Listening exercise:
APM: Audio Diary of a Jane Trenka,
a Korean Adoptee who has now moved to Seoul to live
Audio link: http://publicradio.org/tools/media/player/americanradioworks/features/adoption/trenka
First listen to the entire audio file. Then start it at the 10:00 minute point
to answer the questions in this exercise.

Vocabulary:
entry (in a diary)
Korean
to make a life somewhere
mat
pots and pans
dishes
curtains
American dream
to make sense to s.o.
to hold on (= to wait)
video game
to get bumped up to the next level
body language
dumbly
to peek at
cash register
to memorize
checkout ladies
Sinchon Grand Mart
points card
French Kiss
straw
to feel compelled to + V
one-time use cup
tissue
promotion
maxi pads
seemingly
identical
to be labeled in
centimeters
ridiculous
to give up on
metric system
to do s.t. in anonymity (without anyone know who you are)
bling! (onomatopoeia: bell in video game)
bonus (= extra) points
curious
adopted
ˇ§ibyang in"
nosy
to get the feeling that...
unicorn
taxicab
shopkeeper
interrogation
to explain one's existence
complete strangers
to be far out of one's reach
emotional reaction
to rehearse
a string of sounds
personal confession
public service announcement
a real, live...
to wonder
to play an elaborate game
to be good and sick of s.t.
accoutrements
fiction
golden America
to live in the Korean mind
to have an unrequited love affair with
to refuse to + V
American accent
familiar comforts
overwhelming
discomforts
role-playing game
exceedingly well
"uri nara"
to burn your bridges behind you
necessary
to survive


Listening comprehension questions:
1. What things is Jane doing now that show she plans on living in Seoul for the long term?
2. How does Jane describe her life in America, where she grew up as an adoptee?
3. Why, does it seem from this audio diary, did Jane decide to try living in Seoul?
4. In what ways does Jane feel that life in Seoul is like a "video game"?
5. How was buying maxi pads different in Seoul from what she was used to in the US?
6. Why does Jane compare herself to a unicorn?
7. How does Jane feel about explaining her situation to people who ask her questions about herself?
8. How does Jane evaluate her own performance in adjusting to life in Seoul?

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