SUMMER 2015

Getting away from my previous post (my lovely little rant if you missed it) Summer 2015 is going to be awesome. I am finally going to embark on the amazing adventure to *drumrolls* 대한민국 (만세 만세) ㅋㅋㅋ YES YOU GUESSED IT. KOREA2k15 is a thing! It is happening! I am going!

Tickets are booked and I am going with two unnies / older friends from my old Korean class. There will be so much to fit in to our 2 week itinerary. Visiting 5 of our Korean teachers, friends, penpals, monuments, landmarks, palaces. Having fun! it shall be mental. We are so excited and constantly thinking about this trip.

 It is true and cannot be ignored - there are racism horror stories; but it is like that in so many places once you come out of like multicultural London for example (not to say it doesn't happen in London too) but doesn't mean everyone is the same. I have met several Koreans and all they are are just welcoming lovely Seouls  (anyone get my Seoul / Soul joke hahahahaha...no...okay). I cannot wait especially to meet my 친구처럼 언니 ㅋㅋ ;)

More to come on this trip and you know this blog will be bumping in the summer time..though I am trying very hard now

Around this time last year was Spain, this summer will be Korea, next year I pray Spain again (maybe for a work placement God willing) and then where to next?!

I cannot remember posting my 'official' top 10 list but of where I want to go in some particular order:

• Spain (Spain is only here cause I just always want to go but have already been 3 times before)
• Korea
• Argentina
• Chile
• Mexico
• Norway
• Italy
• Peru / Colombia
• Brazil
• Nicaragua

(P.S please note how 7 of these countries are Spanish speaking).

A tiny greeting with a link

I have done it. I have entered the dreaded exam season. I had my first Geography exam on Monday and it went better that last years. The next is on Friday and then I have my 4 A2 exams after in June for English Literature, Geography and Spanish. Freedom arrives in exactly 1 month and 1 day! Then I am free to fix up this blog (which truthfully I have been neglecting since I started haha).

I am preparing for the annual Korean Event that my class hosts as I self-nomitated myself onto the organiser committee (no one else was going to do it!) It should take place mid July before the Summer break.

I feel my Spanish improved in my 15 hour Easter workshop over the 7 days I spent in Spain! I had my oral exam not too long ago and I feel more confident speaking. I really hope to do well with Spanish. To think I almost didn't take the subject for A-Level; now it has it's special area in my heart! You get out what you put in eh! If I do well with all my exams...or at least get into the university of my choice I will be over the moon! Results day is in exactly 3 months; a scary thought! I will be back to greet my readers whoever you are eventually. Until then, be well and do well and check out this interesting article below!

The visual contrast between Korea - North and South

A very nice summary of South Korea in article form

South Korea

North Korean Life

At least they look like they are having fun

What is in the box?

My precious box arrived from South Korea, sent by my lovely friend. Since I don't write much updates on my sub pages, I will put my post on my Korean page. Check it out to see what I received and what I also sent! Soon!

In regard to my previous post about North Korea

There is that phrase 'broken beyond repair', and I think it is suitable to use when talking about the blood-line of leaders in North Korea. It was very cruel indeed killing the country's second in command Jang Song Thaek (tyrant leader Kim Jong-Un's uncle) however, Kim Jong-Un wanted to have more revenge, more greed, more assurance of his power and killed his whole family, apart from his blood Aunt. He didn't even kill only adults, he killed minors too. Read about the recent North Korean occurrence here.

North Korea asking for reconcilliation with the South and an end to the military hospitalities

Today, I had my usual browse on BBC Mundo and I saw the headline 'Corea del Norte pide a Seúl "poner fin a las hostilidades" ' and my first thought was  'caramba!' '드디어!' and '말도안돼!' without thinking about the amount of times peace must have been offered just as an attempt ambush! Most of the comments were negative, saying how 'North Korea are at it again' how the letter has a 'hidden motive' but I would like to think 'what if?' What if they tyrant was unlike his father and grandfather? What if he had enough of the suffering in his country? What if he wanted to create ties with the world again and become one with the South? What if this was genuine? It is unlikely considering the endless threats North Korea makes, the fact that Jang Song Thaek was executed a few weeks ago for conspiracy and that well, it is North Korea. However, I really wish the North Korean leader would open his eyes and therefore opening the eyes for the millions of civilians blinded by propaganda or too suppressed to escape. Read the article here. What is your take on the recent news of Kim Jong-Un wanting peace?

Any Korean learners?

The way I approach learning Korean. If you are a beginner or are curious,  THIS should help you! There are a few things that need changing, I literally tried to make this in two hours for my Korean class juniors (내 후배들) and I didn't use every verb or word that I know. It is just basics :)

A different similar point of view

So before I had mentioned Kim Han Sol - grandson to the infamous Kim Jong Il; he was interviewed about his life in North Korea and away from North Korea. I have previously talked about life in North Korea from the viewpoint of an escapee, but this is from the perspective from a member of the actual 'royal' family, who too does not agree with the ways his family have been ruling the country. Watch part one to the interview (in English) here and part two here!

Fascinating facts about North Korea

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/8965694/50-fascinating-facts-Kim-Jong-il-and-North-Korea.html
Fascinating facts about North Korea. My favourites are 1,3, 5, 9, 10, 22, 29 and 35...I informally declare North Korea a messed up country.
http://theweek.com/article/index/242471/kim-jong-uns-less-responsible-disney-obsessed-older-brother though this did make me smile. Since North Koreans do not have passports, this black sheep of the royal family faked a Dominican passport of a guy called 'Fat Bear' to go to Disney Land.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2282134/North-Korean-fashion-women-encouraged-choose-18-officially-sanctioned-hairstyles.html North Koreans are only allowed (or in their words 'encouraged') to have certain hairstlyes!
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/12/17/2013121701475.html the brother that wanted to go to disney land is now possibly wanted. I feel he got a different gene from his brother and it spread to his son who looks like he could be a K-Pop star! Kim Han-Sol now studies in France
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31611/kim-jong-un-wins-sexiest-man-alive-how-onion-tricked-chinese-newspaper Kim Jong Un sexiest man alive! (In the eyes of who may I ask?)

Help build a bridge to North Korea. Rescue a game changer...just by watching this video

I think everyone has a country in need on their heart. My one is North Korea. I pray in my life time the North Koreans will be free. Watch this short video and share to help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9HDVoi6n0g&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Recently

Hello, hallo, buenos días, bonjour (I just realised bonjour is literally good day as in bonne jour meaning good day...I am a slow bunny), 좋은하루, guten Tag (for you Angela :-* )
So I am sorry (if anyone is a loyal reader) for neglecting this blog a bit. I have so much plans for it, but not enough time sadly.
Like I have mentioned before I am now in A2 year of a-level and am expecting to go to university next year (I have 5 conditional offerer! I need to maintain grades now). I am doing my Spain Work Experience in Valladolid in the Spanish region of Castile and León next year as well which I am really looking forward to and nervous about at the same time.

I have been resuming some research on North Korea. I am looking at the Juche idea and more into the royal Kim family. In the news recently, it has been mentioned that Jang Sung Thaek, husband to Kim Kyong Hui (who I share my Korean name with) who is sister to the late Kim Jong-Il, father of current leader Kim Jong Un...has been executed for treason. So Kim Jong Un has killed his uncle in other words for trying to betray him and North Korea. I also read that Kim Kyong Hui and Jang Sung Thaek had a daughter who studied abroad in France but then committed suicide after she was requested to return to North Korea and because of her parents insupportableness to her relationship with her boyfriend.

 I have been very lucky to have five different Korean teachers in the space of a year ranging from Sunyeonim (sister-nun in Korean) in year 12 and four Korean students this year. Of course my lovely penpals too.

Anyways, enough of me for now. If anyone speaks another language apart from English, that I have never mentioned on this blog, mention it to me and I might do some research on your country and language :) because apparently I have quite a widespread audience so I'd like to reach anyone who reads in whatever nonsense I write about.

Stay cool!

Shoutout to Lisa쌤 & 우정쌤 who have recently started to view my blog

Kbee London 2013

So the 6th of November 2013, I decided to go to KBEE London with a friend of mine. It was a very enjoyable time (KBEE by the way stands for Korean Brand & Entertainment Expo). I was able to go to a karaoke room 노래방 (which was weirdly placed in a modern art gallery) where I sung two 2NE1 songs with my friend. Unknowingly to us there were people in other places in the building that could hear us through a webcam set up haha! I got to see the 2NE1 hologram concert >twice!< and the Psy one as well. I won a Psy mask >twice!< I saw some familiar faces from other similar events and had a general great time looking around, watched an amazing drum performance, bought a Pucca pencil case and got some freebies as of course it was an expo! I must have forgotten something...oh of course meeting my favourite girl group 2NE1 who were the ambassadors of KBEE this year. They had a meet & greet and unfortunately I didn't get to see CL or Dara, I did meet and speak to Minzy and Bom and get their signs! My korean failed me that day >.< I was so shocked and happy that I couldn't speak properly (or even look at them properly). Security was very tight and banned picture taking, however I am very satisfied with the outcome of that day and wish to go to a similar event in the future.

G-Dragon display

2NE1 display

Big Bang display

Who doesn't like freebies

Hello once more

Hello everyone. So long time no post I guess. I am in my (hopefully) final year at sixth form and I want to next year do tourism management at university. Most of the tourism courses I looked at are four years as one of the years would be a placement year (mainly abroad). I also carried on with learning Spanish like I said I might. Yes it is hard but all of my subjects are really. I have a new Spanish and geography teacher so it is a bit different but they are nice profesoras :) I also would like to do sixth form work experience in Spain..which would help with my May speaking exam and my general confidence in Spanish because if I am forced to speak in the language for a week I would have to polish it. I am definitely for it as long as it is a yes from my mother. It would also be a great help for tourism management if I can do my work experience in a hotel!!
I am planning to do my Spanish exam essay on Patagonia / chile / the Andes and the importance of that certain geographical area (tourism, fauna y flora). Korean update: as the 수녀님 (Korean nun) that taught us before has briefly returned to Korea, we have two Korean students teaching us which is fun as always. That is all I have to write for now - I must concentrate on my university application and grades. More updates soon I hope! Shoutout to some of my friends abroad 지영, 수민, Lilly, Yolanda and you :p

Inside North Korea BBC Panorama News Programme

Inside North Korea BBC Panorama News Programme
very interesting guys! Do watch it and be educated! Click the link

Documentry and upcoming trip

Did anyone watch the Panorama documentry on North Korea last night? Any views on it or interesting / shocking things you found out? It was quite sad, wasn't it? If you haven't seen it it's just 30 minutes - watch it on iPlayer.
I found it sad. Actual footage from North Korea. The documentry showed such a difference just miles North of the boarder and a few miles South. North Korea was like a different planet compared to what was shown of Seoul - capital of South Korea. In the hospital there were no patients, the fields no crops, the farms no livestock, the bottlling factory no production and the tour guides were nervous and desperate for the tourists to not capture the poverty. You could see most of the people they talked to were trained to lie and lied to the tourists so naturally. When something goes wrong e.g a power cut, everyones says 'we blame the americans...this is because of the americans!' There was a clear quite scary idolisation of Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il who the North Koreans look at as 'gods that can never and has never done anything wrong'. They still worship them - even though they are dead they still have a force and rule over the country. It has been said that 'North Korea is the only place ruled by a dead person'. North Korea is clearly a place on Earth like no other.
I promise I won't only go on about North Korea forever; especially as there's a geography trip coming up!!

Books!

Hello all. My books about North Korea has arrived! So far I have listened to  'The Aquariums of Pyongyang' and I will eventually read 'Nothing to envy' and 'Escape from Camp 14'. It's weird how North Koreas publicity is increasing because of their nuclear threat, hopefully with that the world will become more aware of the fowl humanity there and hopefully many lives will be saved from the drastic food shortages, the political camps, the lies and the North Korean government in general

Easter break

Hello all. I am currently on my Easter break. I hope you are all full on chocolate right now. I have my first views from Mexico. ¡Hola! I am sure I know the main culprit 안녕고양이씨 ^^ Here are the view distribution for this week so evidence it's not just me reading this and speaking to myself (unless I've really travelled to all these places...but that's time and effort).

I finished listening to 'The Aquariums of Pyongyang' and wow. That was amazing; by amazing not the positive amazing but astonishing, shocking, sad and dramatic. I felt like I was listening to a movie - the things that happen in North Korea are dreadful and inhumane. They go to such a far extent to maintain privacy but more people are becoming aware.

The author explained how even when there were family visitors from Japan the whole neighbourhood would have a clean out and be under high surveillance so the family can not mention the condition of the country and conversation was small with their visitors. Some things I found unbelievable was the high level surveillance, the near 'worshipping of their leader, the prison camps that many innocent were forced to live in, the rough food conditions that led them to sacrifice their corn to lur in rats ro eat the rats, the public executions where children would see 'betrayers' and 'criminals' be killed in the most vile ways, the selfishness that the author had to go through just to escape North Korea leaving his family including his little sister and the girl he loved, the North Korean government system and the crimes against humanity in general. Animal farm guys...that country is full of propaganda!

If you want to find more about North Korea (there's google...I kid) check out my page 'The countries you don't hear much about'. I really recommend this book - it's a real eye opener and even though the content is sad it is interesting to learn about it. You might now look at North Korea as 'communist country with 'little, fat hitler in a boiler suit' ruling constantly threatening the US and South Korea' but now you might see it as a place where many live with extremely unjust rules, unfair punishments, sufferring with a corrupt paranoid government.
See you all soon