Korea University - revised

The campus

On Monday I went to the Korea University campus to look for the building where the placement test will be held. Actually I am quite happy about my location of the student home.

Basically I just get out of the student house and less than 100m around the corner lies the main gate of the Korea University campus. When standing at the gate, you can see our student home (the grey building on the right with the pink sign boards).

I was thrilled to see the campus for the first time, because my stay during this first weekend - maybe it was because of the rain and wet feet and talking to myself all the time - made me feel a bit melancholic.
The campus was quite clean and the buildings were big, it reminded me a lot like the campus on Berkeley. I am not going to comment on the building style... Maybe they all have the same landscape structure... While as in Leuven, my home town in Belgium, the university's buildings were spread around in the city, except for the science campus.

Because it was at the beginning of a new quarter, there were a lot of new students. Hmmm... I really liked walking around and breathe the air of knowledge... I liked walking around and being surrounded by students with books in stead of shopping bags. It was quite a relief to me that I liked the campus and my mood changed being cheerful and happy. I was actually happy to have chosen this place to study, which was just a lucky guess and of course I did some research on the internet. The surroundings are not too crowded and if I need to I can still take the sub to Sinchon.

The building were my classes will be held is located at one of the newer buildings : the International Studies Hall, which qua architecture is more in a contemporary style. I found the secretary of the Korean Language and Culture Center to ask about the time and place of the placement test. The whole procedure took me just less than a minute :p.

After strolling around on the campus, still cheerful, I looked for the Hana Bank but got lost. A very friendly student helped me out and asked me what country I was from. He thought I look like a Korean, but had to disappoint him by being Chinese with the whole European - USA story. Sometimes I don't know what to answer when they ask me the 'question' of origin. Right now, I feel a bit 'placeless'...
Why do I need a bank account? Trust me, walking around with a stack of 10.000 KRW (about 10 US$) bank notes is everything but convenient. I still don't understand why they only give 10.000 KRW bank notes when exchanging money...
I was a bit worried about the information I got on the internet about a new law that didn't allow foreigners under a stay of 3 months in the country to open a bank account. At entering the bank, a middle aged man guided me to a table where I could fill in my application form. It was more difficult to communicate than just ordering some food at an eatery, but I managed to understand him a little bit. Luckily there were some English words on the main application form, so filling it in was not a big problem.
While I was waiting to my turn to get to the counter to get my account opened, I was surrounded by bunch of fresh 18 year young female student... Just fresh from high school I suppose. Couldn't understand everything they were saying, but a lot of the conversation was about 'boys and boyfriends' and a lot of giggling 'khekhekhe hehehehe'... You can imagine the sounds yourself ;p.
Anyway, when it was my turn, I was directed to an English speaking employer who only spoke three words of English to me : "Please press code".... So I was set !!! Having my own bank account in Korea :)).

Family eatery
After that very small adventure at the bank, I went back to my student home and passed a very small family eatery. I was hesitating to get in because it looked a bit dark inside, but the friendly 'ajumma' called me in to have lunch... and of course, I let myself get persuaded :)... The eatery was very small but clean and there was nobody there but me, the 'ajumma' and her husband. At the back there was a small kitchen and in the front on the left a small elevated room where the husband was sitting watching television. There were a lot o the household stuff in that room but also some blankets. I wonder if that's their sleeping room and the eatery their 'living room'. So I felt like I was in someone's home, which felt quite comfortable to me.

I ordered a 'doenjang jjigae' 된장찌개 and really enjoyed it while watching television as well. The funny thing was, that I didn't feel awkward at all, to be the only one eating there. The 'ajumma' gave me 6 side dishes. I felt so happy =) and blessed.
After the nice lunch I told her I liked the dish. I am sure I am going to go back again. It's better to frequent the small scale family eateries instead of going to the chain eateries of major pizza joints, because making a living here must not be easy. I know, because all Chinese - in Belgium at least - were brought up with their family Chinese restaurant.

Day 2 : Sinchon 신촌

Sinchon : student area
On Sunday, I was actually planning to go to Myeondong 명동 and Namdeamun 남대문, another famous shopping disctrict in Seoul, but I kind of had enough of shopping after one day in Yonsan and Dongdaemun. So I decided to go to Sinchon, a vibrant student area east of central Seoul and major hang out for students of Yonsei University, Ewha Womans University and Sogang University.

All three are well known universities and they also offer special language programs to foreigners who want to learn Korean. A lot of foreigners go there to follow a language program, very popular because of the vibrant atmosphere filled with young people, trendy coffee shops, a wide range of not too expensive eateries, karaokes... and shops of course !

As for me, I enjoyed walking around there, but it was sometimes a bit too crowded for me. Maybe because all of the people looked so young to me, to be honest, I don't really belong to the twenties anymore... although I sometimes might act like one ;).

What I did find was Olive Young and Watsons where I could finally buy some shampoo of a brand I knew (Pantene) and some shower gel (Dove), contact lenses rinse liquid and some facial tissues. The shampoo, however, turned out to be a conditioner when I used it this morning... And yes, it stood on the label '컨디셔닝 린스'. Guess I was too hasty just focusing on the recognizable 'Pantene' label in stead of reading the rest of the text in Korean. At least I will have splendid shiny and softy hair from now on =). Nothing can beat THIS !! Still looking for a shampoo '샴푸' right now...

As usual, I was looking for a bookstore where I could find course books for learning Korean. I found a wide range of interesting course books at Hongik Bookstore, near one of the subway exits of Sinchon. I wonder how many books I am going to buy before I get back to the States. I think I better wait until the end because I will have course books anyway once my class will start on next Monday. (By the way, I am having a placement test this coming Wednesday, I better start studying instead of writing this blog.)
On my way from Sinchon subway to Ehwa University, I bought some basic stuff I needed at a small convenience store - the shop was a bit crappy and chaotically organized - but I found the things I was looking for : a clothing hanger and some plastic cups for tea. A bit further down the street there was a 'hit a base ball' court like I've seen a lot of them in Korean dramas.

After that, I stopped by a small non crowded eatery and ordered myself a 'doenjang jjigae' 된장찌개. Because I am eating alone, I tend to avoid crowded places to eat. Eating alone in a crowded place, gives me a bit of stress and makes me feel even more lonely than I already am. But that situation will change, I hope, once I meet people from my class. Meanwhile, I try to enjoy this short time on myself, not having to mind anybody around me and doing whatever I want.

Well, funny thing is that already two Korean people spoke to me that day to ask me the way. Of course, I had to disappoint them by saying that I can't really understand and speak Korean so well. Not to even mention, I just got here and get lost myself all the time.

The subway


I really enjoy riding the Seoul subway. It gives me a good opportunity to observe people. People reading books, playing with their cell phones or even watching TV or a movie on their portable player. Except for the younger people - teenagers - it's quite calm at the sub. People mind their own business. Or talk quietly with each other or on the cell phone. Sometimes a street vendor steps on the train trying to cell feet cushions for high heeled shoes, sometimes a blind man plays music and hopes for some spare change that people can miss... Some women play with their hair. Some mother play silent clapping games with their children. Did I already mention that the average woman in Seoul is quite well dressed and puts at least a little bit of make up on her face? And most of them really look very pale. When I went to the public bath room, at least 1 out of 2 women was doing something with her hair or make up or powdering on. Even the young men look quite fashionable, all with their trendy man's bag - I think my husband would really fit in as for the man's bag. But they all tend to have the same kind of glasses : the ones with the dark heavy plastic glass frame. Yeah, I think Korean, but maybe East Asians in general, tend to find beauty and appearance very important. And yes, I also bumped into a small clinic for plastic surgery somewhere in Sinchon...

Doing groceries
There are a few small grocery stores near my student house. F-Mart, S-Mart and all kinds of other 'Marts' mostly held by elder people. Some of them are open until late at night, or even 24 hours. Making a living out of that is hard, I think, because there is a lot of competition and being a store owner is not really the most interesting job there is... waiting for customers to barge into the store. But at S-Mart the shop owner is very nice, a 50+ old man. I bought some bananas and yogurt drinks there and I also wanted to buy some bread, but the shop owner told me I'd better come back the next day, because the bread wasn't that fresh anymore and about to expire. When he put my groceries in my plastic bag, he saw the price tag on my newly bought clothing hanger and told me that is was way too expensive.... his ones were only half the price, so I told him I bought it in Sinchon on which he replied that things in Sinchon are expensive. I was charmed by his honesty, or maybe he just wanted me to buy more stuff at his place next time. For so far, I could manage with the very basic Korean I knew. I feel I am enjoying these simple everyday life conversations more and more :).

First day of exploring : Yonsan 연산 and Dongdaemun 동대문

Yon(g)san
My student home is located near the subway station of Korea University, it takes only a 5 minutes walk to get there. First thing I did before getting on the subway was buying a 'T-Money' card, a kind of rechargeable smart card that you can swipe or scan at every subway entrance and automatically deduct money from your card. Because I am going to use the subway a lot this T-Money is very handy instead of buying single tickets at the vending machine all the time. I bought one for 2.500 KRW and charged it with 10.000 KRW. Using T-Money with public transport gives me a discount fee of 10% and transfer discount to other means of public transportation. Furthermore I can use this for paying at certain convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and FamilyMart.

My first destination of the day was Yonsan, known for its electronic mall complex. It's a huge shopping complex with different 'malls' where I got lost several times - yes and even with the mall map in my hand ;p.

I meanly wandered around in I'Park Mall in the Digital Specialty section : an 8 storeys high department store with only electronics, yeah read this aloud, only electronics. It reminded me of the department stores in Tokyo's 'electronic town' Akihabara, but this one is way bigger than the average one in Tokyo, if I remembered correctly.

But what am I doing there, for most of you know I am not an electronic geek at all? I actually just discovered last week there was infra red on my 3 years old Samsung cell phone and that you can transfer songs and pictures by using that function... Well, I was looking for a second hand cell phone :). Having a cell phone on my way is feeling much safer, just in case I have to reach someone.
I can't use my GSM technology cell phone here, because Korea has a different operating system called CDMA technology. Beats me what that all exactly means... I could rent a mobile phone at the airport, but I think buying a second hand one is more convenient and at least if I come back some day, I can use this one again. I paid 50.000 KRW (less than 50$ and less than 35€) for a 'Samsung Anycall BST3108BK' and it came with a free 'Helly Kitty' sticker, haha.

This one is already more advanced than the one I have... so I am moving upwards in 'technology' terms ;p. I am on a pay and go plan now for 10$, but probably I won't be using this much except for sending text messages. The guy at the shop was very friendly and I used a mix of Korean and English to get myself explained.

After electronic town, I wandered around for about 2 hours in the mall, found a very nice and big book store and had lunch at 'Jeonju Bibimbap' 전주비빔밥 where I had a veggie dish called 'yangpun bibimbap' 양푼비빔밥. It came with the traditional side dishes, of course. It was a really tasty lunch and I almost cried out of happiness for having this wonderful meal in Seoul :).

And I was also happy to witness of a small family gathering : the shop owner's son - in military uniform - just came back (for holiday of the weekend?) from his military training and the proud mother showed him to the people working at her restaurant... His older sister told him to sit down by the window so that his mother could prepare him for a royal meal :). . In South Korea men still have the obligation to do military training for a period of 26 months. And there is no discrimination at all : even the South Korean male celebrities can't escape from it.

After the mall I went outside to explore the surroundings of Yonsan. It was raining though and my feet got wet, but I still liked to walk around and breath in some air of the city I am going to spend 3 months of my life in. I really liked the outdoor 'eating tents'... I have seen many of them in Korean dramas and they looked very cosy inside. I like eating 'street food' and being in a 'street' atmosphere. I am going to try one out for sure one day. Really looking forward to that.


Dongdaemun

So my next destination that day was Dongdaemun. When I got out of the sub, first thing I saw was a beautiful giant gate in the midst of the busy traffic and surrounded by modern buildings. The Chinese character's meaning is literally 'Great East Gate'. Right now Dongdaemun is the only remaining 'intact' gate of what once was the Capital's city wall, because the South Gate Namdaemun was set on fire this year by a 69-year old man out of protest because he had to sell his land to project developers and didn't get paid enough... I understand the frustration of that old man, project developers can be very cunning people - especially to people that don't know too much about the way and rush of modern business life - but still.. destroying one of Korea's most precious national monuments is a bit too harsh... I remember my teacher Korean told us that it was a very sad period and most Koreans - in and outside the country - were very sad about it. It also happened not so long time ago, a few days after the Korean New Year 'Seol Nal' 설날.

Dongdaemun area is also known for its large scale market. You can find a lot of retail and wholesale goods, especially clothing and accessories, at very reasonable prices. Because I didn't have a map of this area, I wandered around and ended up in on of the many shopping malls. Each mall has at least 8 storeys crammed with small shops selling clothing, jewelry, purses and all other kind of stuff calling out for every 'normal' woman to 'look, judge, bargain and purchase'... except for me of course... Because I was actually looking for something else : a 3 or 4 outlet plug for my room. My room only has two power points : one for the router and one for the fridge. So basically, I had to unplug the fridge once in a while to charge my laptop and digicam because I wouldn't dare touching the router. What if my internet connection wouldn't come back... then I'll be cut off from the rest of the world and be definitely totally isolated. I didn't find a plug in that building eventually but I did get on the top roof and had a view on this part of Seoul.

Back down on the streets, I found a small electric shop - not more than 2 square meters - where they did have a 3 outlet plug. There was no price tag so I had to ask the price. Knowing I am a foreigner, the shop keeper would sell it to me for 10.000 KRW (about 10$), which was I think not so cheap. I didn't have the experience to bargain yet - although I know the words I am still too shy about this - so I told him I would look around a bit further.

By that time I was actually lost and the rain was pouring and my feet got wet, but still, had to move on. Walking in that rain, seeing couples under one umbrella, I was beginning to feel a bit lonely though, but the new things I could see and the new impressions about this city, made me feel a lot better. I ended up in a covered street market where you can buy a lot of fresh food like fruit, vegetables and also various kinds of kimchi and special Korean sweet delicacies.

I really liked the atmosphere there. People, mostly men, were gathering around the isles where a 'ajumma' cooks a meal accompanied with a bottle of soju. It all looked very delicious... or maybe I was getting hungry again.

I bought two apples at a fruit stand, I wonder if that's the people's own harvest. Most people, except maybe for the younger ones, don't speak English at all, so it's good that I have to use my Korean once in a while. But the tricky thing is that once they hear you speak Korean, they begin to speak Korean back to you and of course, I didn't understand everything. But there's also something like 'charade' : moving your hands and arms and body to make the other party understand what you are saying. It's quite fun to practice your language in that way. And making mistakes is just a part of learning to communicate in a new language.

I got back at my student home around 19h. I was exhausted and fell asleep. Until past midnight. Took a shower with sleepy eyes and continued sleeping. I think I still suffer a bit from jet lag. Or maybe the heating in my room is way too hot, but I can't turn it off... Luckily there's a window, if not, I would really dehydrate and suffocate ;p.

My room

It's Sunday morning right now. Just woke up, had my cereal bar as breakfast, a yogurt drink and an apple. I was actually going to update my blog with a new entry yesterday, after I got back from my first day exploring Seoul, but I actually fell asleep on my bed until past midnight. I felt tired, maybe because of the rainy weather or just the jet lag. Although I think of myself that I am quite flexible in time traveling ;p.

So yesterday morning I looked some things up on the internet before I got off. I have internet here on my room, a little fridge, a bed, a chair and some cupboards to store my things. And a window, very important to me for not feeling too claustrophobic. I am glad I took the B type room, which measures 2,10m x 4,28m. I was thinking of taking the A type room measuring 2,30m x 2,41m, but luckily the student house ran out of them. I am quite happy now with this one, because the A type is much smaller and it doesn't have a fridge.

My room is located near the elevator, the shared bathroom and a water tap, so at least I don't have to go too far for warm or cold water. I think I am going to eat a lot of cup noodles in the evenings if I don't go out for dinner, because we don't have a kitchen in the complex... I like eating cup noodles a lot... and NOBODY is going to stop me from doing this, whoehahahaha !!!

It is quite awkward for me to realize I am back 'student' right now. It feels like some kind of downward - but not necessary with the meaning of 'bad' - spiral of the stadiums of my life : from being quite settled and working as an architect with my own practice and 'house with garden' in Belgium, to the past half year of being housewife-Korean language student in a apartment in California, to only student in a student house in Seoul right now. Speaking of change of statuses... I feel like reviving my time of being a student in Leuven, with only one difference : It's 10 years later right now, married and I have matured... at least I hope so ;)

The shared bathroom is clean and contains 3 showers, 3 wash basins and 3 toilets and 1 bidet. One this floor next to my room there's the computer room. I haven't met anybody on my floor yet, but there was a sleepy head girl I met in the bathroom and I said "Hi", she didn't say anything back, still in that another state of mind... so thus far my attempt to social contact...
The manager of the complex is very nice. She hung an umbrella with a little note at my room door, because it was raining yesterday. And I can sign the contract and pay the rent on Monday, because she was off for the weekend.
Furthermore, there is a laundry room, seminar room and we can use ironing stuff and vacuum cleaners... and there's also a cafe downstairs, serving breakfast and dinner, which I am going to explore if I met some more people here. So far so good, I would say. I am wondering what new encounters are to come in these weeks to come...

Safe and sound in Seoul

My first blog entry from Seoul. I just arrived at my room in Crimson House near Korea University. A lot of new impressions and I just got here. I realize now, I have way too many luggage with me... but it's hard packing for three months and lots of it are books, sheets, towels, although I can buy it all here. I arrived after a 12,5 hours non stop flight at Incheon Airport around 5.30pm.


I really recommend flying with 'Excellence in Flight' Korean Air, they are the best : great meals, lots of leg space and individual touch screens TV with remote and a bunch of movies.

At arrival, I passed the quarantine and customs, changed some money - changing Euros into Korean Won is more interesting than the US Dollar nowadays - and bought a ticket at the ticket stand for my bus drive to Korea University. There was a lot of traffic, so it took me about 1,5 hour to get here. On my way, absorbing all the Korean signs and conversations around me. I am glad that I can read and understand the language a bit. Makes me less anxious and worried about me getting around. Already used some Korean to ask the way to my final destination, people here are very kind and helpful... I already like it here :). The manager of Crimson House is a fine young lady who waited for me to check in. Showed me around a bit and now I am sitting behind my small desk, after having phoned my hubby of course, typing this entry. I am going to make my bed and take a shower... and try to sleep over my jet lag... Tomorrow I am going to shop around for some things. But first things first : SLEEP... 나중에 봐요 !