No “a” or “the”

(Shows how much I’ve been studying, just look at the title.) Yeah, I just begun immense studying today. I guess when I’m really here, I actually feel like I want to be fluent before I leave. I’m learning it on my own with some help with words from chingu.

About photos, I will post them on photobucket. I have to re-size the images first. I think I only have one or two photos up as of now.

Golly, I never thought I gained so much weight! I am sure I gained 25 lbs over this past year. I am so determined to lose weight here. The food is healthy and I don’t have much of an appetite.

This is going to be the longest post thus far. Okay? Are you ready to read through? You can just skim it if you’re not interested in my life. *Hmph

It rained today. Beautiful ~ But I slipped :’C Owwie I slipped down the steps at City Hall ~ Boo-Hooooo :’C Why can’t they build non-slippery concrete like MN? :’C

It’s September over here. The Korean Thanksgiving is coming up so there will be no school. Yay!~ I got measured for my hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and it’s cream and mostly pink. Thinking back, I should’ve chosen the navy blue and red that my Omma chose. I think I look better in it, but it’s too late now. I’m thinking of my birthday (in 15 days) but what I’m thinking of most is my father’s safety as a SWAT member in the National Republic Convention. I’m going to watch the news over here for a whole week just so maybe I can see him on it and hope that there aren’t any stupid riots. Politics ~ I don’t know who I would vote for. There’s no one perfect – but I like someone with more experience so maybe McCain, but I don’t like war.

Moving on – the gas price over here is so cheap. I wonder if it is exaggerated in the United States. I mean, look – 1689 won, that’s less than US $1.50 a gallon. The bus is 600 won and you can save money if you are a student, meaning that if you were to ride twice, you can pay it for the price of one. You have to scan a card / cell phone accersory as you aboard the bus and as you leave. I’m using my host brother’s card (he is studying abroad in Canada). The subway fee is 1000 won. I’m paying the most for transportation when comparing to the other girls (in the Rotary Internation Youth Exchange Program in Busan). They either walk, take the bus, or have a bus pick them up. I have to take a bus and subway everyday to school. I wished they had a bus / subway pass like in MN ~ a whole year for a hundred-something . . The bus is the scariest place because when it gets full, it’s really full!~ I have a strange face on, and that’s just natural because I am shocked at how busy this city is. Did you know that Koreans don’t say “sorry” for bumping into each other? Don’t find it rude when you come to South Korea.

My mom would be delighted to hear that I eat violet/red rice over here. Mmm ~ so tasty. She may be worried about my safety. Hm. I can walk around at night by myself and not get attack? But I’m not going to risk it. I have to be home before 7pm! I get scared and I’m suspicious of everyone! I come from a deadly area, that’s why! There are no locks to the rooms in my homestay – It’s really nice ~ you learn how to knock. I am not homesick – I am sometimes lonely but I enjoy my peace and time to study and keep in touch with friends and family. My host sister will be back in December and that is the time when I leave to my second host family. There was discussions about me leaving to another home and then come back, but I’ve already adjusted to my current family and I love it here. I’m okay with either way – I knew that once I came to South Korea, I must face whatever I receive. I am really thankful and the language barrier doesn’t stop me from wanting to learn. Being here in SKorea I must follow the Korean customs and live the Korean culture. I may miss home sometimes and may not be used to silence, but I’m Yolei and everyone knows that Yolei doesn’t let things get in her way! I love SKorea – I am so curious about the city and I have 10 months left to explore it.

When I went to Haeundae Beach, I didn’t bring my sand necklace (Ka suggested me to buy it and I did – BTW, Happy Birthday, Ka ~ Sept.2). I didn’t think that I was going there but I can tell you it was a spectacular sight. A lot of people. Appa bought ice cream – Korean ice cream have a soft texture – so tasty. Omma, Appa, and I walked to APEC from there and I stood on the same step as President G. Bush! It was labeled “United States.” Afterwards we went to a well-known Chinese restaurant and I ate octopus for the first time. I didn’t even think about it – I just ate it. It was nearby Haedongyonggung Temple (which I wanted to see) so we went there. I love temples ~ I prayed the Korean way and had a drink of water.

Omma didn’t allow me to help out with chores at first, but I kept asking so now I have chores!  : D  She is the best Omma ever – always concern if I’m eating too less, being lonely, and taking me out.

I hardly use the internet the first few days but now I really am! I’m trying not to get addicted to it so I’ll set up a schedule tomorrow. (Because I should study tonight ~ and perhaps watch Goong).

The students at school always include me in everything – I’m attending Busan Design High School and even though it’s not like what I pictured, I enjoy every bit of it. The building is old and rusty, and the restrooms don’t have modern-day toilets so I have to squat when I need to use it. There’s no toilet paper and even paper towel. The classes are all taught in Korean but I am so fortunate to have Tara to help me. She lived in Canada for three and a half years. She’s my translator, and so are Dragon ~ English / Japanese, DooRi ~ Japanese, and Ashley ~ English (They have Korean names! These are just their nicknames). My uniform isn’t extremely cute, but it’s nice.  : D  Hardly a bit of design. I have a lot of classes (maybe because I went into Graphic Design) and the best ones are English, Japanese, Graphic Design, and Multi-media. We got new computers the day I went to my first Graphic Design class. I have to be at school at 8:20am and I’m usually there at 8am, but it really starts at 9am. I leave home at 7:15am and school usually ends at 4:30pm but we leave at 5pm when we’re finished cleaning (Mondays ~ 3:30pm). Saturday school (1st, 3rd, 5th) ~ 8:20 – 10:50 am (kind of lame because it’s super-short). Students don’t get spank when they’re late (I think) but they have to pay a fee 100 won for every ten minutes late. I actually got to wear my uniform today (after Rotary orientation), so I got a really new look. The kids at school love Sour Patch Kids. They ate it all :’C . . The smoke smell bothers me – Generations really changed, everywhere, just not here. The smell of smoke / cigarettes / tobacco at school lately makes me hate the smell of the city ~ pollution, and cigarettes itself. I feel that my breathing has slowed. xD And I choke and cough a lot when it’s hot or if there’s a tint of tobacco in the air.

Girls ~ No make-up, jewelry (yes, including earrings), painted nails, but a watch is okay. Have to buy slippers and wear them in school. (Girls always wear cute socks ~ so glad I’m not the only one, I like everyone’s fashion here). But at school the girls bend the rules. : D I’m not going to ~

Almost everyone is so THIN. They are short, tall, medium ~ but super-thin! It’s like they never eat. But everyone is gorgeous-looking. And almost everyone is Korean. Don’t you think it’s strange they don’t know I’m not Korean? I don’t look Korean, I look Chinese maybe, but I’m Hmong.

I met a very nice girl ~ Wonsol, who studied for a year in the United States. She is extremely helpful and I hung out with her a few times. She showed Risa (exchange student from Japan) and I the Seomyeon area (where I got my hair cut : D styled from the lastest issue of Non-no, a Japanese magazine, and it’s SUPER-SHORT ~ The people there wouldn’t let me get my haircut for 5000 won because they didn’t seem to believe that I was an exchange student! I got it for 8000, including shampoo :T They were rude but cheap!) I purchased some notebooks for my classes and some stationaries for my sisters. I want to stop by there again ~ Everything is so cheap and with good quality. 5000 won - 25000 won. I want to live here forever!! The in-fashion for girls is: high heels, loose clothing, and layers.

I met a U.S. missionary on the subway the other day! It was amazing ~ I didn’t even realize I sat down next to him.

Becca, Amanda, and I want to go to Japan. The trip for Jeju Island and Seoul is US $1000 and I cannot afford it no matter how much I would love to go. It’s a really nice price – Rotary paid for our uniforms and our hanbok and worked really hard for us. But ~ Japan will be cheaper and I want to go to a concert while I’m here. Maybe I’ll explore Seoul and Jeju Island some other time ~ Seoul would be neat.

Omma made really good spaghetti today. ‘Mmm ~

I eat anything (less kimchi for me, pleaseee). Ask me questions. Send me emails (!), but air-mail letters would be nicer (like Witthaus-sensei said  : D ). What do you think of my new haircut ? .. Homesick? NO! I’m not. Really. I do miss my family like CRAZY. Hand gestures is a habit now. Send me birthday presents! I’ll be twenty in SKorea (but I’m really turning nineteen)!

Love,
Yolei