Last Post: My Cultural Experience

I know I didn't keep up with my posts during my term here in Seoul. It is quite difficult to stay committed to a blog when so many things are happening at the same time, on top of school work. That's why I decided to sum up my whole experience in this last blog post. 

This exchange experience is definitely a life changing moment. I can feel how much I've grown, and how much insights I've gathered during these 4 months. Although there are many happy and adventurous memories here, there were also challenges I've been through that I did not expect to go through, which makes this trip extra special and rewarding. I remember the very first challenge that gave me a shock is my body's ability to adapt to the new environment. I was mentally ready and excited to be in this new country, but physical my health needed to catch up. Every time when you go to a new country, the food you eat, water you drink and use, even the air is different. I remember  about complaining how my hair is falling out for no apparent reason and my skin was breaking out. Thank god it's only a temporary problem. After a month or so, my body began to adapt and accept the new culture. 

Korea in general is an easy country to live in. One of the biggest problem people would raise would be  language barrier. I guess I would be a living proof that you can survive in Korea with just a few basic phrases in your pocket. I would recommend learning how to read the alphabets before arriving or soon after arrival since it helps a lot, especially when you are lost. The Korean alphabet system isn't that hard to pick up as well. Many of the Koreans here are very nice. Up until this point, I haven't met anyone who is unkind or unwelcoming. They are very fun to be with, and a true example of "work hard, play hard". I find many of the Korean students work twice as hard as the exchange students here. If you take a quick tour around the school at night, there would still be students studying in the lounge or in the library. However, once our busy weeks are over, they party and drink like there is no tomorrow. It's amazing how Koreans don't need sleep to stay awake!

In terms of travelling, there are many major local areas that are "must-go" destinations: Hongdae, Sinchon, Gangnam, Itaewon, Dongdaemun, Namdaemun, Insadong and Myeongdong. Of course, don't close the doors to other smaller neighborhoods that can offer a different kind of experience. For example, I came across an area called Hyehwa that is apparently very lively with street dance performances, musical performances, and street food/shopping. I lived in Anam, which is an amazing area if you enjoy peace and quiet. Hongdae and Sinchon are the core of Seoul if you love to party, drink, karaoke, and among other night life activities. It is like the part of the city that never sleeps. Itaewon is a nice place to go to if you are experiencing culture shock, since it mostly foreigners who go there. Some Korean students even go there to practice their English! Dongdaemun, Insadong and Namdaemun are known for their markets. Here, you will find many cultural and traditional souvenirs/gifts. Shopping is also very reasonable. My favorite place to go is Myeongdong, which combines the best of both worlds- shopping and good food.  I will not talk much about what is in each of these areas or which is the best because it is very subjective to everyone. My best advice would be to be an explorer and discover what is truly amazing to you here in Seoul. 

Food!!! The one of the challenges with food in Korea is that there are too many choices that you don't know which one to go for first. Well, here's a short guideline to what I have tried and what I deem to be good: Gamjatang (Korean pork bone and potato soup), Samgyupsal (Korean barbecue with pork belly meat), Ddeokbokki (Korean rice cake in chili sauce), Dolsot Bibimbap (rice and veggies/meat in a stone pot/bowl...you will find a surprise towards the bottom of the bowl), Kimbap (to-go food..sort of like Korean style sushi), Naengmyeon (cold noodles, awesome for the summer), Dakgalbi (shared dish with chicken, squid, sauce..among many others, served with rice) and my favorite, Bingsu (Korean shaved ice, I personally like it better than ice cream). One thing to note about food is that it is usually communal, so you always have to look for a group of people to share your food with. The other  challenge regarding food is that it is really difficult to find fruits and veggies if you're a health conscious person.

Coming and living in Korea is an experience I will never forget. Not only did it make me a stronger person, it encouraged me to go travel more and take on any opportunity in front of me that is up for grabs. It made me more open minded and helped me confirm that it is safe to step out of your comfort zone. To everyone out there, travel when you have the chance to. It's an experience that can't be described. 

Week 6: Volunteer at Naksan Tower

On April 5, 2014 to April 6, 2014, also known as 식목일, I went to Naksan Temple to help prune and discard burnt trees with a student body organization called Korea University Social Service Organization (KUSSO). Although I do not have much information about Naksan Temple, I was informed that the trees around the mountain are prone to forest fire due to the dry and hot weather. As a result many trees had died so we had to help replant and prune the remaining trees to preserve the natural scenery of the temple.

In the beginning, I was a little nervous due to the language barrier but my group gave me a lot of support and we had a lot of fun throughout the weekend. Before departure, the crowd of approximately 100 students were separated into different groups for recreational activities and efficient management purposes. It took us 2-3 hours to arrive at the temple by bus. However, it was because of the long commute, I got the chance to meet many friendly Korean students in KUSSO who are very passionate and motivated. On the first day, because of the unfortunate rainy weather, we couldn’t get any work done. So we stayed inside a nearby accommodation for the day and carried out many recreational activities to get to know each other. My group completed assigned missions, such as taking a group picture with a certain pose and making a dance video. We also had some friendly competition between the groups. 

Although this is not a typical activity a tourist would do, it was an amazing experience and I would recommend anyone to visit Naksan temple just for the beautiful and natural scenery. 

Week 5: Lotte World

This week I decided to challenge my fear of heights by going on some of the rides I never thought I would ever try at Lotte World. Other bloggers have probably mentioned that Lotte World is like a smaller version of Disneyland and for those who are seeking for a real thrill would get bored of the amusement park. Besides the rides, I really enjoyed the scenery and the atmosphere because everything is simple, you can just relax and enjoy yourself. I wouldn't recommend getting food there because it is over priced and the wait time for rides is usually over an hour. Nonetheless, it is place worth going to for the experience.

Week 4: Hongdae - Trickeye Museum, Ice Museum, Dog Cafe, Bukchon Village, Gangnam- O Sushi

I have to say I've done quite a lot this weekend. Every time when I begin to think that there is nothing else to do, something interesting shows up. The highlight of this week is going to the Trickeye Museum in Hongdae. This museum definitely triggers the creativity in every visitor, allowing visitors to use their imagination to the fullest to come up with different poses for pictures. I felt like I was playing a different character in each picture I took.

Right beside the Trickeye Museum is an Ice Museum where many ice sculptures are preserved in a freezing room. Besides taking pictures, visitors can go down an ice slide to end their tour. 

Unlike the typical cafes found in Toronto, there are many interesting theme cafes in Seoul. If you're a dog lover, I would recommend you to visit a dog cafe although the drinks are quite expensive. Unfortunately I did not take note of the name of the cafe we went to, but it is located around 5 minutes from Hongdae station exit 5. It was quite shocking when  you first step into the cafe. The dogs were so excited for visitors, I thought I was going to be run over by the pack. After they (and we) settled down, they start snuggling up to you waiting for your affection. I believe many of the dogs there are adapted from the animal shelter. It was really sad to see that these dogs have to suffer from their disabilities but their excitement and positive attitude automatically puts a smile on your face. I even got one to fall asleep on my lap!

On Saturday, my KUBA group took us to Bukchon Village. The area at Anguk station is a neighborhood full of traditional houses, which some people still live in! Inside the village, various vendors sell traditional snacks and souvenirs for tourists to buy. It was nice to take a small break from the city and buildings and just relax in the peaceful atmosphere. 

On Sunday, I went to O Sushi with a group of exchange students who live at my hostel. The restaurant is an all you can eat sushi buffet for 15,900 won on weekends. The interesting aspect of this restaurant is the environment and how the food is served on a conveyor belt so you can simply grab whichever dish that passes by you. Although the quality of the food is not as good as the sushi I've tried in Toronto, the experience made it worthwhile. 

Week 3: Hongdae, Sinchon, Myeongdong

Even though it has only been 3 weeks, it feels like I've been here for a long while since every day is full of adventures and I feel like I have accomplished a lot. I can't even keep count of the days I've been here so from this blog on, I won't indicate which day I am at (there's really no point in doing that anyways) and focus more on my travel experiences. This week, my friends and I subway down to Hongdae to explore the area. Because we are not familiar with any place in Seoul, it became a habit for us to just pick a place and explore mindlessly. Hongdae is a very lively place, with bars, clubs, shopping centers, and restaurants calling your name. The first thing we saw as soon as we walked out of the station is street food! I had the chance to try Korea corn-dog. Even though I'm not a big fan of fried food, I have to admit that it was quite delicious.

It was an extremely cold day that day so we went to have Samgyupsal (finally!). Samgyupsal is seasoned pork belly meat grilled on top of charcoal. You would then eat it with lettuce or rice.

One interesting thing I learned on this trip is that Korean restaurants do takeouts in a plastic bag. I didn't know that my friends ordered rice for me and I didn't want to waste it so I asked to take it out and this is what they gave me.

The highlight of my day is going to the movie theater to watch Frozen. Although I have seen the movie in Toronto already, the movie is still enjoyable, not to mention more comfortable seats! 

I haven't seen all of Sinchon yet but the atmosphere is already exciting enough for me to go back for a second time. The highlight of that night is going to a Norebang (karaoke) and sing until we lost our voices. Although the Norebang we went to is quite expensive compared to other places, it was very comfortable and the sound quality is really good. We also had access to unlimited ice cream!

Remember I said that I will visit Myeongdong again? Today, my friend and I had our girls day out and toured around Myeongdong until we were exhausted. At Myeongdong, we got to try traditional Korean clothes called Hanbok at the Seoul Global Culture and Tourism Centre for free. I don't know how Koreans in the past move around so effortlessly in those clothes because I almost tripped over my Hanbok twice while posing for pictures. 

And of course, more yummy street food! 

After a while of shopping and exploring, we stopped by an interesting cafe called Namu Guneul, where we are the ones being eaten. It was quite an interesting experience to have your feet nibbled by little guppies. I can't say whether I enjoyed it or not but at least my curiosity is satisfied. 

Those are pretty much all the more interesting experiences I had this week. Hope you enjoyed my adventure with me! 

Week 2: Orientation, City Tour, Ehwa Women's University

I know it has been a week since I updated my blog. As I see it, it will be more difficult for me to update all the time with school in the way but I will try my best to record all the interesting places and food here in Korea. So, orientation hosted by Korea University Buddy Assistant (KUBA) began on February 26, 2014 and ended February 27, 2014 with a city tour! On the Seoul city tour, we went to Gyeongbokgung Palance, had a traditional Korean meal for lunch, shopping at Insadong, and ended the day with a Nanta Cooking show. I don't know much about the Korean history and the place was quite loud for me to hear the details so I took a lot of pictures that will tell me about the lifestyles of Koreans in the past and how they revolutionized into the present.

I learned that in the Korean culture, meals are mostly communal, meaning that food is always shared. I don't know the name of the restaurant we went to at Insadong, but we had lunch on the floor with our shoes off, and shared three dishes for each table. 

At Insadong, I had the chance to taste the most interesting form of ice cream stuffed inside a cone that's shaped like an elephant nose.

Insadong definitely made it to my go-again list. There are many unique gifts and affordable bags and clothes on sale. I feel like I haven't seen the whole area yet. After shopping at Insadong, I watched the most amazing, jaw-dropping show. They wouldn't let the audience take pictures and record during the show so I will try my best to describe the experience. The show is called Nanta Cooking and consist of 4 actors trying to prepare a feast for a wedding before 6PM. Throughout the show, they ran into a lot of  hilarious mischief and troubles. What amazes me most is that they are able to make really good music with the props they have, were able to cook live on stage, interact with the audience, and yet maintain a good plot for the audience to engage in. Words cannot describe such an experience, so I really recommend anyone to come see the show if they ever visit Seoul.

The following day, I went to Ehwa Women's University with my new friend. She has most of the pictures because her camera is better but I took some pictures of the food we ate. For brunch, I had this thing that tastes like a korean version of french toast with an egg on top. After some serious shopping, we went to a Kimbap place for Kimbap and rice dumplings. Another name for the area is called 이대, and this area is a paradise for the ladies. Loads of shopping (and haggling), street foods, salons, beauty boutiques, and cute stores. I bought a winter jacket at a nice deal (about $40) and a few sweaters for $10 each.

As for yesterday, after doing some more exploring around Anam, my friends and I ended off the day with Fried Chicken and walnut cake.