Sorry I've Been MIA!

Hey everyone!

Wow, has it really been two weeks since my last post? I'm so sorry! Time really does fly when you're having fun. Let's see if I can remember everything that's happened in the past couple weeks.

Chosuk, which is the Korean Thanksgiving, was wonderful. My host family took me up to my Dad's Mom's house, which was really nice. My host Grandmother and host Aunt are very, very kind. They kept trying to give me food, even if I said I was full. Seeing them really made me feel like family.

The next day we spent 7 hours driving home; it usually only takes 3. Traffic was definitely horrible. The day after that, my host Mom took me to a public bath house. It was very different. I was really hesitant to go at first, but I'm really glad I did. I really think that it's something everyone should experience at least once. The next day, my host Dad took me and my friend, Nick, up to a temple.

I really love going to temples. I may not be a religious person, but I feel very in-tune with all that is going on around me when I'm at a temple. It really gives me a nice perspective of "there's always a different way of life than your own."

Last week all of the Inbounds started Taekwondo classes. And oh my, that is some really difficult stuff. I'm really glad I only have it 2 days a week, otherwise I think I'd be dead. School is really nice, as are all of the people there. Language school is tough for me, but I'm learning and getting better.

Well, that's all for right now. I'll be sure to post more frequently from now on! Love you all!

Madison

1 Month

Hey everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, things got busy. As of today, I have been in South Korea for one month. It simultaneously feels like I've been here for much longer and so much less. It's funny how time works.

I started my Korean language classes last Monday. It's really hard and it makes me feel kind of stupid, but I know that by the end of my exchange I'll be fluent. I haven't started my Taekwondo classes yet, kind of dissapointed by that. But we start next week on the 24th.

My host family is so amazing. From what my host sister has told me, they have no complaints about me. They bought an oven and a toaster just so I can cook American food. They're really nice to me and are really flexible with my schedule.

Now for some America-related news! After much contemplation, I have decided that graduating this year with the class of 2014 is what's best for me. I had been getting very homesick a lot and I now know that it was because I knew I may never see my friends again. So, my Mom and the wonderful staff at Central High School worked to re-enroll me as a student. I am now taking three online classes so that I can graduate.

Everything is going really well and I'm really happy. I hope all is well in your lives!

Lots of love,

Madison

An Update

Hi everyone.

Sorry it's been a few days since my last post, the last couple days have been kind of rough. I had a pretty crummy first day of school, a decent day yesterday, and today was really hard.

I know that I shouldn't pay attention to it, but the fact that all of the people I know and love are back in school without me is rather heartbreaking. Almost all of my friends graduate this year without me. I didn't know that I would find it that hard. Plus, I woke up at six and got really excited to go to jazz band. My heart sunk at the true realization that I have to live without my other family for a year.

And to make things worse, I still haven't gotten my trumpet yet. Turns out customs needs 2 papers that I have to rely on someone else getting for me before they will mail me my trumpet. Oh, and did I mention that customs can keep my trumpet for up to 45 days? Lovely.

I hope all of you are well! And don't worry about me, just a tiny rough patch.

Love,

Madison

School

Hi all!

Well, tomorrow is my first day of school. As always, I have the first day of school jitters, meaning I won't be able to sleep very well tonight. But that's okay, it's always been that way for me.

I have to start my presentations tomorrow, which I'm not as excited for. I don't usually get nervous about presenting things, but this time it's different. It's in front of people who will be judging me the second I walk through the doors, deciding if I'm good enough to converse with. At least I get to presnt in English.

That's all for now, updates to come soon!

Madison

The "I pooped" Story...

Okay, I know the title of this entry sounds weird and that it's kind of long, but bare with me and read to the end; this is hilarious.

Yesterday, I was riding the subway with all of the Inbound Exchange Students. As the subways can get very crowded, four of us were slightly apart from the rest of the group. I, believing I am a funny person, decided to tell a story my best friend, Kira, had shared with me before I left.

My friends Nick, from Wisconsin, and Nicole, from Nevada, are Supernatural fans (a hit TV show). I told them the story that Jared Padelecki, the actor who plays Sam, had told during a Q&A he had. His story goes something kind of like this:

Jared, his wife, and his friend are all boarding a train in Europe. Jared and his friend are in charge of getting all of the luggage on the train. Just as the doors close, Jared realizes he left his wife's bag on the platform. The train starts moving and there's no way that he can get the bag. Under normal circumstances, this would have been okay, but it was during a high-security time and the bag had all of his wife's new-bought, expensive clothing in it.

Jared is freaking out and searches the train trying to find someone to help him so that his wife's bag doesn't "get incinerated". Unfortunately, Jared can't find anyone who works on the train, so he goes back to the door in a panic. He looks down and finds the emergency brake (note that they're now in the middle of nowhere). So, what does Jared do? He pulls it. The train comes to a complete stop and a member of the train crew rushes up to him. She doesn't speak English natively, but she asks Jared what is wrong and if he's okay; she's genuinely concerned.

Jared explains why he stopped the train and the woman asks him "You stopped the train...for a bag?" Jared tells the woman that he's very sorry for stopping the train. The woman responds with "Oh no, you didn't just stop this train; you stopped ALL of the trains." (If you want to hear his whole story, I'll post a link).

So, after I tell this story to my friends Nick, Nicole, and Valerie (she's from Florida and has only been here for a day), I proceed to tell them that I've been trying for two weeks to find the emergency brake, but I can't. Nick asks me why I've been looking and I say "Because it would be really funny if I can say "On my last day in South Korea, I stopped all of the trains in Busan." Luckily, there isn't a emergency brake; they have an SOS walkie-talkie that connects to the conductor.

Now this is where it gets really funny. From this point on, all of us are trying to come up with valid reasons to get the train stopped. The only one any of us remember is this one. Someone simply asked "What if you say in a really upset voice 'I pooped'?" As we are all immature, this is hilarious to us. As usual, I try to out-funny them all.

My plan was to act out talking into the walkie-talkie and say "Hello? I pooped and it's everywhere and the passengers are really upset, because it's getting in their shoes." Of course, I was already laughing and the rest of the sentence was hilarious to me, so all I could get out over and over again was "Wait, wait. So I'll say 'Hello? I pooped" before uncontrollable laughter ensued. Mind you, we're on a crowded subway while this is all happening.

Before I finally get out my sentence, I've repeated the statement "I pooped" like 20 times. The entire time this has been happening, there was a Korean woman standing next to us. I think she understood enough English to understand "I pooped." I say this only because at the next stop, the woman practically ran to the other side of the car, opened the door, and changed cars.

I made a Korean woman think I pooped myself on the subway. She probably told her family, friends, and coworkers. I will forever be remembered to her as that foreigner who pooped their pants on the subway.

Madison

Jared's Train Story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSXpSa6dXYY

The Differences

It's weird when you're in a place that you've only been to in your mind. There are things you couldn't possibly imagine as different; like smells. In your head, you can't predict the way a place will smell, so you assume it smells the same. But when you get to that far-off place you've never really been to, things are different in ways you never would have thought.

Like the way it smells after it rains. In Oregon after it rains, there is a soft aroma of pine trees and grass. It smells like peace and safety; like happiness. Here after it rains, all you smell is weighted down pollution and sadness. It's as if in the sun, the difficulties of city-life are easily masked, but the rain wipes away the illusion. After it rains here, all I can smell is the sadness and filth of a dying planet. I never thought that the smell of rain would be that powerful to me.

Something else you'd never expect to be different is the way the Earth moves beneath your feet. This is even more subtle than a smell, but just as powerful and undeniably different. Back home, you can almost feel the Earth guiding you, urging you to wander and explore. It pulls your feet towards it and persuades you to continue on your journey. In this massive city, covered by skyscrapers and roads, it is as if the Earth has gone silent. The city is always making noise, drowning out the quiet murmur the world naturally emits. You can no longer feel the Earth moving and beckoning you to follow it.

There is one last thing I wasn't truly prepared for: the noise. Now that's not to say that in my home-town there is no noise; it's just the noises are different. In Independence, you hear the sound of music blaring from the open windows of cars as they drive down Main Street. You hear the birds chirping and dogs barking. You can hear your neighbor's hose as they water a flowerbed and inevitably flood your backyard. There's that ever distant sound of the sawmill working before and after the hours they promised the town they'd work. If you stay up late enough, you can hear the train go by at 3 am. And sometimes, it's as if the world has stopped and you don't hear any noise. Those are the times you think that you are the only person left in the world, or perhaps that armageddon has begun.

In Busan, you hear the never-ending sound of cars driving by, with the not-so-occasional honk of an angry driver. You hear the subway going by and people talking. You hear music play every so often. The difference between here and home is that the noise here never ceases. You never really feel alone, which in some aspects is good. The noise here is like a never-ending wind blowing past you; it doesn't hurt you, it just never stops.

Please don't misunderstand me, I love being in Busan. I love the culture and being somewhere new. I love living an adventure and meeting new people and experiencing new things. It is just the subtle differences that make being away from my quiet farming town difficult.

My High School And Other Things

Hi!

I visited my high school today! It takes about an hour by subway to get there. If you don't know, I'm going to Busan Jungang Girl's High School. I met the principal, vice principal, and my classmates. When I introduced myself, everyone clapped and giggled. When I said I was from America, they all went "Oooooh." It was very different. I start school on September 2nd, while everyone else started today. I won't start until next month, because I don't have a uniform or backpack.

I was very sad to find out that there is only one music class at my high school and it's for first grade (I'm in second). As most of you all know, music is the biggest influence in my life. Hopefully, I will find a band to play trumpet in. If not, I was told that I could be found a place to practice trumpet. It was honestly very upsetting news, because band would have made making friends easier.

I have to do a 30 minute presentation about myself, Independence, Oregon, and the USA for each of the 12 classes at my high school. I am very excited because I get to do the presentation in English!

It is very hot in S. Korea. It is about 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit). I am NOT used to the heat and sweating so much; it's very gross. But it is beautiful and I love it here.

I love and miss you all!

Madison