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Published: January 11th 2010
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The moment I set my eyes on the mountains of Korean peninsula at last I felt that I was here and my airport disaster is over. I really dislike airports. Always something goes wrong for me. I don’t know if this is the attitude that brings me those troubles or I am just really unlucky airport person. This time I had troubles with luggage. Apparently the airline sent my luggage to Beijing instead of Seoul, so I had to take it and check-in again. I had just 1.5 hours between flights. And of course no China visa, and you nee it before going to pick up luggage. So I had really disturbing flight from Moscow to Beijing thinking how I will I make it all. But I made it. Oh how much I praise Chinese people for being so non-bureaucratic and helping me out. They let through to my luggage fast, just had to wait for long time for it to come out. It was just minutes that I made it to check-in; I guess I was the last person. That was a big relief.
So what was I doing going to Korea in first place. I came there as
exchange student to Kyung Hee University in Seoul. Right after my Poland Erasmus I was in Korea looking forward to my 4 month East Asian experience.
Students from Kyung Hee picked up me and bunch of us exchanges (mostly Chinese people) and we went by taxi to the dormitory. First interesting thing for me was that taxi had a small TV and it was showing Snow White and Seven Dwarves. Taxis don’t do that in Lithuania nor where I have so far been to. That was first special feature showing that now I am in the high-tech country.
As soon as we came to dormitory… they checked our temperature. The swine flue pandemic was at its peak and we had our temperature checked every day. Luckily I did not catch it anywhere. So that first day I settled into my room, met my Austrian roommate, had my first Korean meal, my first Korean beer (not too great) and had a broadband internet installed. Everything goes in fast pace in Korea. My first meal was picked out randomly, as no English was available in the place I went to.
And the day after, we had our university orientation.
First impression - “Wow, I am in fairyland”. Campus buildings look like European palaces and the administration building looks like Roman architecture monument with huge fountain outside. I have never seen such beautiful campus, ever! And now I was going to study there. The rest of the day was for settling visa things and as with all bureaucracy things, it was not pleasurable one. But I was not alone at least, had two other Lithuanians with me with same goals.
After that studies started. Classes I went were nice, just had to find some that were taught fully in English. Eventually I figured out my schedule that I had for the rest of my semester. Also that week I’ve tried some more Korean food in university canteen and other places. Met up Isabella, who I met in couchsurfing meeting in Austria that summer and she was going to Korea too.
That week I found a group that organizes outdoor adventure trips every weekend. As I was really looking forward to explore the outdoors of South Korea, I signed up for that same weekend for hiking trip. I did not know then I will meet there some of most
important people in Korea through this group. Hiking was really great - we hiked whole 7 hours in Bukhansan. Met lots of people (mostly English teachers that are biggest foreigner population in South Korea I guess). We had dinner in nice outdoor café near a small waterfall (how perfect is that, huh?). I tried out soju for first time and got to know Korean drinking game - Titanic.
Riding metro back home I got to know one more thing about Koreans. There were few a bit tipsy Korean girls and guys right next to me. They were a bit louder than usual, but nothing too much (try to meet drunken people in my hometown in Lithuania…). But the guy, when he noticed me, tried to apologize and he was shushing the girls. They seemed to be shy and embarrassed that they were tipsy. Actually once I even had the same situation with a 40+ old Koreans. Bunch of them were walking in towards in a street, they were tipsy and a bit loud (again could never compare it to Lithuanian drunks) and somehow my eyes met this Korean mans and he started apologizing. I was shocked and it also
Insadong
Traditional street felt very nice. If people are ashamed of being drunk that is really healthy attitude for a culture.
So that’s how it was, the beginning and the first week in Korea.
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A Korean student
non-member comment
Obviously you've only met the NICEST drunks in Korea. ;-) I hear that Lithuanian is a very old language, just like Korean. Do you find Korean language difficult?