Life, I guess

Hi, how are you? Fine? I hope so. Let me get you up to speed. Last week, I wrote a razor-sharped and breakneck fast, brutally good page-turner post for you, but my computer died. You know, life, I guess. But that will be nothing compared to what happened next. I tried writing another post on my brother’s computer. Again, I wrote a “There was no way in a million years, I could stop reading this” kind of post, and I don’t know what happened, but apparently, I never saved the file. According to my brother, I might have pressed something, and the file was deleted. Do you know “Les Miserables”? Well, I tried to write another post, because I really want to write something for you. Third time’s a charm, isn’t? Wrong. As soon as I started typing, a power blackout made me think that someone doesn’t want me to write something nice for you.  

What’s more, in Culture IV I really wanted to read “Titus” by William Shakespeare, but the girls decided that the story was too bloody. So, now, I have to read “King Lear” for that subject. Yesterday, I finished the book and let me tell you something:  

I mean, for real? That’s the whole story? Stupid King Lear and stupid Cordelia. Nevermind, I will read “Titus” on my own. Apart from that, I’m angry because I couldn’t get tickets for the new movie of “The Avengers.” I want to go to the IMAX cinema, but the tickets are all sold out. DAMN YOU PROGRESS!

 You know, I like to share everything with you, but today I have something I don’t want to share, and it’s a cold. I’ve been feeling bad these last couple of days. I looked it up on the Internet, and a funny octopus doctor told me I had a cold. I don’t usually take medication, so I asked my friends for a more natural solution. They told me to drink tea, chew tabasco, and my friend Vanesa told me to drink garlic lemonade. She said it worked for her, and it’s true. She is cold free and single.

To make things worse, it's been raining a lot. I mean, it's good, but if my hair gets wet, I can't return it. How much can a person take? I don’t know. But what I know it’s that today is my brother’s birthday, and I will have some cake and pizza. As I always tell you, we have to see the positive side of life. As long as I have chocolate, a brand new episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and a pizza, I will survive. Don’t make me sing.

Do you see how much I have to suffer last week? Thank God, this is a short one. The good thing about this week is that I have to participate in a contest about Korea. It is going to be amazing. You know, I have to tell you that I really love learning Korean. The course is intensive and you have a lot to read but I love it. All these new words and rules, it’s an amazing experience.

So, it doesn’t matter if everything goes wrong, I know I will always find positive things in my life. This is life, I guess. But what is life? Life’s a show, and we all play our parts. And when the music starts, we open up our hearts. It’s all right if some things come out wrong. We'll sing a happy song, and you can sing along. Where there’s life, there’s hope. Everyday is a gift. Wishes can come true…

 Well, I'm singing, bye!

Link to happiness:

https://www.google.com.ar/search?q=cute+cats+pictures&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiaz5Wh0ePaAhWFk5AKHRWjDIQQsAQIJg&biw=1920&bih=900

BA Celebra Japan

Hi, people! How are you doing? Thrilled to be reunited. Right, catch-up time. Last Saturday, I attended BA Celebra Japan. It was a decent event on San Juan Avenue. As usual, on Saturday I went to my Korean lesson in Palermo, and I ran to the event. Sadly, BA Celebra Syria was cancelled for obvious reasons. It is horrible all the bad things some people have to suffer. I cannot even watch the news these days. And I always remember something Ellen Degeneres said, “The weather is the only happiest part of the news. Because at some point you are going to hear something positive. You are going to hear it is going to be a beautiful day. It’s nice to take something positive because we hear all this negative stuff all the time. Then, we go out  into the world so chaotic and not that we are not going to notice if it’s a beautiful day, we are moving too fast to even pay attention to that.”

 So, this post is going to be about my visit to BA Celebra Japan, and I want to make an invitation for another cultural event in Escobar.

BA Celebra Japan was not as big as BA Celebra Korea, Ireland, India, or Scotland. But, it was full of people. When I got to the event, I couldn't find anything to eat. I wanted to have an ice-cream, but they ran out of it.

Nevertheless, it was a good reason to know more about this community. I really love watching people of different countries enjoying music, food, and tales from other countries.

The event was full of music and traditional dance. There was also a presentation of Kendo. I didn’t know what Kendo was, and according to Wikipedia, Kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, which descended form swordsmanship and uses bamboo swords and protective armour.

Ph. Janaina Gallardo 

The most important thing is that Japan and Argentina celebrated 120 years of diplomacy.

There was even a DRAGON!

Ph. Mysteris

Ok! Now, I want to make a formal invitation to one of the most amazing events in Escobar.

In this event, you can try the traditional Japanese cuisine. You can also buy traditional Japanese gifts.

By the way, this Sunday I will attend BA Celebra Calabria. 

So, if you are a big fan (or not) of the Italian culture, you are more than welcome to join us to celebrate this beautiful country. 

See you there! Have a great weekend!

Scottish Love

Hi, people! I hope you are having an amazing week. I was thinking about what to write for this post. I have already talked about food, tv shows, teaching a language, learning a language, but I have never talked about one of my favourite things in the world; Scotland. I mean, yes, I have told you about my trip. But I have never told you why I love Scotland. So, this post is going to be fully dedicated to the Bonnie Scotland.

It is difficult to explain why do I love this place so much. There are some many reasons to love it. Walking in Edinburgh and get lost in its maze-like streets is really awesome.

I guess my first encounter with Scotland was when I was really young. I found a picture of a place called Dean Village. At that moment, I did not know the name of the place. I had to make a story with that picture. You know how there are people who are very creative, well I’m not one of them. I am terrible at creating something from a picture or a phrase. But, I really loved the photo, and I wanted to know where this picture was taken. I asked my teacher, and she did not know either. She told me that she took it from a magazine. So, years passed by and I met “the boy who lived.” I was so in love with the story of Harry Potter that I started digging on J. K Rowling’s background. I found out that she lived in Edinburgh, Scotland and wrote the books there. Immediately, I started looking up for pictures of Edinburgh. To my surprise, I bumped into with the same picture of Dean Village. 

What a coincidence! I did not remember all the details of the picture my teacher gave me, but I recognised the place. On that moment, I knew I was going to visit that place someday.

I started searching for information about the country and its culture. I read a lot about the battles and its folklore. All of a sudden, I started listening to Scottish music and watching documentaries, about the different cities. I learned about Nessie, Bobby and the Kelpies. I attended as many Scottish events as possible. I studied English because I really wanted to talk with Scottish people.

 By the way, Scottish people are the best. They are so nice and extremely easy-going people. I remember an old couple recommended that I should try something called “Irn-Bru.” They told me that I could not leave Scotland without trying the national drink. Of course, I did try it and I loved it.

I planned my trip for years, but life got in the way. I went through difficult times during my twenties, and I postponed my trip. But when I turned thirty, I decided to have a more positive view of life. I decided that I was going to do what I love, and I was going to do it now. I booked my tickets to Scotland, and I took my mother with me. She did not know anything about Scotland, but I taught her a lot about the places we were going to visit.

She fell in love with the country immediately. How can you not do it? Not matter where you look, you can see pieces of history. Castles, beautiful landscapes, magic and even a prehistoric monster you can find in Scotland.

There is nothing like making your dreams come true. I realized that it takes guts to really overcome your fears and say: “let’s do it!”

While I was walking among castles, and an extinct volcano, I was happy. I did not care about anyone and anything. It took time to make my dream come true. But it was like a movie, I dreamed it, and suddenly, I was there. I never had second thoughts about not going to Scotland. From the moment I fell in love with the country, I knew I was going to visit it. I did not know when, but I knew I was going to do it. Visiting this place was my motivation to overcome many bad things. I think that is the most important purpose of a dream.

Do you want to know something funny? When I planned my trip, I decided where I wanted to go. Two months after the trip, my favourite singer, Joss Stone, announced she was going to perform in Glasgow. I did not know if I was going to be able to get a ticket. I had to go to the Royal Hall Center to buy the ticket. I did not know where that place was. So, I was losing hope. When the bus from the airport left us in the bus station, I was crossing the street, and there it was. I saw the Royal Hall Center. I left my mother outside the building with our suitcases, and I ran to buy the ticket.

 I was able to buy it, and 8 days later I was watching Joss Stone live again. It was the first time Joss was singing accompanied by a live orchestra. Imagine this, your favourite singer in your favourite country and with a live orchestra. And this was not planned at all. But there is more, after the concert, I was outside the building waiting for my bus and Joss was behind me waiting for her taxi. I had a picture of that moment, and it was so crazy.

So, If you ask me why do I love this country so much, it is because it gave me hope when I needed the most. Because it gave me a reason to face many things, and to believe that I could do what I want.

So, my advice to you is that even when everything looks hard, we can always find something to hang on to. It could be anything. In my case was to visit this lovely, and amazing country. I gained not only confidence through this journey, but it also opened the door to the world. I love learning about languages, and cultures because of Scotland. I speak English, and work with the language, thanks to my love for Scotland.

Sorry for the long post, but if I have to speak about this country, you have to expect a long post from me.

I hope you have an amazing week. See ya!

Centro Cultural Coreano in Buenos Aires

Hi, mates! How are you doing? I’ve been very busy this last couple of days. I have to study a lot for my Korean course. In may, I have to participate in a contest related to the Korean culture. The people in charge can ask you about anything, not only about language. We have to study a lot. So, today post is going to be about this place where I study this beautiful language.

LET'S GO

Located in Coronel Diaz 2884, the Korean Cultural Center (or CCC in Spanish) opened its doors for the first time in 2006 in Palermo. The aim of the CCC is to bring the Korean culture to the community. How do they do it? By delivering different talks, and events related to music, art, cinema, and language. All these events are completely for free. Sometimes, you have to enroll via online for the talks.

Cinema and Art

Every month, the CCC offers different events related to cinema and art. The last exhibition “Imágenes de lejos” was a successful art event. Different artists showed their love to Korea through art.

Twice a month, you can visit the CCC to watch some of the most amazing films. Of course, these films are in Korean, but they all have Spanish subtitles.

Korean language

You can also study Korean in this place. This an intensive course. It is very demanding, but it is also amazing. You can start from zero. But if you have already studied the language, you can improve your skills. There are six levels, but you will have to do two levels in the same year. You have to be ready to study hard and practice a lot. 

By the way, in may the 12th the “Quiz On Korea” will take place. In this contest, Korean people will ask questions about anything related to the Korean culture. The first prize is a trip to Korea. Once you get to Korea, you will have to continue studying for the big final. The final will be aired on KBS (a Korean TV channel). You will compete with people all around the world. Are you scared now? Because I am. Even if you are not studying the language in the CCC, you can enroll via online to participate. It is obligatory for those who are studying in the CCC.

Music and workshops

If you enjoy Kpop music, you have to visit the center in April. During that month, you can participate in one of the biggest Kpop contest in Latin America ever.

If you want to learn more about Korea, you can attend one of the many workshops and talks related to the country. In april, you can attend “Hapkido: arte marcial tradicional para las nuevas generaciones.” If you like cooking, you can also learn about traditional Korean gastronomy. You can also learn about fashion, classical music, technology, and calligraphy.

You can check all these events, and many more, in the following link https://www.facebook.com/CC.Coreano/?ref=br_tf .

Remember what Tom Freston says, "Travel early and travel often. Live abroad, if you can. Understand cultures other than your own. As your understanding of other cultures increases, your understanding of yourself and your own culture will increase exponentially." 

Ok, that's all for now folks! I hope you have a good week. 

Link: 

http://argentina.korean-culture.org/es/welcome