The Korean Disneyland

For the last day of the Chuseok holiday we decided to go to Lotte World. Now that I think of it, I don't even know why I agreed to go. I'm terribly afraid of heights and I don't like the feeling of free fall, it makes me feel like I have a heart attack. But I went anyway, in order to challenge myself.

We're going in!

This place is almost a replica of Disneyland/world. Even the colours of the castle are exactly the same!

This is one of the few rides I went on. The fastest roller coaster of the amusement park, my voice was almost gone by the end of the ride. This should not have been the first ride to go on.

Lotte World consists of an outside area, called the Magic Island, and an inside area, called the Adventure Land. Adventure Land is also the biggest indoor amusement park in the world, with different rides, museums, and even an ice rink that's open 365 days a year! Impressive, eh?

The theme of the parade was Halloween, even though I don't think Koreans celebrate or does much about this day. 

We lined up for almost 2 hours for a 2 minutes ride. Look at all these people!

This was ridiculous. Not only was this ride fast, it also had loops. I had my eyes closed and was screaming my head off throughout the whole ride. Definitely proved myself of not being a rides person, at all.

There were a lot of European looking buildings throughout the park. Oh, and a lot of couples. In couple outfits, couple shoes, couple accessories, couple everything. Fun times for a single lady.

The park also had a stage. There was a musical performance on that day. I think there are even times when K-pop groups would come and perform.

We ended the day off with Bingsu (shaved ice). IT WAS SO GOOD. Totally a re-energizer.

Happy Chuseok!

So today is Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), where Korean families would get together and enjoy this holiday with traditional food. This holiday is very similar to the Mid-Autumn festival that the Chinese celebrate. In fact, the date and the purpose for it is exactly the same except is celebrated differently (mostly the food eaten and the rituals performed). But since I have no family here, my friends will have to make do.

During Chuseok, there are a few palaces and temples that are open for free. We decided to go to Gyeongbokgong. It was packed with people. 

The power of free things + Chuseok = people traffic

제기차기(Jegichagi) Shuttlecock - things that you kick around. We made these from scratch but they were too light to play with.

Chilling by the Cheonggyecheon

The second part of our program today was to go watch the Banpo Rainbow Bridge Fountain Show (I think this is what it's called??). It was a little hard to see the colors because of the angle, so it got a little disappointing. We also ordered 치킨(fried chicken) to satisfy our stomachs as we enjoy the show with some help. 

Banpo Bridge!

We were really lucky, there were fireworks probably because of Chuseok.

The first try on Korean chicken! No beer though :(

Overall, it was a good Chuseok, though I haven't eaten my mooncake yet. I need to find someone to finish it with. It's too sweet to finish it by myself. WHERE ARE YOU, FRIEND?

Campus Tour

So after settling into my new room (kind of), I finally decided to go around the campus and appreciate it.

As Korea's number 1 university, both in size and in academics, Seoul National University (SNU) is situated on Gwanaksan mountain, which is a popular hiking site among the locals. Which explains the reason why I have to hike everyday to get to classes and why I will (hopefully) become super fit after 4 months. 

It is also part of SKY, an acronym for SNU, Korea U, and Yonsei U, the top 3 prestigious universities in Korea, which is similar to the Ivy League in the US. Apparently, its first years belong to the top 2.5% of all Koreans who take the National University Entrance Exam. There's also a saying that SNU is full of nerds because of this. But the semester only started so I can't verify this yet.

Anyway, this weekend is Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and we are given 3 days of holiday + weekend. This gives students plenty of time to go back to their hometowns all across Korea which leaves the campus pretty much deserted. I took that advantage to explore the campus a bit and enjoyed the peacefulness. 

I only got to go halfway around the campus as it was starting to get dark and I was getting tired from all the walking uphill and downhill. Next time I will go further.

Here we go!!

My dorm building!

See how far up the mountain we are?

There are free shuttle buses that go around the campus and ones that bring you off campus to the nearest subway station.

Tennis courts!! But I don't play anymore :(

Where I take my Korean class.

The business building!!

Kyujanggak - This used to be the royal library during the Joseon Dynasty and was located in the Changdeokgong Palace. But it was relocated to where it is now and now belongs to SNU. Apparently it still holds collections of documents from the Joseon Dynasty.

Jahayon Pond - a popular meeting place for students.

Where my French class takes place.

All moved in!

After a week of being a tourist, I'm finally moved into my dorm here at SNU.

It has been a long week, going around Seoul with my parents. Trust me, jampacking all the tourist sights into 6 days or so is very tiring.

But that's all done and I'm finally settled down in my home for four months.

My side of the dorm room.

I also had my first class today: Current French. I know, I get a lot of questioning why I'm taking French in Korea. But I'm minoring in French, and is currently missing only one more course to complete that minor and my schedule is already packed when I go back to Canada. However, the class was definitely not something I expected. First of all, it was taught in Korean, second of all, there are only 10 people in that class, and it also seems like the prof isn't 100% fluent in French (or at least he has some kind of an accent). The times he spoke in French I couldn't really understand him, or is that because of my weak skills? Hmmm, maybe I should brush up my French... I don't think I'll be dropping it, though. Since all the tests and exams are only based on course material, which is in French, so I can just study off of that. Plus, since I'm on an exchange, I only need to pass! Hahaha

So I haven't made much friends yet, which is sad because Korea is a culture where being in a group is preferred, so I look so pathetic being alone all the time T.T But hopefully that would change by the end of the week after I attend more classes. To be honest, I thought I would be fine being alone coming from a single child family, but boy, was I wrong. When you're surrounded by an environemnt and a language that you are not familiar with, it gets real lonely, real fast. 

I've also noticed that I get quite some stares, but I don't even know why. I mean, I don't look THAT different than a Korean. Black hair with yellow skin. Maybe it's because I'm shorter than average? Or maybe because my skin isn't as nice as theirs? I don't know what it is. It's real strange. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

Anyway, fun facts:

- Celebrities with most CF deals: Suzy (Miss A), Kim Soohyun, Lee Seunggi, Yoo Heeyeol (this is a surprise for me), Lee Minho

- There are no trash bins on the street

Here are some things that I already miss about Canada:

- People holding the door for you

- 'Sorry's' are said as an automatic response

- The 'excuse me's' said when passing through

Just ranting, I've also met some genuinely nice Koreans that are willing to get out of their ways to help. So, God is always good :)

Frustrated Rant

So my plan today was to get a sim card to finally be able to use my phone, and then to register for my Alien Registration Card. Both of which is a must have for me to survive in Korea for 4 months. 

When I went to the KT Olleh global store in Gangnam, there was only 1 English speaker in the whole store. But that was not the problem. She was helpful and all (though I feel like she was a bit annoyed with me for some reason) but I spent almost 1.5 hours in that store. And the things is, I walked out empty handed, meaning I still have no way to communicate with people right now. Apparently the sim card is fine and the problem was actually my phone. I was told that my phone is not compatible in Korea. Which does not make sense to me at all. It is an unlocked smart phone. I bought it in Hong Kong and brought it over to Canada to use which works completely fine. I swear it's something to do with Sony and Korea, where Korea has restrictions on Sony phones, which is utterly stupid.

So after being disappointed from the phone store, I went to the Seoul Immigration Office hoping to at least get something done today. First of all, that place is so hard to find, with no directions what-so-ever. Second of all, the line was so long. I waited for 1.5 hours and only around 20 numbers were called. There were still at least 60 numbers before me. So yet again, I left empty handed. 

I now have a Korean Language Program class coming up. I REALLY, SINCERELY, hope that this goes well. I don't want my whole day to be messed up. 

So I was supposed to publish a move in post yesterday, but I was too tired by the end of the night, so maybe I'll finish that up today and I'll have double posts!! Laters!

First Day (Night?) Recap

Short post today, but
I AM HERE!!!!

After 15 hours of flying, I finally arrived.

At an altitude of 23,000 miles.

And after lugging my luggage to my temporary accommodation in Dongdaemun, we ate dinner at 9 and settled down for the day. Although the place is a bit smaller than we thought, it's cozy enough.

So here are some fun facts of the day:

First celebrity spotted: Jang Dong Geun (an advertisement at the airport)
- Hours slept on the plane: 2.5 (I used to be able to sleep through the whole ride. Sign of getting old)
- Number of people that spoke to me in Chinese when I talked to them in English: 5 (their pronunciation is better than mine... shame...)
- Good act received of the day: an ahjussi helped me with my luggage when I had trouble getting it on the curb

Pre-departure preparations

Finally things are coming together.

Visas are applied (and picked up), accommodations are settled, and classes are also registered. It seems like everything is more or less in control now.

Although Canadians get to stay in Korea for 6 months without a visa, I had to get a D-2 Visa in order to study there. To be honest it was kind of scary going to the Toronto Consulate by myself. The Consulate wasn't the closest to where I was living, which means if I forgot to bring anything it would take another hour of driving to apply again. But everything went smoother than I expected and I can now officially study in Korea!!

The accommodation took especially long to confirm. I've applied for the Gwanaksa (dorms) back in early July with uncertainties of whether I will be accepted into a room or not since space is very limited. And when I say  very limited, I mean very, very, VERY limited. Even more so, exchange students get no first priority at all. Rooms are allotted in a lottery ticket process, meaning it's by random. This is really frustrating since exchange students normally have no connections in Korea at all, and it would be extra hard for us to find an off-campus accommodation in the short time we're there.

But after more than a month of waiting, and almost giving up, results are out. I GOT INTO GWANAKSA!!!

Anyway, with that worry aside, I've also got all my courses registered. I'm pretty satisfied with my selections actually. They're all courses that either complete my minor or my major. Hahaha

There are only 2 more weeks until I arrive in Seoul.

THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!