Korean Dramas. They're here. Get used to them. These television shows are comparable to primetime television programming in America (think Grey's Anatomy or Heroes). These Korean series bear little resemblance to what we refer to as "daytime" television. The production format is closer to a "miniseries" (think Band of Brothers or Lonesome Dove). However, when westerners hear the term "K-drama" or "soap opera" we instantly think of cheesy dialogue, unnecessarily long pauses, overacting, unrealistically overdone characters, and untimely bizarre deaths (think General Hospital or The Young and the Restless or your dramatic cousin on your dad's side). While the Korean equivalents certainly share some of the surface level similarities,... Show more

I sat my linguistics exam yesterday. THANK GOD THAT IT'S OVER. I don't know a single person on that course who enjoyed it in the end, no matter how enthuisastic they started out. I just hope that I've passed, fingers crossed! Now I have 2 weeks worth of Romanticism history to catch up on ... *dies* I just have to keep on reminding myself that all of this is so that I can go study Korean in my dream university. Today, instead of talking about the music that I like, I wanted to ask, what music do you like? How did you start listening to Korean music? What are some of your favourite artists, or favourite songs? Do you listen to Korean music more than the music of your own country or another country? I'm always very interested to see what... Show more

Swimming Safety. Koreans have had a long affair with swimming. Korea is a peninsular country surrounded by water so naturally, Koreans have been swimming for recreation for some time. However, danger lurks in those calming waters...but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's set the stage. In America, typically we teach our children to do three things as soon as possible: feed themselves, ride a bike, and swim. Don't get me wrong - we don't throw kids in the pool and hope they resurface eventually. Traditionally though, whenever a family goes swimming the toddler goes in the pool while the adult teaches the child how to swim. Little by little, once the child gains confidence, we typically encourage him or her to swim relatively unassisted... Show more

여러분, 안녕하세요! I was a happy little fangirl yesterday, because Epik High's latest release, a mini album called LOVESCREAM, came out! I love it, it's great! It's got a couple of songs in their usual, upbeat hiphop style but it's also got some instrumental tracks on there, really pretty little pieces that are melodic and somehow a little bit dark, similiar to some of the instrumental pieces on their Remapping the Human Soul and Pieces, Part One albums. If you've got a Naver account, you'll be able to listen to previews of the album over on Naver. You need to use IE though, the music player isn't so friendly when you try using Firefox. And if you click the little orange TV icon next to 1분 1초, you'll be able to watch the music video (or you... Show more

AC voltage differences. Physics101. Alternating current (AC) is what is in the wall while direct current (DC) is like what is in your car's cigarette lighter socket. Today, let's go over some important things to consider about AC power when traveling to South Korea. We must consider two things 1) Voltage and 2) Plug shape. You'll find that plugs that come with two flat pins usually are built for 110-120V and plugs with two round pins  are built for 220-240V. Let's address the most pressing difference first: current (measured in volts). Korea most generally runs a current of 220-240 volts so that must be taken care of first. But before you go out and buy a new travel razor or cell phone charger, check the backside of your device. If you... Show more