Korea

Monday, July 2, 2012

Jean Youn: Fourth of July, fireworks, and General Douglas MacArthur

This year, Independence Day falls on Wednesday. It is in the middle of the week. Do you have any special plans for the Fourth of July? By the way, what comes first to your mind about Independence Day? For me, it is the fireworks. Though each firework show looks similar at a glance, we realize quickly that each draws a […]
Sunday, June 24, 2012

Jean Youn: The feel of summer

By chance, have you ever dipped your feet in a small creek in the mountains? Korea, where I grew up, has a lot of small mountains all over its land. During hot summer days, people frequently go up to the mountains and counter the heat by dipping their feet in the creeks. Not just the clear and cold water of […]
Monday, December 12, 2011

Jean Youn: Mountains, echoes, and the holiday spirit

Have you ever been to the top of any mountains? Korea is a very small country in land area, but it has many mountains. About 70% of the land is covered with mountains. Most of them are not very high though. Anyone could climb to the top of them. When you’re at the top of these mountains, if you yell […]
Sunday, September 11, 2011

Jean Youn’s Tips and Insight: Giving thanks

 Tomorrow is a big holiday in Korea. It is called Chu-Seok , and it is the Korean equivalent of America’s Thanksgiving. In Korea, it is a five day long celebration. During Chu-Seok, the first harvests of grains and fruits are prepared and it is day where Koreans give thanks to their ancestors. The seasons in Korea are similar to how it […]