Happy new year:)

Hello, everyone:)

It is new year, 2012.

I greeted the New Year in New York.
I think a lot of you guys saw the TV show at midnight in Time Square. It was truly a big event.

I tried to go, but I gave up because I heard the waiting time would be more than 8 hours.
From 1-2  p.m.  people started to gather on the square.
As night fell, it was impossible to move in the time square.

Can you imagine? during 8 hours, you cannot go to toilet!
.....So I choose to see it on the TV:)
I believe it was the best choice.

I was with my friends, and we cheered and clapped when midnight came.


It is new day and we are happy to say HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Hello, New York:)

Hello, Everyone.

I have a piece of news.

I moved in New York City!

I got a part-time job in Korea Consulate, New York.

There is a campaign, and I joined that from 1st Dec.

There are two elections, Congress and President,

and overseas korean who has a visa can vote in America.

However, almost Korean doesn't know it.

That's why I work to advertise campaingn.

Its not easy...

It looks like.. um.. home-visiting sales....

I don't go home, but I try to talk Korean on the street, in the institute.

I was busy because of the work.

I hope that I write something new in New York City.

See you later:)

I miss Harrisburg!!!!

How old are you?

Oct. 7. It was my birthday.

I invited some friends and had the mexican dinner with them.

At that time, I got a lot of questions to ask my age.

I answered "25 In America, but Im still 26 in Korea."

If you are American or European, you are confused this sentence.

If you are Chinese or Japanes, you can understand exactily what I told.

Yeah, It's different to calculate age between them.

In America and Europe, a baby is 0-year-old when he is born.

And he is 1-year-old after 12 months past.

In Korea, Japan and China, a baby is 1-year-old when he is born.

And he is 2-year-old after 12 months past.

I celebrate my birthday, but my age isn't changed on that day.

Every 1 on Jan, everyone get 1-year-old together.

People of 3 countries thinks it is a human being even he isn't come out yet from the belly of mother.

So they add 1-year-old when he is born.

One more thing, I have 2 birthday in one year.

One is 1986.Oct.7 followed by sun calendar,

the other is 1986.Sep.4 follewed by moon calendar.

Long times ago and utill now, Korea has moon calendar.

It's not public calendar, but we our holiday(new years day and Chu-seok)

has to calculate on the moon calendar.

I hope its enough to explain how to calculate age in Korea.

......

......

and I prefer American's way..

I want to be young!! ;_;



Glad to meet you, Congressman Tim Holden.

It was a office of congressman, Tim Holden.

There were people to say hello each other

and they talked lively in the hall.

Someone talked about family as a greeting,

on the other hands, the other talked to discuss the hot issue in Harrisburg.

I turned my eyes to the office.

(Because I didn't know who they are..., but I said hello a lot in there, too.)

I looked around the pictures on the wall

and articles in the newspaper.

These show me who he is and what he did.

Something was so old, so I could guess he has worked so long time.

There was a football picture, so I could he like a football.

Tim Holden started to speak in front of people.

He spoke not fast, not slow.

Everyone in the hall concentrated on his speech to understand what he said.

(I also tried to focus on it, but its too difficult to understand for me.)

After his speech, people started to ask questions to him.

A guy asked what is plan for Harrisburg and he explained the answer what its going.

Congressmas needs to communicate with people, voters.

They have to speak their supporters opinion in the house and public.

In a same time, they also need to pursuade their supporters.

Even some people suggest an idea to give benefit to them,

it always can't be good,

in the view of federal gov, or in the view of state gov.

He tried to communicate with them.

So people tried to understand him.

It was good chance to remind a duty of politician.

......

(Anyway, the lunch was delicious!)



Flooding, Who is in charge of it?

Do you remember flooding 2 weeks ago?

It might be YES, YES, YES.

It was huge disaster.

The front street was flooded, and people moved from uptown area.

Some roads became big ponds or a stream,

trees on the island was disappeared half of it.

The news was showing it again and again,

schools were closed, shops were closed, too.

(The mayor had said to close every shops)

But there was no one angry to the government.

People prepared everything themselves,

they didn't blame the government.

You might be wondered.

Why do I blame the government because of flooding?

 In Korea, there was flooding in this summer.

It was huge as like here,

subway station was closed as like New york,

cars were sinked, roads were disappeared.

And people were angry.

They thought it is in charge of the government.

To predict, To prepare.

The government need to build and fix a waterway,

and manage it for protection of flooding.

I don't think they are wrong, American and Korean.

I agree the government is in charge of flooding,

so its required to clean and maintain,

and the government has to be reproach for its carelessness.

But people also have to know the government isn't God who knows everything.

So they need to wait and keep on eye the government.

The government is a collaborator, which work together.

Hum.... Anyway, I like rainning, with a cup of coffee:)

Happy Chu-seok, Marry Chu-seok!



Happy, Happy, Happy!

It was awesome day.

Yesterday was a holiday, Chu-seok in Korea.

It's to celebrate to begin the harvest

t(Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate to finish the harvest)

and people shares these grains, fruits with whole family.

On this day, it's happen to huge moving in Korea,

because everyone try to visit there hometown to gather their family.

So,

I made a Chu-seok party with my new family, in Harrisburg.

I and Jenna had cooked more than 6 hours.

Nurumjeok(fried with vegetable and ham), Kimbab(Sushi with seaweed), Sesami reaf fried,

 Chicken stew(hot spicy), Fistbab(rice with tuna), Dongurangddang(fried beef, tufu and vegetable)

Ddukbboki(rice cake with spicy) and Sikhye(rice punci).

I was worried a little bit.

These food are not familiar with Americans.

Of course, I couldn't be sure my cooking..

However, everyone liked these!!

They were impressed taste, and enjoyed a lot.

I was so happy that they like korean food.

(and I didn't make disappointed my cooking, hahaha)

Even my family in Korea gathered together,

but I didn't miss them.

In Harrisburg, there are new family who enjoy Chu-seok with me!

Happy Chu-seok,

Merry Chu-seok!

(Traffic jam is terrible, but people don't give up to leave)

Noblesse Oblige, In Hershey Park.

Noblesse Oblige.

It generally used to imply social resonsibilties to a person with wealth.

In the past, royal families had a power and money.

And they also had responsibilities to take care their territory.

Since than, some royal familes have been done their duties, so they have gotten respect, confidence.

I think Milton S. Hershey was a man who shown what it is.

Even he got wealth through 3 times failes,

he tried to share his wealth with employers in his factory.

He remembered to miss the education when he was young,

so he founded schools for orphans and poors.

He put trolley to help commute and other community,

he built amusement park for happiness of employers.

He wanted to make a community which every employers live happily.

When I found this stories, these made my heart hurt.

Because the foriegn workers riots in hershey come to my mind.

If there was a Milton S. Hershey,

What would he say about it?

How would he do for them?

I can guess what the answer about these questions.

But one thing I'm sure is that

it would be differnt result if his values were reflected in them.

......

Anyway,

It was awesome! Hershey Park!

Thouhgt about Hershey Foreign Workers

Have you heard about J1 VISA?

A J1 VISA gives a student permission to work legally in the USA.

(I also have it, so its possible to get an internship and/or a part-time job.)

There are a lot of students who have this in the USA.

In Hershey, PA there are these students, too.

And they made their vioce heard by the society.

When they applied to get their J1 VISA,

they expected to have a special experience,

for example,

To share cultural ideas, To have work experience with Americans,

To see traditional places.

They also were eager to improve their English.

They want to speak, listen and write English.

Its the big reason they choose to come to the USA.

Yeah, but "No Money No Gain" in capitalism.

So they needed to pay more than $5,000 - $7,000 to get this.

And they are spending money to live here.

This not a small amount, and it gives positive effect to USA economy.

However, the reality in the USA is not the same as they thought.

Because of the language problem, they misunderstand about culture and racism,

And they can't get experiences.

Yes it's true, it's difficult to work with a person who can't speak English very well.

It's also true, there is a risk to hire a person who doesn't understand the USA.

But, if they are perfect to speak English, they wouldn't choose J1 VISA program.

If they don't want to know USA, they would choose the other countries.

US government provided this program for their profit.

(Im sure they got money through this program.)

So its fair to give PROFIT to participants, too.

It will be able to be a Win-Win game.

US government can get profit,

participants also can get experience they thought.

......

......

As like me!

I am so happy to have internship in World Affairs Council:)