Solo Travels in Tokyo

   My last final solo adventure while studying abroad in South Korea was a week-long trip to Tokyo. I spent my week exploring the top tourist areas of Tokyo, reuniting with friends, meeting new people and trying new foods and experiences.

Asakusa

   After my trip to Jeju Island, I felt confident about traveling Asia alone, and as a solo-women traveler, I can conclude that it is very doable and safe to travel in Asia alone. Traveling to Jeju Island proved to be easier than Tokyo, Japan, simply because of the language barrier. The two things I first realized after arriving in Japan are that; English is not as widely known as it is in South Korea, but thankfully Google Maps works in Japan. 

   The hostel I stayed at was almost an hour outside of most of the tourist attractions, but the area had other benefits. 

   My first full day in Tokyo I took time to try and learn their metro system (I can't say I ever really learned how it worked) and made my way to Asakusa. 

Fish Tempura

   There I walked around one of the most famous Buddhist temples of the area. I learned there, that the original temple had been bombed during the World War. One of the most prominent parts of the temple is the large lantern hanging from the gate; in English, it is known as the Thunder Gate.  I spent the day wandering up and down the streets and observing people around the shrine. I took advantage of the numerous shops in Nakamise Dori, a famous shopping street filled with Japanese souvenirs, to do some gift shopping. 

Holding an Owl

   For lunch, I found some street food to enjoy and tried four different foods. I had Taiyaki, which is similar to a Korean street food, Fish Tempura, a type of deep-fried cheese stick and Dango. 

   While wandering around some of the side streets I came across a woman holding with an owl. She explained that she was promoting an owl cafe. I took the opportunity to go inside and get some milk tea. They had a room full of at least twenty owls, all of different species. For a small price of $5, you can hold an owl of your choosing. They also have two different types of parrots and another type of bird that I don't know the type of. Along with meerkats, hedgehogs, some otters, and one lizard. All of the animals are available to hold and feed for an additional charge.

Asahi

   The next day I was able to meet up with my friend Asahi.

Asahi and I met while he was studying abroad at Portland State University. When I found out I would be studying abroad in South Korea, I knew that I had to take the opportunity to make the quick flight over to Japan to meet up with him. We connected again and exchanged stories about how our lives had been in the few months we hadn't seen each other. 

Satoshi

   We met at the statue of Hachiko. Asahi told me the story of the dog who would wait for his owner every day at the station. The statue is in Shibuya which is one of the most famous shopping districts. We participated in the Shibuya Scramble Crossing and explored some of the shopping towers before finding a place to get hotpot for dinner. 

   On another day I met with my other friend Satoshi. We met near Ueno and went out for dinner.

   On my third day, I took the time to explore the area I was staying in

Ramen

. I borrowed one of the bikes the hostel owner provided and went for a bike ride around the area. I spent three hours biking along the river and down neighborhood streets until the sun went down. For dinner, I decided that I should finally try some ramen. After all, it's a must to have while in Japan. After a quick internet search, I found that luck was on my side. Near where I was staying was a famous ramen restaurant, that many tourists would travel almost an hour to get to. The restaurant is famous because it appeared in this youtube video. 

   The owner doesn't speak English and the machine used to order is written in Japanese, but thankfully one of the employees helped me. The ramen was very delicious and I was very glad to be so close to the restaurant. 

Bowls

   Another night, I went to another restaurant in my area for sushi. The place was smaller and not as well know so I took the opportunity to be adventures. With the help of Google Translate, I explained to the owner that I had never been to Japan and didn't know what to order. I asked him just make me something. He made me sushi cuts of salmon and tuna (I think). Then another gentleman came into the restaurant. It was clear the two knew each other and were friends. They asked where I was from and asked how long I was in Japan. After I finished my sushi, the owner made me more and more food until I finally told him I was full. At the end, I think I had tried five or six new foods; and I don't know the names of any of them, but they were all delicious. 

Hamarikyu Gardens

   Of course, with sushi and ramen, I also wanted to try authentic Japanese tea. I found a park with a tea shop located in the middle of a pond, but sadly it was closed for construction, so I, unfortunately, was not able to try any Japanese tea this time. 

   However, the park was beautiful to explore. The park had remains from the Edo Period including two houses that explained how they used to keep, train and use hawks to hunt. The park is surrounded by a seaweed moat and has a calming experience while inside the grounds.

Instagram

The last cultural experience I wanted to make sure I had while in Japan was the samurai and ninja culture. After a quick internet search, I found that most of the ninja museums or experiences were further south. However, I did find a samurai museum in Tokyo. There are numerous places to go where you can train like a samurai or a ninja if you want as well. 

Narita Temple

   For me, this was probably the most exciting part of my trip. I had never really learned about samurais before and really knew nothing about them, so the museum was the perfect place for me to learn. They even had a demonstration at the end. Normally, it is two samurais fighting, but the day I went to was a special occasion and they had a ninja and a samurai fight for the demonstration. One lucky kid from the crowd even got a lesson at the end. 

   On the last day of my trip, I made my way to the airport. Near the airport, there are lots of places to go by shuttle from the airport, but there are not very many places that you can get to from the metro line. I was able to get to a temple near Narita though. This temple was my favorite that I visited. The distance away from the city gave it an even deeper connection to the earth. I also think that the rain from that day gave it a calming effect. 

New Friends

   The final adventure of my trip came on the plane ride. On the plane back I sat next to a Japanese couple that are my age. I overheard them asking for help with directions getting into Seoul and I offered to help them. We shared the mini-adventure of going through customs together and got to know each other. 

   I told them I was originally from Oregon and then I found out that the boyfriend, Shuya will be studying abroad at Oregon State University soon! (So friends! If you see him, say hi! He's super cool). 

   After making sure they got a taxi to their hotel I returned to go back inside the airport and wait until the subway opened up to make my way back home. 

   I ended my adventure in Tokyo, made it home and am currently celebrating my final week in South Korea before I return back to the United State in January.

Jeju Island

 

   

   My trip to Jeju Island was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had. I took the trip by myself. The first day I arrived I made it to my hostel around 8:00 and decided to go straight to bed to get ready for the next day.

Estuary

   After waking up, I waited until the rain stopped and then I made my way to the south side of the island and explored an estuary, the beach and some small neighborhoods around the area. The estuary was a popular spot that day despite the weather and had a beautiful color to it. There was an area for people to rent boats or join a large tour boat. 

   For lunch, I found some gimbap to enjoy while sitting beside the beach. After walking around I found a bridge leading to a lighthouse that was decorated with paintings to take photos with. Some of the pictures were structure to look like you were walking over a canyon or flying or sitting in a car. My favorite one was the one with dolphins.

My new friends

   That night I joined some of the other residents staying at the hostel for dinner together. It was overwhelming but very rewarding. Everyone I met that night was Korean and I really had to work very hard to participate in the conversation. Everyone was so kind and understanding and I was actually able to convey most of my thoughts. 

   At dinner, we had black pork, a common dish of Jeju Island. We also had drinks and then went for a night walk to the beach. 

Traditional Jeju House

   The following day, I got to explore the island with one of my new friends. The first place we went to was Seongeup Folk Village. Normally, the locals can be found outside participating in traditional chores, however, because it was raining there was no one there. 

Aquarium

   Trying to find something to do in the rain was hard, but we decided on going to the aquarium. At the aquarium, we got to watch a performance sharing the culture of Haenyeos. They are female divers from Jeju Island. The diving culture started in 434 A.D. but women didn't participate until the 17th century. The two women that we watched were around 70 years old and started training when they were around 11 years old. 

   After the aquarium, we went to the Dongmun Traditional Market and had Korean street food. 

Dinner

   That night again we all had dinner together again. This night there were more people and I even met two people from China. I felt very proud of myself this night because I ended up being in charge of translating Korean to English for the two Chinese people. 

   The next morning a group of us went out to get a type of Korean meat soup. My new friends explained to me that the soup was a common food that many Koreans ate to cure

New friends

their hangovers. They laughed with a little bit of disbelief when I told them many Americans choose to go for greasy foods the next morning. We stopped by the beach to take a few pictures before we headed to the airport and parted ways.  

The Explanation in Korean:

이번주에 제주도에 갔어요. 일요일에 서울에서 제주도까지 비행기로 쫌 한시간 걸렸어요. 화요일에 제주도에서 혼자 구경을 했어요. 나는 바다 구경을 하고 사진을 찍었어요. 그때 7:00부터 9:00까지 저녁을 먹었어요. 저녁 파티가 있었어요! 나는 많은 한국인들이 만났어요. 한국말 해야 했으는대 괜찮았어요. 다음날 새로운 친구랑 수준과 갔으니까 비다 왔어요. 지난 밤에 한국인들을 만났어요. 중국인들도 만났어요. 중국인들이 한국말 할 수 없어서 한국말을 영어로 번역 해야했어요.

지난밤에 술을 너무 많이 마셔서 오늘은 숙츼있어요. 

The End of Class

My class

   My time here in South Korea at Hanyang University has been studying only Korean. After almost 200 hours of class, I had my final celebration on November 20th. The final celebration was a small graduation ceremony for the students who passed level 6 and also had some small performances to enjoy as well as a slide show sharing the memories of this semester and all the Korean language levels. I completed level 1 with speaking as my best strength in the Korean language.

Dinner with my classmates

   The day before the final celebration my classmates and I all went out for dinner together after our last class. We decided on Hongdae as our location and after exploring for a bit we found a restraunt that served snack-food dishes. We ordered ramen soup and tteokboki pizza to share amongst ourselves and reminisced over all the memories we made this semester.  After dinner we found an arcade and spent some time there, playing games against each other. Finally, we ended the night in a coffee shop overlooking some busking performers.

American breakfast

Marimo- Georgie and Mimi

   Later that week I met up with some of my friends to go to a diner that served American breakfast and food. We went shopping for the "fuzzy rocks" that Georgie wanted to buy. At first, I made fun of her, but when we got to the store I couldn't help myself. I bought two of the Japanese Marimo algae balls. I named them Georgie and Mimi after Georgie and her twin. Right now mine are about 6 months old and only about 5cm in diameter. I apologize to my future children. If I manage to take care of them that long I will be passing them on to you.
   After shopping for the fuzzy rocks we went out for drinks and then finished the night with some karaoke.
   On Friday, Chan came up to the area where I lived and after enjoying dinner together I showed him around my campus. It was his first time at Hanyang University so it was a fun experience for both of us. We didn't have much time together because he had to catch the subway home, but it was fun to show him my life in South Korea.

Drinks after bowling

   The following weekend we all met up again to go bowling. I only won one of the many games we played. At first, it was only two of my friends and me, but as the night went on our group got larger. We all enjoyed samgyeopsal (pork belly) for dinner and then a few of us finished the night with drinks. The next day I made my way to Jeju Island, but that's another post. Now with my class finished, I have the whole of December to travel around South Korea as well as one week in Japan.

My Exploration of Foreigners in South Korea

While in South Korea I am also managing another blog. This blog is specifically designed to connect an American high school to foreign culture through a representative in another country. I thought the topic I wrote this week was an important experience to share. It is written towards the students, but I think the information should be shared with everyone. For this week's cultural share on my educational blog, I interviewed my foreign friends on their experience and time in South Korea. I also interviewed my Korean friends on their opinions on foreigners in South Korea. Here is what I learned:

Asia

Agnes

During my interview, I spoke with lots of Western cultures. I wanted the experience of another Asian country in South Korea. I asked one of my classmates from China if I could interview her. For the interview, she decided to provide her English name. 

Agnes is in my level 1 intensive Korean class and has been living in South Korea since August. Now towards the end of our class, she feels like her Korean ability is at the level of being able to have a simple conversation. Aside from the language barrier, I wondered if she thinks about the fact that she is a foreigner. For herself, she said she does not always notice it, because she thinks that she might be able to appear as a Korean, aside from the language barrier. Like my Korean friends, I asked her what a foreigner looked like in her opinion. She was the first to describe a foreigner as someone with "Western features". 

Before coming to Korea Agnes knew that the celebrity industry was very popular in South Korea and thought that maybe many Koreans chase fame. This comes from the fact that she has noticed a lot of Chinese also chasing fame and thought that maybe Koreans were the same. When I asked her what stereotypes she thought Western cultures had towards Asians she said that Westerners might think Asians are timid and do not always say their opinions directly so that they won't offend anyone. 

She wants all of you to know that people are really nice in South Korea and if you are worried about a language barrier, that English speakers can survive here.

Europe

David

I interviewed one of my friends from the Netherlands on his experience here. Like myself, he is taking level 1 of intensive Korean. His experience as a foreigner has been a positive one. He says he is aware that he is a foreigner, but also feels like he looks like a foreigner in his home country. He normally does not think about it, but has noticed that occasionally locals will stare at him.

Before coming to South Korea he acknowledges that he had a stereotype that Koreans are hardworking. He also states that coming to South Korea has not challenged this stereotype, but rather enforced it. Lots of his Korean friends that he has talked to have made statements about working or studying a lot that have supported this stereotype. 

He also has noticed that Koreans are super nice and always willing to help. His only negative take-a-way is that compared to his home country, South Korea can be more expensive.

The United States

From the United States, I interviewed some of my closest friends. This was easy to do for me because I already knew them and we have had some discussions already about our lives in South Korea, but I also wanted to interview them specifically because all of us have different ethnic backgrounds that I believe give us each our own perspective even though we are from the same country. 

Georgie 조지

Georgie has been studying in South Korea for the fall semester. She arrived in August and like myself, is taking level 1 of intensive Korean. Georgie is a Filipino American and has grown up in Oregon, she is also a Portland State University student. Having just finished our Korean class Georgie rates her Korean speaking ability at the level of being able to have a simple conversation.  Her time here in Korea has become very natural for her. While at school and near our university campus she feels comfortable with her surroundings. She does note that when she leaves the campus area she becomes more aware of the fact that she is a foreigner, but while on campus she does not think about it. 

Even though she knows she is a foreigner she said that people might not assume she is American. This is because in her opinion there is no stereotypical look for Americans. Also, while living in America she has been asked if she was born in another country. This experience gave her the maturity to not have any preconceived notions of Asians before coming to South Korea. Georgie also feels that it is very important to educate oneself about the culture and dynamics of an area before visiting. She is always socially aware of what is going on around her and does her best to be as respectful as she can be.

Her experience in South Korea has been nothing but positive for her. She notices that lots of locals are very nice to her and willing to help, even though they can be shy due to a language barrier. This shyness doesn't bother her though because she understands the anxiousness speaking another language can cause and always does her best to be understanding. 

Calies 칼리

I admit I was most excited to interview my friend Calies. She is from the state of Georgia and identifies her ethnic identity as Black. Like Georgie and myself she also came to South Korea in August. She is taking level 3 of intensive Korean courses and rates her Korean between being able to have a simple conversation and conversational. 

For herself, she knows and is aware that she is a foreigner but she does not let it get inside her head. One thing for her is that she does notice more people giving her double looks due to the color of her skin, sometimes turning their heads to look almost like an owl would turn its head. She does admit that this is a much more common tread with the older generation rather than college students or younger. Calies also notes that even though she does get double looks, lots of locals are very nice and has even had some experiences of grandmas going out of their way to help her. 

Before coming here she said the only stereotype she had towards Asians was that they were all able to sing. She further jokes that she believes this is true because lots of her Korean friends she has met here can sing very well. She encourages all of you to be diverse in your own thinking and widen your world. She is glad to hear that you are learning about South Korea and encourages you to continue studying and respecting other cultures. Do you have a favorite culture you've learned about? Or do you have another culture you want to learn after Korean culture?

Nara 나라

Nara is a Korean-American student from California, who has also been here since August. However, she has been to South Korea once before for a summer vacation to visit family. Nara speaks Korean at home so she is not taking Korean courses and rates herself as fully conversational. 

Even though Nara is Korean, she feels like she does not look like a typical Korean. Also, she has noticed that because she hangs out with foreigners locals associate her as another foreigner. She says this doesn't bother her because she is a foreigner and even though she is Korean she does notice some cultural differences from being raised in the United States. 

When I asked her the question about having any stereotypes towards Asians before coming we both shared a laugh. She, of course, didn't have any of her own stereotypes, but she has heard many of the common stereotypes; Asians are small, smart and good at math. She knows that they are just stereotypes though and doesn't feel pressured to fit them or challenge them. 

Myself

Even though I grew up with some Hispanic background, I mostly identify as caucasian because I am a third-generation Hispanic. Having just finished my Korean language class I feel as though my speaking ability is being able to have a simple conversation, however, I admit that my grammar is not good, I do feel like I can struggle my way through a quick interaction. 

As for being a foreigner, I feel pretty comfortable in my routine here so I do not think about the fact that I am a foreigner on a daily basis. I have noticed some cultural differences in the beginning, but I think now I no longer process the differences. I also know that I most likely had some preconceived stereotypes about Asians and Koreans before coming here, but I do not remember what they were because now I would like to believe that I always see someone for who they are as an individual over general stereotypes. 

Like many of my friends, I have noticed a lot of positive treatment my way. I have on several occasions had Koreans be very helpful and very friendly; in my opinion, more so than citizens in the United States would be.

Koreans

Since my Korean is not very good yet, I was limited to only being able to interview Koreans that can speak English. To find diversity in this, I interviewed two friends that have lived abroad and one that has never lived abroad.

Lucas

For my first friend, he wanted to be acknowledged by his English name as well. Lucas and I met in an English Speaking Club at my university. Lucas is another student at the university I am studying at and has never lived outside of South Korea. When I asked him to describe what a foreigner looked like he chose to describe style. He says that foreigners typically have different fashion, and hairstyles. Lucas thinks that most foreigners are extrovert and says that they have good personalities. He notices a lot of Chinese students at universities in South Korea so he thinks that maybe most foreigners in South Korea are from China.

He thinks that foreigners think Koreans are kind. He also thinks foreigners label Koreans as introverted and afraid to speak to them, because of a fear of English. He is not bothered by this assumption and says he tries to change how he speaks to be closer to foreigners. 

Before he met an American he assumed Americans were extroverted and do not hesitate to talk to strangers. He also at this point added that Americans have prominent facial features or western features. I asked him if meeting an American confirmed this assumption and he used my friends and me as an example as to why these stereotypes were confirmed. 

Lucas is happy to hear about the appreciation many Americans have taken towards Korean culture. He likes that other cultures are taking an appreciation towards k-pop culture because it can give him a common topic to discuss with foreigners. 

He wants to add that you students are lucky and that the Korean equivalent of the SAT is much harder in his opinion because for many Koreans it decides they believe it decides their future happiness. He also wanted to express his slight jealousy of the ability of American teenagers to drive a car. 

Carl

Carl was born in South Korea, but moved to Yiwu, China at a young age and lived there for 12 years. Afterward, he moved to South Africa for 6 years and has returned to South Korea for university. In his opinion, he separates foreigners from Koreans by the way they dress, noting that he feels Koreans put a strong focus on appearance. He also picks out Korean students by the commonality that they travel in groups. He compared his time in South Africa, where he saw friend groups of two max out in public, but in South Korea, he will see friend groups of five or six together. He thinks that most foreigners in South Korea are from China because of the high number of Chinese international students at Korean universities. 

The stereotypes he has heard about Asians from Westerners is that Asians have small eyes and feet. He has also heard that many Western cultures assume all Asians are timid and nerdy. For Koreans specifically, he has heard stereotypes that they are destination-oriented and overly focused on work and education. 

When I asked him what stereotypes he had about Americans he said: "you all worry about college tuition". He also said that he thought Americans were party people, sport-oriented, but also fat. After meeting an American he said his opinions have changed; except the one about college tuition. 

As a Korean, he thinks the appreciation many foreigners have gained towards Korean culture is a positive one. He hopes that this will encourage more foreigners to learn about the history of Korea and the major industries in Korea, like Samsung. He does add, however, that he is concerned that the appreciation coming from K-pop culture has added a new stereotype that all Koreans look and act like idols. Carl encourages students to learn about cultures outside of their own. 

Chan

The last friend I interviewed is one I met in Portland. Chan is my friend that started my appreciation towards Korean culture and I wanted to hear his input on foreigners. Chan lived in the United States for one year and studied at Portland State University. His experience with foreigners in South Korea has been interactions with English teachers, other college students and colleagues at his work. This demographic has provided him with interactions from foreigners who had an appreciation for South Korea established before coming. When I asked him to describe a foreigner he was hesitant to provide ethnic stereotypes and even asked: "do you want me to describe a foreigner's appearance?" He also commented on the difference in fashion. I asked him where he thought most foreigners came from and he quickly said America, but then after thinking some more added that he thinks there is also a high population from other Asian countries. I know that it is common for many Western cultures to have a hard time telling the difference between some Asian races so I asked him how he knew an Asian wasn't from Korea. "I just know based on their mannerisms... or I hear them speak", was his response. 

After his time in the United States, he says that Americans are not that different from Koreans. In both the United States and Korea you can find those who have open-minds and those who don't. He also said that he has noticed that American students are not that different from Korean students. 

Chan is very excited about the appreciation many other cultures have taken towards South Korea because he is happy to be known well and thinks that it can help the country in the future. He explains that he hopes because people care about the culture if something bad were to happen in South Korea, other countries would help because they know and appreciate the culture. He thinks it will create a good outcome. 

All three of my friends I asked what their opinions were on the term "Koreaboo". They all had not heard this expression and I explained the negative use of the phrase to describe individuals who are overly obsessed with Korean culture. I explained how this term can be taken out of context but how it is making an appearance in social media. They all agreed that at first, they might not think this was a negative thing, but would feel it is later. They all especially expressed that they enjoy sharing their culture, but still want to be recognized as their own person and not be generalized by their culture. They worry that people described with this term might put false identities on other Korean individuals.

Overall, everyone that I have met here, are all willing to share their culture and experience other cultures. They also all encourage high school students to do the same.

Halloween!

Everland

   Happy Holidays!

   With the holidays right around the corner, I've been very busy with celebrating my first international Halloween and preparing for my final next week! After my finals, I'll have plenty of free time to travel and explore more of South Korea.
   In the meantime, I have been exploring the amusement parks near Seoul and at the perfect time to celebrate spooky season!
   To begin my spooky adventure a large group of my friends and I met at Lotte World the Saturday before Halloween. While there we enjoyed as many rides as we could during the day before we explored the Haunted House after sundown. I can honestly say it was the most well put together haunted house I have ever experienced. To start, they section you into small groups of six and have you walk together holding onto a rope. In the haunted house, you go through all the classics, an old dining area with people around the table, someone lying in a bed that jump scares you. The scariest part however was just before the end. It appears as though you come to a dead-end, only to realize that the next way through is to crawl through the fireplace on the other end of the room. When you approach the fireplace someone is waiting to jump scare you as you pull the curtain back.  We finished the haunted house just in time for the "Zombie Parade"; a short display of actors in zombie makeup roaming the grounds of the amusement park. By the time this finished it was already 10:00 p.m. so my friends and I made our way home to change into clubbing outfits.

Bumblebee

   My girlfriends and I took the time to go home and get all dressed up before we shared a taxi to Itaewon to go clubbing for the rest of the night. Even though it wasn't Halloween yet, the streets were already filled with people in costumes celebrating. In Itaewon, people do not take their costumes lightly. It was common to see large groups all matching or to even see full cosplay or movie ready costumes. That night my friends and I stayed out all night, finishing our night at 7:00 a.m.
   During the week we had our first meeting of Speaking Society after taking a quick break for mid-terms. This week's topic was about the required military service in South Korea. The group I was in were all females so we had a pretty short discussion and tip-toed around the subject.

Scarface

   On Halloween day, my friends and I returned to Itaewon again to see the costumes again. This was the day we saw the person in the high-quality Bumblebee transformer costume. Despite not having a costume I still wanted to celebrate so at one of the booths in the street I had my face painted to give myself a fake scar. After a quick hour in Itaewon, my friends and I decided that as cool as the costumes were it was not worth being pushed through crowds to just move 10 feet. We decided to go to Hongdae instead. However, when we got there we realized that EVERYONE was in Itaewon. None of us had seen the streets of the Hongdae area so bare. Needless to say, we found a place to eat chicken and then made our way to our favorite club, Sinkhole.
   Again, we stayed out all night to ride the subway instead of paying for a taxi. We took the first subway home and made it back just after 6:00 a.m. At 8:00 a.m. Georgie and I had to get ready again to make it in time to go with our Korean class to the next amusement park, Everland! A quick nap on the bus was all the sleep I got that night.

Classmates and my teacher

   I did not get to ride as many rides at Everland as I did Lotte World because of my classmates and I decided to wait in time for the  T-Express roller coaster. During our almost four hour wait we practiced our Korean and the almost vertical drop at the beginning of the ride made it completely worth the wait.
   After the ride, I spent the rest of my time wandering around the park with my friends taking videos and photos to fill our social media. One of my classmates filmed footage for her youtube channel that I'll link here later when she posts it!

   At 6:00 p.m. we loaded the busses and returned to campus. For the last time, this Halloween week, Georgia and I had to quickly get ready to turn around and get to our next event at 8:00 p.m. 

Everland trip

   The final celebration of Halloween was a party room that my friends and I rented out for the night. We started the party with pizza and water pong then moved to a game of truth or drink. Eventually, the game turned into a deep conversation of us all getting to know each other on a more personal level. The gathering went on until 7:00 a.m. the next morning. Afterward, we all rode the subway home and squeezed in a quick nap on the train. I made it home just in time to wash off my make up, get a quick sleep then wake up to get ready for a date.

   Now I'll be taking a much more relaxed week as I study and prepare for my final next week.

Superstitions: Americans vs. Koreans

Umbrellas drying indoors.

   The theme for this post came to me during a rainy day in Seoul. Unlike a true Portlander, I find myself not only bringing; but also using an umbrella when it rains. A revolutionary invention really. There is this device that keeps me dry in the rain and adds a cute accessory to my outfit. However, as soon as my feet cross the doorway that umbrella better be closed; even to the point that I will even close the umbrella five or ten feet away from the doorway-- just to make sure no bad luck comes my way. This superstition is not shared here. Outside my classroom, and other hallways, students can find umbrellas open indoors to dry. This silly scare of believing bad luck was near lead me on a curiosity hunt. I asked lots of my Korean friends what their personal superstitions were and what were some common ones of Korean culture.
   Before I expose all of theirs, I'll start with mine. For those of you who know me personally, I have a tattoo of my exact racing goggles from my swimming career. Before every race I had to have my goggle bungee straps tied at the end otherwise I would not do well. I now have that superstition permanently marked on my body (you can see it at the very top of the tattoo if you click the link).
   The first on my friends to respond told me that their superstition is that if they fail the first round then they know they will fail the rest of the game. That means they always have to win the first round. The second said that every time there is rain on the day they have a test they know that they will fail. However, interestingly enough many of my friends claimed they did not have any superstitions on their own.

   The well known Korean superstitions I learned include the following; many of them including death.

• Sleeping with the fan turned on can lead to your death.
• The belief is that the fan circulates the air so that you end up choking on your own carbon dioxide.
• If you see a spider at night you have to kill it or it will bring bad luck.
• Do not write a persons' name in red ink.
• Some say this because it is the color of blood. Others say it is because this was the color used to write the names in the death register. 
• Four is an unlucky number.
• The reason the fourth-floor button in an elevator is F is that the number 4 is similar sounding to the Chinese word for death.
• Giving your lover the gift of shoes means that they will walk away from you.
• Whistling at night brings ghosts and spirits. 
• Do not lie in the North direction
• During the Cheoson Dynasty, many graves were placed to lie in the North Direction.

For my non-American friends; many common superstions in the United States include the following.

• Beginner's Luck
• The common idea that people who are trying a game or sport for the first time will win.
• Penny's are good luck
• I personally have the superstition that only a head's up penny is good luck. If I see a penny with the tail side facing up I will leave it. 
• Black cats crossing your path will bring bad luck.
• Don't break a mirror or you'll have seven years bad luck.
• Knock on wood.
• Many people will say or even do this action when they've said something that might bring them bad luck. It is supposed to keep it from happening. 
• Don't open an umbrella indoors.

   Honestly, in the United States alone I can think of multiple more superstitions. Most likely due to the mixing of all cultures. This topic I've been set on for a week has me interested in all superstitions of all cultures. What are your personal superstitions or the superstitions of your culture?

One Day in Seoul, South Korea

Palace and Skyscraper

   This Wednesday I had the day off of school for a national holiday in South Korea known as Hangeul Proclamation Day (I wrote about this day on my other blog. Click here if you would like to read more). My friends and I took this opportunity to follow the itinerary of places to see in Seoul. The Day in Seoul Itinerary listed the top locations of; Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Changdeokgung Palace, Insadong, Namdaemun Market, Myeongdong, Namsan Seoul Tower, and Dongdaemun. The article I read says that you can do all in a day; which I definitely think is possible. However, a bit of a stretch; unfortunately my friends and I did not make all the destinations on the list. My friends and I started our adventure just before noon--which probably accounted for our inability to make all the stops.

Gyeongbukgung Palace Guard

   First was Gyeongbokgung Palace. A quick stop due to the large number of crowds gathering in the grounds for celebrating the holiday. We seemed to arrive just at the end of a Changing of the Guards Presentation and were able to catch men in uniform leaving the palace grounds carrying flags. We also saw many people there dressed in traditional Hanbok wear and taking photos. We decided to make plans to return and visit the palace more thoroughly.
   If you are visiting Seoul anytime soon, I recommend this palace as well. If you are a history buff it is a great place to experience the culture and history of the city. If you are not, the contrast of the traditional palace surrounded by skyscrapers is enough to leave anyone in awe.
   As you are leaving the palace be sure to get a photo with the guards out front; but please respect them and do not touch them. I watched a guy in front of me try to put his arm around one and they are very quick to assertively and politely require their space.
   As we left the palace, the courtyard across the street was also filled with people celebrating the holiday. Along with numerous amounts of people,
there were also countless numbers of police; although they did not all appear to be on duty.

제 친구; 조지예요

   After the palace, we began to make our way towards the Bukchon Hanok Village. What would have been a short 15-minute walk took us almost 45 minutes. The area around the palace is filled with beautiful modern art and pastel-colored buildings that made for a great impromptu photoshoot.  We also walked past an art museum that had a display outdoors filled with families and their children playing in the structure, as well as other young women taking photos of each other.
   When we finally arrived at the Bukchon Hanok Village we almost passed it. The area of town is very clearly a mix of traditional housing and modern shops, but the main street of the Hanok Village is tucked away in the back. While walking around you can find shops and traditional tea houses. We stopped at one at the base of the hill. An old house had been turned into a traditional tea shop. Upon entering you are asked to take off your shoes and then you sit on a pillow at a traditional kneeling table. We each ordered a different tea and rice cakes. Each tasted amazing and the atmosphere of the place was a great relaxing point in our adventure.
   We finished exploring the village-- with plans to return-- and began our way to the next stop.

      

    The next stop on our list was Changdeokgung Palace. We had hoped to go into the secret garden, however, due to the fact that we arrived close to the time of closing and knowing we had plans of returning we decided to continue on to Insadong.
   This would have been a great place to enjoy a multitude of cheap street food, but all of us were full so we took a rain check on this as well. In Insadong you can find many different shops selling antiques and souvenirs, but some of the places to find items to buy is from the street vendors. Not only are the prices cheaper, but the people selling them seemed more wanting to join in casual conversation.
   We pasted an accessory shop having a sale where I bought some new glasses frames for $10 and a novelty of soju earrings.
   This marked the end of our day. We could have continued on with the list and probably make it to all the stops. Myeongdong and Namsan Seoul Tower are great to visit at night, but we all had our Korean midterm the next day, so we decided to call it a day and make our way home to finish our night with studying.

Last Weekend- In Korean

지난 주말에 광교호수공원에 친구랑 갔습니다. 제 친구 이름은 홍병찬입니다. 일요일에 병찬이와 만났습니다. 저는 병찬이와 함게 함박스테이크와 파스타를 먹었습니다. 함박스테이크가 정말 맛있었습니다. 저녁 식사 후, 우리는 걸었습니다. 밤에 광교호수공원이 아주 예뻤습니다. 호수에 우리는 앉았습니다. 우리는 산책을 했고, 많은 이야기를 나누었습다. 지난 주말은 정말 즐거웠습니다.

In English: " Last weekend I went to Gwangyeo Lake Park with a friend. My friend's name is Hong ByeongChan. On Sunday, Chan and I met up. Chan and I ate Hambak Steak and pasta. The food was very delicious. After eating, we walked around the lake. The view at night was very pretty. We sat by the lake and talked. I had a lot of fun this weekend.

First Month in South Korea

View from the top of Hanyang's campus

   It has been a month since I moved to South Korea and it still feels like I just flew in yesterday. I am starting to reach the point now where I have more reminders that this is where I live and that I am not just on an extended vacation. I have settled into a weekly schedule, I know my way around my neighborhood-- and am able to describe landmarks around it to locals-- I have found my social group here.
   Every day, I have class from 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. of Intensive Korean. While I had some previous knowledge before I went in I am glad about the level I was placed into because the class is giving me a structured way to learn the fundamentals of the language. On Tuesday's and Thursday's my friends and I find a local cafe to study at and have some of our local Korean friends help us with pronunciation and coming up with sentences from our own thoughts rather than plug-and-chug sentences from the book.
   On Wednesday's my evening is filled with events of a club I joined. The club is called Speaking Society Club and is designed to help local Koreans with their English, while also helping exchange students with their Korean and any other complications that might come up as a foreign student. Wednesday nights are debate nights. Two topics are chosen for small groups to discuss. This lasts weeks subjects were "iPhone vs. Android" and an overall topic of "Extraterrestrial Life". I also spent my Friday with this club this week. The club rented out a party room and invited members to an all-night party to get to know each other. We played icebreaker games as well and were even taught some Korean drinking games. Overall, the night was a fun way to meet new people and share cultures.

Myeong-dong street

   On the weekends, I spend my time exploring the city. I have been to several of the hottest places in Seoul, including; Hongdae, Myeong-dong, Itaewon, Gangnam, and Sinchon. Each time is a different experience. Hongdae has held up to its reputation of being one of the best places to go to watch busking. Myeong-dong is great to go if you are in the mood for street food. Itaewon and Gangnam have been great places to go clubbing and Sinchon has a great mix of everything.
   This Saturday however I went to a concert to see my favorite group, Oneus. It was a lot of fun for me and it was such a surreal moment. This is a group that I found while looking for Korean music to listen to and then watched all their videos, watched their pre-debut show and truly became a Oneus stan. I have always seen them on a screen or just listened to them, but being at their concert -- in South Korea-- was a moment I'll never forget. Also, because they are still a newer group, I was able to get standing tickets close to the stage for cheap! It was also such a fun concert for me because I knew all their songs and most of their dances -- as seen in the video taken by Georgia. It was also a Special Live Concert so they previewed some songs to their newest album, so now I am just waiting until their album comes out on the 30th so I can listen to nothing but their songs.
   Overall, the month has gone by too fast, but I'm also excited for everything coming up.

Upcoming: Hiking in the mountains this weekend, exploring more of Seoul on our days off of school for holidays and a festival on campus.

My First Week in South Korea.

Stepping off the airplane, I knew I was in for the biggest adventure of my life. The two hour drive from the airport to my oneroom was filled with watching as we passed through different areas of the country. Having barely settled in, I was anxious to explore so I messaged two of my friends from Portland and we met up.

Bingsu

   We took the subway to Myeong-dong, a popular shopping center. We walked down the main street taking in all the sights, getting some street food and just exploring. We eventually found our way to a small place that sells bingsu ice (빙수). We chose and apple-mango ice. After eating, I made my way home to get some rest. 

   The place I am staying in Seoul is close to Hanyang University--just a short walk down a very steep hill. I am also close to a small shopping center called Wangsimni. There is also a subway station there that has already proven to be the best one for traveling around. 

   My place is small, a new cultural adjustment to be sure. Less than 100 ft². Walking into the room there is the shower on my right. In the shower is the toilet and the sink, with a hand-held shower attached to the faucet. To the left, a desk with shelves above, a mini-fridge below and a cupboard for clothes all the way against the wall. Taking two steps from the door, I reach my bed, which fills the remaining floor space. In some ways, I enjoy the smallness of the space for my time here. It forces me to get out and go places. 

 

Melon tart with Chan

My second day in South Korea, I made my way to meet Chan. For all of you reading my posts on Korea, just for an update on him; it was great to see him. I met him in Gangnam and he took me out to lunch; of my choosing. I choose to have chicken and we found a great restaurant. We ate our chicken, with cheese and he showed me how to make it into a wrap. After lunch, Chan found us a place to get tarts and tea. We shared a melon tart, he made me practice Korean with him-- I mostly protested from still being shy about my Korean-- and drank our tea while catching up. I told him about this years K-Night and what he has been missing in Portland. He told me about his new job and showed me his schedule so that we could coordinate meeting up again. He told me he wants to meet every week so that he can help me with Korean. He asked me where I wanted to travel in South Korea and decided that he will travel with me. We finished our drinks and conversation and said our goodbyes; with plans to meet again.

   My third day was spent getting errands done. Settling in further, getting my sim card and wandering around the area I live to get familiarized with everything, wandering around campus, etc.

Eliane

 Tuesday I was planning on having a lazy day at my place. Making plans and going over my to-do list was all I had planned; maybe a trip to the store thrown in, but nothing else. That was until I saw a message on the group text. I have a group on KakaoTalk with other international students going to Hanyang University. It's hard to keep up with sometimes, but I just happened to check this time and saw a message asking if anyone was near campus. I replied and met up with a new friend, Eliane. She is from Monterrey, Mexico and it is also her first time in South Korea. For lunch we had 닭갈비, chicken stir-fry. Afterward, we made our way to a raccoon cafe. I had never

Princess

heard of a raccoon cafe before, but Eliane brought up the idea after I saw someone advertising a cat cafe. While we were eating lunch I searched up raccoon cafe and found one called Blind Alley. At the cafe, there is a corgi named Cookie, two pigs named Honey and Map. After feeding the pigs and finishing our smoothies we got to see the raccoons. We held one named Princess and got to feed all three that they had in the back room. Princess even crawled up on my shoulders.
South Korea. We went to Myeong-dong again to explore and get lunch. We had

   On Thursday I went to orientation for international and exchange students at Hanyang University. It was mostly a lot about classes and registration but at the end, they had a taekwondo performance and introductions from various student groups. When I first got to the orientation I didn't know anyone, and I soon made friends with a girl named Nanami. She told me about where she was from in Japan and how she was the only one from her university studying at Hanyang. We made plans to meet up at the welcoming party on Friday after we finished our campus tour.
   Later that night I met up with two other Portland State students to go to Hongdae for shopping and to watch people busking. We never actually made it to shopping though. We watched some busking and then went to get dinner. We found a BBQ restaurant for dinner and spent almost three hours eating and talking. By the time we were finished, it was almost midnight and we had to catch the last subway home.

   Friday I slept in after a late-night then woke up just in time to meet some friends for lunch. We

Muzi

went to the Kakao Friends store to explore and got some drinks at the Ryan Cafe. We later made our way back to Hanyang and did some home shopping before getting chicken and pizza at a restaurant just by our place. I then got ready for a welcoming party that Hanyang Global Lions Student group was putting on.
   I met up with my friend Georgia and we went to the party together. The theme was black and neon and it was in this underground club inside a hotel. The place was reserved for Hanyang Students only so it was designed as a good way to meet other students. Georgia and I made several friends that night and after the party went to a local bar with a student from Toronto.
   The trip to get to the bar was farther than we thought, so by the time we got there we each only had one drink and played a quick game of beer pong with some locals from Korea University.
   Now for the rest of my weekend. After a fairly busy week, I think I'm going to take the weekend to relax and prepare. Probably walk around campus and familiarize myself with where I'll have classes. Tuesday is my first class of the semester, and the following week I'll start my Korean courses.