Japan Culture Shock

These first few days in Tokyo have been busy and fun! Half the time I'm shocked by all the things I had forgot about and that are different from Korea and the other half the time, I feel as if I never left Japan or that I have come home in a way.
Here are a couple observations of the things that struck me when I first got here:
- In a polite conversation between two people who had just met, 80% of the statements were made in question form
- There's slightly less foreigner fascination/ phobia here
- Cell phone service cuts in and out on the train and subway :(
- You can't talk on your cell phone on public transportation
- At 6:00pm on a Saturday night, the subway was crowded with drunk business men
- There are so many bicycle lanes and parking areas and bikes aren't even locked up :)
- There are public washrooms in the convenience stores
P.S. I also stayed in a capsule hotel for the first time :)

Parlez-vous français?

These past two weeks I have been tutoring French for two beginner students. It has been a good experience for all of us! They always had challenging questions for me. After our last class yesterday, Dazy's mom invited me to their house for dinner.

Pendant les dernières deux semaine j'enseignais le français pour deux étudiants débutants. C'était une bonne expérience pour nous tous! Ils me posaient toujours des questions difficiles. Après notre dernière classe hier, la mère de Dazy m'a invité chez eux pour le souper.

Daegu with Penny - 2

This weekend I went for a day trip to Daegu to visit Penny and his mom. It was much like when I went there two and a half years ago only this time we drive to his dad's tofu factory in the countryside, stopped by a bullfighting stadium, and went out for BBQ beef

instead of duck. Also, I was able to talk to his mom a bit in Korean :)

Here's my blog post from my first visit in 2009: http://www.kimkimu.blogspot.com/2009/09/daegu-with-penny.html

Exploring cont...

On the last day of the sunny weather this week, we went for a marvellous day trip up the East coast.
이번주말에 날씨가 좋아서 우리는 멋진날을 위해 동해로 여행을 갔어요.

Our first stop was an oceanside picnic of Kimbap (seaweed and rice) followed by a visit to the Museum of Marine Sciences.
우리의 먼저 바다옆에서 김밥 소풍을 하고 수산 해양 박물관에 갔어요.

Next we visited a famous seaside temple with a golden statue of Buddha and a cave with spiritual water.
다음으로 해변가에 금불상과 약수터가있는 유명한 절에 갔어요.

Lastly, we ventured further up the coast to picturesque lighthouse church where we caught the sunset.
마자막으로, 우리는 조금 더 들어가서 사진을 많이 찍을수 있는 아름다운 등대교회로 갔어요. 거기서 우리는 일몰을 봤어요.

Books, hiking, and murals

This past week we visited an alleyway packed with used books and went for a hike along the ocean and one up a mountain. Along the way, we discovered two narrow walkways lined with murals.

Room 410 :)

Welcome to Room 410 at the BUFS dormitories - my home for the next three weeks. I lucked out on getting just one, really nice Korean roommate with whom I share meals and many conversations in Korean.

Bienvenus à la chambre numéro 410 aux dortoirs de BUFS - chez moi pour trois semaines. Je suis très chanceuse de vivre qu'avec une colocataire coréene sympatique avec qui je partage les dîners et conversations en coréen.

Bienvenidos al cuarto numero 410 en los dormitorios de BUFS - mi hogar por tres semanas. Tengo la suerte de vivir solo con una compañera coreana simpática con quien comparto comida y conversaciones en coreano.

Bem-vindos ao quarto numero 410 nos dormitorios de BUFS - a minha casa por tres semanas. Tenho sorte de só morar com uma companheira coreana simpática com quem compartilho comida e conversações em coreano.

ブサン外国語大学寮の410番部屋へようこそ。私の3週間の家です。ルームメイト一人います。親切な韓国人です。一緒に料理を作って韓国語で会話をして、本当によかったです。

부산외대기숙사 410번방에 오신것을 환영합니다. 저는 3주동안 여기서 살거예요. 제 룸메이트는 한명입니다. 친절한 한국친구예요. 자주 우리는 같이 요리하고 한국어로 이야기합니다.