You Can Call Me...Grape?
10 YEARS since I studied abroad in Seoul. Where has the time gone?!
This week ten years ago, I boarded a plane that took me from Pittsburgh to Detroit, then another plane that took me from Detroit to Seattle, then another plane that took me from Seattle to Seoul, South Korea.
It was February 2015, I was a junior in college, and I was about to spend the next four months studying abroad on the other side of the world. Never mind that it was the longest length of time I’d ever spent away from home; never mind that I didn’t speak much Korean; never mind that I didn’t know a single other person who was studying abroad with me—I was 20 years old and invincible.
Sometimes I look back at my 20-year-old self and admire the sheer audacity. Like, who do you think you are, girl??? Sure, I had a voice inside my head whispering all the things that could go wrong (don’t we all?), but I chose to listen to the other voice that told me all the things that could go right. Decisions like that—choosing to listen to that second voice—have led me to the life I lead today.
I could go on and on and on about how pivotal this study abroad semester was for me. I credit it all to the amazing friendships I formed in a matter of weeks (some even days), as I firmly believe that you can love anywhere in the world so long as you love the people with you. My little ragtag team of goobers and I explored the whole dang country together. We created a 'study abroad bucket list' during our first few weeks and managed to check off 90% of it by the end of the four months. The cherry on top is that despite living in various areas all over the world, we’ve managed to stay close throughout the last decade. In just a few months, we’ll all head over to Seoul again for a 10-year reunion!!!!
ALL THAT SAID — the first time I ever blogged was when I was in Seoul!
There’s something about sitting down here to write for SubStack that always feels like a conversation with my former self. I remember those late, late nights in Seoul when I’d sit down on my dorm bed and try to string together words that could somehow help my friends and family understand my new life. (Isn’t that what I do now?) The newness of it all, the excitement.
Reflecting on a decade since studying abroad, I went through some of my old blogs. I cringed many times, as one does when reading words from their younger self, but I still found them entertaining and, I’ll admit, sometimes even insightful. I thought it’d be fun to share one of them with you all.
Enjoy this completely unedited and slightly cringeworthy blog from 2015 Paige! ~
You Can Call Me…Grape?
How would you feel standing up in front of a group of Koreans and telling your life story???
Monday night, that’s exactly what I did.
Perhaps now is that time when you are sitting there wondering how I managed to get myself in this situation. I’d say that’s a fair question.
Well… it all started when I joined the – don’t laugh – traditional Korean drum and dance club. It’s called pungmul -풍물. Have I ever played drums before? No. Do I have any rhythm? I’m white… so no. So why did I join?
I joined for a few reasons. 1) I never had the chance to learn Korean drum, so what better place to learn than in Korea?! 2) It’d be a fun skill to say I learned while abroad 3) This could be a great chance to meet and interact with local Koreans at my university. And lastly, 4) WHY NOT?!
From the very first club meeting I went to, I knew I made the right decision. The people there were so kind and fun, I immediately felt welcomed. And that’s saying a lot, considering hardly any of the club members speak English (and we all know I hardly speak any Korean). But the best part is it doesn’t matter, most of the meetings I just spend the time laughing and learning the instruments. We can still joke around and enjoy each others presence, and I’ve really enjoyed every meeting so far.
We had our first performance this past weekend! We went around to multiple restaurants in Sinchon 신촌, a popular area for young people that is located near our university campus, and played for the restaurant owners. From my understanding, this tradition comes from when 풍물 players used to go to farms in the olden days and play for farmers to bring them good luck in their harvest. We play for the restaurant owners to bring good luck to their business. In return, they gave us free food and drinks (!!!!!).
When I showed up for the performance, I had no idea it was going to be such a big ordeal. Our club has about 10-15 consistent members, but for this performance, we teamed up with other universities and played, so that there was around ~75 people. And at first, I was literally the only non-asian. My friends from my program are Korean-American and Chinese-American, but they could still blend in. But me? Whiter than white? It was the first time I was really aware of my whiteness, as strange or shocking as that seems. It was the first time I was really reminded that I was a minority, and it was… an interesting experience to say the least.1
We lined up in parade form, and played all around 신촌. The drums aren’t exactly quiet as you can imagine, so it wasn’t long before people would turn to look at us and take out their cell phones to record. It was so much fun!
We ended the night by heading over to another popular young area in Seoul, called Hongdae 홍대. There we found a spot in the street and put on a full performance. Afterward, all of the university students went out and ate and drank together! With the help of my good friend soju, I was able to actually hold some conversations in Korean, which I count as a success!!! The entire experience was one I’ll never forget.
That’s all good and fun, but now may be the time you’re wondering why I had to get up in front of everyone and tell my life story?! Get to the point already!!!
In this club, everyone goes by their nickname. They don’t call each other by their real names…ever. And in order to get a nickname, you stand up in front of all the members and tell them your life story. Your family, your friends, your dreams, your failures, your ideal man or woman, your favorite books and movies, etc etc etc. The whole ordeal takes about an hour, but it was SO much fun! Through all this, you really get to know each member. Then, at the end, potential nicknames are thrown out and everyone votes!
My nickname is 포도 (Poh-Doh)! Literal translation is Grape, but it comes from ‘포장되지 않은 진실된 도음” Which basically means someone who is sincere and pure in all their help, since I am someone who really enjoys volunteering and hope to work for an NGO one day. I absolutely love it, and when I was given the nickname, I truly felt like I was part of the club.
Aren’t we the cutest club you ever saw????
(Credit to Beautiful Anne for the cover photo, and credit to the lovely Ashuka for the pictures in this post!😘)
Hi, 2025 Paige again! If you made it this far, you’re a real one and I appreciate you.
Here’s a vlog I put together for a class at the very end of my time in Korea. It’s about my whole club experience, and it brings the BIGGEST smile to my face every time I watch it:
Hi, 2025 Paige here. This part could’ve been said more eloquently (lol), but this really was a revelation for me and an incredibly valuable experience. It should be noted that I grew up in a very homogenous town outside of Pittsburgh, PA. I spent my entire adolescence in that town and was never really exposed to other cultures, languages, food, music, etc. until I left for college at 18.
The 2015 is so sweet, and I love everything about this whole post! 😍
That looks/sounds great fun, Paige. Have you been back since?