My University Life

(From left to right: Professor Park Hye-Won, me, and Professor Hong Su-Myeong)

This is a little story about coincidences, taking chances, and above all the Korean spirit of jeong (something akin to what we would call "brotherly love" or "community mindset"), which I believe accounts for why Koreans are so ridiculously kind to foreigners (for the most part). A few weeks ago I was doing some research for my statement of academic intent for PhD applications when I happened upon an article about Korean university students' patterns of PC Bang usage co-authored by a professor at the University of Ulsan. Figuring that I could get a copy of the article for free and possibly even talk about the research with the professor, I tracked down her email address and sent her a message. Sure enough, she was more than happy to meet me, and that is how I ended up going to the mountains to eat guksu with Professor Park Hye-Won and her friend. Strangely enough, Professor Park had visited my hometown (Bar Harbor, Maine) and her friend had studied interior design at UMass Amherst during which time she visited Historic Deerfield, near where I went to middle school. The world is certainly a small place. After lunch, we visited their mutual friend Professor Hong Su-Myeong's house, which is a hundred-year old han-ok (traditional Korean house) in Yuli. The next day, Professor Park asked me if I would be willing to help Professor Hong, a nutrition professor, prepare an English presentation for an international symposium in Seoul in November. Of course, I was willing to help and have been meeting with Professor Hong for the past two weeks to work on her presentation, which is about the proposed implementation of menu labeling in chain restaurants in Korea (actually, pretty interesting stuff). After working and before going to my real job, Professors Hong, Park and three other professors usually have lunch together somewhere near the university. Just imagine, me having lunch everyday with five 50-something Korean women; it's quite funny. To thank me for all of the help I've given her, and because she is a typical Korean who always wants guests to have the best time possible in Korea, Professor Hong threw a barbeque party in my honor at her house today. Unfortunately, the approaching typhoon "Nari" made the weather too bad to have the party outside, and so the guest list was smaller than intended. Still, I had a magnificent time feasting on beef bulgogi, hobakjuk, duck soup, and both year-old and two-week old kimchi, which have incredibly different flavors. Of course, I was ever-so-grateful for the opportunity. It is a shame that I met these wonderful people so close to the end of my time here, but I am hoping that these are connections that I will be able to maintain for some time to come. You never know where a simple little email will lead you!














(This is the ondeol floor-heating system in Professor Hong's han-ok)














(Professor Hong showing off a T-shirt she bought on safari in South Africa)














(The barbeque party-goers)