여행: A Weekend Trip to Muuido and Silmido, Silkworms, and Korean Hospitality (posted by Indira in South Korea)

April 19, 2013

If you ever get sick and tired of Seoul (which is by any means absolutely IMPOSSIBLE) or you just need a couple of days away from the big city, the rush, and the notion of being busy all the time, you can always take a trip. A group of eight exchange students at my host University – including myself – decided to take advantage of a free weekend and go on a trip to a nearby island – Muuido. Muuido is a small island located about a 15-minute ferry ride from Incheon (which is a city located an hour subway ride from Yonsei University) and it is the perfect getaway place for a weekend: you can go hiking, climb the rocks on the beach, walk around, ride horses, go zip-lining and much more!

Our trip started with an early Saturday morning gathering in the SK Global House (one of the student dorms) lobby, meeting some people at the subway station, and a long subway ride to Incheon airport. From there we took a bus to the place where we hopped on a ferry that took us to Muuido. Upon our arrival we noticed many stands and Koreans willing to sell corncobs and silkworms (!). Being tourists, we got a cup-full of silkworms. A very bad idea, I may add. Only three of the people from our group were brave enough to try the silkworms: it must have been one of the worst things they have tried, according to their faces and their reactions (which made me happy to be one of the group who didn’t dare to try weird smelling silkworms). Unfortunately, the silkworm adventure did not end here. Right after we tried the silkworms, the bus that was supposed to take us to the other side of the island, where the beach is, arrived. So we got on it (with the cup of silkworms, which ended up being the worst decision possible). The bus was full! Crowded! It was so hard to stand while being pushed from all sides and, of course, my motion sickness kicked in, especially since the silkworm smell was so overwhelming. I honestly don’t know how I survived the 30 minute bus ride which definitely was the worst bus ride ever, but the torture stopped once we reached our bus stop close to the beach entrance. I have never felt move relieved or happier to get off a bus and get some fresh air!

My friends - Denis (France), Jina (Germany) and Mike (USA) - eating silkworms on our way to our weekend getaway

My friends – Denis (France), Jina (Germany) and Mike (USA) – eating silkworms

Since we arrived to the island during the low tide we used this chance to climb the rocks along the beach and enjoy some amazing views (despite the fact it was very cloudy) right after getting a quick lunch. It was so much fun climbing big rocks and racing to see who would make it to the top first. Afterwards we went on a three hour hike to the top of the island. That was a challenge for me. I am not really a person who does sports, but I very much enjoyed this hike. The reward – the view from the top – made me forget the pain and the thought of how sore I was going to be the next day. It also happened to snow for a couple of minutes while we were on the top, which made this experience so much more unique and special. When we got back to our huts on the beach we got dinner and then made a bonfire. It definitely was a day of new experiences and bonding with people I had met fairly recently (some of them I met that day).

Rocks we climbed along the beach on Muuido when the tide was low, on our first day on the island

Rocks we climbed along the beach on Muuido when the tide was low

The second day of our weekend trip we went back to the bus stop thinking we would have to endure another horrible bus ride in order to get to Silmido, a small island that you can walk over to when the tide is low. Luckily, we met the most amazing, generous, and hospitable group of Koreans ever. Jina, a German-Korean girl who speaks perfect Korean (it’s very useful to have her around as it is much easier to get by with someone who speaks the local language), approached the group of Koreans to ask them about the bus and they happened to be producers of a Korean TV broadcaster KBS, and after a short conversation they gave us traditional Korean snacks and offered us a ride to Silmido as they were heading there too. KBS had rented a whole bus for the crew and they had nine free spots on the bus, which worked out extremely well for us (there were eight of us). Their generosity did not stop there: once we arrived to Silmido they invited us to join their barbecue on the island. They were so welcoming and warm. I couldn’t believe that a group of people would be so nice to eight strangers they had just randomly met on an island. Afterwards we walked over to Silmido, picked up some trash (since it was what the KBS producers did), and then joined in for an afternoon of games (frisbee and a sport that is a mixture of volleyball and soccer). As if that was not enough, the KBS crew gave us a ride back to Seoul for free. We were all very much surprised and happy about meeting the greatest group of people possible. They definitely made our weekend trip that much more enjoyable.

Enjoying the barbecue provided by the KBS producers, the most generous and amazing group of people I have ever met. KBS is a Korean television broadcaster

Enjoying the barbecue provided by the KBS producers, the most generous and amazing group of people I have ever met

Coming back to Seoul meant that we had to get back to school and our regular everyday duties and work, but this weekend will definitely be one of the best weekends in Korea. Not only have I experienced so many new things and seen a new side to this country I now call home, but I have also met an amazing group of people who will always be on my mind when I meet strangers that might need help or are on a search for good time. 🙂

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행복: Akaraka and Cheering Competition (posted by Indira in South Korea)

April 15, 2013

I always thought that U.S. universities put a high emphasis on school spirit with their mascots, cheerleaders, teams, etc. but I’ve never seen anything even close to the spirit Yonsei has. It is UNBELIEVABLE!

Everyone wears their fancy Yonsei jackets through the whole city with much pride and they display their love for the school they go to (students of other universities in Seoul do the same). The most impressive display of school spirit and pride, however, has to be the Akaraka and Cheering Competition. I have never seen students so involved and so happy to be part of a certain university.

In some of my earlier posts I wrote about how Yonsei and Korea University are two main rivals and they have all these amazing cheering songs where they talk about which school is better and how they are going to beat the other school. As part of our international student orientation we had an hour long cheering orientation during which we learned (or tried to learn) all the cheers and dances. It is really hard as the vast majority of the songs are in Korean so it’s very hard to follow. Dance, on the other hand, is much easier to follow as you just do what everyone else is doing.

Recently there was an event hosted in Yonsei University’s outdoor amphitheater – a cheering competition. Unfortunately, most of the exchange students had their Korean language course at this time or hadn’t heard about it at all, so it was only five of us who joined hundreds of Yonsei and Korea University students for an evening of cheering, singing, dancing, and fun. We got to the amphitheater pretty late and there were so many people: half of the amphitheater was all blue, and the other half started turning red. In less than a half an hour after we got there the amphitheater was completely full! It was very easy to spot the Yonsei students wearing blue and Korea University students wearing red. There would be one Korea song and the red half of the amphitheater would sing and dance and then the Yonsei students would get a chance to do the same. It was also fun when the Korea and Yonsei prince dressed in fun traditional looking costumes in the colors of their University talked about all the good things about their University thereby showing how bad the rival University is. All of this is of course just fun and helps students bond; both within the respective universities, but also between the two universities. I had so much fun participating in this event as it is a warm-up for the real cheering competition that will happen in May – Akaraka. I am so looking forward to that! 🙂

Full amphitheater for the Cheering Competition between Yonsei and a rival university

Full amphitheater for the Cheering Competition

Yonsei students dancing to one of the cheering songs at a cheering competition

Yonsei students dancing to one of the cheering songs

Even though the school spirit is on such a high level, the University sports are not that good on this level. Two of my friends and I went to a home basketball game between Yonsei and another Korean university and I was rather surprised to see how few supporters there were and the program was not on the level I would have expected. There were no cheerleaders at all! It was interesting to have this event and cheering competition and to compare them in my mind. We, however, enjoyed a good basketball game!

Yonsei basketball game which I attended with a friend

Yonsei basketball game

Now, I’ll leave Yonsei for a while to go and visit an island located about 1.5 hours from Seoul and I am really looking forward to exploring Korea!

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서울의 노래: Classes, Museum, and Karaoke (posted by Indira in South Korea)

March 29, 2013

It has already been over a month since I got to Seoul and I really feel as if I’ve been here for much longer. It is funny how you can feel well-connected with a place and yet discover new things and faces of that place every single day. Seoul is definitely one of those places: being a huge city, you can always discover new corners, little shops, and amazing restaurants where you least expect to find them.

Past week was a little preview of how the next weeks are going to get: not enough time for all the exploring, traveling, and schoolwork I want/need to do. Last week I had my first assignments to hand in and I was pretty busy with school. It is now that I feel the big change from the system in Sweden – instead of focusing on one class at a time, I am all over the place, balancing 4 courses. This is actually good, as it will me help me get on track by the time I am back in Richmond. Speaking of Richmond, the fact that I will be returning to Richmond for my senior year is starting to hit me. The housing selection and coming course registration definitely make me feel nervous. On the one hand, I am excited to go back to Richmond and see all the people I haven’t seen in almost a year, but I also don’t want this year abroad to end, and most of all  – the thought of me being a senior in August is rather scary.

Being abroad is one of the best things an undergraduate student can do and I would recommend it to everyone. It is unbelievable how much you learn about yourself and the world. The most amazing thing is the first-hand experience: sightseeing, learning the language, understanding the culture, meeting the people. I also love how all of my courses foster the first-hand experience. Even though I take a wide range of courses we always focus on Korea as our main example thereby gaining in-class knowledge, but as soon as you walk out of the lecture halls you can easily realize you are in the world you just read or heard about and you can go and explore it all. For my US-Korea relations class, for instance, the professors gave us 2 hours of lectures off so we could go the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History located near the City Hall. A few of my classmates and I went to the museum and actually had so much fun exploring the contemporary history of our temporary home. One of the most fascinating things in the museum was the 38th parallel that divides US and USSR zone. There were also a lot of other things to see and learn about Korea and how it has changed and progressed. There was even a huge section devoted to the technology development (including a super big screen where you could watch K-Pop videos, including “Gangnam Style”).

The 38th parallel, an imaginary line dividing the US and USSR zone (South and North Korea)

The 38th parallel dividing the US and USSR zone (South and North Korea)

I also really liked the part of the museum that represented the President’s office. We spent quite some time there taking pictures and looking around.

President's office in the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History

President’s office in the museum

And last week I went to the karaoke room with a group of my friends. Basically you rent a room for as much time as you want (usually 1 or 2 hours gives you enough times you sing your heart out), pick your song(s) and sing no matter how good or horrible you sound. It is actually quite entertaining and a great way to meet new people and bond with them!

Karaoke with some of my exchange student friends in Seoul

Karaoke with my friends

It is great when you find little things like karaoke rooms and a trip to museum to make your day. Seoul definitely is soulful, all you have to do is keep your eyes open! 🙂

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기초: Living in a Dorm, Classes, and Korea 101 (Posted by Indira in South Korea)

March 18, 2013

It’s been three weeks since I’ve come to Seoul and I have to admit that I’m getting used to it all. I figured out the shortest route to Sinchon (the area of the city where I live), I can communicate with shopkeepers by using the very limited Korean skills I have, and through hand motions, and I know what places I love going to eat at. Those are just some small things that make me feel more at home in Korea. I find it truly fascinating how quickly I can adapt to a new environment and embrace it as a place that I call home: going back to Yonsei University campus or to I-House is always referred to as going “back home.”

I really do feel comfortable in my dorm, going to classes, walking around Sinchon, using the subway, and simply living in Seoul. It feels that all the culture shock is wearing off as I have started accepting and appreciating all the differences around me. I am no longer shocked by a certain behavior, Korean über-politness, or crazy drivers. I am really starting to love this place!

Sunset over Sinchon, an area in Seoul

Sunset over Sinchon

But, what makes me it love it? It’s simple – the people, the place, the atmosphere, and the dynamics.

I live in a dorm called International House where most of the exchange and/or international students live. My roommate is American; she is from San Francisco and I really enjoy sharing a room with her (she is the first roommate I have had in last 1.5 years). There are a whole lot of other people on our corridor and we share a bathroom and a really nice lounge area. All the girls I’ve met here are amazing and we all come from very diverse backgrounds (some of the nationalities represented on my floor are: American, Malaysian, Dutch, Indonesian, Chinese, Swedish, Vietnamese, Bosnian (I am the only Bosnian at Yonsei)). It is really nice that we have the lounge area (there are couches, a TV, and a small kitchen) as we get to hang out there and meet new people. Everybody is really respectful of each other’s needs and people are so nice. International House is connected to SK Global House (another dorm where exchange and/or international students live) so it’s easy to just walk through the building and go visit your friends who live in the other dorm. It is interesting that the floors in both dorms are gender specific and guys are not allowed on girls’ floors and vice versa. There are a lot of rather strict rules regarding the interaction between genders (there are even women’s and men’s laundry rooms!), but in case you want to hang out with your friends there are study rooms and lounges usually located on the first floor or in the basement.

A lot of my friends are shocked by the strict gender rules and almost always ask me whether the classes are gender specific too, but they are not. Classes are really relaxed and nice. Professors are very easy to approach and they are super helpful. As I am taking Study Abroad courses all of the students in my courses are exchange students so the classes are very diverse and it is easy to get, for example, the German, Australian, Canadian or Indian perspective on a certain issue or topic. Classes are organized in a way that there is a short class (50 min) and a long class (2×50 min). Usually the long class is used for a very interactive lecture, while the short class is used for workshops and seminars. I really like this set up. In most of my classes I don’t have a real in-class midterm or a final, but I do have to write quite some papers, memos, and reports. The professors try to make the classes very interesting by incorporating group work. Last week, for example, in my U.S.-Korea Relations class we were divided in 8 groups where each group represents a certain country with a specific power. Then we had to form alliances with other countries and fight a war. This workshop helped us understand the importance of strategic thinking and what lies behind the alliances and friendships between the countries. Apart from that, it was such a fun activity and time flew by!

As we are having really nice weather and a plenty of sunshine, I spent some time walking around the campus and discovering new areas I like. Yonsei campus is really beautiful, especially the park located in the middle (kind of like the lake in the middle of the UR campus) and the huge outdoor stadium built in the Greek style (in essence it is like a much bigger Greek Theater with more concrete and less green areas). The campus is super big and so beautiful!

The outdoor stadium at Yonsei University

The outdoor stadium

Beautiful Central Library at Yonsei University

Beautiful Central Library

It really feels like this place is growing on me and I like that feeling. 🙂

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정신이 충만한: Big City Life, Spicy Food, Classes, and Uppsala Reunion (posted by Indira in South Korea)

March 8, 2013

It’s my second week in Seoul and I’m starting to get used to life in the big city. It is crazy how everything here seems to go so fast and everyone is in rush. The city is so lively and something is always going on whether its 4:00 a.m. or 4:00 p.m. It can be truly overwhelming. I find it funny that now I live in a city that has almost three times more inhabitants than my entire country. It’s really insane!

After days of fighting against the spicy food I’m starting to give in: I’m experimenting and testing how I react to certain spicy foods (many say they don’t find it spicy, but I have major issues eating it). It’s usually funny for the people I’m with – I can’t resist coughing and making faces when I eat something spicy. It’s going to be a long way before I’m able to eat kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage) like everyone else. But I’m getting there!

Last week I managed to go with a group of exchange students to the immigration office and apply for an alien card. Basically, anyone staying longer than 90 days in Korea must apply for one. We were stuck at the immigration office for about three hours. There is so much waiting and a gazillion administrative things to do. We were lucky to have Leo, an American-Korean student, to take us there and help us out. I really appreciate it when I have a Korean speaker around! It was also great that the person working at the counter figured out we were all exchange students from Yonsei so we didn’t have to go through the process individually, but as a group, which cut down our waiting time. It took us almost that entire day to sort the immigration things out, but we are finally done! All that’s left to do is to wait for the cards to be mailed to us. I really don’t think I’d be able to go through the whole process again!

Subway in Seoul (on our way to the immigration office) to apply for our alien card

Subway in Seoul (on our way to the immigration office)

Before school started this week, the Yonsei International Committee organized many welcome events such as parties and dinner. There was even a party for all exchange students at the universities in Seoul so we could get to know more people.

There were also a lot of events held related to the Mentors Club. The Mentors Club is the equivalent of UR’s Ambassador Club: exchange students are paired up with a Korean student who will help them adapt to the new environment and show them the best of the Korean life, culture, language, and traditions. Mentors and mentees are then grouped in cells (groups of about 25 people) that do things together, go out for dinner, or attend some cultural events. Last Friday some of my cell members and I met for dinner to learn more about Korean cuisine and traditions. We had some dish with chicken and vegetables (relatively spicy I’d say, but nobody else really agreed with me) and then we had this huge pancake with sea food (I loved it! It was so delicious and not spicy at all so I was able to eat loads of it) and makkoli (very refreshing beverage made out of rice). It was really fun (apart from the fact I wasn’t able to eat much of the food we were served)! And my mentor is really amazing. His name is Junhyung and he’s a senior at Yonsei with a great passion for djing. He’s also the leader of the cell so he’s in charge of organizing events. I loved how during that cell evening we were all able to get to know each other better and to learn more about Korea.

Seafood pancake and makkoli, a Korean food that I really like!

Seafood pancake and makkoli

Inevitably all the tours, new climate and environment, and very cold weather took their toll on me and I got sick (I know I was in Sweden last semester in temperatures of -8F and I didn’t get sick, but Korea is something different). It was frustrating being in bed the past few days; I just got here and I wanted to go out, explore Korea, and meet new people, but instead I was chained to the bed by my fever and cough. At least I did get better in time for school!

This week is the first week of classes. Initially I was registered for four classes: US-Korea Relations, International Conflicts and Cooperation, Free Trade Agreements, and German Romanticism (this one has a funny story behind it). I thought of taking Beginner Korean, but I just wasn’t able to fit it in my schedule. That is why I will participate in FLE (free language exchange) where I will be paired with a person who will teach me Korean and I will teach them one of the languages I speak. I am really looking forward to the program to start!

All of my classes seem really good and I like them, particularly Free Trade Agreements as the professor seems to be so passionate and knowledgeable about the topic (she used to work in this field in the US, Korea, and China) and as I don’t really know much about anything related to economics, this will be a new experience for me. All the classes I am taking are in the “Study Abroad” department and basically all students in the classes are exchange and/or international students.

German would have been the only class I would be taking outside the “Study Abroad” department if it wasn’t for a big misunderstanding I had about this class. On Tuesday I was supposed to have my first German class and I went to the assigned classroom. The professor comes in and starts lecturing. IN KOREAN! I was so shocked. That was supposed to be a 300-level language class that at UR would be taught entirely in German, but Yonsei is apparently much different than UR when it comes to foreign languages. I was really sad as I was looking forward to my first German class in over a year. I had to improvise and get an override for the Modern Korean History class (also in the “Study Abroad” department). Now I am all set for the school!

Classes are structurally similar to UR classes as the final grade is based on attendance and participation, essays, projects, a midterm, and a final (unlike in Sweden where the final exam is 100% of the final grade). As this was the first week of classes we didn’t do much, just general introduction and course related explanations. Next week real lectures start.

The absolute highlight of this week was an Uppsala reunion I had with three Korean students I met while we were on exchange at Uppsala University – Taesung (he picked me up at the airport), Suji (she helped me get a Korean phone), and Eun Chong (back in Sweden we were in the same project group for one of our classes so we used to spend a lot of time together). In the spirit of the country (or the region) that bonded us, we went to the Scandinavian Design House near the Gangnam area (yes, like the “Gangnam Style” song). The was a Fika – Swedish Coffee Break café where we could get Swedish coffee, tea (or some other beverage) and typical Swedish cookies, cakes, and pastries (you can read more about the tradition of fika in the blog I was writing about my time in Uppsala last semester). We had kanelbulle and semla! They were so good – I really felt like I was partially back in Sweden. The most amazing part was seeing the three people who helped me make my decision about the spring semester study abroad destination and who helped me settle in once I got to Seoul. It was such a great afternoon and I had so much fun with Taesung, Suji, and Eun Chong. This was also kind of a farewell party as Taesung is leaving this weekend for Germany where he will be doing an internship until Fall.

My Korean friends who I met in Sweden - Teasung and Suji (Eun Chong left before we took the picture) - in front of the Fika place, where we enjoyed a typical Swedish tea time

My Korean friends who I met in Sweden – Teasung and Suji (Eun Chong
left before we took the picture) – in front of the Fika place

I guess now I have a bit more time to enjoy before the schoolwork kicks in, so I’m looking forward to the weekend! 🙂

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시작: Culture shocked, confused, surprised, amazed (Indira in South Korea)

March 1, 2013

Wow. I can’t believe that I got to Seoul a week ago. It seems as if it happened so much longer ago, and yet it feels like yesterday. This past week has been such a roller-coaster of culture shock and first-hand learning about Korea and Yonsei University.

I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous about going somewhere than during my layover in Frankfurt. I had about 4 hours before I had to board the plane for Seoul. I used that time to talk to my family and friends who showed me incredible support that I needed so much at that moment. I was excited to get to Korea, but also afraid of how I might adjust to everything. After all, I’ve never been to Asia before and I knew almost nothing about Korea, not to mention that I don’t speak a word of Korean. I think what made me so nervous is that never before have I been to a country whose local language I didn’t speak even just a little bit or where I couldn’t rely on English to get around.  And leaving Europe was weird. I spent the last 10 months in Europe, had a great time back home in Bosnia, and the most memorable semester at Uppsala University in Sweden. It felt  like I was leaving behind all those great memories and yet I carried great expectations for Korea and my semester at Yonsei.

After a 10 hour flight we finally landed at Seoul Incheon airport. I was super tired, and had to go through immigration and claim my baggage. I have never been at a bigger airport (or maybe Incheon airport seemed so big because I arrived exhausted and had to drag my luggage from one part of the airport to the other) and it all seemed confusing, but I managed to get on the subway to Seoul. I have arranged with a Korean friend I met in Sweden, Taesung, to pick me up at Sincheon station in the area where Yonsei University is located. I got a chance to figure out the subway system here right away and after an hour of traveling I met Taesung. I don’t think I have ever been happier to hear someone call my name. I felt so relieved when I finally met him as that meant that I had come to the right place and I didn’t get lost. He helped me get a cab and took me to my dorm, International House. Walking down the hall I saw two Swedish names at one of the doors and I met the Swedish girls who live there immediately. It made me so happy since it kind of prolonged my ‘Swedish experience’ and that meant that I will have someone to practice my Swedish with! After I found my room and dropped off my luggage, Teasung took me out to the city so we walked around a lot, got fika (my favorite Swedish tradition) for the sake of the amazing semester in Uppsala, and tried to figure out how can I get a Korean phone (as my European phone doesn’t work with a Korean sim card). I can’t even start to explain how happy I was to have Taesung here the first day I got to Seoul. He helped me so much in a place that I found so confusing.

Over the past few days I have met a lot of exchange students as we all live in two dorms that are connected – SK Global and International House. Oh, and we had such an interesting orientation. Apart from the regular talk about culture, immigration, health, and academic matters, we had a “cheering orientation.” Yonsei is big on cheers! There are three big university rivals in Seoul – Yonsei University, Korea University, and Seoul National University. Yonsei’s biggest rival is Korea University so we spent about an hour learning the dance and cheers that would intimidate the students of Korea University. One of the cheering songs was about Yonsei beating and stomping Korea University. Even though it kind of sounds brutal, the cheers are amazing and you can feel the school spirit everywhere. The funny thing is that all the Koreans I met in Sweden attend Korea University so we are kind of rivals now.

During the orientation we saw a lot of performances, including K-Pop. It is unbelievable how everyone here is obsessed with K-Pop. We saw two school dance groups dance to some K-Pop songs, and of course the grand finale was a joint performance to Psy’s “Gangnam Style.”

Yonsei International Committee also organized the City Tours for the exchange students so we were able to visit places such as Gyeongbukgang Palace, Ewha Village, Tteok Museum, Ssamzigil, Namsangol, Hanok Village, Cheongwadae Sarangchae, Bukchon Hanok Village and much more. It was really great as we were able to learn more about Korean history, learn how to write our names in hangeul (Korean alphabet), and see the Blue House (basically a Korean version of the White House). I really enjoyed the tours as it was both bonding time with our new ‘home’ and with other exchange students.

My tour group in one of the most popular streets in Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul

My tour group in one of the most popular streets in Bukchon Hanok Village

A view of the Gyeongbok Palace and the City of Seoul from my first week

A view of the Gyeongbok Palace and the City of Seoul

I also met with Sheetal, another UofR student who is here for a year (she was at Yonsei last semester too). We went out for a dinner a couple of times and we went to a Cat Cafe. Yes, a cat cafe. Basically, there is a cafe with a whole lot of cats in it and everything is organized in a way that it serves the cats – they are free to go anywhere, sleep, play, eat; it’s almost a heaven for cats, really. It was interesting going there and I had great time. And hanging out with Sheetal is great as we have so much in common and we can always talk about Richmond related things. Also, since she was here last semester, she is such a great help with everything. I’m really happy she’s around.

One of the cats at the Cat Cafe a cafe in Seoul with cats walking around

One of the cats at the Cat Cafe

There is another UR student here, Patrick. I still haven’t met him, but I hope to do so soon. And there are a whole lot of Virginians here: I remember meeting people from Norfolk and Alexandria, and a few other places around Virginia.

After a week  in Korea I can say that I have eaten  a whole lot rice (I don’t think I have ever had this much rice before haha), made new friends, but also experienced a lot of things that culture shocked me:

  • Food is so spicy! Ok, I knew this was going to happen, but I really can’t eat spicy food, and it’s always a challenge to find something on the menu that isn’t too spicy.
  • People here are obsessed with the technology. On the subway from the airport to the Sincheon station there was a group of Chinese tourists sitting opposite of me and they were all using their tablets, phones, cameras – there was no conversation going on. The same thing is true for Koreans. This really struck me as surprising! 
  • K-Pop everywhere – really! Everywhere you go you can hear K-Pop music blasting and K-Pop faces are everywhere advertising a whole lot of things (not that I know who they are, but other people who do, talk about it)
  • A lot of people here smoke cigarettes. Smoking is allowed in public spaces and even in clubs. Very few places have designated smoking areas. There are some streets that are partially non-smoking and there are signs indicating that. But I really think this is so shocking especially after spending so much time in Europe since people don’t really smoke in public spaces (especially in Sweden, as the most of them use snus)
  • I have to give Koreans credit for one thing – they are extremely fashionable. Everyone cares about how they look, and they all have the latest shoes and follow the latest fashion trends. It’s unbelievable; I thought that Swedes are fashionable, but this is a whole new level.
  • Holding hands – everyone holds hands. It’s just a thing here. Even guy friends do so.
  • American stores and chain restaurants are everywhere saluting to globalization. I don’t think I’ve seen this many Starbucks cafes even in the States (but Koreans do love coffee).
  • Crazy drivers – be super careful when crossing the street as some drivers don’t care even if it’s a red light, especially taxi and scooter drivers. Keep your eyes open and triple-check when crossing smaller streets.
  • Toilet paper. I think it will take quite some time to get used to this (in case I ever do), but since sewage system in Seoul is really old and toilets can clog easily in all places there are signs saying to throw the toilet paper in the bin, and not flush it. It is really a challenge not to flush it, though.

So far Korea’s been very interesting, and I’m really looking forward to see how will my first week of classes end up being.

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곧: Countdown to Seoul (posted by Indira in South Korea)

February 18, 2013

Thinking of Seoul many words come to my mind, but the loudest for sure is 곧 (god) meaning “soon” since I am leaving home in less than a week to start my semester abroad in South Korea.

I am Indira and I am a junior. I am a double major in International Studies and German Studies. This semester I will be studying abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. Ever since I decided to go to South Korea, I am asked “Why?” more often than anything else. But really, why South Korea?

Well, I am from Bosnia and Herzegovina, I study in the US, last semester I studied abroad in Sweden, I’ve been to most of the European countries, speak multiple languages fluently, and study International Studies – very international, right? So why not expand on the internationality and step out of that frame? I think that is one of the most core reasons I decided to go to South Korea. Actually it was the internationalism that brought me on the path to Korea – while in Sweden I met a lot of students from all over the world, including Korea. Talking to them about Seoul and the Korean culture made me start thinking more about it and I decided to apply to Yonsei University. Basically, had I not studied abroad in Sweden I wouldn’t have met people who would made me think about a whole new set of possibilities and opportunities and I would probably not be going to South Korea this semester.

South Korea is a country like no other: economically it is very much like the US or Western Europe since it is so advanced, but culturally it fits perfectly in the frame of an Asian country – customs and tradition play an important role. Seoul itself is a reflection of this rather specific union of modern and traditional space that is truly fascinating. Living and studying in a country such as Korea and experiencing it from the perspective of an exchange student is definitely another reason why I chose to study abroad at Yonsei. I think that getting familiar with Korea, the way the system works, the culture, and the language is also going to solidify my International Studies major giving it a whole new dimension.

The main reason, however, why I decided to study abroad at Yonsei University is to step out of my comfort zone. I believe that we can only challenge ourselves and find out about ourselves when outside our comfort zone. Most of my life has been spent stepping outside of my comfort zone, but I think that going to Korea is going to be the biggest thing I’ve done so far. I do not speak a word of Korean, I’ve never been to that part of the world, and I don’t really understand the culture – I think it should pose a challenge that I will learn a lot from.

Even the period before leaving for Korea has taught me  lot: for example, I learned that there is no issue that the OIE (Office of International Education at my University) cannot help with. Being a citizen of Bosnia it was quite a challenge to get my student visa. I needed a whole lot of documents I didn’t have and I had to go to Croatia to apply for and pick up my visa. The last month was filled with a gazillion of emails and phone calls exchanged between Bosnia, Croatia, the US, and South Korea. That is actually when it hit me that starting in less than a week I am going to be all about balancing my life on three continents and at least 6 countries. That is going to be another challenge I am looking forward to, to be honest. I think it’ll teach me more about being a true global citizen.

Now, all the problems are solved – I got my housing assignment (I’ll be living in International House on campus and I’ll have a roommate. Roommates are assigned randomly and I won’t get to know her until I get to Seoul), I got my visa, and my flight is booked. I leave on Wednesday and I definitely should start thinking about packing soon. Wow, I can’t believe I’ll have to pack again. Once I get to Korea it’ll be the 5th country I’ve lived in in the past 10 months!

Right now I will just try to enjoy my last days home and simply prepare for a once in a lifetime adventure! 🙂

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Posted by indirainsouthkorea

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