You get it? I haven’t posted frequently. Hur.
The week has been very… enlightening, let’s say. The flight, as many would expect, was a combination of Hell and Hades all mixed into a vampiric cocktail with a terrible aftertaste: jetlag. Though many people told me with a great deal of authority that I’d probably want to kill myself rather than deal with jetlag, after only a day I felt perfectly acclimated, and have been fine ever since. Now I’ll state the obvious and tell you, the reader, that all you really want to know about is Korea. So here it is.
Seoul is huge. No, I don’t think you understand. When I say huge I mean “hyooj.” That’s right, it needs its own crazy phonetic spelling to be accurately described. Seoul very closely resembles absolutely no city I’ve ever been in except (in some parts) the bay area. This is in part because Seoul’s streets are not your typical “American” city streets; streets here are small and tucked away and only the main streets resemble what you’d find in San Francisco or Chicago. Getting around in Seoul though is incredibly easy. That’s right; I italicized incredibly for a good reason. The subway is clean, modern, and designed for safety. Many stations have an enclosure that prevents people from falling onto the tracks, subway cars even have televisions in them oftentimes. Stations, destinations, and announcements are both in English and Korean (which is a moot point for me considering I can understand the Korean anyway). The city itself has a ton of character, which leads me, via painfully inadaquate segue, to my university
So, no one told me this place was essentialy part of a hillside. From the top of the university you can see downtown Seoul and the surrounding landscape. Hills dot the skyline and high rise apartment buildings dominate the lowland. The view is epitomizes rapid urbanization. My classrooms are state of the art, sponsored directly by Samsung, and it shows. From the cusy sleep-tastic chairs to the high resolution projector embedded in the ceiling, it’s very cool and no doubt very expensive stuff. My dorm room overlooks the university, and every morning I get up bright and early to watch the sunrise, which never disappoints.
My “Korean Buddy” as he is labeled is more a true friend than an institutional tool. We bunk in the same room and get along very well. The easiest way to make friends in Korea is to show that you know the culture, know the music, and maybe hum a little tune from a hot new K-pop artist. Once people realize you’re here to gain the ability to empathize with a new culture, rather than demand conformity to your own values, your life becomes so, so easy. Living here is great. Food is plentiful and cheap. Often I can get a whole meal for 3500 Won ($3.50) complete with appetizers, drinks, it’s great. It’s not too hot, not too cold, not too rainy or sunny. Point in turn, I really like it here.
Will try to update more often as opportunities present themselves, I’ll hopefully elaborate of the specifics on what I’ve already done, where I’ve gone, food specifics, and my experience with a lot of the anti-administration demonstrations (not riots, for those of you can already smell the tear gas) happening locally. So stay tuned kiddos.
Goodbye, or as you say in Korea, 안녕~ ※
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