12/23 - dinner with the fam

Today, my grandfather and I took the ferry out to Aberdeen to meet up with his girlfriend.  We had dim sum and then headed over to meet my grandfather's big brother.  I call my grandfather's big brother and his wife: 伯公 and 伯婆 .  They live in the kind of apartment building that you see in TVB series all the times, it's an open area. 

First we played mahjong.  OMG, we played 12 rounds which took about 3 hours.  I was so bored!  My opponents were all in their 70s so there wasn't anything for me to say.  I lost 80 HKD which was not too bad considering they were pretty good.

Then my uncles came home for dinner so we had our "Xmas Dinner".

I'll upload pics later.

in Hong Kong and I'm sick :(

I arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday (12/18) and boy was it a long plane ride.  First I had a layover in Shanghai and it was the most annoying transfer ever!  I had to go through customs and fill out the arrival card and leave the concourse/gate area and then enter through security again! Luckily I had 2 hours there or it would've been very hectic!  I was starving but I couldn't find any fast food places.  They had restaurants but by the time I arrived at my gate I only had 30 minutes left and I don't want to rush through my food.

I arrived in Hong Kong at 6:20 but I had to go through customs and get my luggage so I was finally done at around 7ish.  When I went through the gates, I didn't see my uncle or grandpa!  I was pretty nervous and circled the area a few times.  Finally I asked a lady if I can borrow her cell to call my uncle but she didn't let me.  Luckily my mom gave me some HK money before I left NY so I exchanged my bill for some coins and used the payphone.  My uncle was at the different arrival gate so I waited until they came.

I was so happy to see my uncle, aunt and grandpa!  The last time I saw them was 6 years ago!!  After we hugged and took pictures we took the train and taxi to a restaurant near the harbor.  We had hotpot for dinner and it was amazing!

Afterwards we took the boat to Lamma Island where I'll be staying for a few weeks. 

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On Sunday (12/19) my grandpa and I went out to see my aunt.  We had dim sum and then we took the subway to Jordan to see my cousin (he's my aunt's stepson which makes him my cousin but I've only seen him once in my life and don't remember him at all) and his babies.  Man, my cousin is rich!  He lives in a very fancy apartment that looks like a hotel!  They even have a concierge!!  When we went to his apartment, I saw that he has 2 maids..2!!!  His daughters were so adorable!

There's really not much to say for Sunday or today because I'm sick.  On Sunday I woke up with a really bad headache and I already had a bad cough on Saturday.  I shouldn't have gone out on Sunday because I got worse then. 

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Today I pretty much spent the whole day in bed and took a lot of medicine.  I really hope I get better by tomorrow because I don't want to spend my time here being sick!  My grandpa has been so sweet and stayed at Lamma Island for me and is taking care o me!

Hope I get better soon!

LAST DAY IN KOREA - LEAVING TO HK IN A FEW HOURS

Today was my last full day in Korea.  Actually, I should say, my last full day in Korea for the semester because today is not my last day forever.  I will definitely be back in Korea - seriously.  There is no doubt in my mind because Korea is now my second home.  I love the country, the people, the language, the culture, the food - everything!  I even know how to read/write and speak/listen - well not fluently but enough to get by!

I've spent the past few days (Weds, Thurs, and Fri) buying and packing.  I didn't do any sightseeing because I've done everything that I wanted to do in Korea and I don't want to stress out with packing and stuff.  I mailed 2 boxes to Indiana and OMG it costs a lot of money!!

Today I woke up at around 11ish, quickly took a shower and then went out to eat lunch with my roommate Ai, Yuka and their Japanese and Korean friends.  There were 8 of us and they took me to eat this amazing Korean meal that I've never heard of!  It was so good and the company was definitely interesting.  They can all speak Korean really well and most of the time I just sat there, smile and nod but they were nice to me and we had a good conversation.

Afterwards, I went back to my dorm and went to the post office to mail another box and a lot of postcards/letters.  Then I headed to Insadong to buy last minute souvenirs.  Mary then came from JeonJu (3 hours train ride) to say goodbye to me!  It was so sweet!  Lisa, Mary, Amy and I met up and went to All About 茶 for well obviously, tea and cake!

I'm so glad I got to see Mary and Amy (well not really Lisa cus I'll see her when I go back to Gcastle) because I don't know when I'll see them again but I'll definitely see them again!

Amy and Lisa had to leave early so Mary and I stayed to talk some more.  Then Moo Bin came to give me a proper goodbye and she gave me presents!  I'm really going to miss that girl - she's been such a darling!

Then I gave Mary a mini tour of Ewha and my dorm because man it's a beautiful dorm!  Afterwards, Mary and I went to Uniqlo in Sinchon so I can do some last minute shopping.  I really love Mary.  She's such a sweetheart and she's been so nice to me.  She's my Delta Gamma sister for life and I'm really glad I got to see her twice in Korea!  Mary left to take the train back to JeonJu (she took a 6 hour train ride just to come say goodbye to me!!!) and I went back to my dorm.

I packed, said more goodbyes and then panicked because in Asia - the airlines don't weight each luggage separately.  They have to both equal 20kg.  I have 2 suitcases and they each weight 20kg...in America that won't be a problem but here it is.  I'm really afraid of how much I'll have to pay extra.  I've been throwing away a lot of things but still...most of what I have are souvenirs!

Now it's 3:15am.  I've been blogging all night and now I'm going to head downstairs and stay up chatting with my loves!

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Update: 4:35am
So I'm too old to pull an allnight.  Instead I went to Yuka's room and chatted for awhile with Ai, Yuka and Constance.  This is very special because on my first night ever at Ewha, I had dinner with Ai and Constance and then dessert with Yuka.  These are the 3 people I met on my first day here and these are the 3 people I saw tonight :)

Korean Subway System vs. New York Metro

This isn't even a contest, Korea wins by a landslide.  I'm not even sure how I can even begin to explain Korea's subway system but man it is wayyy better than New York.

Okay, let's see.  Let's start with the outside the station.  So similar to NY, there are multiple entrances/exits for a station.  The best thing about Korea is that each exit has a number so it's easy to give people directions (ex: go to Sinchon Station and meet me at exit 3).  

Then going downstairs.  Here is the elevator that I'm used to - Ewha's elevator:

I can even talk about the stairs- they have a lane for bikes so that they it's easier for people to carry their bikes down! 

Not only that, but some stations have bike stations where you can safely store your bikes for some time!

Also, there are bumps on all the floor for blind people to walk on so they know where they're going!

The best part of Korean's subway system is that it's basically idiotproof.  You can't get lost - they have signs and people helping you!  First they have a digital machine that allows you to see what the street looks like outside, which station you need to go to and you can use the phone by paying with your Tmoney card.

Also, there is a Tourist Information booth in almost all the stations so you can ask for help!

There are also maps everywhere! 

this tells you what's around you when you exit the train!

In some stations, there are lockers where you can store things:

Also, the bathrooms are SOOOO clean in Korea!  I don't have a picture of it but if you know me, you know I can't use public bathrooms so the fact that I will use Korea's subway's bathrooms is saying a lot.  They also have vending machines outside for toiletries and stuff and it's so cheap!

Buying your ticket.  You can purchase a Tmoney card at these booth and it's so easy to use.  

Also, in some subway stations there are a lot of things to do!  Korea is famous for their underground shopping market:

Or, in this case, this subway station has a art gallery!

Okay, now let's go inside.  So similar to many Asian subways, you have to use your ticket to enter the tracks and to exit as well.  They charge you based on the distance.  The minimum is 900won and if you go really far, the maximum is 1200 won which is extremely cheap compared to NY's 2.25 per ride!

There is a safely door that prevents people from jumping into the tracks!

Also, some stations have televisions broadcasting commercials so although it's very materialistic, you can't get bored!   Also, some station has screens that tell you when the next train will arrive!

Also there are vending machines everywhere so you can buy a drink or a snack - it's very cheap!

Now, each door to the subway, also has a number so it makes it easy to meet people.  Say you're meeting a friend at the station and she's already on the train.  She can tell you which subway car she's in by telling you which door number she's in.

Now, inside the subway.  Each car has a designated area for old people, handicapped, people with infants and for pregnant people. I think this is great because in NY, not everyone would give up their seats for these people.

It's also very clean and the seats are comfortable:

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Here's a bonus section on the BUS system!  It's also very convenient to use.  It took me awhile to master but after awhile, I got used to it.  So bus stops have a screen that tells you when the next bus is coming:

There are many different types of buses.  Some of them are big and some are smaller.  Here's a picture of what the book looks like both outside and inside:

So in conclusion, Korean's metro rocks!