Korean Wave! Korea and Jeju Island

These days we don't have to prepare a table for the celebration of a baby's first birthday or cook lunch or dinner at home, because we can now have the party at a restaurant. I also had my eldest daughter's first birthday party at a restaurant. It was very good for me to not be concerned at all. But I had it for my youngest daughter at home, so I was busy to preparing the table for the celebration. A first-birthday party, 'Doljanchi', part of traditional Korean cultures, is to celebrate the baby's birthday and to pray for the baby's well-being. The 'Dol' of 'Doljanchi' means taking turn of 12 months. There is a special ceremony, 'Doljabi', played during the party. The 'Doljabi' is a ceremony in which a kid to grabs something from the table set up for the celebration. The kid's choice is so meaningful at her "Doljabi" because adults guess the kid's future job in the future based on it. For example, there is a ...

The more I listen to English old pop songs, the more my heart seems to be swept away by English. The more I learn English, the more my heart seems to be gripped by it. I tend to get into a slump easily; I forget English vocabulary, quit reading English books, and go back to my dull routine. so I need to control my lazy mind. Sometimes I ask myself : How am I supposed to live without English?, How am I supposed to enjoy my life without it? Some people may laugh at me, but no matter what they tell me, or no matter what they think of me, I don't want to make the same mistakes as before. I think learning languages is such a lonely thing. When I go through the dark tunnel, I think of you as a bright light shining beside me. I also want to be the light for you. Thanks a lot! My friends!! **** 영어 올드팝송을 들으면 들을수록 제 마음은 영어에 빠져들어요. 영어를 공부하면 할수록, 제 마음은 그것에 매료당해요. 매순간 저는 슬럼프의 위기에 처하는데 예를 들면 영어단어 잊어버리는 것, 영어책 읽기를 그만두는 것과 지루한 일상생활로 돌아가는 것이에요. 그래서 저는 저의 게으른 마음을 다스릴 필요가 있어요. 가끔 제게 물어봐요. “영어 없이...

There was one person who changed places with her shadow in my class. It was my teacher. The person teaching us was her shadow not my teacher. My teacher became her shadow and her shadow became the teacher. We were terrified but forbore with it because she didn't know she had changed into her shadow. My classmates visited a boy who was well known for having once changed into his shadow to solve the problem. We asked him how to change our teacher and her shadow back. He told us that we should first mix some food that our teacher likes and dislikes and then feed it to her. After coming back to our classroom, we made that special food for her. When her shadow saw the food, it ate it in a big mouthful. At that moment they changed places again. We let out a big cheer. But my teacher who didn't know anything about what had happened put all our names in the "Red Zone" for being noisy. ***** 우리 선생님은 그림자 ** 우리 반에 그림자와 사람이 바뀐 사람이 1명 있었다. 그건 바로 우리 선생님! 우린 반을 가르치고 있는 사람은 사실 선생님이 ...

A girl liked a boy in the same class because he was nice, good and kind, and he studied very hard as well. For that reason, her shadow was also attracted by his shadow. The girl and her shadow always thought about them at school. One day her shadow ran away from home because she was jealous of her thinking about the boy. The girl thought and thought about him, though she didn't expect her shadow to run away. The next day she wanted to play the "step on the shadow" game with her friends but she couldn't because she had no shadow. She scouted about for her shadow while they were playing. In the end, she found her shadow crying under the tree. Since then, she liked both of them, the boy and her shadow equally. Thank you for reading her writing. Have a nice day! **** 한 여자아이가 같은 반 남자아이를 정말 좋아했다. 왜냐하면 공부 잘하고 멋지고 착하고 친절하기 때문이다. 그래서인지 여자아이를 따라오는 그림자도 그의 그림자에게 반하고 말았다. 그림자와 여자아이는 그를 생각하며 학교생활을 했다. 그림자는 여자아이가 늘 남자아이만 생각하니깐 속상해서 집을 떠났다. 여자아이는 그림자가 없어진 것도 모르고 남자아이만 생각했다. 다음날 학교...

Every year there is Jeju Horse Festival in Jeju. A few years ago, I went there to watch a yard play called 'Majodan'. Majodan is the altar to pray at horse's health. I took the video about only some scenes. You can see traditional Jeju people's working clothes and listen to Jeju dialect in the video. I hope you Enjoy watching it! -- 매녀 제주에서 ‘제주마축제’가 열려요. 저는 ‘마조단’이라는 마당놀이를 보러 갔어요. ‘마조단’은 말의 건강을 기원하는 제단이에요. 저는 오직 몇 장면만 동영상 촬영을 했어요. 여러분은 동영상에서 제주 사람들의 전통작업복과 제주 사투리를 들을 수 있어요. 재밌게 감상해 보세요. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZGYrIteDIw

What kind of music do you like? I also enjoy listening to music but I don't insist on specific music. Sometimes I find out nice music by chance so I feel sorry to miss lots of good music that I haven't heard. Now I am listening to music. Would you recommend a good music? -- 어떤 음악을 좋아하세요? 저도 음악 듣는 것을 좋아하는데 어느 특정한 음악만을 듣지는 않아요. 가끔 좋은 음악을 우연히 듣게 되는 경우가 있어요. 그래서 제가 들어보지도 못한 좋은 노래가 너무 많이 있는 게 아쉬워요. 저는 지금 음악을 듣고 있어요. 좋은 음악 추천해주실래요?

On a late winter night in February, I am not able to go to sleep because I feel like time is slipping away . I hope that tonight goes slowly while I am listening to beautiful songs, but the time is leaving. It seems that my mind would miss time even more on the last winter night in February. Good night! --- 2월의 겨울 늦은 밤, 시간이 지나가는 게 아쉬워 잠을 쉽게 이루지 못하네요. 아름다운 노래들을 들으면서 이 밤이 더디 가도록 바라지만, 시간은 야속하게 훌훌 떠나가네요. 2월의 마지막 겨울밤엔 아마 이런 마음이 더 할 것 같아요. 잘 자요!

Last Saturday afternoon, the weather was very nice in downtown, so I enjoyed going camping with my family. When we went to Moguri camp site, the weather was also warm and nice so I felt very excited. But the sound of wind woke me up at dawn. The wind was very strong so it flapped our tent. My husband went out of the tent in a hurry and fixed the tent to the rocks with rope so that it would not to blown off by the strong wind. Maybe it was around 3a.m at that time. It also rained a little bit, but it stopped soon. It was very lucky. The next morning, the wind was still strong. But I think it is also another fun of camping. Anyway I had a good time there. ---- 지난주 토요일 오후, 시내는 날씨가 정말 좋았어요. 그래서 가족들과 야영을 가는 마음이 즐거웠어요. 모구리 야영장에 가서도 날씨가 참 따뜻하고 좋아서 정말 기분이 좋았어요. 그러나 새벽녘에 바람소리에 놀라 잠이 깼어요. 바람이 얼마나 심하게 부는지 텐트가 휘청거렸어요. 남편은 서둘러 밖으로 나가, 텐트가 바람에 날아가지 않도록 돌에 줄을 묶어서 고정시켰어요. 그때가 새벽 3시쯤 됐어요. 비도 조금 왔지만, 금방 멈췄어요. 다행이었어요. 다음날 아침에도 여전히 바람은 강했어요. 그렇지만 저는 이것도 '또 다른 야영의 재미'라고 생각해요. 어쨌든 저는 거기서 즐거운 시간을 보...

Last night I heard that my children were sniffling so I asked them the reason. My younger kid said that she really missed Dosoon." Dosoon was a teddy bear which had been with us for 10 years since my eldest kid received it as the first birthday present. This time last year my family and I went to a museum. When my youngest kid carried it so I suggested that she leaves the teddy bear in the car, but she insisted on carrying it. In the end she brought it with her into the museum it. After looking around the museum, when we came back home, we realized that she had left it in the museum. I called the museum to see if I could find it but I couldn't. Since then my kids have missed it and I also missed it by their appearance that they were still missing it. 어제 저녁에 아이들이 훌쩍 훌쩍 우는 소리가 들려서 왜 우냐고 물어봤어요. 작은 딸이 “또순이가 보고 싶어.”라고 얘기를 했어요. 또순이는 큰아이가 첫 돌 생일선물로 받은 곰돌이 인형인데 10년 동안 같이 지냈어요. 작년 이맘때 우리 가족 모두 어느 박물관에 놀러간 적이 있어요. 그때 그 인형을 작은 아이가 가지고 갔어요. 제가 작은 아이에게 그 인형을 차에 놔두고 가자고 말했는데, 작은 아이는 고집을 부려서...

Have you ever regretted throwing away something? A long time ago, I saw a good story on TV. One day, a man found a large tree, but there were no other such large and nice trees in the area. He studied the tree carefully to know the reason. He discovered a new fact that it was not good for wood, while normally large trees are used for wood. In the end, the tree was able to grow into a large tree, because it had been ignored by humans a long time ago for that reason, 'Useless thing, '무용지물'. Now, it is no longer a useless thing, but is a good tree giving a resting place to animals, plants and human. In this case, we say Muyongjiyong, '무용지용(無用之用)' in Korean. Have you ever regretted throwing away something that you thought of being useless? In other words, are there something that one day useless things, you thought so at first, were made good use? I would like to say that even something insignificant could also someday be made good use of.----- 오래 전에 TV에서 괜찮은 이야기를 들...

In Korea, there are 12 animals that represents the year born. There are 12 animals like 쥐(Rat), 소(Cow), 호랑이(Tiger), 토끼(Rabbit), 용(Dragon), 뱀(Snake), 말(Horse), 양(Sheep), 원숭이(Monkey), 닭(Chicken), 개(Dog), 돼지(Pig) in Chinese zodiac sign. When we tell Chinese zodiac sign in Korean, 저는 쥐띠입니다. 저는 소띠입니다. 저는 호랑이띠입니다. 저는 토끼띠입니다.......저는 ( ) 띠입니다. Let me tell you an interesting origin about the order of animals. Once upon a time, when God was sick. So God called 12 animals to his palace. He wanted to elect a captain of them, but 12 animals wanted to be a captain and quarreled each other. In the end, God decided to change a captain every year and ordered some people to have the birth year like name of the captain's animal. To decide the order, the animals ran a race. At first, Cow was nearly first. Unfortunately Cow didn't win. Who do you think finished first in the race? It was the Rat! It was because the Rat on the Cow's head jumped down to the finish line before the c...

라일락 꽃향기 맡으면(If I smell lilac flowers) 잊을 수 없는 기억에(because of an unforgettable memory) 햇살 가득 눈부신 슬픔 안고,(I hug dazzling sadness like a sunshine,) 버스 창가에 기대 우네.(I cry leaning the window in a bus.) 가로수 그늘 아래 서면,(When I stand under the shadow of the street,) 떠가는 듯 그대 모습.(your appearance seems to be disappeared.) 어느 찬비 흩날린 가을 오면,(When the fall comes after it rains,) 아침 찬바람에 지우지.(I erase you with a cold wind in the morning.) 이렇게도 아름다운 세상 잊지 않으리.(I will never forget such a beautiful world) 내가 사랑한 얘기 우.(my favorite story.) 여위어 가는 가로수 그늘 밑,(Under the shadow of the street losing leave,) 그 향기 더 하는데.(there is filled with the smell of lilac.) 우~ 아름다운 세상(oo~ a beautiful world) 너는 알았지 내가 사랑한 모습?(You knew that I loved you?) 우~ 저 별이 지는 가로수 하늘 밑(Oo~ under the street where the star sinks) 그 향기 더 하는데.(there is filled with the smell of lilac.) 가로수 그늘 아래 서면,(When I stand under the shadow of the street,) 떠가는 듯 그대 모습.(your appearance seems to be disappeared.) 어느 찬비 흩날린 가을 오면,(When...

삼성혈 is one of the popular places to visit in Jeju. Besides, Snow never lays and water never collects at 삼성혈 even if it rains or snows heavily. 4300years ago, 3gods were born as human beings at 삼성혈, three holes on the land. They named themselves like Ko Ulla(고을라), Yang Ulla(양을라) and Bu Ulla(부을라). One day, they climbed to the top of Halla mountain and found a big wooden box at the east sea. They opened it at the Onpyeong(온평) beach in Seongsan-eup(성산읍). There were 3 princesses and an envoy who came from Byuknang nation(벽랑국) in the big wooden box. The envoy introduced 3 princesses to them like that the princesses came here to get marry them and build a nation. And the envoy disappeared suddenly. So they married them and built Tamra nation(탐라국). In the end, they became progenitors of Tama nation. Jejudo has some names. Tamrado is one of them. Next time let me introduce them. Let me introduce my family tree. I am a descendant of Ko Ulla(고을라). 1. The progenitor(고시조) : Ko Ulla(고...

Have you ever had Korean food? I think that most countries have their own special sauces to cook with. Korea also has special and traditional sauces like soy sauce (ganjang, 간장), soybean paste (doenjang, 된장), and red pepper paste (gochujang, 고추장). To make doenjang, gochujang, and ganjang, we have to make the blocks of fermented soybeans (Meju, 메주). When I was a child, I often saw my mom making them. But now I am used to buying the sauces, instead of making them! *How to make Meju, '메주'* ---------------- 1. Prepare yellow soybeans and keep them soaked in water for about 8 hours. 2. Boil yellow soybeans for about 6 hours. 3. Mash boiled yellow soybeans. 4. Put them into a box to make the block shape and press it well. 5. Put the Meju to in a room to dry for a few days. 6. Hang them for about a month under the eaves, or an airy place, to dry well

It snowed a lot last weekend. The next day many schools and kindergartens were closed so I didn't go to work. It is rare to see lots of snow in Jeju city except county sides in the winter.This winter it snowed a lot and the temparature fell to four degrees below zero so the water pipes of lots of houeses were frozen and even some areas had no power. The water pipe in my house has also frozen so my family and I had a hard time for a few days. Fortunately last Monday afternoon we could use the water. If it didn't start working again, We would have gone to my parents' house. The next day in the morning, on the way to work I was worried about the slippery road. But the snow has quickly melted by the warm weather. Now it is raining, instead of the snow!