Unexpected, unplanned trip to Pusan
Thanks for all your welcoming and being interested in my blog. It seemed as if I started my blog with a bang. I will try to respond your comments as much as I can at the end of the entry.
Hello Jim. Thanks for welcoming! Wow! you have been to Korea? I hope you had a good time. I really don’t know where you took the photo. I guess it might be in Kyeng-ju. I visited Kyeng-ju, which is a cultural city, and I remember I saw a huge buddha statue somewhere. Hope I’m right.
The following is about my trip to Pusan. I didn’t really take pictures of the landscapes while I took many pictures of my friends and me, so I am sorry I can’t show you everything about Pusan. However, whenever I take pictures, I realize that our eyes cannot be compared to the world best camera. If you have a chance of coming to Korea, this is one of the must-see cities, so, visit here and make pictures with your eyes.
It was a last minute decision to go to Pusan. I finished my final exam the last Sunday. I was sick and tired of being at the collage residence after having done all the work for the semester. So did my friends. So, we just decided to get away from Seoul and go to somewhere far away from the familiar city. The place we decided on was Pusan, where my friends had never been before and I just had visited once. As you might expect, we really didn’t know what we would find out, but the idea of going to “never been city” thrilled us to bits.
We caught the train at 10:30 at night. It was a night train. I never expected I would see so many people the small hours on the train. It took us 6hours to get to Pusan. In fact, you can catch a fast train and it takes only about 2 or 3hours. The long journey was fun, though. We did long lists of chatting and catching up with each other.
At last, we arrived in the Pusan Station at 4.30 in the morning. I really wanted to see sun rising from the beach. If it hadn’t been for the clouds, it would have been a fantastic start for the trip. Sadly, it was quite cloudy, come to think of it, the sun seemed to be already in the sky somewhere.
After having light breakfast, we headed to Taejongdae. I will show you some pictures of it. It’s a wonderful place to take a walk. Actually, I saw quite a lot of people walking up. From a distance it looks like a small mountain, but it is a cliff.
After this place, I went to some other famous places such as the place where the international film festival took place, the huge fish market, and the beach with the Gwang-An Bridge which has pretty lights at night. We started the day at 4.30 and the day was really long, and it was very hot, temperature was about 30 degrees. So, next day, we decided to have fun on the beach.
Haeundae is one of the famous beaches in Korea, and you cannot imagine how many people actually come here for holidays. When it’s the season for sea-bathing or sun-bathing, whatever, you would say that there are half people and half water in the sea. I wouldn’t really like being there with too many people. Fortunately, I think we were there at the right time. We really didn’t go into the water as the water was quite cold, then we walked along the beach with bare feet and played with the sands just like children. Near the beach there is an island called Dongbeksum, where you can also take a walk through with feeling a nice sea breeze and it’s leading to Nurimaru APEC House.
As I said in the previous blog entry, Pusan is the second biggest city in South Korea. I could feel that this city has something to draw people’s attention. I loved hanging around the old fashioned fish market, but also I liked going shopping in the big department store. I wished I could live in the apartment where you can look over the sea. It’s kind of being in a city with nature.
That was my short journey story. I hope you enjoyed it. I really wanted to help you to draw some pictures on your mind about Pusan. I always find it difficult to make descriptions in English. So, I’ll leave it to your imagination.
Here we are for the comments!
It really surprised me to see so many comments on the first entry. Thanks for all the encouragement and interests. I’m afraid I won’t be able to respond all your comments.
First of all, Nice to meet you all Koreans out there, especially, Hyoshil, Hwajung and Sook. I know how you feel about having been away from home country. Last year when I was in England I really missed being surrounded by the familiar things which I had never appreciated and coming back here and seeing such things was great, but don’t feel homesick and enjoy your life there as well.
About the weather in Korea
There are four seasons. Now it’s summer when we have a rainy season, monsoon for a month. After this one month, the weather is going to be very hot. It’s always best to stay at home surrounding yourself with cool air at this time, but it also can be fun going for a swim. Autumn comes from September to November, and winter is normally from December to February, and it doesn’t snow all over the country equally, like Pusan which is located in the south of S. Korea, you hardly see snows. I just say that the snow in the picture was actually about 40 centimetres in depth, but that much snow is not normal to see in Korea.
About my summer school
Even though I’m studying biology, I’m giving myself the chance to study something different. I’m taking the course titled as human migration and mobility in a Global Era. I should have time to talk about this course later on. The university also provides lots of stuff to engage the students with this summer semester such as Korean food festival, visiting cultural places, some city tours, parties and so on.
About the rest of questions
I might be able to write about Ginseng. I will see what I can talk about it. Alessandro, actually, the football player I mentioned is in the Manchester United F.C in England. He is a hard-working person, and I think he deserves his position.
That's all for today. Thanks for reading it.
Jiae
Greetings!
Hello, everyone.
First, I would like to thank Dima and all the staff of the BBC learning English for giving me the fantastic opportunity to write a blog. I will do my best to make my blog enjoyable.
I am Jiae from South Korea. It is actually sad that I have to say South and North Korea separately. North Korean blood runs in me as my grandmother is from there. She had to move out from North Korea when there was the Korean Civil war in 1950. Obviously, it is a sad story to talk about, so let’s move on to introducing myself.
I am a student of 23 year-old studying biological science at SungKyunKwan University in Korea. I am interested in medicine and public health. One of my dreams is working for WHO(World Health Organization). It really fascinates me to learn about living organisms, how the lives are organized and how they are worked. It’s quite difficult to study, but once you make sense of it, it’s amazing to know how complicated and precise everything is working in your body and other organisms. I love studying biology.
Maybe I should mention about my family as well. There are five of us. My dad, my mum, my brother, my sister and me. My dad and mum run for a company producing healthy food made with Ginseng. My brother is a professional football player in Korea I hope he is going to be so famous like Pack Ji Sung. Finally, my sister is a high school student working so hard for an entry exam to a university. We haven’t lived together since I was 15. I always wish we could stay together at least for a year in our lovely house. Let me show you some pictures of my hometown and my home.
It’s a quiet and peaceful village. I grew up here. I had spent most of the time in my life in this small village before I moved out to go to university in Suwon which is near Seoul. I always miss being in my hometown, enjoying the beautiful scenery, and playing with my friends. All of them are just like dreams when I think of them. I’m about to feel homesick. So, let’s focus on my present life.
From the 29th of June, the day before yesterday, I started International Summer School at my university. It is a great opportunity to meet lots of people from different countries and to build up new friendship, globally. I’m still so excited about taking the course. As this course goes by, I will have more things to talk about. Please look forward to it.
I love plyaing the piano. Even though I am not very good at it, when I get stressed out or things are not going to what I want, I always want to play music and get my head rested.
I also love travelling. I have been to some Europrean countries and Japan out of my country. You know what? I got away to Pusan last week with my friends. Pusan is the second biggest city in Korea, and is located in the seaside. I realised that there are lots of different sides you can see in one city. I should describe this city as a package of beauty , old, and modern. The beautiful seaside and mountains, the old markets, and the mordern shopping arcades, other attractions for tourists. I really enjoyed staying there for a couple of days.
I think every country has their own characteristics and they should be appreciated itself. I travelled aroud so few countries considering there are over 200 countries out there. I will not be able to get to know about all the countries in the world, but our high technology is helping us to fulfill our interests. So, by using the internet and this blog, I am pleased to give you the opporunity to know about Korea. I also would love to hear from all of you and share our interests.
Next time, I will wirte aoubt my trip to Pusan. My story will be countinued.
Nice to meet you all out there.
Jiae
Farwell
Thank all of you for your interest and support to write this blog. It has been very interesting to read your feedback on my writings.
My days will go further with new challanges and I think that I will be here from time to time.
Best regards,
Taru
From BBC Learning English
It's time to wave goodbye to Taru and say hello to our July's blogger. She is Jiae and she comes from South Korea. Welcome Jiae and enjoy blogging!
BBC Learning English team
Informal learning and reflecting
This is a bit funny thing for me when I do my studies in pedagogic sciences and write this blog. The studies are mostly concentrated to the adult education. It can be divided to three parts: formal, non-formal and informal learning. Formal learning is the educational learning at institutes, universities and other official structures which admit a degree. Non-formal learning happens at organized situations according some kind of leading and it is possible to have a document or a certificate of learning and participating but it is not a degree. F. ex. associations and sport clubs have such kind of courses which are useful and is related to their values and purposes. Informal learning happens nearly all the time and it is called everyday-learning. It has as many aspects as the human life has. It happens at work, home, hobbies, shops, banks, busses, schools and in internet. It can be coincidental learning and it means that there is no plan and it happens and usually through the error it is possible to realize that now they will teach me. It is very experimental way of learning as you see.
What is funny? When I have read these theories and try to apply them to practice I realize that actually I (and you) am doing it here. This way of learning English is a good example of everyday-learning. We use modern elements, internet and programs, and its form social media to be in contact to people around the world and learn not only to use the tool, the language, but also our lives, societies, countries and ourselves. And now I will come to the most interesting part. To make that all conscious it has to reflect. Reflecting has many meanings and it depends on the way of approaching the experiment. One way might be looking backwards, asking yourself what it was then what it is now, make unclear things clearer, give names to steps or to parts of the process on so on.
Learning has fascinated me time to time and it was 2002 when I took this photo. It is named “Reflection”. It tells my understanding of reflection seven years ago. It is like looking forward to window and there you see what is behind. To make shivery picture clear you have to reflect what you have actually behind.
So this is fascinating way of learning and big question is how this way of learning will be indicated to formal learning?
See you,
Taru
Shortly said
This post will be short. I have been busy and time for processing blog has been overtaken.
So
(1st thing: ) I have done a lot of works for pedagogic studies. I have to do as much as possible before
(2nd thing:) having work again. I will start work 1st of Juli at The real estate association of Lappland.
(3rd thing:) I have a summer flue. It makes me tired.
I liked Jim’s idea to tell his misery place for travelling. I would like to hear commentator’s dreams also .
See you
Taru
Youth work, misery dreams and relaxing
This blog is divided in three parts. The first will describe shortly youth activities in Barents, the second part will be for the itchy feet and the third to relax and recovering.
The work at association is exiting, varying, demanding, life style and a part of your identity. Youth work was the main service at that association working past 16 years. It offered some pearls and one, which let me forever lasting impact, was participation to Barents Regional youth work. It began from Oulu conference in 2000 continued in Tromso 2002 and in Haparanda on a course of youth workers. The main idea is to promote cross-over borders co-operation among youth. Borders aren’t for youth and it has been long traditions to go over borders as a pass free among Nordic countries. I am not actively involved in youth work anymore and I was really happy to notice that the process is going on. Bryc have had a conference in Arghangelsk and they have established a counseling office.
I think that nearly every of us have a dream place where to yearn and hunger for adventure. The longer away from home the better. It is expected to be very difficult to achieve and going there is heroic and worth of sacrifices. For one it is climbing up mountains, look eye to eye with crocodiles or stand beside of volcano driver. For me it is travel to Arghangelsk in North-west Russia. I think it was in 1982 when I wrote a short fairy tale and its characters were escaping to Arghangelsk. Why? I don’t know, maybe therefore that I did not know anything about that place. My knowledge from Arghangelsk has increased a bit by having contact with some students from Arghangelsk University and looking Google Earth and seeing a video. As a travelling destination Arghangelsk has a lot of seeing and hopefully they will value their city and culture. It should not be destroyed but carefully restore and conserve the old buildings and villages. If you have really itchy feet you may look for yourself to see is this place really worth of dreaming and waiting for a suitable time to travel.
Arkhangelsk
SOUTH KOLA - A travel guide to the southern part of Murmansk oblast
Being active, motivated and keen on many things asks a lot of energy, ability to concentrate and organize things. To do it after weeks, months and years it needs ability to relax and recover energy again. We have very different kind of ways to do it. One way is listening music and let your thoughts go on. Lie on the floor. Let your muscles relax like go under floor. Your skin on your faces flows on your ears and neck. Open Rinneradio and close your eyes. Just listen.
More about Rinneradio.
See you on next week after Mid Night Sun festival
Taru
Processing Photos
It has been raining and blowing on resent days. Weather service will not promise anything better. It has become warmer and it means we have a lot of mosquitoes now. I have a good reason to stay at home and beyond the table and write the next blog.
Photographing has been my hoppy very long time. The most creative period of my hobby was about ten or fifteen years ago. Taken photos presented people, children and nature. I tried to catch a moment and insert a message. I tried to impress something with perspective, details, shadows and rhythms of objects. I had (still have) a system camera (Nikon 601) and smaller pocket camera. I used DX code films (25, 50, 100, 200, 1000), slide films and black-and-white films. The system camera was for the main situations and the pocket camera was for occasional purposes. The first problem to develop photos was with B/W photos. I have not my own laboratory and I used a photography shops laboratory. The quality of handmade photos was good but it was extremely expensive. After a while the developing fee had degreased but the quality was poor. The photos were made with the same development process machines as the color photos were done. There were not gray scale separation. I concentrated to color photos wholly and developed my skills to create fiction and sort of self-made reality. I had extra objectives and a tripod to help work. Then something happened and I lost my creativity and interest in photographing.
Two years ago I bought a new digital system camera (Nikon 80D) and Adobes programs to process photos. On the web graphic course I learned the technique and some tips to process the photos. It should be careful with one thing. It is eagerness to using Photoshop program instead of looking a photo. What do you think about following pictures? Have I done too much or not? What kind of purpose they will fit best in your mind?
Lady’s Slipper orchid is a protected plant here in Finland. It grows in our village forests.
And the same with Beverly emboss.
This is made by vector graphic. The parts of Northernmost Lapland and Lake Inari are made with color glides. The lines are effected with shadow.
Ice sculptures were quite light and not very visible at the origin picture. Blue color changes the spirit of sculptures.
It is a real blue moment. I was coming back from Muonio and Olostunturi (Fjell Olos) to Rovaniemi on February. Just before the sun fell down I drove a car beside the road and took this. I have not done anything to this photo just and the text.
Two layers and Beverly emboss cone. Nice harmony colors on later autumn.
As I told I had taken a lot of details. This chain is actually a chain of a tractor wheel. The wheels are covered with iron chains to drive on a slippery road and ground. Anyway the chain can be taken where ever. The chain has a shadow which is the same item but it is turn to black and is situated to another back side layer. The ground layer is a color glide and the upper layer is made with pattern.
This world is very visual. We are more and more targets of visual messages. Marketing consists in visual commercials. This is an informal part of learning photographic process. I don’t do this often but for me it is a way of learning something new by looking commercials. How they are made? What kind of colors they use? What kind of effect they have? If it is something very impressing I will try to create similar.
For those who are interested in photos and processing them there is made a lot of books and web sites. You may search free programs and tutorials from internet if you just get addicted with it. This is a good hobby and takes all of your extra free time.
Best Regards,
Taru
Last part of Free Choice Studies
This is the last part of free choices in my Bachelor’s degree. This is also a photo cavalcade from the afternoon with Summer School students.
We were first in Sport school which is also a part of Applied Sciences. Students were able to familiar with indoor playground. It is a playground which is planned to serve also adults and especially ageing people. It has made a research that people over 60 years have become much more better conditions and been able to fetch and carry their every day’s life more easily. It has also refreshed them and accidents like broken legs have degreased. So why we would not start it now, have playgrounds for adults and let’s have fun.
Indoor playground
After that funny moment we went to Ranua Zoo. It is located 80 km south-east from Rovaniemi. The fauna of the Zoo is mainly collected from the animals of Lapland but there is also one animal of which I have to say it is from arctic areas and not exist in Lappish nature. It is Pola bear. Anyway it is interesting and dangerous animal. I hope we will have them in Polar Arctic still next 100 000 years.
Ranua Zoo
The Zoo in on a hill and it is mainly beach of very old lake. Actually it is the beach of Lake Ancylus. The Baltic See was a lake about 10 000 years ago when Scandinavia was covered by Ice Age. We have a treat of global warming now and Polar Arctic would melt away. We can imagine that the water high of sees will rise some hundred meters who knows. My sister who is geophysicist advised to buy a plot beside the Ancylus beach. I think that it will be really far-reaching view. I have started to collect money for it.
Lake Ancylus
Summer School seems to be tiring and for myself I am happy to end this course to the rapport. I will enclose some photos you have seen and describe the whole process.
At the end of this blog I would like to tell my best regards to the students and teachers who joined in Summer School. I think it was a good experiment and raised our experience of cultures, learning and teaching.
See you,
Taru
3rd photo to the blog below
Reason or an other the 3rd photo has problems to become a visible.
I try once again
Have fun
To those who are interested in cultures and their differences
Hofstede would give answers.
He gives a lot of thinking of his ideas and researches among cultures
Hofstede
regards Taru
