THE LAST DAY!

Today was a day.... nothing special. Because the majority of my work has concluded, I spent a lot of it just crossing my t's and dotting my i's. I made the final touches to the media kit, but I have been working really hard on my newest task. Before, Suk Geun came to me I don't think that I have every really though hard about what it means to be a U.S. It baffles me to think that he has had to go through the process of renewing visas and getting licenses as a foreigner here. Think about it... things are so much easier when you can just show a driver's license or passport and be gucci, but have you ever accidentally clicked the wrong country on the drop down bar and seen the plethora of questions that follow. Crazy! I think that is part of the reason that I am so dedicated to helping him get his citizenship. Also, I don't really understand how knowing the who the president was during World War I is a valid question to determine whether or not a person should be called a citizen to this country. If that is the case, I'm sure a lot of people would be renewing their green cards right about now. I know a lot of you are wondering how he could have lived in Georgia for 15 years and not learned English. HE DIDN'T HAVE TO! If I have learned one thing since starting at A.R.K., it's how large and far reaching the Korean community is in Duluth. From banks, grocery stores, and restaurants to gyms, hair salons, and auto shops, everything in Koreantown is adapted to the Korean community. It is a close knit community as well which I had the honor of witnessing through the comings and goings at the radio station.

In my final hours at the station, it was relatively quiet. I discussed music preferences and future plans with the secretary at the office. She told me that I would always have a place at A.R.K. and to make sure that I come back to the station, and we could all go to karaoke together. I would love that... More than you know. Before walking out, I was handed a small envelope; upon opening it, I had to fight back tears because it was a sheet of paper with words from everyone on at the station (in Korean of course). Most of the letters started with either "our lovely Dominique" or "our cute Dominique" each sharing their personal thoughts on my time there. There was even a request for me to come on-air in the future (when I have studied more of course). I will forever be grateful to everyone at that station because they all took a chance on a 5'10" black girl with a strange affinity to Korean culture, and I am all the better because of it.

The Last Supper

Unlike yesterday, I did not eat alone today. In fact, the whole station ate together today. We took the long trek all the way downstairs to the Korean-Chinese food and proceed to go in! It was like an endless supply of food! Loved it! Seeing everyone I've worked with for the past month sitting at the round table laughing and conversing. Also today, I was told that my re-recordings yesterday were STILL wrong. So I dedicated a large portion of my day to re-re-recording a lot slower. Tomorrow is my last day!! OH NOOOOOO!! I am going to miss this place so much! Until my final entry....

Wacky Wednesday

I was actually really busy today! I spent a large amount of my day in the recording studio taping the phrases. Turns out it takes a lot longer than I expect to record. Also, I don't think it helps that I have been battling a sore throat for the past week or so, which equated to frequent water refills and, thusly, several bathroom breaks. After recording for about an 1 and a half, I was pretty content with my work only to be told that I was speak to fast to be understood. GAHHHHHH!!!! I wanted to cry. I had worked so hard, but completely forgotten that I was recording for people who's first language wasn't English. My pronunciation was going to have to be spot on! By this time is was around lunch, but I wanted to dedicate a few more minutes to start my new recording because I noticed since my time hear that people frequently use the recording studio in the afternoon. However, I missed out on the lunch caravan because I was working so hard. Luckily, the office is beautiful located on the second floor of a plaza with tons of yummy places to get Korean food. I grabbed my wallet for the first time in what felt like forever and headed out to grabbed some noms. (quick anecdote: Part of the reason it is going to be so hard to leave this office is because I know that the work environment everywhere else is not that same as here. As I walked out of the recording studio, many of my coworkers were surprised to see I was still working and were very concerned about if I had eaten. They hand prepared what looked like rice and 반찬/banchan (Korean side dishes) and were eating together. It took a lot to convince that I would be fine finding food on my own and for them to eat comfortably. :) I love it here). Eating lunch on my own wasn't to bad I grabbed some 분식bunshik (Korean street/snack food) from this yummy place called Dan Moo Ji (which is actually the name of a popular Korean side dish of pickled radish). I bought some of my fave dishes 치즈 떡볶이/cheese ddeokboki (spicy rice cake with cheese on top), 참치 김밥/tuna kimbab, and 오뎅/odeng (fishcake with a yummy broth).  Yes, I did eat it all. I talk about food pretty often on hear, but it is all part of the experience! After a bomb lunch, I returned to the studio to finish up my recordings. After I was done in the studio, I made a few small changes to the media kit per HaeMoon's request. I don't really know what I am going to do for my last today's but until then....


Oh my gosh I almost forgot to mention, while my senior project is coming to a close I have a new task at the station that will extend beyond my time here. OPERATION: NATURALIZATION. One of the on-air personalities, Im Suk Geun, has lived in the U.S. for over 15 years and has a beautiful 11 year old daughter. Unlike his daughter who was born here, Suk Geun has had a much harder time trying to get his citizenship because he cannot really speak English (because he has only lived in Koreatown aka. Duluth). He has passed the writing and reading sections but continues to fall short on the interview portion. So, today he came up to me to ask if I could help him as a native speaker work on his interview. OF COURSE I SAID YES. Because as a natural born citizen, I think we take for granted how difficult it actually is to become one. After reading up on some materials, I think its insane how much they ask for some to officially become a citizen. Thusly, I have begun OPERATION:NATURALIZATION!!!!

MEDIA KIT IS DONE!

This is moment is really bittersweet. I can remember the first day when HaeMoon gave me my assignment, and I glued my self behind my desk to get it done. My first day was so awkward now I can walk around and converse with people around the office comfortably. Seeing how I had never made a media kit before, I was really concerned that my boss and HaeMoon would hate it. I used Prezi for a more updated style took screen captures of the slide to create a pdf (because I am not paying the $20 monthly subscription to Prezi for the download). I spent a large portion of my time today trying to combine the screen captures, but I think that I am just going to swing by the IT office tomorrow to get some software to make things easier on myself.  I started editing the script for my phrase collection because phrases like "You aren't worth feeding" aren't all that common or at least not in my daily conversations. Today was a relatively short day because I had AP Bio in the afternoon, which is sad because if I could have it my way I would spend as much time as I could at A.R.K.  I also record a short advertisement for a company looking for an Accountant so if you know anyone who can speak Korean with a degree in Business/Accounting I know where they can find work. ;-D

The Beginning of the End

I am really sad because this week marks the end of my senior project, and I didn't even go today. I had my final presentation at the Georgia Aquarium (to answer your question... YES! It has been crazy balancing two internships). Everything is ending! I am one slide away from completing the media kit; it seems like just yesterday I was at my desk scratching my head at what exactly a media kit was. I am going to miss A.R.K., and I will definitely be back to visit (maybe on-air ;D ).  Until tomorrow...

I MET ERIC NAM'S MOM

I am going to apologize in advance for the overuse of caps lock during this post

NOTHING ELSE THAT OCCURRED TODAY IS IMPORTANT! I MET ERIC NAM'S MOM!!! Those of you who do not know who Eric Nam is...educate yourself. Those of you who knew Eric while he was at Lovett..I AM SO JEALOUS. Oh, what I would do just for a conversation with Eric or Eddie...or BOTH! SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL! YOU GUYS ARE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO LET ME FANGIRL BECAUSE ERIC IS ALWAYS SO CLOSE YET SO FAR AWAY! Today was just affirmation of that. I also met a candidate for the Gwinnett county state judge, but I'm sorry Mrs. Nam won.

Let me set the scene:

A beautiful woman enters the radio station with a box of Krispie Kreme donuts (yes, already a good sign). My boss greets her and sits her down. I greet her,  and my boss explains that I am the intern because he usually has to explain why there is a black girl sitting in the back of the office to maintain the attention of his guests. It just saves a lot of time that way. I explain that I taught myself Korean, and my boss interjects that I will be attending USC in the fall (I appreciated the quiet brag). The conversation naturally comes to a close as I have reached the limit of my Korean abilities. I return to my desk donut in hand content with my mid-morning snack. As I begin to settle back into my work only to be told that that woman is more than just a nice lady with Krispie Kreme... SHE'S ERIC NAM'S MOTHER! I immediately bolt up from my desk and greet her again with a full 90 degree bow. THIS IS SERIOUS! I tell her that I am a huge fan of Eric, and that I am currently at Lovett. We also spend sometime talking about Eddie before she is pulled into the studio to start her time on air. I go to lunch heart still in my stomach. It was only over my boiling seafood soft-tofu stew that I realized I made one fatal mistake. I DIDN'T TAKE A PICTURE. I WILL FOREVER REGRET IT! I WILL MEEET YOU AGAIN MRS. NAM THIS IS NOT THE END!

Thursday is a new day...

Today was not nearly as long as yesterday but for a number of reasons. Number one being the fact that I started at 9am  and left around 1pm to catch my Uber ride to school. (During the course of this senior project, I have gone from an Uber newbie to an Uber V.I.P. No seriously, I was legitmately given the title by Uber because I use it so much these days) Number two was the fact that I got to only sit-in on "아름다운 산책/Beautiful Walk." Like I said in my last post, the ahjussi who hosts this program is the only one who speaks to me in English, and he certainly pulled out all the stops today. I got to pick one song for his set today, and I chose Chopin's Nocturne op.9 no.2 (mostly because it's one of the only classical songs I know by title...yes, I'm am sorry classical music buffs. I am one of those people who only uses classical music for sleep and last minute late-night essay writing). It was interesting hearing who he got to the radio station. He had done an internship in college in Korea under a major broadcast company; the director there is the person who sparked his interest in radio, and he learned the tricks of the trade while there. He told me that anyone can read and learn how to operate the machinery but news and broadcast is about instinct. What is going to lure people? What do they care about? How do you create an emotional connection with your audience? It's this instinct that makes news good not so much the content?

In addition to some thoughtful incite, I received another task! Yes, work outside of the media kit! I was given around 110 "common English phrases" to record. They were more like common Korean expression translated to expression emotions that aren't commonly taught in your basic english lessons. The list is hilarious! Phrase number 3 on the first page is "I got blacked out yesterday" HAHAAHAHAHA. I am sure that everyone is wondering why I keep chuckling at my desk, but I can't  laugh at some of the phrases. I will be recording everything tomorrow! Until then....

I'm Back

Wow! Today was a Wednesday. That's about all I have to say for it. I am almost done with the media kit, but I made the last minute decision to create to different versions, which basically mean't creating a ton of more work for myself. Seeing how this media kit is the only thing on my plate right now, it is not so bad, but today was a long day. Nothing to exciting at the office still it was nice to be back. Oh, well we did go for Korean bbq today which was a nice pick me-up. I love Korean food, and there is just something to be said about just gorging yourself with what seems like an endless supply of delicious cuts of meat. I have been in seventh-heaven in terms of food because there is also a Korean bakery on the first floor of my building and the bubble tea there is ...... AMAZING! Okay now back to the actual working part--tomorrow I will be sitting in on another program called "아름다운 산책/ Beautiful Walk." This aires around 11am everyday and plays classical and jazz music. The ahjussi (older Korean man) who leads this program is one of the only people who insists upon speaking to me in English (I'm assuming its for his on practice). Tomorrow is one of my shorter days because I have my class in the afternoon so time should fly. Today was a day...until the next..

04/14-04/19 COLLEGE IS REAL!

So I was out of the ARK office for a full five days... I KNOW! My heart hurts to, but I visited both Emory University and the University of Southern California during my time away. While I spent the majority of my time looking at both campuses, I did take some personal hours each day to dedicate to the media kit I have been working so hard on. I actually went to Emory's library to look at a few books that I thought would help.  I didn't get much from the books other then the affirmation that I don't really know what I am doing, but it was nice to feel like a student on campus who actually had work other than finding the best places to eat on campus. I didn't think that I was going to miss the radio station as much I did.  I miss the people, and of course looking forward to the midday snacks and greetings brought in by the various guests to the radio station. As I am almost halfway through my time at ARK, I can say that I am thoroughly enjoying it all. Some days are more grueling than others, but all in all, I can't complain. I am surrounded in amazing people who are just as interested in me as I am in them. The daily exchanges of funny phrases in both English and Korea or small things like what you call a "car accident" in Korean or English  are what I look forward to everyday. I can't wait to get back  behind my desk (said almost no one ever).. until next time.

Mundane Wednesday but NOMS

What did I learn today?...Not much other than the fact that I hate numbers even more than I did in my last Calculus class. Maybe I would have a greater appreciation if I had actually enjoyed those math classes, but here I am a proud math pessimist crunch numbers for the media kit based on the raw numbers from a 1,000+ person survey. I think that maybe this would have been easier if I had ever done statistics or anything of the sort or at least someone to tell me what I am doing. I am really nervous that I am going to finish this thing, and they are going to hate it. I have no knowledge of how to make a media kit or accurately analyze data for one.  Before a few weeks ago, I didn't even know what a media kit was! Thank god for GOOGLE!  I really hope that I am doing this right because I am about to visit colleges, and the plan is to go ham on this data. I hope to finish the media kit by next week, which is pretty feasible seeing how it is the only thing on my plate for now. My broadcast next week was cancelled which I am completely fine with.

Now onto the highlight of my day...FOOD! I think that Hae Moon started a trend because now everyone is leaping at the opportunity to treat me to lunch. Today, we went to Honey Pig, a popular Korean BBQ, place in the area, and of course, it was delicious. In fact, the managers wife is one of my co-workers here! My time here just keeps getting better and better. I feel more at home everyday. Until next time...

Hello, this is Dominique of Atlanta Radio Korea (D-Day)

Today was a great day! I actually went on-air (even thought the majority of it was all a blur). My segment was cut down to 2 songs just because of time constraints, but it was fun nonetheless. I know that my Korean was questionable, but everyone at the office commended me on my broadcast. I can’t really tell if they are lying or not but in honesty, it doesn’t really matter because it feels good anyway. Hae Moon, my project advisor here, treated me to lunch. OMG! I missed traditional Korean food so much. I don’t get to eat it all that much because my parent’s aren’t big fans. Tomorrow will be my last day for about a week because I will be doing college visits and I am already missing it. After my morning broadcast, I can’t help feeling now what. I still have a bunch of numbers to crunch for the media kit data, but that script took up a large chunk of my time. Now, its back to the spreadsheets.

Week 2:

Tomorrow is the day. I don't understand how everyone else is just walking around here acting as those this is not a big deal. I don't think that they understand how nervous I really am! Today, I will only be here for the morning, and I need all the practice I can get. I am currently waiting for everyone to get out of a meeting so that I can ask all the pronunciation questions that I have. The biggest problem I am having at the moment is not necessarily reading my script but it is sounding natural while doing it.

Later Update:

So the meeting let out only a few minutes before my uber arrived so I had So Mira, one of the personalities I will be on-air with, record my scripts so that I can mirror her intonations. Basically, it's going to be a long night.  Wish me luck!

Day 5

Today was stressful to say the least. After working on my script for the majority of this week, it was finally put to the test today. I read through it with one of the on-air personalities I will be working with and … omg I don’t think that I have sweated that hard in a long time. However, after about an hour of editing and pronunciation practice, I finally had a piece that I could be proud of. My nerves are not completely gone, but I definitely feel more motivated to give it my all. I am taking this challenge head on! Wish me luck.

After my crash course lesson in Korean, I was basically brain-dead and was looking forward to finding some noms with my project advisor. Only to find out that he would not be coming in today because he was out sick… JUST GREAT!!!!! THAT MEANS I HERE ON MY OWN ALL DAY!!! MORE IMPORTANT NO KOREAN FOOD! On Tuesday, Hae Moon, my on-site project advisor, and I decided we would grab lunch together today. Now, I am going to have to find a good place on my own or at least that’s what I thought. However, while I was earnestly scouring through Yelp! reviews to find a decent place to by myself lunch I noticed a deliciously beautiful scent coming from our office break room/ kitchen. About 30 minutes later I heard my boss calling my name beckoning me to join him and other staff for lunch. One of the reporters had made 떡국(ddeokguk) , a dish traditionally eaten for Korean New Year (Lunar New Year) made from slice rice cakes (ddeok), egg, and seaweed all in a light broth. It was absolutely delicious (I actually had two bowls).

My day after lunch was sort of mundane. I had my usual popcorn chat with other staff around 3:30, and continued to study my script for the majority of the day. Around 4:30, I helped hang posters around our complex for an upcoming art contest A.R.K. is hosting with H-mart. I got to chat with another staff member and we merely talked about our families whilst exchanging words and phrases we didn’t know how to translate into the English or Korean. While there was nothing spectacular about these moment, it was fun nonetheless. (I really need to find a new word to describe my time here…new vocabulary pending…) Until next week….

Day 4

Today I was abducted by my high school! Now, let me explain.  Last night, I had a nightmare that legitimately scared me. I dreamt that I was in the grocery store shopping and someone tried to abduct me. Because this dream worried me, I did what any logical person would do and took to the internet. I googled the meaning behind kidnapping dreams, and according to gotohorscope.com and dreammoods.com (very reliable sources), these dreams usually are “related to feelings of censorship and a lack of expression.” Oh great, my senioritis has crept into my subconscious and is infecting my dreams now. But why now you’re asking…Well, I have said all this to say I didn’t get to go to A.R.K. because of logistic issues balancing my school schedule, Georgia Aquarium internship, and my senior project. I did however work during the day on the script that I will finalize tomorrow. I am super nervous because I am pretty sure there are so many grammatical errors that it’s illegible. I miss the radio station so until tomorrow….

Day 3

Good news! I finally got my driver’s license! I spent the first half my day at the DMV was surprisingly really anxious to get back to the office. Each day has been a new experience for me , and I am loving every moment of it. Today, I sat in on yet another radio program, and this one was even more fun than the last one. Entitled 연애할래? 퀴즈할래? (Roughly translated as Do you want love? Do you want a quiz?, this program was sooooo much fun. They talked about the common things that happen to people in relationships as well as the pros and cons of love as well as the dos and don’ts of dating. Some of the topics included topics such water to eat on a date or what to do about a partner with foot odor problems. Yeah, I know right. This fun was sandwiched between the occasional call-in quiz and a great song playlist if I must say so myself. All in all, today was a lot of fun, and I look forward to more days like this one.