more laid-back. And we pretty much went to the beach EVERYDAY – never got tired of it.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but Busan feels a bit more spread out than Seoul, separated into little “districts” on our tourist map with a lot of places only reachable by bus (so save a lot of 100-won coins 1000-won bills). There are beaches on every corner, mountains to the north, and some awesome temples.  

Amazing sunset at pebble beach in 태종대

 More beach...

Known as the “Machu Picchu” of Busan. I don’t know why this isn’t in Lonely Planet – awesome neighborhood with a path marked by colorful fish arrows

용궁사: Building a temple on a cliff overlooking the sea must have been hard, but it was also the greatest idea ever... 

It’s also mind-blowing how close everything in Korea is – the bus from Seoul to Busan is only 5 hours. (Granted, there are much smaller countries than South Korea, but I haven’t been to them yet…) I suspect the super nice rest stops are due to are highway buses that run to every major city. No wonder my mom’s friends ask her to take them to New York if they go to the U.S. for a visit – you can’t really imagine a 14-hour car ride around here. Thus, my opinion still stands that China is probably a better place for cross-country traveling, but Korea is a must-see place too. Also, Korean food reigns supreme, as seen in below pic:

Bring on the 삼겹살

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