"Ice Flower" theme song for drama "Kiss and Cry" by Kim Yuna and IU released today

The new theme song produced by Lee Min Soo for SBS's drama Kiss and Cry called "Ice Flower" featuring Kim Yuna (Korea's skating Queen) and IU was released today (June 21, 2011)! An excerpt of the song was previewed on the June 19th episode of the show before its full release June 21st. Surprisingly it was was recorded less than 10 days prior to its first preview.
The song delivers a message of hope challenging everyone to overcome his or her obstacles. Although it is a metaphor to the obstacles and hardships that figure skaters, like Yuna herself, face during training I believe it's of great encouragement to the average person!  We all face struggles in our daily lives.  Even though we may fall on the ice and get a little hurt, we figuratively speaking, get back up on the ice and skate again!

The profits from the purchase of this song will serve to help train figure skaters and improve training practices for figure skaters in Korea. Figure skaters in Korea do not have their own ice rinks and therefore have to share with hockey players. You may support the cause by purchasing here.

Check out the video!  Kim Yuna has many talents!  She's a spectacular ice skater of sorts, but almost as equally captivating is her voice and her personality!

Warmth on a cool walk through Ewha

Life in a small town in California is much different from that of the busy lifestyle in South Korea.  Although I have been busy here my life does not seem the same. I have reminisced much about my days in Korea. 

Last year, February 2010, I visited Ewha Women's University campus with my Japanese friend.  The one memory I have of the inside of the buildings was how starkly clear and clean they appeared to be. With large windows, white walls, and open hallways one could only feel welcomed in. On a nice deceivingly (because it was so cold) sunny winter's day, walking down the halls I felt warmth seep in from the sun that shone through.  At the same time the bright white and starkly clean walls of the women's university felt somewhat cold only magnifying the outdoor freezing temperatures on my inner being.  I cannot conclude whether or not it was truly warm or cold. However, I can say that the hallways and rooms were well-lit.  Natural light is very important for my well-being as well as proper study habits.  The campus is fitting for women. Very pristine.  Ewha is a beautiful campus. I recommend taking a stroll on a fall or spring day when you happen to be in the Idae/Shinchon areas of Seoul.

Here are a few pics of the inside. You'll have to go there for a view of the outdoor scenery.  What do you think? 

bright quiet hallway

Japanese friend modeling in the open hallway

Children's Day 어린이날

It's almost that time of year again where kids flock the streets and celebrations bring the little ones together.  May 5th in Korea is a national holiday known as Children's Day.  (어린이날) It is a day to celebrate the people of Korea's future. Parents adorn their kids with gifts and fun activities.

Korea's Children's Day was founded by Pang Chung-Hwan, a children's author, in 1923 as a way to show love, care, and respect to children. In a culture where parents and elders command respect, Pang thought children deserved the same respect and dignity. By instilling a sense of independence and pride in the children at a young age, they would be better able to serve their nation in the future. For children are the future of a nation.  If they grow up with respect and pride they will be able to exude that same respect and pride for their nation as they grow older.  

This day is also a great day to honor parents that have raised good kids and an excuse for the family to come together and have fun. Amusement parks, national parks, and zoos are open for lots of family fun.

Last year I visited Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan for some Children's Day events. This year I'm in America a little ways away from the action, but I recommend that expatriates in Korea find local parks or recreation centers and check out some of the events. You may get some ice cream and a free balloon. If nothing else, you can remember your childhood and have a little fun living vicariously through your students or children's adventures. Nevertheless, it is a great learning experience.

Even Hilary Clinton on behalf of the United States is wishing Korea a Happy Children's Day.  She stated that there is a lot of promise in the future of Korea through Korean's children.

If you are in Busan you could always head to this Children's Day event at Busan's Natural History Museum . There will be lots of fun activities including balloon art and a magic show. Later in the day you could head to the beach and enjoy some lovely Spring weather!

Happy Children's Day Korea!

Living with a disability in Korea

I read this article last week about KBS hiring a disabled person as an anchor .  KBS is a broadcasting system for Korea and it recently stated that it hired one of its first disabled news anchors.  In America something like this would never make news unless it was a famous person or had some significant meaning to the public.  There are  laws to protect individuals from discrimination of race, gender, and even disability when it comes to finding work. This does not mean an employer may not subconsciously be judging or choose another candidate over one that "appears" not to be able to complete the task as well as another. This would cause a lot of frustration among people I know if this were how things were run in America.

One of the interesting things about Korea is that most people with disabilities are rarely seen in society.  A lot of elderly and people with disabilities live in the shigol/countryside because many of the cities cannot entirely accommodate people with major disabilities. If such people do exist in the cities, they probably remain at home.
I hope that what this article says is true and that it will encourage other companies to in the future hire more people with visible differences whether or not they may be physical disabilities.  A physical disability does not constitute a mental disability. Plenty of elderly people lose control of their bodies before their minds.  (Although quite a bit do lose their minds before their bodies.)  People with muscular diseases may have trouble walking or speaking, but can perform with IQs much greater than the average person. For example,look at Stephen Hawking, and English physicist who lived with ALS, a motor neuron disease. He is a very well known scientist that  served as a professor in some of the best universities as well as traveled the world speaking about his work.

I want to see more accommodation and awareness for people with disabilities.  I don't want my friends, brothers, and sisters to be hidden from society because of a disability.  

It's runch time

Are you an English teacher in Korea? Do you eat lunch in your school?  Here is a very typical conversation you will come across at your school. Although this may be offensive to Koreans, it is hilarious because it is so true.  Anyone else know how this feels?

Happy Black Day - April 14th

Are you a lonely single?  Well, then today is your day!  It's the 14th of April, which means it is Black Day (블랙데이). The 14th day of every month is a special romantic day observed to express love for couples or drown in loneliness for singles.  Not all of the days such August 14th-Green Day, a day for couples to seek nature and relax while singles drink soju (it is a green bottle) to drown in sorrow, are as well-known or openly celebrated as Valentine's Day, White and Black Day.

Black Day, coined solely by Koreans to "celebrate" singleness, is marked by dressing in dark colors and together with friends eating jajangmyeon (자장면) or noodles with a black bean sauce.  Black Day is a day for those that did not have a date or love interest to exchange chocolates with on Valentine's Day or White Day. On Valentine's Day in Korea, girls give guys gifts such as chocolate while on White Day, a day that started in Japan and rapidly picked up attention in South Korea, men return the gift of chocolate more often giving candies and gifts to the women they received chocolates from on Valentine's Day.  Koreans eat noodles covered in black bean sauce or other dark colored foods on Black Day to represent their sorrows of single-hood.

About Jajanmyeon 

Pronounced with a hard j like jjajangmyeon 짜장면, but spelled 자장면

jajang (자장) - fried sauce, myeon (면)- noodle.

The jajangmyeon that Koreans traditionally eat on Black Day is a Korean-Chinese dish that originated in Incheon, South Korea from Chinese immigrants to Korea.  It was believed to be founded in 1905 in a Chinese restaurant called Gonghwachun (공화춘)  It is made of noodles known as sutamyeon ( 수타면) that are traditionally hand-made with white flour instead of potato starch that other noodles like japchae are usually made of.  The specifically hand-made noodles are an essential for good jjajangmyeon.  Due to its long history, jajangmyeon is considered a special "national" food of Korea.

In making black bean noodles, after noodles are quickly boiled, sauce is added to the mix. The sauce consists of pork and vegetables cooked in a pan. To make the sauce- pork, veggies, and seafood are stirred in a frying pan.  The black bean sauce made of chunchang (춘장) is added to the cooked goods. A stock is added to cut the saltiness and cornstarch added to thicken the sauce.  Mix it up a little with some chop sticks and the dish is ready to eat.

Are you sad to be single?  Put on your dark clothes, grab a few friends and commiserate with each other over a bowl of jajangmyeon. They say misery loves company.  If you're lucky, you may just end up finding another charming single out there. Who knows, by May 14th (Rose Day) you may be exchanging roses with someone.  Smile and have a happy Black Day.

The journey to becoming an idol fanatic.

jung il woo

jo hyun jae

Jung Il Woo is gaining much of the attention for the drama 49 Days.  I can't forget Jo Hyun Jae.  He's finally back on the screen after a long sabbatical... he was away for military, that is.  I "met" this lovely guy in the drama Love Letter. It was one of the first Korean dramas I watched all the way through.  It was okay.  I was more so entranced by Jo Hyun Jae. I wonder why.  He carried with him such a sweet innocence, although he played a much older/mature character in his younger age. He's definitely grown up and matured.

Jo hyun Jae back in the day

I'm not one for watching dramas, but watching drama and listening to kpop prove highly effective for the studying and improvement of language skills.  Listen first, speak second, and read third. Writing gets thrown in there somewhere, as well.  Those are some of the keys steps to learning a foreign language (in my opinion)...which is why I find myself succumbing to the drama fanatacism, the hallyu (wave of Korean drama and music) craze, and idol love.  It's true I'm on this journey to becoming an idol fan even though all I want it to learn a bit of Korean. It has been extremely difficult to force myself to watch some dramas, but once I sit myself down to the task, I can't let myself go.  There is some form of brain washing or mesmerizing trance that it puts you into. You probably start drooling without knowing it or looking in the mirror to see if your looks even compare to your favorite actors and actresses on the screen.  Who are your "idols"?  I don't believe in having other idols, but there really aren't many other words for them.  Koreans call them "idols" because loads of people look up to them.
We'll see if  I finish watching the 49 Days drama. Sounds like it is building popularity.