09/28/2014 3:11PM

So I got to see the police in full action today. I have been waiting to see this for some time now cause I really want to compare the differences between American and Korean cops. What would end up happening is something I will never forget and I hope to teach to future generations forever.

This black girl barely gets tapped by a cab driver today and she immediately reacts like a ghetto ratchet mess. "You fucking gook, learn how to drive, I think my hip might be bruised forever now," now getting louder, "SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE, I HAVE BEEN HIT AND NEED AN AMBULANCE" This is all happening while she is still standing up

The cab driver gets out of the car and starts calling her what I assume to be a number of profanities and calls the police himself. not even two minutes elapse and suddenly the police are there, but they end up having to call an interpretor in, and not even 3 more minutes elapse before an interpretor is on the scene (Amazingly fast compared to America). The cop starts asking the cab driver questions all while the woman continues to yell nonsense.

The cop then (When the interpretor arrives) begins questioning the woman. She is wanting to go to the hospital and everything else when the cops saids "We can't do anything for you lady, you were the one that instigated the problem and we have camera footage *Points at cameras* showing you walking where there is no intersection (AKA: J-walking)"

She is shocked to hear this and starts yelling "But that gook needs to be put away. He called me a nigg*r and where I come from, that is a national hate crime"

What the cop said will forever stay with me because he is 100% right, and I wish we could do this in America. "First of all, you called him a gook, a word that is mainly used towards the Vietnamese, but it also hurtful to Koreans around the world, including me. Second, you are the only person I have heard use nigg*r since we got on the scene, so by that logic, you should be the one in jail, not him. Finally, The reason I am not arresting you is simple, We get called derogatory names all the time by the Russians, Japanese, and Chinese, and admittedly we call them names as well but you don't see us starting wars with other countries over that, we work through it and have political and business partnerships with tons of people and companies in those countries, as well as the rest of the world. I recommend you change your thinking strategies quickly before you end up getting sent home to your divided country!"

I really enjoy this country even more than I have at any other moment. Equality and working together is a huge aspect of this country, and for whatever reason it works. Even with all of the wars they have had and so much of the older opposition, they still find a way to work together. I am proud of my motherland more today than I have been in my entire life. I wish we could get this through to the cops and the people of the US. It would make the US such a better homeland.

I think that's all I wanted to post today... But I will add, I went to the farm experience yesterday, talk about feeling like I'm right at home. I got to harvest my own chestnuts and sweet potatoes, got to go rafting, and got to make "poprice", rice cake (In Jeol Mi), rice wine (Makgeolli) and Korean pancakes (Jeon)... all of which were delicious. I should have pictures up in my next post. The landscape was picturesque EVERYWHERE!!!

6:09 PM 09/22/2014

Colts won their first game today... Couldn't have been happier... till..........

Today I absolutely have to vent real fast. This Belgian gal was one of the first people I met when I came here, so me and her became really good friends till I realized she is a partier. Every other night she wants to go party, but who am I to tell her how to run her life. 

Last night she finally convinces me to go drinking with her again, against my better judgement. But after last night I'm not going drinking with her anymore. I absolutely wanted to push her off the edge of the roof at that roof party last night ... I tell her, like I tell all girls I go drinking with, to message me in the AM before I leave. She then proceeds to tell me that "I don't need you to watch out for me, there are all these guys here that can easily defend me. Sides, I wouldn't want help from a gun-wielding American anyways, it shows how weak you fools are, Real Belgians fight with fists, not guns " 

After she said that I left cause I know half of it is the alcohol and half of it is the ignorance of gun laws. So this morning I go to check on her to make sure she made it back OK. We talk for a little bit and I'm thinking things are fine ... then suddenly a message on facebook 3 hours later "Please do not come to my room without telling me or my room mate in advance, I will report you and all your of American buddies next time you come in my room un announced " 

What? I came there to check on you and you make a comment like that... I am done with her... for good... I hope she gets hurt by one of those "Real Belgians" one day and realizes that Americans really ain't as ignorant as she thinks we are. My tolerance with bullshit has reached it's end for her, I seriously need to stay away from her for a few days cause otherwise I know my anger will get the best of me otherwise. 

Oh well, at least I met a few other people today that definitely made that go over with less than a singe. Maybe the day can be less filled with dumb Chinese/Belgian women and more with smart Korean/American women! 

Regardless, I just wanted to post on her to let people know that I am actually studying. Yes, I know, Max and study are NEVER in the same sentence, but it is this time around. Studying for my first quiz in Korean language course tomorrow... wish me luck, cause I just ain't feeling good about this korean language course at all... 

09/17/2014 9:06 PM

Officially 3 weeks and it's definitely been a fun 3 weeks... My language course is definitely hitting me hard, but I never expected learning a foreign language would be easy... lol. I did suddenly wonder what happened to Mr. Mackey, the French teacher from High School. I remember hearing he went to another school. Not surprised. It's hard to be a gay teacher in a relatively conservative town. I was hoping to thank him for teaching me the 3 semesters of French I had taken. It has helped me a ton with the French people I've met here, I don't know how I remember half of it, but then again, there are alot of strange things I remember that I have no idea how I remember. 

Also, while I'm on the language subject, I am teaching people English while I'm here at the English lounge. I love it. I thought it was funny though. The TA is a really old women and she came up to me and told me 2 things today, 1: "Word got out quickly that you have a southern accent, so you have been booked for the next 3 weeks" and 2: "I don't care what you do with the people you help outside of this lounge, that isn't my business, but keep in mind it took you 2 days in here for word to get out that you are a good tutor, know that your 'activities' will get out even faster" OK... I didn't think I had a southern accent, and I have no idea where that "activities" comment is coming from, but whatever... 

So far the one and only cultural thing I am having a huge conflict with is the Kpop... I can't stand that Kpop sensation, I had every intention of NEVER EVER listening to it. I had intentionally downloaded almost 80gb of music so I would not have to hear this crap they call music... but everywhere I go I hear more and more of it. And I don't know how I ever got hooked into going to a Kpop concert... but you'll never guess who is going to a Kpop concert tomorrow... I told my friends I'll give them one hour, if after the first hour I don't like it, I'm leaving... sides it's a free show, whats could I really lose? 

With that, I shall end it for now. 

09/08/2014 6:13PM

First thing is first, I have VERY QUICKLY come to find out that my "American Arrogance" is weighing on everyone... I have heard multiple people tell me from all countries, including an American, that I am too confident, to the point that I am arrogant.


Whether that is true or not, that is part of the reason I went to study abroad, so I can learn how to interact with people of all races, nationalities, sexes, sexual preferences, colors, shapes, sizes, languages, and mentalities. Simply put, I apologize to anyone and everyone I may have offended. My intentions were not to offend, they were simply to interact and learn.

On to another subject, We went to the Han River the other day. It's wonderful and incredible. But it's also scary at the same time. According to some people, there are explosives on every single bridge that crosses the Han River, that way if North Korea was to invade, they could immediately divide the only way for them to cross quickly. How much truth there is to that statement is another story for another day, but nonetheless it is still amazing seeing such a vast river with so much history become such a centerpiece for the country.

Finally, I like to say real quickly for my Hautian friends, I got the hell out of Terre Haute fully expecting to get away from trains... I can't believe I got railroaded the other day on a bus. It was a subway train, so it only lasted like 90 seconds, but I can't seem to get away from trains no matter where I go. What a drag.

10:53AM 09/06/2014

My 21st birthday has come and gone. I have to say, having a birthday abroad is definitely an experience. Especially a 21st birthday. We are virtually the only country in the world that has a drinking age of 21. Everyone I have talked to has a much younger age and even one person I have met, from Ghana, said there is absolutely no drinking age whatsoever. So it was definitely the experience of a lifetime.

I had a series of bad news that came up this week which just weighed on me... I was honestly very reluctant to celebrate, but alas my friends I have barely known for a week pulled me through town and I couldn't be happier. Big thank you to BriAnna Morrison, Sindy Chang, Keeta T. J. Williams, Lacey Williams, Gauthier Hecq. 

I went and attempted to the police station in an attempt to find my family a number of days ago and they couldn't do anything except tell me they are alive an well, but they did refer me to the main police station in all of Seoul. When I went there I found out I forgot the main paper to bring here, My birth certificate. Without that, I'm not even related to my mother as far as they are concerned, so I definitely need to get that before I go any further, unfortunately that is halfway around the world in my house in my files. My mother is the only person that can access those files other than me, but she can't access them cause I have the key... I should have thought this through more... If nothing else I'll just have my mother go to vital records and get me one... it's only $10... It's just the times are so inconvenient... 

One other thing worthy of being said, Don't make the mistake I did. I forgot ONE letter on my address, so a product I ordered was apparently sent to the whole wrong side of the country... Luckily it was only a $12 (12000KRW) item, so I'll just cut my losses and write it off as a loss, but I definitely know for future reference, don't order ANYTHING online... it's damn near impossible if you don't know the hangeul alphabet.