JeJu Island - My Chuseok Vacation

Chu Seok is the Korean Thanksgiving where families gather together and eat delicious food (I think there's more to it so if you want more info, google it).  Since it's a national holiday, my school was off from September 21-23.  My friends and I decided to go to JeJu Island which is an hour flight away from Seoul.  We left the 17th and returned on the 23rd.  We missed 2 days of class but that's okay...I told my professors beforehand (I know...I'm so responsible!).

Okay so on Friday morning we left to the airport at 6am for our 8:30 flight.  After we landed, we rented a car because it's the easiest way to get around the island and fortunately Katie has an international driver's license.  We headed to the south part call Seowipo and we stayed at a hostel and the hosts there are the nicest people ever!  After we put our things away, we went to the roof of the hostel where we can see Hallah Mountain then we headed to the beach for some rest and tan :)  Afterwards, we went back to the hostel, took a shower and headed out to dinner.  Peter and Sylvia (the hosts) recommended us a place that served amazing Korean BBQ.  Afterwards, we took a walk and headed to the Choenjiyeon Waterfall.

At the roof of the hostel - the back is Hallal Mountain!

first day at the beach!

Korean BBQ!!

We went when it was dark so it was hard to get a good pic.  Oh ps from left to right: Katie (Germany), me, Sheila (USA), and Nynke (Netherlands)

On Saturday, we headed to the Jeongbang Waterfall where the water enters the sea.  It was so pretty there!

Then we headed to the Teddy bear Museum because Sheila wanted to take a picture with the bears.  We were too cheap to buy tickets so I snuck into an opening and just snatched a pic of the huge bear.

Then we headed to the best place in the world!!!  We went to Oedolgae Rock.  Now this place isn't very interesting.....there's just a rock but the coolest part is located on the opposite direction of the rock.  If you walk to the left side you will enter a hidden cove like area where you can swim in the pond.  I'm not exactly sure how to explain this so here are some pics:

the rock

haha i swam...w/ fish!  that's my goggles aka bootleg snorkel

Katie and I climbed up to the rock bridge...the ocean was right behind us!

Afterwards, we decided to take a walk around around Seowipo and walked across the bridge.

Then we had traditional Jeju food which is very simple and humble.  It was very delicious!

We decided to check out the nightlife of Seowipo and I am unable to include any pics here because there is NO NIGHT LIFE in Seowipo!  It was dead.

On Sunday morning, we left Seowipo and headed to the eastern part of the island call Seongsan.  Before we went to our hostel we stopped by the Jeju Folk Village Museum.  It was very interesting to see how life was like before electricity and the humble lifestyle of the village.  The best part was that I got to see the film location of 大长金 (the first Korean drama I watched about the first female physician in the royal palace).  I will attach some pictures here but there are more on my facebook page...

the steps to carving the statue!

hut

Afterwards we checked into our minbak.  I really like it because we got to sleep on the floor!  We didn't do much that day..we just lazed around and slept..it was a lazy Sunday.

On Monday we basically spent a whole day in Seongsan Illchulbong which is where a huge crater lies on top of a mountain.  It was a long, hot, and sweaty hike up but the view was definitely worth it.

behind me is the crater!

we climbed that mountain!

hot and sweaty!!

Then we went to see JeJu female divers.  Okay, now these divers are amazing!  I believe the youngest diver was at least 70 years old and they dive w/o an oxygen tank!  It's so amazing, they can hold their breath for up to 2 minutes I believe and they dive for fish!

a singing ritual?

getting ready to dive!  no oxygen tanks!!!

It started to rain after the dive show so we left and drove around Seongsan and waited for the rain to stop.  Then we went to the coolest beach ever!  It was the best sand beach ever and the sand was so firm!  The water was unbelieveably warm.

On Tuesday morning we headed towards Jeju City.  Before we checked into our minbak, we went to the world's longest lava tube!  It was such an awesome experience.  It was a very hot day but once we reached the tube opening, you can immediately feel the temperature drop at least 10 degrees C.  It was dark and chilly in the tube but it was really cool to see the different kind of lava structures.

it's dark so I can't take a lot of pictures but there are def. more on fb!

Before we returned our car, we went to the Mysterious Road.  If you put your car in neutral, your car will go uphill!  It's actually an optical illusion because the hill might seem uphill but it's actually downhill.  It was really cool though!  I havea video of it and I can't upload it on youtube right now because of Korea's restrictions but you can check out the video on facebook.

After we checked into our minbak, we drove to the car rental place and returned our car.  Since we'll be staying in JeJu City before we leave on Thursday, we decided it'll be cheaper to just take the bus/taxi.  We took the bus to a place call Dragon Rock.

see the dragon head?

Then we chilled around City Hall area and took sticky pics and went to some bars :)

Wednesday was the official Chu-Seok day.  We knew that a lot of stores will be closed so we decided to take it slow that day.  We woke up at around 11 and headed to City Hall.  We had brunch and then walked around the area.  We headed to the underground shopping center and for awhile it was dead but more and more shops opened as we walked around for a few hours.

city hall is dead...

empty...

Then we went to a DVD room (it's quite common in Korea.  There are stores that rent out DVD for people to watch in their rooms).  We watched The Ugly Truth - which is an amazing chick flick!

We then chilled in Dunkin Donuts and waited for the city to get more lively again.  We had dinner at a Mexican place - we were all craving western food!  Afterwards we bar hopped for awhile.  Sheila and I wanted to end our last night with a bang so we went to a club with some foreign friends we made on the streets.   It was so much fun!

we met Canadian teachers!

friends from Korea, New Zealand and South Africa!

We left pretty early on Thursday so we didn't have a chance to explore the island.  I had an amazing time at Jeju!  

MTV Korea and Seoul Tower

On Tuesday, I took the Seoul Metro all by myself and headed to MTV Korea!  My supervisor/mentor from VH1 this past summer helped me connect with the people in MTV Korea so that I could visit and see what an international office is like.  I went after my 11am class and got to the office by 12:10. 

I met people from the programming team: Yuna Choi and Yang Min So.  They took me out to eat Korean BBQ with pork and duck!  It was so yummy!  I was a bit nervous because I know that Koreans have a lot of Confucianism values and formality is so important to them.  I was nervous because I didn't know if I was speaking to them like they are my equal...I made sure to bow a lot and to speak as formal as I can in Korean.  Luckily they said it's ok, I can talk to them like friends because we are all around the same age (20s). 

They are such nice girls and the food was delicious!  We finished everything!

We went back to the office and they gave me a tour.  MTV Korea consists of MTV and Nick.  I really like the floor decorations...it reminded me of MTV Networks in Times Square...each floor is unique.  I got to meet people from Programming and On-Air Promotional department.  Unlike VH1, there is only 1 person in charge of scheduling the promotions.  I wanted to speak to her but because of the langauge barrier, I didn't get to know what she does and see how it differs from New York.  However, I foudn out that they use a diferent program...not PTS or Gabriel. 

The building!

Me :)

MTV is everywhere!!

Oh it's so funny.  Dora the Explorer is dubbed into Korean and instead of teaching Spanish, Dora teaches English!  It's a big hit among mothers here in Korea.

the office - the cubicles here are a lot smaller than the ones in NY

I Love their kitchenette!

I submitted my resume to the manager and she said she will forward it to HR.  I would love to do an intenrship at MTV Korea while I'm here.  I think it will be an amazing experiecne.

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Today (Wednesday) I went to the Seoul Tower with my PEACE buddy and other international students.  Here's an important piece of advice: If you are single...DO NOT GO TO THE SEOUL TOWER!  It is so depressing!  Seoul is couple land and Seoul Tower is a constant reminder that you are single.  There is a place where couples will go and put a lock on it.  Then they throw away the key which means that there love will last forever...like the lock that will remain locked on the chain.  It's unbelievably cute but depressing as hell!

so many locks!!

They even have X-Mas trees with locks on them!!

One day...I will find an oppa and bring it up here!

Then we went up to the Seoul Tower.  Unfortuantely we missed watching the sunset but it was nice to see a night view of Seoul. 

Around the tower, each section is designated to a city/place around the world.  I gotta represent NY!!

Again, it is very depressing because instead of locks, they have tiles on the walls that couples can decorate...ugh!

look at the tiles!!

They are so cute!

Overall, it was a nice day..just a bit depressing!

MT - Neorigul village, Anseong City, Gyeonggi province, Korea

Hi sorry, it's been awhile but I'm a very lazy girl.  This past weekend, the Peace (Professional Ewhaians at Cultural Exchange) arranged a retreat which they call MT (Membership Training) at Neorigul village, Anseong City, Gyeonggi province, Korea - which is not in Seoul.

I was very excited because I'll not only have a chance to see Korea outside of Seoul but to meet other exchange students as well.  Unlike DePauw, there are a lot of international students here...more than 300.  There are so many this semester that they didn't have enough room for all of us to live in the international house or even graduate dorms (where I live).  Some people had to find their own homes...which really sucks.  But I digress.

So on Saturday, I woke up early to take a shower and pack my bag for the weekend.  My roommate and I walked over to the Student Union at 1 to meet up with the group.  We were all assigned seats on buses as well as cabins which I like because you really get to meet other people. 

the bus has gypsy curtains!  It was so nice!

During the bus ride, we stopped at a rest stop and omg the rest stops in America are no match for the rest stops here!  The rest stops here are so much nicer, cleaner and have more things to do! 

This is the rest stop bathroom - so nice!!!

They have actual rest chairs for you...massaging chairs for free!

We stopped by Anseong where there was a festival going on, called the Baudeogi Festival.  I don't really know why there was a festival but there wasn't much to see.  It was raining all day so there weren't any performances...just a bunch of games for little kids and food to eat.

little boats for children to play on...like bumper cars but on water!

The river at the festival...well it's called the Anseong Stream

This guy was performing...he was a hoot!

 We got back on the bus after 2 hours and continued to Neorigul where we stayed.  I found my cabin and we quickly dropped off our bags so we can have Korean BBQ!  It was so yummy!

I Love Korean BBQ!!!!

Then we went back to our room to chill for awhile because out PEACE buddies have to get ready for the talent show that they put for us!  After awhile we all went back to the recreational hall where we were put into groups of 8 based on our cabin numbers.  We played some trivial and Korean games and later we saw a mini-talent show.  It was all a lot of fun!

I think this was a "couple newspaper" game.  They each have to stand on the newspaper together...and they fold the newspaper in half each time...so the couples will get closer.  so cute!

The buddies performed for us!  This was part of a traditional Korean mask dance...idk why there was a horse haha

Then, we had free time where most of went back to our cabin to get to know our other cabinmates.  Our neighbor cabin came over to my cabin so there were around 15 of us girls all sitting and getting to know each other.  Our PEACE buddies came over with a big box of snacks and chips...it was a big slumber party!  I had a lot of fun getting to know the other girls...it was a very nice night.

Then we went to bed...we got to sleep on the floor again!  I really enjoy sleeping on the floor!  The mattress blanket is comfy and I had 4 pillows to sleep with!! 

Huge slumber party!

I actually missed breakfast in the morning because I was too sleepy but that's ok.  At 10am on Sunday we all packed out bags and went on the bus.  We departed to Chiljangsa where there were temples for us to look at.  It was really interesting...I find temples so soothing and calm.

People were praying...it's so soothing here.

lanterns

By the time we got back on the bus, most of us were tired and sleepy.  We stopped by the rest stop again and I got some food to eat.  We got back to campus at around 4pm I think and I quickly went to bed. 

It was a good weekend. I really got to know a lot of people and saw more of Seoul!

First week at Ewha

So I've been in Korea for more than a week now and so much has happened.  I'm going to try to remember as much as I can and I'll include the pictures but for more pictures, visit my facebook album...I'm in the process of uploading it right now.

Oh and before I start, I just realized that I have taken a lot of pictures but none of Ewha or my dorm...I will do so once I clean up my room and the weather gets better here...it's far too humid and rains too much for me to want to take pictures of the campus.

So on Monday morning, Amy's father drove me to Ewha where I checked in to the Graduate Dorm.  I met my roommate, Ai who is from Japan but has been studying Korean for 2 years now...she is placed in the highest level of the Korean language class....I'm so amazed!

Ai and I - First dinner together :)

I went to get my cellphone with my PEACE (Professional Ewhaians at Cultural Exchange) buddy and other international students.  I got the cheapest phone (for 30,000 ₩) and my number is 010-4972-1171.  I have to put in money to use it if I run out of minutes...ah it's getting pricey!  After that, I had lunch with other PEACe buddies and I met 2 Austrian guys..they were very cool.  I went back to my dorm and had dinner and dessert around Ewha with my roommate and friends.

That's Sidney on the left, She's from Washington.  What an awesome dessert we had!  There was watermelon, pineapple, kiwi, red bean, ice cream, shaved ice, and more!

Tuesday was orientation day for all international and exchange students.  It was really nice to see a lot of international students and to know what I'll be doing for the rest of the semester. 

She's Chinese but majoring in Korean music.  The music she played was so beautiful.

Afterwards, there was a party for the international students at Sinchon at a bar call Bar Fly.  It was a lot of fun, I met more international students and it really made me feel like I was at home.  They played both American and Korean music and everyone was just dancing and having fun!

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Classes haven't began yet officially, Wednesday was the first day of class but from 9/1 to 9/8 we just go to class to see if we like it or not.  If we like the class, we need to get the professor's signature.  So far I've been to three of my classes and I enjoy it a lot.  I have a Korean language class that's very intensive, it's 5 days a week from 8:10am to 10:50!  I'm trying to memorize the vowels and consonants right now so that once I know the Korean alphabet, everything will be a lot easier.  The other class I signed up for Religion and Culture of Modern Korea and I absolutely love it!  The professor is hilarious and the class is not only fun and interesting but also very easy.  We only have one exam which is a take home essay for the final and he said he wants us to write a maximum of 5 pages!!  I also went to my Public Speaking class which is funny because it's also for people who want to improve their English...We're learning American English and I'm the only American in the class....muahahahahah

I have one more class to go to, it's called Documentary Production.  I got approved to take it for my Communication major but I'm not sure if I can take it here because I saw on the syllabus that we will converse in Korean even though the class is taught in English...I will check it out on Tuesday.

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Let's see on Thursday night, I went to a bar where they were playing Korean rock music.  My friend knows someone who plays in the band so we went to check it out.  It was so amazing!  I don't know what they were saying but it was so exciting and I love hearing different kind of music!

This singer is hilarious!

haha group pic with the band :)

On Friday, I went to get a haircut with my roommate!  It was so cheap here!  We went to a pretty upscale place.  I'm glad my roommate can speak Korean because the lady couldn't speak English at all so my roommate told her exactly what I want.  The whole thing cost 18,000₩ which is extremely cheap!

Ai and I after we got our haircut!

 Afterward I went out with some friends(this seems to be the norm here) and on Saturday morning I went sightseeing.  It was so much fun!  First we went to the Han River and it is just so gorgeous there.  It was very peaceful and there were many people riding bikes...man I wish I can ride a bike!

Han River - so beautiful

jumping pic!

Then we went to the Fish Market and omg...I will post some pics here but there are more pictures on facebook.  It was very cool!

oh gosh!

shark!

Later we went to Sayukshin Park where we saw tombs from the 17th century:

Later that night  I met with some friends and met more Korean people.  I grabbed a bite at McDonald to try their Bulgogi burger and it was so delicious!  I love international McDonalds!  Later we went to another bar where they played more Korean rock music.  Oh what a fun night!

McDonald's Bulgogi burger!

On Sunday, my roommate, and my friends Tringa and Claudio (they are from Switzerland) and I went to Myeongdong which is a big shopping place.  I bought two shirts for only 20,000₩!  It is so cheap here!  Now it's rainy heavy out so I'm staying in right now to write this blog, sort out the pictures to upload on Facebook and doing my laundry :)