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Carpe The Hell Out Of The Diem |
Candace Kimi Sakamoto
캔데스 키미 사카모토 カンデス きみ 坂本 |
![]() Why are their foods so 1) CUTE and 2) DELICIOUS here?? We get gross donuts or stale pastries in wrapped little bags in gas station stores, but they give fresh, soft, adorable packaged goods. How do they keep them so fresh and soft?? The one on the left is a strawberry spiral cream roll (delicious), and the one on the right has mini cream-filled sandwiches (also delicious). Why am I even surprised anymore by the epic level of food quality here...
Random photos of things I notice while I pack to leave my oceanside sanctuary ![]() Top left: Berry iced tea today! --- Top right: New type of ramen I tried today...fancy! it had three separate packets with dried green onions/mushrooms/beef bits/water chestnuts or something/peppers/other veggies, the seasoning mix, and what smelled like super hot bright red extra spicy seasoning stuff (I left it out lol) --- Bottom left: My first attempt at using a Korean ATM! Took me a few tries but eventually I located the English button and was able to use my Visa card :) --- Bottom right: Spent today organizing my clothes for more efficient packing...I've accumulated quite a collection hahaha. I should just give up this pharm technician/teaching abroad business and become a personal shopper for a living.
I bought three new nail polish colors while a Nature Republic sale was going on, and couldn't decide which to put on...so I used them all!! Haha the weather is turning chilly so I generally stick to my browns, blacks, plums, and dark reds during this season, but since I'm beachside it's like I'm bringing a little summertime back :)
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All the nights I've been here I've seen and heard fireworks going off on the beach below. I wrote briefly about them previously, but it's seriously so cool watching from the balcony. It's like a private mini-fireworks show every night! The fireworks are the white exploding type and are mini, since they only explode not far over the heads of the people launching them on the beach. They must be safe, since it's usually families with kids that are launching them. I wonder if they are expensive... I'm finally getting settled in here and I have to leave again soon. This is the problem with traveling haha. At least I was not here long, so packing will not be the day-long process it was back in Gangnam. Now I just need to eat all the rest of my food here in the next day!! Quiet - cho-yohng-hahn 조용한
Outside - pahkk (eh) 밖(에) --- "eh" is the "place" marker, like "de" or "ni" in Japanese. Waves - pah-doh 파도 Disclaimer: Pardon the cheesy. I tend to do that sometimes lol. Again, the stuff I write on my blog is basically what goes on inside my head...so while I apologize for it, I'm still going to write it lol. This blog was started for me to record my trip and exactly how I acted/thought/what I did when I was 22 and abroad for the first time, and thus it will remain. It's been really quiet here in Seorak, so I've been doing a nice bit of reflecting here with nothing to distract me. Therefore, this post is unrelated to my trip in Korea (it's just a long-winded recollection of my college experience, triggered from my remembering it's Halloween) and is totally unnecessary to read unless you want to (read: went to UCSB with me & will understand why I'm rambling on and on annoyingly about this lol). I've realized that listening to waves crash and waking up/eating breakfast/cooking/reading while being able to glance up through the sliding doors and see ocean will forever remind me of college in Santa Barbara. How freaking spoiled were we by our college's location, fellow Isla Vistians? ![]() Halloween in junior year! Obviously I was crayons one night with some girlfriends. It was a success :) We actually came up with some seriously creative ideas over my four years in IV...I was even Captain Underpants one night :D Where are all my 90's kids at who know who that is?!?! However I have neither the time nor the patience to find all those costumes and post them lol. So I was having my usual early morning cup of coffee and watching the weather report on TV when I glanced at my open laptop and noticed with a jolt that, what the hey, today's...Halloween?! This has officially got to be the weirdest Halloween I've ever had in my life. And with my last four Halloweens being spent in Isla Vista, this statement has some merit. For all of you who are unacquainted with an Isla Vista Halloween, there are no words to describe it. Grab your best buddy, pack an overnight bag, and roadtrip it to Santa Barbara pronto. That is all. For those of you who are acquainted with an Isla Vista Halloween but have never experienced it, I'm delighted [and very sorry for all the parents 0:) ] to say that every single one of those rumors of what goes on is 110% true...and then some. Not to worry, it's all in good fun. I will be the first to admit we're young, silly, and sometimes irresponsible; however, we aren't stupid. We have all made it out of them unscathed (for the most part) and with many a fond memory (well maybe not so much memories, but we have that saving grace...pictures!!!). For those of you who are acquainted with an Isla Vista Halloween AND have experienced it...who else is grinning in amusement and feeling twinges of nostalgia for the utter madness that was Halloween? :D There's nothing else like it, except maybe Floatopia in freshman year, before the school started banning it. They're been cracking down on Halloween in recent years too. Buzzkills. Don't they know that all work and no play is no good? I live by my Dad's words of wisdom: "Work hard, Play hard". I always knew my Daddy was the smartest guy in the world :) Remember running around in moshpits of people dressed in costumes (the term is used tentatively here) that stretch for blocks and blocks and blocks, avoiding police officers on horseback (and their poop, ew), being blinded by the giant white floodlights placed every intersection so people don't run over each other (they still do, the lights are superfluous University board, but nice try), walking in a long line holding the hands of your group of friends so you don't get lost for the entire night in the massive swell of humanity pressing in from everywhere, enjoying parties, dancing, house-hopping, chastising the hated out-of-towners (haha sorry, it still makes me grin how united all of IV was in our dislike for them) for that quintessential no-no of sitting on the curb (duh, insta-arrest), then waking up the next day, downing a Gatorade, and preparing to do it all over again? (Halloween is generally a 3-4 day holiday in IV). Instead, I am sitting at a glass-topped table, sipping coffee while the news is on, gazing at the crashing waves of the ocean, IN KOREA. What. People say college is the best time of your life. I definitely enjoyed every single one of my so-crazy-but-was-totally-normal-for-SB college experiences. I made memories I will always cherish fondly, and grew up on so many levels in those 4 years. Even thinking back now, my life in IV had so many aspects that were surreal, but that my fellow Isla Vistians & I totally took for granted because it was the norm for us. Even when we suffered with coffee-driven all-nighters, endless hours spent everyday in long lectures, tedious study groups, and the infamous library (Ah Davidson. Pretty sure I clocked more hours in there than I did in my houses. I will never again not treasure an electrical plug after having to fight for them there for 4 years), we had so much good stuff to balance against it...like studying out on the seaside bluffs, going for runs on the beach, watching the sunset over water from your balcony, hiking up by the SB Mission, and having all your friends living just a few houses away when you want a beer or some froyo. But I still don't think that statement about it being the best time of my life applies to me. I think the best times of my life are yet to come. It's like taking old childhood photos and making them into a scrapbook. I will always remember them happily, but they are what has been, not what will be. It's not a disregard of all college taught me; it's the starting of the next half of my life, the second chapter, the sequel. And I'm already making a dent in those good times while abroad now :)
It is rainy and cloudy again today, but I don't mind :) It's warm and cozy in my unit, because of the AWESOME Korean way of floor heating. So you don't hear any clanking or whirring of a heater, you just suddenly feel comfortable and like the airs fluffy. Lol, it's the coolest thing ever. Especially when I'm standing still somewhere for awhile, like by the stove, and suddenly I can feel my feet warming up underneath me!! When I get rich in the future, I am ABSOLUTELY going to hire some Korean architect and have my future house include floor heating. With my sliding doors cracked so I can hear the ocean and rain pattering, today was one of the most lazy comfortable days of my life. Watching my favorite movies and eating and drinking to my hearts content. Haven't been able to do that since I was a little kid :) In college, there's always work to be done, or something due, or notes to look over, or some form of studying I SHOULD be doing, even if I have nothing concrete due. Just the absence of that hanging over my head is blissful. Also, these are the things I kept meaning to post about that I picked up in Insadong last week! I got this cool Rubix-cube looking thing from a handmade goods cart (Nicky if you're reading this, this is for you. I immediately thought of my Rubix-sensei when I saw it haha). It's not a Rubix cube at all, but it opens up and you can bend and twist the blocks in all different ways. It's hard to explain but it's awesome. I was playing with an example one at the cart for ages. I also got an elegant ceramic boat bowl from a pottery shop for my Dad, since I know he likes these little dishes and can make use of them. This was unique in its shape and coloring, and I really liked it! I picked up these really well-made silk pouches for myself and my Mom, and a bright turquoise leather mini-wallet (for one of my purses that is tiny...my regular wallet can't fit in there lol).
I bought eggs then realized I need oil to cook them in -.- All I could find is soybean oil lol. Also bought Korean dumplings (they have pork, veggies, and japchae in them!) and Korean-made Mentos. They have Rainbow and Grape flavors here! More than us with boring regular ones. Also, if you don't already know, Grape is my favorite artificial flavor so I love this. Yes, I know I'm weird, but hey, it means I get all my friends grape Skittles when they don't want 'em :) At this resort, I am simultaneously too old and too young. The only people here are adorable toddlers or swaddled infants w/ parents, and grandmas & grandpas. I stick out purely because I am neither teething nor have dentures. Swell. No wonder everyone looks curiously at me lol. I thought it was because of my English when I'm Skyping or Facetiming, but they stare even when I'm just typing...even the babies stare at me!! O.O
This should be considered some form of therapy. As anxious and upset as I was when I arrived, I'm all relaxed and happy now! It's peaceful, and I've adjusted to all the things that I was grumpy over when I arrived.
Even having no wifi is okay. It's a pain in the butt still, but it almost adds to the peaceful tranquility here having no phone service, no internet service, and basically no way for anyone to reach me. Normally this would make me panic because I am surgically attached to my iPhone; if one dies, the other dies. But since I rarely leave my room for longer than a few hours at a time, and I never leave the resort grounds, I feel safe and don't really need it. Kensington Resort is one of those places that builds out from a central point. There's only five floors then a penthouse, but it stretches waaaaaaay far out width-wise in a giant semi-circle. I'm on the 5th floor of the resort and the elevator is located practically 2 wings away from me, so when I need to go downstairs to use the wifi I usually use the stairs located relatively close to my room (much closer than the darn elevator anyway). Going down is not an issue, but I was expecting trouble going back up so I used the elevator the first time. My impatience with how incredibly slow walking 2 wings to the elevator then 2 wings back to my room is though, won out eventually. Ever since that first time I've just been hiking up and down the stairwell multiple times a day, with my laden grocery bags of food and backpack with laptop and charger. It's not as bad as I thought it would be! Maybe it's all that practice from those cursed thousand sets of subway stairs I climbed up and down all day everyday, or the steep-hill-of-death I had to climb twice to get to Namsan Tower. In any case, at least I'm getting some exercise! I could turn into a vegetable here, what with all the sunshine, incredible view from my room, and close proximity of all necessary things (kitchen, bathroom, and electrical outlets).
I totally just had a moment of true Korean hilarity. I'm sitting in a wifi spot outside one of the elevators when a group of old Korean men (I'm talking gray hair here people) comes strutting/dancing out the elevator with PSY's Gangnam Style BLASTING out of one of their smartphones hahaha. I was utterly shocked at first watching them, but they just kept on trucking all the way to the front door, like nothing at all was strange. Yea, a bunch of old grandpas have got an international kpop song WAILING out of your tablet-sized smartphone as they Gangnam-Style out the front door of my fancy-shmancy resort. I am SO in Asia... I'm exploring the resort more today; the sign in the lobby says there is an Aquarium on the lower basement level, a Library, a Marina, the OceanSpa and of course the beach. So far I've found what seems to be the Library. It's got books, benches, and a row of computer desks. There was supposed to be a cafe of sorts but I can't seem to find one...there's also two fancy restaurants but I don't know if I'll end up dining at those. Not necessary haha. I'll check back in when I have wifi again and have found the rest of the place :) -Also, for those who understand this: the host at the front of the fancy restaurant "Ashley" in my hotel keeps walking around the lobby calling the next people on the waiting list. I almost fell out of my chair the first time he walked by me because HE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE KEY. He walks like him and his voice sounds just like him. His hair is like Key's during the "Hello" era in color and style. I am tripping out right now. Put him in a waiter uniform and sports blazer with FBI-like earpiece and he is strolling by me riggggggght noooooow. Wtf??
After the horrific nightmare of the last two days, some peace, calm, and quiet was all I needed. And that is exactly that I get here. It's possible I could get bored soon, because it's so quiet here compared to the city. But for now, it's just what I want. The bright sunny skies and sound of the waves crashing reminds me of Santa Barbara; it's really the most beautiful place out here. If I need some fresh air, I just walk out onto my balcony (I always have the doors open to catch the nice breeze) and watch the ocean. The temperature is just right too! It's remarkably warm for end of October, since it should be full on-autumn right now, and starting to dip into winter soon. I'm just in a light long-sleeve and jeans, and I can stroll around comfortably all day. I wish you could all feel the cool wind on your face and smell the fresh, salty air with me...maybe if you try reallllllly really hard my thoughts will reach you :) After three weeks of nonstop people around me, people in the subway, people in my hotel, people at the restaurants, people asking directions, people in the malls (you get the picture), it's really strange to have such an absence of people right now. It's neither worse nor better than when I was in the city, it's just...different. You know? I hear children playing on the beach all day, and families lighting fireworks on the beach at night (apparently here, fireworks are totally legal for recreational use! I saw some by the Han River the night I went there with Dajeong. SO COOL. I suppose Korea's residents must be more responsible with such things than Americans lol, otherwise they wouldn't be allowed). Eating curry and rice for dinner was the awesomest thing ever. I feel like I haven't eaten a solid meal in a week, but really it's only been two days lol. It's really nice having a stove and sink for a change. I made do in my last hotel, but this is much more efficient. Also, is it weird that I am now cranky that I have to walk so far to the bathroom? In the last hotel, the room was a single room with bathroom attached (like usual hotel rooms). But this is a resort unit, so it's more like a mini apartment. I now have to walk through the living room, through the kitchen and into the bathroom...this feels so far for some reason hahah, maybe I'm turning into a true Korean used to limited space. I spent my afternoon and evening watching movies on my laptop and drinking tea out of my nifty new teapot. I really love this thing, it's well-made and such a cool design. It also doesn't drip at all, a problem that I have found with a lot of teapots I've used in the past. Once you pour your drink, it drips from the tip of it's spout so I have to keep mopping it up or keep a towel under it. This one is drip-free :) Today while I was sitting in the lobby typing this up, about 5 or 6 adjummas and halmonis (grandmas) came by and sat around me. Unlike most that I have thus encountered, these ladies were really friendly and very nice. The grandma sitting down next to me said something in Korean and then sat really close to make room for her other friends. I can't understand her but I knew enough to happily move over to make room for everyone else. They were staring fascinated while I typed on my blog and when I finally got up, all finished, they tried to say something to me in Korean. I apologized similarly, also adding that my Korean was not good. They went "ahhhh" and kept looking on with interest so I felt obligated to say more lol. I told them I was 23 and I was from America, at which, they all went "Ahhhhh" and looked at me with MORE interest and lots of smiling haha. It was the funniest thing. I bowed plenty of times and then said my appropriately respectful goodbyes in Korean for their age group, and made my exit. Usually the adjummas that I have encountered here in Korea are NOT friendly and not nice to me. I don't know why they hate me so much, but it really feels like they do. Most of the young people I have tried to interact with are friendly and try to help, as well as the adjusshis (middle-aged men) and grandpas I have met. Lots of them think I am a gyopo (a native a Korean who lives in America), so I have to set them straight by telling them about my lineage on my father and mothers sides (which includes zero Korean lol). Many of them even try to help me further than my one question I was asking, curious about me. But my tourist experience with adjummas is not good, not good at all. Lots of them just turn their back on me, or stare at me like I'm a bug and then curse about me to their adjumma friend (or that's what it sounds like anyway lol). Meh. I'll stick to the young 'uns and grandpas, thanks. rice - pahb 밥
grandpa - hah-rah-buh-jee 할아버지 grandma - hahl-muh-nee 할머니 ocean - teh-yahng 대양 tea - chah 차 I woke up at 8am this morning, feeling a little disoriented but better. My room in Gangnam had been dark (if I didn't turn any lights on) in the morning, with the only window being shuttered. That's why I affectionately referred to it as my cave :) I could usually hear cars honking in the distance and some random chatter from streetwalking pedestrians. Here though, there are curtains and sliding glass doors, so some soft light filters in. The sound of the waves is also very loud and soothing, with the occasional child laughing or shouting on the beach. Whoa. Totally different morning experiences lol. When I got up, the next thing I noticed was that I was sore ALL OVER. Looks like I pulled quite a few muscles lugging my 5 heavy pieces of luggage everywhere yesterday. I had picked up a really nice teapot with cups in Insadong the other day (still have to post all my stuff I bought. Later though), so I made some tea and sat down to write down everything that had happened since I left Gangnam. The only place with wifi here is the 1st floor lobby, so I will go downstairs to post this and put together my pictures once I'm done. I sent you a message last night Momma, when I went downstairs to get food, but I don't know if it sent. The wifi even in the lobby is spotty I think... Because we are out in the countryside and I have no wifi, I think I will take today and just relax. I had planned to explore the beach, venture downstairs to find the Library I saw posted on the direction board, find a coffee shop, and check out the OceanSpa they have here, but they can wait. This no wifi things is the hardest thing for me to handle. The rest is fine, it was just a little shocking when I first arrived because I had been used to Gangnam. If I had arrived here first when I came to Korea, it'd wouldn't be so strange. But having no wifi takes away my only means of communication with anyone really, because I can't call and have no 3G network out here. So in the meantime...there is a rice cooker included in the unit here, along with pots, pans, cooking utensils, and dishes. For the first time since I have arrived here in Korea, I'M GOING TO COOK. I have never been so excited to cook again haha. For that, I need to head downstairs to the convenience store to get ingredients. Side story: while I'm sitting here in lobby typing all this up, this tiny tiny little Korean baby boy bounces us next to me and jumps (I'm talking flying-squirrel-style jumping here haha it was SO FUNNY) onto the couch next to me. I smiled at him and said annyoung and his little face just splits into this giant grin. BABIES ARE SO CUTE. He was the little bright spot in my confusing morning haha. Little Korean babies speaking halting and grammatically incorrect Korean is so cute too. It makes me think about American babies and comparing if they sound as cute when speaking baby English words. Maybe I just don't notice lol.
Anways, annyoung to my new home for a week! The next morning we had to wake up at 7am to catch a taxi to the Apgujeong tour bus station. Thank you again Yeji for offering to take me this morning!! Not only did she have to wake up early but she had to wait with me in the pouring rain for the bus!! Because yes, of ALL DAYS, it chose to pour rain alllll dayyyyyy today. She found the right bus for me and talked to the driver. I would KILL to be able to speak Korean fluently these days, it makes my life downright difficult not being able to communicate. Yeji was my Korean Guardian Angel this trip haha, I don't know how I will ever repay her. I am so blessed in life to have good friends around me :) Once on the bus I felt calmer, but still anxious because I didn't know if I'd be able to recognize the stop and because of the enormous amount of luggage I had with me that I now had to carry alone. Everyone else on the bus was, of course, not international so they all had normal little duffel bags and such. Roughly 4 hours later, we arrived in Gangwon-do, a coastal province of Korea that is more countryside than city like Seoul. The change is extremely obvious; it was fascinating to watch the streets and signs morph into lush greenery and streams. Still raining (unbelievable timing you tricksy Korea weather god), we pulled up to Seorak Beach Kensington Resort, the second to last stop for our bus. I was the only one who got off, so I pulled all my luggage along with me to the front doors. There were STEPS. God help me. I had to unload all my bags, drag each giant suitcase up the stairs one by one, then go back for my bags and put them back on the luggages. Checking in was quick, since Yeji had already checked me in by phone yesterday and all I had to do was show my guest certificate and get my room key. God bless you Yeji again haha, I would have been lost without you. Even when she's not physically with me she's still helping me. I LOVE THIS GIRL. Lugging all my things to my room was again, a chore in itself but once here I could finally relax and unwind. At least as much as I could, with my nerves complete on end and utterly frazzled. I didn't even feel like myself. I was extremely stressed, lonely, and confused. I wanted to go back to Gangnam and my comfortable Noblesse Yeoksam hotel. This feeling only intensified when I got inside my room and found out there was NO WIFI. SERIOUSLY?!?!? My unit was very spacious and quite nice. The view is INCREDIBLE; I had luckily been given a room with an ocean side view and on my wide balcony I could see ALL the way up and down the beach and far out into the ocean. It was lovely, and one of the few things that calmed me down upon arrival. I also found out there there are no tissues here (they use rolls of toilet paper in Korea), no shampoo and conditioner (I had been spoiled by my stay at Noblesse, where they provided giant things of shampoo, conditioner, AND body wash for me everyday), and only one size of towel...hand towel. Good thing I'm short and don't have much body to dry off, or I'd be seriously screwed... The unit itself has a nice little kitchenette with table for four, a living room with a giant TV (apparently bath towels and tissues are not necessary, but the giant flatscreens are always key here haha. Another difference in culture!). The bedroom is also really nice, with a separate sliding door to go to the balcony and a vanity set off to the side. The doors in here are really cool, like a double paned double sliding door (to keep the cold out of the bedroom I assume). Fancy! Also the sliding door in the living room boasts this cool little handle/locking mechanisms in one. If you pull the handle to the left and up around, it unlocks and opens. To relock the door, you simple close the door and pull the handle left and down around and it relocks. So efficient dude, why don't we have these?? No separate locks to deal with or fiddle with they get stuck! Yes, I'm looking at you Palm Desert Marriott Villas... The showers here are something I touched on during my review of my room at Noblesse, but now more than ever I am realizing how Americanized Noblesse was (when I thought it was already super Asian and shocking to me lol). How naive of me. Due to space issues I presume, Korean bathrooms and showers are one and the same. There is a drain set in the center of bathrooms and the shower is usually not partitioned at all. You shower standing in front of your toilet. In this hotel, there is a small glass divider though. In Noblesse, there was a whole tub you stood in to take your shower, so the only real difference was that there was no shower curtain. That is why they give you shower sandals...because once you take your shower, the bathroom floor is now all wet and you can't go in without sandals on. I have not gotten used to this yet, although I really like the no curtain at Noblesse for some reason. It made the bathroom feel really big, light-filled, and less claustrophobic than with a curtain. I am just chalking this shower/bathroom thing up to a learning experience though, and treating it like an adventure -.- I don't know how to explain the weirdness, you cant really understand unless you are standing here and having to use it like me lol. It's REALLY REALLY STRANGE @.@ I don't mean that in an offensive way, it's just not what I'm used to haha.
By 4pm, I had not eaten since a muffin this morning and I was tired, irritable, and lonely. I figured the best thing to do was eat and go to sleep. There's two restaurants here but they look pricey, so I just dropped by the convenience store on the 1st floor and stocked up on snacks and tea. I ate, showered, and went to bed by 5pm. Once at Yeji's apartment, she consoled me and then we set to work calling my resort to explain why I wasn't checking in today and to reserve me a spot on the bus tomorrow. After that, she took me out to lunch at her university's cafeteria. Now, when I say cafeteria most people would think oh, lunch ladies, trays, bland food, boring, shabby decor...this newest culture shock phenomenon hit me with the force of a frying pan lol. it's GORGEOUS inside her university, all glass and modern colors and decor. There's a hair salon (YES A HAIR SALON) inside her university, as well as a cobbler, flower shop, glasses shop, etc. Going back to the cafeterias (yes plural), there are multiple cafeterias on each floor it seems like, depending on what you want to eat! We checked out one cafeteria that specialized in Korean food Yeji said, then checked out a second one on the opposite side of the 1st floor from the Korean one, which seemed to specialize in pastas, pizzas, and gratin. I chose this one, since I hadn't had pasta yet here in Korea.
Everything here is so new and fancy!! You order at the front desk of the cafeteria when you first walk in, and then they post your number on a board when your food is ready. You go pick it up from the various stations SO COOL I AM SHOCK. I was like beside myself when I saw the students eating at sparkiling clean tables out of elegant ceramic bowls among such cute, chic decor (sorry if I keep going on about the decor in various places, I wanted to be an interior designer remember? Bear with me hahah, it's always the very first thing I notice when I walk into new places). Everything here looks like a cute little coffee shop in how it's designed! Another minor culture shock for me was the realization that I can leave my purse, with wallet in it, unattended and it will be fine until I am back. When our numbers were posted, Yeji stood up and indicated I should come too, leaving my purse behind. I gaped at her, and asked if my purse would be okay while we were gone, expecting it to be missing altogether when we returned. She laughed at me haha, silly American. Lo and behold, when we came back, it was still there. Why is America so screwed up that you can't leave a freaking travel mug unattended for 10 seconds without it being stolen, much less an iPhone, wallet, or purse?? Or we can go with the WHY IS KOREA SO AWESOME bit instead. I like that one better anyway...
It is midterm week here Yeji informed me, which is why so many students were running around in the Yonsei University jackets. A HA. I had a minor hit of nostalgia as I remembered all those nights spent slaving away until 4am (or later) in my UCSB hood and UCSB sweats at the library, because I wanted to be comfortable. I even got a Yonsei University hood for myself in the University store! It was so warm and pretty, and I didn't bring any sweatshirts to sleep in, what with the weather getting colder now. I have plenty of cute peacoats and trenchcoats I've bought though :) We went to the library also, so Yeji could go inside and pick up a bag from her friend. Watching the flow of humanity coming in and out of the central library was amazing. I miss college already. Students in other countries may speak different languages but they are still all the same students. It's midterms week right now so the library is packed with harassed looking students with coffee, and all are in sweats and comfy clothing. Yeji and I laughed about how students at UCSB were the same, everyone wearing glasses and no makeup.
We got drinks also for dessert from the convenience store outside one of the cafeterias. The bottles were so cool! They were half clear mini-soda liter bottle, but the top was like a metal can. They were called Mojitos but didn't have any alcohol in them, just juice. They tasted very authentic...a little too authentic if you catch my drift lol. Nonetheless, we took them outside and began a tour of her university. We decided that we would view this day today as an extra surprise day in Seoul in my vacation itinerary! A day in the life of a student at Yonsei University :)
The campus is beyond beautiful. It reminds me of the East Coast Ivy League kind of schools I've seen pictures of. Very historical and picturesque, especially with all the fall leaves coloring the various landscapes. She showed me the main administrative buildings, the sciences, the English and linguistics buildings (where her classes are!), and all around. I had so much fun! It was like being in the shoes of a transfer student here, wandering around amidst the buildings with Korean signs directing you where to go.
Yeji had class that afternoon so I took a nap at her place. I was weirdly exhausted, probably because of how early I woke up that morning and how stressed I had been all morning. She returned at 6pm and we went on a walk in search of dinner. She took me to one of her favorite places, called the Frying Pan. IT WAS THE CHICKEN PLACE IVE BEEN WANTING TO GO TO SINCE MY FIRST TRIP TO ITAEWON. They serve you chicken on a long bed of homemade potato chips with two different dipping sauces. It was DELICIOUS. The chicken was crispy and tasty, and we had it with garlic and ranch dipping sauces (although they called it something else). The chip so good, I was saying they could totally package these and sell them lol. We walked back to her place, where she packed her stuff to go work on some homework at the library. As I've mentioned before, students here are so diligent and hardworking; it's incredible. She was saying it is not uncommon for students to take 6 years in college, unlike the usual American 4 years. This is because of numerous reasons. One is that men are required to do their 2 years of military service before they finish university, so they often have to take a break and come back later. Another is that internships here are generally around 6 months and cannot be done during summer break. Students need work experience to graduate, so they must take a leave of school to do the internship. Intense. Finally, sometimes their studies simply require that long to finish. While Yeji left to go study, I made my bed and did some research on the Japan Airlines baggage restrictions for flying (since I will be flying them when I go to Japan on Nov. 8). I wanted to make sure I could bring all my stuff. Luckily the baggage restrictions are about the same as Korean Airlines, so I am safe!
I took a taxi to Jamsil Station exit 4, where I was supposed to catch a resort bus to Gangwon-do. This was easier said than done, since I can neither speak Korean to call the taxi nor tell the driver where to go. Nor have I ever ridden a taxi that didn't already know where it was going (e.g. yesterday when the Tour agency got me a cab) and needed me to pay the bill. Luckily though I have friends! Jungho-oppa was at the front desk this morning, so he called me a cab and helped me put my luggage in. Yeji-unni translated where I needed to go into Korean and Jungho-oppa read it then spoke to the cab driver. Such a mission lol. $13 later, the cab dropped me off and I sat down to wait. I was still waiting when I saw a car drop off two young preteen girls who were off I'm assuming to shop or something around this area. It reminded me of when my mom would drop off me and a girlfriend at the mall or something, and how free and exciting it was for us to be on our own. It made me think my mom must have worried buy rationalized that as long as we had each other we'd be okay :) Those girls looked so young to me sitting here on my bench with all my luggage alone in a foreign country. Not going to lie, it made me nostalgic. Most of the time I like being on my own here, exploring the way I want to, but sometimes there are moments when it IS scary and it IS hard to be all by myself. When I'm lost or doing something simple like riding a taxi for the first time in my life, I wish I had someone with me to guide me through it or at least someone to be scared with. I figure thats why I'm so uncomfortable sometimes. I'm totally winging it out here. I'm a girl who likes to always have a plan and know what and where and when I am doing it, but I am totally going by the seat of my pants here. I've never done all this before and I have no idea how its going to turn out. Isn't that strange?? I like it most of the time, its exhilarating. But it's still scary having no means of communication once I leave the wifi of my hotel, and no way to communicate with anyone for any real help (I can ask in Korean, but can't understand their responses -.-). I've never experienced that before, having never left the US and always having my 3G Internet whenever I needed it. That's one of the hardest things for me to adjust to; I never realized how much my spoiled self relied on my 3G connection to get me to places, look up information, and contact people en route. I was STILL waiting for my bus when SIX more tour buses came and dropped off busloads of little Korean kindergarteners. They were epicly cute but only added to my nostalgia lol. Scrambling in line to be next to their friends and fixing shoelaces and twisted backpack straps. Holding hands with their buddy in line, playing clapping games, and bobbing anxiously, ready get going. Must have been a district field trip because the little guys were EVERYWHERE. So I was supposed to catch the 9:30 bus to Seorak Beach Kensington Resort. But in my delusional newbie traveler state, I didn't realize the resort bus I was supposed to catch wouldn't be just for my resort, it'd be for a bunch of resorts. So while I assumed the bus would have Kensington Resort on the side or something, it was in reality (I found out later) just a regular purple tour bus that was chartered to take people to the various resorts. So I missed it. 9:30 came and went, and I was beginning to panic. I had left the safety of my hotel and people who knew me and would help me. Nobody around me could understand me, my phone could not call Korean numbers (except cell phone numbers I also later found out), and I was stranded alone by the tour bus area with my thousand pounds of baggage. So I couldn't even move very far to go find a payphone or something because of all my luggage. I tried over and over to call the tour bus company to find out if the bus had already come and to ask what it looked like, but my phone couldn't connect with the Korean phone number.
Around 10:00 I was in tears and having a minor breakdown at this point, so I mentally whacked myself on the head and pulled myself together. I tried calling Dajeong's cell which miraculously dialed but she didn't pick up. So I tried calling Yeji, and she did pick up! I'm pretty sure I was somewhat incoherent at this point, my panic was so great, but somehow she understood me and took down the tour bus company number I gave her and called it. She can't call me back so I just called her back in 10 minutes, which is when she told me the bus had left for today already. There is only one resort bus a day because the distance is so great. On a side note, it was somewhat funny cursing loudly after she told me the bus had already left and getting ZERO reaction from the people around me lol. Since its not a curse in their language. That was about the only humor I found in this awful morning though. So I was swamped with panic all over again, but Yeji calmly told me she would book me a reservation spot for tomorrow's bus (so they wouldn't leave without me). When I told her I couldn't do that because I had nowhere to stay for tonight, she said I could stay with her tonight. YEJI 언니 YOU ARE MY SAVIOR. She was so kind and patient with me, empathizing with my situation (like I mentioned before, she had studied at UCSB same time as me so she was a stranger over there too). I am so so grateful to you Yeji, if you are reading this. You have no idea @.@ I managed to drag all my luggage to the curb and hailed a taxi, keeping Yeji on the phone so she could talk to the driver and tell him how to get to her apartment. That in itself was a trial, because she lives in the student quarters by Yonsei University, her school, and it's like a maze in there. If you think Isla Vista is cramped, this is like 4867312879462984673 times more densely populated lol. It's crazy! Like my friends keep telling me; unlike America, in Korea you cannot build outwards...so you build up or down haha. Ah the irony, it's never far away. I spent this entire trip trying to get myself to sleep in later instead of wandering around at 4am, and staying up later instead of falling asleep at 3pm. And now for the first time all vacation, I have to set my alarm clock to wake me up at 7am. I have to get a cab from my hotel in Gangnam to a bus stop in Jamsil where a resort bus will take me at 9:30 all the way to Gangwon-do. It only runs once a day since the distance is so great, so I am waking up early and taking no chances. I will be in that taxi by 8am. Jamsil is only a few subway stations away from my Yeoksam station (~10 mins by subway) but since I have all my luggage with me, those epic subway stair sets are going to be a no go! I was chatting with my unnis and oppas at the front desk this morning when they suddenly realized I was leaving tomorrow morning :( They were so sad. I made such good memories here, in the hotel and in the area around it. I finally know where everything is and can make my way around when I need something or want to go somewhere, aaaand I'm leaving. /sigh. I bought boxes of cookies for my staff friends and for the cleaning crew who took care of me so well this whole trip and wrote my favorite hotel attendants a card. I had Dajeong translate what I wanted to say into Korean so I could write it down :) These are my three favorite attendants here :) You have no idea how INCREDIBLY fond I am of them. It must be something to do with the fact I've never traveled abroad before to a strange country, but I feel like they really took care of me while I was here, like real older brothers and sisters (which is the meaning of unni and oppa, often used among friends or those you are comfortable with). They ordered all my deliveries for me over the phone, chatted with me everyday on where I was going and what I was doing, helped me out when I was lost or needed a translation, and always greeted me every morning and afternoon with a smile and a laugh at all my shopping bags/grocery bags/excited tales of what I did that day. Apparently they think I'm super cute for being happy all the time and so energetic, greeting them everyday and sharing my stories. I guess they don't get many people who stay as long as I do, who will get attached to them lol. It's the strangest thing, but I will miss them so much :( Looking back on my trip thus far, I had a random thought about shopping in Korea. I think the reason I end up buying much more than I expect I will is because in these small Korean shops if there is something I like, there is often only one of them and chances are it'll be gone next time if I don't buy it now. It's an impulse-buy-or-nothing kind of shopping going on. I know you're all thinking "but you always buy a lot". Contrary to popular belief, I am a careful shopper! I have a Costco of a closet but its carefully accumulated :D I don't usually buy expensive clothes or ones that aren't on sale, and I try to limit what I buy at one time with some exceptions (E.g. I am halfway around the world and a $5 silk button-down top is staring me in the face). My Usual Method of Shopping 1) See something I like, 2) Check the price, 3) Judge mentally whether its worth the price; if its worth the price, 4) Judge mentally whether I need it and/or already have others like it, 5) If I STILL want it I view items in my head I would/could wear it with and 6) judge whether I'd wear it enough to justify buying it for the price and quality If it passes all these trials, I buy it. If it fails at one of them, I move on! Now y'all know what's going through my head when I'm staring silently and intently at an article of clothing while shopping hahah. This is why I prefer to do any real shopping alone, to spare my shopping companion :) I also met a new friend from Saudia Arabia today in the elevator!! I finally meet a friend my age, who speaks English, is staying in my hotel, HAS A ROOM ON THE SAME FLOOR AS ME, and its my LAST DAY HERE. Life, why do you do these things to me?! -.- We had a spirited conversation on the way up to our floor and we talked so long in the hall, her family poked their heads out to see where she was lol. Her little brother came bounding out too, all shy and smiley. He didn't speak English but happily responded to my wave and bow. They were so cute :) She excitedly introduced me to her parents as well, as "Candace from America!!!". This struck me as so funny, since I've never been anywhere where it was cause for excitement or where you had to explain you were from America before. If my parents were there, I would've been equally excited to introduce her as my friend from Saudi Arabia!! It seems like such an exotic and far-off place, but I guess to everyone else, America is also a far-off place. That's so interesting to think about for me; I'm learning all sorts of things I've never thought about before. This is another reason I wanted to come abroad, to learn more about the world and how other cultures think and act. We live in a bubble in the US, and I want to know what's outside it. This is a first-hand chance! But I digress again. Sorry, I got excited lol. Going back to my friend, we commiserated about not understanding the sentences Koreans tried to speak to us, although she has mastered English as well as Arabic, so she's way ahead of me linguistically. Her English was really good too, completely natural and fluent! I was so impressed, I wish I was bilingual lol. I can't remember her name, much less spell it but it was really pretty. It sounded like Riyula or something. I will leave her a note on her door before I leave, with my email or something. Maybe we can still be friends and penpals :) Time to tuck in for the night, after my favorite probiotic Asian drink :) These things are so darn good and are healthy for you! It's a win-win. Unlike in America, when you buy these here they give you mini straws. This is because they are properly supposed to be drunken all in a row (see how they are packaged), with a straw on top to drink it through. I got made fun of so much in college for drinking it like this hahah, but seriously it's way more convenient than drinking each tiny thing individually and peeling off the foil top for each one...Asians always have it right, whether it be chopsticks as the ultimate eating utensil or ways to drink probiotics :D
Next stop was Insadong! I really love this little area of Seoul with all the hustle and bustle, and quaint shops everywhere. It was AMAZING getting to see the more traditional and cultural goods of Korea's heritage. There were hand-carved wooden utensils, traditional hanboks (Korean cultural garb, like the kimono for Japanese), Korean candies and foods, pottery, statues, metalwork, and even a traditional Korean paper shop! There was so much to see! I could have stayed for much longer, but we only got about 40 minutes before we had to meet back up. It was still a fun little journey into what felt like the real lifeblood of Korean culture. I also got some great gifts and souvenirs!! I'll post pictures later of what I got :) Next up was the Amethyst Factory. They have a mine right here in Korea apparently. Everything in there was priced too high for my student budget of course, but it was nice getting to look around at the beautiful jewelry and items. All the rest of my tour group was older and primarily from Canada strangely enough lol, so they looked more interestedly than I did (since they could probably afford some of these things). Finally we got to Namdaemun!! I was in heaven; now THIS is what I imagined doing when I first thought of my shopping in Korea during this trip. I imagined outside shops for as far as the eye can see and in every directions possible (seriously, some of these intersections split off into like 7 different little streets haha). In the middle of the thick lines of shops on either side were kiosks selling MORE stuff in the middle of the street. Needless to say, it was very packed and cramped and moving was impossible without shoving into someone or pressing up against someone else. Our tour guide led us around in a quick small circuit of part of the market (since she said this place is so huge, you can easily get lost) then let us go off on our own. It was so much fun wandering among the mind-blowing amount of goods and shops that were there. There were clothes, shoes, bags, watches, wallets, socks, belts, boxers, scarves, warm food vendors, grocery stores, cosmetics, hair accessories,jewelry, fresh fruit stalls, purses, jackets, etc. My head was LITERALLY on a swivel this time, I thought it was bad before in the underground shopping areas. The scale of this market is so impressive, you can't even comprehend how far it goes in all directions haha. Our tour guide tried to explain it then gave up. We came in at Gate 8; she said this ENTIRE thing we just circuited was only a portion of that Gate, and there were 7 more. Criminy. I did a little shopping for stuff I had noted on our guided circuit before, then headed back to the tour bus in time to head home!
I went on my first tour today, an afternoon Seoul City tour. It not only included a hotel pick up for me but also a hotel drop off at the end! Itinerary: Hotel Pick up – Changdeok Palace – Insadong Arts and Crafts Market - Amethyst/Ginseng Center – Namdaemun Traditional Market – Arrive at hotel. Insadong is somewhere I've been wanting to go to for ages! It's a market street area that specializes in traditional and antique crafts and goods. My Korean teacher highly recommended it to me too. There's lots of street vendor food as well, and shops down every alley to be seen. Namdaemun is also well known, along with Dongdaemun, for their shopping! It was also on my list of places to visit when I came here. So now after this tour all that's left on my list are Myeongdong (where my next hotel is once I return to Seoul) and Hongdae (where all the young people congregate for food, meet-ups, clubbing and bars). I want to go but I'm not going to go by myself hahah. There was a mistake with the time they sent me by email on when they would pick me up, so I wasn't at my hotel when the tour bus came. After clearing it up with the agency, they sent a taxi to take me to meet the rest of the group at the first stop, the Palace. Taking a taxi there was the weirdest thing ever. I feel like I haven't been in a car in like a year hahah. Also it's terrifying and not for the easily carsick, because people walk all over in the street and I begin to see why drivers have to be so aggressive towards pedestrians. Otherwise they would never get anywhere because the pedestrian stream never ends! It was also weird seeing the same familiar streets I frequently walked everyday from the view of the car...it was a bit like watching from the other side of the glass, like deja vu but seperated from what I remember. I got MAJORLY carsick in the taxi...like I'm talking on the verge of throwing up -.- My driver for some reason drove the entire way with a tap tap tap puuuush tap tap tap push on the gas pedal kind of driving. You know the kind you do when you're teasing your car mates so everyone's heads bobs back and hit the headrest over and over? I DROVE FOR A HALF HOUR IN A HUMID CLAUSTROPHOBIC TAXI LIKE THAT. I was hanging out my open window trying to focus on breathing by the time we arrived at the palace. I was dry-heaving by like the 10 minute mark. Jesus criminy. No wonder nobody drives here. Additionally, if I hadn't been so carsick I would've been afraid for my life; people drive in the middle of lanes all over the place and cut across and in front of everyone so people are constantly slamming brakes and like 2 cm from sideswiping each other. I have an awesome respect for these Korean drivers who drive in this utter madness and still don't hit the other cars. AND there's motorists everywhere adding to the craziness and people serving and cars driving on sidewalks...yea. Life lesson: don't drive in Korea if you can help it. ![]() Left: This tree going by the original stone bridge leading to the palace was 350 years old!! It has really expensive and rare mushrooms growing on it (you can see the lighter colored discs growing out of the bark - Top right: Our tour guide said that Kyungbok palace loos like The Forbidden Palace a lot, but this Palace is all Korean and so uses different colors and styling. Most notable is the swirling yinyang looking symbol, which symbolizes three colors (meaning harmony of humans, earth, and sky). - Bottom right: Korean houses utilize floor-heating to heat houses, but what do they do in summer? They utilize floor-cooling systems! The holes in the bottom of this building were located on both sides so air could flow through the floor of the building :) Super cool! Floor heating systems were usually connected to kitchen to do double duty and be efficient.
![]() In the main hall/throne room, we had a surprise awaiting us. For some reason, today they were allowing visitors INSIDE the hall! Usually we just get to peek inside and snap photos from the threshold (like I did at Kyungbok Palace), but today after we removed our shoes, we were allowed inside to gaze at the colors, tapestries, architecture and throne. It was amazing inside! Our tour guide was beside herself, all excited because she had NEVER led a tour where they were allowed to do this haha. Lucky us :)
Changdeok Palace was incredible! I will type most of what I learned in the subcaptions of each picture set. The styling of the palace is so beautiful, and the scale on which everything is built is breath-taking. They really paid attention to colors and nature when building this palace. ![]() Top: A special building set aside just for the pregnant queen (whenever she was with child). There was an abalone-shell covered bench foremost in the sitting room of this building. - Bottom: The last two kings who ruled at this palace had cars. Therefore, in front of their main living quarters, they had a driveway! It looked so funny lol, kind of out of place. They also had a garage for their cars, which has since then been converted into a cafe and trinket shop today.
On my final day in Gangnam, I started with some packing, a Skype call with Mom, and lunch at Omuto Tomato again. I have been trying to try new places this whole time and never go to same place twice, but I really wanted something I knew I'd like and would be filling. The omurice here was heavenly and the staff so friendly, so I'm back again :) After lunch I'm afraid to say I splurged at the dessert drinks place I've been eyeing since I first arrived here 3 weeks ago...finally. Better late than never! Incredibly, EVERYTHING on their menu sounds ridiculously appealing. Just look at the names and pictures. Really?? I settled on the Milk Tea Snow Blossom shaved ice with milk tea ice cream and candied nut crunchies. It was unbelievably divine, even though it was super expensive at 8,000 won. It WAS huge though, and the ice was so fine and smooth! The only other time I've had shaved ice this silky was back in Hawaii, where they KNOW their shaved ice :)
This evening I went out for dinner, shopping, and dessert with Yeji! I met her back at UCSB last year, when she was a study abroad student from Korea :) We had linguistics classes together. I'm pretty sure we first bonded when I complimented her on her cute coat as we left a section LOL. I'm such a sucker for clothes. Anyways, we hung out and she was my first teacher in Korean (예지 선생님? 얘지 선생님? I don't know which "ye" you use for your name @.@ 미안!). We even went to eat Indian food one memorable time, when I still couldn't pronounce Taeyang properly haha. Taiyaeng!!! :) Now I'm sitting in Korea! Ah how times have changed...now I am the traveller and she is the resident. We ate samgyupsal at a place near Sinchon station. It is literally "three-layer pork". It was SO RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS that I am hungry again now just thinking about it! You grill the meat (after cutting it up, which Yeji dutifully did haha), then dip it in this red sauce, then dip it in this grain powder stuff. Then you eat it with marinated onions or roasted garlic. It is DIVINE. Omg. Okay I need to stop now, it's midnight and I cannot be getting hungry right now lol. After dinner we wandered around the shops and we went into Etude House & Skinfood to pick up a few things. For dessert, we couldn't decide between coffee and ice cream...so we chose both!! Yeji took me to the cutest little placed called Natuur (which I cannot pronounce for the life of me). They had all manner of attractive and delicious looking plates and goodies, but I got what they called an "Ice Burger" that had a combo deal with an Americano. This Ice Burger was the cutest thing you can ever imagine haha, this round adorable little scoop of ice cream in a curved sliced sugar waffle something cookie (still don't know what it exactly was but it was bomb. Crumbly and sweet!). I had such a good time out tonight!! It was SO much fun getting to catch up and talk our hearts out over yummy food and dessert, I have missed you girl :) We are even green tea-loving twins and spent awhile discussing all the various green teas offered these days (latte, boba, ice cream, cakes, cookies, Frappucino, and actual green tea of course) while we ate/drank our green tea burgers/smoothies haha.
And thank you 언니 for taking me out and giving me all those impromptu Korean lessons (with spelling!). Haha I will try to have more confidence in my speaking sentences and spelling now with your encouragement. 연습 할거야! (I will practice!) Also... 에뛰드!!!!! LOL. For those who are wondering, I struggled with the proper pronunciation of "Etude" from the store "Etude House" pretty much all night and didn't get the hang of it until end of dessert. Apparently people in America (and other places, even Singapore!) pronounce it differently, but the proper way is eh-ttui-deu. Haggling Down a $120 Suitcase to $95 ENTIRELY In Korean = Greatest Accomplishment of My Life :D10/24/2012 As you know, I am NOT the kind of person who bargains or haggles. I leave that to my momma, the greatest bargainer on this planet lol. I'm too timid and I feel bad for them, so I usually just pay up to escape the process. However, it must have been the Korean speaking because I felt like I was role-playing some spunky little Korean schoolgirl (this will all make no sense if you haven't watched a kdrama because they seriously have like a whole personality to them when talking to elders, generally somewhere between respectful pleading and a rude attitude) and played up this whole attitude with "I'm a student adjumma! This is too expensive. I like this one, it's pretty, this is still too expensive, adjummaaaaaa. I'll pay cash" angle.
I hemmed and hawed, looked at other suitcases asking the prices and commenting on what they looked like. I had had my eye on the plaid one since a trip to this shopping area several days ago, and I really wanted it. It's a hard case with fabric over the top and leather around the outside. It also has FIVE wheels on the bottom. I've never seen this before!! My other suitcase has four wheels on the bottom to enable 360 degree movement and I thought THIS was novel. This one has a fifth wheel in the middle of the four wheels for SUPER DUPER movement haha. Eventually I got this shopkeeper (she was a gray-haired adjumma) down from $120 to $95! She thought I was cute lol, and was extremely amused by me at the end. Probably because I had originally asked how much it was in English, then miraculously busted out my limited Korean lol. Yay for kdramas and all they teach.
She made a call to her boss, explaining the situation and finally got the okay for it! Depending on what you are used to, this may seem like a lot or a little, but here it is a LOT. In some places buyers seem to be expected to sometimes haggle, but not in all and usually not for much. In all honesty I have never been more egotistically self-satisfied with myself EVER haha, so don't rain on my parade even if you think this is dumb. Just click this screen closed and back awaaaaay from the computer :D I am 22 years old (23 over here) with little to no experience with the world, and I'm experiencing all this for the first time! Haggling was a first, and it was successful. AND in a different language at that! Good thing I did all that numbers and counting practice with Wona 선생님 (my teacher) before I left. If I was a cat, I would've been smirking smugly all the way home. Oh wait, I WAS doing that... :) Forgive the narcissism. I'm only young once! I wish you all could feel the deep-seated happiness and satisfaction that comes over me sometimes when I'm just leisurely walking around on the streets or stopping to eat a delicious meal. It hits me again and again that I am in Korea, and having all these once-in-a-lifetime experiences. It's humbling to be a stranger in a different country but so rewarding at the same time. Sorry to go all cheesy on you all, but its true :) It's such an inexplicable feeling, like it doesn't feel like real life...but it is. To explain more about the shopping here: Much of the shopping here is collections of tiny boutiques (I'm talking like closet-sized. I'm intimidated to go in a lot of times since I'm the only one in there besides the shopkeeper). Because of that, if you see something one day and go back for it the next day, chances are it won't be there anymore. So it's impulse buy or nothing basically lol. Good thing a lot of stuff is so cheap! Another point I'll expand on is the department stores here. Not only are they very very very rare (I've only been in two since I've been here and I've shopped all over), but they are not like our department stores. Their department stores literally have "departments", not by "womens" "mens" "children", but with individual stores and brands in there. So if you walk around, you see various clearly marked sections with differently styled and branded clothing and a salesperson or two for that brand hovering in each individual section. It's the strangest thing, I was utterly confused the first time I walked into a department store lol. It's really cool looking but intimidating to shop in because the salesperson are litally staring at you or following you around. Not because they think you'll steal but because they are trying to be available to help you. NOMS. No explanation needed. WHY SEOUL. It is 68 degrees, WHY IS THE HUMIDITY 82 PERCENT. --- 2 and a half weeks is NOT enough to acclimate me to the humidity here lol, I'm constantly dying and sweating because it feels cold so I dress warm, but then I start perspiring as soon as I start walking. Everyone else is cool and unruffled. Sweet. I'll just be that sweating, red-faced American over there. I love these beautiful autumn-turning-to-winter days :) Along with my bakery eats, I picked up two chicken kebobs from a street vendor on the walk home. As soon as the vendor heard my English he asked if I wanted sauce or not because it was spicy. A HA, so I am NOT the only foreigner here who cannot handle the Korean spiciness lol. I was starting to think I was alone in this big bad mouth-burning stomach-upsetting city...
So back to Namsan Tower it is! It is now Tuesday night so hopefully it is less crowded than it was on Friday night. I brought along my teddy bear tag I bought last time I went to Namsan, properly written on like everyone else's :) Side note on the subway: A lot of Korean phones I've noticed have these cool little mini antennae sticking out, I'm assuming because they use their phones so much underground in the subway. I will never get over how funny it is that every single middle-aged man or women I see on the subway is 95% fully engrossed in their texting on Kakaotalk (messaging application used here in Korea). The other 5% are watching television or a movie on their phones. It's like seeing grandpas and grandmas walking around everywhere with their noses in their iPhones (which they do here too haha). I will never get over how amusing this is :D Never. As promised, today I will cover the famous Love Locks at Namsan Tower! These love locks can be found all over the world in various places (although sometimes the government takes them down for aesthetic reasons). These locks are supposed to symbolize everlasting love, with participants often locking locks with messages or names written on them, or attached tags with messages and names. The sight is really quite amazing, to see just fences after fences after fences around the huge terrace deck completely covered in locks, locked upon locks, locked upon MORE locks! It's beautiful and warming at the same time. It makes you feel so connected to all the people who came before, to do the same thing you are doing and to see the same things you are seeing right then. The views of course, are similarly awe-inspiring. You don't really appreciate how huge Seoul is until you can see it spread out at your feet; it's hard to comprehend! I wrote on my bear tag (who's the mascot of Namsan Tower) for me and Sonny and locked my little blue lock (it's the one with the sun :D) on an area of fencing that hadn't been thicketed yet. I think the Tower manages where people are allowed to hang their locks by putting wire ties on the fencing at various spots. The fence itself is too thick to fit a lock around, so people can only hang their locks where the Tower puts individual wire ties on the fencing (to attach locks to). I don't know if I explained that very well lol. Anyways, my little bear will have a nice view of the city until this area gets completely blanketed with locks too, in years to come :) Leaving the first Terrace, I bought a ticket to go up to the Observatory at the top of the Tower and headed down the outside stairs to the lower level of the Tower (where we would take an elevator up). The elevator itself was super cool! We had to wait in line because there were only two elevators and it was still packed with people (since it was nighttime, I found out it is always busy at the Tower). The wall was sick, with a changing projector movie-like thing. The elevator didn't FEEL fast but my ears popped like a gazillion times on the way up and we arrived waywaywaaaaaay up there in no time at all O.O How did they do that?? I didn't even feel us moving really...inside the elevator there was another movie playing that took up the whole elevator ceiling. It was a fun animation with it a first-person view of zooming upwards along the outside of the Tower and suddenly rocketing into outer space complete with planets and asteroid belts lol. At the top, the views were even MORE incredible! I didn't think it was possible haha. It's a literal 360 degree panoramic view. I stayed up there for awhile, just strolling around happily and listening to the excited chatter of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese visitors. Now that I'm in a city where all three languages are spoken relatively frequently I can easily pick them apart from hearing just a word or two. I could never do that back home, probably because you don't hear them very much (if at all lol). At the top you can also send mail! I suppose it's a poetic gesture to be sending mail from the top of Namsan Tower haha. I wrote one and attached proper change for postage, then dropped it into the cute mailbox, just to say I did it :) On the way down from the Observatory, we passed the Wall of Love Tiles, something unique to the Tower. I guess if you buy a tile and write on it to place on the wall you get these two "Love Tokens" which you can toss into the Love Pond on the Second Floor :) Very cute. By now it was getting late and close to 11pm so I grabbed a 50 cent coffee on the way out of the Tower from a store. Back outside, they have the coolest benches (they are all shaped like this here). I wonder why? I've considered the fact that it looks more like a heart this way, or to make whoever sits on it slide together in the middle and be cozier (since it's all about love here at the Tower)?? Who knows, they're sure as heck cuter than the ones back home haha. The map for the Tower was located on the ground in the plaza in front of the Tower, all lit up and adorable. Also, when I first went inside they had this little animated scenario set up. They sell a bunch of trinkets, stationary, and goodies with these characters in it. I believe they are from the Legend of Chunhyang (a famous Korean folktale: "Chunhyangga is the most famous pansori in Korea, having had considerable popularity in the country for the past century. Chunhyangga is considered to be the best pansori musically, and as a work of literature and play."). A festival is even held each year in it's honor. Anyways, I digress lol. The characters are super cute! Didn't want to miss the bus so I double-timed it down the epicly-steep-hill-of-death (seriously, I didn't struggle going up it at all while people around me were slowing down and having trouble, so I felt pretty good about myself. But once I got to the top it just hits me WHAMMO like a bulldozer, and I was gasping for air like a fishie T.T). The freezing cold night air probably contributed, because my throat was so dry it was in pain lol. Good thing I carry water everywhere!
I am in boba heaven over here. I totally just took it for granted because I'm in Asia...but now that I stop and think about it, it's pretty darn awesome that essentially whenever I want a boba I can just swoop into a shop nearby and get one. At home I'd have to drive to Northridge to get any boba at all ( and its not all good boba). For good boba I'd have to drive to the asian parts of LA or Monterey Park. I love it :) Whether I'm traveling on the subway, walking on the streets, or shopping I can always get my boba fix. Today when I woke up this morning, it hit me that I am down to my last few days here in Gangnam... :( This hotel and the staff have become like my home away from home and I got really attached somehow. Perhaps it was because when I first got here, my room was the one place I could return to and be safe (read: not lost and wandering alone on unfamiliar streets all day lol) and have people who liked me and I could talk to everyday. I hope I don't forget anything in this room, I have stuff EVERYWHERE lol. These past weeks went by fast! When I think about it though, I did do a lot. I ride the subways from line to line without a second thought, listening to music or reading a book instead of nervously staring at my phone map and anxiously checking each stop we make with the stops on the map (to make sure I'm going the right way and won't miss my stop haha). I can order in restaurants without being scared and chat with shopkeepers while I'm browsing their stores. I can cross major streets with ease and know how to navigate crowded stations and sidewalks correctly for here (essentially resist from apologizing to everyone I brush by, be quick on my feet and when I see an opening, move FAST). I've made friends and some seriously nice people in malls, subways, and streets. So really, I've learned so much in this time without realizing it; I feel like I'm growing as a person. That thought makes me so happy :) ![]() Left: I eat spicy foods now. I can speak in Korean. I ride subways and even buses. JUST when I think I've gotten used to Korean culture and I'll be okay, Korea's like "NU-UH TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE" when I walked into a bathroom today. To my utter shock, there was no toilet, but this pit thing in the floor. I had totally forgotten reading about some public restrooms having pits instead of toilets here lol, I was so surprised I backed out immediately and ran into an adjumma behind me. She looked at me like I was crazy >.< --- Right: the damage from today
For those who don't know, this Friday (Oct. 26) I will be leaving Noblesse Yeoksam Hotel in Gangnam and going to Seorak Beach Kensington Resort in Gangwon-do for a week using a family timeshare week my parents exchanged to use over here! As sad as I am to leave this busy, beautiful little city area of Gangnam, I am still excited to be heading to a new place for new experiences. From what I've looked up online, this resort looks extremelyyyy restful, comfortable, and has all sorts of amenities...INCLUDING A BOOK CAFE. Yes, it is called THE Book Cafe. Korea is just trying to realize all my wildest fantasies at once.... @.@ I went to the Gangnam Underground Shopping Center connected to Shinsegae again today (where Dajeong took me on Sunday). Probably fueled by the lurking thought of me leaving Gangnam soon, I went on a serious shopping spree down there T.T It was intense lol; SO much fun but a major pain to lug back home. Everything is just so cheap and cute, it's like my head is on a swivel. The shops go down in rows for ages and ages, as far as you can see. Purses, bags, sweaters, pants, coats, shorts, socks, backpacks, hair accessories, shoes, with sales showcasing them as 10,000 or 5,000 (about $10 or $5) ALL OVER THE PLACE. Unbelievable. How do people here deal with these everywhere?? I'd never leave. I got two thick woven cardigans in black and oatmeal (they're the kind with the slits in the side for your arms, so its long sleeve but rather ends around your elbow) for $10 each, two soft, silky dress shirts in taupe and green for $5 each (they were really good-quality material too, I can't get over this; the tan one is long enough to wear with tights and a belt), a striped shirt and tan belt for $5 and $3, a gray shirt with a leather collar and pocket for $5, and 4 scarves for $10. Moving on, I got two pairs of cute comfortable ballet flats for $10 each, a pair of jean shorts for $10, the cutest black cardigan that flares out at the waist like an A-line dress and the sides have slits so it's free moving for $5, and a shoulder scarf with hood I've been wanting forever for $5. It's kind of hard to explain if you haven't seen it before; it sits across your top shoulders like a scarf but has little holes on the sides for your arms to go through and has a hood in the back. Super cute :) Unless I counted wrong, I'm pretty sure I spent $93 in total today for allllll the stuff I got. Impressive Korea, very impressive. I am done shopping for quite awhile now lol; the only thing I will buy after this is my second luggage to bring all these goodies back home -.- There won't be any cheap, fashionable shopping like this anywhere at the beach resort lol. One of my absolute favorite pieces I've bought here in Korea is this coat. I've always wanted one of those cloak-like jackets I've seen women wearing. This one is cream-colored and is made of a nice high-quality material. It's really silky, sturdy, and thick, with buttons on the side to make arm holes. I bought it when I came here with Dajeong. It's AWESOME, I wore it around today :) ![]() Left: One of the cardigans I bought today! Super warm and soft. I bought a skinny belt today as well that goes nicely with it. Right: Imagine the softest, fluffiest, most touchable fabric you can think of and thats what these PJs are made of. They're like those super thick, fluffy, soft socks they sell during winter everywhere. But imagine them in PANTS. Yes, they are mickey mouse lol. They are going to be my sick day and winter time PJs. Do not judge.
It poured again for most of today and I had had a late night (slept around 4am), so I ordered in! This time, fresh from my delicious chicken at the bar last night experience, I ordered from a chicken place! I had no idea they were so plentiful here, Dajeong says they were EVERYWHERE. I considered getting the seasoned Korean style ones because those are so flavorful, but I know each place does the sauce different....I didn't want to risk having them deliver it all the way here and it be inedible. It was delicious!! Best chicken I've had in awhile, and the perfect munchies for this kind of day. It came in a giant box, with a separate box of green julienned veggies. It also came with a baby Pepsi, a packet of seasoned salt to put over the chicken, and some bags of diced radish and chili sauce. Bon appetit :)
Tonight Dajeong took me out again for more exploring! We went to Shinsegae Department Store in Gangnam, the top-selling department store in Korea! It's huge, with 10 floors and offers classes/workshops like the YMCA. We ate an early dinner at a place called Odles on the tenth floor of the department store; it was like an Asian fusion place with noodles, sushi, pastas, salads, rices, etc. Delicious :) As beforementioned, department stores here are not like department stores back home. The very top floor was all restaurants while the first basement belowground level was the "food court". Let me tell you this "food court" is not what you are thinking of with pizza and fries lol, it was like fancy and white and silver and like a market in some areas (packaged goods and foods). Think of like a department store but for food and thats what the food court was like. It was EPIC. After we had browsed through all the floors and eaten, we went down to the basement level floors where there is essentially another HUGE underground shopping mall to rival Gangnam Station's. I flipped out lol. Sometimes I think Dajeong takes me to these places just to amuse herself with my ridiculously overexcited reactions to small stuff. We stopped at a cafe down there and I got a Green Tea Yogurt Flatcino. I had no idea what it was but it sounded good haha; turns out I was right! It was bomb. Next stop was the Han River! She had remembered that I had said I've always wanted to go there :) We walked from the department store and went through some gnarly underground tunnels to get there. Upon arrival, we walked over to the floating island on the Han River and strolled around on it. We also discussed how it's actual purpose is unknown yet it costs billions of dollars to complete lol. Dajeong said because of this, it's collectively known as the "floating trash island" or something along those lines to Koreans, because it's such a waste. The Han River was BEAUTIFUL! All those gorgeous twinkling lights I've always only seen from the train or bus were now right before my eyes. It was crowded in the beginning, because lots of people come to watch the wonderful water and lights show that goes on every 15 minutes or so. They play soothing, lovely music and the water jets rise and fall as they change colors. It slowly emptied out though over time. We walked to the convenience store located along the river and Dajeong said that lots of people come here to have picnics in the summer (because it's cool). In the winter though, its so bone-chillingly freezing nobody can survive down here. She also said the entire area floods often during the rainy season, including the tunnels we had come down through. What a mess that must be, since there's trees and grass and stuff along with playground down by the river that get all covered with water...Another thing she mentioned and that we saw in action, was that a lot of people get food and beer delivered to them here for them to enjoy. Apparently the delivery guy just brings it, calls the person, and meets up with them somewhere there. That's CRAZY haha I love it! Only it'd never work with me cuz 1) I don't have phone service here and 2) I don't speak Korean (T.T) A quick bus ride back to the Yeoksam area of Gangnam led to the next part of our night; the bars! Before leaving the Han River/Department store area though we returned to the underground shopping mall. I was wearing really high wedges and after all the running around up and down the department store and all around the Han River, my feet were hurting. Only here have I ever had the wonderful experience of "oh you need shoes cuz your feet are hurting? Here, just go buy a pair real quick and wear them out". I bought the cutest pair of ballet flats from a little shoe store for $10 and wore them the rest of the night :) I HEART KOREA. We ended up at this cool little upstairs bar, where we ordered this delicious sweet and tangy chicken and some udon-like broth. I am obsessed with this dish, whatever it is. And I have always wanted to have beer & chicken, a favorite match over here. Apparently the Koreans always eat food with their alcohol, because it makes the alcohol taste better. Haha I love how ours is reversed; not only do we often not eat food with alcohol, when we do its generally wine, and the purpose is to add taste to the food. We got beers (I wanted to try the Korean types so we got Cass) and soju (which I've been dying to try for ages haha). It was great! The beers are very light in general here Dajeong said so it wasn't hard to drink and it was tasty. The soju was AMAZING; I was expecting something like vodka but while it smelled similar, it had ZERO aftertaste. I'm serious, like zero aftertaste. No chaser needed. This blew my mind lol. It was like water; no wonder they like to get so drunk in the dramas. I had been taking them like shots (thinking it was like hard alcohol here) until Dajeong told me they sip it lol. Whoops. So that's why they sometimes yell "ONE SHOT!!"...that's when they take it all at one time :D Thoroughly buzzing, we left the bar after awhile and headed to a cocktail bar called Pandora where Dajeong said they had a deal: $15 and you get unlimited mixed drinks! Talk about a deal lol, in dt SB you'd be lucky to get one mixed drink for $15. And it would be tiny too. On the way I made her stop with me at a coffee machine so I could get a 30 cents cup of milk coffee, like I've always seen on the shows!! I apologized for being so excited about every little thing here, but Dajeong said she liked my enthusiasm haha since it made her excited too. I guess I can understand since I had study abroad friends in the US who were thrilled over landmarks, places, and things I took for granted. It opened up my eyes again and made me want to visit those places! We got our first drinks (White Russian for me, Vodka Cranberry for her), and went up to the terrace. It was gorgeous and simple; we also had the place to ourselves since it was a little chilly outside! It was like our own secret little personal nook in the middle of all the other buildings on all sides. We could see all the lights and everything so clearly, it was stunning! The mixed drink list was impressive and it was fun making our way down it :) We played games of pool and darts and had way too much fun just being silly together! You know those stereotypical two drunk guys, walking home from the bar at 3:30AM singing and joking loudly and laughing at everything? Yea that was us, except we were little and Asian haha. Dajeong had had a little too much to drink so we both went back to my place and called it a night!
Since its something I noticed right away and still marvel at everyday when I'm walking, I thought I'd post about how people dress here. It could totally be just me, but it's completely fascinating! Like I mentioned in my previous post, it really catches my attention how different styles and things are acceptable here or not acceptable here, compared to back home in America. Style and fashion are EXTREMELY important in Korean society. How expensive or what brand your clothes are symbolize how wealthy/cool/impressive/fun/intelligent (and pretty much any other character traits you can imagine) you are. MALES Men: nearly always in nicely cut and tailored suits, polished dress shoes, briefcases Young adults: usually cardigans, polos, windbreakers, or sweaters, with jeans or slim-fit khakis and colorful sneakers or sperrys, backpack or side slung bag Kids: school uniform, or colorful windbreaker/sweater and skinny jeans wearing with brightly colored sneakers and sports shoes Scarves are also common for men and women (although obviously in different colors and patterns lol). FEMALES It's tougher to distinguish between ages groups of women than with men. They all seem to dress the same regardless of age, with one notable exception. Schoolgirls (up until college) seem to dress more like the Asian fobby look we are used to. They have tights, baggy sweaters with skirts, loose jeans and running shoes, oversized polos and long khaki shorts. Their hair is short, in pigtails, or a ponytail. By contrast, once they hit university age the girls always wear heels, long coats, pencil skirts, tights, and blouses in pastel colors. They wear their hair in a bun or down. The women here wear heels everyday and all the time. That or colorful sneakers. It's so strange... like polar opposites. They are either in scruffy flannels, sport sneaker, and jeans or tight pencil skirts, chiffon button up shirts, and shiny high heels. They also have a habit of wearing sheer tights or stockings with running shoes too... I was like ??? the first time I saw it lol. They will wear them with ballet flats and peep toe heels too (full foot-covered stockings). Compared to what I am used to, they wear the most interesting combinations of clothes here, seriously; the stockings and sneakers thing is just the tip of the iceberg :D I am still surprised daily. I also have never once felt short here like I usually do back home, something I just noticed yesterday when I went to Itaewon (and was among people of other nationalities again -.-). I also don't feel like I'm being viewed as young, which I also do back home cuz I look like I'm 12. Here though, everyone does so they either are better at distinguishing ages and just accept it all as a lost cause and assume everyone's old. Maybe that's why they dress so differently once you hit college lol, to determine whether you are older or younger? What you almost never see however are sandals. Even their heels are usually closed toe. This is definitely my kind of society lol, except for the baggy jeans and strange fitting flannel look. I can and do wear wedges and heels almost everyday and all I get are curious or admiring glances not "who the hell does she think she is?" kind of looks like I'd get back home if I wore them out to coffee or the store lol. AWESOME. I could live like this (with another 4-5 inches to my height).
Started off my morning with another trip to a bakery & got two delicious cheese focaccia buns, an mini apple tart (JUSTINE!), a cream-filled bun, and a cool yummy focaccia chewy bread pretzel thing with olives in it. With black olives!!! How random is that? It's like my dream come true haha; for those of you that don't know, black olives are favorite thing ever to eat on pizza, by themselves, etc. The cakes looked delectable as always (I can't believe these are real things lol, they're so perfect it looks like they're fake!). I want to buy one so bad but alas I have no reason to :'( I took a different path today and wandered off, just enjoying the neighborhood and crisp autumn air. My initial goal was to try to locate a Homeplus store that my friend Yeji had looked up for me, but I eventually admitted defeat -.- I had wanted to buy a suitcase there since I will be leaving Gangnam at the end of this week. After a full week of careful research on the Internet and reading of reviews, I have finally gone out and bought my SkinFood products of choice. There's so many to choose from and so many lines! I think I've covered all the bases of what I wanted though. As I've talked about before, I have never done anything to my skin except face wash because skin care products in the US (the good quality ones) are usually pricy and I'm super lazy. Now that I'm here though, in essentialy the new cosmetics capital of the world, good quality beauty products are not only plentiful, they are affordable! And cute as heck, which never hurts :) I've had my Acocado Rich Toner from Skinfood for awhile now but I also picked up a Parsley & Mandarin emulsion, Lettuce & Cucumber Water Drop Essence, Fresh Juice C Serum, and Peach Sake BB Cream. I also got my samples and a cute fabric pouch they gave as a gift I'm guessing because I'd spent $45. What I love about shopping here is that they give you tons of free stuff and services! It's meant as an enticement to come back and it totally works on me. If I leave a store feeling happy and pleased towards it, I would definitely want to go back when I next have a need to. At SkinFood they allot you samples based on how much you spend I'm guessing. E.g. When I bought my toner for $8, I got 5 free samples (which are all adorably packaged as well, in cute egg, honey-pot, water bottle, etc. shapes and cute colors). The free bag they gave me is also surprisingly high-quality; I was expecting one of those flimsy, cheap pouches they give out in stores in the US but this one was double layered, good material, lined on the inside, and had a good, sturdy blue zipper on the top! I also made a stop at Nature Republic because they are having their apparently annual huge 50% sale right now. I bought 3 of my favorite Breeze-In Body Lotions by them (in all three scents, Amercian Garden, European Garden, and Asian Garden!) for $3 each, what they call Herb Dressing Purple Honey Cleansing Cream (for make-up removal; I asked the saleslady and she said the purple one in this line was for oily skin like mine), and a cool new loofah. I also got free samples (oil essences), free toner cotton pads, and two free facial masks! See how well they treat you here? That's a good $5 they just gave me in free goods lol, and I'm just one customer.
On my way out, I passed a NesCafe (over here, these are actual cafes not just a brand name lol. It made me do a double-take the first time I saw one). They were doing a promotion apparently and were handing out free 4-packs of new Nescafe instant coffee! I got two because the second suited-up guy didn't notice I had already gotten one. Guess I'll try this in the morning :) |
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