Month: June 2017

Scotland was a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

Today was my last day and I am currently in an airport after many hours of traveling (and many hours still ahead to go).

Today I am reflecting on my journey that was Scotland.

What did I learn?

The most valuable lesson: you make human connections wherever you go. The connections you make are much more important than the places you go.

One of my favorite places I went to in Scotland was the Highlands. We had an amazing bus tour (thanks to our driver Stuart!) The scenery was beautiful and I gained respect for the Scottish culture. I learned that Scots are prideful. Strong, proud, kind and brave. That’s how I would describe the history and culture of Scotland.

After the first two weeks of being in Scotland my body finally got used to all the walking. I got to know the city of Edinburgh very well in that short month. And I had just finally got down the currency right when it was time to leave.

My favorite days in Scotland where when it was pouring rain. One day it poured all day long. Never stopping and never letting up.

Scotland was remarkable and I plan to go back someday to finish my journey that ended too soon. (ONE MONTH IS NOT ENOUGH)

I also went to London which taught me that I’m pretty good with a map and can get to places all by myself. I love their Underground transport system.

There’s so much that happened that I can’t put it all in one post.

However I’ll never forget this trip to Scotland. Studying abroad exposes you to different lifestyles and gives you the chance to see the world from an entirely new perspective.

It’s rather surprising how one adapts to change without even realizing it. My first few days in Germany were a tad overwhelming. The jet lag, living in a stranger’s home, using public transportation and buying food when I was incapable of verbal communication. To be fair, I studied German before coming here. However, even the best classroom can’t create that feeling of total immersion. It took me a long while to feel comfortable actually utilizing my German. I’m the type of person who doesn’t like to speak up in the classroom unless I know the answer or feel like a have a good point to add or a useful question. A basic conversation here felt like a test that I hadn’t studied for. However, necessity leads one to overcome such inhibitions. The daily German classes combined with my desire to explore lead me more and more outside my comfort zone. Now, looking back at the past weeks, I am still outside of my comfort zone. But that comfort zone has grown so much bigger. I have gained so much confidence, especially in communication. I have become more open to differences in my environment. I feel like I’m so much better at putting myself out there and rolling with the punches. Studying abroad is difficult, really really difficult. But it seems that if you can endure the struggles, there’s a lot to be gained.

By a stroke of fate I happened to be in South Korea to witness the entire impeachment and election process firsthand. There were some very prominent differences that noticed between America’s presidential election and theirs. Especially considering how our recent went. This made the whole process all the more fascinating and nerve-wracking to watch.

The dismissal and impeachment of Park Geun-hye was obviously a prominent topic in Daegu. My Korean friends were exited and relieved to see her out of office and explained her corruption to me during the impeachment. In order to avoid a power vacuum, the election was held very soon after she was removed from office. There are six parties represented in the National Assembly and a record number of fifteen candidates initially registered to run. The Democratic Party candidate, Moon Jae-in won with over 40% of the vote, and on March 10th took office. This was a big relief to many, especially us there on a visa.

During the campaign, it was common to see rallies around to city along with the giant banners and trucks that doubled as musical billboards with bright colors and bold print along with each candidates original and unique theme song. South Korea has very strict regulations on how and what candidates can advertise. So each truck, poster, and sign looked like part of a set with all of the other member’s running. All of the messages seemed to be very upbeat and positive. There was little to no mudslinging or discrediting from any side that I could see, and a distinct absence of lavish or grandiose rallies and setups. I doubt billions of dollars were spent in there election, unlike what recently happened back home.

My favorite class while at KNU was hands down my Korean Cinema class. The professor, a Canadian-raised Korean, gave detailed historical context for each fil we studied and for the film industry as a whole.

The film my group presented on was centered around the extremely rigorous and strict Korean education system and its effects on modern students. The film, Pluto, dealt with a great del of extremely dark material to drive home the main themes. There were quite a few of the selected films that centered around either the Korean war or military in some way. Which makes perfect sense considering the history of the country and surrounding area. The topic of censorship was very prevalent in our discussion due to Korea’s former and current strict content censorship laws.

He showed us how intertwined the government and the entertainment industry can be and how people tell their stories trough film. My favorite part of the class was our group discussions. We had an incredibly diverse group of students so the conversations could confront a topic from nearly every angle. We all learned a lot not about South Korea, but about everyone else’s home country. So at the end of the semester, when our professor showed us his own documentary that took us into his family life as a Canadian-raised Korean and the transition that everyone in his family went through, it felt much more personal and much more real than most of my classes in the past have ever been.

Aside from being immersed in Korean culture, I also has the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the other exchange students. There were people from all over the world at KNU along with me. I got to learn some Irish drinking songs and improve my salsa and bachata skills. We were able to fill an air b&b in Seoul with people from seven different countries. Thanks to countless nights of laughs and getting to know each other, I now have a place to crash through most of Europe. There’s a network of friends around the world who I can keep in touch thanks to social media and who are already planning a reunion trip.

Most of my classes are of course mainly Korean students so I’ve made some Korean friends within the classroom who I still chat with as well. It was an interesting experience to be so clearly the odd one out so often. I think that may have helped us bond as a group. (Although some made the association a bit embarrassing at times). There were so many unforgettable moments that’s I’m so glad to have gotten on camera.

It’s over. My first study abroad is over. As soon as it began, it ended. It felt like it lasted 100 years, and it felt like it lasted 1 day. This is truly my most memorable journey, but I hope to someday top it. For now, what I really need is some rest.

I have walked away from this experience a better person.  I have learned to manage stress better, be more patient, and to think on my toes. Most of all, I have learned to relax, and let things run their course. Going abroad for the first time entails a flurry of every emotion imaginable at the same time. It is an experience like no other, and I am beyond grateful that I was able to be a part of something this life changing.

My classes are over, but my time abroad is not. I will be gallivanting across France and Ireland until July 6th, and I am ready to take what I have learned and apply myself. Another chapter of my life has been opened, and I am more than ready to begin it.

Wish me luck.

-John Moore

I applied for this internship for a number of reasons, the foremost being professional development. I knew that I possessed relevant skills for the position and a background in the arts. Also, the chance to learn about Korean culture in such a direct and hand-on way was very appealing to me.

On an average day working at the DAC I would help generate promotional content on various media platforms for the DAC or specific events they hosted. I would also often aid in translation from Korean to English. My other duties included basic classroom management for some of the classes held on the campus. I also got to participate in these classes and learn how to play some traditional Korean instruments. One of my larger projects was helping to write an outreach and partnership letter to UNESCO and researching other music centers within their organization.

I was fortunate enough to be able to see and participate in a wide variety of performances. This gave me a very clear window into the Korean culture that people without this internship would not find as easily. Music has always been one of my deepest passions, and has deep meaning for me personally. So being able to hear and play the traditional music of Korea opened me up to them as a people more than many other things probably could. So, the jangu class was highly entertaining for me.

I absolutely loved being able to go to the concerts and plays. the work environment was very welcoming and my manager was eager to help the interns any way she could.

While I am definitely still getting settled into Meknes, I have had the chance to explore some with my class and on my own. Listing the places I can get to without getting lost gives a pretty good introduction to my time here.

Classes! The route from my apartment to the AALIM center and back is definitely the first one I learned. It crosses between the old, walled city, the medina, to the new city. The particular area I live in is called Hamria. There’s a large park in between I hope to explore at some point. The teachers are fabulous – they push us to learn but are friendly and encouraging while doing so. Hopefully I will be able to fully absorb all the Arabic being stuffed into my brain. Just a little ways up from the center through the winding streets of the medina is an excellent place to buy fruit. I got amazing peaches, plums, and apples there. Unfortunately it was closed for Eid, so I resorted to a giant bag of dates, which were nice and sweet.

View from the School Roof

The apartment I’m staying in is perfectly located about a two minutes’ walk from the only church in Meknes. How cool is that? The Protestant (Église Évangelique au Maroc) church meets in the Catholic church Notre Dame des Oliviers. The congregation is primarily made of immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, plus a couple of American students from two different Arabic programs, and the service is in French. Everyone has been so extremely welcoming there.

I am also only a few minutes’ walk from a bookstore, which makes me quite happy. I went once with my language partner and just browsed around. When I went back to pick a book to buy, it was closed for Eid, but I hope to go back soon so I can find a book to slowly stumble my way through.

Probably the most recognizable spot in Meknes is the Bab Mansour gate. Between the gate and the souq is a square, which was quite busy at night during Ramadan. There were booths set up where children would go, get dressed up in wedding attire, and get their pictures taken. Honestly that sounds much more appealing than sitting in Santa’s lap for Christmas pictures. One of the buildings off the square is the Dar Jamaii museum, a palatial home built by a vizier in the 1800s that showcases Moroccan and specifically Meknesi craftsmanship. There is a lot of carved and painted wood on the doors and ceilings, as well as tile and woven and embroidered fabrics.

Tile Detail on Bab Mansour

The Souq At Night During Ramadan

Inside Dar Jamaii

Whenever I move to or travel to a new place, I tend to start collecting places I feel comfortable in. I look forward to seeing how my experience in Morocco continues to expand.

Me at Dar Jamaii