[Last assignment] What is Minjok?

Who are ‘we’, and how are we different from ‘they’?

The identity of ‘minjok’ is one of the most important standards of discriminating ‘we’ from ‘they.’ However, it is very difficult to define and generalize the concept of ‘minjok’ as it has a broad range of meaning. In the case of Korea, the word ‘minjok’ can include those; who are born in Korea, who maintain Korean nationality, who spend most of their lifetime in Korea, who speak Korean, who are ethnic Koreans, or who share Korean history and follow Korean customs. Yet, all of these have the limitation to fully explain the meaning of minjok. However, it is certain that people of Korean minjok have had the common features (or characteristics) shown since our single race had appeared in the past.

             Half a million years ago, ‘Dangun’, now called grandfather, founded Gojoseon which is the first Korean kingdom. He is said to be the "grandson of heaven", and we are the “grandson of Dangun.” The word grandson gives us the feeling of a family that shares the identity. Actually, the awareness about Dangun’s posterity accompanies a lot of simplification and omission. There are some races that were involved in Korean race after Dangun’s period, and their cultures have been formed interacting with foreign cultures. Thus, referring minjok as a single race or grandson of Dangun is the expression that emphasizes a strong sense of community that Koreans share each other.

The specific historical fact shows it well. In 1919, there was the ‘March 1st Movement’, or Samil Movement, which is a civil uprising against Japan's colonial rule. The 33 nationalists who formed the core of the Samil Movement gathered at Taehwagwan Restaurant in Seoul, and read the Korean Declaration of Independence.

“We hereby rise up! Conscience is on our side, and truth marches with us. Men and women, young and old, leave your darkened corners and partake in the joyful resurrection along with all creation! The spirit of our many ancestors protects us from within, and the tide of the new world from without. To begin is to succeed! Let us march straight into the light!”

People gathered at Taehwagwan Restaurant not for their own lives, and not just for the reason that more number of people make them stronger. They had the thoughts of rescuing minjok from a big suffering. There isn’t any reason for them to devote their lives to save the nation, but the only motive is the awareness that they are one big family, minjok. It is considered that this awareness of minjok made Koreans so easy to be assembled and make a mighty strength. In addition, most of the declarations of independence emphasize minjok by explaining that those who fight are the offspring of Dangun.

  Koreans’ tendency of gathering together still remains nowadays. For example, in 1998 when Korea faced the IMF crisis, people showed a big sense of community which helped Korea from overcoming the economic crisis in a short time. They collected contributions of a gold and raised the money by themselves. Another good example is the ‘2002 World Cup,’ which made all of Koreans be enthusiastic of cheering the national soccer team. Most of foreigners just enjoy the World Cup as one kind of sports, but Koreans regard it as a big festival where everyone raises his or her voice together for the team. Actually, there’s no reason for them to cheer the players whom they don’t really know each other. Nobody does it as a result of considering about the economic gain that winning the World cup could bring to Korea. In contrast, people just feel that they’re family at the same time they have historically inborn feature of gathering.

             As the world is becoming ‘a village’ and the boundaries between the countries are vague, individualism is getting deepened. It is true that Koreans’ perception through ‘minjok’ is diminishing as time goes by. However, our strong sense of community acts a great strength that can confront the world. It would be better if we have tolerance and openness toward other nations at the same time we raise the self-esteem of minjok.

Who is Yoo Gwan Sun?

While I was searching about the concept of "minjok," for the assignment of take-home essay, I found a big relationship between the spirit of "Samil Movement"(a 1919 civil uprising against Japan's colonial rule) and a natural temper of Korean minjok. And I got interested about 'our sister' Yoo Gwan Sun and got to know about her life.

Yu Gwan Sun was a female independence activist who is an icon of the resistance movement against the colonial Japanese period. Cheonan is the hometown of Yu Gwan Sun.

Before I tell you of Yu Gwan Sun’s significance, let me give you a short background of Korean History.

Due to a long period of isolation, Korea had become militarily weaker than its three neighbors, China, Russia and Japan. China was a traditional trading partner who wished to protect its interests in Korea. The Russians also courted a stronger relationship with Korea. This situation protected Korea for a time against the Japanese, who were interested in expanding their influence in Asia through “Gunboat Diplomacy”. In 1895, Japan won the wars against China. Soon after, in 1905, Japan defeated Russia as well during the Russo-Japanese War. This left Korea unprotected and alone.

Japan invaded Korea in 1910, and proclaimed it an official part of Japan. Korea lost all of its rights as an independent country and Japanese rule over Korea officially began. The Japanese occupation was heavy handed and brutal as the Korean people were treated poorly. The Japanese even went so far as to assign Korean citizens new Japanese names, in an effort to fully destroy Korean culture. 

On March 1st, 1919, the Korean people rose up to protest Japanese rule and declared Korea once again an independent country, (This is now known as the “March 1st Movement”). While this movement started in Seoul; in Cheonan, a young girl named Yu Gwan Sun, joined and led the independence movement while still only a high school student.

In Cheonan, Yu Gwan Sun planned demonstrations for independence, and on March 31, 1919, Yu is remembered for lighting 24 torch beacons on Mt. Maebongsan, which inspired about 4,000 Cheonan citizens gathered at Aunae Marketplace to protest Japanese occupation shouting, “Long live Korean Independence!”

Unfortunately, 19 people were shot during the Cheonan protest, and dozens of people were injured. Yu Gwan Sun was arrested by Japanese police and was forced to serve detention at Cheonan Japanese Military Police Station. She was tried and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment at Seodaemun Prison. During her captivity, Yu Gwan Sun continued to protest for the independence of Korea, for which she received harsh beatings and was severely tortured. She died of her torture on October 12, 1920.

Yu Gwan Sun’s death was meaningful though she never saw the independence of Korea. The independence movement lasted for about one month, with about 2 million people participating in the movement. During the protests, the Japanese killed more than 7,000 people. While the Korean people failed to regain independence through these protests, they succeeded in showing the world a strong will for independence.

Dandelion Fluff

Dandelion Fluff

Hyun Jin Jun

A tiny dandelion fluff, my little hand,

is floating on the empty, mild air of spring.

Quietly, with a scent of loneliness,

I wait for a gift, a love…

It still remains an empty air, and an empty hand.

Led by the whispering of the wind, I reach out my hand.

Feeling a slight touch, a slight love,

A beautiful love begins with fluttering fluff of dandelion.

[In-class essay #3] Mankind is no Island

“No fortune to indulge.” When you pass by the subway station, you can usually see homeless people sitting on the ground, begging for money from passers. Most people do not feel the need to give them coins, and are indifferent to them. Some rich people believe that it is sure that people without abilities should not have any chance to get authority of money. In other words, society is not giving opportunities to have “the fortune to indulge” to those who are homeless.

The video shows that homeless people often lack connection to a home and society, limits their sense of belonging. One of the biggest factors that make them alienated is people’s indifference. This society prioritizes the ability of each individual. Only the ones who have good skills can succeed and survive. For this reason, people are too busy to take care of themselves and have no time to look around at neighbors. Furthermore, individualism makes a person hypocritical. For example, a lot of people donate their property to poor people. However, do they care about the homeless people in the station? It is an irony that they help the poor who live far away but not the ones nearby.

           This irony is not limited to relationships between ‘man and man.’ It can be also adapted to the relationships between groups. For instance, there are numerous enterprises in the nation, and they compete with each other to sell more products. However, smaller enterprises are often alienated in the process. In the case of Korean industry of electric device, because the larger enterprises monopolize the products, smaller ones could not enter the market and usually fail to succeed. Though it seems that those kinds of large companies give us many benefits by providing useful products, they hinder other people who are to run new companies. In addition, there exist nations or races that are alienated in the world. Powerful and developed countries use all the resources and there are few chances for underdeveloped countries to make themselves stronger. Also, races in Africa are not respected by other cultures and they often have no sense of belonging in the world. Even though not all ‘groups,’ such as enterprises, nations, or the races, are excluding certain minor ones, much of society still has the problem of indifferent treat toward disadvantaged people with less fortune.

                  There are so many people who are isolated from society. Humans cannot live alone. If each of us can think of others and care about them, we could make the world full of warmth.

[In-class Essay] The trick behind 'Nacirema'

121115 Hyunjin Jun

The article is about the body ritual of Nacirema, which spelled backward of American, explains the traditional habits of people of Nacirema. At first, when I read the article I thought that the Nacirema were merely a group of First Nations that lived in between Canada and America’s southern states. However, after knowing that it represents America, I realized that it was a trick that the author used for effective transmission of his message.

             When I read the text without the realization of American, I thought that the body ritual of Nacirema is something that we should learn and succeed. I reminded of primitive tribes in Southeast Asia while reading it, and it is considered that their traditions should be protected and respected.  Though the medicine men, the holy-mouth-men, latipso, or the listener follow the cruel ways to treat people, I believed that it is their own tradition and we might find some lessons that can be adopted in the modern society. For example, “listener” helps exorcise devils from the heads of those who have been bewitched by letting their patient talk of the difficulties he or she has faced. From this, readers could learn that just listening to others reduces their sufferings.

             Even though it depends on how readers understand and accept the article, the body ritual of Nacirma itself reflects the real modern American culture according to the author. To be specific, a family shrine is a bathroom where a chest with prescriptions and medicines is. “Laptiso” is a hospital. Although treatment can be uncomfortable and expensive, American adults still seek medical treatment which does not really guarantee a cure. A listener is a psychiatrist, and the Nacirema people’s tendency of opposing to their bodies reflects Americans who are not satisfied with their body shapes.

There are three words that appear very often in the article; “ritual”, “ceremony”, and “magical”.  For example, Miner describes the bathroom as a site for “ritual”, medical treatment in hospitals as “ceremony” and medicine as “magical” material. These words seem to suggest that there is a supernatural or religious element behind the practices. However, as I come from a similar culture, I understand these practices to be perfectly secular. To me, bathroom habits are practiced regularly in a certain way out of need and personal preference, not because it is “prescribed”.

             Lastly, I learned the importance of cultural relativity from this article. As I mentioned, Nacirema reminds me indigenous groups in the innermost depths of America whose cultures and practices come shocking to me. For example, they do not wear clothes, which is regarded as a crazy behavior in my culture. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of people in those groups, my culture would appear strange and unfamiliar. Most people tend to believe that all of their daily habits have the reasonable and scientific reasons for doing them. Thus, it must be unacceptable when they see different cultures. Instead of looking at the practices themselves, it may be more helpful to examine the beliefs behind them when looking at diversity across cultures.

TOEFL Workshop: Revision on my Essay

TOEFL Workshop: Revision on HyunJin's Essay

I) Essay Chosen: The essay that we chose for revision & improvement was 121115 HyunJin Jun’s essay on the future of amusement parks

ii) Our Criteria

-Upon evaluation we looked at the organization, content, and mechanics of our works. Organization is related to the how well a certain essay arranges its thoughts and ideas in a coherent, logical order, including structure (thesis statement, paragraph division & allocation etc) and the use of transitions. Mechanics is related to how well the writer can utilize English tools, such as vocabulary & grammar, to accurately express what he/she has to say, and involves concision, diction, and grammar. Content is the set of thoughts, ideas, or arguments that are actually expressed within an essay. An essay with good content is that in which ideas are specific, creative, and engaging upon the average reader. Owing to the fact that the overwhelming majority of our group’s essays were clichés about technology and environment, the originality and novelty of content was especially valued and prioritized. A list below shows some of the important things we have taken into consideration:

1. Organization
- Structure
- Transition 
2. Content
- Specificity
- Creativity
3. Mechanics
- Concision
- Diction
- Grammar

iii) Why we chose this essay (merits)

HyunJin’s essay is strong and distinguished in the sense that the fundamental ideas and details expressed within the essay are creative and specific; by identifying some of the problems inherent with the status quo of the amusement park operation system, and stating three specific ways in which future innovations and technology can complement these shortcomings, she achieves both depth and originality of content.

     Another strong point of her essay is in her usage of mechanics. The sentences in this essay enable readers to comfortably grasp her thoughts and ideas, being simple and concise, and she uses a variety of phrases and vocabularies all topped off well with good grammar. The topic of her essay, and the manner in which she expresses her ideas, gives this TOEFL essay color that other TOEFL essays don’t have.

iv) A Brief Summary of Shortcomings & Revisions

-Even though this essay conforms to the typical TOEFL structure and is organized with a distinct introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, there are several minor flaws; for instance, in the place of an introductory thesis statement is instead a question. Although this new form of experimenting can create a casual, intimate atmosphere between the reader and the writer, we deemed it would be best for the cause if we replaced it with a proper thesis statement. That way, we could establish a clear relationship between the introduction and the body paragraphs through the usage of transitions.

    à . “These efforts will lead to more innovations and developments that can enhance the entertainment experience in theme parks, such as the concentration of amusement functions, improvements to the ticket system, and technological advancements in roller-coasters.” (Introductory thesis statement that was augmented)

-Another minor error with structure and mechanics was the uneven distribution of word count between each body paragraph; even though this is something that does happen, and can be an effective means of writing from time to time, we deemed that in a TOEFL essay it would be best to reduce this discrepancy. By paraphrasing, omitting, and adding phrases, we sought to make the writing more powerful, coherent, and persuasive, while simultaneously reducing the word gap between the body paragraphs.

-The original version of this essay didn’t include transitions that could naturally link paragraphs. We solved this problem by adding some.

-Even though they do not interfere with the readers’ understanding of the text, there were several minor grammatical errors scattered throughout the corners of this essay, some of the most representative of which was the awkward usage/omission of definite/indefinite articles and mistakes in tense.

-Although it poses no threat to the readers’ understanding of the text, the original essay includes redundant usage of the same vocabulary, the most representative of which is the overuse of the key word ‘amusement park’. To solve these problems we substituted them with pronouns or synonyms.

v) Final Version of HyunJin's Essay

  

Amusement parks are some of the most attractive places in the world. People of all ages and both sexes can experience the exciting atmosphere there, enjoying thrilling rides, beautiful scenery, delicious foods, or fun games. As numerous people love to go there, it seems highly unlikely that the amusement park will ever disappear; instead, companies are continuously attempting to develop new rides and features for their customers. These efforts will lead to more innovations and developments that can enhance the entertainment experience in theme parks, such as the concentration of amusement functions, improvements to the ticket system, and technological advancements in roller-coasters.

     The first innovation that will appear is the achievement of space-efficiency through the development of a compact complex that includes all prior amusement features. Modern amusement parks occupy too much space for widespread and efficient usage. For example, Korea can only possess a limited number of theme parks due to their intimidating size, thus diminishing the utility and fun that can be derived from a single visit. The advent of the ‘amusement building’ can complement the drawbacks of the current system by concentrating functions into a tall building. Las Vegas is already on the stage of constructing such type of facility, with merry-go-rounds, Vikings, and bungee jumping apparatus on top of the building, and other entertaining utilities in lower floors like restaurants or game stations.

     Another change that will occur is the total alteration of ticket systems in amusement parks. The status quo requires that people show the tickets worn on their wrists for every ride; this policy is inconvenient since employees have to distinguish the many types of tickets, and users are subject to the nuisance of rolling up their shirt sleeves whenever they use the rides. The ticket in the future can complement these shortcomings through the application of an internal micro chip. These state-of-the-art tickets contain functions that can automatically identify the visitor and the type of ticket via recognition of a bar code, reducing inefficiency and making it easier to find a lost child.

Lastly, certain adaptations will alter the future of roller-coasters. Inventors will try hard to contrive of roller-coaster designs that can give a more fascinating and exciting experience to riders. One of such designs is the installation of a transparent safety belt. At the present, when people ride roller-coasters, they have to depend on big safety bars strapped on seats, knowing that they are the only things that can keep them from falling; however, imagine that, in the future, they will not be able to see those safety belts. Knowing that the roller-coaster will swoop downwards in a matter of seconds, riders would be able to experience the thrill of free fall; and yet the invisible bars will keep all of them intact and safe.
     Although only a few would imagine about a future amusement park, there would be endless development on entertainment in the future; for as time goes by, people would increasingly spend their time enjoying their pastime rather than sitting on the desk working. To satisfy those people, suppliers will have to plan for new facilities giving people better, and more realistic, forms of pleasure. An amusement building with shivering roller-coasters and convenient ticket systems will be able to accomplish just those goals, and fill people’s lives with pleasure and leisure. 

[Reading Journal] Neverwhere 4~6

“NEVERWHERE”  Chap. 4~6

             “There are two Londons. There’s London Above─that’s where you lived─and then there’s London Below─the Underside─inhabited by the people who fell through the cracks in the world.” Through chapter 4 to 6, the author tried to demonstrate how the world below London looked like by showing the changes in Richard’s mind and the people who lived underground.

             When Richard first came into the underground world and started his journey, he didn’t recognize how dangerous it was. However, during the way to the market, he sees and feels to the bone how London Below is unsafe. He regrets he chose to rescue Door and became a member of the underground society. The narrator continued showing Richard wanting to go back to his own life. For example, while Door and the Marquis are auditioning the bodyguard, Richard experiences homesickness. He thinks London Above is a world of safety and of sanity that no one needs to fight, while someone who is part of London Below should be fighting dangerously. Continually in chapter 6, he writes a diary in his mind and he highlights the words saying “I want to go home.” At the same time, he feels superior to London Below. In the market, he feels a deep distance between underground people and himself. Actually, before he came to the underworld, he was a normal person who had a job and his lovely fiancée. By contrast, people in the underworld are different with him, they are alienated people.

             Some of the characters in this part symbolize and represent London Below. One of them is Anaesthesia. She was born in upworld but since her uncle hurt her, she ran away and helplessly came to London Below. Most of the people who came to London Below might have suffered from something similar to Anaesthesia. Another example is Door’s family. They were all killed by someone. Door is the only one who was survived. According to the message that Door’s father left, he wanted Door to avenge the family. He must have died full of hatred. Most people in the underworld cannot live their own lives. They would have grudges against somebody who suppressed them, mistreated them, and made them come to London Below. Sellers in the market also show real aspects of London Below. They sell nightmares, weapons for arming oneself, rubbish, and lost property. I thought that nightmares mean their sufferings, weapons mean they want themselves to be safe, rubbish symbolizes that they are abandoned people, and lost property symbolizes their lost normal lives.

             In short, the author depicted London Below more closely in chapter 4~6. He frankly showed the way people live underground by describing dark, dangerous, and angry faces of it. Additionally, Richard compared the world below the ground with the world above the ground.

[Monthly TOEFL Essay] Future Amusement Park

The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring? Use examples and details in your answer. 

            Amusement park is one of the most attractive places in the world. People of all ages and both sexes can enjoy the exciting atmosphere there. You can enjoy thrilling rides, beautiful scenery, delicious foods, or fun games. As numerous people love to go there, it never seems that the amusement park will be disappeared. Instead, companies are continually trying to develop new rides for their customers. Then how will the amusement park in 2080 be like?

             Amusement parks that present now take too large space for big rides. For this reason, they could not be founded at any place. In Korea, only a few number of amusement parks can exist. During the holidays, too many people are crowded in the popular amusement parks. They complain about expensive tickets comparing to the rides they can enjoy in limited time. To solve this inefficiency, there would be an “amusement building” in 2080. Actually, someone already contrived it in Las Vegas but it is not that developed and popularized. After more years, everyone could find the amusement buildings anywhere. To be specific to its design, there would be a merry-go-round on the top of the building. Now, merry-go-round is no more than a toy ride for children. However, if it rounds up in the air, how people feel would be completely different. In the middle of the building, a Ferris wheel and a Viking would be dangling in the air. Also, you can try bungee jumping looking down the city. At the low floors, there will normally be entertaining facilities such as restaurants or game stations.

             Ticket systems of amusement parks would be totally changed. People should show their tickets whenever they take the rides. To minimize the inconvenience, one amusement park in Korea adopted the ticket that can be put on the wrist. Yet, it is not easy to recognize the ticket because it has various colors for each different kind of tickets, such as ones for children or adults, ones for daytime or nighttime. Plus, it is annoying to roll up the shirt sleeves to show their tickets whenever they use the rides. The ticket in 2080 has a micro chip inside. It includes information of visitor’s information, its kind, and a bar code that is recognized at the entrance of each amusement ride. Additionally, it would be easy to find a lost child.

             A rollercoaster in 2080 would be quite different than that of now. Inventors might try hard to think out more and more thrilling and fascinating roller coasters. One of the ways to make people exhilarate is a transparent safety belt. When you ride a rollercoaster, you have to depend on a big safety bar on a seat. You feel that it becomes the only thing that can fasten you on a train. However, imagine that you cannot see the belt inside your sight. You certainly feel the pressure of the belt but it is invisible. During the travel, you would experience a perfect fall from the top of the rail.

             Not many people will imagine about a future amusement park, but there would be an endless development on entertainment in the future. An amusement building with a shivering rollercoaster and a convenient ticket system would make people’s lives more full of pleasure.

EARTHLINGS Review

I’ve never heard someone saying about Earthlings, “The Greatest Film I’ve ever seen on Earth.” Most people who watched it got shocked and lots of them say that they felt like vomiting for its brutality. Actually, I did not feel sick while watching the film. Even though I had known the contents and how it looks before I saw, I felt remorse for not feeling queasy; I was like becoming a person who is shameless and cold-hearted. Yet, I was eager to shut down my laptop throughout the whole video. At the moment I finished about one-third of it, I didn’t want to look on it anymore. I don’t know whether I was avoiding the reality or simply was unbearable to see such cruel scenes. Tears came into my eyes. It is uncertain whether it was a tear of self-blaming or just a tear of a pity. On just now, I don’t want to eat meat. However, the reason why I cannot promise to be a vegetarian is that I don’t have the courage to control my appetite in front of delicious looking steak. I am a ‘weak’ person.

Before I watch the film, I had skeptical thoughts about it. I had a doubt that why the author made it and persuade people to watch it though there would be no change without an instant shock. Only a few people become vegetarians. Most people do not stop eating meat even after knowing it is a cruel, shocking, and impersonal behavior. The author might not want everyone to stop eating meat also. Indeed, the most difficult thing for human beings is to restrain their instinct. The instinct is the fundamental desire to eat, sleep, and be free. Is it wrong to live depending on instinct? Is it wrong to hunt and eat animals for your desire? Is it wrong to follow your desires?

Actually, it is totally groundless if you say you’re going to be a vegetarian with a love toward animals. At the moment you determine not to eat meat, how about eggs? Then how about plants? It makes a conclusion that you shouldn’t eat anything that has a life. What comes meaningful when you simply stop eating meat? It won’t help to make a better world. Slaughterers would continually kill animals brutally as before because that brings them money. The motive for slaughterer is people’s consumption. Their goal is to make more consumption and more money. Then, it comes different in purpose between the slaughterers and the normal people. Attitudes toward animals are different. Meat is a way to earn money for the slaughterers while it is a way to satisfy desires for the normal people.

I had these kinds of thoughts before I watched the film. However, after I watched it, it was unable for me to say those words again. It was a SHOCK in a real sense of the word. I realized that there are serious ethical problems in the process. Eating food which is processed through ethically wrong methods makes person a puppet. People always want to regard themselves as moral men. They behave hypocritically. Look at the people who volunteer or donate for others. Do all of them do such things with sincere mind to help other people? What is different between ‘to love people’ and ‘to love animals’? No matter how humans are selfish, if someone wants to love and help other beings, knowing what condition they have for the first is the right order. It is an irony to put a chunk of meat into your mouth with an illusion that you are a moral person who can think of other beings.

            

“Animals have same desires as human do; food, shelter, companionship, freedom of behavior, avoidance of pain.”

I have two puppies in my house. When the first one was little, I raised him in the cage for convenience. However, what really made me sorry was that he scratched the cage and moved round and round to get out from it. Eventually, it was to take him out. When I brought my second puppy, I didn’t even take out the cage. But what happen to most animals right before slaughtered? They scratch the cage and move round and round, as my puppy did, and they even suffer a stroke with a desire to be free. And they slowly go to death. The slaughtered animals are no different from my puppies. Yet, why is it unendurable for me to watch my puppies suffering while it’s not toward animals that I take in.

Meanwhile, there are some methods the author used to effectively send his messages. He tried to convince people by adopting striking structure and background. If the structure of the film was focused on showing the reason why we have no choice but to eat meat, people would justify killing animals. If the background music was jazz instead of ‘documentaric’ music, the film would not be a critical documentary but a fun play instead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RR6gFMlRgfQ

My attitudes toward 'Earthlings' totally changed after I watched it. At first, I was not sensible about slaughtering animals, but now I became cynical about it and I even feel uncomfortable about eating meat. However, I'm not sure that this feeling will remain for a long time. I'm afraid that I may find myself eating a piece of pork tomorrow. Yes, I'm a weak person. Yet, I don’t think that eating meat itself should be blamed. It's because most people around the world don’t know how the meats they eat come to their dining tables. However, the task we should accomplish is to let more people know and criticize the fact. Then, there would be changes in social attitudes and furthermore, there would be changes in treatment toward animals. Perhaps, this might be the purpose of the author making the documentary. Though not everyone can be a vegetarian, it is acquired to make a world wave considering the author’s purpose.

My Most Embarrassing Day in my Life!

Hello. The story I’m gonna talk to you today is about the episodes in Seattle when I was 7 years old. I have two episodes and both of them happened because of my poor English skill.

In the summer of 2002, my family went to America. We traveled Seattle, Los Angeles, Las vegas, San diego, and some other places. But it was Seattle where problems happened. On the first day in Seattle, my mom, dad, brother and I went to Madison Beach which is one of the popular swimming beaches in Seattle. My brother and I didn’t know how to swim so we enjoyed a raft, and my dad was swimming around the raft. While we were lying on the raft enjoying sunbathing, the raft was drifting out to the sea little by little. And suddenly, there wasn’t my father within my sight. I was so surprised and tried to find where he was. But I could never find him. I became panicked and started to shout toward the security guard on the beach. Because I didn’t know how to ask for help in English, I just shouted “Hello!” to the security guards. I repeated “hello” again and again crying. But the guards just answered me by shaking hands and saying hello back to me. But oh my god, at that time, my father was enjoying diving under the sea. He rose to the surface of the water as he heard my voice. I was so surprised and so embarrassed that I burst out tears.

In the night of that day, we stayed at hotel in Seattle. We were so tired and especially I was very hungry after hanging on the beach. I found 컵라면 that my mother had taken from Korea. My dad was already sleeping and my mom was taking a shower. So, I decided to eat 컵라면 alone. As I was only 7 years old, it was the first time I have 컵라면 alone. I tried to remember how my mother did when she made it. First, I knew that I should boil the water, and I found something looks like kettle in the room. However, I didn’t know that it is an electric kettle. I actually cannot remember how I used that device now. But suddenly, as I used it, it made a fire. The fire bell rang loudly, and I was surprised and shouted out loud to call my mom and dad. My dad woke up hearing me yelling and as he saw the fire, he took the bedclothes and covered the fire with it. The fire stopped as soon as he did it, but other people who were staying in the hotel came to see what happened. And the most serious problem happened after a few minutes left. It is that the firemen arrived at the hotel with a big red fire engine to help us. Because the fire was stopped, the firemen investigated my family to record what and how the accident had happened. One of the firemen asked me “who made a fire?” with a hand gesture directing at my father. I didn’t know what he meant but I understood that he was asking me “who is he?” so I just answered “my father.” He looked little bit angry and he approached my father and explained about something. My dad said to me that it was about the way to use electric kettle. I was sorry for my parents and it was the most embarrassing day in life.

[Monthly TOEFL Essay #1] RED DEVILS

Describe a custom from your country that you would like people from other countries to adopt. Explain your choice, using specific reasons and examples.

             

            During 2002 World Cup, all Koreans wore red shirts and became the one. 2002 World Cup means a lot to Korean. They still remember the touching moments they had shout with one voice. Unlike other countries, Korean tradition of cheering is popular for gathering on the streets. The ‘Red Devil’, which is the group of people for the Korean national soccer team, is one of the examples of it. This cheering culture like Red Devils positively influenced Korean society that I’d like foreigners to adopt it. The role of its social reunification, improvement of national image, and positive effects on economy are exactly what those are.

             First of all, cheering does sociocultural role in leading people to spontaneous cooperation and unification. Most nations are separated by the regions, races, ages, or religions. For last 50 years, Korea was also separated by these factors. However, the swift of Red Devil gave Koreans ‘public identity’. I think that the reason why Koreans join together and are enthusiastic about World Cup is that they have a strong community spirit. It works positively in the society, which reduces conflicts between individuals. Gathering people’s energy inspires the harmony and confidence from the individualized and competitive society. This reunifies the society and gives a new breath.

             Secondly, national unification by cheering raises the image of the nation. The image of Korea has naturally been changed by the enthusiasm of World Cup. Through the cheering on the street, ‘the land of morning calm’ has been altered into ‘the land of dynamic and passion.’ Compare to the European cheering in the stadium or their houses, cheering on the streets was not a usual scene. Also, citizens’ order and volunteering after games contributed to enhance Korea’s reputation in the world.

             Thirdly, cheering culture gives positive influence to the nation’s economy. For example, 2002 World Cup greatly heightened added value. It stimulated consumer and business sentiment and created employment. In addition, lots of products were derived from an image of Red Devils, creating a new market. Moreover, as Korea became known as one of the most passionate countries, international trade relation has improved much and a good image has been shown to multinational companies.

             In a brief, Korea cheering culture is the most recommendable custom that other countries should adopt, because it unifies people in the country, improves national image, and brings economic development. The mind, ‘we are the one’, can be the intermediation to develop country and to make better society.

[Narrative Essay] "Gift"s for Cambodian Children

   When I was 12, my family went to Cambodia. It was the winter in 2007. Though the weather in Korea was cold, temperature in Cambodia was higher than that in Korea in the middle of the summer. I could even see the heat is waving in the air. I also remember that one little Cambodian boy made me think during the journey.

   On the first day in Cambodia, I was sightseeing a temple in Ankor called Bapuon made of large heavy rocks. I thought that it was wonderful and unbelievable that the ancient people moved those rocks without any electrical device. But soon, the hot weather made me tired. I could not bear the hot temperature and I badly wanted for an air conditioner in the tour bus. My parents were still enjoying the scene of the temple and I was heading to a bus alone to seek cool air.

   

   Suddenly, a little boy approached me and asked me to give him my hand. I didn’t know what he was going to do, so I just showed my hand to him. He put a flower ring on my finger in a sudden. For just a second, I felt happy because the flower and the boy were so cute. However, the next words he said were this; “one dollar!” I was so surprised. At the moment, I took out a dollar from my bag, and other children who were hanging around the temple ran toward me to earn money, holding flower rings. I couldn’t give money to all of them, so I quickly ran into the bus.

    I was little bit mortified and felt really 

confused. I totally didn’t know that the children would use their pure eyes as the way to earn money. I thought that maybe tourists, including me, have made those children into beggars. If it were not for the tourists, the Cambodian government would develop other resources, and the children shouldn't beg for money but instead, prepare for their dreams. I felt sorry for them. I have also realized that the gap between strong and developing countries was getting bigger. At the same time, I felt appreciation for all the things that I had.

   The next day, I prepared some "gifts" for the children. It could not be realistic assistance for them, but there wasn't any other solution that I could think of. I took my pencils, pens, notebooks that I had, and I even took toothbrushes and toothpastes that the hotel provided. Wherever I visited, I gave those gifts to the children. Though I still felt sorry for them, I was happy to see them smiling.

[Reading Journal] Neverwhere 1~3

121115 Hyun jin Jun

“ NEVERWHERE ”  Chap. 1~3

‘Neverwhere’ is a fantasy novel of a story about situations Richard Mayhew suffers in London. When the story first started, Richard was a business man who just started his work in London. He was living a very normal life with his fiancée. However, the appearance of a girl named Door totally changed his life.

At the beginning of the story, Richard encountered an old woman before he left to London for his new job. Whitin the conversation between Richard and the woman, there was something that made the reader possible to guess how the story would progress. It was the woman’s forecast about Richard’s future, which explains that he would go on a long journey that starts with doors. Actually, a girl called ‘Door’ appeared in front of him when he got to London and let him begin a long journey. I thought that the author intended to foreshadow the plot.

In chapter 1, two different kinds of stories are introduced at the same time. One of them is the story of Richard Mayhew and the other one is that of a girl who was running away from cruel guys. Several moments later, the two stories are combined as Richard and the girl encounter each other. I could notify the ‘accidentality’ which is one of the main features of novels. Richard accidentally met a girl who was lying on the street bleeding. Though he was in the urgent situation, he did not just pass by her. He could even ask for others’ help or just call the police, but he decided to take her to his apartment. It was doubtful that he sacrificed himself for the girl who didn’t have any relationship with him. Especially, it was skeptical that he allowed the stranger, who was bleeding and being chased by somebody, to stay in his house for several days. These kinds of situations might stand out the accidentality of the novel.

Some magical, fantastic, unbelievable, and unrealistic events happened in chapter 2. For example, Door disappeared in the bathroom when Mr. Vandemar and Mr. Croup tried to find her, animals sent messages, and Richard came back to his room from the top of the building at the moment he opened a door. I was so excited while reading chapter 2 because of these kinds things that could only exist in fiction.

As the story goes on, the author aroused my curiosity by not explaining the sufferings that Richard suddenly had. Richard became the invisible man who was considered not to exist in London. Nobody could see him or listen to him. However, I expected that Mr. Vandemar and Mr. Croup were related to it as they could hear Richard’s voice on the phone. At the end of the chapter, the man who could also see Richard took him underground. Yet the author did not show who the man is, and again, this made me wonder what will happen next.

My Goals

Hello everyone!

My Korean name is Hyun Jin Jun, and my English name is Lily. Lily is the name that I have used since I was in elementary school. When I was little, I did not like my Korean name for the reason that it's difficult to pronounce clearly. But now, thinking about a meaning of the name which explains that 'a benign and gentle person', I like to be called by my Korean name.

I love playing basketball. Actually, I'm a member of girls' basketball club in my school. I really enjoy playing it even it hasn't been a long time I started it. It was the first time I grabbed a basketball when I came to KMLA. At first, I was too tired after I played basketball. Though, as I regularly practice and exercise, playing basketball has begun to help my life in KMLA. I don't think or worry about something when I exercise, so I can relieve my stress while I play basketball. Also, I feel my physical strength is getting higher.

"Gameover!"

Besides, I enjoy playing a guitar when I have my free time. It also has been a short time I started learning it, and there aren't many codes that I can use. But I like to play music that I like, such as acoustic songs. One of my favorite acoustic songs is 'Lucky' by Jason Mraz.

I really like to study about economics. At the first time I began to be interested in economics, I read several books about economic problems and watched news everyday to see how the world's economic was going on. Now, I'm studying more deeply about economic concepts.

When I was a middle school student, English was also one of the most interesting subjects for me. However, I have felt great pressure that I should use English fluently since I came to KMLA. Especially, I feel I have to improve my speaking and listening skills. So, my goal of this semester is to use English more fluently.