My Korean class is a little interesting. I finished the first year book, which means that I move to level 2. I am one of only two people returning from spring and continuing into the summer. In level 2, I feel completely overwhelmed because everyone else has been taking Korean for either one year or several years...and I am at 3 months. So, my vocabulary is extremely weak compared to the rest of my classmates. I feel like I can understand the professor about 60-80% of the time, but I really struggle to speak correctly in class. I think I can really learn a lot in my class, but I will have to devote more time than I am used to...
On a good note, tennis is playing everyday for 4 hours and my schedule allows me to play. I can start at 10:30AM and play until 12PM, run back to the dorm and shower, in order to get to class around 12:28PM. Midway through the class, I can run (literally) to get some food and eat during the second half. We finish at 2:30PM, giving me precisely 15 minutes to sleep and 5 minutes to get to Korean. Korean class goes from 2:50PM to 5:50PM with two 10 minute breaks for naps. After I finish all of that, I get to eat dinner and start my homework under the supervision of 은주, the woman from bubble tea (where I still go everyday). It worked for one day, leaving me about 6 weeks more.
Funny story -- Aya, one of the women from Japan during spring semester, says that she needs to finish her English literature education by studying in an English speaking country. She wants to visit the most exciting state...Delaware! I think she has been there before and really loved it...poor girl, I hope the best for her naive soul.
On Sunday night, I got really lucky and received a last minute ticket to see South Korea play North Korea in a 2010 World Cup Qualifier in Seoul.
The first game they played was originally scheduled to be played in Pyongyang (the capital of North Korea). Leading up to the game, North Korea started making some ridiculous demands in order to allow the South Korean team to enter. Actually, if I remember right, North Korea made two very acceptable requests:
1) South Korea could only bring about 10 reporters. South Korea stupidly wanted to allow like 50 reporters and TV cameras to broadcast the game, but the prudent North Koreans felt that 10 reporters could accurately cover every aspect. Plus, nobody outside North Korea really wanted to watch it anyways. I think most the people that can afford TVs would have been at the game anyways.
2) South Korea would not be able hear their national anthem or raise their flag. North Korea claimed that neither had ever been heard or seen in North Korea...ever...despite Pyongyang falling to the UN for a brief time during the Korean War. Also, playing two national anthems with two different flags are both against the goal of national unification.
Like I said, the first game would have been fine if the stringent South Koreans weren't so obsessive about their reporters, anthems or flags.
North Korea also wouldn't negotiate on their terms. The game had to played in Shanghai...where there really wouldn't be anyone passionate about watching.
The second game was scheduled for Seoul. From what I understand, South Korea imposed no restrictions on coverage or flag-flying. In fact, the flag for North Korea was even on the same level as the South's.
This was also my first soccer game. I've been watching it a little since the Eurocup started. With so many Europeans, I was blessed with the chance to be the antagonist at nearly every opportunity...rooting for Russia the whole time (there weren't any Russians here...but there is now! I am so happy...I think this may be like the third Russian I have ever met). Ironically, Russia is playing in the finals against Spain -- two countries that were not represented by a single person for the whole spring semester.
Anyways, on TV, it would get boring pretty fast. It would also drag on...in fact, I really can't watch sports on TV anymore except for tennis (only exciting, close matches. I didn't watch Nadal destroy Federer because it wasn't even a contest) and when OSU plays football. I expected to be bored out of mind.
It was actually pretty fun to watch. I had a good time and cheered when South Korea had a shot. I also booed when North Korea approached shooting. The game ended in a boring tie...but...it sort of felt like neither team was trying too hard. The Europeans that I went with also echoed the same sentiments. The South Koreans took like 5 goal shots -- missing 3 by shooting about 8 feet too high and the other two went directly to the goalie...he literally didn't move.
The North Koreans had a couple shots, but missed wide once and kicked to the goalie the other times. I don't think either Korea is known to have a strong soccer team, but I expected a couple more close calls. Especially from the South Koreans.
Pictures below. I took a couple, but couldn't get much more detailed than this. My ticket was worth about $20 and was quickly approaching the nosebleed section.
The white jerseys are North Koreans. This accounts for the first time I have actually seen people from North Korea. I think this was during intermission.
This was an action shot. I thought I might be able to time it right and see a goal being scored. The goalie is from North Korea. Again, the red jerseys are South Koreans and the white jerseys are North Koreans.
1 comment:
Two problems:
1) You said that that one city was the capital of South Korea. You meant North.
2) I'm not 100% positive, but I watch enough sports to know that intermissions happen during plays and musicals and such, but half time is for sports. So I think you took that picture during half time.
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