AKS Conference

I just got pictures from.Sarah 교수님 from ATENEO de Manila University.

Our wefie after having finished our conference at the Academy of Korean Studies.

It has been such a rewarding experience for me since I was able to meet my fellow counterparts and patrons from other countries.

I know....I....remembered having a dinner where I couldn't eat a thing since I was fasting. ㅠ or ^-^

Anyway....it has been such a memorable moment.

Strolling at AKS

Since I still had some time left...before being literally left by the BUS!!!! ㅋㅋㅋ that was supposed to take me back to Seoul..I spent some time strolling around the Academy of Korean Studies. 

One of the so many halls at Main Hall. 

We could also enjoy paintings depicting Korea in the past. 

...bumping into 'ornate' artifacts...designed to artistically beautify the halls. 

....encountering some ponds.. 

with its lush green surroundings. 

...peeking into a garden... 

....but..I was wondering as to where the students were... 

I barely see any students... 

even..when I was walking towards the dorm...guess..it's summer holiday. that's why. 

This place is really 'secluded' in its own sense..in the way that it's literally designed to be a place for sort-of- 'inner' studies about Korea. 

...back into the main hall where I just realized an intricate chandelier hanging on the main hall's lounge.

Well...click...click..click....until I realized that the bus had left me!!!

Yes, I should've informed the committee that I wanted to take the provided bus back to Seoul.

*yup..earlier in the morning..I was taking a taxi to AKS..so they must've assumed that I would go back to Seoul on my own, again.

*oh, well.....but..it's worth-it. since...my trip back to Seoul was full of fun, as well.

Coffee Time After a Colloquium

We just finished having our monthly colloquium. Today we had our fellow senior who (happened to be in Korea from her post in Chile) and who (were willingly giving her time) to present her dissertation plan. It's quite an interesting topic since she brought up about this 'nana' issue in relation to the Korean immigrants in Chile. 

Even, we talked about it as well, when we're at the cafe. It's that good.

To accompany myself...during the after-party:), I only ordered this affogato--which was actually not really my favorite coffee...but..since it's the smallest one..I just played along with it. 

I wonder as to why the scoop of vanilla that was supposed to be 'complementing' the flavor...turned out to be cooling me off a bit. But, it's still 'enjoyable' though.

* I just wished that we had avocado coffee here in Korea, NOT affogato.:) 

Okay..back to the after-party, most of us are PhD candidates who are either writing their dissertation or in the middle of field work or in the middle of 'soaring to the clouds of ideas' or in the middle of 'what-the-heck-I-am-doing-here' contemplation....

or ...well....we're here now. 

together....

Wish us all the BEST.

개강모임 Spring Semester Got Pumped Up

The first week of the Spring semester. As par of out tradition to start the semester, we gathered at one place, mostly restaurants, where we had talks over dinner. It should've been a formal occasion, but since we want to 'melt it down' a bit..so we'd thought of having it at a restaurant. Here we were. Having a blast by engaging in talks, chit-chats, and of course some ceremonial *ahem*speeches from our representative professors. Prof. Cho and Prof. Bak attended the meeting--they're welcoming the freshmen to our department--as well as letting us--seniors *ahem* to introduce ourselves to others. 

I should've been in the pic. no...not necessary. 

We just wanted to make sure that the so-called 'initiation' process of welcoming new students and encouraging them to study and enjoy campus life...would be a two-hour program worth-remembering. Most of us are foreigners since our program is Korean Studies designed for international students. We're from Indonesia (only me:), Thailand, Vietnam, The United States, Russia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Japan, Turkey, Tunisia, and of course, Korea...although they only make up for almost one-fifth of our friends.

*Welcome to the new semester, guys.*

My ramblings on the the first day of school! ~.~

First day ever...Yup, we're ready for (supposedly) spring semester.

(**ㅋㅋㅋ Spring hasn't arrived...not just YET). What a commotion. As for me, I was gasping for air...(surely not literally) since I got to find where the 역사관 building--where my first class was to be held--was. Couldn't believe that 역사관 turned out to be--all along--the very building where all of international students go to have their paperwork checked & re-checked...oh..it's an international building...but how come that it's called 역사관 in Korean.

Anyway..that's not an important issue to discuss here. What I'd like to jot down right here is about what I finally signed up for the semester. Just like what I did in the previous semester (when I daringly took Economics-major class 아하!!!), this semester I finally got to pull off my nerves to take this Gender-issue related class. Way off the line of what I am used to be studying. But...it turned out...well..to be a very challenging, yet enthralling class in a way that most of the reading materials are sort of eye-opener to the subjects I've never touched before. --and there's one thing that I already like about the class, my professor manages the class in English:)...oh..it's gonna be a relief from most of the other classes--- taught in Korean.

Okay..it's still the first day of the first week. I still got to face the other two classes dealing with ASEAN & Indian studies. hmm...wait...that's not my cup of tea, either. But, simply out of having to take the course due to my being Indonesian:) learning at this school....I got no choice but to take the option. Hey...I'm sure it's gonna be as helpful and interesting as any other subjects I am interested in. Just wait and see.
And the last class....wow...gosh.."Advanced theories of ............." gee....just by the thought of its name....it gives me shivers and bumps...but...wait..I got no choice but to take it as well. (Right, Suray?). Yeeeeaaap.But, I wanted to take THIS class in the first place. I mean...I got to take it ...hoping that it might or will help me shape my ideas of what to do research upon......more concretely.....in ways I never thought of before.

Bismillahirrohmanirrohim. I am ready to do the challenges. 

GSIAS Homecoming Day Dinner (part 2)

that's more like it. We had our tummy full and now it's talk over dinner time. 

But then, we would never have gotten into the gist of the party had we not talked about stuffs that mostly concern us....and... 

we would never have gotten into the bottom of our friendship, had we not used the best of this moment to ask others to join in...and take a group pic like this one. 

then..more and more friends came along to our table and ...

off we started or ended the party with a pic. 

Have a great winter vacation, my friends. see you around next year.

New semester to look forward to.

okay..though small in size, this water+tea plastic can was one of the door prizes that I got:-) ㅋㅋㅋ

GSIAS Home Coming Day Dinner (part 1)

Yes, it's been my second year of studying at GSIAS. Never thought that time flew so fast like this. Having said that, it's my 2nd time of participating in this home-coming day dinner party with friends. 

all students were sitting along with their own peer or one department.

Oh, this is the dinner we'd been waiting for ..after the previous session of talk-talk-and talk (a.k.a. seminar!!) 

It was a good thing that there are lots of things for a vegetarian to enjoy. 

Let's start digging into the food, my dear fellows. 

And..then..came the game-show. what would be a party without any games, eh? 

and a guest performance, as well. 

not to be missed: a photo session with friends of mine at Korean Studies Dept. 

Look...look at the camera, guys!!

Fellows at GSIAS

(*Ichi san: my Japanese friend, and others..) who? 

The last class of this semester. Nope..only for methodology class. We celebrated the end of our semester. Well..some should've joined us..but only few came up..

Kim Ji Seon (Korean), Ssangwon (Thai), Kim Ji Yeon (Korean), Soo (Korean), and me...

"What's the commotion?" 

Thanks, guys..for sharing the whole semester with me...

Ssangwon got his nerves to touch Ji Yeon's tummy...yes..she's going to deliver her baby..next week..!!!! (mid June). 

So it's also a celebration of relief. 

wait..I didn't make that V sign with my hands. It's Soo's hand. 

Gosh...it looked just like my hands that does the 'V' sign.^-^

Spring Semester Meeting

On Friday, March 15...we got together to celebrate the start of Spring semester at our department.

Apart from welcoming the new students, we also got to know our professors and the classes they teach. 

I don't know why...girls dominate our department.^^ (chuckles) 

Prof. Cho Young-han, our head of department, was explaining about our department's activities. What would we do w/out FB, eh? ^^ (chuckles) 

What would be a meeting without Coffee Shop as what others would normally have done in Korea?

Oh, btw...we had a pizza party and ended it with a coffee.