MT (member training)

This weekend we had our first MT, which means member training for new members in university clubs. This MT was by Mentor’s club, a club organizing parties and activities for exchange students. So we headed to a house somewhere 2 hour away from Seoul. We arrived there around 10PM, so the first thing we did after arriving to the house was having some barbecue. Then we moved to campfire, but it was all rainy and muddy so we didn’t stay outside for long. Also, even though it was a cottage trip, all Korean girls were wearing high heel sandals and miniskirts =) so it wasn’t too pleasant for them. So we went inside playing some Korean games I didn’t understand at all.. Just scream and make weird movements…?? However, I was totally exhausted as I had woken up at 6 in the morning so I had a brilliant idea to take a short powernap. Surprisingly I fell asleep and woke up at around 3AM and had to catch all others up... The MT was ok, but the stupid thing was that we went there so late and had to leave already at 9AM in the morning, so there was not that much time to have fun (especially if you wanted to sleep, too.) But I learned this is a normal Korean way: rent a house somewhere, go there at midnight and leave early morning. What I also learned is that Americans cannot drink. (I’ve never seen anyone throwing up on his own FACE, and I still don’t know how that even is possible…) In the pictures: me and one mentor, guys dressed up as gladiators, Finns having fun.

New family member

Today we got a long wanted new family member when the kids finally got a pet. My host brother Tommy bought himself a bug for 10$. I don’t know exactly what it is but you can figure it out in the picture. They made him a home into a small terrarium and now the keep doing experiments with it. We’ll see for how long, the two previous ones have already died for some reason… Anyway, in the picture is Tommy and the bug, notice also Tommy’s new hair. (Yes! They DO perm and color eight year old boys hair in here.) So cute!!

Trip to Gyeongju: “museum without walls”

So we arrived to Gyeongju safely and decided to experience some culture in the ancient city from Silla-dynasty. First we went to see some tombs and had a nice plan for the day, but of course it started to rain and getting cold so we had to change our program. After the tombs we just wanted to get inside where it’s warm, so we headed to a local museum. (I guess no one of us had ever been so happy to get into a museum!) Because of the crap weather we ended up being in the museum area for several hours and we even got a private guide there for free =).

In the evening we had a cultural overdose, so it was time to relax. First we went to a local sauna, where we were treated like dogs. The lady working there didn’t apparently like foreigners, so she kept making our time as unpleasant as possible. The sauna was not much of relaxing, but luckily you can always trust that Soju is there for you.. So it was time for some fun instead of relaxing! We headed to norebang (=karaoke room) to let our inner superstar out. It sounded more like Idol’s worst auditions, but we had a great time and it was sooo hilarious. However, Gyeongju people are apparently all unfriendly, because also the karaoke owner lost his temper with us even though we brought him lots of money and he didn’t even have any other customers.
The next day the weather was better, so we decided to see a Buddha statue on top of a mountain. Of course we had to climb the mountain first, but burning calories in a nice sunshine was not that bad. (Except the fact that on top of the mountain we found a road and heard that there would’ve also been a possibility of bus transportation.) We also visited a temple on the way and on top of the mountain had a look at the Buddha in the grotto.

Wow, so much culture in one weekend! But next weekend will be dedicated to party because there is MT coming…

In the pictures: Gyeongju landscape, Heikki and me singing karaoke, king's tombs

Having fun in bus and starting the trip to Gyeongju

This weekend we made a trip to Gyeongju, an ancient town about 4 hours from Seoul. We had a great group of ten students, half of us being Finns however. (We are altogether 10 exchange students from Finland and somehow there is one common interest to us…) Most of us left already at afternoon, but me, Teemu and Heikki had lectures and took the night bus. Of course we wanted to catch up with the others probably already having a great party at Gyeongju, so we bought several bottles of Soju* to the bus. (*Soju is the local Vodka with less alcohol though. Usually the only drinks available are Soju and beer, so you better learn to like it if you want to have fun in Korea… ;) I’ve never had so much fun just travelling with a bus, but according to the businessmen travelling with us and trying to sleep we were somewhat loud. We also invented a new drinking game you can use for studying as well: Someone says a word and you have to give the Korean meaning, if you don’t then you have to drink. Teemu kept studying Korean but he was smart enough to keep saying the sentence “Jonun SWEDEN saram hamnida” over and over again (meaning I’m from Sweden) saving the reputation of Finns. Finally at night we arrived to or destination and ready to join the others for the party. But what did we find: boring Austrians sleeping in the hostel. Of course we woke them up and tried to have a room party, but the success was somewhat low… In the next post I will tell you more about the trip itself.

In the picture me and my animal friends (I bought the monkey in Gyeongju) and the view from the mountain.

Frustration

I’m soooo frustrated right now! I was taking part to a Korean language course at school for 2 hours every day. The course was really good and effective, we had a great group and I was both enjoying and learning. Today however I was kicked out the class just like that. Reason: I have too many courses. Graduate exchange students are only allowed to take five courses where I was having eight. My school Helsingin kuppasurkeakoulu however insist me to take 5 business courses even I’ve been mailing them that you cannot live in Korea without knowing the language. (And I really wonder how you should do business without Korean!) According to them I can take it as extra, however according to Yonsei’s rules not. Why am I punished for studying?! (And being smart, haha!)
Well anyway if it didn’t come clear yet, I’m pissed.
Thanks, bye.

Buddies

The university has two buddy programs where they give foreign students a Korean “friend”. I took part to the mentor’s program, which is mostly just having a Korean friend for fun, as well as the language buddy program where you have a language exchange. I feel like a big sister to my buddies because they are both born in -88, but they are super nice and I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun together despite the age gap. My language buddy actually wanted to have a German buddy to practice her German, but as there were no Germans attending they gave me to her. I guess I have to start practicing my German, too, as I promised we can make our meetings trilingual (English, German and Korean)…

In the picture me and my language buddy at the school library.

Suburban life

Moving from one place to another is easy with bus or subway, but it takes a lot of time. I live in a suburb outside of city area, so it takes one and a half hours for me to get to the university, making it three hours a day for just commuting. Well, I got used to it quite fast and because Seoul is really hectic, busy and crowded, it’s nice to live in a quiet area. If you have seen pictures from Tokyo’s subway with staff pushing people in, it’s just like that here. The subway’s really crowded during rush hour, so if you wanna get in, you just have to push and squeeze.

Basically, here is nothing but apartments and a few convenient stores, so for food shopping you must drive to a supermarket and for clothes go to the city. We have a small hill on the back yard where people go hiking and then there’s a field area with also three cows on it. If you want any activities besides walking you have to leave the suburb, but in the other hand it’s nice quiet and empty. In the picture is our apartment.

Korean kids – just got to love them

Korean kids are just the best! Where grown ups are secretly staring the kids are genuinely interested in foreigners. It’s not that they would only stare at me where ever I go, but they do it so sweetly. One 4 year old boy came in front of me, pointed at me and kept laughing for five minutes. He had never seen a foreigner before and found me the funniest thing in the world. At the spa I was the only white person, so several kids came speaking to me asking questions like weather I speak Korean, what’s my name and where I’m from. Another kid at our home in the other hand walked towards me in the hall way and bowed several times when he passed me. Oh, I felt so old and respected! And this weekend a random little boy came to hug me on the street and wished me a nice day! Here’s one hell of a flirty generation growing up! ;)

In the picture you can see my host brother, sister and grandmother.

Kotoisa tunnelma...

Suomalaiset ovat tunnetusti juntteja, mutta osaavat ne korealaisetkin. Pahimpia täällä ovat pukumiehet, joiden raskas työ vaatii myös raskaat huvit. Suomessa nuoriso kuseksii baari-illan jälkeen kadulle ja porttikongeihin, mutta täälläpä eräskin pukumies lorotteli tyynesti kadunvarteen parkkeeratun maasturin kylkeen ja helpotettuaan oloaan jatkoi tyynesti matkaa. Lenitan toinen jalka olisi varmaan kääntynyt haudassa kun toisen bisnesherran lahkeesta pilkottivat valkoiset tennissukat! (Tosin vielä yleisempää on olla kokonaan ilman sukkia.)

Peace of nature and exotic treatments…

Today was dedicated to the family and we all woke up at 5AM to start our journey to the middle part of Korean peninsula. We visited a nature park in an old traditional village in the Korean countryside. It was interesting to see different Korea than just the busy Seoul that never sleeps. I saw where the rice and ginseng grows as well as old houses made from mud. We visited a Buddha temple in the middle of the mountains, which was a beautiful scenery. After the culture part we headed to a spa resort (like Ikaalisten kylpylä in Finland) and spent several hours there. Again, I was enjoying the sauna and different pools. (However, most of the time I spent in the kid’s pool playing water games with Tommy and Annie.)

You know how there are an endless amount of different beauty treatments: you can have a milk bath, a chocolate mask and what not. Well, today I tried the weirdest beauty session ever. It was called Dr. Fish (“dokto pishii”) and the idea was to go to a small pool full of fish. Then the fishes started to eat and bite your feet, which was supposed to be healthy and make your feet soft and beautiful. I wonder if you can try that at home as well…