September 17, 2012
This week ^^
Hey everyone ^^
I haven’t updated in a week, but that’s because there were a lot of things that were going on. Did you hear that another typhoon is coming my way? I thought the last one was the last of the season, I guess global warming cannot be without its side-effects ;). Also, yesterday I decided to give myself a Korean name, I looked for something with a good meaning, and something that was close to my own name. So from now on, my Korean friends can call me Kyung-Mi ^^.
This week I’ve decided to see more of the university district, also known as Hongdae. But I’ve also been to Dongdaemun on Tuesday, hoping to find cheap clothes. However, it didn’t turn out the way I planned. Either way, since it was a holiday, only one of the malls I wanted to see was open, luckily the prices were not so bad. 5000 / 10.000 (Β β¬3,5 / β¬7) for a single item of clothing. I’ve also had some delicious octopus pajeon on the top floor of the building, the kimchi wasn’t so bad either ^^. Later that day I went to Myeong-Dong, where I also managed to find some items I’d liked, and some extra beauty stuff (cannot leave that district without any of it!).
This is my favorite poster there :
(This is also the exact store where I bought the shoes π )
Later the same day I was talking to one of my friends who also studies here, who told me that the area around Ewha Woman’s University is the best for shopping. This person really wasn’t wrong! The day before we would come to shop there, we decided to check out Ewha, and Hongik University. The campus of the woman’s university was so beautiful, that one of my female friends was considering coming back later during her studies just to study there. I can’t quite completely blame her, the campus on the outside looks a little like Disney land, (and perfectly sculpted by humans) which is why it’s not completely to my liking; then again, the University was funded by Christian missionaries from Europe, so in a way it makes sense. I like our Uni better ^^.
If you thought that the hills I’d showed you when going up back to our dorm were bad, think again. Hongik University is built atop a MASSIVE hill. I had trouble just walking up there with no heels. (I don’t want to know what I would have done if I had been wearing them though!) However, the art and the sport field made up for a lot of the pain that went into going up. The day after we would go back for the market that the art students hold every weekend. It was really interesting, and I would like to go back there maybe sometime before November (after this month there is no more market).
I’m also very excited for the weekend! The 23rd of September there will be the Hallyu Dream Concert in Gyeongju. I am going! It’s like a little birthday present to myself, as my birthday is on the 24th of September (magical stuff!) I’ll be officially 21 by that time, even though in Korean age it would be 22 ;).
Yesterday we went to the Han river to ride bikes, officially we were supposed to also have dinner there, but because of the typhoon that’s coming it was cancelled :/. It felt good to ride a bike though! (I’m Dutch after all XD) I’ve also been to Bukchon Hanok village (Hanok’s are old Korean houses π ) sadly, most of my pictures of Hongdae and Bukchon are on my friend’s camera, I might upload them later :D. While in Bukchon I managed to hear some Dutch, other people from Holland were in South Korea too, and I heard them talking in Dutch about how the picture that they had asked someone else to take, didn’t work out.
So I thought to myself.. Should I go help them? Which I eventually did., they seemed pleased with the new result ^^. That’s all from me for now!
Until next time!
– Kirti
Experiences in South Korea, 2012 / 2013 