Living in an ice box…

Actually the weather these days may well be colder than an ice box. Today’s weather is presumably the coldest this season, with the lowest temperature at –17dc in Seoul. Fortunately, having lived here for more than a month I have learned to dress warm so I don’t feel that frozen when I’m outside wrapped up in warm clothes. I have a great Fubu padding coat, a pair of cute ear muffs, gloves and mufflers to keep me warm!

Two days ago, it snowed really heavily. Although the aftermath of a snowfall isn’t pretty, I still find snowfall beautiful and enticing. My bf is sick of snow due to his snow-clearing duties while serving in the S.Korean army. He had to spend hours clearing piles and piles of snow in kangwon-do, the province that experiences the most snowfall in S.Korea. He added that snow causes accidents around the country too. Yes it ain’t all that pretty when you’re around to experience the aftermath of a snowfall especially when the melted snow on the ground freeze into ice, making it hard to walk on slippery areas that has the potential to make you fall and break your bones. Thus, the past two days has been quite a chore for me while travelling to school especially when the snow doesn’t melt that quickly since SNU is located in the mountains where it’s colder than the other areas in the city. Besides the caution I have to take while travelling to school, I still love walking on (non-slippery) snow and I still love snowfall. It’s still beautiful no matter how awful the aftermath may be. Perhaps people from tropical countries (Singapore, other SEA countries) may share the same sentiments as me!

Lunar New Year in Korea

Lunar New Year has always been my favourite holiday of the year as I get to spend a lot of time with my family and relatives. I get to meet the relatives whom I get to see only once a year during that time and we always gathered to play games, make fun of each other and catch up on each others’ lives. This year though, being in Korea, was the first time I spent new year away from home.

I got to experience how Koreans celebrate lunar new year when I made a trip down to Daegu with my bf to visit his family. It was my second time meeting his family so I wasn’t as nervous and I felt much more comfortable while I stayed at his home.

Before LNY, my Korean class actually had two chapters that covered the customs of Koreans when it comes to celebrating LNY. So I basically had the knowledge of their customs but really experiencing it was another thing.

Just like Singapore, Korea has two days of LNY holidays, 23rd and 24th of Jan this year. Bf and I stayed at his home from 20th to 24th Jan but we had to leave for Seoul on 24th Jan so we only celebrated LNY on the very first day.

On the morning of 23rd Jan, the first day of the lunar calendar (설날, new year, 初一) bf’s family and I woke up earlier than usual. The men had to wear formal suits for the ancestor ritual (차례) which is usually done on every major festivals such as New Year and Thanksgiving Day (추석 aka Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival). Thus, in the morning, bf’s family and I headed to his grandparents’ house (5mins walk away from their home) where most of his paternal relatives have gathered. Before having breakfast, the men of the family would pay respects to the ancestors. The altar is a table filled with all kinds of food prepared by the women of the family, along with a tablet with Chinese characters (I assume that represents the ancestors of their family). The ritual lasted for only 5-10mins.

After the ritual, the women got down to preparing breakfast while the men sat together for a drink of the wine they offered to their ancestors. I didn’t have to do anything although I am a woman because I’m not part of the family and was a guest so they kindly offered me a cup of the wine. After that, when breakfast was ready, the men sat around to have breakfast while the women continued with their food preparations. Women of the family are the busiest on such huge festivals as they have to prepare a lot of food for the ancestor ritual and for a large number of family members since they have all gathered. As for the men? They sit around, watching TV, talking and just eat. Such is the life of a conservative Korean family. If I were to marry Bf… I wonder if I can take on such a traditional role of a woman… … …

Anyways after breakfast, the men proceeded to visit another relatives’ house while I stayed behind with the women, who rested, watched TV and napped while waiting for the men to come back. Bf’s grandparents live in a traditional house, a very very humbled version of hanok so I basically sat on the floor the whole day. I watched TV and ate the whole day, all done sitting on the floor. My whole body was aching by the end of the day… ><

Just like Singapore, Koreans have their owns games played during LNY. The most popular Korean card game is called Hwatu. I’ve learnt it from Bf more than a year ago when he was in Australia and have never played it after that so I’ve sort of forgotten most of the rules. However, Bf’s family didn’t play any games at that time so it was quite a quiet new year’s day for me. This compared to the new year spent in Singapore where it’s always crowded and noisy for my family.

Spending LNY the Korean way was a new experience for me and it was good meeting bf’s relatives. However, I still prefer Singapore’s style of celebrating LNY, the noisy way, from the chattering of the aunties/uncles, shouting during gambling and all the RED-ness.

Classes made more interesting

For the last two days we had interesting activities replacing our normal study period. We had a class dedicated to ‘Arirang’, a popular Korean folk song that actually has numerous versions from different provinces around Korea. The most popular one would be the 경기아리랑, Kyeong-gi Arirang, the one which K-pop singers would sing at the end of a major K-pop concert. Well, that’s the only reference I can give based on my own experience with the song… Okay, a video should be way much better:

On that day, KLEI invited a couple of Korean students majoring in Korean traditional music to perform arirang for us during our last period of class. They attempted to teach us but the response was a little lacklustre. All 4 morning classes of level 4 gathered but our voices cannot be compared to the main singer who came to perform for us. Still, it was an interesting experience and after hearing the word ‘arirang’ so many times, I finally learnt more about its origins and meaning.

The next day, we actually had to put up a play of an old Korean folk tale about ‘흥부와 놀부’ aka the Heung-bu and nol-bu brothers. The story is about how the kind brother received good fortune while the evil brother was punished for his misdeeds. I played Heung-bu’s wife and had to put on a hanbok for it. It was actually more fun than I expected. ^^ Luckily we only had to perform in front of just ONE other class instead of the entire level 4.

I think it’s great that KLEI has such classroom activities that involves a deeper understanding of Korean culture and at the same time, enhances our Korean language ability! I wish UQ’s Korean major could organize such activities when I took Korean classes in UQ. Okay, actually UQ’s Korean major cannot be compared to the Korean classes that I’m having now. In 10 weeks, I can actually learn so much and for that amount it probably will take me a year to learn in UQ. The learning pace in UQ’s Korean major is not only insanely slow, the teaching standard is not that great as well. Okay, maybe I should stop defaming the Korean major in UQ… or leave it for another blog post next time! 

Already halfway through my stay in Korea

5 weeks have past since I began studying at the Korean language education institute in SNU. We have even taken the mid-sem exams last week. I did pretty well for the exams even though I studied last minute… something which I hope won’t happen again during the final exam as I’m going to aim for an even higher score!

From my exams, I realised my weakest point is my Korean listening skills. Somehow my listening skills aren’t always the best even with English and Chinese. I remember that I don’t do very well for my listening tests when I’m in primary school. So from now on, I’m going to make myself listen to Korean radio everyday. I actually have two Korean radio channels i listen to occasionally:

1) Park So Hyun’s Love Game

2) Super Junior’s Kiss the Radio – Has an iphone app which you can listen and watch them live while they’re on air! :)

I am absolutely loving the life I’m living right now in Seoul, enjoying every moment, even when I’m in class, even when I’m studying! The past 5 weeks in Seoul couldn’t beat the 2 and a half years I spent in Aus even though life in Aus has been great fun. Here in Korea, I get to spend a lot of time with bf, Korean lessons are interesting (not always but most of the time), and I get to use Korean everyday and everywhere I go! I feel much more confident using Korean right now.

The only downside is that I’m not making Korean friends in Korea because I’m studying in a Korean language institute so there is minimal chance of meeting other Korean students. Luckily, I made Korean friends while in Aus and have met a couple of them since I came to Korea. One of them, 수빈언니 (Subin unnie) has invited me and bf to her house for dinner tomorrow! She has been so nice to me, providing me places of interest to visit in Seoul, many of which are not the usual tourist spot but she highly recommends them.

The weather in Seoul is freezing but it isn’t as cold as last year. 5 weeks in Winter Seoul, I’ve probably become used to the weather already. Every morning, I make sure to wear enough before stepping out of the house. In the past, even though I know it’s cold I thought I would be able to tolerate the cold, so I wear a knit sweater and a winter coat on the outside. But that’s actually not enough especially when it gets below 0dc. Two layers underneath is the least that one should wear not to feel COLD (like trembling cold) outside.

Right now, I just have to make the best of what Seoul can offer me and spend the next 5 weeks working hard towards improving my Korean even more.

Last post for 2011!!

Yes, this blog is lack of updates but here I am making the last post for 2011 before it ends! Summing up the most significant events that took place in 2011:

1) Graduated with a (regular) Bachelor of Arts.

2) Starting and completed one semester of Honours in Korean.

3) Came to Korea twice, once at the end of 2010 that stretched over to 2011 and right now, at the end of 2011.

4) Met Bf’s family and friends while he met mine in SG (beginning of the year).

5) Embarked on a language course in Korea and leaving the life like a Korean!

There were lots of ups and downs during the past year but these events have made 2011 a memorable year to look back on. I am pretty sure 2012 will be quite a ride be it good or bad because it’s my graduation year. Who knows what lies ahead in 2012?

Oh and remember the movie ‘2012’ and all that prophecies about 2012? I don’t believe them but I can’t wait to laugh at the movie and prophecies… ;p

Have a happy new year and a great 2012 ahead, everyone!

Korean classes so far…

2 weeks have past since the start of my Korean classes in SNU’s KLEI (Korean Language Education Institute). I’m studying at level 4 at the moment, a level that starts to focus more on more difficult grammar that are usually used in news, reports, books, radios and dramas, i.e. not as conversational as the past 3 levels.

My textbook, practice book and notebooks.

Classes start from 9am to 1pm, a schedule that is totally different from my uni timetable in Aus for the past year. Usually 9am or later is my wake-up time in Aus since my earliest classes start only at 10am. However, in Korea, I made it a point to sleep early so that I can wake up early and not feel all sleepy and drowsy during class. I adjusted to the early timings easier than expected!

As mentioned before, we have three teachers teaching our class and I’m still not too fond of this idea. Each teacher has their own style of teaching, that is, while one teacher explains the new vocab words in great details, the other may not, and while one teacher may choose to finish teaching all the grammar points before moving onto the practice book, another may go through each point with the practice book. Of course it’s not that of a big deal, but as a student I prefer one or at most two teachers so that I don’t have to switch “learning modes” almost everyday.

In regards to how well the teachers teach, two out of three teachers can explain vocabs and grammar points pretty well while it takes a bit of an effort to understand what the third teacher is trying to explain. Overall, all the teachers are nice and approachable, one of them knows I’m a DBSK fan while the other likes to put on Korean music during our class breaks!

My class isn’t the most exciting bunch, I’d say it’s a very quiet class. My classmates don’t really mix around with each other A LOT. We do chat during short breaks, but during the longer break, most of them would look for their friends in the other classes or do their own things. I tend to chat with the classmates sitting beside me, go out and buy food together during breaks, but after class we just go our separate ways. And I’d go for lunch with MK, the only classmate who I’d hang out with after class. The other classmates are JUST classmates because they already have their own circle of friends from the previous levels.

However, I’m enjoying my classes and wish that they could be extended to more than 4 hours! Sometimes, we have interesting learning resources like Korean movies and advertisements shown during class. I heard that the popular sitcom, High Kick 2 will be shown later during the semester! ^^

Greetings from Seoul!

Here’s a brief outline of what I did during my first week in Seoul:

• Spent most of the time with my BF (more later).
• Packed and tidied (just a little since bf did some cleaning before) the studio unit (원룸/ one room) where I’ll be staying for the 2.5months here.
• Went to e-mart to get daily necessities, e.g detergent, toilet rolls, hangers, food, etc…
• Went to FT Island’s Encore Concert in Seoul!

• Met up with Gabby (friend from UQ).
• Find my way to Seoul National Uni (SNU) and the building where I’ll be attending my classes. I’m staying two subway stops away from SNU but there are buses that go to SNU from the area where I’m staying so it only takes me ~25mins in total to get to school, i.e. from my unit’s door step to classroom. ^^
• Did not do much tourist-y stuff, but explored certain areas like Shillim (신림) which is where I’m staying, and around Ehwa Women’s Uni (이대).
• Took my Korean placement test that determined which level I should attend. The test consisted both writing and speaking segments. I was placed in level 4 (6 levels altogether), where I will learn more advanced Korean mostly found in news, radio, novels, etc. I actually predicted that I’ll get into level 4 because I’ve seen SNU’s older version of level 3 textbook and I’ve learnt most of the contents before.
• Went for Korean Wave Concert in Yong Pyong Resort with Gabby!

남친과의 만남~

The first 8 days were well-spent with bf who I haven’t seen for 9 months. So the list above was all done with him. When I first saw him in Incheon airport, I was very happy but at the same time, I felt SOOO awkward. I felt both familiar and foreign at that time… We saw each other quite often through the webcam but it’s still very different when you see each other in person. The awkwardness just engulfed me at that moment! >< But he who is always so easy-going helped me overcome the awkwardness quickly. ^^ Although we haven’t meet for 9 months, I felt that we have definitely become closer. Constant communication throughout the separation period is very important!

His uni term hasn’t ended so he travelled back and fro from Cheon-an to Seoul a couple of days last week. We spent time together doing the usual couple stuff that we couldn’t do when we were separated, like watching movies, going to cafes and going to 노래방(noraebang/ karaoke). To us, these were such valuable moments together… From this week until the next, he will spend most of the time in his Uni due to the exams period, so I will be alone!! 

한국어 수업이 시작했다.

However, Korean classes have started this week, so I don’t feel that lonely! So far, I’m loving my classes because I’m learning more difficult grammar, vocab, and the teachers are nice! I’m not sure how the other Language institutes work, but I find it weird that our teachers change on certain days, so we have 3 teachers teaching our class. Mon/Fri= one teacher, Tues= one teacher, Wed/Thurs= one teacher. That means we have to sort of switch modes to accommodate to each teacher since they have different styles of teaching.

Classmates were distant at first because most of them knew each other before since they advanced from the previous level while I was new in SNU. But I’ve made friends with an American born Korean (named MK) who is attending SNU for the first time as well, and right now gradually with the rest of my classmates. ^^

I’ll blog more about my class next time! Here are some photos to make you salivate!! LOL.

Forgot the name of this dish.

 
쪽발~ ♥ Pig’s leg

닭발~!! Finally I got to eat chicken leg, cooked the Korean way! This was actually delivered to our unit. You can’t imagine the types of food available for delivery! Korean delivery services are 짱~!!

Closer look. It’s veryyyyyyyy spicy! For Korean style chicken leg, you don’t have to eat and spit out the bones. Most of the inedible bones have been removed, so you can eat comfortably without having to spit out the small tiny bones like we have to when we eat chicken legs in Sg.