October 2017 – Page 3 – GW Blogs from Abroad

Korean? American? Korean-American??

AdminOctober 26, 2017

Hi everyone!

This week I wanted to talk about something that's a little more personal.

My parents immigrated to Boulder, CO for their graduate studies and that's where my brother and I were born and raised. Although that means I grew up without ever really having family nearby and only saw my extended family 4-5 times when we took family trips to Korea, my parents did their best to raise my brother and me in a traditionally Korean household. That meant Korean food, speaking Korean to my parents, celebrating Korean holidays, etc.

When I was younger, I didn't really have a problem with saying that I was Korean when I was in the US and saying that I was American when I came to visit Korea. Because for me, that's what I was - Korean and American, just situationally I would identify with one more than the other based on what I knew people assumed.

However, now that I'm older and have a more solid understanding of my identity, there have been scenarios that have been more difficult to answer during my current stay here in Korea. At first, based on the way I dress and do my make up and hair, people could definitely tell that I was not from-from Korea. But they recognized that I was Korean, because when I walked into stores or cafes, the employees would greet me in Korean. Now that it's been a little over a month in Korea though, I've figured out how to assimilate more and as a result, came across some more unique circumstances.

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Things to Know Before Visiting Ireland- or Europe!

AdminOctober 26, 2017

Although everyone in Ireland- and most of Europe- speaks English, there are so many other phrases, habits, and common knowledge every American should know before crossing the pond.

For example, it’s very common for the Irish to get excited about something fun and call it ‘good craic.,’ which in English sounds like ‘good crack.’ Obviously, coming from the states and never having heard this term so loosely before alarmed me before realizing its actual translation. Thankfully for me, there weren’t too many other phrases I came across that could be interpreted differently. Most of the phrases that are new to me and aren’t too common back in the states include ‘cheers’ or ‘that’s grand.’ Trust me, these phrases catch on quickly.

Other aspects of Irish culture that were new to me included getting used to calling fries ‘chips,’ and the abundance of flavors of Doritos with their respective salsa dips not available back home. You would also be shocked to find that the stereotypical potato, cabbage, and beef stew, aren’t as common as you initially thought. While yes, these are staples to Irish diet, it is more so popular in tourist restaurants. Instead, if you’re looking to try unique Irish meals, you should order lamb and cheese considering it’s all from fresh farms. Or even seafood- Ireland is an Island after all! There is an incredible variation of good food in Ireland almost anywhere you go, not just Guinness.

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The best of Reims

AdminOctober 19, 2017

One of the reasons why Reims is a unique city in my eyes is because it lacks the large franchises which typically characterize cities. In Reims one can find a long list of boulangeries (bakeries), patisseries (pastry shops), charcuteries (meat shops), and poissonneries (fish shops) all run by local artisans who are passionate about their business and products. Just from my encounters with local business owners, it seems much of the businesses are family owned and have been passed down for generations. A few of my favorite and most recommended locally owned businesses in the city are Fossier (biscuit making business), and Colpart Bernard (Bakery).

I first learned about biscuit Fossier from my host mother, because it is her family’s company which has been passed down through the generations since 1756. These biscuits are a regional specialty, unique to the city of Reims. The historic tradition of biscuit Fossier was that the biscuits were meant to be had with champagne, for their airy texture was intended to soak up the champagne. The classic Fossier biscuits look like pink dominos lined up in a box coated in white powdered sugar, however today there are numerous different types of biscuits produced and sold by Fossier. There are three factories scattered around the city of Reims where the biscuits are made, and one shop in the center of the city dedicated solely to the sale of the biscuits. Fossier biscuits can also be found in larger food markets like Carrefour and Monoprix.

...continue reading "The best of Reims"

Chaos in Parliament

AdminOctober 9, 2017December 17, 2018

By jojoraewilliams

Recently, Uganda has been having some political unrest regarding changing the age limit for the president in the constitution. Currently there is a clause in the constitution that says the president cannot exceed 75 years old and cannot run if he will turn 75 during the next term. The current president, Museveni, has been in office for 31 years and over time has consolidated power so that he now serves as more of a dictator than a president.

In the next election in 2021, Museveni should not be eligible because he will turn 75 during the next term. To keep his power, he and the NRM, the ruling party, have been trying to amend the constitution. There has been growing unrest in the country, especially by youth, calling for reform and a change in leadership. This background and rising tension in the country culminated into two debates in parliament that have been dominating the news lately.

Chaos! Dark Ages Return! Doomsday! – These are real headlines that have been on the front pages of local newspapers the last few weeks describing the political issues in the country. The first time that parliament sat to discuss the age limit change, the opposition was so unruly, including excessive yelling and singing the national anthem on repeat to delay tabling the vote, that the prime minister had to end the session and send everyone home.

One week later parliament came together again to discuss the same issue. The tensions escalated to the breaking point within the members of parliament as a full out fight erupted in the hall. News coverage was shut down in the entire country for over an hour so the government could try and control the situation. After the news returned videos of parliament members in a large fist fight, throwing chairs at each other, exploded over social media and news outlets. The session ended with twelve members of the opposing parties, including the leader of the main opposition party, being arrested with questionable circumstances. With major opposition taken out, the amendment was tabled and will probably pass.

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The Unexpected Struggle

AdminOctober 9, 2017December 14, 2018

By jlee4946

Having been born and raised in a traditionally Korean household, there weren't too many things that were culturally shocking when I arrived in Korea. However, since this is my first time really living in Korea for an extended period of time and not staying with relatives, I've gotten to know what it really is like living in Korea. I didn't think there would be such a difference but I now have many things to thank my Korean roommate for.

One of the biggest differences for me personally is the complexity of dealing with trash in Korea. For one thing, there are no trash cans around the city! People just carry their trash all the way home. And some stores/restaurants even have signs saying not to throw away trash that you brought in from outside. Though somewhat annoying since my bag ends up holding all my trash, at first I thought it was a positive thing because maybe people would feel more responsible with throwing away their trash instead of littering. I commented on the lack of trash cans when speaking with a Korean friend from Seoul National University, and he seemed surprised, as though he never really thought about it. But in his case, he remarked that maybe if there were trash cans in public, there would be even less trash on the streets which I thought was interesting since his view of it was so opposite from mine.

But wait! I can't just come home and put my trash from my bag into the bin. I don't live in the school dorms so I'm not sure how it works over there, but people here are really good at recycling. Maybe I've just been slacking off in my recycling habits back at home, but in the US I sort my trash into recyclables, such as plastic and cardboard, and then everything else is just regular trash. And the trash bags in the US are those huge white or black ones that fit over the huge rectangular plastic bins that you and your roommates watch fill up, hoping someone takes it out eventually.

...continue reading "The Unexpected Struggle"

Britishness, Americanness, Questions…ness

AdminOctober 9, 2017December 14, 2018

By austineliasdejesus

This week marked UCL's first week of classes, and I learned two things:

I'd sooner attempt to swallow a minivan than draw attention to myself/be a disturbance to a group of people.
I've never questioned why a world map looks the way it does.

In regards to Lesson #1: I've always hated bothering people, even if only for a second. That's been a theme throughout my life. But I've never known just how much I hated bothering people until this week. I had to go to my Art History class on Wednesday, and I got terribly lost trying to find the lecture room because a construction site obscured the normal entrance to the building. By the time I found the building that housed my destination, I was seven minutes late for class. Once I got inside, I still couldn't find the correct room. The room I was supposed to be in was 104, but the only room I could find was 104. I thought I would take a gamble and see if 103 was some weird room connected to the inside of room 104, because that's the kind of thing that I tell myself is logical when I'm desperate and sweaty and fed up with being lost. I went into 104 to find a class was in session.

The professor whose class I'd disturbed kindly told me to take a seat, which I did. It took me about three minutes to realize that I wasn't, in fact, in the room for 19th and 20th Century Art and Architecture in London. I was in some class about Modern Art. And, obviously, there was no "connecting room" inside this room. So I was just in the completely wrong room. The way I saw it, I had two options: 1.) I could face my fears and just get up, disturb this lecture for the second time, and look for the correct room and, in turn, disturb that lecture, too; or 2.) I could just sit in on this lecture, suffer in silence, and not disturb anyone.

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An Intro to Australian Slang

AdminOctober 9, 2017December 14, 2018

By mariekevanhaaren

While Australia does speak English, they tend to put (a lot of) their own Australian flair into it. Sometimes I’ll be having a conversation and completely miss a key word, having to Google what it means later. Here’s a starter list that you should probably know before visiting Oz!

Arvo - means afternoon. Aussies like to shorten several words and add a –o at the end. Devo means devastated, avo is avocado, etc.

Bogan – Australian’s version of a redneck. I have yet to meet a bogan, but they tend to live out in the bush.

Brekkie – Like with arvo, brekkie is a shortened word for brekkie. This word is especially important in Melbourne, as everyone loves to go to cafés and get a brekkie of avo toast.

Chips – Australia pulls from Britain roots with this term. In Australia, chips are French fries and crisps are America’s version of chips.

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No Country for White Shoes

AdminOctober 9, 2017December 17, 2018

By keeganblogsfromabroad

This weekend I took a break from Edinburgh and headed north into the iconic Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye. As beautiful as they are rugged and misty, the mountains and lochs proved well worth the lengthy bus journey. The trip was organized by the International Student's Center at the University of Edinburgh. About 200 students in four large tour buses embarked on the journey at about 8am on Saturday morning, later staggering to avoid flooding the way points with too many excited students at once. Rain was in the forecast but this being Scotland I expected nothing less.

The one thing I did not anticipate was the mud. Very few people did. The trip packing list, which called for "proper walking shoes for walking and hiking" did not reference the mud either. Now you may be thinking "its just a little mud, I'm sure it cant be that bad," and of course Edinburgh receives enough rain to be consistently muddy as well, but it is usually just a thin layer on top of solid ground. In the mountains of the highland things are just a wee bit different. The entire ground feels like a sponge and the vegetation on top doesn't do anything to change that impression. The mud is everywhere, on the path, next to it, under the vegetation just waiting for your foot to rip though.

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How To: Take a Taxi in Uganda

AdminOctober 6, 2017December 17, 2018

By jojoraewilliams

First things first, you need to understand that taxis here are not quaint yellow private cars like in the US. They are cramped white and blue vans that function as the country’s public transportation. To get where you want to go on them you need to know the general direction of your location and the nearest taxi stage that has vans going that way. There are never any signs and conductors often don’t speak English so even this first step can be a challenge. Make sure you ask a Ugandan friend for directions before setting off.

When you find your stage, you will probably have to wait a while for one to show up. While you wait men on motorcycle taxis called boda bodas will drive up and try to get you to go with them. Bodas are faster than taxis, but are more expensive and get in frequent accidents, so it is better to wait for your taxi.

Eventually a taxi will pull up and a conductor will slide the door open, jump out and start shouting at everyone to try and fill the van. Go up to him and clearly say where you are going. If he says no then wait for another, if he says yes then you can push your way onto the crowded taxi.

If you get the chance to pick your seat try to avoid the front two rows because the drivers and conductors often pickpocket distracted riders. As you squeeze your way to the back you will most likely bang your knee, head, or catch your skirt on something so be careful. Each of the four rows has three seats, but there are usually four people in every one so make sure you leave all concepts of personal space at the door. If you’re not sure about your land marks, try to sit in a window seat so you can watch for your stop.

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