Yeon-Hee's Great Adventure

my life, after the fact

2009-07-06T11:49:00.001-07:00

This is where i'll be continuing my blogging:

http://varsomhelst.blogspot.com

this place.

2009-06-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day in Gothenburg and as much as I don't want to leave this place, I know that it is time to leave. How do I know? The plant that I bought when I first came here has died and the bag of coffee that I've been using all semester has finally come to an end. I know these are sort of superficial indications, but they're real and I'm leaving in any case.

Really though, it has been so nice and I can say without a doubt that this has been the most valuable experience of my life so far and I wouldn't change anything about how my time here in Europe has played out. I've learned so many valuable lessons about life, learned so many new skills, and learned much more about who I really am and what I'm really made of. Hopefully all of my new life and energy is not suppressed when I get home, but instead I hope it grows and blossoms and I hope to share with my community, the people around me, everything I've learned and everything I am.

Further, I hope that I will be energized through the time I've spent here... enough to push through my last year at the University of Washington. I hope that I haven't become mentally lazy and I hope that there won't be too severe of a reverse-culture shock. Lastly, I hope to come back to a new-and-improved or at least a new-and-improving America. I want to be able to be proud of my country again... or well, maybe for the first time.

More traveling!

2009-06-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

Recently, my mom, sister, and cousin came to visit me in Sweden and we spent a good 10 days together in Europe. We spent three days in Gothenburg so I could show them how I've been living and how awesome it is here. Then we flew to Paris and then to Rome and finally to Ostia, which is a beach area in the outskirts of Rome.

It was really pretty cool to have them in Gothenburg because I was able to introduce them to some of my new friends and take them to places that I've gotten so used to having around, such as Vrångö and Nordstan.

I took them to the airport this morning and now I have a lot of great memories and pictures to share. There are so many of these things though... I will have to limit myself.

Five best memories (I'll write descriptions as I find time)

1. Dinner in Arisa's Kitchen
Arisa, Mira, my family and I had dinner in Arisa's kitchen one night. It was a lot of fun to see how my family interacted with my new friends and we had lots of great food and had a good time.

2. 'Romeo and Julia'
I took my family to the opera house to see the final performance of 'Romeo and Julia.' It was amazing, Göteborgs Symphony Orchestra was phenomenal and I hope to never forget the show.

3. Dance lesson with Joscha
Joscha came to Helmuts to teach Mira, me, and my family how to dance. We learned some basic steps for cha cha cha, rumba, samba, and jive. It was really a lot of fun.

4. On the beach in Ostia
My and my family hung out all day on the beach in Ostia for one day on this trip. The beach was great, the water wasn't too cold and it was pretty clean. I fell asleep in the sun a little bit and burned, but not too bad. It was good to get some sun.

5.

Ten best pictures

a few video clips

2009-06-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

Little kids picking leaves off a potted plant next to the owner of the store:

Conga player from Liseberg's Big band:

Flying water jets:

Liseberg

2009-06-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, so I live walking distance from an Amusement park called Liseberg which I think is considered to be the biggest amusement park in Scandinavia. I went there the other day with some friends and it wasn't really that big, but it was still fun and I thought I'd post some pictures.

We went there the day after these same friends and I stayed the night at Elin's place before heading to a small beach area in/near the Majorna area across from Eriksberg to watch the sunrise and eat Swedish pancakes. We only got one or two hours of sleep that night before going to the beach and then heading to Liseberg, so we were pretty spent. In any case, here are some pictures:

Karnevalen i Hammarkullen!

2009-06-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

Oh, there was a carnival in Hammarkullen this past weekend and it was pretty amazing. I had never been to a carnival before so it was a lot of fun to see all of the costumes and hear all of the samba music go down the streets. I was surprised to see so many people there. Here are some pictures:

I also took a few interesting video clips. Here's one of a guy playing a cuica:

Here's another of another group. I thought it was cool because they had masks, and some of their drums had heads with real fur on them:

Nowhere Orchestra is now online!

2009-05-27T10:36:00.001-07:00

Like the title says, the Nowhere Orchestra is now online!

Check it out:
http://www.yeonheeyim.com/nowhere-orchestra.html

The Nowhere Orchestra

2009-05-23T16:35:00.001-07:00

So, before I say anything else I just want to say that the past 4-5 months playing drums for the Nowhere Orchestra has been an amazing experience. I send a warm and heartfelt thank you each member of our band: Florian, Gautier, Julian, Shea, and Stefano. I have learned so much from each one of you and I will never forget this experience!! Thank you to the Chalmers CROC association as well for allowing us to have a rehearsal space and for me to play on the drum kit there in the practice room! I never thought something like this would be possible or so easy, but it is like this in Sweden. It's amazing. They teach you how to play in a modern rock/pop/whatever band in middle school / high school. It doesn't have to be this grassroots thing like it is in the States if you want to play in some rock/punk/pop/funk/whatever band. They make it possible and maybe --- expected that you learn how to play in an ensemble together... so I hear. At least in class. But, I have found that there are sooo many good musicians here in Göteborg. The people I have seen play make it look so natural and easy. I wish I has early opportunities to play in some sort of small ensemble. (Sorry for all of the slash marks in this post.)

Moving on, I am deep in reflection about what I've done musically in the past 4-5 months and I realize now that I have exactly one month left here in Europe before I fly home. Just yesterday afternoon, I finished gigging with my band, The Nowhere Orchestra. We played three gigs and each was a great experience and I think we improved our performance every time... and yes, this is an important thing. For me, I feel like you can suck now as long as you get better each time. I realized that since being away from the marching/rudimental drumming scene that my tempo has gotten shaky and I realized this after listening to recordings I made of our rehearsals and a few performances. I decided that I can't be that drummer that rushes through songs and pushes the time out of wack. So, I sat down for maybe an hour with a metronome and refreshed my tempo control and played for at least another few hours with music.

There are a few really important things I have realized about a drummer's musicianship after playing just these three gigs with my band.

1) The drummer has control of the tempo. If the drummer has bad tempo control, it's hard for any other player to save the band, unless your lead singer's name is Dr. Beat.

2) Keeping a solid rhythm and maintaining tempo should be the main goal of the drummer. Any showy or flashy things should only be added if the solidity of the rhythm can be maintained. On the same token, performance (meaning performing for the audience) is important, but overdoing is bad if it makes you play bad.

3) The drummer should never get in the way of the singer and the lyrics... but s/he should complement what is being said in the lyrics if possible and create the proper atmosphere. What this means is that the drummer should know how to play many different styles.

As for our three gigs... Here is some detail for each one.

Gig at Vårfesten (5/16)
Our first gig was for Vårfesten. This was actually the 'fake' Vårfest because it was technically rescheduled to be on 5/23, but that conflicts with our gig at Olofshöjd so we played anyway. It was an outdoor gig and was a bit cloudy and cold. We were afraid it was going to rain but the weather held. It was good that it held, but it was still very cold and a little windy. Not that this is anything new, but brrrrr i alla fall.

Anyway, being outdoors is such a different playing situation that being in a small rehearsal room. I had to change the drumming utensil I was using for a few songs. I usually use sticks, rutes (hot rods), and brushes... but in this gig I had to use sticks for things I usually use my rutes on. This made the sound a bit different and felt different to play on a kit that was not what I was used to playing, so this really made for a new situation for me. I guess this really was my first gig playing drumset in a small ensemble (less than 10 members).

I managed to make a recording from behind my seat at the drum throne and I realized that I was pushing the tempo too much. Enough to make the music uncomfortable. That's when I decided it was time for metronome intervention.

Here's a picture of Stefano, me, and Florian before the gig.

Me: happily suffering from ICRTSOTS syndrome (i can't remember the structure of the song). Stefano: infected by my virus, but has a different strain called WWTCPA syndrome (what was that chord progression again?). Florian: happy to have a gig.

And now, some more pictures from Vårfesten:

Gig at Nyklubb (5/22)
Our second gig, which was at Nyklubb was very fun. I liked it. It was my first time playing in a club. Maybe it was good that it was so underground. It was so underground that we went to the place where it was supposed to be and our contact, who was the bouncer, said it was moved. It's funny because Nyklubb means 'new club,' and it was like... "okay, new club, new place... everytime." lol. I don't think that's really the case, but it was nice anyhow.

We got there sort of early and it didn't seem like a lot of people were going to come, but it ended up getting pretty packed. We played around midnight and it went pretty well. Much better than the last gig we played, I think. Maybe because the last gig was outdoors. Acoustics are so much different outside and it's cold too. Even if it wasn't cold at this gig, I really did have to stretch myself a bit. In what way? Well, in a good way. I'm used to playing on a drumset with four or five pieces, plus three cymbals and a hi-hat, but I was playing on a three piece set tonight with only two cymbals and a hi-hat. This is really a good idea for me, so that I can explore all of the options that are available on a very limited set-up before deciding I want more drums to bang on, ya know?

Anyways, the stage was very small and tight so our band of six member was in very close proximity to eachother. I liked this though because we were able to communicate about the music much easier. They stood blocking me from the audience, but that's okay. I don't need to show my face or show off. I'm a loyal drummer, I'm there to support the band.

In terms of the playing, I was able to hold the tempo better in place this time. Maybe it helped that the gig was indoors.

Here's the only real picture I took while I was there. This is the outside of the venue we were playing at. It was really just a soccer club house. You know painted in the traditional red color. You can't really tell in this picture and sorry that it is blurry, but this is where we played.

Olof's first annual Music Fest (5/23)
Our third and final gig was at the supposedly first annual music fest at Olofshöjd. I think that this was our best gig and I'm really thankful to the drummer who let us loan his very nice Sonor set and to the DJ who was very professional and helpful at sound check, and to the organizers of this event. I was there at Olof's the whole day (12.00 to 00.30, minus the hour I went home to grab my grill, food, and drinks). It didn't seem very long though, the day went by so quickly. Maybe because it was so nice to see my friends from the Swedish course and to greet my other friends who have waited so long to see me play. There was so much good music to listen to, so many good people to talk to, and so much food and drinks to consume. The fest was a success.

The performance was also toppen. I feel bad for saying this, but the drumset that I played on made it possible for me to at least attempt to play like I hear in my head. I have to change what I play on crappy drumsets because things just don't sound good and aren't a direct translation of the thoughts in my head. I guess I say I feel bad for saying this because a good drummer can make the worst drumset sound good. No wait, maybe what I said doesn't contradict this. A good drummer would adjust their playing.

Okay, well I'm very tired now, so I'll leave you with some pictures!! =)

Music in Milan

2009-05-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was worth posting:

Italy, in short.

2009-05-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Since it would take too long for me to describe each place I visited point for point, I will just give a general overview of how things were in each city I visited. Then if you want to hear more stories, you'll have to ask me personally. ;)

Rome
Rome is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. With all of its historical monuments and buildings, there is just nothing that can compare. It's a shame I had to experience this city by myself for the most part. That's why I'm taking my family to see it when they come to visit me next month.

I ran into a lot of problems while I was there though... mostly because it was my first stop and I was really caught off-guard by a few things. My bank card stopped working on my second day and at one point I was left with only 4 Euro in my pocket -- that's like $5.50. Plus, my cell phone wasn't able to make outgoing calls so I was in trouble there too. And I was sick. That was not fun, but it seemed as if God placed the right people into my life at exactly the right times in order to help me through. Namely Jacqui, Elin, and Mabri.

I just want to take this time to thank Jacqui for letting me use her phone so I could re-activate my bank card, and for buying me lunch and gelato. I would also like to thank Elin for baking me the wonderful garlic bread rolls that really came in handy when I got hungry. Furthermore, I want to thank Mabri for letting me borrow 40 Euros in case my bank card was completely screwed. I hate borrowing money but I did borrow it, but didn't use it, mind you.

Good things to see while you're there: Musei Vaticani, Basilica S. Pietro, Castel Sant' Angelo, Campo di Fiori, Piazza del Popolo, Pincio, Trinita dei Monti, Fontana di Trevi, Pantheon, Colosseo, Palatino, Arco di Tito.

Some pictures from Rome:

Florence
Florence was beautiful as well. It's much smaller than Rome and it feels more like a culture capital than anything else. There are some very important museums there, like Uffizi where you can see some Da Vinci paintings.

Good things to see while you're there: Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio.

Some pictures from Florence:

Pisa
Pisa was even smaller than Florence and there wasn't too much to see there. It's very touristy especially because of the Leaning tower of Pisa and besides that tower and the surrounding buildings, restaurants, cafes, and pubs, and maybe the fruit market, there isn't much for the average traveler. It's really mostly a college town. There's a couple spooky buildings there though that have something to do with Dante.

Good things to see while you're there: Leaning tower of Pisa,

Some Pictures from Pisa:

Milan
Milan is supposed to be the a city of glitz and glam and maybe it is if you're some sort of Hollywood type looking to buy some Prada or Dolci and Gabbana. But for the average traveler, it seemed more just like an industrial looking city under construction, full of dirt and graffiti. Things are quite expensive in here and I'm not just talking about things that are supposed to be expensive. There are a few nice places, like the castle.. Castello Sforzesco, but watch out for people that are trying to give you stuff "for free." Especially flowers and bracelets! They are most prevalent at the tourist hot-spots like Castello Sforzesco and Duomo.

Good things to see while you're there: Castello Sforzesco, Duomo, Cenacolo Vinciano, Giardini Pubblici (near P.ta Venezia).

Some pictures from Milan:

Venice
Venice is a very beautiful city, unlike other cities. Why? Because it was originally a lagoon society... Transportation is mostly by waterway, so you'll see police boats and taxi boats along with your normal ferry/mass transit boats... oh, and the gondolas.

Good things to see while you're there: Rialto, Campo di S. Giacomo Dell 'Orio, San Marco, S. Maria d. Salute.

Some pictures from Venice:

Aviano
This is where the American air force base is in Italy, so you'll find a lot of military Americans there. I went there to visit my friend Alex, and it was actually rather nice. The city has some nice mountains in the background, which was a change from the other areas I had been in. If you're not visiting someone, it's really not worth going out of your way to see though. It's very small.

Good things to see while you're there: the Air Force Base?

Some pictures from Aviano:

Sorry, didn't take any pictures.

Home sweet Göteborg

2009-05-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm finally back in Göteborg and I'm so glad to be back. I've just really missed the comfort of my own room and the crispness of Swedish air, along with all my friends here in Sweden. The weather is much more bearable here as well. Italy was great though, and I'll write more later -- but here's one picture to feed your picture appetite. Guess where it's from.

swindlers...

2009-05-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

So, I thought I'd post just to say that I've made it to Italy safely! But at what cost?

Well, I was swindled... by a taxi man. But hey -- it could be worse, right? I'm too embarrassed to say how much I paid for a taxi from the airport to the city center, so I won't. Just wanted to say that I'm-uh here in da Roma a-safe anda sound-a. Capiche?

Stockholm etc.

2009-05-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

Hello there, it's me again... playing catch up again. Yes, I'm headed on a 10-day trip to Italy tomorrow and I haven't even yet posted about the trip I took last weekend to Stockholm and Uppsala!!

I had a good excuse though. I've been working really hard on a 2500-word term paper, which I have now finished! It's really not my best work, but it really was a lot of work and it's finished, which is a miracle because it's due tomorrow morning and it's hard for me to ever decide something is done because it can always be improved!

I didn't think I'd have it finished until like Monday morning at 4am (paper being due at 10 am), but this really miraculous thing happened to me. It was strange. I was out having a nice time at fika (coffee break) with some friends at a cafe at Kungsportsplatsen and suddenly when it was time to decide whether I should continue being out for the evening or to go home, I started getting a fever and headache. That's the miracle though! I headed straight home and went to bed pretty early allowing me a full night of sleep... something that I haven't had in weeks -- maybe over a month.

Moments before falling asleep I just had to thank God because he knows that one of the only ways to get me into bed early is to give me a fever and make me want to curl up and not be awake for a while. Otherwise, I'm up until 3am or so every night. This was Friday night.

Then I woke up on Saturday so refreshed that I was able to spend the fourteen hours I needed that day to work on my paper. I spent the whole day at home writing, with breaks for lunch and dinner (which was spaghetti both times). I've never had such a productive day for writing and I didn't even need coffee. God works in the strangest way sometimes. He knows I want some time for quietness and reflection before I head on another exciting trip abroad.

Now, I would like to share some pictures from Stockholm, but I've taken so many pictures that I want to ask myself... if i could only post -- well lets say 11 pictures, which ones would I choose and why? Here are the ten+one pictures at I chose. This first picture is of two of the friends I made while in Stockholm. That's Yuri on the left and Chrysti on the right. It was so amazing because they were both in my room at the hostel and Yuri is Italian and studied linguistics and Chrysti goes to UW in Seattle and plays guitar in a band. It's like meeting exactly the people I was meant to meet. Anyways, this picture is from us on our walking path to Skansen.

This is a picture of a model of the ship on display at Vasa Museet. Apparently the ship sunk in water that was so salty everything on the ship was really well preserved. It's an amazing sight. You can see the real ship just behind there.

This is a picture of some guards at the royal castle all getting into a charter bus. I thought this was silly because I was expecting some fancy changing of the guards ceremony, but they looked like they were just going on a field trip. Boo.

Here's a picture of a moose or whatever this animal is... it was one we saw in Skansen.

Here's a picture of an alleyway in Gamla Stan. I just thought it was nice and quite picturesque. That's all.

Here's a picture of a mural that was painted on a window. It was pretty and it's super nice with the actual tree you can see through the window.

Here's a picture from the Mando Diao concert I went to in Stockholm at Annexet (Globen). They were really great live.

I just thought this was a little fun and silly so here it is. I picture of the Riksdag building, half in construction.

Here's a model of Gamla Uppsala.

Here's a picture from in the churchyard's graveyard with the old grave mounds in the background. Old meets new.

And finally a picture from out in the fields in Gamla Uppsala.

I would share more pictures, but I've already posted the ten+one pictures I allotted myself. There are more nice pictures, but you'll have to check out my flickr photo stream to see those. I've put up a link on my link list there to the right.

Okay, well that's it for now. I can't afford more time to sit and blog just nu.

Ha det.

Hammarkullen & Angered

2009-04-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

This is another quick post that I might add to later. I just feel like I need to catch up before I head for Stockholm today. I went with a group from my Scandinavian Studies class to Hammarkullen & Angered, which are two suburb areas in Gothenburg. These places have a bad reputation for being violent areas with lots of immigrants, but I thought it was quite a beautiful place. Here are some pictures:

Telia & SCA

2009-04-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

As a place holder, I would just like to say briefly that I went to visit two companies with a group of people the other day. It was pretty amazing. One was Telia, one of the largest communication companies in Scandinavia, and the other was SCA, a major hygiene product producer. Maybe you've heard of Tork? Anyways, here are some pictures:

Acapella Dreams...

2009-04-24T02:38:00.000-07:00

I went to see one of the greatest acapella groups I know of last weekend live in Flisby. They are called The Real Group and I have been a fan for about two years now. They are so good that music from their Christmas cd has found a place in many of my music playlists.

Anyhow, Flisby is a small, small, small little place near a small town called Aneby, which is close to Jönköping, a city in the province of Småland... Sweden. I'm really not sure what else is in this town other than the church that we were at, plus the lake and a couple of barns and houses, but it was spectacular. I was able to just walk through a big empty field, crawl under a fence, and waddle through some brush area to get the lake. Quite liberating.Here's some pictures:

And here's a couple pictures from Jönköping:

And here's some from before, during, and after the concert:

This entire trip was amazing and now, I think it might be worth me saying that I've started up a new acapella group here in Sweden. We've had one rehearsal so far and I've already launched the website!

http://www.skakapella.weebly.com

I know this particular group will only get to be together for a couple of months, so that means that some of you Seattlites will get to join! I hope you're ready for the heat!

blogging.

2009-04-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

So, before I continue to write more entries, I have to clear something up.

Sometimes people ask me things like... "why do you blog? It's nice to blog, but isn't it very limiting because it's on the internet and thus public information? Don't you write completely different from if you were to write in a personal journal?"

My answer to this is:

I blog because I'm in Sweden, which is a place completely different from home, and I feel like a have a unique perspective. Honestly, I don't know how many other people in this world can say that they are a Korean American that studied abroad in Sweden. Maybe 5... maybe 10?

Given the population of the world and the length of the world's history plus the other factors like the fact that I study linguistics, the fact that I love the IPA, and the fact that I love music... yes, this makes my perspective distinct. A ratio of 1:world population.

I don't mean to put myself on a pedestal or anything... I just think that it would be selfish of me not to blog. I think I may have said here before that I'm a huge fan of [[open source]-like] things and sharing knowledge -- sharing everything that I have and know... which leads to the question of: "isn't it limiting to write a blog and don't you write in a completely different way?"

You would be surprised.

I would say that it is limiting in a sense, but in a good way. Meaning, I try to cut out all of the personal reminders and blah-blah-blah things I might write in a personal journal like:

"ahhhhhh..... well.... ok. It's 2:32am right now and I'm so tired" |
"oh self, why can't you stay awake and do your homework?" |
"Take out the compost tomorrow morning before school so your room doesn't stink." or
"don't forget to take your laptop with you to school on Wednesday."

Another difference would be that I would address a personal journal in second person singular, but you, the web audience, in second person plural... for the most part. This inevitably changes the voice, not just the pronoun. Humor also becomes an integral part of lots of things I write here because I am McDonald's... I love to see you smile. Well, that is if I could see your face while you are reading this.

:: wow, that wasn't funny. Please excuse that last pun ::

So, another big reason I keep a blog is so that I'll have something compiled that I can look back on to remember all of the things that I did and thought -- all of the things I learned. Plus, you can add pictures so easily to a blog! It's much harder with a journal and we all know that text is much more entertaining with pictures. Oh, so here's one to fill the quota:

Yes... so furthermore, keeping a blog like this will probably show me how my English writing and language skills have changed over the past few months. I've noticed (in speaking) that I'm using a strange Swedish style intonation when I ask questions in English now. And, I'm becoming something of a dialect box, whatever that may mean to you.

Okay, well I think I've said enough. In other words, I've spent too much time on this post. I hope it was worth writing. I think I'll be glad I wrote it when I look back.

busy busy...

2009-04-22T23:08:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy busy week. A lot of exciting things have happened, and I promise I'll write again soon.

Music Lessons!

2009-04-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

I am now teaching music lessons here in Gothenburg!

http://www.yeonheeyim.com/music-lessons.html

one more piece.

2009-04-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

So, this one took me a little longer than the other two, but yeah. Check it out:

Thanks to Mira for taking the picture!

art? really?

2009-04-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

So, I had an art lesson from Elin today and I suddenly realized I could do this:

Not bad for 1-2 hours worth of work... I know, I really surprised myself too. Oh, and thank you Lily for taking these pictures!

:P

Tour of Italy

2009-04-10T20:32:00.001-07:00

So, I recently confirmed all of my trip plans for Italy and I am going to post my itinerary here.

This might seem like a bad idea to post such detailed travel itinerary items on the internet for everyone to see, but at the same time I feel like it's quite important to do so. It will serve two purposes:

1) Anyone that would like to join me for any part of this trip should contact me!!

2) I plan to be posting to this blog while I am in Italy (so if you don't hear from me between or soon after May 4th - May 13th... something is terribly wrong and you should take steps to find/contact me because something unforeseen has happened).

TOUR OF ITALY TRAVEL ITINERARY

GÖTEBORG (GOT) > ROME (FCO) [$202.00 on 4/10 @ Expedia.com]

APRIL 4th @ 18.05-22.50
GOT > BRU (18.05-19.55) Brussels Airlines Flight 2318
BRU > FCO (20.40-22.50) Brussels Airlines Flight 3187

FUNNY PALACE HOSTEL (May 4th - May 6th: 3 nights)
(4-bed mixed dorm)
$41.03 per night.
Booked @ www.hostels.com

ALBERGO PAOLA (May 7th - May 8th: 2 nights)
(6-bed mixed dorm)
$27.82 per night.
Booked @ www.hostels.com

Pisa (Day trip)

EUROHOTEL (May 9th - May 11th: 3 nights)
(private suite)
$69.54 per night.
Booked @ www.hostels.com

VENICE (VCE) > GÖTEBORG (GOT) [$262.50 on 4/10 @ Expedia.com]

APRIL 13th @ 16.50-21.10
VCE > BRU (16.50-18.40) Brussels Airlines Flight 3206
BRU > GOT (19.25-21.10) Brussels Airlines Flight 2319

blech, i'm sick

2009-04-08T01:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, so I've finally contracted some sort of cold and it's really not a whole lot of fun. I don't have any kleenex either, so I'm using paper towels and my nose is quite raw now. It's not a great feeling to have to lay a paper towel by my face before going to bed so my nose doesn't soak my pillow, but not being able to breathe through my nose at the same time. You'd think if something is coming out of your nose, air would flow right along with it, but no. It's always like that though -- runny nose with nasal congestion and a sore throat... so, when I'm forced to breathe through my mouth, I start coughing. Otherwise, I try to forcibly blow air through my congested nasal passages causing turbulent whistling noises and sometimes more nose goop. However, I think we've all had this experience before and it just reminds me that I'm still a part of this human condition too.

It all started yesterday and that's when I decided to drink a whole liter of orange juice and eat everything that looked like a fruit in my fridge. Ate a bunch of ice cream and drank a bit of tea but I'm still not better yet and I might have to call in sick for my Swedish class and my band rehearsal tonight. I usually just tough it out and go anyway, but I'm beginning to learn that it's okay to be sick... Like the other day when a professor that was supposed to give a lecture for our Scandinavian Studies class was sick and didn't show up. Nobody told us that class was cancelled either. No e-mail, SMS, phone call... nothing.

Okay, I'm over it now. I just think that this course has had a lot of little disappointments that have been adding up -- some people might even be tallying. I try to look on the bright side though. There is a lot that I have learned, even if not in the content being presented.

Yeah, and being sick... I guess that means there's more time for me to work on all of the little projects I've started and well, sleep too... when I'm able to. I even had enough time and worked up enough guts and pain in my hand to decide to try to fix the action on my guitar. (Action is the space between the strings and the fretboard. My action is too high and has caused a chronic pain in my left palm.) I've always been quite afraid to do this because everyone online suggests that the guitar should be taken in so a professional can fix it. Well, I think I level'd up yesterday in terms of guitar knowledge since I managed to keep my bridge in tact. Here's a few pictures:

One thing you may have noticed from these pictures is that the body of my guitar looks like an acoustic, but the head is definitely electric guitar-like. That is because I have an acoustic-electric guitar. Oh and those things on the ground are snotty tissues and ice cream wrappers.

Here's one more random picture for you, before I go and try to get more sleep.

förbjudet att...

2009-04-07T02:55:00.000-07:00

So, this isn't really a good picture because someone already thought they were funny by adding the umlaut marking on 'mata' to become 'mäta' causing the meaning of this sign to be something like: "Forbidden to compare the animals," or to be parallel with English standards: "Do not compare the animals."

For me though, I had a moment of interference by the Spanish in my brain and I thought this sign said: "Do not kill the animals," and I was like...

:: duh ::

and obviously, it means: do not feed the animals.

Swedish-English Accent

2009-04-06T14:03:00.001-07:00

There was one day in class that I got really bored because the lecturer was reading directly from the text I had read the previous night, but instead of falling asleep I decided to take linguistic (phonetic) notes on her pronunciation of the text she was reading. It was actually ended up being very fun to go through that text and start to recognize and predict patterns. She had a very strong and typical Swedish-English accent and I am glad I brought the text with me to class that day.

I have been very interested in different accents of English for a little while now and I even have a book entitled Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen (:: oj, why can't I underline in this interface ::) by Paul Meier. I found this book online and it is sooo awesome! It comes with CDs and uses the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to help teach accents to actors/actresses. Not that I'll be doing any acting anytime soon... but it's super fun nonetheless. It is helping me to keep up with my IPA reading abilities and it's not just broad transcription either. There are some very narrowly transcribed things that use diacritics and suprasegmentals that man kan säga är a little advanced, like the marking for extra short (in Italian), or lowering maybe (in French).

Anyways, I have started on a project for myself to basically write the chapter for the Swedish dialect. It has been a lot of fun and is helping me to understand phonetic mistakes that Swedes make when speaking English. But, we all know that lexical mistakes are the most fun... you know, like the ones that happen because of direct translations.

Oh and there are words that Swedish and English share that are what I think is called false friends. A couple fun ones are: fart and mambo. I can't help but giggle a little (at least inside) when people say that there's a lot of mambo in Stockholm or reading something like "fick lite för hög fart," which sounds like it means you had a fart that was a little to loud (and that you might be holding in) or "full fart framåt," which I would really rather not try to explain.

So, I hope this post has pleased those of you that were waiting to read a real "linguisticky" post. That is, of course if you do faktiskt exist... in my nearly invisible audience. Yes, käraste församling... Gud vi tackar dig.

recent realization & now, invitation

2009-04-06T03:49:00.000-07:00

So, as I was preparing and planning for the one week in June that my mom and sister will visit me in Europe I realized that I have been here for three months and have only done very limited traveling. So far, I've been here in Göteborg, out to the islands in the southern archipelago off the coast, and to Kiruna.

So, I immediately ripped the calender off my wall and started marking which days I have to be in Göteborg and which days I can go and travel.

I have decided to make a trip to Stockholm April 24th - April 28th. Also, I have decided to make a trip to Rome, Florence, Milan, and Oslo between May 4th and May 13th!

I've booked my bus and hostel for Stockholm and invited some people to come along, but it looks like I might be headed there by myself. My Italy/Norway trip is a bit more complicated and I haven't booked anything yet, but I plan to in the near future.

If you the reader would like to join me on these trips (given that I know you, at the very least... and maybe even like you...) , let me know!

Visit from America

2009-03-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Now, I can finally move on to talk about the visit I received from Lily and Meg... my friends from Seattle. Lily and Meg came to me on March 20th an stayed with me in my flat until early morning of March 28th. That is why I left such a large gap in my blog posts.

We had lots of fun together and I got to show them around town and show them how I've been living for the past three months. I took them out to Vrångö, Donsö, and Styrsö on the ferry, to Göteborgs Konstmuseum, to Nefertiti (one of Gothenburg's best jazz clubs), to my salsa dance class, to my funk band rehearsal, to Babar (a restaurant where we got to have reindeer and wild boar), to Haga, Arkaden, Avenyn, and Nordstan for shopping, to Cafe Tintin to see all of the posters on the walls, to Cafe Villekulla (AKA Pippi cafe) for the cake buffet, and to a number of other places I know I'm forgetting to mention. They even got to take part in one of my Swedish Language Alliance meetings that I have at my place every sunday where we baked some awesome semlor and watched Noll Tolerans again. (This was my third time seeing this movie).

We cooked a lot of good food together and had a lot of Swedish pancakes. Lily insisted that we have pancakes every morning and we just about managed to do that. It was great. Here's a few pictures of the food.

We also thought it would be fun to take a series of photos posing as statues and signs we found around town:

Overall, we had a good time and I got to show them how Sweden really is.

Kiruna & Abisko cont.

2009-03-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry... now, after a long pause, I am back and I would like to continue right where I left off.

So, being in Kiruna and Abisko was quite amazing. Getting there, on the other hand... not so much. It took 20 hours to get there, and 23+ hours to get back. Despite the long trip, I found ways to entertain myself. Aside from trying to sleep, I spent lots of time learning some language basics in Russian, Italian, Slovenian, Japanese, and French. Overall, it was a good time and I learned a lot. I'd like to share one really funny French tongue twister I learned. Below you'll find three different transcriptions for each line of the tongue twister.

The top line is a pseudo rhythmical transcription:
(| = barline, Q = quarter note, O = eighth note, o = sixteenth note).
The second line is the French language original.
The third line is the English translation.

O | O O O O o o O Q |
Combien sont ces six saucissons ci?
How much are these six sausages here?

O | O o o O O O O Q |
Ces six saucissons ci sont six sous.
These six sausages are six 'sous'

o o | O o o O O O O Q |
Si ces six saucissons ci sont six sous.
If these six sausages here are six 'sous'

O | O o o O O O O Q |
Ces six saucissons ci sont très chers.
These six sausages here are very expensive.

Hopefully that made some sense. The funniest part is that these lines fit into bars of music, but I'm sad that it looks so terrible here and that I couldn't find a better way to transcribe it.

Here's a picture of the sandwiches I kept making throughout the trip to tide me over.

And, an example page from my multi-language linguistic study notebook.

Moving on, we snowmobiled out 11 km into the wilderness to try to see some Northern Lights in Kiruna and we sort of saw some, but it was cloudy so we couldn't see them well. I guess I was lucky to see any at all though.

As for the Ice Hotel... this has been a place I knew about and wanted to visit for just over five years, so it was nice to finally be able to go. I should've realized how cold it was going to be though. I think they they to keep the whole Ice Hotel under -5 C at all times. Pretty cold if you ask me. Beautiful though. Here's one more picture from there before I take my leave.

Kiruna & Abisko

2009-03-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

I went on a trip to Northern Sweden recently and I thought I'd share a few pictures with you. More pictures and thoughts will come later, but for now this is what I've got...

Here's a couple pictures of me with the dogs and riding a dogsled in Abisko.

Here's a couple from the cross-country skiing trip, also in Abisko.

Here's a few from the snowmobiling trip we made in Kiruna.

And a few others:

Mistakes

2009-03-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

I thought I would just write a little about some of the mistakes I've made here in Sweden so I can remember to never make the same mistakes again. Plus, all of you that are reading can painlessly learn not to make the same mistakes I did. :)

I:

tried to turn my refrigerator on without plugging it in.
used my bare hands to mix spicy chili pepper flakes.
used "hade att" to try to say I "had to do something," when this phrase doesn't exist in Swedish. (var tvungen, or using behöver or måste is better, i think.)
bought Comviq Kompis for my phone instead of Comviq Amigos and had to pay $1 per minute for international phone calls. (curse the company that names two completely different phone plans using the same word just translated into different languages!)
heard people at Vasakyrkan saying "Kristus, förbarma dig över oss" and thought they were saying "Kristus, förbannade över oss"
For at least one month, I thought that the tram stop: Getebergsäng was Geteberg + säng meaning "Geteberg bed" instead of Getebergs + äng meaning "Geteberg's meadow." (I still have no idea what Geteberg means though. Goat mountain? Göta province's mountain...)

(I plan on periodically updating this post along with other posts that are labelled "periodically updated.")

Nya kompisar

2009-03-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of me with some of the people I've met here in Sweden!

live & love, bland annat.

2009-03-09T08:29:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while, somebody asks me or I ask myself what I would do today if I were to die tomorrow. This is really an interesting question and now that I think about it again, I would have to say that there isn't a specific plan or schedule full of things I have to do on the day before I die. Rather, there would be a checklist of goals that I would want to have completed and a separate checklist of things I want to be at least in the process of doing. I think the lists would look something like this:

Things do make sure to complete before I die:

Make sure everyone you know knows that you love them.
Make sure you eat/drink as much of whatever you feel like eating/drinking.
Make sure you listen to whatever music you want to listen to as loud as you want it.
Spend some time with people. What people? Those that are nearest and dearest.
Spend some time alone.
Spend some time with the Bible and God.

Things to at least be working on before I die:

Sharing my thoughts and insights.
Sharing my love.

Yup, so that's it. Well, I mean sure --- there are also some very specific things I would like to do. These are things like:

Go to a furniture store when you're really tired (probably after lunch) and take a nap on the sofa/recliner that you didn't have time to take a nap on before.

Well, that's all I can think of right now, but I'll add more when I think of them.

On another note, there is something else I want to take up right now. It's the concept of "love." I've always had a problem with this word and I say it almost never because it is such a commercialized, self-reciprocating word that has a different meaning depending on the context, tone, who it is coming from, and why it is said in the first place. I don't like saying the word, but people who are without "love" in the sense of having love in their own hearts for themselves and the people around them... are just empty. I don't want to be empty, therefore I feel like I need to redefine it for myself, because like it says on the first item on my list, I need to make sure everyone I know knows that I love them.

This is how it is: My life is a life of learning and I will always be a student, whether in a real school, or just in the school of life (as cheesy as that sounds). If I have ever met you or known you, you have added a perspective to my life that I would not have had otherwise. Whether I liked you or disliked you plays no role because this is really just a matter of whether I liked or disliked the things you did and the way you acted. This has no bearing on the way I feel about you as a person and lucky for you, I love you. I want you to know that I love you -- any & every one of you that I have ever known.

Now, as long as I eat/drink what I want, listen to whatever music I want, and make sure to spend some time alone, with the Bible, and with people everyday... I can die happily. Not that I'm planning on dying anytime soon, but now I can live like most people only wish they could live -- like today was my last.

Nowhere Orchestra

2009-03-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

So, I'm playing drums in a funk band called Nowhere Orchestra while I'm here in Sweden and I just thought I would give you a little taste of one of our songs. This recording is from a rehearsal we had last wednesday (March 4th). We're not completely polished or anything, but I guess that's what funk it all about. Rawness. Enjoy.

"Hit the tempo" (clip)

not a superhuman, after all...

2009-03-07T22:44:00.000-08:00

So, I found out yesterday that I'm really not a superhuman after all. I feel like most people my age or younger have this feeling like they are invincible or something, but we're really not and it's sort of an important realization to have... Not that you should let anything limit your goals and aspirations, because I'm still a firm believer in "if you put your mind to it, you can do it," and "most people are reasonable, that's why they only do reasonably well," but one should at least be aware of the sort of physical boundaries that exist. You know, the ones that determine your health at least.

Basically, what I found out yesterday was that I cannot go a full day just eating chocolate and cakes, and drinking only coffee, water, and orange juice. Actually, in some cases I think I might be able to handle this, but I think in combination with my lack of sleep and all of the running around I do all day... this was not a good and I paid for it yesterday.

I was over at my friend Mira's place studying Swedish after a long day of running errands, going to a short-film exposition, and hanging out at a coffee shop. I had only been eating sweets all day because I woke up late and didn't have time for breakfast... AKA: I bought 100g of dark chocolate before heading to the library. My mind was working very hard, as I was doing some very intense linguistic work with the Swedish.

My goal was (and still is) to create subcategories within the group 4 strong verbs where the subcategories actually fall into subgroups that follow a certain pattern (namely, ablaut or umlaut). In doing this, I need to know roughly what the vowel space looks like for Swedish so I can decide whether to call it ablaut (vowel reduction) or umlaut (vowel fronting)... basically. This has been something that has interested me for a while, and now it is useful because I'm taking a Swedish course again. Hopefully if/when I finish this, I'll post it to my Swedish website so people can see my work and use it to help them learn Swedish. I'm a huge advocate of shared knowledge and all things that are "open source," if you haven't noticed. I just hope that what I create is accurate and valid. If it's not, I'll at least have had good practice with the verbs. :P

Anyways, I just had some rice with kimchi and two fried eggs (a true Korean meal) and I'm making some 보리차 (barley tea) right now to fill and calm my stomach. Then, I think I'll have fully recovered and I can't help but thinking God is so kind for giving me such a mild scare. Finding out that I'm not invincible could have involved breaking my leg or getting hit by a tram or something like that, but instead I just felt faint and disoriented and just threw up a few times. God is great. And so is rice, kimchi, and barley tea.

:)

Good thing I'm well now though, because I'm hosting a meeting for this Swedish-Language student group I formed last week. We're called "The Swedish Language Alliance." Pretty bad-ass, I know.

Ice Breaker

2009-03-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

This is how we break the ice in Sweden:

funny, ha ha.

2009-03-02T15:53:00.001-08:00

So, our Scandinavian Studies class went on a tour of some old houses in Slottskogen today and this really funny thing happened. Well, it was funny to me at least, because I had slept a total of about 5 hours in the past two days before going on this field trip and I didn't eat breakfast before going. Yes, so I was basically running on empty. Here's one picture:

Anyway, we were at this old house that was renovated to be used as a folk dance hall and the lady there was telling us about provincial costumes and stuff (not the house in the picture).

This lady was flipping through a book and showing us pictures of things and she said something like, "... and this is a picture of when the pope came to Sweden," but it sounded like she said "...and this is a picture of when the poop came to Sweden." I'm fully aware that Swedish vowel sounds can be and are in most cases very different, but I guess I never heard a Swedish person say the word "pope" before.

I die when I hear funny language jokes, so after a few moments I started cracking up!! It was so hard to hold in this laugh, but I felt like I needed to or else people would think I'm laughing at the provincial costumes or something, which I was not!! I started coughing to cover my laughter and I almost left the room. Stupid thing was, I kept thinking about it off and on for the next 15-20 minutes that we were there and I almost started laughing again every time I thought about it. You know when you're trying to hold in a laugh and you basically have a body spasm and expel a bunch of air through your nose? Yeah, I was having these spasms and I hope Akane, who was standing next to me, didn't think I was just blowing air into her ear or something.

Well, here's a few more pictures before I end this post.

Stora Delsjön

2009-02-27T01:42:00.000-08:00

I went on a little excursion the other day to try and find Stora Delsjön, which is a very big lake just East of where I live. I tried to walk there taking the shortest route, but I couldn't cross the highways that were in the way, so I took a tram to an area called Bö and just decided I would wander my way down to find Stora Delsjön. Here's a map:
It was sunny all morning and I was getting excited because I thought the weather would be nice when I got to the lake, but it was actually quite cloudy and windy when I got there. Still, it was pretty fun. The lake was frozen over, so I walked around on it a little bit. That was my first time walking on a frozen lake! :)

I heard it was a fifteen minute walk from Bö to Stora Delsjön, but it felt more like a half hour because I didn't know if I was going the right way, or if I'd ever get there. I actually almost gave up because it was so cold and because I was alone, but I finally made it, and it was definitely worth going! I think it would be even more awesome in the summer. Yeah, it would be a great place to go joggging! Here are some pictur es:

a happy feeling.

2009-02-24T02:03:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is exactly, but there's this weird sensation I associate with being happy that has suddenly returned to me. It's sort of like a certain smell, mixed with a taste in my mouth. I feel like it has something to do with the little the wooden spatulas and guitar i just bought... and maybe the spaghetti I had this morning has something to do with it too. Whatever it is... I hope it doesn't go away.

Vrångö!!

2009-02-23T22:13:00.000-08:00

I took a ferry out to Vrångö the other day with my friend Elin and I think it was one of the best things I've done so far. Vrångö is another island off the coast of Göteborg. Maybe a bit bigger than Brännö. It was snowing when I went there, but it was nice... because it was a light friendly snow. I'd say if you're ever in Gothenburg or anywhere near it, visiting Vrångö is a must. Especially in the summer!! Here are some pictures I/Elin took while we were there.

I think this island would be so much fun in the summer because there are all these huge rocky areas everywhere overlooking water and there is also a nature trail that goes through a nature reserve, but everything really does seem natural. There are no fences or anything blocking you from accessing any part of anything. There are some really crazy sounding birds there too. When I was up on the rocks, I just wanted to run around from rock to rock, slowly climbing, with a great chance of finding another great view of something.

Like animal instinct, like freedom... This really is an amazing place.

Reflection I

2009-02-18T15:08:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I think it's time for a bit of reflection. I have been here in Sweden for one month and two days now, but what have I learned about myself? What have I learned about the world?

I've learned that it's easy to get stuck in life. It's easy to get stuck in a routine that is unbreakable -- one that makes life seem like a chore, where the light at the end of the tunnel is ju a black light and just illuminates all of the dust particles on my clothes. Showing all of the grains, like imperfections. All I can do while walking down this tunnel is dust myself off and keep walking, very fast at times... either when I'm running from something or just trying to get another difficult day of walking over with. Then I trip -- there are many times where I trip -- and then I fall. When I finally get up, I've lost my sense of direction and don't know if I'm headed the same way I was going, or the exact opposite. Aimless, hopeful, discourages, tired, frustrated... bored.

This is where I was.

Not the most terrible picture in the world, but at this point... I can't paint one darker and scarier. That is how Sweden has affected me so far, I suppose. Things have been so great here, that I'm forgetting (at least temporarily) about some of the problems or troubles I had before. Don't get me wrong... my month here hasn't been completely cookies and candy all the time, but the hard times have been bearable. There are times when I miss people at home, or miss the comfort of mom's cooking or the crappy food and shitty service on the ave in Seattle. Having a warm bowl of pho and a free cream puff to go with it... having to drink crappy Tully's coffee because there's no other coffee on campus. Actually, no. I don't miss that. But, I do miss my guitar and my conga drums. I wish I had my guitar here, so I wouldn't have to buy one. I'm seriously considering buying one while I'm here, but we'll see. I also miss all of the people at my church i Kenmore. I miss the songs we sung every sunday, the sermons, the time we spent together at church and outside of church (even if there weren't that many occasions). I miss going to Cafe Koinonia for yogurt, or Swedish Club meeting there... and yogurt. I miss getting a ride to church on sunday mornings by Choi 집사님 and him always asking if the Huskies lost again. I always had to say yes. I almost miss walking to the Husky Stadium for rehearsals too, but not quite. I'd rather not have to walk. But yeah, not being able to be home for my brother's 10th birthday was a little bit painful, but it felt sooo good to hear his voice so excited when I called him on the morning of his birthday. He had some friends over and my sister, Yeon Sue, cooked them dinner. A dish that I taught my family called Akoko sy Voanio which is coconut chicken stew from Madagascar. I felt a little better then because I felt like I at least had a little something to do with my little bro's birthday. I remember my 10th birthday and I just hope that he had as good a time as I remember having.

Yes, there have been a few times where I've felt a little down and shed a few tears, but tears are just tears and they just help me to realize that I am human... not a rock or a machine like some people think I am. Sometimes I do function like a rock or a machine though. You know, like... you can build a house on me, or I'll punch your timecards for you, or print essays out of my butt. Jag skämtar bara. But really...

Right. So what have I learned? I've learned that Asians like to use this emoticon: ^^
I've never used this, but I think I should try sometime. Or I could get fancy and make my own version like: |#^o^#|

Ha. Okay. Next.

I've also learned how to make kimchi, and today... I learned how to bake bread from scratch. (Swiss bread, called Zopf.) It was awesome, my friend Bernardo came over and helped me whip it together before Swedish class. Now that I think about it, it was an Italian and a Korean-American baking Swiss bread in Sweden while listening to African influences jazz music. That's pretty international, I think.

I've learned that I really do like music. I like playing the drums (but not rock music). I like singing, but I get light headed when I sing too much. I like red peppers and carrots. I like to cook food that is easy to prepare and eat, but I will spend a lot of time cooking if I have time or if I'm not wildly hungry when I start cooking.

I've learned that I've forgotten a lot of Swedish grammar, which is frustrating because I have Swedish class now... but I'll be fine once I refresh a bit. I've also learned that I like simplicity. For example, it was very refreshing coming here with only two bags of stuff. Also, I don't have a microwave. Well, I guess the not having a microwave thing is anti-simplicity, but it makes me feel more organic. Yes, it makes me feel like I'm made of carbon. Precis.

I've learned many people's names swapped lots of contact information. I've learned about many different cultures in meeting people and learned bits and pieces of other languages. I've found people here that have the same interests as me. Other Asians that study Swedish!! They really do exist!!

I've learned that I sort of expect a lot from people. Not in terms of recieving material gifts, but in terms of keeping promises and appointments, letting me know if plans change before they happen, being honest, being consistent in a relationship with me... meaning, if you have a long conversation with me one night, I sort of expect you to remember me (my name, maybe?) and act like you've met me before. (I've had some problems with this with some Finnish people I met, but maybe I'm just misinterpreting their actions or their. Yeah, I think that's it. I didn't take "Ways of Meaning" for nothing.) I also like when people are loyal, (not like a dog) but I also like them to challenge me and ask "why" because it makes me have to think about why I said something. I actually don't like this, but I know it's good for me so I can learn to articulate myself better aloud. So, is this too much to ask/expect of/from people? I don't know.

Let's see... what else have I learned about myself? I like dressing up relatively nice everyday. You know, like nice jeans or slacks, boots or nice tennis shoes, a nice t-shirt or collared shirt or sweater with a scarf and a peacoat over it. And, gloves and a hat are essentials here. Wearing something like this is normal for everyday around here. This, or even fancier. Seeing as I like to wear cute blazers sometimes, I feel like I fit in here -- sort of. I still like lounging around in PJs though.

Oh, another thing. I don't like taking pictures if it makes me look like a tourist, or if it makes people feel uncomfortable, or if I have to stop people from doing something so I can take a picture. I just feel like living too much through a camera will take me out of the moment. Thoughts like these stem from a reading I did senior year of highschool. (Loss of the Creature, by Walker Percy) If you know me, you know that I hate reading, but this is an excellent read. Also, I feel like I have enough friends that like to take pictures that share them on Facebook anyway. I guess the only thing is that I have to trust that they can take high quality pictures. Oh, I've also learned that it's true that well... it's true that all the Japanese people I have met and befriended like to take pictures. Not kidding. ^^

Yes, so now the world. What have I learned about the world? I've learned that there are so many different ways of thinking. So many different ways to organize things. So many different kinds of messes and problems, so many different kinds of bread, so many different things to see, and the obligatory line som följer: so many different things do.

I've been out doing all of the things that people should do in their lives, like learning other languages, learning about other people's lives and beliefs, learning how much my own heritage means to me, going on adventures to places i've never been, doing people favors, and sharing the knowledge that I have... among other things that I've mentioned here in this blog. Shopping and hanging out with friends is also fun. :)

Yes, so I hope I've articulated myself in a way that has painted a pretty little word picture in your mind. Or, maybe I can just give you one or two pictures to congratulate you for reading my post. Okej. Until next time.

Layout change

2009-02-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, so you might have noticed that I have changed the layout of my blog. It's a little narrower... and I'm sorry about that. I'll see what I can do with the template's HTML to make the text area a little wider, but the code is pretty messy with CSS mixed all in. Yeah, so I may be changing up the layout from time to time to see what works best. Hopefully you won't get disoriented. Thanks for your cooperation. Or, supposed cooperation...

Kimchi making!

2009-02-17T13:56:00.000-08:00

Kimchi is an important part of Korean culture and I've always told myself that I would learn how to make it, but seeing as my mom would always make mass quantities anyway -- I just never got around to it. Most Koreans are pretty serious about kimchi and my mom even has a special fridge for it at home... and this is no ordinary fridge. It's a top loading fridge, sort of like a deep freezer... but it is equipped with eight large specially-sealing plastic containers. I guess it is supposed to simulate the old days, when people would bury jars of kimchi in the ground. I hate it when she keeps apples in the same fridge with the kimchi because I can taste the flavor on the apples. That's how potent it is. My church even got kicked out of a building that we were renting for services once because of the lingering smell. (I know, I know...)

Anyways... I always find myself craving a little kimchi when I've been away from home too long, but being so far away has amplified my need for it and seeing as I have lots of free time, I felt it was finally time to make kimchi on my own. My first kimchi making endeavor was here in Sweden. And, I took pictures so I could document this historic event and share it with you!!

Here's the cabbage cut in large leaves.

Here, I've slices the cabbage into bite size pieces.

Now, what you see here, is the cabbage in a few layers with salt on and in between.

After letting the cabbage soak in salt for a few hours, it was time to finally mix in the chili pepper flakes, fish sauce, garlic, and green onion. Yes, I knew I bought pepparkakor in a big tub for a reason.

Here is my kimchi all bottled up and ready for fermentation in applesauce jars that Elin graciously gave to me! :)

Here's a close up of my kimchi.

When I first started in to mix the pepper flakes and other veggies in, I was using my bare hand, but I soon learned that my skin did not like spicy pepper flakes. My hand got splotchy and burned a little bit. I will never do that again.

Now I have the two jars sitting at room temperature and I plan to let them sit out for about 3-4 days so they can ferment before I put them in the fridge. It's kind of fun... like having two little jars of spicy vegetables for pets. This might be comparable to having a cactus. It's a slightly dangerous pet that ages slowly.

thoughts and things... (cont.)

2009-02-16T23:54:00.000-08:00

So, today is Monday and I have a jam-packed week of fun in front of me, so I'll have to try extra hard not to think about what I have planned, but instead finish writing about things I've already done. I guess we left off with lots of pictures of food and a sunrise.

Alright, so I guess I'll start by telling you a little about the course that I've been taking. This first course I took was called: "The Development of Scandinavia in a European context". Today (surprisingly) ended up being the last day of lectures for the first part of my four part course in Scandinavian Studies. It was supposed to be an extra lecture day because the professor forgot to come to class one of the days on the schedule. Instead, he just handed out the three exam questions and told us they are due in a week. I felt a little cheated in terms of hours of learning in lecture because we only have four hours a week, but the lectures weren't all that engaging anyway... which is too bad, but I trust that it will get better. My biggest beef with the class was that it progressed way too quickly, skipping a lot of the important points in Swedish history... like reasons Sweden broke away from the Kalmar Union. I guess for me, I've already taken a Scandinavian Language History class so I have a huge advantage and background already, but I feel bad for the other people in class who wanted to learn about the early foundations of Sweden, but only really received information about the ice age and the 19th and 20th centuries. Honestly, most of what is between the Bronze Age ("1800-400BC") and the 1800s (AD) was completely glossed over. A few things were touched on in between these eras, but the professor couldn't even describe the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520 for the class when I asked about it. That was an indication to me that maybe I should just sit and learn what the professor had to offer without embarrassing him.

The thing that I did get out of this course, was a general idea about the Swedish welfare state. I learned a few names like Raoul Wallenberg... and well, oh yeah -- Joe Hill! But, I think Raoul Wallenberg actually stuck in my head because of the connection his name had to something I saw on a history tour. Joe Hill stuck in my head because of a play I saw at Stadsteatern called Hunger! that talked about him... and the bread riots of 1917. Yup. So, other things that I've been doing...

I've been to a few fun little dinner parties and watched a few more movies lately. One movie I saw was Slum Dog Millionaire. This was an excellent movie about a totally normal guy that wins 'Who wants to be a millionaire' but has a great explanation for how he knew each answer. (This is important because he is tortured and interrogated for supposedly cheating). I'd give this movie a 9.4/10.

Another movie I saw recently is called Belle Epoque. It was an okay movie. Not great, but I'd give it maybe a 6.0/10. It was really interesting for me though because the audio track of the movie was in Spanish and the subtitles were in Swedish. It was making my brain work it a way it never has before. It was quite amazing.

I guess I also watched Offside, which is a Swedish comedy about a soccer team in Stenfors. It was funny at times, but was lacking in some way... I can't exactly figure out what it was lacking though. Score = 6.2/10.

Hmmm, I also watched Den Tredje Vågen, which is the sequel to Noll Tolerans. I didn't like it as much as Noll Tolerans. 7.0/10.

Okay, so enough with movie rating. Here's some dinner party pictures.

Okay, so right. What else have I done lately?... Have I told you yet that I played innebandy? Yeah, I went to Fysiken the other day and met up with Akane and played innebandy with a bunch of Swedish guys. For those of you that don't know, innebandy is like floor hockey with a wiffle-ball. It was a lot of fun and wore me out more than I thought it would. My whole body is sore and that's a good thing, I think.

Oh yeah, and I have I said anything about my Swedish massage yet? I don't know that I have! Well, I went to get a Swedish massage a few weeks ago, but I couldn't find the place for a while. I was running around these two blocks in Vasastan searching for Erik Dahlbergsgatan 19 for a while when I got a call from my masseur asking why I wasn't there on time. I told him I couldn't find the place. I was standing right between number 18 and 20 wondering why there was no number 19. Then I turned to the other side of the street and it was just a parking lot, so I walked up and down the street and the streetr on the other side of the parking lot for a while. Then it was like a Swedish exam because my masseur didn't speak very much English and we were trying to figure out where I was and where he was and how I was supposed to get to where his massage parlor is. By the time I got there it was 15 minutes past, but I was able to get nearly a full hour and also got a student discount (one that he says he doesn't give). I told him it looked like he had student discounts on the website.

I guess it's kinda cool. I can say I had a real Swedish massage from a real Swedish boy. But, I don't think I would go again. It was pretty expensive.

Okay, well I can't think of anything else right now. I should be working on an essay for Swedish class.

thoughts and things...

2009-02-15T23:24:00.000-08:00

So, I know it has only been like four or five days since my last entry, but I am already so behind in reporting my latest escapades. Things have been busy as usual, which is great. I guess we can start with the weekend Kelly and Kirsten came to town. It was pretty fun showing them around and we did some fun things like going to an exchange student party at the student house on Fridhemsgatan. We met lots of people there and had a good opportunity to practice Swedish too. Then we also took a ferry to Brännö off the coast that weekend, which you've already heard about. One Sunday, we went to the city museum, which was quite interesting. I couldn't take any pictures there, but they had some interesting things there... like a huge collection of chairs from over the ages, a reconstructed viking ship, some swords, and other old artifacts. Oh yeah, on Friday, we stopped in at a cafe in the Haga district for some coffee and played Swedish Scrabble. It was a lot of fun and we talked for a bit with the couple that owned the cafe before we left. They were from Iran and were actually quite anti-Swedish. They were really pro-American, but I remember insisting that Seattle is pretty similar to Gothenburg. I've been involved in the debate on whether people are more friendly here or in the US more than a few times, but I haven't yet decided. I usually say people are more friendly here, but it really depends on the day, I think... and the weather. It also depends on one's own mood and demeanor.

On another note, I passed the test for entrance into the intermediate Swedish course and now I am one of 14-15 students in the course. (I feel lucky because I've heard there's over 100 students in the beginner course right now). I'm the only one from the States and the only Asian, but don't worry--- I'm representing you well. Apparently I scored the second highest on the entrance exam. woot.

I had my first rehearsal with my new funk band on wednesday (11/2) right after Swedish. It was a lot of fun playing drums again and I feel like we have a lot of talent in the group. A lot of the members of the band are from France, so I feel like I'll be learning some French while I'm here (along with Swedish, Russian, and Spanish... among others). After rehearsal one of our vocalists asked me if I was interested in playing in another band as well. I said "maybe... it depends on the type of music." He said they play rock, so I said that rock is not really my type of music, but I filled in for them the other day as a favor to dear Gautier. It hurt my soul a little bit to have to play My Sharona and play punk versions of beautiful ballads like What a Wonderful World. I'm sort of a music purist and again, I don't really like rock music too much... so this was a rough 3 hours. Still it was a good experience to have and I'm glad to have done their band a favor.

I've been getting a lot of good practice with the Swedish language, but sometimes too much. I didn't think it was possible for me to get sick of Swedish, but it happened the other day when I was hanging out with my Russian friend Olga, who is quite good at Swedish over lunch, and then doing Swedish homework in the library, listening to Swedish radio, then attending a welcome party for Humanisten department and participating in a Swedish quiz competition. I've been trying to recover since that day and I think I'm almost back to normal. But, all of the language input I've been getting has been scrambling my brain a bit, I think. (French, Russian, Japanese, Spanish, Swedish, Korean).

Being Korean and American in Gothenburg has put me in a place where I am quite unique and I'm learning a lot about myself as I reflect upon the choices I make when everything is completely up to me. Things are quite different here in Sweden because of the Socialistic government and ideas, but I've liked being here so far. Everything seems to be more organized, the government seems to take much better care of its people, and I think Sweden is one of the only places in the world where it's cool to follow the rules and be as upstanding as you can be. The question is... at what cost? Well, first off... the tax rate is very very high. Also, one has to put up with government monopolies on alcohol, gambling, and I can't remember what else. Still the way of life seems to be much simpler here, and much more equal, and safe... leaving more time for taking it easy or involving oneself in hobbies and other activities. Others might argue there's just more time to get bored and depressed and people need to feel like there's too much to do. Personally, I like having less red tape and more free because I am naturally a productive productive person that doesn't like to sit around getting bored. Sometimes though, I need to take a day to just lounge around. I think that's mostly because I have this habit of doing a lot of things in one day... just jamming it pack full, and sleeping for most of the next day. It may seem a little extreme, but I know I'll even out pretty soon.

I've really been craving kimchi and spicy Korean food lately. So, I asked a few of my Japanese friends where they get their Asian food. I was so glad to hear is an Asian food store right next to Nordstan! I'm just sad they're not open on sundays, or else I would've gone there today. Instead I had rice with salmon filet and sambal oelek, which was still awesome. (I had a carrot too, since like I've said before, I bought so many I need to eat them before they go bad.) Here's a quick pic:

And here's a picture of the spaghetti dinner I had the other day with pajeon and a carrot on the side:

Yeah, I really go to town when it comes to noodles.

Oh, and here's a picture of what pajeon looks like before it's destroyed. It was my first time making it and I think it turned out pretty well. If you're wondering what it is, I'd say it's like a Korean pancake.

It looks like I was so hungry I had to take a bite before I managed to snap a picture.

Wow, I'm realizing now that I talk about food a lot. I'm glad I'm not morbidly overweight or something, or else this could be super embarassing.

Well, before I leave you for now, I wanted to share this beautiful sunrise I saw out my window this morning.

There's much more to say, but I've run out of energy on this post. (To be continued...)

food intake

2009-02-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

So, I've already been sharing pictures with you showing what my food intake is like, but I'd just like to make a little note. First of all, it's nice to have my own kitchen... and, having class only seven hours a week allows me a little extra time to cook what I want. Mind you, I am a simple girl and I like food that is quick and easy. So, it is for that reason that I have been eating a lot of Pasta Carbonara and Spaghetti. Mmmm, with a little bit of "CHILI EXPLOSION" on top (of the spaghetti), we're talking about a delicious meal here! Yeah, I know... it's just like me to buy a spice called "CHILI EXPLOSION" (and you can see in the picture that this is really in all caps.)

But wow, I went to this Indian restaurant called Maharani this past weekend when Kelly and Kirsten were in town and I ordered a dish that was four stars and I basically burned my face off. It was sooo spicy I was sweating. That's pretty serious if we're talking about me and spice tolerance.

Anyway, the pasta carbonara... I always eat it with a side of fresh sliced red peppers. There was this other pasta I bought that was like Kyckling Panna or something, but I didn't like it as much because of the Sweet & Sour like sauce that comes with it. I usually just throw out most of the sauce cubes and just add Piri Piri sauce and olive oil (and again with red peppers on the side).

But no, I don't eat pasta for every meal of the day. I also bought some insta-Swedish pancakes which are great with a little lingon and cream. It's also very easy to get my hands on semlor around here, so I've had one or two of those (well, more like three or four). Then you've got coffee around every corner and cookies, muffins, cheesecake galore. Oh, I had this raspberry cheesecake from Fröken Olsson's Cafe last week that was amazing!! It's not like cheesecake in the states that will weigh you down. It's light and fluffy and I don't feel like falling over after I'm done. Sadly, I don't think I have a picture... I must have been really hungry. But here's another picture: These are some carrots I bought from WiLLY:s. And, now since I have a whole kilogram of them, I've naturally been eating a lot of carrots. Hopefully I don't turn orange, red, or some other strange color since I've been eating so many carrots and red bell peppers.

Well, I would have posted a picture of my delicious spaghetti I just had for dinner, but I was so hungry I ate it already.

I was out all day today... a group meeting for class, then went to a cafe with two of my friends from the group (had some nice coffee, had a good discussion, worked on my Russian a bit), then went to the student union building to fill out a scholarship application (but I forgot my letter of registration for class), then bought some notebooks for school at Akademibokhandeln, then went to a music store near Järntorget called Jam (it was supposed to be big, but they didn't have much there), then went to my first Swedish language lecture at Humanisten for 3 hours before going to rehearse at Chalmers with my awesome funk band (called: Nowhere Orchestra), then hanging out a bit at Cafe Olof with my new band-mates before waddling home and immediately throwing on a pot of water to cook some noodles in... since I didn't have much time to eat today. Here's a picture of the coffee and quite stale cookie I ate at the cafe with my friends from class:

Yup yup yup... so that's me and food lately. Plus a some pepparkakor, lots of orange juice (to rid sickness), other juices (because juice is yummy), a little milk, eggs, a few bags of chips, some McDonald's fries... but, I've been taking Calcium + D3 tablets since there's not so much sun around here. Gotta keep my bones strong, right?

Ja, så... that's it for now, I think. I'm very tired after a long day and I have class in nine hours and I want to be sleeping for maybe 6-7 of those hours, so... more will come later, but yes -- school has started, my swedish courses just started today, I'm playing drumset again, and all is going pretty well here in Göteborg... aside from almost getting hit by a car, tram, or bike a few times every day.

Hopefully my English hasn't gone to crap and I'm still coherent. It seems I used a lot of lists in this post. Haha.. maybe because I have lots to say in a compact space. Leave me some comments people!! That way I know who I'm talking to, more or less. (Those of you that like to Jones around are okay too... i guess. Just know, I know you're there.)

:p

culture shock

2009-02-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

So, I didn't think I was going through a lot of culture shock being here in Sweden, but then I realized that every time I thought to myself, "wow, that's weird," I was probably experiencing some form of culture shock. Here are a few things that took me by surprise:

You have to pay 5 SEK in most public places to use the bathroom.
You have to pay 20 SEK and check your coat at most bars, clubs and other fancy places.
You have to pay 1-3 SEK for a shopping bag.
You have to pay a deposit of 5 SEK to use a shopping cart at some grocery stores (I heard you get the money back when you return the cart).

Welcome to Brännö!

2009-02-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Kelly, Kirsten, and I met up with Kelly's host brother Patrick and his two friends, Thomas, and Ida. We took a ferry from Saltholmen to Brännö (an island off the coast of Göteborg). Here are some pictures I took while I was there.

Feb. 6-8

2009-02-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

Kelly and Kirsten came to visit me this weekend from Linköping!

More to come soon!

donations

2009-02-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

Lots of things lately

2009-02-03T16:06:00.000-08:00

So, Kick-off week is pretty extravagant over here and I’ve been keeping myself quite busy. There’s so many things that I’ve done recently and I still have so many more things to do. It’s great that there are so many options and I’m really having the time of my life right now. Here’s a list of a few things that I did this week: [1] participated in relay races and games at Slottskogen (Swedish Students vs. Exchange Students), [2] went on a walking history tour of Göteborg, [3] saw a great film at Göteborgs Film Festival, [4] went to Göteborgs Stadsbiblioteket and got a Library card, [5] got free food and drink at the welcome night thrown by the city of Gothenburg at City Hall, and [6] met with a group of musicians ready to start up a funk band...

[1] Slottskogen

So, playing relay races in Slotskogen was a lot of fun. We played crab soccer for one of the events and I was quite sore for a few days afterwards. After the relay games were over, we went to some student building and had free pizza and played a music quiz game. The exchange students and the Swedish students mostly stayed in separate groups, but I decided after a while that I would go introduce myself. So, that night I met and spoke Swedish with 10-12 Swedish students (all studying in the Social Science department). It was good to meet them all and good to get my ears acquainted with the pace of modern Swedish in Göteborg and try to figure out, in my head, what was causing disconnection for me in understanding. I decided it was mostly the pace, a bit of the dialect, and also my lack of knowing huge amounts of slang and other difficult vocab words. Still, I am so glad that I watched so many episodes of Andra Avenyn before coming to Göteborg. Sadly, I have no pictures from that night, but it was fun nonetheless.

[2] History Tour

So, yes... the history tour was pretty fun. We started at Gustav Adolfs Torg in front of City Hall and walked west toward Järntorget, then south on Linnégatan and through the Haga district. Then we went through Vasastaden and down Avenyn ending our tour at Götaplatsen, which is the amazing cultural center of Göteborg. It was a very beautiful and sunny day outside and I have a few pictures to share!

[3] Poppy Shakespeare

There was a film festival happening for about 5 days here in Göteborg and I was only able to make it to one film, but it was one of the best films I have seen in a long time. It was called Poppy Shakespeare and this film was from Great Britain. Apparently, it was based on a book so I think I’ll look for it in the library sometime. To sum it up, this film basically investigates the state of the minds of people and shows how thin the line can be between sane and insane. It really sent me into a deep reflection on my life, my decisions, and my future. I would highly recommend this film.

[4] Public Library

I went to Göteborgs Stadsbiblioteket the other day to get a library card and that was a good time. I walked up to the counter and was like, “Hej, jag skulle vilja ha ett bibliotekskort.” Then I showed the lady at the counter my American passport for identification and she was super surprised I could speak Swedish. Then I was like, “jag läste Svenska i två år i USA.” She still figured I came from somewhere other than the US, which is true, so I ended up telling her I speak Koreanska också. I then proceeded to tell her that I’m an exchange student and gave her all the necessary info to get a card. Then I was like, “har ni en karta av den här biblioteket, eller...” and she said, “nej, tyvärr inte,” but she was super nice and explained to me where things were located before sending me on my way. I came back to the library a few days later and checked out Einar Haugen’s: The Scandinavian Languages, among other books... some that I’d already read, but wanted as a reference for my classes.

[5] Welcome from the city

I went to a welcome reception thrown by the city of Gothenburg for the new exchange students and it was great! They served food and drink in a beautiful reception room and I had a good time. I missed the speech that was given by the mayor before the food was served because of a band meeting, but the reception was awesome, nonetheless. I'm realizing now the pictures I took here aren't that great, but here's two of them:

[6] Funk Band!

Before the welcome reception, I met with a group of exchange students that are thinking of starting up a funk band. I am very, very excited about getting involved with music while I’m here and I hope that this project goes well. It’s so amazing though. Through Chalmers, bands are able to rent instruments and rehearsal space for the semester for only 1500 SEK (~$188). We’re planning to have about 8-9 members in our band, so that’s an awesome deal! I checked out the drumset they have in the rehearsal room and it is great! I think it was a Yamaha Custom Maple something with Sabian cymbals. There was even a Pearl double pedal on it! That is such a luxury... I hope I’ll... use it, maybe.

adjágas

2009-01-29T14:03:00.000-08:00

Adjágas is a group of Sami "yoikers" from Norway. I stumbled across this cd in Stadsbiblioteket here in Göteborg and it was very inspiring music. The tonality and voice quality of this group is a little different than the music familiar to western ears. This type of music uses the pentatonic scale which is different from the more popular heptatonic scale of popular Western music. It has a mournful quality to it, and even in songs of rejoice it sounds rather--- sad. Maybe this represents the repression of the Sami culture, similar to that of the Native American tribes.

If you cannot read these pictures, they read: "...Adjágas is a state between sleeping and waking. It is where you get in touch with issues and messages that are important to you. It is also said that the sami learned yoiking from the alda people that live in another world parallel to our own, in the Adjágas state of mind. Adjágas is a celebration of the ancient art of yoiking and a search for what the future will bring..."
This really is beautiful music that gave me a new respect for the Sami cultures here in Scandinavia. It also reminds me of traditional Korean 'pansori' music, which I also like to listen to from time to time. Here's another example of pansori.

For those of you that are familiar with Korean traditional song: "Arirang."
Here's a couple versions from different regions in Korea:
Jindo
Bongwha
Kangwon
Kangwon (modern version)
Milyang

and the more familiar:
Joe Hiashi style version

You see, even though I decided to go to Sweden instead of Korea for my study abroad trip, I'm still finding out a lot about what lies in the roots and in the foundation of myself as a person.

Here, as an extra special treat... here's the refrain and one verse of a Jindo Arirang I wrote today: Yeon-Hee's Jindo Arirang (short)

a little adventure

2009-01-27T06:46:00.000-08:00

I took a little adventure today over the Göta River and walked around in this general area:

The reason I chose this area is because there is a Swedish drama called "Andra Avenyn" that I've been watching that was filmed here. Also since I'd never been in this area and I've been wanting to see the river. Here are some pictures from my adventure.

A journey in food

2009-01-26T15:45:00.001-08:00

Here I'll be posting pictures of some of the awesome food I've been eating.

My Address

2009-01-24T04:21:00.001-08:00

Yeon-Hee Yim
Helmutsrogatan 15-015
SE-412 64 Göteborg
Sweden

Technology and Design

2009-01-21T23:50:00.000-08:00

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION (9.8/10)

The public transportation system here is awesome. It's called: Västtrafik. On most of the trams/busses, there is a display that shows the upcoming stop and the one thereafter, accompanying a vocal read-out. It's very simple and quick to reach destinations. I would give this system a 9.8 out of 10 because it is a very quick, efficient, and environmentally friendly way to get around town. The only downside to this system is the danger that is posed by large intersections where it's hard to tell when to cross the street and which way a tram would come if you were to try to avoid being hit by a tram. Oh, and also they do not run between like 1.30-4.00 am.

CELL PHONES (9.9/10)

My experience in buying a cell phone here was simpler than I ever thought possible. I was able to buy an unlocked GSM cell phone with internet, GPS, 3.2 Cyber Shot Camera without signing a contract and I ended up paying about 900SEK less than I was expecting to pay based on the sign. Anyone I call that has a tele2 sim card with Comviq Kontant Amigos, I call for free.

I bought the Sony Ericsson C702 for about $337 and it's one of the best decisions I've made. Its an excellent phone that is very very intuitive to use. It has a very simple interface. I never knew a phone could know exactly what I wanted. It's also very durable... I've dropped it twice already. :p Here are some pictures:

ROADS (9.8/10)

The roads and sidewalks here are very well designed. As you can see in the first picture, there are areas of certain brick sidewalks. This is is probably ideal for slippery weather. But notice that they also have flat areas. This is probably for people wearing high-heeled shoes. In the second picture, you see that the sidewalk is divided into an area for bikers and an area for walkers. No more stupid bikers in the street getting in the way of motor traffic! Just be careful when you're crossing the street because there is a lot of bike traffic!

lite grann på svenska

2009-01-21T06:35:00.000-08:00

Så, det är verkligen sant att alla svenskar pratar engelska och det är lite svårt att snacka med svenskarna på svenska när dem vet att jag är bättre på engelska och kommer från USA. Men, om jag börjar på svenska och försöker att tala utan brytning, då kan jag lura dem att tala svenska med mig. De kanske tror att jag har bott här, eller nåt.

Jag är så glad att vara i sverige. Allting är bättre än saker som finns i USA. Jag vet att jag ska ha en jättebra tid här i sverige och jag hoppas att jag kommer hem med mer kunskap av världen och med bra vänner som jag ska aldrig aldrig förlora eller glömma.

Outside my place

2009-01-21T06:28:00.000-08:00

I was walking back from the grocery store when I saw this sign outside my apartment. I had to stop and take a picture:

::Beware of boobs and farts for the next 460 meters::

:)

Here's another picture of stuff outside my apartment:

På måndag

2009-01-21T06:13:00.000-08:00

So, on Monday I met up with my friend Elin from Chicago and we walked up to Nordstan (A large shopping center) passing through Kungsportsplatsen. Here's a picture of us at Kungsportsplatsen. I also bought a tram pass from a Pressbyrån. I thought I needed to go to the Central Station to get it, but I really didn't. That's okay though, it's good to know where that place is too. So, I made sure to buy an alarm clock today, but I didn't need to because I ended up buying a cell phone too. I bought this awesome Sony Ericsson camera phone that has internet, GPS, and music capabilities among other things. It was a really good choice for me because everything seems so intuitive. The interface is designed really really well. I'm finding that Swedish design is usually exactly what I'm looking for... (except for things like the fact that household things like mirrors and shelves are installed a foot higher than in the states.)

Here are some pictures from the streets:

På söndag

2009-01-21T04:31:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I woke up and did some housekeeping before making my first trips to the grocery store. Then for the next two-three hours, I went back and forth from ICA Maxi and WiLLY:s, which are both grocery stores. I almost bought wheat bread, regular milk and cereal, but then decided I would buy Swedish bread, Shrimp cheese, and filmjölk instead. ... Ialso bought a flat of 15 eggs and a plant among other things. Here’s a picture of stuff in my fridge and my plant.

After I was better settled in, a few people in my corridor came by and invited me upstairs for some coffee. I went upstairs and met a lot of people. They were mostly from Spain, but there were also people from France, Germany, and Japan, among other countries. After spending some time with them, I went back to my room and washed all the dishes that were left in the room for me. I think that was mostly all I did that day, but I decided that on Monday I would go to Nordstan and buy a cell phone and some speakers for my computer, at least.

flight and arrival!

2009-01-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

Well, heres the story of my flight and arrival to Sweden!

My dad drove me to SeaTac and my flight took off at 6.45pm on January the 16th from Seattle, WA to Copenhagen, Denmark. Overall the flight was 4853 miles and it took 10+ hours because of a headwind. I was surprised that saying goodbye wasn’t really that difficult. I remember calling my mom and sister just before going through security and then saying bye to my dad. I called my aunt earlier that day to tell her I was leaving and I think that’s the only time I cried while saying goodbye. I called her around 4pm at her work and she told me that she was thinking about me all day and that she hopes I have a safe flight and to be good, have fun, among other things people say when they’re saying goodbye. I spent a lot of time with my aunt growing up and there’s really a soft spot in my heart for her.

So, about the flight: this was my first international flight since I came to the US from Korea when I was four, so this was super exciting! I flew with SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) through Canada, over Greenland and Iceland, into Copenhagen. I’ve always wanted to fly with SAS because I’ve seen some funny commercials they have on YouTube. It was really a pretty awesome flight because SAS has in flight entertainment including music, movies, games, and a flight map. The flight map had things like: ground speed, time from departure point, time at destination, air temperature, and more. I really like watching statistics like that update, so it was a lot of fun. I watched part of a movie in Danish and listened to mostly the Scandinavian music channel while I fell asleep. SAS provided two meals and they were both pretty awesome. Dinner was pasta with meatballs, dinner roll, salad, apple cheesecake, and coffee. Breakfast was yogurt, orange juice, cheese, and a roll. I was feeling kinda sick or… well, not sick… but not hungry, so I was only able to drink the juice and have a few bites of yogurt.

Getting off the plane to go into Copenhagen was really cool because things were all written in Danish. I gotta say, the pilot on my flight was Danish too, so it was really hard to understand what he was saying. I followed some signs up/down a few escalators and found a bathroom before finding my connecting flight to Gothenburg since I hadn’t been to the bathroom in 10+ hours. The bathrooms really are wash closets over here; each toilet has its own sink and a full door. Anyways, after that I followed some more signs (while being amazed at awesome stores and being surrounded by languages other than English) to my gate for the flight to Gothenburg. I waited for about an hour and then boarded the plane. It was pretty awesome. By now, I had said ‘tack’, ‘nej, tack’ at least 15 times. I noticed the first few times I said even those words that I sounded so American. It was interesting to see which flight attendants would talk to me in Swedish versus those that spoke to me in English.

Once I boarded my connecting flight from Copenhagen to Gothenburg, I sat and buckled up like usual and we left pretty much on time. A few minutes after take-off, there was a loud bang noise that came from very close to where I was sitting on the right side of the plane. It got really quiet and then someone said something like: ‘Den låter inte så bra,’ which means “that doesn’t sound very good.” The a flight attendant rushed to the front of the plane and soon after, the captain turned on the PA and told us that there is a problem with one of our engines and that we need to go back to Copenhagen and switch planes. Turns out the motor wasn’t throttling and we weren’t getting any power out of it. We were all sort of freaked out, but we had a normal landing and were bussed to a new plane within the hour. It was funny hearing people calling their friends and family on their phones and telling them things like ‘en av våra motor exploderade,’ which means “one of our motors exploded.” This made me over an hour late for pickup by student guides from Gothenburg University, but luckily they were still there waiting. I made it on the last bus shuttle to the University. There were three student guides there to meet us: Astrid from Sweden (Studies Spanish), Florien from France, and Anton from Germany. There was about 20 of us on the bus ride to GU and three of us live on Helmutsrogatan. The guy’s name was Roland from Amsterdam and I forget the girl’s name, but she was from France. There was another girl I met that was on my flight. Her name was Elin and she was from Chicago. We then took a bus to pick up keys, then I was dropped off at my living quarters on Helmutsrogatan.

I live in room 015 of building number 15 and it is so great! I have my own fridge, kitchen, bathroom, and everything else I might need. It is way better than I could have ever expected! So, after I got unpacked a little bit, I went to the welcome party, which was at Café Olof. It’s a good thing I went to this welcome party. It was so loud and crowded, I really had to talk loudly. That’s something I’m not very good at doing, but I met a lot of people there and practiced my Swedish too! I ended up mostly hanging out with this group of exchange students from Finland. I also met this Norwegian guy there named Stein who ended up giving me a cd of Norwegian music before leaving that night. Another guy I met there… his name was Rasmus and he and I talked for a while. He is studying language philosophy and economics, so we talked a bit about language, linguistics, and the Ways of Meaning class I took last quarter. At around 1am I decided it was time to make my way back to my place, so I left and managed to somehow find my building.

I then proceeded to unpack stuff and by 2am I was eating a bowl of ramen noodles I had packed in my luggage. It was so delicious. I hadn’t eaten much that day.

Maps and Stats

2009-01-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

Gothenburg University College founded: 1891
University of Washington founded: 1861

Population of Gothenburg (2008): 500,085
Population of Seattle (2007): 594,210

Gothenburg's time zone: CET, UTC+1 (9 hours ahead)
Seattle's time zone: PST, UTC-8 (9 hours behind)

Gothenburg University is the largest university in Scandinavia with 24,755 full-time students.

liksom i sverige...

2009-01-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

People say that Seattle is a lot like Gothenburg. With all the snow, rain, and wind lately, I feel like I've been getting a lot of practice for Scandinavian weather. I even bought rain boots, an umbrella with wind slits, and a ski-jacket. Here are some pictures from the roof of the apartment I was staying at for the past four months in Seattle. Looks a little like Sweden, no?

... and again, in the snow:

Välkomna!

2008-12-05T22:31:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to my new blog! This is Yeon-Hee and for those of you that don't know already, I've decided to study abroad in Sweden (no, not Switzerland) for winter and spring quarters this year (2009) and this is where I plan to document my trip. I've taken Swedish language courses at the UW for two years and I figured it was time to test my mettle, so I'm going. I seriously considered Stockholm, Gothenburg, Linköping, and Uppsala Universities, but I have decided to go to Gothenburg University, or in Swedish: Göteborgs Universitet. :)

I chose Gothenburg for a few reasons. First off, Gothenburg is the music capital of Sweden and GU has a strong linguistics program. I also used to follow this Swedish drama online called Andra Avenyn that is set in Gothenburg. After 20 episodes or so, I found myself understanding most of the language on the show, and I learned a lot of phrases like: "herre gud!", "vad håller du på med?!" , "fy fan" , and "det är som fan." (Sorry, I can only remember the curse words right now). I followed most of the first season and I've watched some of the second season, which isn't as good, but hopefully by doing this, I'll have an easier time understanding and picking up the dialect.

For my studies, I plan to take a series of courses called "Scandinavian Studies: Cultural and Social Perspectives."

"The course addresses foreign students with the aim of enlarging their knowledge of Scandinavian society from historical, cultural, and social perspectives. It gives an introduction to the development of Scandinavian society from a European point of view and a broad orientation of everyday life in Sweden from the time of the industrial revolution to the present. With the focus on the city of Göteborg and its transformation, cultural and social changes concerning modes of belonging and social life in the shade of segregation, marginality and ethnic differentiation will be discussed. The course also gives an orientation in several fields of the Swedish youth culture research that has received internationally attention, as well as Scandinavian contributions to the study of different aspects of popular culture."

I have looked into what is involved in this course and I am excited! It really seems perfect for me and will provide me some great insights for my linguistics major as well as muscling through most of a Scandinavian Studies major. Plus, I've always wanted to travel to Europe and now it looks like I will have the chance to do so!

So, I'll be posting to this blog as I find time, and it would be great if you all commented once in a while so I feel a little less alone over there. I'm the only one from UW that will be in Göteborg spring semester, but some of my buddies will be nearby in Linköping and my professor will be in Copenhagen! Hopefully I'll meet lots of interesting people, learn lots of new slang, and learn a lot more than just Swedish over there.

Ha det så bra,
Yeon-Hee