Annyeonghaseyo!

= Hi!

Even though I went home from the party quite early, I was staying up way too late. I slept 12 hours tonight, since I didn´t have any specific plans. Me and my roommate Hyesun (Erica) decided to go for breakfast/lunch/dinner at a traditional korean restaurant. We ordered some kimchi, spicy korean beef and fried rice with vegetables. In Europe you usually get salt, pepper and perhaps ketchup to the table but in Korea you will get pepper paste. How funny is that? Well I don´t like ketchup and pepper paste is delicious so I don't complain!

Hyesun and I had a good conversation about the korean culture and a few phrases that can be useful for me (Wops, I already forgot them). The soup is a dish from Japan, not so tasty in my opinion. 

After our dinner we walked around the city area close to our campus. I had to buy a few things before school starts like a Study planner, an eraser and booklets. While I was walking back to my dorm I bought a pair of sneakers, a dress and a nice shirt. This country is not a good place for me, since the staff in the shops are so nice, it´s hard to not buy anything. And the funniest thing, my shoe size here is 250!! That is just amazing!

There is a lot of small cute shops all around the city. I´m also positively surprised how classy and stylish the korean girls and boys dress. Girls usually wear a pair of shorts or a skirt with a sophisticated shirt and some heels. The boys usually wear some nice pants with a pair of cool shoes with some vintage glasses or oversized glasses. 

Always when I visit a supermarket it takes me so long. First of all, I have no idea whats inside since everything is written in Korean (except for famous brands like coca-cola). So in my case, I have to trust the pictures on the packages. In the pictures you can see a shelf full of noodles. You only need to add hot water and it´s done, very simple to make since I don´t got any cooking facilities in my dorm. So far we have only been eating out since it is cheap, so I assume that it will continue that way.

Now, I will unpack the rest of my stuff that is still in my luggage so I will let you know what I am upto tomorrow! Goodnight!

First night out

After a long introduction day I went home to my dorm. So tired after all the information they have tried to get into our heads today. But I only got two hours at home before I had to be at the main gate again for dinner. We went to a place, that I don´t know the name of since it was only written in korean, and had some korean barbeque.

Our two buddies Trisha, Gyumi and the a few exchange students from all around the world.

This is probably how my meals will look like for a year or so. I have learned a bit about the korean etiquette, for example that the cups or plates are not supposed to take away from the table. You will only use your chopsticks and eat directly from your cup. They also give you a spoon, so you can enjoy the soups. Unfortunately there is no other option than the chopsticks. Me and Benjamin from France were laughing cause we had a hard time with this. Lucky us, we will both stay for two semesters and at least I´m getting better at using the chopsticks all the time so it won't be a problem. I like how fresh the korean food is. We always prepare it together, socialize and drink until the meat is done. I think this is a good way to hang out and get to know each other. This is absolutely something that is missing in Finland. On the table you see some different kind of onion, hot sauces, Kimchi (a traditional korean dish), egg soup, the korean beef and much more. 

Marlena, Ludo and Nicole are practicing the typical korean pose!

     

Me and my buddy Gyumi at dinner! We have had so much fun and I like this girl a lot! 

So, on the right side picture you see the korean vodka Soju. Here in Korea they use Soju in drinks but also in beer. I tasted it, and I have to admit that Soju is definitely not my thing. I might get used to it but lets see. Also, the alcohol in the clubs are very cheap. Less than an euro for a shot of Soju for example.

ICE CREAM TIME! After our delicious dinner we bought some ice cream. I ate some korean melon ice cream and it tasted like bubblegum! And again, the korean pose!

     

The Soul Club&Pub was the place where the party was held. Me and Ludo are posing in the disco lights!

Me and Trisha in the club! Team Trisha, yeah buddy! She is so sweet!

 Since we started the party already at 9pm, I was too tired at 12pm already, so I decided to go home. When I was walking home from the club, I recognized all the lightning in the city. It looks so beautiful! I also managed to get home before the dormitory closed at 1am. Good job Meri!

Introduction day

After some unpacking yesterday and a good night of sleep, I am ready for the Introduction day. The orientation started from the Main gate and continued to the Cheongwoon building, where we got a lot of information about the university, where to go and what to do if we need help etc. In the auditorium we got to meet out Buddy students, a person we can turn to if we have questions or need help with anything. All the exchange students were listening to the information and I made a lot of new friends from all around the world. The day ended with a Campus tour. From now on, I will explain in pictures and a few sentences what we saw and what we did. Enjoy!

Here is goes. My two frenchies Mounia, Charlotte and my moroccan girl Sara.

We all got some handy things to make the life easier in Seoul. For the Alien registration we needed a Certificate that we will be studying in KHU, a handy map, a transport card and a book Living in Seoul.  Also the form so we can pay our rent. 

The right side picture is the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management. I will spend a lot of time there and now I also know where to go on Monday, or Tuesday? When is the first day at school? No 

idea!

Here they are - Our buddies! My buddy is the third girl on the left side. 

The Main Building. I could never imagine that all these buildings I have seen in pictures really exist. There they are and I am amazed how beautiful the campus is.

Before lunch we went to the Mail Building to take a group photo of all the new exchange students. In the last picture there is me and my korean friend Yeolmee. She is always so happy and so adorable!

And now the part of todays schedule that everybody was waiting for - the lunch. I have got to know so many nice people today, that it is impossible to remember all the names. Sorry! Anyways Denis (sitting in front of me from Germany) and me were cooking the korean beef and we almost ate it all just the two of us! Beside Denis there is this guy from Sweden. Sitting beside me is Charlotte, Mounia, Martin and Julie. Nabil is the moroccan guy in the back. 

Girls are ready for lunch! Mounia, Charlotte and me.

After lunch, it was time for the campus tour with our buddies! TEAM TRISHA!

Happy students! This was my day, so far. At 7pm we are gonna gather at the Main Gate to have dinner together and after that its time to party! Kamsamkneedah!

Day Number 1

The trip was in a way so funny (even though it took us 18 hours to get here). We started early in the morning from Helsinki, arrived in London early and it was morning when we arrived in Seoul. The trip from London to Seoul was so comfortable! I watched a few movies and slept like a baby. For dinner we had some delicious korean beef.

Nicole showing y´all the hot pepper paste. Got to admit that it was the perfect spice to the dish! 

We were nervously waiting for our luggage and after that straight to McDonalds, where our meeting point was. Immediately we were greeted by a korean girl, such a sweetheart. 

Nicole was excited that she got her bag! We waited for the bus that was supposed to take us to the university. When I step in the bus, I see these funny curtains and the bus looks like a circus. After 2 hours we dropped off a few students before we continued to Sewha Hall, the dormitory where I will be living for the next 10 months. The wheel from my big bag fell of at some point, but I managed to get my luggage all the way to the campus. We entered the lobby where we checked in, filled in a few documents and after that I finally got my key. One of the students, tutors or what I should call her, anyways her name is Erica, can´t remember or spell her korean name, she will be my room mate for my whole stay. She has been so friendly and helpful! The picture below shows the most of my dorm. My bed is on the right side and Ericas on the left. 

After I got my stuff into my apartment I got bored. Where is the Wifi connection and I needed a shower so badly but where are the towels? Sweaty as I was, I forced myself out in the rain to search for a Wifi connection, to reach Nicole, who didn't answer. I made a new friend, Charlotte from France. We decided to go for dinner together and do some shopping. After many laughs and many kilometers, we found the things we needed! 

More pictures from the school, dorm and much more will come up later. Today it has been quite rainy, so I decided that I will take my camera with me on a sunny day! Kamsamkneedah! 

Bye Finland - Hello London

Good morning everyone. Today is the day when me and Nicole will be off to South Korea. Lucky me that I don´t have to travel 18 hours by myself. My last day in Finland was a weird day. I was crying for no reasons and I just sat quiet for many minutes trying to figure out what is going on in my head.

So departure this morning was at 07:55 and our first stop will be in London, where we are at the moment. We just grabbed some lunch and now we are waiting for our next flight to departure. I would love to stay in the UK for a day or two since I have never been here, but something so much better is waiting for me. 

So anytime soon, we will be heading to our final destination - South Korea. See you soon!

Packing

Just got a nice email from my home university. I got the scholarship!! The scholarship will be enough to pay my rent in South Korea. Happy days!

When I see all my stuff in boxes and garbage bags, I realize that I will be gone soon. This feeling I´m having is so strange and the reason might be that I am off for the biggest adventure in my life so far. This feeling changes all the time. One second I want to jump up and down of joy and the other second I feel like crying. I will miss a lot of people, but I know that this is something that is meant for me and it´s something that I have to do. I also know, when I arrive in Seoul, all my negative thoughts about this will disappear.

I got it!

I went to the embassy yesterday, for the last time. I picked up my passport with the Korean Visa in it. Happy days! At the embassy, I bumped into a guy who is also off to Korea and already leaving today actually. How exciting is that! Talking to him made me feel more relaxed. I won´t be the only one going there and feeling completely lost.

When I got home, I finally made some packing because I will be moving out on Sunday this week. And it´s actually only 9 days to departure. It´s really getting close now.  Just to make all my friends in Finland a little bit jealous, it will be over +30 degrees when I arrive in Seoul!

All done!

Standing outside the Embassy of The Republic of Korea and I am about to go inside. With only 3 weeks until departure, I beg that they will get my Visa done as soon as possible!

So, now everything is done from my part. I have applied for Arcadas scholarship, I went to the Embassy and now the only thing I can do is to wait. The Visa will be done by next weeks Thursday, so I will go and pick it up then. Hopefully there won´t be any problems with this because I don´t got time for that.

It´s getting closer and closer to the departure and I haven´t felt nervous until now. A few weeks ago it felt like I will only be gone for a few weeks, but the reality is that I will be stuck in South Korea for at least 10 months. What have I got myself into?

Kyung Hee University - Campus Map

This post is a must on this blog. I will tell you a little bit about Kyung Hee University and probably when I am in Korea, I will let you know more about it. Since I will be gone for a while, I thought it would be great if you knew a little bit about the school I´m going to. So where should I start? Kyung Hee is an university that has many colleges, many different departments and majors, master´s and doctorate programs and research institutions. The university has over 31 000 students who are mostly from Korea but also a lot of exchange students find their way here. Isn´t that insane? Only a few years ago the university celebrated its sixtieth anniversary and in 2009, Kyung Hee received the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. Korea has a lot of different universities and Kyung Hee has been ranked as the 7th best university in the country.
There is a lot of different departments at Kyung Hee. If you take a look at the map below, you will see the different departments and also where they are located.

This is a Campus map. As you see, the campus area is huge! I received and email this morning from the university, where they told us students where we will be living. I will be staying in Sewhawon Dormitory (Number 7) and will be walking back and forth to College of Hotel and Tourism Management (Number 14).

1. Main Gate  

2. Kyung Hee Medical Center   

3. Kyung Hee Dental Hospital  

4. College of Dentistry 

5. College of Medicine  

6. Medical Library  

7. Sewhawon (Dormitory) 

8. Pureunsol Building/Parking Lot (Underground),
 Kyung Hee Boy's Middle and
    High School Sports Field (Upper Level)  

9. Kyung Hee Boy's Middle and High School

10. Grand Stadium

11. Neo-Renaissance Building
 (Kyung Hee Cyber University)

12. University Motto Tower

13. Cheongwoon Building

14. College of Hotel and Tourism Management

15. Kyung Hee Girl's Middle and High School

16. Kyung Hee Elementary School

17. Sundong Lake

18. College of Fine Arts

19. Institute of International Education

20. Media Center

21. College of Human Ecology

22. Amphitheater

23. Student Center

24. Kyung Hee Kindergarten

25. Crown Concert Hall, College of Music

26. Welfare Center

27. Central Library/Central Museum

28. University Administration Building
 (Graduate School)

29. Chancellor's Residence

30. Grand Peace Hall

31. Faculty Offices

32. College of Humanities/College of Science

33. College of Political Science & Economics

34. Sameuiwon (Dormitory)

35. College of Oriental Medicine, Natural History Museum

36. College of Law

37. 2nd Law School Building

38. Back Gate

39. College of Business Administration

The final course list

 As I told you in an earlier post, I registrated to a few courses in Kyung Hee University. Today I received an email from the university with my course list. Since I need to have at least 5 courses, I managed to get all the courses for this semester that I need. It is all coming together now. The only thing I am waiting for is an document from my bank and after that I am straight off to the Embassy. Since it´s less than 4 weeks until departure, I really need to get the Visa as soon as possible!

The final course list looks like this:
International Convention English, Tue 12:00-13:15, Thu 12:00-13:15
Understanding Leadership, Mon 16:30-17:45, Wed 16:30-17:45
Consumer Behaviour Research, Mon 10:30-11:45, Wed 10:30-11:45
Understanding of International Manners and Cultures, Mon 13:30-14:45, Wed 13:30-14:45
Tourism Case Study, Mon 15:00-16:15, Wed 15:00-16:15

As it looks like now, my schedule will be allright in school. Two long days at school on Monday and Wednesday, 1 lesson at Tuesday and Thursday and a day off on Friday. No early mornings and also a lot of time to do all my homework. Happy days!