It's been about a month since I've been in Korea and I realized today that for the first time in my life I am loving every moment being away from home. It's a thrilling feeling and I actually don't feel the urge to have to frame it in an expression so others can know about it--I'm content with just holding the formless rush of happiness within the borders of my own understanding.

I failed to write about my internship in my last entry. I've already told some of you this via email or chat: working with PSCORE is everything I dreamed that it would be--a small but ambitious NGO, in a small stuffy office space, with endless things that need to get done but of course, not enough people for all of it, requiring all of us to be flexible and creative. I've met some of the most unique and passionate people along the way (both Korean students and foreigners living in Korea) who've helped me become more certain about things I've always been hesitant about.

I know I'm being a little vague right now, and not being clear about what exactly I've been doing at my internship. But I hope you'll be understanding because I just returned from an exhaustingly surreal weekend. Everything I've been working on for the past three weeks with PSCORE was all for the sake making the past three days actually happen, and I can't believe it already...well...happened. To simply summarize how I've been doing so far: I've never worked so hard, played so hard, thought so hard, and fought so hard with myself to listen to everything and everyone around me ever in my life. I've been trying to figure out how to digest my weekend all day and I found my thoughts resembling chords rather than words. And I have this fear right now that if I try to write out everything I've been doing up to this point, my readers might make it out to be much less than how much I cherish the experience. Everyone has their collection of surreal moments, and often times people taint the value of it by trying to articulate everything, only ending up failing to do it justice. I'd like to leave mine unexposed and sheltered from the judgement of others for now.

I can't even put up pictures from the weekend because no one was allowed to bring cameras, for the safety of the North Korean defectors.

I promise I'll put up some exciting pictures in my next entry :)

Love,

Rachel

Today was my first official day at work and I feel so professional already. haHAA.

I guess I should quickly go over my first week, before I talk about my first day at my internship, right?

I arrived in the evening at Incheon Airport, where I met up with my grandparents, whom I haven't seen in about 10 years. They were worried that they wouldn't recognize me, so I told them I would wear a bright yellow dress. As soon as I walked through the exit doors, I saw my grandmother perk up when she saw me, but even still, I don't think she really recognized me...she kept giving me shifty looks, so I had to walk straight up to her and act really perky and give her a hug. We met up with my grandpa and headed to their place.

At first, their apartment felt so...Korean. Bare wooden floors. Bathroom slippers. No proper beds. Removable shower handles. Big closets full of blankets and sleeping mats. A veranda. Dusty elevators. And an epic view of their town. It felt a little out of date at first, but I've come to appreciate the way apartments function in Korea--especially because nearly EVERYONE lives in one. Living in apartments save so much energy (because of the veranda, everyone dries their clothes. i'm guessing, during the winter time, since everyone's stacked on top of each other, if the top and the bottom floors are well heated, the middle floors don't have to use as much heat. and i'm sure there are other reasons, but i don't want this entry to become a lecture on energy efficiency), makes recycling easy and efficient, and life more convenient (you don't have to worry about mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, tending your garden etc).

Living with my grandparents was like living in a blunt, caricatured sit-com. They say the most extreme things, and can go on and on about so many random things! Especially my grandpa. He likes to show off about his in deep knowledge of history, science, and statistics. It's just numbers and dates and percentages rolling out of his tongue and not exactly reaching my ears. And I smile, nod my head, and give the most generic response and clueless Korean student can say-- "네..." But rather than being annoyed, I like to think that everything they're saying--and believe me, they talk as if time will never end--is everything they wanted to say to me during the 10 years I haven't been with them. It's overwhelming, but it's fair.

Anyway--here are a few pictures from my adventures with my grandpa. He took me to three of Korea's old royal palaces, a royal burial ground, Namsan tower (which overlooks Seoul), City Hall (with my adorable 14 year old cousin), and a very lovely lake park full of roses and a singing fountain! Everywhere we went, he had a detailed itinerary and a concentrated lecture the entire time. I think I grasped about 40% of what he was saying. It's a shame really--he's pretty darn brilliant and it would be terrifically useful if I understood everthing he was saying. Maybe by the end of the summer I will!

with Grandpa

cousins! one emo, the other a perky flash of sunshine

palace ceilings are mesmerizing

my grandpa told me to find the meanest looking guard

the singing fountain! basically a water show with great music

i look like i'm in middle school.
we're in front of the city bell.


the bell "tower"

i forget which palace this was--it's the main hall where
the king sat and made decisions with his counselors

in the empress's quarters

love lockets on some fences outside the Namsan Tower

that place where cars and trucks blew up
in one of the scenes from IRIS


the creek/stream that runs through seoul.
not the river. it's just a stream that used to smell
really bad, but they fixed it up a few years ago.
kids play and couples coo over each other.




my cousin, me, and my ridiculously tacky aunt


pillars holding up a building in front of a burial

i'm in love with these trees. they're beautifully crooked.

I don't feel like talking about my first day now. I'm too tired.

Send me some love, and I'll send you a postcard :)

love,

Rachel