Hey everyone,
I'm really sorry that I'm so bad at posting. Remembering to do things hasn't always been my strong suit (pretty sure I was supposed to do the dishes before I left). Just know that if I don't post for a while, everything's fine. I think about everyone back home when I don't, which means I think about you guys a lot. I'll always be grateful for everything you all did to get me here.
Not much is happening. I have had most of the week of from school due to testing, so I've been relaxing and doing homework. I'm starting to understand Korean more, which makes me really happy. My home life is good. Another exchange student is living with me until I change host families, so it's been kinda crazy the past couple of weeks.
Mostly, I'm kind of bummed out right now. A lot of families don't celebrate Christmas here, so the most Christmas I get is at fast food restaurants or malls. Christmas has always been a very special time for me, so right now is really hard. I miss my family a lot and I miss the feeling of Christmas.
But, I know this is all just a part of the exchange. I'll get past the home sickness, because I'm halfway around the world and that is, quite frankly, awesome.
I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season. Love and miss you!
Madison
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
Three Months, Seoul, and a Skype Date!
Hi guys!
WOW! I can't believe I've been here for over three months! I'm a third way through with this incredible, life-changing experience; inconceivable! I know that it's only been three short months, but I can already tell that I am a different person as a result of my exchange.
Since I have been here for three months, I finally got to Skype my parents! It was amazing to see and hear them again. They're still just as loving, kind, hilarious, and caring as they were before I left; heck, they might even have increased in all of these traits! I'm glad that I followed Rotary's 3 month rule, because it made seeing my parents on Skype a lot easier. It certainly didn't make me more homesick, which I know it would have if we had Skyped earlier.
A few days ago, all of the inbounds went to Seoul! It was AMAZING! We went to Ever Land, which was an incredible amusement park, and to the DMZ (the De-Militarized Zone)! It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. We went about 500m underground (sorry guys, I started using the metric system) and walked through the third tunnel that the North Koreans had built in attempt to invade South Korea. It was amazing to physically be in a part of history. Also, everyone kept hitting their heads on the ceiling of the tunnel, except me, because I'm so short. Not really important, but I thought it was really funny.
While we were up at the DMZ, it started snowing. A lot. My friend from Louisiana had never seen snow before, so I thought it was really awesome. Plus, we got into a snowball fight with some people from China. I love the snow, so much, and getting to play in it while at an important historical sight was very, very memorable.
On a side note, I will be changing host families some time this month, but I'm not sure when. So, if you're sending me mail, be aware that I might have changed families before I receive your mail.
All in all, this exchange has already been life-changing and amazing. Thank you to everyone who helped me get here! Thank you especially to the Rotary Club of Monmouth/Independence and District 5100 for giving me this chance.
Until next time!
Madison
WOW! I can't believe I've been here for over three months! I'm a third way through with this incredible, life-changing experience; inconceivable! I know that it's only been three short months, but I can already tell that I am a different person as a result of my exchange.
Since I have been here for three months, I finally got to Skype my parents! It was amazing to see and hear them again. They're still just as loving, kind, hilarious, and caring as they were before I left; heck, they might even have increased in all of these traits! I'm glad that I followed Rotary's 3 month rule, because it made seeing my parents on Skype a lot easier. It certainly didn't make me more homesick, which I know it would have if we had Skyped earlier.
A few days ago, all of the inbounds went to Seoul! It was AMAZING! We went to Ever Land, which was an incredible amusement park, and to the DMZ (the De-Militarized Zone)! It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. We went about 500m underground (sorry guys, I started using the metric system) and walked through the third tunnel that the North Koreans had built in attempt to invade South Korea. It was amazing to physically be in a part of history. Also, everyone kept hitting their heads on the ceiling of the tunnel, except me, because I'm so short. Not really important, but I thought it was really funny.
While we were up at the DMZ, it started snowing. A lot. My friend from Louisiana had never seen snow before, so I thought it was really awesome. Plus, we got into a snowball fight with some people from China. I love the snow, so much, and getting to play in it while at an important historical sight was very, very memorable.
On a side note, I will be changing host families some time this month, but I'm not sure when. So, if you're sending me mail, be aware that I might have changed families before I receive your mail.
All in all, this exchange has already been life-changing and amazing. Thank you to everyone who helped me get here! Thank you especially to the Rotary Club of Monmouth/Independence and District 5100 for giving me this chance.
Until next time!
Madison
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Being Sick and Other Things
Hey everyone,
The past few days have been kind of crummy, because I caught a really bad cold. I actually had to stay home from school yesterday and go to the doctors. Don't worry, they only prescribed Tylenol, so I'm fine. I'm feeling a lot better today, which is definitely a good thing.
So, it's almost been three months since I arrived in Korea. Believe me, I'm having so much fun here that I rarely have time to stop and breathe. I'm at this weird place in my exchange where I'm pretty much freaking out that it's been almost three months. I'm freaking out partially because I've been here for close to three months, which means that I only have six months left and then my exchange and new and unique life here ends. I'm also freaking out because I've been here for nearly three months, which means I still have to wait for half of a year before I can hug my parents again. It's a weird place to be emotionally. But don't worry, I'll push through; I always do.
There's something else I wanted to ask you all. I love mail. Literally, it is on my top three favorite things in the world. Even back in the US when I got mail, I'd freak out (just ask my parents). So, I have a request. As it is almost Christmas (sorry for everyone in the States, Thanksgiving already happened here, so Christmas is the next holiday), I was hoping that everyone who reads my blog, or even just a stranger who wants to put a smile on someone's face, could send me a letter. It doesn't even have to be a letter. It could be a card or just a note, anything. I mean, if you want to send me presents too, I wouldn't object.
At the end of this I'll post my current address and I'll update my blog and Facebook if that changes. Just any kind of mail would honestly make my day.
I hope all is well in your lives!
Madison
P.S. To the members of the Rotary Club of Monmouth/Independence, I am so sorry that I have not been in more contact with you all. I have legitimately been looking for a post card since my first day here, but I haven't found any or haven't had the money at the time to buy one. I am so sorry! Just know that all is well on my exchange! And I am still eternally grateful for this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you have given me. Thank you all!
My address:
Madison McCammon
Daewoodongsam APT101-1202 woodong
Busan, South Korea 612-770
The past few days have been kind of crummy, because I caught a really bad cold. I actually had to stay home from school yesterday and go to the doctors. Don't worry, they only prescribed Tylenol, so I'm fine. I'm feeling a lot better today, which is definitely a good thing.
So, it's almost been three months since I arrived in Korea. Believe me, I'm having so much fun here that I rarely have time to stop and breathe. I'm at this weird place in my exchange where I'm pretty much freaking out that it's been almost three months. I'm freaking out partially because I've been here for close to three months, which means that I only have six months left and then my exchange and new and unique life here ends. I'm also freaking out because I've been here for nearly three months, which means I still have to wait for half of a year before I can hug my parents again. It's a weird place to be emotionally. But don't worry, I'll push through; I always do.
There's something else I wanted to ask you all. I love mail. Literally, it is on my top three favorite things in the world. Even back in the US when I got mail, I'd freak out (just ask my parents). So, I have a request. As it is almost Christmas (sorry for everyone in the States, Thanksgiving already happened here, so Christmas is the next holiday), I was hoping that everyone who reads my blog, or even just a stranger who wants to put a smile on someone's face, could send me a letter. It doesn't even have to be a letter. It could be a card or just a note, anything. I mean, if you want to send me presents too, I wouldn't object.
At the end of this I'll post my current address and I'll update my blog and Facebook if that changes. Just any kind of mail would honestly make my day.
I hope all is well in your lives!
Madison
P.S. To the members of the Rotary Club of Monmouth/Independence, I am so sorry that I have not been in more contact with you all. I have legitimately been looking for a post card since my first day here, but I haven't found any or haven't had the money at the time to buy one. I am so sorry! Just know that all is well on my exchange! And I am still eternally grateful for this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you have given me. Thank you all!
My address:
Madison McCammon
Daewoodongsam APT101-1202 woodong
Busan, South Korea 612-770
Friday, November 1, 2013
Happy Halloween
I know it's a few days late, but Happy Halloween!
Unfortunately, they don't celebrate Halloween in Korea, so it just felt like a normal day. I did watch a few of my favorite Halloween movies, but it just wasn't the same. People at my school understood and knew it was Halloween, so a few came up to me and wished me a happy one, but mostly it was just a normal day. I did get invited to lunch with a group of new friends next week, which is super exciting. Mostly because of food, but also because of new friends.
I started teaching US History to the future US Outbounds for my District (3660), which is so exciting. They kind of looked at me funny when I got all excited about high school in America, but I'm really excited to get the chance to teach and talk about home.
Not much has changed or happened since my last post, so I'm sorry that this one is short.
I love you all!
Madison
Unfortunately, they don't celebrate Halloween in Korea, so it just felt like a normal day. I did watch a few of my favorite Halloween movies, but it just wasn't the same. People at my school understood and knew it was Halloween, so a few came up to me and wished me a happy one, but mostly it was just a normal day. I did get invited to lunch with a group of new friends next week, which is super exciting. Mostly because of food, but also because of new friends.
I started teaching US History to the future US Outbounds for my District (3660), which is so exciting. They kind of looked at me funny when I got all excited about high school in America, but I'm really excited to get the chance to teach and talk about home.
Not much has changed or happened since my last post, so I'm sorry that this one is short.
I love you all!
Madison
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Wow!
What a week! I went on my school's trip this week and all I can say is wow! We went to 제주도 (Jeju Island)! It was amazing! I'm so exhausted from all the fun haha.
We arrived on Monday around 9am, got on a tour bus, and went to a museum. The museum was pretty alright, kind of a boring-ish way to start off the trip, but I still had fun. They had a photographer come to take pictures of the whole trip, but in my opinion he wasn't all that good. When it was windy, he would face us so the wind was blowing our hair in our faces, which is just a silly thing to do. And he would have some people in the shadows and others in the light, which was bothersome. Darn you, Mom, for making me notice this stuff!
After we went to the museum, we went to the beach. Guys, it was so beautiful. It was like being back in Oregon, I swear. Although, the sky was too blue and it was too warm to be the Oregon coast, but it was still very similar and made me very, very happy. Afterwards, we had lunch.
Then, we went to THE COOLEST thing ever. It's called Jeju Nanta and it was amazing. Connor, if you read this, I'm taking you there one day. What it was was a play (kind of) where they made music solely through random objects (i.e. no typical drums or percussion; they used pots and pans, buckets, knives, etc.) and it had little to no speaking. It was so amazing! The way they performed in sync and with such passion was breath-taking. After that, we went to a tree garden. I saw soooo many trees! It was like Oregon, except not with pine trees. That was pretty nice, since I don't get to see very many trees anymore. Then we went to a weird cabin/hotel place for the night; it was strange.
The next day, we hiked up a mountain. It has the best name ever. Ready? It's called Halla Mountain. (Sorry if you don't find it as funny as I do). I climbed up there without complaining and without stopping. I was one of the first people up there, and wow, it was stunning. My Mom always told me on hikes "it's always worth it." Even 5,000 miles away, she's still right.
After we went hiking, we went on a boat ride. But not just any boat ride, no. This was one where we were in speedboats and the driver would go super fast and then turn and stop quickly; so much fun. My hood fell down in the middle of it, so by the end of the ride, my hair was soaked! I really, really loved it!
Then, we went to this very strange amusement park thing, that wasn't an amusement park. It was like a museum, but with no artifacts and only had miniature-sized buildings of places from around the world. It was very odd. By the way, I totally planked on some pharaohs laps (pictures included). Afterwards, we went to a waterfall. Apparently it was supposed to be really cool, but it was very tiny and kind of made me giggle. I wish I could take all of them to Multnomah Falls!
The next day (yesterday), we went to a lava tube, which was really cool for me. I loved the feeling of being in a place where lava used to be oozing by, carving-out and creating a different place simultaneously. Plus, it was pretty there.
After that, we hiked up another mountain. We're up to two mountains now, guys. But it was worth it, again. Being up on top of a mountain on an island is indescribably beautiful. It was like looking down on the whole world, and not just one island. I love hiking, but I was seriously exhausted by the end of that hike.
After we hiked, we went to something called Pony Valley. It was like a circus, but with horses. I felt kind of bad for the horses, in all honesty. After sixteen years of trying to go to the circus, I'm not too happy I went. Although, I did see a trapeze artist, which was awesome. Afterwards, we went and rode horses! It was only for like 4 minutes each, but I still got to ride an horse again, which made me a very happy Madison.
When we finished that, we hiked up another mountain! SO MUCH HIKING! It was a lot of fun though, because this mountain was not nearly as big as the others were. Funny story, my homeroom teacher, principle, and I were walking and a group of school boys were walking the other way and they started singing something in Korean. My homeroom teacher burst out laughing, looked at me, and said "They said you're very pretty." Kinda made the hike a lot better. That, and I had a ton of friends with me and we were taking pictures everywhere and having a great time.
Last night, was really cool, because there was a talent show. And yes, I did participate! I was going to do the Thriller, but I only had half an hour to practice, sooo I sang a song instead. I sang Me and Bobby McGee, because I've always loved hearing my Mom sing it. I did not do it as much justice as she does, though. Everyone thought I did really well and were all very sweet about it.
This morning, we went on yet another hike. I was feeling kind of sick though, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. It was still very beautiful and VERY exhausting, as always. After that, we went to the airport and flew home.
This past week was amazing. I got closer to my schoolmates, made friends, went on adventures, and earned the nickname Mosquito (long story). I'm so, so glad that I got to go. Well, I hope all is well wherever you are! Love you!
Madison
We arrived on Monday around 9am, got on a tour bus, and went to a museum. The museum was pretty alright, kind of a boring-ish way to start off the trip, but I still had fun. They had a photographer come to take pictures of the whole trip, but in my opinion he wasn't all that good. When it was windy, he would face us so the wind was blowing our hair in our faces, which is just a silly thing to do. And he would have some people in the shadows and others in the light, which was bothersome. Darn you, Mom, for making me notice this stuff!
After we went to the museum, we went to the beach. Guys, it was so beautiful. It was like being back in Oregon, I swear. Although, the sky was too blue and it was too warm to be the Oregon coast, but it was still very similar and made me very, very happy. Afterwards, we had lunch.
Then, we went to THE COOLEST thing ever. It's called Jeju Nanta and it was amazing. Connor, if you read this, I'm taking you there one day. What it was was a play (kind of) where they made music solely through random objects (i.e. no typical drums or percussion; they used pots and pans, buckets, knives, etc.) and it had little to no speaking. It was so amazing! The way they performed in sync and with such passion was breath-taking. After that, we went to a tree garden. I saw soooo many trees! It was like Oregon, except not with pine trees. That was pretty nice, since I don't get to see very many trees anymore. Then we went to a weird cabin/hotel place for the night; it was strange.
The next day, we hiked up a mountain. It has the best name ever. Ready? It's called Halla Mountain. (Sorry if you don't find it as funny as I do). I climbed up there without complaining and without stopping. I was one of the first people up there, and wow, it was stunning. My Mom always told me on hikes "it's always worth it." Even 5,000 miles away, she's still right.
After we went hiking, we went on a boat ride. But not just any boat ride, no. This was one where we were in speedboats and the driver would go super fast and then turn and stop quickly; so much fun. My hood fell down in the middle of it, so by the end of the ride, my hair was soaked! I really, really loved it!
Then, we went to this very strange amusement park thing, that wasn't an amusement park. It was like a museum, but with no artifacts and only had miniature-sized buildings of places from around the world. It was very odd. By the way, I totally planked on some pharaohs laps (pictures included). Afterwards, we went to a waterfall. Apparently it was supposed to be really cool, but it was very tiny and kind of made me giggle. I wish I could take all of them to Multnomah Falls!
The next day (yesterday), we went to a lava tube, which was really cool for me. I loved the feeling of being in a place where lava used to be oozing by, carving-out and creating a different place simultaneously. Plus, it was pretty there.
After that, we hiked up another mountain. We're up to two mountains now, guys. But it was worth it, again. Being up on top of a mountain on an island is indescribably beautiful. It was like looking down on the whole world, and not just one island. I love hiking, but I was seriously exhausted by the end of that hike.
After we hiked, we went to something called Pony Valley. It was like a circus, but with horses. I felt kind of bad for the horses, in all honesty. After sixteen years of trying to go to the circus, I'm not too happy I went. Although, I did see a trapeze artist, which was awesome. Afterwards, we went and rode horses! It was only for like 4 minutes each, but I still got to ride an horse again, which made me a very happy Madison.
When we finished that, we hiked up another mountain! SO MUCH HIKING! It was a lot of fun though, because this mountain was not nearly as big as the others were. Funny story, my homeroom teacher, principle, and I were walking and a group of school boys were walking the other way and they started singing something in Korean. My homeroom teacher burst out laughing, looked at me, and said "They said you're very pretty." Kinda made the hike a lot better. That, and I had a ton of friends with me and we were taking pictures everywhere and having a great time.
Last night, was really cool, because there was a talent show. And yes, I did participate! I was going to do the Thriller, but I only had half an hour to practice, sooo I sang a song instead. I sang Me and Bobby McGee, because I've always loved hearing my Mom sing it. I did not do it as much justice as she does, though. Everyone thought I did really well and were all very sweet about it.
This morning, we went on yet another hike. I was feeling kind of sick though, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. It was still very beautiful and VERY exhausting, as always. After that, we went to the airport and flew home.
This past week was amazing. I got closer to my schoolmates, made friends, went on adventures, and earned the nickname Mosquito (long story). I'm so, so glad that I got to go. Well, I hope all is well wherever you are! Love you!
Madison
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Sorry!
Hey guys!
I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I just get so caught up in what's going on that I forget to tell you all about it. Let's see where I should start.
About a week ago I went to the ~ing conference, which stands for...You know, I never actually memorized what it stands for! Anywho, it was amazing! There was people from all around the world there and I definitely made life-long friends. We were all divided into three groups: Politics and Human Rights, Arts and Culture, and Environment. I was in the Politics group. I didn't actually get to stay for the entirety of the conference, but it was still wonderful.
I actually made a rap song for my group, with the help of others, because of a typo for our Power Point presentation. I wish I could have seen Jenny (Inbound from America) and Matika (from Canada) perform it, but I didn't get the chance.
After that, all of the Inbounds for D3660 went to the Lantern Festival for our first trip; it was amazing. I got so close to everyone in the group and overcame a lot of differences with them. The Lantern Festival was so beautiful. The pictures I took don't even begin to cover it! I will post the pics at the end of this post so you all can get an idea of what it was like. I can't wait to take my family there one day.
This week, I didn't have school, because of exams. Exams here are like the SATs in the US, except on steroids. They're seriously terrifying. I was told to stay home, because I would have absolutely nothing to do and everyone needed to focus on the tests. So, I hope everyone survived!
Tonight, I think, is a celebration for the college that the Inbounds take classes at. We were all invited, which is awesome! My Taekwondo teacher doesn't speak English, so he called it a fiesta; that's right, my Korean Taekwondo teacher speaks fluent Spanish. How cool is that!
Well, that's all for now. I pinky promise that I'll post every week again! Love going out to all of you!
Madison
I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I just get so caught up in what's going on that I forget to tell you all about it. Let's see where I should start.
About a week ago I went to the ~ing conference, which stands for...You know, I never actually memorized what it stands for! Anywho, it was amazing! There was people from all around the world there and I definitely made life-long friends. We were all divided into three groups: Politics and Human Rights, Arts and Culture, and Environment. I was in the Politics group. I didn't actually get to stay for the entirety of the conference, but it was still wonderful.
I actually made a rap song for my group, with the help of others, because of a typo for our Power Point presentation. I wish I could have seen Jenny (Inbound from America) and Matika (from Canada) perform it, but I didn't get the chance.
After that, all of the Inbounds for D3660 went to the Lantern Festival for our first trip; it was amazing. I got so close to everyone in the group and overcame a lot of differences with them. The Lantern Festival was so beautiful. The pictures I took don't even begin to cover it! I will post the pics at the end of this post so you all can get an idea of what it was like. I can't wait to take my family there one day.
This week, I didn't have school, because of exams. Exams here are like the SATs in the US, except on steroids. They're seriously terrifying. I was told to stay home, because I would have absolutely nothing to do and everyone needed to focus on the tests. So, I hope everyone survived!
Tonight, I think, is a celebration for the college that the Inbounds take classes at. We were all invited, which is awesome! My Taekwondo teacher doesn't speak English, so he called it a fiesta; that's right, my Korean Taekwondo teacher speaks fluent Spanish. How cool is that!
Well, that's all for now. I pinky promise that I'll post every week again! Love going out to all of you!
Madison
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