Interview with Juliette Buffet Part II

H: If you could bring your friends to Korea, where would you recommend them to go?

J: To visit? Actually, here, the Palace and the museums. I really like some of the bookstore nearby because actually you can find a lot of french books and there are a lot of books about Korea so it’s really a good. As well as night, Hongdae, Gangnam. Not very original. Actually, I don’t really do touristic stuff, I don’t know, at all. I visited few stuff in Korea like the Palace and stuff but I think I would be a terrible guide because I’m not Korean and I live here so, you know, I don’t know. It’s hard like and I don’t really like to do touristic stuff at least for now.

H: Well our French teacher, Monsieur Dubeau said that many travelers go to Paris to know more about France and Paris has become one of the famous cities worldwide, but he recommended us the southern of France. And he told us that the nature of the south France is much better and much more beautiful than the Paris.

J: He’s a good teacher.

H: Since Paris has been contaminated by many tourists every year. So he recommended Bordeaux and Lyon and many other cities. Could you introduce us any special place or specific city in France?

J: I’m from the Southwest. So, I know what he meant. I agree. I would say southwest because the food is unique there and as well the way of life is really similar to Spanish lifestyle kind of. Identity of the region is very strong. The food is really good. The wine is as well, I don’t know if you could drink it. Anyway, Bordeaux, yes, I agree, I lived in Bordeaux. I agree what he said.

H: Is the wine very nice?

J: Yes, actually I don’t really drink but yes, it is. Yes, this part, actually south part.

C: Do you know that Paris Baguette is popular in Paris now?

J: Really?

L: Maybe it is because it’s not delicious.

J: Now in France, actually, since like one or two years, Korea is quite big, like in culture, the country, the language, everything about Korea is really big and bigger. Like when I was in France, there was only one Korean restaurant and not in Paris. Only one for the all country. Now is like few more. I mean, there are more like because like the link between my country and Japan or China have quite strong about the culture and everything but with Korea is not at all, but now is like the opposite. So I don’t know, if you look for Korean stuff in Paris. Maybe not, but actually you can find more.

L: How long do you want to stay in Korea?

J: I don’t know. Probably five more years, but I have no idea when I’m gonna leave. I’m fine here.

L: Well when I become a student, university student, I really want to travel to France or U. S. A., I’ve never been to U. S. A., it’s my dream to leave study in France or U.S.A. So did you have any difficulty in U.S.A or other foreigner countries?

J: Of course, Korea was the hardest for me because I’m the minority, I’ve never grew up in a country where I was minority. So the way of my parents raised me, it was like never make a difference among people but in Korea I was really shocked that before actually be noticed like ‘Oh, the white’. Yeah, I am. As long as you tolerate everyone and you have accepted people no matter the country, the language or everything like just even in your country you will be found everywhere. What I mean, this is not a question about culture, language. Of course if you know with very well the culture and language, it’s easier, but I think it’s not the most important.

K: I have a question. I want to know if you have a Korean nickname? Korean Name?

J: Actually some people, you know when you travel, they start to give you names. And even Korean when they talked to me, they’re like ‘Oh don’t call me with my Korean name. Call me like Jans or like anyway’. But obviously you didn’t like born with this name. So I really hate that. Like I really hate it because you are born, your parents gave you a name. They like it. It’s you identity. So does not matter exactly what I said before, does not matter around you are like if you accept the order, you also accept like the name. And if you don’t pronounce well, then okay make an effort on it. Right you understand, but it’s all fine like, but I do not like that, changing name. And I guess my name is pretty easy to pronounce, not a hard language.

-H: You said you’d been to 경복 Palace, how was it? I’m really curious about it in the perspective of yours.

J: That’s amazing. I really loved it. I went there with one of my friends which is really older than I am but. And we did the tour and I memorized everything. And I went there after two times by myself and after we parted, I was like explaining everything. I really love it. I really love this kind of style in houses like. I don’t like modern Korea like the buildings, I don’t like that much. I prefer the traditional parts.

H: Have you been to 한옥마을?

J: Yes.

S: I heard there is a French town in Korea.

L: 서래마을?

J: I know within it a bit, because like the most of the french people in Korea like I said not for long time. They, all they are businessmen, really busy businessmen, these men will gonna stay for two years only to make a business with Korean companies who would like is different the main level like. I’m not like that. Or a teacher like your teacher, I guess.

L: He’s living in 서래마을.

J: I live near my university, no more place and nothing fancy.

L: I’ve been to Korea University before, and the campus was large and there were a lot of, you know, great people, smart people so, um, like genius in with the books.

J: I knew they’re scary, I know.

L: So when you first came to Korea, were you familiar to those people? I mean, just I want to know more about Korea University.

J: Okay, let’s promote (laugh). The university is great among the all of the universities in Korea, obviously like the rank as you know it’s true, it’s what I believe too. We’re better than Yeon-sei. But like, what I don’t like because I think you know what is good there like of course the buildings are amazing, teachers, most of them. I don’t like to make a generality of authority. So most of them are really amazing. You have teacher who worked for the U.N., you have a teacher like they did a lot of great stuff, they are people from the government or like. They are really open minded, they most of them speak 2 or 3 languages fluently, they are really good teachers. So you can really learn with them. And they will help you, if you really study and you are interested in the course, they will help you. Also outside, all of my teachers, I meet them outside the class and we talk about the class obviously. And we get to the study and they support you and that’s really nice. So, I guess you know all of that, like it’s a good aspect. But not everything is perfect, you know. Also have the bad side of the Korea university. The competition is horrible. Of course for you, I know the your life style of high school is pretty hard, terrible. I don’t want. I’m lucky that I was not in Korea. But the university, okay is not always easier but it is not like you do nothing, it still have to work too. Also what I don’t like, I feel like, it’s about memorizing all, most of the passage and not learning process that makes you think.

-H: That’s the worst part, yeah.

J: And that I don’t like that, I got troubled so some of my classes I say like ‘But I don’t want to learn and memorize that. I’m here to learn your subject, not memorize your book. So some of classes I just choose to like don’t study for it. I mean it’s a classroom for it. Bad foreigner, but I for know that for some classes you have to memorize stuffs and does my friends. What else? Like soon for us, we have to register for the classes, that’s the war. We have to fight to get in, you really have to fight. Does not matter you are foreigner or Korean. That’s the bad side, apparently. Some teachers are such very nice and open minded and not everyone is perfect so it’s good to know what is bad, too. If you looking for scholarship too. That’s hard to get. Really. They have to work for it. Most of my friends, KU, a korean, they have scholarships but like the people that you saw are actually, we have a lecture room, like reading room and actually they stay there, they sleep there. Like if you go to my university after five years. You will go to the bathroom to brush your teeth, they wash of it to fresh, they live there and study there. It’s good but you have to deserve it. And don’t think that it because you are foreigner you have some privilege.

H: Can you tell us about universities in France? Would you recommend us?

J: No.

W: No?

J: I think, umm, the level of education us better in Korea, in UK, in the US, in Scandinavia, too. In scandinavia is free.

H: Oh, we didn’t know that.

J: But I don’t think it’s good enough. Especially, I know your mind, your will to study in Korea, and I think those gonna be huge gap between what French people expects. And whats, you can’t teach to them. I think you don’y do dare that. Just my opinion.

H: Umm, could I ask about your dream? Because I heard you’re studying politics.

J: Umm, actually, I don’t never think about dream, because dream is from something that you cannot do it in the reality. So I’m more about projects, and more I’m gonna do in the future, more concrete, umm, I would like, I don’t know if that’s gonna be like my work for, umm, for the rest of my life, but I would like to be a journalist. So I take classes some mind, the writing in English, and I take up my classes. I want to study photography.

L: Oh, it’s my dream! It’s the dream of my life!

W: Really?

H: Yeah, when I go to the university, I’m going to study photography.

J: So, yeah. So, for now, I just learning what I like, and in the future, after graduate, I really would like, in Korea, to write in English. It can be the sort of newpaper, magazine, or...

L: We’ll read them.

J: Thank you, thank you. So... yeah, any questions.

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