Something About Me

I am an Asian Studies and Music (Ethnomusicology concentration) double major at Agnes Scott College. I was adopted from China when I was an infant by true Southerners, and I have lived in the great South since then. I am a classically trained dancer and violinist, and I am also a singer-songwriter (check out some of my stuff at YouTube.com/AutumnSwallow!). I will be studying at Ewha Womans University during the 2014 - 2015 academic school year, and I hope to use this blog as a way to document and share my adventures and experiences in Seoul.

Agnes Scott College
The campus is so beautiful in the Spring!

I am often asked questions along the lines of, "So, what made you decide to study in South Korea?" I usually tell an abridged version of the story of how I came to love South Korea, but for the purpose of this blog, I think it would be beneficial to answer this question in a little more detail...

During high school, I became enamored with South Korean pop music. It amazed me how culturally different people could be, but that the music people made could connect people of diverse backgrounds in a way that was truly magical. The importance and prevalence of dance and choreography in South Korean media also was of great interest to me as a dancer. This early interest in Korean media was the beginning of something that would spark my love for Asian studies, and it would ultimately lead me to my plan of study and research in the fields of Music and Asian Studies. The ability for me to combine two of my passions into one academic field of Ethnomusicology, the study of music and dance within a culture, is very exciting. The opportunity to live in South Korea, a country that I grew to love through its song, media, and language is important because Ethnomusicology is an academic field that combines both anthropological and musical research, questioning, and knowledge. Becoming aware of South Korean culture also better prepares me to fulfill my own dream of an occupation related to Asian entertainment and world media.

While studying at Ewha, I hope to expand my mind to new ideas and new cultural experiences, while learning more about myself in the process. I am excited to push myself outside of my comfort zone, and to begin this new and fresh chapter in my life. Next stop: Seoul.