Honestly, I don't even remember which day it was I had to stop blogging on because of my lack of time. I believe it was Monday, since today is Thursday.
So Monday was good. I got my research project and started my first reaction. So far, it has been slow going. I'm unfamiliar with the subtleties of what I'm doing, and the lab is unfamiliar, which is a little stressful. The good news is that I'm getting to work with a good group of graduate students who know exactly what they're doing, and also what I should be doing. I'm learning a lot in this lab, because the procedures are so different than what we do at home. Maybe it's just that it's a lab in a foreign country, or maybe it's just the system my professor likes. Who knows?
It's also kind of weird, too, in that my professor, at least, from what he's told me, really sees himself as a kind of father for me along with being a professor. This also might be a common thing, but I'm not sure. I guess mentors are also kind of like father figures too, and we have them in America, but I've never had someone come out and say that they want to be like a dad to me. It's kind of nice, even though I'm not used to that kind of thing. I really have no inkling as to why the father figure thing is important here. It could be just the whole Confucian society thing coming out, but I'm not sure. Either way, Professor Chang is a nice man.
Like I said before, the lab work is slow going, and that, in itself is kind of frustrating for me. I am very determined when my mind is set to doing something, and since I have class so much and other obligatory commitments, my hours are very strange, which cuts down on the time Professor Chang is in the lab with me.
This project is going to go very well, I think.
Also, on Monday, my day was brightened so much by a PACKAGE I received from the states. I can't say enough how eternally grateful I am to Dr. Ratliff for sending me things. It makes life here so much easier. This package had tons of coffee and even a coffee maker! I fired it up almost immediately! I was getting ready to enjoy some true coffee, but started smelling burning plastic. I investigated the source of the smell, only to discover that my power converter was smoking at an alarming rate. I immediately unplugged everything and just stood there, half expecting my power converter to explode in a fiery torment of electrical rage. However, and thankfully so, my converter is fine. I had no cue as to why this happened, so I called the good people at Mr. Coffee. Turns out that American coffee makers don't work overseas, because they require the 10 amps which is offered by the American electric system and which Korea doesn't have. You can't fix the problem, because amps are intrinsic with the electricity and can't be converted.
In light of the sad news, though, I would really like to extend my full thanks to Dr. Ratliff. It was so nice of a gesture. I can't say that enough. Even though the coffee maker can't work, I will send it back to the states. I have also obtained a simple coffee maker which definitely will suffice. Again, and I can't say enough, thank you to Dr. Ratliff (By the way, the coffee is Fantastic.).
I didn't go to table tennis on Tuesday, but for good reason. I went to dinner at my professor's house, instead, along with all the other lab workers for Dr. Chang. The dinner itself was really good. Homemade Korean food is very very good. Way better than restaurant food, I think. We had a ton of food, and it was all so good. Afterwards, we had tea and orange slices and just talked for a while. Something really exciting about all of this, is that I actually understood about 10% of what was being said. That was a much better improvement compared to my previous abilities of about.....2%.
Also, Dr. Chang's house wasn't a "house" as we would call it in the states at all, instead, it resembled more of a penthouse type of thing. His apartment/penthouse thing was located on the ninth floor of an apartment building which was in a group of about twenty apartment buildings. Pretty much the overwhelming majority of Koreans live in these apartment buildings, and are actually pretty eco-friendly I think. Anyways, when I heard that most Koreans live in apartments I imagined American style apartments, where it's nice, but not a house. Dr. Chang's apartment was most definitely just like a really nice one story house. I was thoroughly impressed.
Yesterday, Wednesday, I thought was going to be SO busy, but it turned out to not be so bad. Lots of lab work, and class. Can't forget that I also went to Hayang, and also ate more chinese food. I got my coffee maker thing from Wayne on Wednesday, too, and that's exciting.
As far as class goes, things are progressing very quickly, and while I feel I am catching WAY more of the material, spelling still isn't so much fun because one mistake ruins the whole question. However, I really am learning a whole lot, which is exciting, because I'm starting to be able to talk to someone without them giving me that look like "huh?"
Today has also been pretty decent, mainly because class is now over and I have had a little time to relax and just get stuff done. Nothing really of much excitement has happened, though, just a good, relaxing time.
I am going to go and get some movie making done.
For Now,
Aron Huckaba International Vagabond
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