Introduction

Hello Everyone. My name is Kenna and I recently won a Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad in Seoul, South Korea for this summer. I am writing to you today to tell you about what I will be experiencing, my interests, and what exactly I will be writing about in this blog.  First let me give you some background information on how I became interested in Korean culture.

Growing up I had always been interested in Japanese culture. I watched Japanese anime (animation) on Toonami everyday, crying if I ever missed an episode of "Sailor Moon." I collected Japanese dolls, posters, and soon I became very interested in reading Japanese manga or comic books, especially the girly, love ones. As I grew up, my collection and addiction grew. All I wanted in the world was to be able learn the Japanese language and to travel there. Even today, as a Japanese major in college, it is still my dream. When I first entered college, though, my passion for Japanese abruptly halted. That is because a friend introduced me to what I now view as the best thing in the world... Korean pop music. Kpop to me is now my soul! Artists like 2ne1, G-Dragon, Super Junior, Girls Generation, etc. produce the only kind of music that I can tolerate anymore. Upon realizing though that I had left my passion for Japanese culture for Korean culture, I felt tormented inside. I know that I can like both cultures equally, but I also realized that many people like myself  are concerned with one culture and that they focus all of there energy on that. I am here today, writing to try and break that tradition. I am trying to create more passion in myself to learn about all culture and to become a more worldly person. I am starting this journey by traveling to Korea to learn more than just music and movies. I want to truly understand and accept their culture.

So now, after telling you how I got interested in Korean culture, I will tell you about what I will be experiencing and writing about in this blog. I will be studying at Yonsei University in Seoul with absolutely no language experience in Hangul (the Korean Language). So as a student, I will be writing about how to survive in another country with no language experience and about what things you might experience if you decide to travel abroad, even in a different country. During this trip I will also be traveling a lot, like to Jeju Island, and I will be posting pictures and what the culture and history is in different areas. Posting about all this stuff could get a little boring though, so I am going to spice it up by writing about any oddities I find or my unique experiences that I have interest in, like going to concerts, and just anything else I find suitable to talk about.

I really want others to get interested in Korean culture like I am, so I will try to post as often as possible. Also, if anyone has anything in particular that they want me to write about or investigate, please comment and I will try to write about it. Thanks for believing in me and following me guys! I hope you will read more of my posts!