The Two Visitors of Jae Ho

     Today marked my second conversation meeting with the wonderful Jae Ho.  We began by talking about our weeks, how busy and how stressful they were.  He commented on how late students here stay up.  While he usually goes to bed between 11 and midnight, he noticed that many students continue studying until 1 or 2 in the morning.  I told him that most TCU students are involved on campus in various organizations that take up a lot of time when they aren't in class.  This concept was pretty new to him.  In Korea, students don't have as many commitments aside from school and certain duties to their families.  But in America, the concept of being "well-rounded" is drilled into us starting at about age six.  We are constantly on the prowl for resume boosters, extra-curricular activities, leadership positions, and opportunities to join organizations.  This cultural difference is something I had never considered.  It's strange how a country as individualistic as the United States emphasizes the importance of joining other groups so much more than a collectivistic culture such as Korea.

Now on to more exciting things...  My last post centered around the surprises throughout my conversation with Jae Ho.  However, this meeting was all about Jae Ho's visitors. 

Our first visitor was a small group of TCU students that were part of an on-campus spirit organization.  They handed Jae Ho and I both free wristbands (think purple Livestrong bracelets) that said "Be Loud- Be Proud- Be Positive! TCU." That prompted a conversation about how much free TCU apparel and insignia is given out to the student body on a regular basis.  He laughed, saying that nothing is free in Korea.  But I responded that all these t-shirts are only "free" with a small purchase of $36,500 tuition.  

The second visitor to our conversation was none other than the TCU Student Body President, Cody Westphal.  Occasionally friendly and always sarcastic, Cody came over to our table and started cracking fast, witty jokes almost immediately.  Cody was laughing and I was laughing and poor Jae Ho was forcibly smiling, still trying to understand why a random guy interrupted our lovely conversation and on top of that, was speaking so fast that only a highly caffeinated sorority girl could understand him.  Realizing that we were leaving Jae Ho in the dust, I stopped and introduced Cody.  Jae Ho's eyes got very big and he exclaimed that Cody was "The biggest student in the body!!"  I couldn't have thought of a better description myself.  In all honesty though, it was a great opportunity to talk about how every person gets to vote in an election.  Plus, I'm pretty sure that Jae Ho's day was made when he got to be friends with an on-campus celebrity.