Words Just Can't Explain~~ 정

My words can't explain the feeling of being mentally close and connected with the people here. Honestly. This kind of telepathic connection is called 정 (jeong) in Korean culture. But let me try to explain what is on my mind.

I have three weeks left in Korea, so I have been preparing my farewells (see you later's). I feel like creating this process will help me cope with leaving and welcome home with open arms. So you'd think that I've mentally prepared myself right~~ wrong. One particular bye was harder than I thought.

The dance group H.A.R.I.E. had an end of the semester battle, so I thought I'd show my support. Now I had said my bye's to most of the members about three weeks ago, and bye to the club. Some of them had the saddest looks on their face, and I began to feel sad too. Funny thing, I didn't know I mattered so much to the group until I said my farewells. I thought that night was the last I'd see of the group, but something pulled me back to them. 정. After the battle we all ate dinner and got drinks together, but it was unlike other nights when we hung out. I really felt the strength of 정.

I have never felt so close to a group (team) in my entire life, and for such a short period of time. I have best friends back home, but this connection is so different. So unexplainable. Being part of H.A.R.I.E. was so important in my experience here, because now I can understand a significant key in Korean culture. Collectivism and relationships with one another which roots deeper than usual.

Now I understand 정and I can honestly say that H.A.R.I.E., and all the friends I've made since studying in Korea have impacted my life. ^.^

Thank You H.A.R.I.E.!

우선 제가 이번 학기를 즐겁게 보낼 수 있도록 해주신 여러분
모두들에게 감사하다는 말씀 드리고 싶어요
이 힙합 클럽에 대해서 알게됬을 때 정말 기뻤습니다.
한국어가 많이 부족해서 제 자신이 답답했던 적이 많았지만
다양한 스타일의 춤을 배워서 기뻐요. 미국에 갈때 배웠던
것들 고스란히 잘 가져갈께요.

팀의 일부가 될수 잇어서 너무 기뼜습니다. 좀 더 있었으면 좋겟지만
떠나야한다니 안타까워요.
나중에 제가 한국에 와서 모두들 다시한번 만났으면 좋겟구요,
미국에 오면 언제든지 연락 주세요.

이 모든 경험에 감사드립니다.


I would like to thank everyone for making this a great semester. When I found out about this hip-hop club I was very happy.

Even though sometimes I was frustrated with korean, I have learned many styles of dance. Now I will take my new skills back to America.

I'm glad that I got a chance to be a part of the team. I wish I had more time. When I come back to Korea, hopefully we can all be friends. If you go to America, you will always have a friend.

I appreciate this experience. Thank you!

H.A.R.I.E. Performance!

All the hard work finally paid off! Last thursday Harie had a performance during Akaraka weekend, which is one of the biggest student festivals of the school year. Our teams practiced hard and had some fun along the way. Now you all get to see what we've been working on! Hip-hop Always Runs Into Education (H.A.R.I.E.)!

VIDEO: For my performance skip to 1:12

Making Friends at Yonsei University

My suggestion for making friends while studying abroad~~ Join a club! It's the best way to make friends and constantly see them.

I made it into the hip-hop dance club (Harie) I told ya'll about earlier, and so did most of my American friends. They invited all the "freshmen" to a welcome party, and I got to watch videos of their previous performances.

Now it was weird at first, because the ice wasn't broken yet. No one really got to know each other yet. But when we went to dinner, that was a different story.

It was sprinkling rain outside and I didn't have an umbrella. A friendly korean girl shared her umbrella with me and my friend, which was really nice. There were about 30 dancers, so it's surprising that the leaders kept all of us together.

Eating~~ Now at first a couple of my American friends sat at a table, but nobody would sit with us. These were big tables, so in my mind I was a little disappointed. But luckily many people did later. It was so awkard! I hated it, so I broke the ice and tried to keep conversations going. It turned out one of the guys were in my chemistry class. And most of the koreans at the table were my age. YEY!
The food was really good, and it was bottomless! The servers just kept on bringing food to us. Ahh, it was delicious!

Drinking Games~~ I have a hard time remembering the names of all these games. But I learned a drinking song, played "Game of Death," and "Love Shot." I lost a couple times, but it's all good! Such a wonderful way to interact with each other.

Clubbing~~ A bunch of hip-hop dancers at a club together~ better make sure there's enough room! Harie took us to Barfly where we got more drinks and danced. Watching dancers actually get loose and freestyle was hilarious~ especially since some of them were drunk. My friend pushed me into the middle of the dance circle, and I hate freestyling. Even though alcohol is called "liquid courage," I feel like I don't dance well when I drink. Oh well, maybe people won't remember Haha!

Either way~~~ Eating+Drinking+Dancing= Good times! At least for me anyways ^.^

A Different Kind of Hip-Hop Dance

I've been looking for some kind of hip-hop dance in Korea, and finally found it! My friend Ann signed me up a couple days ago. Unfortunately the hip-hop club had auditions, but the first day was just rehearsing the choreography they taught us. Anyways,  in order to prepare myself, I missed my korean class to stretch and warm-up. When I was done, I met up with seven other people (foreigners) to go.

I felt it coming, and I wasn't prepared for the initial reaction. I walked into the dance studio and everybody looked at me. One guy even had his eyes bulged with his mouth wide open. The korean girls were whispering to their friends and the guys just stared. Being the only black person isn't new for me, but here we go with the culture shock roller-coaster.

The class was split up into four corners~ popping, locking, waaking, and crumping. First I went to the waaking group, but then realized that it looked exactly like k-pop dance. After that discovery, I immediately went to crumping. I never did it before, and I was the only girl. The choreographer was really nice and at least his english was good. Now if you've seen crumping, it's basically showing all your power and strength~kind of releasing the inner beast.

Since the choreographer said (in korean) this was a dance black people do, I felt that pressure because I was black. Like I had to be like Chris Brown or something. Yeah I can keep a beat and I have my own attitude when I dance, but that shouldn't mean I'd take it seriously~~ Either way, I experienced a new kind of dance, and I actually enjoyed myself.

During the break, I watched waaking and girl's hip-hop which seemed like more edgier k-pop dancing in my opinion. The choreographer is really good though. But I guess that's what Koreans call hip-hop, and I accept that now.

Most of the women were in this group, while I was the only girl in mine. Back at home, my dance friends Amber, Angel, Moriah, and Raven would be with me. I'm not use to dancing without them. I miss my crew, but I had to be solo dolo.

It's all better, because I finally went into the hip-hop dance group with a few other girls! It was mostly popping, foot, and shoulder work though. No stomp the yard up in here! Actually it was pretty basic, which will make the audition go more smoothly. Only one of the choreographers talked to me, and I learned some footwork that I still have yet to perfect. But it's okay.

The audition is in a few days, I'll be getting together with a few others in the group to rehearse. I pray for all of us to make it, because I know we have the passion and potential. Wish us luck!!