Tribute to March

March.

Physically three months ago, but it feels like years ago.

Two months in moving back to Korea, and when things were still new to me. When I was fascinated of street vendors and marts were a paradise. Where everyone talked in a familiar language, I could converse with anyone, and I didn’t have to worry about inadvertently “standing out”.

When I still missed India and my old school. Friends back in India bid me goodbye, and me reading the last text messages they’ve sent me. I was alert of every little details of my old school friends told me through facebook, sympathizing and feeling bitter that I had to miss all that. I felt like an astronaut whose cord was snapped so that I was flying away, aimlessly, in the vast space. I skyped all day everyday with friends I missed.

When I first saw snow in four years and got dead excited about it. The night when I moved in to KMLA, I was greeted by feathery, glowing snow. Snow is an amazing substance. It feels great when the soft airy ice dribble gently down on me. The ambitious but a rather timid grunch beneath my feet motivates me to stroll down the streets.

When everyone in the 18^th wave were beginning to know each other. When there were stupid cliques, but when everyone tried to befriend each other and stay together. Everyone was just so excited to come to school and meet new people.

When we had the entrance ceremony. So new, so young and fresh, we were all exhilarated to become legitimate students of KMLA. 

Hanminjok is a Han (homogeneous) Minjok?

Minjok Essay

HyeSung Roh

           Why am I so indignant about how other people saw Korea? In retrospect, I figure it’s because the sense of minjok stayed within me, resulted from after all those years of schooling in Korea, which hurt when the idealistic “we are the best” dream had to be shattered.

           People tend to place “minjok” and “nation” in the same context. I’d expect “nation” to be more document-oriented and definite, whereas “minjok” focuses more on its people and the software of a country, for example its culture or bloodline. The word minjok is composed of two Chinese characters, one that stands for people and one for family. Family. “Minjok” implies a family. A big yet intimate family composed of different people that share the same blood and culture.

The idea of Minjok provides the sheep within the fence with national pride and a sense of superiority. In Korea, the pride is sometimes depicted in the form of cheering for own national soccer team during World Cup season. To other countries, Korea is quite famous for its unique and pan-national cheering culture. During the 2002 World Cup, many foreign media were interested in how Koreans, literally thousands of them, were gathered in a single place to cheer for their country’s soccer team. It’s also interesting when a Korean man set himself in fire because he wanted to be "a ghost and the 12th player" for the national soccer team in the World Cup. This craze for one's own country, almost close to nationalism, is a result of extreme minjok. 

           Endowed with national pride in heart, it’s easy to claim that everything is Korean. Everything is ours. We are the best, and we’re the center of the world. For example, Korean schools repeatedly teach, even brainwash children how Korean stuff- its script, relics- are so genial, scientific, highly praised by other countries and everything. There also is the Sojunghwa ideology, which was widely circulated in the late Chosun Dynasty. The Sojunghwa ideology is basically claiming that because best one is gone, we are now the best. After the Chinese Ming Dynasty collapsed, majority of the Korean ruling class thought that the Chinese civilization was now dead, and therefore Chosun itself is the legitimate successor of it, and claimed Chosun as “little China”. This concept impeded Chosun’s trade with other countries and contributed in its policy of seclusion. The video clip below is worth a try too.

           Minjok is supposed to imbue patriotism and attachment to its land, even be a motivator for the people to unite. However, it may ruin relationships with other countries, and may evolve into ethnocentrism to the extent. The ideology that we are the best and superior leads us to look down on and be exclusive towards other races, which could be an obstacle in today’s multicultural, multiethnic society. UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination pointed out that now that Korea has become a multicultural society, Korean should overcome the concept of minjok. 

           Our nation, our family- we are fond of the word “our and “we”. This single word helps people unite and form a tighter bond in between. The “our” and “we” within the fence is gifted with a sense of belonging and comfort, but by this we inadvertently cross a line between “our” and “we” and everyone else. I'd wish this irrational nationalism to die away as time passes and Koreans become more open-minded towards various people. Say that a close bond between one's own ethnicity is a good thing, but "minjok" to the extent of chauvinism isn't a pleasurable thing to be a part of.

TOEFL essay prompt #2

The Change Envisioned within the 21st Century: Language?

21^st century. People call this era we’re living in the technological revolution. Manufacturers compete to invent the most productive semiconductor, and marketers strive to make their products the most attractive- yes, making your iPhone thinner, faster, and lovelier does matter these days. The usage of internet and phones is rapidly spreading. However, it’s not only the technology that is changing in a twinkle, but the language used among those technologies is too. As our world develops, we need new mechanisms for describing new concepts, and express our changing ideas and concerns. Language is alive. Language is changing in the 21^st century, regarding the increase in abbreviations and slangs that knock our eardrums each day.

Have you ever received a text full of jargon, which is all and only words, and no punctuation? Lots of abbreviations substitute longer words today. English used in text messages and social network has influenced the way people write and speak. People abbreviate a lot more, and some abbreviated words are starting to leak into daily routines, such as lol or asap. Because one keeps confining their thoughts and conversation within 140 characters, more abbreviations would take place in the English language. It's even more convenient to write or type abbreviations; therefore the usage of abbreviations is flaring rapidly among users of technology.

People use slang. Slang is so much submerged into our lives that we don’t even notice what we’re saying is slang. Slang is widely used and will be used, according to the book Feed by M. T. Anderson. In the book, the characters within say words like "unit", meaning buddy and "feel swiss" to illustrate anticipation and excitement, which readers have difficulty in understanding those terms but are perfectly normal and familiar for the characters of the book. Words such as "emo", or "what's up", seem perfectly normal, but those are slang, a product of the informational technological era. Such terms are prevalent, and as more and more people become used to the Internet and the language circulating within, slang usage would be more and more promoted in the future.

New media- the Web or social media tools- have made both written and spoken language much more visible. In particular, increased use of electronic communication has given us new forms of language and expressions largely driven by a need to compensate for non-verbal communication. That's why contemporary language such as abbreviations or slang pops up ceaselessly, and the English language is still on its way of adapting itself the new, rapidly changing society.

post-travel entry: tram ride

Tram Ride in San Francisco

Stretching straight out, then curves. Pairs of parallel metal furrows that intersect each other, spread like spider webs upon the streets of San Francisco. We wondered what those were, hopping on and off the lines until a boxcar full of people chugged along, ringing a cacophony of bells and nearly ran us down. That’s probably the first time I came across tramway, or cable cars, according to local language.

Two days before the end of Vision Trip, after paying a visit to the Stanford University, we, the 18^th wave Vision Trip team which visited the USA, took the bus to San Francisco for a good two hours simply to ride the tram. We got off the bus at a wide square floored by tiles, where there were people wearing sunglasses passing by, a set of cylindrical restrooms, and a gigantic rotating disc which was sending trams back the way they came from. Surrounding the disc was an iron fence where people lined up for the tram, and so did we.

While we were absent-mindedly expecting for the next tram to arrive, a street musician came into sight. He was an African-American who was as tall as a tree next to him, fixating a smile upon his face, and had the typical African-American accent, something like a slurred staccato. He was a friendly man, singing us his own improvised blues song which went, “I wanna ride the cable car”. We had a fun time waiting for the tram with him, singing along and dancing Psy’s Gangnam Style together. It took about fifteen minutes for the next vacant tram to come up, and we each dumped some dollars in a vuvuzela in front of him which had a red post-it saying “Thank you” stuck on it.

The tram had two compartments, one covered by windows and the other totally open. On the latter compartment, there were two benches placed in opposite directions and a plank outside the car with five bars which each bar could take care of maximum two people. Between the benches, motors and gears propelling the tram were visible on the surface of the compartment. They sounded too brutal; it wasn’t that fun to imagine what would happen if something fell right among the cold, barbaric gears.

The tram ride, if to give a one-word summary, was awesome. Great. Maybe supreme too. It was like riding a slow roller coaster, but only except that you could actually savor the Californian streets and have enough time to appreciate them. Wind clapped my face as the tram bore into it. Behind me, the driver was ringing the bells which added to the rhythm. The sky was watercolor-blue and houses that looked like packs of cigarettes were orderly lined up along the coast. Everything, the weather, the landscape, was so nice- we all agreed that we could’ve stayed on the tram for a few more hours only if it wasn’t for the schedule we had after San Francisco. I was one of the people standing up and cherishing the bliss of fresh Californian wind. I had both of my hands open in the air, and the tram ride- San Francisco- was worth the risk. And everyone felt so reluctant about getting off the tram, after the ride that seemed too short.

metaphors

Choice is an iceberg. It's a matter of seconds to choose your fate, and whether you choose to go around the iceberg safely or to strike right into it, it's up to you. Also, what you see isn't everything- there's much more beneath it and one should be fully considerate when making choices.

Hope is a set of magnets that pull each other. Wherever you are, you pull hope for better.

   

Anxiety is a lollipop. Anxiety might be as big as a huge, round lollipop and seem impossible to grow out of it. However, as you lick a lollipop, it shrinks away. Anxiety, just like lollipops, melts away little by little as time passes and as you adapt in a new environment.

My life is a night sky that makes the lights seem brighter than in daytime. The shimmering lights are like the talents I acquire, but when my life is a bright, watercolor blue sky, those do not show up so significantly. However, when my life turns into a night sky, my talents appear and shine as if being a spotlight. Bright, blue skies are the days when I’m working myself to get in the spotlight, and night skies with shimmering lights are the days when I am in the spotlight, with my talents blinking with confidence.

a Writing about Writing about a Writing about Nacirema

americanacirema

After paying a quick glimpse at Body Ritual among the Nacirema by Horace Miner, my immediate response was neither very bright nor positive. It was near shock with the thought of, “They are weird!” which didn’t change much even after a few more tries on the piece. At first sight, the Naciremas were this primitive, barbaric tribe in which the people’s rights weren’t even guaranteed. I made comparisons between the Naciremas and the Mayan Civilization, arguing that they were similar in terms of how they’ve held such barbaric rituals and which inflicts pain to people. I had thought that it was pretty intriguing to have two distinct tribes, which has similar lifestyles, to arise in similar geographic locations.

The article was convincing enough to fool all of my peers into thinking that the Naciremas is a distinct tribe that we never heard or know of. It sure had an academic tone, rich fluency, and those sophisticated, big SAT vocabularies studded in between sentences. Everyone seemed to be flabbergasted at the difficulty of the text, and had no time to dwell on each terms’ meaning that were frequently given hints of because we were all too busy reading and processing the packs of information hurled at us at once.

And the night before I walked into Mr. Menard’s writing class again, when I had just snuggled into bed, the Naciremas suddenly came up in mind. I decided to hold a research on them, and found out what this article was really about. I went through the article again with such knowledge, and everything made so much sense.

Had this article written in norms, using familiar words such as “American”, “hospital”, “Washington”, or “getting one’s hair done”, it wouldn’t have been as catchy and mindboggling when Miner’s intentions in writing this were revealed. Because there were terms I never thought I’d come across, I was able to have a more objective view on the everyday environment I’m living in, and it was interesting to think that this is what Indians would have thought of my everyday life to be when I was living in India. I guess language and tone plays a big role in how the essay could be perceived by other people. Also I thought that all those weird stories we hear about other civilizations: how weird they act and what weird things they do, those aren’t as weird for them as for us. The Mayans’ human sacrifice, or the gladiators of Rome? Just like the Nacirema, it would be beautifully normal for them to do those “unusual” activities.

After having the moment of epiphany regarding the true meaning of this article, I was shocked, again. It wasn’t because of the Naciremas’ cruelty, but because I came across this really new kind of writing style. I’ve always wanted to incorporate such sarcasm and wit (smrt) in my writings which I’ve always failed. By writing this article, Miner caught two rabbits at once: mocking the American civilization by his satirical writing, and providing a new view on how writing can effectively affect its readers, which are the intrinsic values of this piece.

violin

                I love playing the violin.

                My experience with instruments walked a rather common route, starting off with a soprano recorder and a piano until my interest shifted from the piano to the violin. Six years before, I distantly remember tormented by two-hours-long lessons and refusing to practice every day. Just like any typical Korean fourth grader, I learned violin because I did, without any passion or ambition to improve. Even when I had to play at graduation ceremonies in my elementary school, I wasn’t very intrigued about it. I remember having rows with my mom because she never let me stop playing the violin, which I’m dead grateful of as to think back now. That’s the story of the first three years of my violin playing career.

Things began to change as I joined the municipal youth orchestra in Seoul. I started to enjoy playing the violin while making music together with my friends and fooling around with them. I looked forward for orchestra practices. Despite the late start and passion in playing the violin, I've held various recitals both in Korea and India, and was the concertmaster of India National Youth Orchestra in 2011. The best part of being in an orchestra is that I am able to cooperate with others to harmonize, and I really liked the orchestral sound we produced. Because of my fondness for classical rock and modern genres too, I enjoy making violin covers and collaborating with others.

Being able to play the violin opened a lot of opportunities for me, those which I never could have otherwise. I had great experiences of acquainting musicians from the Netherlands, Dubai, New York, and mostly friends in my school. I think voluntarily practicing and playing together after school in ensembles and in concerts helped making the friendship between me and my friends stronger.

Violins have a wide range of sounds and feelings it can express. From deep and rich to sharp and cutting, from despair and anguish to being rapturous and jubilant. For me, playing the violin is some kind of a catharsis with the variety of emotions it can express. It makes me feel better. 

Although I’m neither professional nor have I reached mastery, as an amateur musician, violinist of all genres, and a great music-enthusiast, I am confident to claim that I love playing the violin.