Rain Pi

It's not about the singer's nice cute abs... It's today: the rain season :(
For a month...
arrrgggghhhh

Media and the internet: defiance and fear?

Two ‘media’ events on the web these past two weeks.
Nicolas Sarkozy on youtube and dailymotion
Arrêt sur images not to be broadcast again in France
These two media events have both different coverage from the media (press) and the internet.
What it shows and underlines is the internet as a true epistemic community, a public sphere-to-be. A thing I’m thinking on –thoroughly- for my poor paper on Asian media…
Nicolas Sarkozy’s story on daily motion and youtube can be read as a kind of a mascarade. Just turning our president (well, I cannot say our president, they –the others- chose it/him for me) into a risible puppet maybe. Watched the video, did not find it particularly laughable. Just a small bagatelle. Nothing really serious.
However, the decision from France 5 not to broadcast again Arrêt sur Images is much more damageable for our democracy, jeopardizing, I’d say. Arrêt sur Images would “read” images from television, teach citizens to “read” the image that media conveys us everyday. To struggle against media as our post modern opium of the populace I guess. A very good programme I appreciated to watch, when I had the time to. Last September, while I was interviewed for the MBA admission at ESSEC, one of the member of the jury asked me why I wanted to sit for the ‘Media and Entertainment Chair’ later on, why I wanted to work as a TV producer, or a international sales manager in a TV company. Precisely so that such clever and thought-provocative programs do not disappear from French (public) TV charts…

Petrified hedgepodge

So, the program for UMAT conference (ubiquitous media, Asian transformations) is now online. See www.u-mat.org
The first good surprise is: great, I know some names, professors or researchers from Japan, Korea, Australia, people that I appreciate.
Then comes the freezing backlash; what the hell is the mouse doing there, presenting even two papers... while people usually prepare only one...
Needless to say, I feel stressful. Go back to work, pari pari...

Traditional music and dance @ Dano Festival in Hanok Village, Chungmuro, Seoul

Korean dolls

an evening in Anguk

Yesterday was Onni Cha Eun’s last day at the office before her departure to the Philippines, so the Asia Start Program director, Sosengnim, invited us all to the restaurant in Jongno to have some samgyesap (Korean barbecue). I can’t remember when was my last bite of samgyesap so I guess I ate like a pig (irony… for the non-Korean familiar people, Korean bbq is mainly based on pork). Well, that’s the only thing I could do, as everybody was speaking in Korean. There were two friends from Asia Start, among them the girl who sings pansori so well (I cannot remember her name, so I always call her ‘pansori dong sang’, the younger sister that sings pansori).
After the huge barbecue, Teacher took us to his office, in Anguk, in a lovely hanok house. I loved being in the hanok house, seeing from the inside a hanok house full of books and music instruments. Stupid mouse did not take her camera and the mp3 player unfortunately… It was just nice to see the stars from the open roof, feel the fresh air in the paved yard, see the light on the traditional door, and sip a bit of soju. I would have loved taking a few pics of the house, and of the enjoyed moments there. Pansori dong sang played some kind of harp, one was from South Korea and the other one from North Korea. The South Korean harp was pentatonic, and the North Korean harp was usual. (Pentatonic refers to tones. A bit technical to explain. So, for once, please check in a dictionary, feel lazy to explain musical theories…). Interestingly, the melody produced by the instruments really sounded like the pansori singers’ voices in their expressiveness. Well, I’m talking about these details because that’s one of the very few conversations I had that evening, as there was a pianist among us. He’s going to play for Cologne orchestra at Salle Gaveau in Paris, in Fall 2008, so I guess I’ll meet him again. Interesting encounter, right? (my mum is a pianist).
Anyway, I’ll try to go back in this area. I heard there was a set-jetting occasion in the neighbourhood, as the high school nearby was shot during a couple of episodes for Winter Sonata. Check out for the boys’ high school nearby exit 2, Anguk Station!
Felt sad to see Onni leaving. Though her English was as terrible as my Korean, and though it was sometimes hard to communicate, she was always good to me. It’s always hard to say goodbye, but I’m only at the beginning of this process towards Korea…

sending things back...

Sent back my stuff back to France. There’s a sort of a relief. I sent back all the conference proceedings from Gwangju, all my winter stuff (yes, I was pretty well prepared to the Korean winter ^^), it was as if I were renewing my skin.
At the post office, I made a strange encounter. As I was queuing with my 20 kilos luggage to be sent back to France, there was a lady before me, who had the same difficulty as me in speaking Korean. She looked Asian but had a strong French accent when she was speaking Korean. So, curious as a cat-mouse, I asked her where she came from. She was a Japanese dancer who used to work for Preljocaj dance company in Aix en Provence. And, actually, I happened to see her dancing in Japan, as she was the lead role in the Sacre du Printemps directed by Preljocaj during the France Danse 03 Festival (for which I worked a little during my internship, I mainly wrote the report sent to the ministry, and the Ambassador’s speeches…). World’s so small, isn’t it. Anyway, I’ll meet her again in Paris, as she will dance in Créteil next spring.
While I was queuing, I also heard that song, Seasons in the sun. We used to sing it, with the Asia Culture Academy ‘monkey family’… I can still hear our laughs filled with the sadness of departures to come…
Remembrances of my internship at the French Embassy and of the ACA Youth Workshop made me feel a bit nostalgic. The good thing is, it also reminds me that my short life has been also filled with happy moments, that were worth it! Though the past few days were devoted to sobbing, mourning and struggling against my unwillingness to work on the articles, these two encounters with the past were the reminders that I should “aja aja fighting”. And that being a talkative and curious person is a good thing too. My law lecturer used to say I was a terrible chatterbox, that I could even chat with a wall. True. I guess though it’s a good thing to be a forward-looking person, eager to talk to new people.
Will be enjoying Korea until the last bite before feeling the nostalgia of Korea…

Clubbing in Hongdae, Dano Festival

I guess I had one of my last week ends in Seoul. Makes me very strange to think so, yet it’s true, I’m leaving soon the country, I’m leaving soon Asia…
Friday night, I met again Amy and Renate fromYonsei, together with other students from Seoul National and JP, a mixed blood from France, also a reader of my blog (note to my blog readers: I like putting a face on those who read anonymously my blog! A bon entendeur!). We had a couple of soju drinks at Hippo bar before going clubbing in Q vo. For those who know, yes, it is a hip hop club, and yes, I’ve been there (as we say in French, only stupid people do not change…). Met loads of people, had a fun night. The hardest thing was to meet the sun with the first subway. Yes, felt like a miss dracula.
On Sunday, I’ve been quickly to the Dano festival in Chungmuro. Actually, to be honest, it was less exciting than expected. Did I feel there was something “fake” in it, or was it me having enough of Korean folk? I know I have missed a few things at that festival. I’m also acting as if I want to leave a few things to do and see in Korea, to let me come back here one day, I guess. Then, had a drink at Nabi, with Caro and friends.
Feel like I’m preparing myself to leaving the country…
Will post pics from the Dano Festival soon

Week end plans...

Comme tout vendredi qui se respecte, la souris se projette dans le week end.
Au menu, ce soir, Hongdae, probablement un club de hip hop avec une copine japonaise donc j'ai connu la maman via un de mes stages (le monde est petit), histoire de me défouler de cette semaine tristounette.
Demain, après une grasse mat méritée, l'après midi sera consacré au festival Dano, qui se passera au village Hanok, station Chungmuro. Soirée, probablement retrouvailles avec Woosan de Gwangju, ça fait un bail que je ne l'avais pas vu!
Dimanche: journée à Suwon, a confirmer. On sait jamais avec mes amis...

Le bonheur des autres suffit à me rendre heureuse:
- Titoune de Tahiti a été pris au Collège d'Europe. Waw, je suis bouche bée et ravie pour lui. (Qui a dit que j'avais envie de passer des WE en Belgique, avec gaufres, bonnes bières, et moules frites??)
- Sawa, ma risunee (grande soeur écureuil) de l'ambassade de France au Japon va définitivement revenir en France!!! Un merveilleux poste l'attend chez Kajimoto Paris. Je suis toute pimpante de joie.

les soeurs...

I exactly have the same sister at home. When I used to live in Lille and come back in Paris on the weekend, sometimes, she would steal one of my tee shirt (the funkiest one, of course) from the dirty clothes bag, wash it by hand while I'm sleeping, and wear it the next day... Needless to say that I shouted a lot! And had a revenge in her T shirts as well ^^
Courtesy Penelope Bagieu for the drawing

tears and life

When I was younger, I guess I used to be less vulnerable to bad news. These days I grew up I guess. Life’s been unfair with relatives, people connected to my family. Happy moments of my childhood float around in my head. Happy moments to which I cannot go back, too old for that. Losing the landmarks of one’s childhood may be the negative yet one way of projecting oneself in adulthood. As death and illness is striking randomly people who are dear to me, as fate will remain unfair, I decided I will enjoy every tiny bit of life; so that I will never regret the day that passed. The secret of a perfume of tomorrow. Say thank you to the people you need to thank, say I love you to the beloved ones, because you never know what tomorrow brings. Bitter are the regrets about the words of love that were muted.
Aja aja fighting, you mouse...

ways back home

Two days ago I was off to Chuncheon, meeting my boss for the last time before he leaves Korea and before I leave definitively Korea as well. Well, my boss is always abroad, and I would be the one saying/thinking, “oops, you’re coming today at the office, ottoke…”, he is quite of a traveller.
Discussed about my research projects and articles, “you are ambitious” (translation: grand ideas, poor evidence).
Had that meal in Chuncheon, trying the delicacy called dakgalbi (diced grilled chicken ) in dakgalbi geori (dakgalbi street). Was delicious. I guess my boss was expecting me to be willing to go to some posh places, asking me, so, what’s your favourite meal in Korea, do you miss French food (I guess he wanted to go to a French restaurant with Yumi and I initially) but I insisted that I wanted to try that Chuncheon speciality before leaving… which was worthy and enjoyable. For those who think, chicken -> bird flue, let me tell you that prices for dakgalbi have risen because of a better quality of the meat… Unfortunately, my cam was low batt so no pics for once.
Well… we discussed and discussed. I may as well leave the country on the 1st August, as scheduled in the beginning… Well, I was thinking of prolonging my stay as well, until the end of August because of a number of good reasons (conference in Pusan, friends, boyfriend…) but there are also bad reasons (financial reason, super hot summer in Korea…). Maybe the 1st August is the right time for me to go back home. Enough to appreciate Korea, and be departing early enough not to be saying good bye to my friends who also plan to leave Korea in August. Better not be the last one leaving…
So, the end of this stay is getting closer and closer… In a week, I’ll send off my winter stuff and my books back to France. In three weeks, I’ll be cleaning and freeing my mousetrap for ever, off to Japan the mouse. Kinda strange to think of going back home. Will my friends be missing me and counting down the days before I come back? How was France when I was out? Will people still recognise me or do I stink kimchi??
Time flied. There were ups and downs as in everything, but no regrets. If I had to renew the experience, I would, definitely. Was worth it.
Korea has changed me in some ways. Abroad, you get tougher as well as more vulnerable. My heart got definitely more vulnerable these past months or week. That’s called being a human being after all, says a mouse that’s been mourning all day long her second mom/nanny.

Life's unfair.... in a mourning mood

I am angry against life. Seems that destiny decided to bite every person that's dear to me. My nanny passed away recently... Feel a bit like an orphan. My parents, as they are artists, often had tight schedules when I was a child, and she used to take warmly care of my sister and I. She was kind of a second mother for my sis and I, gave us a lot of enjoyment during my childhood. I owe her my artistic sensibility and my being keen on design and architecture. We used to promise that when she is as old as a granny, we will cook her the cookies from the swiss receipe she learned us. I hate not keeping promises... but life decided differently, against our will.
Rest in peace, Bea... This world has lost a person that has given joy and principles to a generation of children she took care of.

pottery factory, close to the museum in Icheon

pottery shop, the posh one

Needless to say, the celadon sold there are very pissada (expensive...)

rice fields in Icheon

That's where the rice (ssar bap) we ate came from...

pottery shops in Icheon

Korean tombs

I like Korean tombs harmonizing with nature. Somehow, it makes death less frightening

Icheon, a pottery devoted city

delicious lunch in Icheon

Deli food for 9000 wons. We ate like princesses. It's healthy, with rice from the neighbourhood of course:)