[4급]
I've now been in 4급 for two weeks. This is when the format of class changes from the format that is presented in levels 1-3.
Writing class is basically a mini-review session of the previous days listening/speaking/reading material with a writing task added in. Many times we write about the material we studied or write about some related topic. For example we learned about Korean money in reading class and for writing we wrote about our home country's money. What used to be just speaking is now listening+speaking for 2 hours. Normally the first day of a new chapter we listen to a dialogue or audio track and also study the new grammar that was introduced. The second day of a chapter we have another listening exercise plus some dialogue or vocab/grammar practice.
The reading class is basically the same levels 1-3 but really since they expect you to preview all the material before class the value added is hard to measure. I often don't get to preview a lot since we also receive a ton of homework so I'm reading the passage for the first time in class and also getting exposed to the vocabulary for the first or second time. Our teacher also speaks at what is probably considered 'normal' pace which for my brain is blazing fast. Class always seems to be rushed to complete all the listed tasks for the day. This is in contrast to my listening/speaking block of time where the teacher seems to take more time to explain things even if we don't plow through the chapters assigned tasks as quickly.
My writing teacher was one of the original teachers who helped compile material for the 1st publication of the level 4 book which is currently being revised. The book we actually use for class is one that is self-produced and currently not fully published. It's all in black and white and lacks the color and photos that the level 1-3 books had.
My thoughts on level 4 now is that even if I had done level 3 all over again (which I almost had to do) I'm not sure that would have better prepared me for level 4. The format for level 4 is different, the grammar and vocabulary is basically all new (many similar grammar patterns to what we've already studied as well to further crowd and congest the mind), and I thought I had a lot of homework in level 3 but compared to now it doesn't seem like it was that bad.
[...and such]
The weather now is consistently cold, snowing every now and then. Regardless of how cold it has been, there are still plenty of folks out on the weekends at all the hotspots around town. I want to try to go skiing here in Korea although I'm not sure of the best way to go about doing so. I believe there are a number of buses or packages one can buy to get to a ski resort but I just haven't done the research yet.
I'm also planning a number of trips for next spring since I know I'll still be residing in Asia. I hope to make some more blog posts/videos about all of that come next year. I haven't really traveled all that much since moving to Korea which is in stark contrast to what my life was right before I moved here where I was traveling pretty much every month and sometimes multiple times a month.
We also have a class field trip this coming Friday so if I get any good pictures or blog worthy information I'll be sure to upload!
Until next time...
~
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014
My Korean Life #19: 6.5 months
The 6 month mark has come and gone and now I'm about 6.5 months into my new-ish life here in Korea. I would say at this point the 'honeymoon' phase of moving to a new location is over. As for myself I've successfully completed two terms of language school and started the winter term this week.
It has not been without its challenges and during every exam time I became quite stressed and even somewhat irritable and frustrated. Considering there are only two test periods per term (a midterm exam and a final exam) there is very little room for error. Class participation (homework, in class participation, etc.) counts for no more than 10% of our grade so the only real assessment we have is the exam. There is little time left for much else besides preview for the next day's lesson, review the current day's lesson, complete homework, and study vocabulary. I find myself studying hours outside of class hours especially for review/preview/vocabulary and even with this it is not enough. You must also find time to practice speaking and listening which...can be a little harder.
In other news, since moving to Korea I've gotten more frequent comments on how I've slimmed down and generally "look better now". To me this implies I wasn't at my best looking right before I moved to Korea. I admit my eating habits were pretty bad and I actually was fairly sedentary throughout the day. Got up from bed, sat in a car to get to work, sat at a desk for 9+ hours, sat in a car to get back home, sat in a chair to watch TV/play video games/etc. Between the sitting was eating and barely any calories were burnt in any given day.
In contrast, I now walk much more than I ever used to and my diet has completely changed. In the USA I got very lazy with how I acquired food and since I never had to worry about more than myself I would eat unhealthy/fast food meals quite often. I don't think it's a bad thing to eat out at restaurants frequently - what can be bad is what you choose when you do. I actually eat out a lot here in Korea because 1) it's cheap 2) I live alone and cooking for one is not so fun 3) the options are relatively healthy and at a cheaper price point.
In the USA my day might have started with a granola bar but would slowly spiral out of control. Lunch might have been Chinese takeout, fast food burgers/tacos/burritos, hot sandwiches (think Philly Cheesesteak style), or a number of other not healthy items. Dinner was often bought on the way home or shortly after getting home...this was pizza, pasta, more fast food, etc. If I had continued on this eating path with no exercise I'm guessing I would have gained even more weight and looked even more round than I did before my move.
You may also be wondering just how good my Korean is now...for me it's hard to judge. Most of my Korean friends say I've improved a lot. Those who rarely heard me speak or write Korean before think I'm decent. My personal assessment is that I have a long way to go. I still struggle to understand native Koreans. My speaking is still probably my weakest skill but my writing and reading comprehension aren't half-bad. Many people have told me I just need to find every possible way to practice and take advantage of every opportunity to speak/listen to Korean. I still find it challenging though and most likely will for a long time. I can't really equate learning this language to anything else...it's just difficult.
Travel! I actually haven't done as much of it as I would have liked but I did go to Jeonju which was a nice break from Seoul. I took the train to and from Jeonju and it was quite a smooth ride except the train coming back to Seoul was an older one without as nice amenities but still enjoyable. I am currently trying to plan some trips around Asia for early 2015 but with school and other things already starting to pile up these plans may/may not come to fruition.
Missing the USA? Hard to say, there are things I do miss about the USA. There are many friends and family I don't get to see as often...there are some foods I miss and I kind of miss being able to drive a car. I miss having a steady income ^.^ but I hopefully will remedy that by next year...either with part time work or something.
Anyway, I'll most likely write about level 4 within the next few weeks. Wish me luck!
~
It has not been without its challenges and during every exam time I became quite stressed and even somewhat irritable and frustrated. Considering there are only two test periods per term (a midterm exam and a final exam) there is very little room for error. Class participation (homework, in class participation, etc.) counts for no more than 10% of our grade so the only real assessment we have is the exam. There is little time left for much else besides preview for the next day's lesson, review the current day's lesson, complete homework, and study vocabulary. I find myself studying hours outside of class hours especially for review/preview/vocabulary and even with this it is not enough. You must also find time to practice speaking and listening which...can be a little harder.
In other news, since moving to Korea I've gotten more frequent comments on how I've slimmed down and generally "look better now". To me this implies I wasn't at my best looking right before I moved to Korea. I admit my eating habits were pretty bad and I actually was fairly sedentary throughout the day. Got up from bed, sat in a car to get to work, sat at a desk for 9+ hours, sat in a car to get back home, sat in a chair to watch TV/play video games/etc. Between the sitting was eating and barely any calories were burnt in any given day.
In contrast, I now walk much more than I ever used to and my diet has completely changed. In the USA I got very lazy with how I acquired food and since I never had to worry about more than myself I would eat unhealthy/fast food meals quite often. I don't think it's a bad thing to eat out at restaurants frequently - what can be bad is what you choose when you do. I actually eat out a lot here in Korea because 1) it's cheap 2) I live alone and cooking for one is not so fun 3) the options are relatively healthy and at a cheaper price point.
In the USA my day might have started with a granola bar but would slowly spiral out of control. Lunch might have been Chinese takeout, fast food burgers/tacos/burritos, hot sandwiches (think Philly Cheesesteak style), or a number of other not healthy items. Dinner was often bought on the way home or shortly after getting home...this was pizza, pasta, more fast food, etc. If I had continued on this eating path with no exercise I'm guessing I would have gained even more weight and looked even more round than I did before my move.
You may also be wondering just how good my Korean is now...for me it's hard to judge. Most of my Korean friends say I've improved a lot. Those who rarely heard me speak or write Korean before think I'm decent. My personal assessment is that I have a long way to go. I still struggle to understand native Koreans. My speaking is still probably my weakest skill but my writing and reading comprehension aren't half-bad. Many people have told me I just need to find every possible way to practice and take advantage of every opportunity to speak/listen to Korean. I still find it challenging though and most likely will for a long time. I can't really equate learning this language to anything else...it's just difficult.
Travel! I actually haven't done as much of it as I would have liked but I did go to Jeonju which was a nice break from Seoul. I took the train to and from Jeonju and it was quite a smooth ride except the train coming back to Seoul was an older one without as nice amenities but still enjoyable. I am currently trying to plan some trips around Asia for early 2015 but with school and other things already starting to pile up these plans may/may not come to fruition.
Missing the USA? Hard to say, there are things I do miss about the USA. There are many friends and family I don't get to see as often...there are some foods I miss and I kind of miss being able to drive a car. I miss having a steady income ^.^ but I hopefully will remedy that by next year...either with part time work or something.
Anyway, I'll most likely write about level 4 within the next few weeks. Wish me luck!
~
Sunday, November 9, 2014
My Korean Life #18: Costco!
Before I moved to Korea I found out any Costco membership is valid worldwide, regardless of where you made the membership card. This was great news since I have been a Costco member for quite a while and was happy to find out I could continue to reap its benefits in Korea. For those that do not know, Costco is a wholesale membership club similar to Sam's Club and BJ's Club Warehouse. Most of what Costco sells is bulk goods in order to give discounts to members. In the USA membership costs around USD 50 per year...I will most likely have to renew here in Korea so I'll let you know the rates at that time.
Costco stores take up a lot of land so you may be thinking that Seoul would not be the optimal place to build such a store. However, instead of spreading the store out horizontally like in the USA, here in Seoul the store location I went to was multiple floors (food, other goods, parking). The street level floor was home to the electronics, clothing, and most non-food items. The first basement level was the cafeteria and all food items (bakery, meat, seafood, etc). Beneath the first basement were more basement levels for parking.
I hear that Costco often enforces that a member can only bring up to 3 guests with them but it didn't seem that this was heavily enforced the day I went. I went on a Monday and it was still very busy and I hear on weekend days you can barely move your cart through the aisles. Like USA Costcos, there are quite a few free sample stations located around the store. But unlike the USA, people were queuing just to get a sample...like 8-10 people deep queue.
Speaking of food, my friends and I ate at the cafeteria. They had the hot dog combo and pizza and some other items (ice cream, what looked like calzones or something) but I'm sure depending on where your Costco is the item selection varies. I don't think they would have Bulgogi pizza in the USA but here at the Korean one they do :D The tables were so close to each other you had to step on the bench seats to slide into place...this probably violated fire code but...welcome to Korea! The cafeteria, like the store itself was packed with what looked like a shopping cart graveyard right in front of the eating area. We luckily were able to retrieve our cart after eating.
As far as the store itself goes, the item choices were actually fairly similar to the USA. There were plenty of Kirkland branded items and decent deals on meat and seafood (slightly more varied than USA stores due to Korean tastes). They even had bulk boxes of Soju and Korean brands of beer. A couple of items that I was surprised to see were Reece's peanut butter cups, Salsa, and bagels! I didn't actually walk around the street level floor much but I plan to do that soon.
As for checking out. The only forms of payment offered at Korean Costco are the Samsung Costco credit card or cold hard CASH. No debit cards like in the USA. I even asked just to be sure and was met with a prompt "안 돼요" (Not possible). Basically saw a bunch of people paying in large amounts of cash but a few had the branded credit card.
I only bought one item that day and it was quite heavy but I did manage to get it back to my apartment from the subway. I will be going again soon so I'll update this post if I find out anything else!
~
Costco stores take up a lot of land so you may be thinking that Seoul would not be the optimal place to build such a store. However, instead of spreading the store out horizontally like in the USA, here in Seoul the store location I went to was multiple floors (food, other goods, parking). The street level floor was home to the electronics, clothing, and most non-food items. The first basement level was the cafeteria and all food items (bakery, meat, seafood, etc). Beneath the first basement were more basement levels for parking.
I hear that Costco often enforces that a member can only bring up to 3 guests with them but it didn't seem that this was heavily enforced the day I went. I went on a Monday and it was still very busy and I hear on weekend days you can barely move your cart through the aisles. Like USA Costcos, there are quite a few free sample stations located around the store. But unlike the USA, people were queuing just to get a sample...like 8-10 people deep queue.
Speaking of food, my friends and I ate at the cafeteria. They had the hot dog combo and pizza and some other items (ice cream, what looked like calzones or something) but I'm sure depending on where your Costco is the item selection varies. I don't think they would have Bulgogi pizza in the USA but here at the Korean one they do :D The tables were so close to each other you had to step on the bench seats to slide into place...this probably violated fire code but...welcome to Korea! The cafeteria, like the store itself was packed with what looked like a shopping cart graveyard right in front of the eating area. We luckily were able to retrieve our cart after eating.
As far as the store itself goes, the item choices were actually fairly similar to the USA. There were plenty of Kirkland branded items and decent deals on meat and seafood (slightly more varied than USA stores due to Korean tastes). They even had bulk boxes of Soju and Korean brands of beer. A couple of items that I was surprised to see were Reece's peanut butter cups, Salsa, and bagels! I didn't actually walk around the street level floor much but I plan to do that soon.
As for checking out. The only forms of payment offered at Korean Costco are the Samsung Costco credit card or cold hard CASH. No debit cards like in the USA. I even asked just to be sure and was met with a prompt "안 돼요" (Not possible). Basically saw a bunch of people paying in large amounts of cash but a few had the branded credit card.
I only bought one item that day and it was quite heavy but I did manage to get it back to my apartment from the subway. I will be going again soon so I'll update this post if I find out anything else!
~
Friday, October 24, 2014
My Korean Life #17: Over 5 months living here and the midterms are over!
Quack Quack
I thought I'd open with a picture of the big rubber duck that is visiting Seoul to bring some cheer to this post. The above duck has made its rounds to many different cities lately. Anyway, back to life since the last post which was about a month ago. Looking back at my calendar I have been rather busy and I'll try not to bore you too much with all the nitty gritty details.
During the beginning of October, a lot was going on with both school and my personal life. I attended a Korean adoptee art event which included works by some of my friends that live here in Korea. After viewing the works in the gallery and attending a short reception I went out to dinner with some friends and also walked around Samcheongdong. The following day was the world festival at school which is put on by the Korean language education center. The various classes cooked food from different countries such as Brazil, Japan, France, Spain, etc. They even had a raffle for some really nice prizes. One of my classmates won a vacuum cleaner! Another friend won what in the USA we would call a varsity jacket or letterman jacket perhaps.
The first weekend in October was a three day weekend which I spent hanging with friends before having to kick it into high gear to study for my midterm exams. I was quite stressed as there was a ton of material to study and we were tested on writing, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, speaking, grammar, vocabulary, and dialogue creation. I put in many hours into studying whether it be reviewing vocabulary or going back through book dialogues and worksheets. Sometimes I struggle with if any of the material is actually soaking in. The pace is so fast that often it takes me awhile for it to fully settle in my brain.
Right before midterms was my birthday. I got to enjoy a nice sushi dinner and cake the night before my actual birthday and then on my birthday I was basically studying most of the day except for in the evening where two of my classmates treated me to dinner and ice cream.
Come test time, I struggled most with listening comprehension and did best on reading comprehension (a perfect score ^.^). The midterm for speaking in level 3 was quite different than level 2. It seems they are more trying to gauge just how you may be able to survive the upper levels. The teachers gave individual feedback to each student via informal interviews that didn't count towards your grade.
Besides exams I saw a few movies recently, one of which is a film by an adoptee called In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee. In contrast to that I saw the horror film Annabelle and the action film Dracula Untold (For some reason this link redirects you to Universal Korea's Facebook page if in Korea, otherwise I think it should work). I also plan to see the movie Interstellar when it comes out the first week of November.
To wrap up, it's hard to believe I've been in Korea for over 5 months now. I remember when I was having Skype calls with one of my friends this past spring about my upcoming life changes that would be happening in the summer. Those seem so recent...
You may be asking how I've been keeping up with people I know back in the USA. I'll admit I've been better with some than others. Then again, there are those that I haven't heard anything from since moving here. On the other hand, I have met some really interesting and amazing people since moving to Korea. People I would have not otherwise had a chance to meet living in the suburbs of America.
Until next time...
~
Right before midterms was my birthday. I got to enjoy a nice sushi dinner and cake the night before my actual birthday and then on my birthday I was basically studying most of the day except for in the evening where two of my classmates treated me to dinner and ice cream.
Come test time, I struggled most with listening comprehension and did best on reading comprehension (a perfect score ^.^). The midterm for speaking in level 3 was quite different than level 2. It seems they are more trying to gauge just how you may be able to survive the upper levels. The teachers gave individual feedback to each student via informal interviews that didn't count towards your grade.
Besides exams I saw a few movies recently, one of which is a film by an adoptee called In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee. In contrast to that I saw the horror film Annabelle and the action film Dracula Untold (For some reason this link redirects you to Universal Korea's Facebook page if in Korea, otherwise I think it should work). I also plan to see the movie Interstellar when it comes out the first week of November.
To wrap up, it's hard to believe I've been in Korea for over 5 months now. I remember when I was having Skype calls with one of my friends this past spring about my upcoming life changes that would be happening in the summer. Those seem so recent...
You may be asking how I've been keeping up with people I know back in the USA. I'll admit I've been better with some than others. Then again, there are those that I haven't heard anything from since moving here. On the other hand, I have met some really interesting and amazing people since moving to Korea. People I would have not otherwise had a chance to meet living in the suburbs of America.
Until next time...
~
Monday, September 29, 2014
My Korean Life #16: Welcome to Autumn - reflections on learning Korean thus far
*DISCLAIMER*
The below are my personal opinions/views and have no intention of communicating qualities, good or bad, about the program I am currently enrolled in
*END DISCLAIMER*
Finally we have entered autumn. It is probably my most favorite season here in Korea. The weather is comfortable and not humid, the leaves begin to change, etc. Anyway, I thought I would take this moment to reflect on my experience learning Korean so far. It's almost been 4.5 months since I moved here and about 4 months since I've been learning Korean.
- The expectations are high. This is somewhat expected as the program is marketed as intensive/immersive however, if you are struggling, it can be a challenge to find people able to explain concepts in your native language especially if you do not speak English, Japanese, or Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese/other widely spoken dialects).
- There is little focus on explaining things like passive versus active voice, what a perfect tense is, and so on - I think this is because it really doesn't make sense to do in an immersive environment where, among the students, there could be 5+ native languages. Instead, there is a focus on what I will call sentence constructs. Simply, how to make certain sentences using, for example, because or expressing hopes/wishes.
- You are given a moderate amount of time to practice concepts in class but it seems like the pace is faster than level 2. I'm guessing they expect you to practice a lot outside of class but some sentence constructs require you to disagree with someone or quote someone's speech. I'll say I'm not that creative and repeatedly use similar sentences with new grammar.
- I'm also getting quite bored talking about the same things (school, home, my home country, self-introduction). Luckily in level 3 we start talking about more real world applications (finding a place to live, describing personality and appearance more in depth, meeting co-workers/students/etc, interactions in the workplace).
- More focus is being put on our pronunciation and intonation. During our review days our teacher has us memorize dialogues and gives us pointers on our pronunciation and intonation. The memorization is not the hard part but sounding like a native Korean is...
That's all I've got for now. Stay tuned for more. Until next time.
~
Friday, September 19, 2014
My Korean Life #15: The start of my second term at 서강대...3급!
From the other Korean language learners I've talked to, they say that level 3 is challenging. The difficulty jump is supposedly large from level 2 to 3. So far it's been manageable but I find myself dedicating more time to reviewing and previewing compared to last term. We've actually just completed the first full week of class (the past two weeks have only included a few days of actual class). I'll give my initial impressions of level 3 so far...
쓰기 (Writing)
쓰기 (Writing)
- The expectations just keep escalating - sentences are supposed to be long and prioritize all the grammar we learn in level 3. The more I study Korean, the more it seems like making REALLY long sentences equates to an advanced level of comprehension. Korean sentences can be very long due to the many ways there are to connect sentences together.
- There is only one writing book that we get this level (level 2 had two separate ones). Most of the exercises have us write quite a bit compared to level 2.
- We have two essays we have to write in level 3. This is the first time that we have a requirement to write a more formal composition.
말하기 (Speaking)
- Speaking class is fairly similar to level 2. We go over the days grammar lesson and then follow it with examples, the chapter dialogues, and various other activities. Just like level 2, we do a lot of "get-up-and-talk-with-people-at-other-tables" activities.
- There seems to be more vocabulary...just judging by these first 3 chapters in the level 3A book.
- Our teacher said they are emphasizing intonation, fluency, and pronunciation more this level. When I say fluency, I simply mean speaking smoothly (no pauses, hesitations, etc) - not necessarily being highly proficient.
- Today we got to socialize with other classes of level 3 students which was fun.
읽기/듣기 (Listening/Reading)
- This class is also fairly similar to level 2. The listening has gotten more difficult (the pace is more at what people might consider 'normal' speed). The reading seems to be manageable so far but I'm expecting it to get harder as the term goes on. I've been doing a preview of the listening the night before due to the new vocabulary and pace at which we have to listen. Since the book comes with a CD of all the dialogues, listening, and reading - one could preview pretty much everything before class. This CD is also helpful with speaking intonation, pronunciation, and proper speaking speed.
Other notes
- I'm the only male out of 13 total students in my class. 청일점이에요.
- Some of the students in my class are really good at Korean. Some are bilingual or trilingual.
- I feel I know a decent amount of Korean but still have trouble forming ideas and speaking. This may be due to lack of practice or a combination of lack of practice and having English as my first language.
- I have met some students that have skipped whole levels (one that skipped level 2 and one that skipped level 3). I find this amazing. Korean in my opinion is hard enough, let alone trying to study in order to skip levels.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
My Korean Life #14: 3 Months in and I graduated from Level 2!
[Level 2 Completed]
First thing's first - I PASSED LEVEL 2! HOORAY! From what I had heard and read before taking this level at Sogang University I knew it would be a challenge for me. One blog I read a while back mentioned that only 5 out of a class of 12 or 13 were able to immediately go into Level 3. My class had much better results. After taking the final, 9 out of 11* students were immediately granted the ability to take level 3 (*one student elected not to take the final exams so I left them out of the total). I know a few others in my class that will not continue during fall term due to other obligations but otherwise I believe a lot of my classmates will study level 3 this fall.
The report card Sogang University gives out is quite detailed. There is the oral interview evaluation with 4 categories and 8 level-grades. Then there are all your written test grades (grammar/vocab, conversation/dialogue, reading, listening, and writing). Then an oral test grade (percentage), a classroom activity evaluation, and finally a total grade and next level. There is a box for teacher comments but mine was left blank.
It seemed students struggled with the reading/listening test the most in my class and it may have been due to the time limit. I found myself scrambling to complete the test during the midterm and the final. I luckily made enough points on the final to pass out of level 2 since the reading portion was basically the one area that I had to improve upon from the midterm. The way the grading works is that if you make at least a 70% in all the categories (grammar/vocab, conversation/dialogue, reading, listening, writing, and speaking) you can go to the next level. If you happen to not do well on a category (for example reading) you can do a make-up test the day after the graduation day but your other scores have to be at least 80% I think.
Having experienced a full term at Sogang now I think I know what to expect going forward (at least in level 3). Previewing new material and then reviewing the material after class will be crucial. I started doing both of these things kind of late last term and trying to cram all the vocabulary and grammar in close to the end of the term was stressful. I also don't think I wrote down enough verb examples for all the grammar patterns as I found myself constantly referencing the grammar supplement book.
[3 Months]
I've been living in Korea now for over 3 months and the time has flown by. It's still amazing to think that back in May I shed my life in the USA for a completely new life here in Korea. I'm still getting a grasp on the language but I think that with hard work and studying I will have a decent grasp of it maybe late next year. My goal is to still graduate from Sogang Unversity's Korean language program (complete through level 6). If everything works out, I'll be through level 6 by next summer. Although, just judging from this past term, I may end up redoing a level...but let's hope my brain remains sponge-like through level 6!
Until next time...
~
First thing's first - I PASSED LEVEL 2! HOORAY! From what I had heard and read before taking this level at Sogang University I knew it would be a challenge for me. One blog I read a while back mentioned that only 5 out of a class of 12 or 13 were able to immediately go into Level 3. My class had much better results. After taking the final, 9 out of 11* students were immediately granted the ability to take level 3 (*one student elected not to take the final exams so I left them out of the total). I know a few others in my class that will not continue during fall term due to other obligations but otherwise I believe a lot of my classmates will study level 3 this fall.
The report card Sogang University gives out is quite detailed. There is the oral interview evaluation with 4 categories and 8 level-grades. Then there are all your written test grades (grammar/vocab, conversation/dialogue, reading, listening, and writing). Then an oral test grade (percentage), a classroom activity evaluation, and finally a total grade and next level. There is a box for teacher comments but mine was left blank.
It seemed students struggled with the reading/listening test the most in my class and it may have been due to the time limit. I found myself scrambling to complete the test during the midterm and the final. I luckily made enough points on the final to pass out of level 2 since the reading portion was basically the one area that I had to improve upon from the midterm. The way the grading works is that if you make at least a 70% in all the categories (grammar/vocab, conversation/dialogue, reading, listening, writing, and speaking) you can go to the next level. If you happen to not do well on a category (for example reading) you can do a make-up test the day after the graduation day but your other scores have to be at least 80% I think.
Having experienced a full term at Sogang now I think I know what to expect going forward (at least in level 3). Previewing new material and then reviewing the material after class will be crucial. I started doing both of these things kind of late last term and trying to cram all the vocabulary and grammar in close to the end of the term was stressful. I also don't think I wrote down enough verb examples for all the grammar patterns as I found myself constantly referencing the grammar supplement book.
[3 Months]
I've been living in Korea now for over 3 months and the time has flown by. It's still amazing to think that back in May I shed my life in the USA for a completely new life here in Korea. I'm still getting a grasp on the language but I think that with hard work and studying I will have a decent grasp of it maybe late next year. My goal is to still graduate from Sogang Unversity's Korean language program (complete through level 6). If everything works out, I'll be through level 6 by next summer. Although, just judging from this past term, I may end up redoing a level...but let's hope my brain remains sponge-like through level 6!
~
Monday, August 18, 2014
My Korean Life #13: SMTOWN Live World Tour IV in Seoul [AKA Longest Concert Name Ever]
A friend of a friend had a spare ticket to SMTOWN Live World Tour IV in Seoul [from here "SMTOWN"] and I was lucky enough to snag it before anyone else did. We were on the 3rd level of Seoul's World Cup Stadium and I was told these were the least expensive seats. I was also told that tickets were very hard to get due to the EXO fans. In relation to the EXO fans, it honestly felt like we went to an EXO concert and some other artists just happened to show up. Their fan base covered over half the third deck level alone with many others on the 2nd and 1st level.
Personally I'm biased towards Girls' Generation and most of the footage I took (which you can see in the video below) is of them. Sorry for the poor quality as I only had my iPhone on me and didn't know you could bring normal cameras into the venue. In fact, I didn't know people would be bringing in whole pizzas, beer, and boxes of fried chicken either...but this is Korea I suppose. I had to strip out the original audio as it would be flagged on YouTube.
If you see the different colored balloons and lights - those are for the specific fan clubs. EXO is white, Girls' Generation is pink, Super Junior is blue...etc. With the coordinated shaking of the lights and/or balloons came screaming and a lot of it. It was the loudest screaming I've heard in a long time...the chorus of thousands of Korean girls yelling at the top of their lungs every time their favorite group came on stage or one of them decided to take their shirt off.
~
Personally I'm biased towards Girls' Generation and most of the footage I took (which you can see in the video below) is of them. Sorry for the poor quality as I only had my iPhone on me and didn't know you could bring normal cameras into the venue. In fact, I didn't know people would be bringing in whole pizzas, beer, and boxes of fried chicken either...but this is Korea I suppose. I had to strip out the original audio as it would be flagged on YouTube.
If you see the different colored balloons and lights - those are for the specific fan clubs. EXO is white, Girls' Generation is pink, Super Junior is blue...etc. With the coordinated shaking of the lights and/or balloons came screaming and a lot of it. It was the loudest screaming I've heard in a long time...the chorus of thousands of Korean girls yelling at the top of their lungs every time their favorite group came on stage or one of them decided to take their shirt off.
~
Monday, August 11, 2014
My Korean Life #12: You Are Here Cafe Opening Day
This past Saturday I went to the opening of the You Are Here Cafe. This is a joint venture between two (mainly) online companies, namely Eat Your Kimchi and Talk To Me In Korean. It is located near Hongdae Station on Line 2 in Seoul, Korea. The directions and specific address to the cafe can be found on the You Are Here social media pages. The closest exit is Exit 1 from Hongdae Station.
My video gives you a decent overview of how the cafe looks and the chaos that was opening day. The line stretched for blocks early in the day and when I decided to wait in line it took me about 1.5 hours to get to the counter to order. If you were wondering, I got a lemonade. The beverage prices are reasonable and a lot of merchandise is also available.
The vast majority of patrons were not Korean but, this may change as time goes by. The huge crowd outside drew some spectators as well, namely Koreans thinking what the heck is going on. My Korean friend even messaged me after I sent them a picture and was like "WHAT THE HECK?" [they said the equivalent in Korean].
I hope the atmosphere becomes less hectic over the coming weeks/months/years since it is also supposed to be a place of study/learning. The classroom portion of the cafe does have doors so you are able to close that part of the cafe off from the main lobby/ordering area. Upstairs are the bathrooms and more tables/chairs as well as balcony access.
Anyway below is my video! Thanks to all that have watched it already!
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
My Korean Life #11: English Restaurant Names in 한글!
So you know many American restaurant chains are present in Korea and you whip out your smartphone to see what's around. You search "McDonald's" and nothing comes up...you search "Starbucks" and again...nothing. WHY!? A lot of times these names have been adapted to the Korean alphabet (한글). I have started to compile a list of the English names of restaurants and their 한글 equivalent. Let me know if you see any errors!
Coffee Shops/Cafes
Dunkin Donuts: 던킨 도너츠
Starbucks: 스타벅스
Caribou Coffee: 카리부 커피
Krispy Kreme Donuts: 크리스피 크림 도넛
Pizza
Pizza Hut: 피자헛
Domino's Pizza: 도미노 피자
Papa John's: 파파존스
Fast Food
McDonald's: 맥도날드
Taco Bell: 타코벨
KFC: KFC [Usually not written in 한글]
Burger King: 버거 킹
Subway: 서부웨이
Quiznos: 퀴즈노스
Casual Dining
Outback Steakhouse: 아웃백스테이크하우스
TGI Fridays (Fridays in the USA): TGI 프라이데이스
On The Border: 오더보더
~
Coffee Shops/Cafes
Dunkin Donuts: 던킨 도너츠
Starbucks: 스타벅스
Caribou Coffee: 카리부 커피
Krispy Kreme Donuts: 크리스피 크림 도넛
Pizza
Pizza Hut: 피자헛
Domino's Pizza: 도미노 피자
Papa John's: 파파존스
Fast Food
McDonald's: 맥도날드
Taco Bell: 타코벨
KFC: KFC [Usually not written in 한글]
Burger King: 버거 킹
Subway: 서부웨이
Quiznos: 퀴즈노스
Casual Dining
Outback Steakhouse: 아웃백스테이크하우스
TGI Fridays (Fridays in the USA): TGI 프라이데이스
On The Border: 오더보더
~
Monday, July 28, 2014
My Korean Life #10: Summer Break
During the summer term Sogang University builds in a week long summer break (여름 방학). As far as I know, not all language programs schedule such a break for their Korean language students. Sogang's program also starts a little earlier than other schools and this may be the reason why. So you may be asking, "Nathan, you have a week off from class, what are your plans?" Frankly I don't have any major plans during my summer break. I'd like to spend time with friends and do some general review of my class materials.
While I haven't always been into computer based learning tools my classmate referred me to Quizlet. I've been making vocabulary sets using this tool to easily review on the go. I am on public transportation for sometimes several hours of the day so this gives me something constructive to do during that time. I already made analogue flashcards (pen-and-paper) for all the vocabulary for level two but I figure making them in digital form will also help me with the spelling and memorization.
In terms of meeting with friends, I'm still fleshing that out at the moment. Since I do have quite a lot of time on my hands I'd like to meet up with as many friends as possible. It seems many of my expat and Korean friends keep quite busy in general though. I would like to say that meeting with friends in Seoul has been easier to arrange than probably any place I have lived in the USA (save for when I lived on campus during university).
You don't have to worry about driving somewhere or parking. Actually getting to your destination is for the most part passive. In Seoul, you can get to almost anywhere by bus or subway very reasonably. This is in contrast to a lot of places in the USA where you have to actively drive, spend money on fuel, find parking, etc. Here in Seoul, I don't really worry about traffic anymore...unless it's raining and have to take a bus (traffic then gets very bad). In the USA I would always check traffic before leaving my house and would be frustrated if Google Maps ever showed a sliver of red on my route. Also, at least two popular mapping services in Korea offer live timing for public transportation routing (at least I think it is live, correct me if I'm wrong).
If I get up to anything new/fun/exciting I'll let you know!
~
While I haven't always been into computer based learning tools my classmate referred me to Quizlet. I've been making vocabulary sets using this tool to easily review on the go. I am on public transportation for sometimes several hours of the day so this gives me something constructive to do during that time. I already made analogue flashcards (pen-and-paper) for all the vocabulary for level two but I figure making them in digital form will also help me with the spelling and memorization.
In terms of meeting with friends, I'm still fleshing that out at the moment. Since I do have quite a lot of time on my hands I'd like to meet up with as many friends as possible. It seems many of my expat and Korean friends keep quite busy in general though. I would like to say that meeting with friends in Seoul has been easier to arrange than probably any place I have lived in the USA (save for when I lived on campus during university).
You don't have to worry about driving somewhere or parking. Actually getting to your destination is for the most part passive. In Seoul, you can get to almost anywhere by bus or subway very reasonably. This is in contrast to a lot of places in the USA where you have to actively drive, spend money on fuel, find parking, etc. Here in Seoul, I don't really worry about traffic anymore...unless it's raining and have to take a bus (traffic then gets very bad). In the USA I would always check traffic before leaving my house and would be frustrated if Google Maps ever showed a sliver of red on my route. Also, at least two popular mapping services in Korea offer live timing for public transportation routing (at least I think it is live, correct me if I'm wrong).
If I get up to anything new/fun/exciting I'll let you know!
~
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
My Korean Life #8: Two months in...
Greetings everyone,
I am two months into my life here in Korea and thought I'd give you an update. It has been awhile due to written midterms and preparing for my midterm interview. These exams were quite challenging and I have received 3 out of 4 grades. Could I have prepared and studied even more? Perhaps.
This style of language education relies on a lot of application of what you learn. We have to create dialogues or tell stories, analyze sentences for grammar or vocabulary mistakes, and be able to identify antonyms/synonyms. The expectation is very high and the pace is fast and intensive. I believe most language programs here expect you to spend considerable amounts of time outside the classroom practicing writing, applying grammar, and speaking. While I'm at a university that emphasizes speaking over all other skills, the writing/reading/listening expectations are just as high. Besides the demands of school, there is my blooming social life (ㅋㅋㅋ).
The summer brings many visitors to Korea and a lot of my friends are stopping by this year. Unfortunately, the constant tug of my social life here in Korea may be somewhat impacting my studies. That and having been away from a classroom setting for a year (and a true academic setting for almost 5 years). I think I have to re-tune my brain to study and making that studying worthwhile...not just completing assignments for the sake of completing them but really making sure I understand concepts. Many times just rote repetition and exposure helps memorization...but I want to do more than just memorize vocabulary. I want to say I learned these grammar concepts and can use the vocabulary in everyday life.
If you have any tips for learning a language let me know! I'd like to say I'm already immersed in the language and culture but maybe I can put even more effort into that department.
Until next time~!
P.S. I should have more time to blog after this week as my midterm interview will be complete!
~
I am two months into my life here in Korea and thought I'd give you an update. It has been awhile due to written midterms and preparing for my midterm interview. These exams were quite challenging and I have received 3 out of 4 grades. Could I have prepared and studied even more? Perhaps.
This style of language education relies on a lot of application of what you learn. We have to create dialogues or tell stories, analyze sentences for grammar or vocabulary mistakes, and be able to identify antonyms/synonyms. The expectation is very high and the pace is fast and intensive. I believe most language programs here expect you to spend considerable amounts of time outside the classroom practicing writing, applying grammar, and speaking. While I'm at a university that emphasizes speaking over all other skills, the writing/reading/listening expectations are just as high. Besides the demands of school, there is my blooming social life (ㅋㅋㅋ).
The summer brings many visitors to Korea and a lot of my friends are stopping by this year. Unfortunately, the constant tug of my social life here in Korea may be somewhat impacting my studies. That and having been away from a classroom setting for a year (and a true academic setting for almost 5 years). I think I have to re-tune my brain to study and making that studying worthwhile...not just completing assignments for the sake of completing them but really making sure I understand concepts. Many times just rote repetition and exposure helps memorization...but I want to do more than just memorize vocabulary. I want to say I learned these grammar concepts and can use the vocabulary in everyday life.
If you have any tips for learning a language let me know! I'd like to say I'm already immersed in the language and culture but maybe I can put even more effort into that department.
Until next time~!
P.S. I should have more time to blog after this week as my midterm interview will be complete!
~
Monday, June 30, 2014
My Korean Life #7: [PHOTO POST] Food in no particular order!
치맥
과일 빙수
Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie
샤브샤브
살사 치킨 버거
만두 순두부 찌개
Sunday, June 22, 2014
My Korean Life #6: 5 weeks in...
I am 5 weeks into my new life here in Korea and have been really enjoying it. I am now fully into my language studies at Sogang University and hopefully it won't become too overwhelming. I bought a set of flash cards to help review vocabulary since the list seems to be never ending. We are a little over halfway through the first part of level 2.
Besides school I've been going to a variety of events to meet new folks. Namely adoptee related events and the TTMIK/SeoulTube meet-up!
Yesterday (June 21, 2014) I went to the Talk to Me In Korean/SeoulTube meet-up at Han River Park in Seoul (http://www.talktomeinkorean.com)! I went with a friend from my time at Sogang University last summer. It was cool seeing all these YouTubers in real life. There were quite a few foreigners there but also a sprinkling of local Koreans. You can see the short video I took below. Many Korea-based YouTubers can be seen:
After the meet-up I went to the reception for ASK's 10 Year anniversary (Adoptee Solidarity in Korea) http://www.adopteesolidarity.org. It was hosted at The BEASTRO restaurant right across form the Hongdae Children's Park. The food was absolutely delicious and I got to meet even more folks from the adoptee community.
This coming week has almost become fully booked up for me as many other friends from overseas are visiting Korea during the summer. I am excited to meet them all and to continue to have fun (and study ^.^) in Korea.
~
Friday, June 13, 2014
My Korean Life #5: Common language
Besides immersion in a foreign language and culture, another way to really get your brain using a foreign language is when you don't share a language with another individual besides the foreign language you are learning. In my class we have many different nationalities represented. While there are some students that speak English, many do not. We rely on Korean to communicate as it is really the only way we can (besides charades of what we want to tell the other person). I often think of what I want to say in English, only realizing later it doesn't matter because my classmate wouldn't understand me anyway.
I then feel bad when I end up reverting to English with a classmate that does understand English...because then those that don't are left out of the conversation. At least in Korean everyone can more or less understand what is being discussed. It may be basic conversations now, but I hope by the end of the summer we will have upped our skill levels to have everyday conversations without too much struggle.
No one said it was going to be easy and I know I personally will have to put a lot of effort into memorizing vocabulary and using every opportunity I can to practice my Korean. I've started a cheat sheet with the vocabulary I have trouble with which now spans a full page and covers part of the backside. Another difficult task is remembering where I can use certain grammar patterns and verb conjugations.
More to come later!
~
I then feel bad when I end up reverting to English with a classmate that does understand English...because then those that don't are left out of the conversation. At least in Korean everyone can more or less understand what is being discussed. It may be basic conversations now, but I hope by the end of the summer we will have upped our skill levels to have everyday conversations without too much struggle.
No one said it was going to be easy and I know I personally will have to put a lot of effort into memorizing vocabulary and using every opportunity I can to practice my Korean. I've started a cheat sheet with the vocabulary I have trouble with which now spans a full page and covers part of the backside. Another difficult task is remembering where I can use certain grammar patterns and verb conjugations.
More to come later!
~
Friday, June 6, 2014
My Korean Life #4: First Day of School - Sogang Unversity Korean Level 2!
Tuesday was day 1 of my return to Sogang University's Korean Language Education Center. I will be in Level 2 for the summer term which goes until late August. Here's a quick rundown:
Day 1 was all supposed to be review of Level 1 material but as with any classroom, all the students are at different individual levels and most likely excel at different aspects of language learning (reading, speaking, etc). Sogang's program is focused on verbal communication and speaking so that's what is emphasized with every lesson.
We got lists of verbs, nouns, phrases, and such that we should already be familiar with and also played a game to review. It is still really difficult to explain a word to another person in a foreign language (at least for me). The game was similar to CatchPhrase...one student would sit with their back to the displayed word and then their team had to describe the word to them...in Korean.
After the word review and game there was a quiz on Level 1 grammar. Basically they said if you don't do well on it you should consider dropping down but I doubt anyone would do that since almost every student in my class had studied at Sogang previously.
We were instructed to preview the next day's lesson the night before so we would be able to use and converse about it within class. Also during orientation, the staff member said we should set aside 2-3 hours per night to review, study, and preview material. The program pace is fairly quick and intensive, sometimes covering a whole chapter of material in one day. I hope as the term continues I can become close with my classmates so we can all comfortably speak more Korean together.
On a side note - it rained cats and dogs all day which made for a very humid and wet first day of school...
~
Day 1 was all supposed to be review of Level 1 material but as with any classroom, all the students are at different individual levels and most likely excel at different aspects of language learning (reading, speaking, etc). Sogang's program is focused on verbal communication and speaking so that's what is emphasized with every lesson.
We got lists of verbs, nouns, phrases, and such that we should already be familiar with and also played a game to review. It is still really difficult to explain a word to another person in a foreign language (at least for me). The game was similar to CatchPhrase...one student would sit with their back to the displayed word and then their team had to describe the word to them...in Korean.
After the word review and game there was a quiz on Level 1 grammar. Basically they said if you don't do well on it you should consider dropping down but I doubt anyone would do that since almost every student in my class had studied at Sogang previously.
We were instructed to preview the next day's lesson the night before so we would be able to use and converse about it within class. Also during orientation, the staff member said we should set aside 2-3 hours per night to review, study, and preview material. The program pace is fairly quick and intensive, sometimes covering a whole chapter of material in one day. I hope as the term continues I can become close with my classmates so we can all comfortably speak more Korean together.
On a side note - it rained cats and dogs all day which made for a very humid and wet first day of school...
~
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
My Korean Life #3: Real Korean Life Help - UPS Notification
Within this blog series I want to give some real world, everyday advice to folks that may live here in Korea. While I don't admit to knowing everything about Seoul or Korea for that matter, I rarely see highly publicized blogs/videos regarding actual life in Korea (that is the day-to-day logistics of living). The information is out there but it takes quite a bit more searching. Anyway...
So you may get a UPS package from someone...but then you get a sticker like this on your door:
Uh-oh...that's a lot of Korean...and that's a lot of handwriting you're not used to reading...and now they want you to call a number and find out where your package is...
If you don't read Korean well or if you're in short supply of someone who reads/speaks Korean...I would not panic. At the building I live in, the guard station also acts as an auxiliary mail room. Any packages that are not delivered direct to the apartment units are dropped at the guard room. If you live in a similar building, chances are UPS dropped your package there if you were not at home to receive it.
If for some reason UPS held your package (say they need your signature confirmation, etc.) chances are you will have to take the plunge and call the number left on the sticker notification. Luckily, I was able to consult a friend who knows Korean a lot better than myself and they called the number to double check the package had been left with the guard station. As I continue to learn Korean over the next year or so, I hope to update this post with what you could say to the UPS contact left on the sticker so you would know if it was left at your building or at a distribution center for pick up. I can tell you "경비실" is guardroom.
Honestly, I didn't really even notice the sticker when it was first left on my door since I wasn't expecting any packages...also, I wasn't familiar with a lot of Korean they used on the sticker itself. If you have any tricks or tips in regards to this in Korea, please leave a comment below!
~
~
Friday, May 23, 2014
My Korean Life #2 : Back to School
Today I took my placement test for the Korean language program I'm enrolled in. I had a rough idea of what to expect but heard it was different than the placement test I took last summer. The program I'm taking part in this time is what is considered the regular morning class as opposed to the summer Korean Immersion program. The Korean language education center was buzzing with activity as all the new students were taking placement tests and then subsequently placed into appropriate levels. I met the student assistant, took my test and was out in about 30 minutes or so. Specifics into an orientation were not hammered out yet but I was told to expect an email this coming week.
I'm excited to restart my Korean language education. I'm sure I'll post more regarding class and such very soon.
~
I'm excited to restart my Korean language education. I'm sure I'll post more regarding class and such very soon.
~
Friday, May 16, 2014
My Korean Life #1: Welcome Home
It is the first morning since arriving in the motherland to start my new life abroad. I woke up around 5AM due to severe jet lag and will probably have to resort to an afternoon nap later.
I flew in late last night and was lucky enough to have my landlords meet me at the airport with a car. I say lucky because I flew with no less than 3 checked bags and two backpacks all bulging at the seems. The checked bags alone probably weighed as much as I do in total. My two backpacks were not the wisest choice of carry-ons but I made due. After a brief introduction we were off to the parking lot to load up and take me to my new digs!
I would consider the place that I landed a Korean 'office-tel'...my landlords left most of their furnishings including a bed, refrigerator, washing machine, TV with IPTV, couch, tables, kitchen utensils, etc. The 15th floor gives me quite a nice morning view. The office-tel is a loft style with a low roof loft used mainly for storage overlooking the living area (and yes I've already bumped my head once going up there). The kitchenette is open to the living area with the bedroom and bathroom on your right as you enter. A lot of nice storage closets flank the left of the entry way across from the entrance to the bed and bathroom.
After dropping all my bags, we headed out for an (almost) midnight snack at the local Kimbap Heaven (yes that is the literal translation). We ordered cheese kimbap, tuna kimbap, rakbokki, and mandu ramyeon. It was all delicious, deliciously cheap. This is one reason I like being back in the motherland (eating out for Korean food is so affordable). My ramyeon dish was only $3.50. I think total it was under $15 for 3 people.
My landlords walked me back and bid me farewell for the night. All I wanted to do was try to sleep but not before washing off the airplane funk (17 hours of traveling...ewww). I hopped into bed and slept on and off for about 6 hours.
Here at present time, I've managed to unpack one suitcase fully and have been chipping away at the others. I'm debating about heading downstairs to the convenience store to pick up some drinks and snacks to have on hand...later today my landlords will be back to explain things about the place...hopefully the washing machine and small oven which are completely in Korean....
~
I flew in late last night and was lucky enough to have my landlords meet me at the airport with a car. I say lucky because I flew with no less than 3 checked bags and two backpacks all bulging at the seems. The checked bags alone probably weighed as much as I do in total. My two backpacks were not the wisest choice of carry-ons but I made due. After a brief introduction we were off to the parking lot to load up and take me to my new digs!
I would consider the place that I landed a Korean 'office-tel'...my landlords left most of their furnishings including a bed, refrigerator, washing machine, TV with IPTV, couch, tables, kitchen utensils, etc. The 15th floor gives me quite a nice morning view. The office-tel is a loft style with a low roof loft used mainly for storage overlooking the living area (and yes I've already bumped my head once going up there). The kitchenette is open to the living area with the bedroom and bathroom on your right as you enter. A lot of nice storage closets flank the left of the entry way across from the entrance to the bed and bathroom.
After dropping all my bags, we headed out for an (almost) midnight snack at the local Kimbap Heaven (yes that is the literal translation). We ordered cheese kimbap, tuna kimbap, rakbokki, and mandu ramyeon. It was all delicious, deliciously cheap. This is one reason I like being back in the motherland (eating out for Korean food is so affordable). My ramyeon dish was only $3.50. I think total it was under $15 for 3 people.
My landlords walked me back and bid me farewell for the night. All I wanted to do was try to sleep but not before washing off the airplane funk (17 hours of traveling...ewww). I hopped into bed and slept on and off for about 6 hours.
Here at present time, I've managed to unpack one suitcase fully and have been chipping away at the others. I'm debating about heading downstairs to the convenience store to pick up some drinks and snacks to have on hand...later today my landlords will be back to explain things about the place...hopefully the washing machine and small oven which are completely in Korean....
~
Monday, March 31, 2014
Doha, Qatar - A business trip
A lot of people I spoke with before this trip had no idea where Doha is. I did my best to explain the location and also mention Qatar it is where the FIFA 2022 World Cup will take place. Personally, I think there is value in knowing geography and being able to read a map. In fact, when car GPS units started to hit mainstream years ago - I met people who really struggled to read a road map.
Anyway - work sent me to Doha, Qatar for... you guessed it...a trade show. While my flight itinerary actually showed IAD -> DOH, there was a very short stop off in Dubai. This was my first time the the gulf region and never have I ever been through so much security. Besides the normal protocol in USA airports, upon stopping in DXB we had to disembark, go through another security station, wait for our gate to open, go through another security screening (palms, waist, ankles tested for explosives residue) plus a bag check. After getting to Doha I waited quite a long time for immigration processing and then grabbed my bag to head to customs. In the customs area, even if you had nothing to declare they had tables and more x-ray machines set up so they could randomly pick passersby for more screening.
I finally made it out into Qatar proper after what seemed like forever.
Upon arrival to my hotel, I was quite impressed. I stayed at the W Doha hotel and it was very trendy looking. It was like stepping into a night club rather than a hotel lobby. The doormen were quite helpful and friendly and assisted us from arrival to getting our bags to our room and helping us find all the proper light switches and such. Below is a room tour:
That night I barely slept, waking up at all hours due to jet lag. It was expected but for once I wish I could just instantly adjust.
The next two days were spent inspecting the exhibition venue and the build of our stand. The venue was very nice. It was clean, well lit, properly laid out, and had sufficient facilities for the size of the event. I've been to many of these exhibition venues and often times they suffer in a few categories but this venue seemed top notch. There was quite a bit of construction happening around the venue but nothing that really disturbed the function.
Set up went smoothly and the event got underway - I won't bore you with the details of the trade show but basically this show was focused on maritime defense and security. Many, many exhibitors were present to show off their wares and services. Others were there to focus on B2B (business-to-business) ventures.
Overall, I did not really know what to expect going to the gulf region. There is a lot of new construction and development currently occurring. There is also a high influx of imported labor from surrounding nations and Asia. I hear that only about 30% of the Qatari population is native Qatari people and that the other 70% are ex-pats and workers.
My flight back was uneventful and I actually slept most of it which I thought would help with the jet lag battle but around 2PM local time I was already feeling tired.
Until next time...
~
Anyway - work sent me to Doha, Qatar for... you guessed it...a trade show. While my flight itinerary actually showed IAD -> DOH, there was a very short stop off in Dubai. This was my first time the the gulf region and never have I ever been through so much security. Besides the normal protocol in USA airports, upon stopping in DXB we had to disembark, go through another security station, wait for our gate to open, go through another security screening (palms, waist, ankles tested for explosives residue) plus a bag check. After getting to Doha I waited quite a long time for immigration processing and then grabbed my bag to head to customs. In the customs area, even if you had nothing to declare they had tables and more x-ray machines set up so they could randomly pick passersby for more screening.
I finally made it out into Qatar proper after what seemed like forever.
Upon arrival to my hotel, I was quite impressed. I stayed at the W Doha hotel and it was very trendy looking. It was like stepping into a night club rather than a hotel lobby. The doormen were quite helpful and friendly and assisted us from arrival to getting our bags to our room and helping us find all the proper light switches and such. Below is a room tour:
That night I barely slept, waking up at all hours due to jet lag. It was expected but for once I wish I could just instantly adjust.
The next two days were spent inspecting the exhibition venue and the build of our stand. The venue was very nice. It was clean, well lit, properly laid out, and had sufficient facilities for the size of the event. I've been to many of these exhibition venues and often times they suffer in a few categories but this venue seemed top notch. There was quite a bit of construction happening around the venue but nothing that really disturbed the function.
Set up went smoothly and the event got underway - I won't bore you with the details of the trade show but basically this show was focused on maritime defense and security. Many, many exhibitors were present to show off their wares and services. Others were there to focus on B2B (business-to-business) ventures.
Overall, I did not really know what to expect going to the gulf region. There is a lot of new construction and development currently occurring. There is also a high influx of imported labor from surrounding nations and Asia. I hear that only about 30% of the Qatari population is native Qatari people and that the other 70% are ex-pats and workers.
My flight back was uneventful and I actually slept most of it which I thought would help with the jet lag battle but around 2PM local time I was already feeling tired.
Until next time...
~
Sunday, February 23, 2014
A break from the snowy cold weather...
This past week I finally got a respite from the cold, snowy weather of the mid-Atlantic. Work had me travel down south to hot and sunny Florida. I left home in a jacket, sweater, and long pants and could have easily gotten away with a T-shirt and shorts when I got off the plane.
The actually plane ride down to Florida was quite cramped as I was the middle seat on an old Boeing 717 run by AirTran. I can see why travelers (including myself) are frustrated with how long Southwest Airlines is taking to integrate AirTran into one brand. Believe it or not, I've heard these old 717s are going to be given to Delta Airlines once the integration is complete. (FYI-Southwest only uses 737s).
Anyway - as usual, I did a little walk around of my hotel room. It was an Embassy Suites which I hear is going to get a major overhaul within the next year or so. The furnishings weren't that old looking but the hotel could use an update. The lobby smelled of chlorine from the pool area. The breakfast was pretty good and I didn't partake in the manager's reception in the evening due to work obligations.
~
The actually plane ride down to Florida was quite cramped as I was the middle seat on an old Boeing 717 run by AirTran. I can see why travelers (including myself) are frustrated with how long Southwest Airlines is taking to integrate AirTran into one brand. Believe it or not, I've heard these old 717s are going to be given to Delta Airlines once the integration is complete. (FYI-Southwest only uses 737s).
Anyway - as usual, I did a little walk around of my hotel room. It was an Embassy Suites which I hear is going to get a major overhaul within the next year or so. The furnishings weren't that old looking but the hotel could use an update. The lobby smelled of chlorine from the pool area. The breakfast was pretty good and I didn't partake in the manager's reception in the evening due to work obligations.
~
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Happy New Year! First trip of the year completed!
Greetings and a very late Happy New Year to you all!
I just returned from my first business trip of the year. The show was located at Nellis AFB which if you don't know, is situated very close to Las Vegas. My only experience with Las Vegas previously was by playing Fallout: New Vegas. I must say the game designers got a lot of the geography spot on. I even had the urge to visit Primm to see if ED-E was waiting for me to return...
With every business trip comes...a hotel room tour! I was not directly on the strip...just a block off:
The refrigerator in the room was quite loud and looked somewhat old but the rest of the room was updated and very nice. I did have one gripe besides the refrigerator and that was no desk/workstation. As I travel mostly for business this is an essential for me (oversight while booking I suppose). Both of these things are very minor in the grand scheme of things. Also the parking desk and pool were under construction.
On a side note - I'd also like to thank all my blog visitors looking for information regarding Sogang's KIP program! It was a blast!
~
I just returned from my first business trip of the year. The show was located at Nellis AFB which if you don't know, is situated very close to Las Vegas. My only experience with Las Vegas previously was by playing Fallout: New Vegas. I must say the game designers got a lot of the geography spot on. I even had the urge to visit Primm to see if ED-E was waiting for me to return...
With every business trip comes...a hotel room tour! I was not directly on the strip...just a block off:
The refrigerator in the room was quite loud and looked somewhat old but the rest of the room was updated and very nice. I did have one gripe besides the refrigerator and that was no desk/workstation. As I travel mostly for business this is an essential for me (oversight while booking I suppose). Both of these things are very minor in the grand scheme of things. Also the parking desk and pool were under construction.
On a side note - I'd also like to thank all my blog visitors looking for information regarding Sogang's KIP program! It was a blast!
~
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