Busy Weekend

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Kaspar

So I’m sure a lot of people who are interested in coming to Korea, or indeed, already in Korea for exchange are interested in Korean popular culture. Especially with the Korean “Wave” being so popular and trendy right now. I can say I was interested in Korean music for the better part of my teenage life, and while I’m not as hardcore into it anymore I do still enjoy the groups and the music. So coming to Korea has given me a chance to see some of the people I grew up admiring.

It’s quite easy to go to a LOT of free stuff in Korea. A month or so ago I won two free tickets to something called “Kpop Collection” which was essentially a huge concert/fashion parade held at the Olympic Stadium. Groups like Big Bang, miss A, Nine Muses, Secret, T-ara, Noel, Tiger JK, SNSD and many others performed on stage and our free seats were some of the closest in the stadium – just beside the runway.

Last week my girlfriend and I decided to apply for some things online to go and watch filmings of TV shows we’re interested in. The first was a performance on EBS by an indie singer called Neon Bunny that I’ve been following since her debut LP last year. I’ve always wanted to see her live as they’re usually pretty small and intimate shows. We applied online and I received a text message telling me I’d won 2 tickets for the show on Friday.

We went to the EBS building early in order to line up and it was empty. A good sign. Even half an hour before ticket collection there was no line at all even though people had started to gather and sit around at the cafe inside. We decided to take the initiative and went to the start of the line and within 5 minutes there was a huge line behind us! Because of that, we were given the best seats in the house. Front row, centre and literally a few meters from Neon Bunny’s microphone stand.

The show was amazing. Definitely what I’d expected and even more, it was relaxing, intimate and just fantastic. These kinds of live shows are so much more pleasing than huge sold out stadium tours. Because it was a filming, photos were not allowed inside so I can’t put anything like that up. But it will be shown on TV in the coming weeks, and I’m sure we’ll be appearing since we were so close to the stage!

We also got to meet her after the show and take a photo together, as well as receive a signed copy of her album!

The next was Kpop Star. For those that don’t know this is probably one of the most popular shows on TV here at the moment. It’s essentially a music audition program like American Idol. We won tickets and had to be there early on Sunday morning to pick up the tickets, despite the broadcast not starting until 6:30 that evening. The system here generally works like this. You show up, line up and your place in the line decides your number of entry. We showed up a bit later than expected but still managed to get 388/389 out of 2000 people! The show is filmed and broadcasted live in a huge stadium in Ilsan, pretty close to the Kintex convention centre I mentioned in an earlier post.

The problem is that at Daehwa, the station we went to, there’s very little to do. So we had to pass time while we waited to return to the line at around 4:30 and then wait more until we finally got our seats. We were on the third floor so we weren’t that close, but I thought they were fine seats. The show itself is more impressive live in a stadium than on TV.

The last thing we won tickets to was yesterday, Tuesday, and was a filming of a popular SBS music show hosted by Lee Hyori called You & I. The thing with the show is that the guests who appear are kept secret until the day, so we had no idea who was going to be performing. To be honest I was hoping for Busker Busker. We got there early to line up despite the rain and cold weather, but when we got there we were told that we had already been assigned a number of entrance! You enter for the tickets by writing a story about why you deserve them, which the writers then “rank”, and apparently we we had been assigned number 114. We lined up and were some of the first there but people kept coming in front of us and we had to keep moving back until we were finally just standing on the footpath on the street. I was a bit disappointed at the way the organisation was handled and the fact that we were made to wait for an hour in the rain and still go in almost last despite being among the first there.

They were super strict about photos inside, so nothing of the sort here either. But the performers were Jung Jaehyung (The other host) with Lim Jeong Hee, an indie electronic band called Idiotape and CN Blue… To be honest my girlfriend and I are not fans of CN Blue. In fact on the train there they had played one of CN Blue’s videos and my girlfriend had commented that she hopes they wouldn’t be on the show. Jinxed. It was interesting to see the process of filming though, and absolutely surreal to see Hyori up close in real life. To film the 1 hour show took the good part of 4 hours so we left a bit early before CN Blue’s final 2 songs.

All 3 were great experiences, although to be fair Neon Bunny was the best of the three. Not only was she a great performer, but the experience was so close and personal that it was just much more memorable. All worth checking out though – and since the tickets are free it’s pretty hard to be disappointed!

Also as a side note, I purchased a new camera. My Canon 500D is big and unwieldily to carry around on day trips where my express purpose isn’t photography. I needed something smaller and portable so I purchased a Nikon J1 online here. Ran me around $400AU which I thought was a bargain. Hopefully this will mean more posts and more photos to come.

Dormitory Life

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Kaspar

For anyone even considering exchange here in Yonsei Univerisity, or anywhere in the world, accommodation is probably one of the biggest worries. Before coming here I thought a lot about where I wanted to stay for the year as well as trying to weigh up the pros and cons of all options.

I ended up choosing to live on campus at the SK Global House dorms in Yonsei University. Yonsei actually offers two dormitories to exchange students and there are pretty big differences between both options, I’ll talk about that a bit later though.

SK Global House is definitely the better choice of the two but is by no means perfect. As far as accessibility goes – it’s a tough one. Coming here by taxi, even with a native Korean speaker, was a chore. The address for the dormitory is the same as the whole Yonsei campus, so as such it won’t even show up on the driver’s GPS navigation. On our way here we had to make calls to the reception and even ask the driver to speak with them directly. We did finally make it though, and I’ve since learned that you just have to ask drivers to take you to the East Gate of Yonsei and you’ll be able to find it easily.

SK is about 20 minutes from Shinchon’s main city area by foot – so it’s not close, but not exactly far. There’s a convenient bus stop nearby where you can catch the 7737 to either Shinchon station or Hongik Station – much more convenient than walking. The problem lies in the fact that it takes 15 minutes or so to walk to the main campus area of Yonsei. Fortunately though, most English spoken classes are held in a building called the New Millennium Hall which is right next to SK, or the Korean Language Institute which is connected to the SK building.

My regular classes are in Yeonhui Hall though, which is a hike. I’ve seen other blogs fault Yonsei for this and mention they felt like the foreigners were being isolated from the rest of the campus. This isn’t the case. The dormitories for Korean students are all the way up at the North Gate in the mountains and are even less accessible, and there are Korean students living in the SK dorms.

As far as food goes, there is a small food court type deal next to the lobby but choices are limited and the prices are quite high. It’s usually cheaper (And better) to go out around Yonsei and eat at the small Korean restaurants or walk a bit and go to the cafeterias in the main campus. The reason for the higher price at SK is due to it being privately owned and not owned by the university itself. There’s also a GS25 convenience store downstairs that’s open 24/7.

As for the rooms themselves, there are 2 choices in SK Global House. Single or shared. The choice you make is important. Especially if, like me, you enjoy alone time and privacy. The single rooms come with a higher price tag but in my opinion it’s definitely worth it, and a lot of people who chose shared rooms have told me they regret it. The single room comes equipped with a refrigerator while the doubles do not, however it turns off every time you leave the room so I wouldn’t suggest storing perishables in there if you plan ongoing away for a long time…

Whether you get a single or shared room the rooms are equipped with bathrooms, showers and a toilet. This is the main benefit SK Global House has over the older dorm, International House. In the I-House each floor has a shared bathroom. The rooms are heated during winter and air conditioned during summer. I found that the heating dried the room out a lot and I suffered a lot because of it. After purchasing a cheap humidifier that problem has been solved.

You’re given a desk, a bed and linen (Although I purchased my own – the supplied linen isn’t the nicest looking and I found it uncomfortable) as well as a drying rack and SMALL wardrobe. There is a balcony but it’s tiny and mostly taken up by the air-conditioning unit. I can’t even stand on it and as such it’s pretty much just a big window.

SK also has a gym, laundry facilities as well as a dry cleaning and laundry service, music rooms on the ground floor as well as common rooms on each floor and a communal kitchen in the basement.

One thing about living in the dorm is that you will be part of a community there and it can be hard to meet Korean people because of that. Every time you go down to the lobby you will see people you know and you will most likely be eating most meals with the friends you make there out of convenience. It’s great to meet people from all around the world, but if you really want to just hang around with Koreans it might be worth investigating some other options.

It’s Been Awhile

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Kaspar

The downsides of blogging are pretty clear – once you get out of the habit it’s extremely hard to get back in. My last post here was a few days before I left for South Korea – this post comes after being here for almost 2 months. I could try to cram as much content as I could in a recap post like this, but I think I’ll leave that and instead try to retrospectively add posts on specific content over the next few weeks. While, hopefully, still updating on current stuff around me at the same time.

Not posting has been a combination of things. When I first arrived I was staying in a Guest House located in Hongdae. Hongdae is a shortened name which comes from Hongik Daehakyo, which is Hongik University. Hongdae is essentially the makeshift suburb which has formed around the University and grown into a melting pot of culture, music, fashion and art. It was an excellent place to stay – and in fact I’d recommend the guest house to anybody looking to experience the fun side of Korea. That said, I was sharing a room with 4 other people and found little time to just chill out by myself let alone update this blog.

After moving into the dormitories at Yonsei University, SK Global House, life didn’t slow down. Orientation consisted of a lot of boring presentations during the day and a lot of drinking and clubbing once the sun set. The time I spent in my dorm during the first few weeks was mostly just to sleep and shower – every other minute was spent outside and exploring Seoul.

But then classes started and I found myself sick. I somehow managed to come down with the flu and was sick for about 3 weeks – coughing all night and tired all day. I visited three different doctors the other day and received a cocktail of medicines which seem to be working, as my cough has stopped, my eyes no longer red and my sleep much more sound.

So I find myself here, now. On a Thursday afternoon with no classes and nothing to do. Sitting in my dormitory and finally having some time to put my hands to the keyboard and post something up here. I’ll get to putting up posts for what has past and I never got around to mentioning – I know some people are genuinely interested in the orientation stuff, what the dorms are like and other stuff that I may have not mentioned so I will try and get to that.

If I don’t, shoot me a comment and I’ll try to answer any questions.

Edit: I’ve gone back and added entries on the dates that correspond with what I did. So make sure to look back before this entry

KINTEX Live Park 4D

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Kaspar

On the 3rd of March I found myself travelling to Ilsan to visit the huge convention centre there known as KINTEX. I was meeting my girlfriend there to go and see an exhibition that was showing there called Live Park 4D. Ilsan is quite far away from where I’m staying on Shinchon and lies on the outskirts of the Seoul Metro System on the Gyeongui Line. It takes just over an hour from SK Global with 2 transfers on the way there. The difference in scenery is pretty recognisable and there didn’t seem to be much around except for a few scattered shops and a lot of apartment complexes.

Kintex itself is massive. It dwarves the convention centre back home and it reminded me of an airport more than anything. There were loads of different gates and entrances but luckily enough there was a shuttle bus for Live Park straight from the train station for free! I got there and met up with my girlfriend, purchased tickets and headed on in.

Some of you may notice the scenery, Live Park 4D was featured on a really popular Korean TV program called Running Man, and that’s actually what made us decide to go try it out! It was a theme park that’s obviously targeted towards children. When you get in they take your photo and assign you a Noi or Avatar which is a small rabbit character that is apparently based on your looks. You’re also given a nifty strap on watch-like bracelet which holds your Noi’s data and accomplishments. It’s then up to you to explore the park, try out the various games, collect points and items to dress up your Noi and ‘rebuild the Moon’. I can’t say we got too much out of that part of the theme park – although I thought it was clever how they designed it and all the kids seemed to be crazy about collecting stuff to dress up their Noi.

All the games were computer based but allowed you to interact with the giant displays and light shows they had set up all around the park. The highlights were definitely the 4D show which included a mime show and breakdancing with 4D effects, as well as a 4D cinema type experience. The decorations were all really cute and the place looked amazing.

Click here for more photos

Namsan Tower

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Kaspar

If you’ve watched any Korean dramas you know that Korean people love romance. And as far as romance goes, Namsan Tower is the Mecca of romantic things, as well as one of the top tourist destinations, to do in Seoul. Couples flock to Namsan Tower for obvious reasons – it’s the best place to get an amazing night view of the whole city. But it’s also home to the famous ‘love locks’ of Korea.

On the 26th of February my girlfriend and I made the trip to Namsan Tower and I was keen on getting a lot of good photos. Unfortunately the weather was a bit gloomy, but it was still an amazing sight. One I’ll definitely have to go back to in Summer when the sky is a bit more photogenic. In order to get to Namsan we had to catch a bus up the mountain – you are able to walk the way up if you’re keen, but we weren’t exactly in the hiking mood.

At the Summit of the mountain you’re greeted with thousands of tourists and tourist shops, as well as a few historical sites to visit. Sitting right in the middle of all this is the Seoul N Tower, formerly known as Namsan Tower. At the base of the tower is a Teddy Bear Museum which has exhibits showing Korea’s history until today all using Teddy Bears as well as some clever recreations of ancient Korean artworks with bears instead of humans.

After going to the top we were already feeling our stomachs crying for some lunch so we went straight back down, this time by cable car, to find a restaurant we had been meaning to check out. It was a small restaurant near the base of the cable car which was famous for its Bibimbap, Tonkatsu and Korean style pancakes. We ordered all of the popular dishes and got a bottle of pink coloured Makgeoli (Korean Rice Wine) to go with it. Even until now it’s probably the best Bibimbap I’ve had so far! It was a nice little restaurant with a great atmosphere, although the staff were a little too busy and pushy.

We took the cable car back up and decided to check out the love locks. I’m not too sure on the exact time when this started, although I’ve heard it was influenced by a drama, but there are thousands of ‘love locks’ chained to the railings and ‘trees’ with messages and promises written all over them. Some of them colourful and vibrant, others rusted and worn after being there for years and years. We decided to add our own lock to the railings. It’ll be interesting to go back and find it later on! If it hasn’t been covered by many more additions!

Afterwards we headed over to the Teddy Bear Museum and worked our way through the exhibits – it was definitely cute, and they even had some actual vintage teddy bears on display towards the end of the museum.

Last on the checklist was to go up the tower – and that we did. We rode the aptly named ‘Shocking Elevator’ which zoomed up to the top in almost no time and emerged at the lookout. It’s amazing to see just how far Seoul sprawls on for. It’s a massive city and seeing that view just reminded me that I’ve yet to see many things here – this was just one of the many places to see.

Click here for more photos

D-4

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Kaspar

I’ve mostly neglected to post anything on here for the past month or so because it’d most likely be pretty boring. Up until now I’ve been going through the loops and getting everything ready for my trip to Korea – filling out the forms, getting the Visa, getting vaccinations and even pulling out 3 wisdom teeth for good measure – but that’s all over and done with, and I find myself now at D-4.

Yeah, 4 days until I jump on a plane and head to Korea to spend the next year of University. I’m excited, I’m definitely excited, this is something I’ve been waiting literally years to do. But more than that I don’t know how to feel, I’m not sure it’s even sunk in yet. It probably won’t until the plane takes off on Friday morning!

As a result I’ve yet to do any of the physical preparations – packing and stuff. My suitcase is actually sitting next to me in my room and hasn’t been touched. I don’t know where to start! That said I’m not exactly fussed about what to pack, as long as I have the basics to survive the first, I’m sure freezing, night. Since the clothes and whatnot are so much cheaper over there I’ll likely be picking most stuff up when I get there as opposed to bringing clothes I probably won’t even wear.

I’ve booked a hostel in Hongdae for the first few weeks while I’m there – it’s called the Big Tree Guest House – it looks pretty nice and just opened a few months ago. Their rates are good too, at about $20 a night. I’ll be dorming it up with up to 5 other people but I think I’ll be alright with that for a short time.

Expect a lot more here in coming days especially next week I suppose!

Why Korea?

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Kaspar

This is a question that I’m sure other language learners, other exchange students and other culture enthusiasts have heard countless times. Why? Why are you learning Korean? Why do you want to go to Korea? Because at the end of the day, it’s not something that the majority of people do. In my University – out of hundreds of students going on exchange, a grand total of three of us were planning on Korea as our destination. So why Korea?

My experience with Korea’s culture and language goes way back. In fact, back to Middle School for me and my first exposure to Korean music. Yeah, for those of you who are into Korean pop this is before your Girl’s Generations, even before your TVXQs. My friend at the time, he was a Chinese student in our school, loaned my some VCDs as he knew I was interested in Japanese music to some extent. The VCD that really got me hooked was by a group called H.O.T. When I watched it I had no idea just how big this group was overseas – but they certainly kept me entertained, I distinctly remember repeating the songs over and over again. Through them I found various online communities devoted to Korean pop – it was a very different landscape to what it is today. I fell in love with it and soon groups like S.E.S, Fin.KL, Baby V.o.X and other strangely abbreviated names were becoming the most played CDs on my walkman.

Throughout High School this love remained pretty consistent – I soon discovered Korean dramas and importing CDs and DVDs on my small allowance. My school never offered Korean language, and I was learning Japanese which I was also in love with, so I decided to search up self-learning materials on the web. At the time there wasn’t much to go with – it was all too theoretical or out of date – I settled with learning Hangul and some basics. Nowadays learners have amazing resources on YouTube and sites like Talk To Me in Korean – these both didn’t exist at that time.

I went on exchange to Japan after graduating High School and, for the most part, forgot about Korea and Korean. Except that was the point when Wonder Girls and Girl’s Generation where debuting and the next best thing – so of course I was still interested in the pop scene. Learning Japanese in Japan was the best time of my life. I learned amazing amounts of stuff – both language wise and also personally. It was a life changing experience and one I never wanted to return home from.

But I did. in 2008 I returned back to Australia and needed to find myself and what I wanted to do. It was at this time I was introduced into a job at a local English school teaching English to international students. I loved it, it was just what I needed as someone coming back into reverse culture shock and who wanted to meet people from around the world again as I had been doing in Japan. It was the perfect job – I would get paid to talk to students during lunch times and after school, as well as some other small jobs around the college.

I kept that job for a solid 3 years until the economy made it obsolete. That said, most of our students had always been Korean students. They introduced us to their culture – one they are very proud of – and I fell in love further and further. During this time in my city, due to the dense population of Korean students, restaurants and supermarkets run by Korean were popping up every other month, and still are. My co-workers and I would join the students at Korean restaurants after school and eat the food and drink soju and we loved it. It was at this point I decided to go back to University and decided that my major would be Korean, not Japanese.

I was confident with my Japanese level, I didn’t feel like I needed to study it in a University environment and I wanted something new – I also wanted to go back on exchange. Badly. I craved it. And I knew Korea was the place to do it.

So here I am now, about to embark on that adventure, finally. It’s been a long time coming but I’m as excited as I’ve ever been.

ramyeon

A Year in Seoul