Journal #20

Manners are extremely important in Korea. They are handed down from generation to generation since a period of Jo-Seon starting about 500 years ago. There are several unacceptable behaviors in Korea. First of all, Korea has unique table manners when we dine with elderly people. When we are having a meal with the elderly, young people don’t have their meals after elders take a bite of their meals, that is, we had to wait until adults started eating. Therefore, when you have meals with Korean families if you eat your meal before elders, you will be treated as a rude person. Secondly, when young people meet elders, young people should bow their heads to elders. Also, we use honorific language to elders to show respects. Koreans consider them a matter of consequence. Accordingly, if you don’t bow and use honorific language when you meet older people in Korea, they will think you are impolite. Finally, young people should yield their seats when elders get on a subway or bus. When elder people ride a bus or subway, usually young people leave their seats out because they think that the seats are for elders and weak people. So that when elders get on a public transportation, if you don’t yield your seat, you will become the focus of criticism. These things are unacceptable behaviors in Korea. Due to such manners, you should learn them before you go to Korea.

Journal #19

There are many leisure time activities in the world to suit every kind of taste of taste and desire. My favorite leisure activity is traveling. I have traveled America, Canada, Australia, Italy, Turkey, and Greece. I have been to abroad once a year as an average since I was 20 years old. The country that I like the most among these countries is Italy because the country has a lot of great places to visit as a tourist. There are a few famous cities in Italy. Rome, the city of relic itself and also the great museum, calls travelers all over the world maintaining the history of two thousand years. The arcane harmony of cultural heritages crossing each historical era is lying in the city of history. Beside Rome, there are cities filled with beauty such as Vatican, Napoli, Pompeii, Cafri, Firenze, Pisa, Milano, Venezia and Verona. I took a great pleasure when I went to Italy in 2004 with my family. So I want to recommend you to visit Italy and see all the beauty. And If I have time, I want to travel Asian countries such as Japan, China, Taiwan, Thai, and Vietnam because I have never been to visited Asian countries.

Journal #18

Before I went to Boston for my spring break, I had many plans to do. I was going to move to eastern part especially New York or Boston after this semester because I have already been in California for a year, and I am very curious about life in eastern part. So I planned to go to house hunting and to seek my new language school when I go to Boston. But, actually I visited only one apartment and I didn’t get around finding other apartments and schools. When I arrived in Boston last Tuesday, my heart was throbbing with expectation. As soon as I arrived, I met my friend and her boyfriend at the airport. While I was going to have a dinner with them, I looked around the Boston city as a visitor. And I was happy to see lots of buildings of European style. But I can feel that there are not many activities that I can enjoy. Boston is very quiet and peaceful place. It might be helpful my study, but I expected more active things than Boston has. So, I didn’t walk around to seek my new apartment and school and I just enjoyed as a visitor. Of course, I had a very good time in Boston with my friend; however, I decided that I will go to New York for my summer.

Journal #17

If a foreign visitor has only one day to spend in Korea, this visitor should go to the Gyeong-Bok palace and In-Sa Dong on that day. The reason I recommend the Gyeong-Bok palace is that it is a historical site representing the old Korean culture. And the visitor can enjoy its architectural beauty which is delicately harmonized with nature. The visitor can enjoy its beauty at any season of the year. Next, I would like to introduce In-Sa Dong. In this place, there are numerous numbers of Korean traditional tea cafes and views which provide ideas of what Korean cultures are like. And I recommend In-Sa Dong for visitor to take many photos as he or she can see some beautiful flowers and buildings everywhere in this area. After the view, the visitor can go to the Korean traditional restaurant, so he or she can experience many different types of Korean traditional dishes. And then the visitor can have a traditional Korean tea at one of the Korean traditional tea cafes. For these reasons, I would like to recommend the Gyeong-Bok palace and In-Sa Dong for the visitor. I wish that the visitor will be impressed about these places.

Journal #16

For keeping up my English practice during the spring break, I think that using English is the best strategy. First of all, speaking is the hardest part of practice English for me. I guess I am an introvert person when I speak in English. Therefore, speaking English is pretty difficult to me. However, I will practice speaking more and more until I speak English fluently as well as during the spring break. In order to speak English well, I will try to talk with many people in English and listen to people’s talking wherever I may go. Next, I will write my Journals during the spring break. Although I am going to Boston next whole week to see my friend, I will try to sit down for at least two hours during the week to write my journals. I think that it will help me to think in English. These are my strategies for spring break. And I hope that all of us will have a nice spring break.

Journal #15

I am going to Boston from next Tuesday to Sunday for spring break. In Boston, my friend whose name is Soo-Na is studying, and she was my high school classmate. Even though we had a friendly relation when we were high school students, we decided on the different course to take after complete the high school course. I entered a university in Korea, but she decided to study in America. So, we haven’t seen each other for 5 years. As soon as I graduated from my university, I came to America to study English. Although we are in America, she is studying in Boston, and I am living in California. So, we couldn’t see each other. That is why I decided to go to Boston to meet her for my spring break. And I have another purpose to go to Boston this time. I have plans for this summer. After this spring semester in ALP, I am going to move to the eastern part. I haven’t decided yet the specific city that I will stay, but I might go to New York or Boston. I want to go to the eastern part not only to improve my English, but also to have personal experiences. Therefore, I am going to Boston to make a one-the-spot survey before I move to the eastern part. During my Boston trip, I am going to look around at the language schools and apartments with her. I hope that this trip will serve a double purpose.

Journal #14

I had lived in Seoul, South Korea for 23 years before I came to America. And I didn't have any difficulties fitting in growing up as a Korean. My Country remarkably focuses on educating its children. Korean families make extraordinary sacrifices to ensure their children are well-schooled, often sending their children abroad while the parents remain behind to provide for their education. That is why a lot of Korean students have been in the United States and other foreign countries. My sister and I also are influenced by such Korean culture. My sister had studied in the United States for 10 years, and she graduated from the university in America. Even though I graduated from the university in Korea, I am in America now for improving my English. Therefore, my father has supported our education expenses for more than 10 years. But he has had nothing to complain of it; rather he thinks that it is an inevitable duty as a father. So, now I can study English in the United States, and I am a happy Korean daughter.

Journal #13

If I could visit any place in the world, I would like to visit Australia. Although I have already been to Australia two times, I want to go there again because Australia has a lot of fun. First of all, the country is famous for kangaroos and koalas. I like animals very much, so it is very attractive for me to see many of them. Secondly, Australia has many beautiful seas, and we can go swimming and scuba diving and so on. My second trip to Australia was just before I came to America, and I traveled in Australia with my elder sister and cousins. When we scuba-dived in Australia, we saw a sea turtle, and it was pretty impressive experience in my life. Next, the country has many fine view places. One of the most famous places is The Opera House which has been visited by most of the tourists basically. Australia has not only The Opera House, but also many picturesque places to see such as The Twelve Apostles, Featherdale Wildlife Park. For these things, I love to go to Australia if I have any time.

Journal #12

My favorite genre of movie is melodrama which includes love, a romance and life. I think melodrama is one of the most interesting genre compared with horror, action or comedy. Melodrama can contain complicated plots because it relates to the real situations more than other genre. Among movies of the genre, now my favorite movie is a Japanese movie “Between Calm and Passion” which released in 2003. I saw this movie 3 times in a month when it came out. “Between Calm and Passion” was made by two books that two Japanese novelists wrote. The film was based on the original two books. The books was separated man (Junsei)’s version and woman (Aoi)’s version. Junsei is an art restorer who works in Florence, and the contents of the books are Junsei and Aoi’s romantic love story. I had already read these books before the movie came out, and they were really good. The best scene that I touched my heart is that the lover had a talk and shared same subjects with each other at the same time, but they had different heart thinking. So, they had different memories about each other. Also, this movie has very wonderful OST, that is, original sound track especially the piano music. Moreover, I fascinated by Takenouchi Yutaka who acts in this movie. Because Takenouchi Yutaka is very handsome, and I loved how he acted in the movie. Therefore, I love “Between Calm and Passion.”

Journal #11

Let me think about my writing. I had never written journals before this semester began. So, at the beginning of this semester, when the teacher said that we are going to write several journals every week, I was very much worried about it. Because not only had I never written journals before but also I don’t like to write something very much. However, as I have been writing journals, I gained a little bit confidence of writing. But, as I write something, I also found my problems in writing. One of my problems is that when I write a paragraph or an essay, I usually don’t go through a general sequence of stages called prewriting. In the prewriting stage, I should take time to think about my topic and generate idea. However, I usually don’t use brainstorming. When I write, I have attempted to write down whatever comes to mind all at once. I realized that it makes me confused to focus on a particular topic and to develop more examples or ideas for my essay in progress. Therefore, I will use brainstorming from now on because it is a way to associate ideas and stimulate thinking.

Journal #10

Sometimes I enjoy being alone. For example, I usually hang out with my great friends on weekend, but sometimes I want to stay at home alone. Because staying at home can be taken a rest quite a long while, and it makes me peaceful and refreshed. Therefore, when I am tired, I try to stay at home alone to take a good rest. Next, when I have to make an important decision, I usually think about it and decide the matter for myself. Of course, I listen attentively to other people’s valuable advice, but in my thought, the most important thing that when I make an essential decision is my opinion. Moreover, making a decision helps me to be an independent person. In short, although I normally don’t like to be lonely, sometimes I prefer to be alone when I am tired, and I have to make an important decision.

Journal #9

There is a very unique ride in US which is located in Las Vegas. It is called "Manhattan Express" that is same as "New York New York Roller Coaster." The reason that I mentioned about this ride is because I have never seen anything unique like this before. The gigantic roller coaster made in that goes around some part of the outside of between the hotels and buildings. Actually, it is very much tangled in between the New York New York hotel; therefore, if you are on the thrilling roller coaster, it seems like you are going to crash with buildings. This joy ride climbs to 200 feet before it drops 144 feet while speeding up to 67 mph. Also, it is even scarier to take this creepy ride at night time because it would be very hard to have visual contact with your eyes and you would not be possible to tell what is going on right front of you. Sometimes dark makes people to receive more fun; however, most of people receive extreme fear. I personally felt extreme fear from that ride at Las Vegas. But if anyone is interested in some kinds of unique rides, I would like to recommend this New York New York Roller Coaster.

Journal #8

There is one place in Korea known as much as Disney land in America. This place is called "Ever Land" which is the largest theme park in Korea, and it is located in Yong-In city. Not only they have an interesting zoo, a beautiful four season's garden but also they have an entertaining water Park, an enjoyable attractions as well. Many of young naive children dream to go there every weekend sincerely with their parents and their family. There are a lot of roller coasters and other rides that are thrilling, but I particular like an amusing zoo which is named Safari World and brilliant night time view. These two things are most enjoyable for me in Ever Land. The most memorable moment I remember from Ever Land is I had bought one cap imaged as white baby tiger head on Christmas Eve at a character doll shop. Because cap was limited edition at that time that is cute, warm and soft. In my thought, Ever Land is very unique place in Korea because of lots of pleasant activities, so do everywhere in Asia.

Journal #7

When I was an elementary school student, I attended a private school. The school held many competitions every year such as a physical training competition, an arts and sciences contest, and a music concours. The most memorable event in my elementary school was a music concours. There were two sections in the music concours in a large way that are the song and the musical instrument sections. I had learned a song while I was attending an elementary school, and I loved singing in those days. So, I prepared and participated in the music concours every year pleasantly. When I was a 4th grade, I took a part in the competition without fail and sang a song delightfully in an ordinary way. But the result of the contest was wonderful that I ranked first in the song section of the competition. Therefore, I got the grand prize, and I performed publicly at the end of year with other people who won a first prize from other sections of music concours. This happy event is one of the unforgettable memories in my life.

Journal #6

In 1995, one of the worst tragedy occurred in Korea. The Sampoong Department Store in southern Seoul fell down suddenly. Many people were crushed to death under the pile of reinforced concrete. 502 people were killed or injured in the accident. At that time, I was 12 years old and I was watching television in my house. I was watching a cartoon program but the scene changed from cartoon to news abruptly. The accident was on broadcast nationwide. I was frightened by the big news. Of course, the accident was cruel, but the biggest reason that I was frightened was my mother’s whereabouts. In the morning on that particular day, my mother said that she was going to the Sampoong Department Store. So, as soon as I watched the cruel news, I made a telephone call to my mother. But she didn’t answer the phone, and that situation made me feel horrible. 3 hours after, my mother came home and I cried just after I saw her. She told me that she went to the Sampoong Department Store that day, but she left the store before the collapse. And her cell phone battery was discharged on that day, so she couldn’t answer the phone. Then I felt relieved and stopped crying. Very fortunately, my mother escaped from injury; however, more than 500 people were killed and injured in the accident. I hope that awful accidents of that kind will not occur again.

Journal #5

Once upon a time, there was a happy family that was a mom, a son and a daughter. The brother and sister didn't have a father, so their mother had to support the family selling rice cakes. One day, the mother encountered a terribly scary tiger on the way home from a feast late at night. The tiger said, "I won't eat you if you give me one piece of the rice cake." And mother gave the tiger a piece of rice cake. The tiger ate the rice cake deliciously and kept asking for them until the rice cake ran out. After running out of the cake, the tiger got angry and ate mother. Then the tiger wore her clothes for striking their house and eating the brother and sister. The tiger disguised himself as the mother and imitated the voice of the mother, but the brother and sister noticed it was a tiger. They hid on the big tree in the back yard. The tiger couldn't climb up the tree, so he asked the sister how to climb up the tree. The young and naive sister told him the secret because of sweet words. The scared brother and sister prayed God for help to send a rope during the tiger was climbing up the tree. Then a strong and new rope came down from the sky. The brother and sister went to the heaven holding the rope. The tiger saw it, and he prayed God the same way. However, the rope for the tiger was a rotten one, and he fell down on the way to the heaven. Since then, the brother became the Moon, and the sister who was afraid of darkness became the Sun.

Journal #4

I arrived in the United States of America on March 2nd, 2007, that is, I have been to America for about a year. Even though I have been to America for about a year, I still have clear mind what I felt and what I expected. Back to a year ago, as soon as I arrived at LAX, I called my aunt who is going to stay with me, and as soon as she picked me up at LAX, we went to the school that her daughter goes to pick up. Very first reaction right after I saw my cousin at school was give her a big huge. After we picked her up, we all went to the IKEA to get some furniture in order to live in America. I was expecting to live here in U.S. only about ten months, and it led me to buy the most simple furniture, which wouldn't be last long. After that, my aunt took me to a Korean restaurant and feed me with the tremendous protein that was BBQ. During the dinner, we planned about my academic agenda. This is my vivid and unforgettable memory of the first day of America. By the way, I like being here and I am staying longer than I planned. Also, I am still living with my aunt and cousin merrily.

Journal #3

If somebody asks me what my biggest mistake in my life is, I will tell the person this event certainly. When I was in university, I had an inflammation of the intestine and lung during my fall semester of my sophomore year. At that time, I didn't consider my schoolwork carefully because I felt very sick. Moreover, I had forgotten to apply for a temporary absence from school when I was taking a rest at home. Of course, I couldn't take exams and attend classes at that occasion. After the semester had finished, I received my scores from my school. Then, I was very surprised and regretted that I didn't apply for a temporary absence from school at that semester. After 2 years, I got a scholarship. However, even if I got a scholarship, my total score was lower than I expected because I got low scores 2 years ago. This event is the biggest mistake in my life. After this experience, I have decided that I will never do kind of this event even though I have a pain.

Journal #2

There are three reasons that I decided my major, Art History. The biggest reason that I chose Art History as my specialty is that I have been taking an interest in art more than any other subjects. I have been enjoying art classes very much since I was an elementary school student. After I made a decision of my major in university, I could concentrate my attention to my major classes sincerely. Secondly, I wanted to be taught about many famed artists' works especially Picasso who is my favorite artist. I respect Picasso and I fancy his paintings which always make me admiring them. As I took Art History lessons, I am taught many things about him. Even if learning Art History was getting more and more difficult, I was happy when professor showed me pictures of famous paintings in the world. Finally, Art History was very attractive to me that I could study about backgrounds of lots of paintings with the change of the times. Art and culture are compatible with each other, so I could study a lot of world's histories and cultures. For these reasons, I made my decision of my major which is Art History, and I love Art History.

Journal #1

Writing is very difficult for me. When I write something, I put in my soul and my thinking on the paper. It seems to be a scribble but it is not simple things for me. I think writing is expressing myself which includes my own thoughts, minds and my true hearts. So, sometimes writing is a burden for me. Even though it is too much for me, according to a popular belief, writing is very important skill when people use a language. That is, whether I am a good writer or not, I have been writing such as diaries, essays and reports since I was a kindergarten student. When I was young, my mother let me wrote a diary everyday. I remember that it was too stressful for me. The hardest part when I wrote something is making creative ideas. Although it was a just diary, I wanted to write a novel topic which I experienced everyday. From that time, I have disliked writing. However, I know that I have to write many things continually during my lifetime including this semester as an ALP student. Therefore, even if it is difficult for me, I will do my best to express myself when I write something.

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