Monday 23 November 2009
Tuesday 17 November 2009
Airan Kang
http://www.brycewolkowitz.com/www/
Saw this artist first at the KIAF event in September and again at the "Beginning of a new era" exhibition in November! Love her stuff! Striking neon and LED light boxes and interactive mirror cube rooms with projectors and sounds.
She uses a sensor in the books and one on the room that triggers new projections that correlate with the tittle of the book!
Wednesday 14 October 2009
Tea
Last week we were asked if in England we drink a lot of tea. And so we tried to explain, sort of!
Yes we drink tea, maybe in the morning with breakfast.
Midmorning as a "tea break" at work
Maybe with lunch.
Maybe after lunch.
Perhaps 3.30 as another "tea break".
When you arrive in from a long day at work about 6.30 ish
When your favourite soap is on
Possibly whilst going to bed
Erm yeah, maybe thats it, but everybody is different but we do drink lots of tea in England!
That is the best we could do,, he seemed amazed that we actually drink tea. Although we had to break it to him gently that it wasn't like a formal affair with cucumber sandwiches and scones!
But that you can do that in some places! By the end of it we were exhausted and dying for a brew! No such luck in Korea!
Yes we drink tea, maybe in the morning with breakfast.
Midmorning as a "tea break" at work
Maybe with lunch.
Maybe after lunch.
Perhaps 3.30 as another "tea break".
When you arrive in from a long day at work about 6.30 ish
When your favourite soap is on
Possibly whilst going to bed
Erm yeah, maybe thats it, but everybody is different but we do drink lots of tea in England!
That is the best we could do,, he seemed amazed that we actually drink tea. Although we had to break it to him gently that it wasn't like a formal affair with cucumber sandwiches and scones!
But that you can do that in some places! By the end of it we were exhausted and dying for a brew! No such luck in Korea!
Tuesday 6 October 2009
An Epic Journey!
The posts numbered under October are of my weekend! In Korea it was Choo-sok - Thanksgiving! And I was honored to be invited by my lovely room mate Chan-mi to spend it with her (epic)family.
I've tried to make each post nice and bite size so you wont be too intimidated to start one and not finish, and this way you can come back and read at different times!! What can I say, I love my readers! And want you to read them all!!
Enjoy :-)
I've tried to make each post nice and bite size so you wont be too intimidated to start one and not finish, and this way you can come back and read at different times!! What can I say, I love my readers! And want you to read them all!!
Enjoy :-)
Choo-sok 01
We had train tickets booked for Wednesday afternoon at 7pm and Chan-mi was worried because the sitting tickets had sold out ages ago and we needed to get to the cafe early so we could sit there for our 4 hour journey!
Well we arrived in plenty of time and had first pick of the benches that were lined against the window. The Cafe was a bar the served food, Korean delights! Seaweed and Kimchi galore! It had computers at one end that you could sit at and pay to use, next to this were some arcade type games and on the other side were 3 private Karaoke rooms!!!
We stayed well out the madness at the top end of the carriage. Journey was quite uneventful for a couple of hours, I had the usual curious smiles and nods and mini bows. Being a white woman is a conversation starter in itself in these parts!!
However, every time I looked up from my book, I got a massive grin and nod for the same man crouched in the corner. Yes crouched- I would later find out that this is a huge norm in Korea! He kept attracting my attention and doing the same thing, each time I would politely smile and nod and do a mini bow in return. He eventually plucked up the courage (Deutch, he was loving the on train bar!) and came to crouch in front of me, not standing up straight before he came over, he shuffled his way no more then half a metre away from me!
"English?"
Yes
"Where?"
Manchester (Pointless saying anywhere else!)
"ooooooooooo" lots of nodding and rocking.
Then awkward silence as he spoke in Korean to Chan-mi. And finally he finished with...
"Remember, all you gotta do is, Just Do It!!"
Okay then! Will do! After removing his hat he pointed to his shaved hair and said "Monk,Monk" and shuffled away!!
Not the end however, he returned many times, asking about what I was doing in Korea, and when he found out I study computer art (close enough!) he was disgusted, invited me to his mountain where he was headed and told me he would teach me real art! Unfortunately I had to pass but thanked him profusely when he brought me over a can of beer from the bar. And again when he came over to open it for me, and when he shouted from his corner "BOTTOMS UP!" and again when he brought me over a second beer!
By this point the whole carriage was staring at me! Not the crazy drunk monk! AGGGHHH!
The man sat next to Chan-mi then shook his head, had stern words in Korean to leave me alone now, and took the beers back to the man behind the counter who apologised! I loved it! Especially when he got off for his stop he carried on shouting JUST DO IT until all there was was a faint echo of my friendly Monk!
Well we arrived in plenty of time and had first pick of the benches that were lined against the window. The Cafe was a bar the served food, Korean delights! Seaweed and Kimchi galore! It had computers at one end that you could sit at and pay to use, next to this were some arcade type games and on the other side were 3 private Karaoke rooms!!!
We stayed well out the madness at the top end of the carriage. Journey was quite uneventful for a couple of hours, I had the usual curious smiles and nods and mini bows. Being a white woman is a conversation starter in itself in these parts!!
However, every time I looked up from my book, I got a massive grin and nod for the same man crouched in the corner. Yes crouched- I would later find out that this is a huge norm in Korea! He kept attracting my attention and doing the same thing, each time I would politely smile and nod and do a mini bow in return. He eventually plucked up the courage (Deutch, he was loving the on train bar!) and came to crouch in front of me, not standing up straight before he came over, he shuffled his way no more then half a metre away from me!
"English?"
Yes
"Where?"
Manchester (Pointless saying anywhere else!)
"ooooooooooo" lots of nodding and rocking.
Then awkward silence as he spoke in Korean to Chan-mi. And finally he finished with...
"Remember, all you gotta do is, Just Do It!!"
Okay then! Will do! After removing his hat he pointed to his shaved hair and said "Monk,Monk" and shuffled away!!
Not the end however, he returned many times, asking about what I was doing in Korea, and when he found out I study computer art (close enough!) he was disgusted, invited me to his mountain where he was headed and told me he would teach me real art! Unfortunately I had to pass but thanked him profusely when he brought me over a can of beer from the bar. And again when he came over to open it for me, and when he shouted from his corner "BOTTOMS UP!" and again when he brought me over a second beer!
By this point the whole carriage was staring at me! Not the crazy drunk monk! AGGGHHH!
The man sat next to Chan-mi then shook his head, had stern words in Korean to leave me alone now, and took the beers back to the man behind the counter who apologised! I loved it! Especially when he got off for his stop he carried on shouting JUST DO IT until all there was was a faint echo of my friendly Monk!
Choo-sok 02
The next day we were woken by Chan-mi's Om-ma nim (mother) saying breakfast was ready. Mountains of rice, a variety of Kimchi, and thank God, SPAM! Im not really big on breakfast so I hoped I didnt offend to much when I could barely finish my bowl of rice.
After showering, well standing in a tiled room full of buckets and bowls and dousing myself in water, we were ready to go to E Mart, asda to us English Folk! Here I was dragged round the Deli counters while Om-ma tried to stuff all the testers into my firmly shut mouth. After taking a breath she managed to throw in a huge piece of very salty tofu, and before I even began to chew I knew this wasn't staying down, spat it right back out and into the attendants bin!! Sorry!
I tried pork and beef and when Chan-mi said "try this, very delicous, Dug" I was scared. Dog? DOG? Nooooo! But i thought come on Haz, do it, you're in Korea, this is the question that everybody at home will ask! So I had it, straight in, chewed very fast and then swallowed. Bloody gorgeous! And then the guilt, Oh no I ate dog!! My poor Butchy at home in England and I ate his fellow canine! I voiced my worries to Chan-mi and she laughed and said you have duck named Butch?! Oh, right, it was duck!!! hahahahahahahahaha
After EMart we went to visit an aunt who lived in a local high rise. These high rises are everywhere, all with a number painted on the side, Ive seen up to 300 in some areas. But, not to be fooled these are actually luxury accommodation, lovely wooden floor, big living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms and to show that this is 5 star and not just tasteful decoration, you can actually flush you toilet roll instead of putting it in a bin by the loo!!
When we arrived, the aunt was elbow deep in kimchi, preparing for our trip tomorrow for Chuk-sung! Trying not to be snoopy, I had a snoop around! She had a massive pile of chillies spread out drying on the balcony! Hmmmm interesting! No doubt for more kimchi making!
She was lovely, surprised to see me, and then loved it! We ordered Chicken takeaway for lunch, Yang-yum no less and we all sat a round a lama mime table on the floor to eat! Korean style!!
Choo-sok 03
The next morning at 5am Om-ma burst into the room! No, no fire, but we were leaving to get to her grandparents house. We had no problem beating the traffic and arrived before 7am in some of the most beautiful surroundings I had ever seen - see Photos. Beautiful mountains and misty scenes in the distance gave me probably the best memories of Korea.
Her grandparent's house was in the true traditional style and was built on a platform where you take off your shoes before you climb. And the doors are very low because it is more respectful that you enter a room slowly. There were 3 buildings. One main where the living room come master bedroom was, a kitchen next to and a store room on the other side. The other buildings also were storerooms but more in a way they had huge elaborate decorative solid wardrobes in. How they got them through the tiny door is anyones guess.
Behind the main house was a large plot of land on a hill where many different crops grew. Mainly cabbage for Kimchi, Bean sprout, apples and beans of some sort. There were also more vegetables growing in pots at the front of the house.
Being away from the city was such an amazing change after being amidst the concrete city for a month! Anyone that has been to a large Asian country will understand what I mean when I talk about "the smell".
Throughout the day i was presented to different cousins and aunts and I dutifully nodded and bowed politely. I was begginning to feel sorry for Chan-mi as she was designated translator. I didn't mind not being able to understand what people said. I could pick up odd phrases and words by this point, but Korean, unlike Chinese is a really softly spoken language. As in when somebody speaks to you, you don't feel as though your getting a stern telling off!! So i didnt mind listening to the interesting sounds they could make with their mouths!
Thanksgiving seemed to consist of the women making tons of food, serving it for the elders, men and children, and then them selves sitting in the kitchen catching up. Most of the family seemed to live far apart and this being the biggest festival in Korea was perfect to catch up.
A big part of the festival is visiting ancestral tomb's and from what I understand we were lucky that they were only a short walk away, slightly up the mountain. Many families spent the festival trawling the country for the graves. These are not graveyards however. Koreans believe in keeping the mountains sacred and when the graves were moved here they were made to blend in. By erecting a mound on top of carved stone platforms, the graves were a symbol of the natural surroundings. On most mountains in Korea, you will find the totally untouched due to this belief of keeping them natural.
At the graves a small offering was laid at each of the four tombs and after bowing at each we could move to the next one. A short but important affair.
Choo-sok 04
Whilst at the grandmothers house I was told we were going to meet another aunt. Her mothers sister. So we were bundled into the car and set off. When we arrived at another high rise block I was interested to see if they were all the same in the way they were built to be luxurious. It was beautiful. After an hour of being here I was told we were staying the night. Half relieved that I could have a real shower and not have to use a bedpan, I also worried as I had left my bag with all my clothes, camera, phone, and quite a large amount of cash. I agreed I would be fine without my things if I could borrow some pj's and call one of Chan-mi's cousin's to put my bag out of the way. The house had over 25 people coming and going all day and I was sure it would be fine but still conscious of the fact it wasn't with me.
Worries aside we ordered takeaway pizza and when it arrived we all congregated on the floor to say grace. The family were massive Christians. Dinner was lovely, Dominoes delivers in Korea too!! And before I could get up off the floor a bible was handed to me???? The family of 4 had 7 bibles. One had English translation. Om-ma read a passage and then told me through Chan-mi I was to read aloud in English. A hymn was sung and I thought this was over. But then Chan-mi explained everybody would say a prayer in the circle and we would say it aloud to the group, again me in English.
Earlier that day I had tried to explain that I had been christened but do not attend church. Well after this revelation, Om-ma had made it her mission to turn me to god. Promising she would pray for my mother! I thanked her greatly for her kindness.
Om-ma brought this up again when on Sunday morning I was taken to church to listen to a Koren sermon. Chan-mi was instructed to point to the English words throughout the Hymn's- although there was no way I would sing alone in English in a church full of people!!
Outside she bought me a toothpaste and toothbrush set as a present for me now going to church every Sunday.
Everbody I met over the weekend was amazingly kind and helpful, and me having as much Korean as they had English still managed to feel 100% welcome into their homes. This is true to nearly all Korean people we meet at uni and even walking around on the street. They always try to give helpfull pointers, even if they just talk at you in Korean with a massive smile! Lovely!
Choo-sok 05
Whilst away in the country I had a small epiphany! Now not one to get all poetic but the scenery was absolutely breathe taking. And i think it helped me realize that there was something missing to my experience in the city. The mountains are preserved and Koreans don't believe they should be touched. This is the History of Korea.
The city is not really older then 50years. The high concrete skyscrapers are magnificent in one sense, but more anonymous. The only identity is the electric billboards and vertical neon signs.
I haven't been able to put my finger on what I was missing until now. And its the lack of imagination, and inspiration I have when I look round the city! I'm so used to beautiful European cities with centuries of buildings to look at and allow my mind to think of these pockets in time and imagine these historic scenes!! Over summer I visited Budapest and Milan, oozing with elegance and fantastic structures from past times! Even Leeds and Manchester and London have places in my heart.
Yes Korea does have some old palaces and traditional buildings that were not destroyed in any of the 100's of invasions Korea has survived.
But I think now I need to look deeper. I cant just drift around the city and be struck with these buildings that of are works of art!
Im on it!!!!
Thursday 24 September 2009
Photos
Keep being asked for Photos so will give you a sneak at a few!! You see more of the whole group at; http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=256673920343&ref=ts
Wednesday 23 September 2009
KIAF
Korean International Art Fair!
Best day ever!
Tons of Art all under one roof, loads of inspiration, amazing talent, fantastic techniques, and a notebook full of names I need to put in the black book of lovely artness!!
What more can I say!!
Oh yeah, on the way back we walked past a promo event for energy bars, the guys were packing up and we asked if we could have the mile long banner, of course he said yes! We will use it to make O-dong a fabulous banner when he next plays football at uni! He doesn't have a clue!!
Best day ever!
Tons of Art all under one roof, loads of inspiration, amazing talent, fantastic techniques, and a notebook full of names I need to put in the black book of lovely artness!!
What more can I say!!
Oh yeah, on the way back we walked past a promo event for energy bars, the guys were packing up and we asked if we could have the mile long banner, of course he said yes! We will use it to make O-dong a fabulous banner when he next plays football at uni! He doesn't have a clue!!
Classes again
We have now had all our classes, some more successful than others!
Computer art is great, teacher is fabulous, speaks very good English, shows us cool DVDs and many more!
Our project for this class is to look at our adaptation from day to day, interesting! Its cool because we have noticed the difference in ourselves and it is exciting to do some art out of this!
The next is screen printing, vvveeerrryyy excited to be doing this class, but a little disappointed when we went to our first lesson and the teacher had not been informed of our arrival, therefore she had not ordered any materials for us to make frames, and screens and chemicals! So we had to sit in a three hour class while all the Korean students got their hands dirty!! Sooo frustrating!!
Finally Oriental painting!! ahem!! We eagerly arrived on Friday morning to learn this amazing art we had seen everywhere. This is the subject that had been highly recommended to us, and as we are in South Korea, why wouldn't we do Oriental painting! The teacher again had no clue that we would be their, looked very shocked, a little bit miffed, and after about a 15minute disappearance he told us(through a translating student) there is no point us sitting there for 3 hours while he talks theory in Korean!!! AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH
Deep breath!
After visiting the most amazing art shop on Saturday, we bought everything we needed for screen printing, Oriental ink, brushes, and specialised handmade Korean paper, we are ready for round 2!! Fingers crossed we will print some screens this week, and even more fingers crossed...learn some oriental painting!
Computer art is great, teacher is fabulous, speaks very good English, shows us cool DVDs and many more!
Our project for this class is to look at our adaptation from day to day, interesting! Its cool because we have noticed the difference in ourselves and it is exciting to do some art out of this!
The next is screen printing, vvveeerrryyy excited to be doing this class, but a little disappointed when we went to our first lesson and the teacher had not been informed of our arrival, therefore she had not ordered any materials for us to make frames, and screens and chemicals! So we had to sit in a three hour class while all the Korean students got their hands dirty!! Sooo frustrating!!
Finally Oriental painting!! ahem!! We eagerly arrived on Friday morning to learn this amazing art we had seen everywhere. This is the subject that had been highly recommended to us, and as we are in South Korea, why wouldn't we do Oriental painting! The teacher again had no clue that we would be their, looked very shocked, a little bit miffed, and after about a 15minute disappearance he told us(through a translating student) there is no point us sitting there for 3 hours while he talks theory in Korean!!! AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH
Deep breath!
After visiting the most amazing art shop on Saturday, we bought everything we needed for screen printing, Oriental ink, brushes, and specialised handmade Korean paper, we are ready for round 2!! Fingers crossed we will print some screens this week, and even more fingers crossed...learn some oriental painting!
Food I miss!!
A small list of food I am missing!
Cereal!
Chocolate Brownies
Balsamic vinegar
Continental's Cottage pie!!!!!!!!!!
Black pepper
Rice that isn't stuck together
Cous cous
Blue dragon sweet chilli sauce
Pears
Fruitella from homebargains
Chips- not that i eat that many in England but I cant have them here!
Fish for with my chips!
Cherry beer after my shift at work!!!
Hmmmm probably loads more but i understand this is not the point if my blog!
However if anybody wants to send me a package of any of these thinngs in that would be hamazing!! email for my add if you dare!!!!
Cereal!
Chocolate Brownies
Balsamic vinegar
Continental's Cottage pie!!!!!!!!!!
Black pepper
Rice that isn't stuck together
Cous cous
Blue dragon sweet chilli sauce
Pears
Fruitella from homebargains
Chips- not that i eat that many in England but I cant have them here!
Fish for with my chips!
Cherry beer after my shift at work!!!
Hmmmm probably loads more but i understand this is not the point if my blog!
However if anybody wants to send me a package of any of these thinngs in that would be hamazing!! email for my add if you dare!!!!
Wednesday 16 September 2009
So-ju...........
The traditional Korean spirit, made from sweet potatoes, so not too different to vodka! We went to a bar across the road from our dormitories, John had been here with some guys he had played football with. This time we were joined by his room mates, O-dong and Yung-Kill.
After three of pitchers or Cass beer, two bottles of So-ju and a platter of crinkle cut chips we were all thee best of friends. Talking about home towns, football, exchanging phrases and the odd bit of cheeky banter! Three of O-dong's friends walked past and they were invited to join us, which they did graciously even though they had an hour long bus ride home afterwards!
When we asked for the bill, the guys said it would be on them as a Korean tradition of meeting new friends, but as English traditions go we agreed that we would all pay dutch!(hmmm) We gave 5000won each, but we had a feeling that this wouldn't cover half the bill. (5000won - £2.50) But they never fail to amaze me with their kindness and generosity!
After three of pitchers or Cass beer, two bottles of So-ju and a platter of crinkle cut chips we were all thee best of friends. Talking about home towns, football, exchanging phrases and the odd bit of cheeky banter! Three of O-dong's friends walked past and they were invited to join us, which they did graciously even though they had an hour long bus ride home afterwards!
When we asked for the bill, the guys said it would be on them as a Korean tradition of meeting new friends, but as English traditions go we agreed that we would all pay dutch!(hmmm) We gave 5000won each, but we had a feeling that this wouldn't cover half the bill. (5000won - £2.50) But they never fail to amaze me with their kindness and generosity!
Classes..........
Update on the classes, we found out some extra options, so now I am doing Computer Art, Oriental painting and screen printing!!!!!!
Sooooo excited! First class of this is tomorrow!
Computer Art we had on monday and it was fabulous, far better then I imagined, well I tried not to think of anything! The lecturer was lovely, very good English with an American twang, so he has clearly been over! He gave us great stuff to think about and a good project to be getting on with!
Oriental painting is Friday and I have this with Jae-eun and Hana!
Sooooo excited! First class of this is tomorrow!
Computer Art we had on monday and it was fabulous, far better then I imagined, well I tried not to think of anything! The lecturer was lovely, very good English with an American twang, so he has clearly been over! He gave us great stuff to think about and a good project to be getting on with!
Oriental painting is Friday and I have this with Jae-eun and Hana!
Traditional Korean place.
Tuesday awoke to whispering, as usual! I could hear Korean and then “Hari” (my Korean name), this caught my attention, “Are you talking about me?!” followed by giggling! Conversation then followed about my plans for the day.
Hana and Jae-eun had classes but Chan-mi wanted to take me out to a traditional Korean building. Conferred with the other English and most of us were free so we headed out.
The traditional place was an old Palace and its gardens, recently a national heritage site the tours took people round and explained what was what! After an hour and 20 minutes we had seen the in’s and out’s of the site. The elaborate carvings and decoration, the amazing planning of where each building lay, to the size of the doors, which were smaller then your average!
The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all, Chan-mi was pleased to be our leader, and although she claims to be shy she definitely had us all wrapped round her little finger! Every few minutes I would hear, “Hari?!”, she would be looking for me to tell me to take a picture of this or that, always getting the best spot so I could take the best photograph! Loved it!!
We took loads of gorgeous photographs of the place and I cannot wait to work with them in my projects here!
Hana and Jae-eun had classes but Chan-mi wanted to take me out to a traditional Korean building. Conferred with the other English and most of us were free so we headed out.
The traditional place was an old Palace and its gardens, recently a national heritage site the tours took people round and explained what was what! After an hour and 20 minutes we had seen the in’s and out’s of the site. The elaborate carvings and decoration, the amazing planning of where each building lay, to the size of the doors, which were smaller then your average!
The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all, Chan-mi was pleased to be our leader, and although she claims to be shy she definitely had us all wrapped round her little finger! Every few minutes I would hear, “Hari?!”, she would be looking for me to tell me to take a picture of this or that, always getting the best spot so I could take the best photograph! Loved it!!
We took loads of gorgeous photographs of the place and I cannot wait to work with them in my projects here!
Korean Cinema................
Well not quite, we went to a Korean cinema to watch the animation film 9! But the Korean trailers at the beginning were amazing! They definitely go all out on the jingles!
The point of this entry is to rave about my fantastic housemates even more then I have done so! Chan-mi, Hana and Jae-eun went completely out of their way to help us organise our trip out. They found which cinema the film was on, as all the websites are in Korean obviously and the cinema we had planned on just turning up to did not show it anyway!! The girls suggested we book in advance to get cheaper tickets, and Jae-eun put 8 tickets on her card because we do not have Korean bank accounts! They were upset when I went upstairs to tell them we were ready, because the cinema only had bad seats left, and we were stuck with the back row. I started teasing the girls about John who was joining us, and explained that in England, a boy will take a girl on the back row if he wants to be close with her!! I said I knew they had planned this all along so they could have john in the middle of them! Blushing much!
We arrived at the cinema an hour early to have a look around the streets and all the funky shops in the area. This was what we had been waiting for! The hustle and bustle of the city was so exciting and very different to the laid back atmosphere around campus. Mega bright lights stretched across the side of every building advertising singing bars, beer and fried chicken. Plenty of girlie boutiques with gorgeous shoes and specialist make up shops. Street vendors selling tasty Korean snacks (yes, I said tasty!!!!) The only disappointment of the evening was the lady giving out ice-cream samples had run out by the time we had chance to get through the crowd to her!
We had curfew, the dormitories are locked from 12am-5am so we got straight on the bus home and back to our rooms after the film had ended at 11.15! On Mondays there is inspection and roll-call(!) And Chan-Mi, who is a student warden disappeared off to inspect the rooms on our floor, only to return 5 minutes later with a clipboard giggling her head off as she passed our room!
Its who you know!
The point of this entry is to rave about my fantastic housemates even more then I have done so! Chan-mi, Hana and Jae-eun went completely out of their way to help us organise our trip out. They found which cinema the film was on, as all the websites are in Korean obviously and the cinema we had planned on just turning up to did not show it anyway!! The girls suggested we book in advance to get cheaper tickets, and Jae-eun put 8 tickets on her card because we do not have Korean bank accounts! They were upset when I went upstairs to tell them we were ready, because the cinema only had bad seats left, and we were stuck with the back row. I started teasing the girls about John who was joining us, and explained that in England, a boy will take a girl on the back row if he wants to be close with her!! I said I knew they had planned this all along so they could have john in the middle of them! Blushing much!
We arrived at the cinema an hour early to have a look around the streets and all the funky shops in the area. This was what we had been waiting for! The hustle and bustle of the city was so exciting and very different to the laid back atmosphere around campus. Mega bright lights stretched across the side of every building advertising singing bars, beer and fried chicken. Plenty of girlie boutiques with gorgeous shoes and specialist make up shops. Street vendors selling tasty Korean snacks (yes, I said tasty!!!!) The only disappointment of the evening was the lady giving out ice-cream samples had run out by the time we had chance to get through the crowd to her!
We had curfew, the dormitories are locked from 12am-5am so we got straight on the bus home and back to our rooms after the film had ended at 11.15! On Mondays there is inspection and roll-call(!) And Chan-Mi, who is a student warden disappeared off to inspect the rooms on our floor, only to return 5 minutes later with a clipboard giggling her head off as she passed our room!
Its who you know!
Saturday 12 September 2009
Taught by those who know..........................
Well after readying myself for bed and climbing into my top bunk, a head appeared by my side and asked if I would like to learn Korean. Now? YES!!
After jotting down a few phrases and making me say them back to her - hundreds of times, because I wasn't getting the pronunciation quite Korean! She then told me I would be tested in 10minutes time! After getting a bit of help from a hand held translator she owns, Chan-mi told me repetition was the key! And so began a night filled with me doing very curious Korean accents to get my words just right. So after perfecting the first lot of phrases I was then given another - one particular lets me ask for chicken(chik'in cheseo), noodles (kur-su cheseo) and vegetables (ya-chae cheseo)! As ordering off menus is something of skill!
It ended up to be something of a very corny night, the 4 of us sat on my top bunk (when Hana and Jae-eun's curiosity got the better of them and overcame their coyness to join us!), giggling and gossiping about film stars - namely RPatz, Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom! They couldn't have made me feel more welcome!
Jae-eun brings me food presents to test what I like, today it was a packet of pepper steak flavour crisps (after the squid flavour disaster which they laughed about!). Also a sausage shape cheese with crab in it! (Not quite sure how to break it to her that was definite no!)
Well thats all for now, cho-un-ha-ru (have a nice day)!
After jotting down a few phrases and making me say them back to her - hundreds of times, because I wasn't getting the pronunciation quite Korean! She then told me I would be tested in 10minutes time! After getting a bit of help from a hand held translator she owns, Chan-mi told me repetition was the key! And so began a night filled with me doing very curious Korean accents to get my words just right. So after perfecting the first lot of phrases I was then given another - one particular lets me ask for chicken(chik'in cheseo), noodles (kur-su cheseo) and vegetables (ya-chae cheseo)! As ordering off menus is something of skill!
It ended up to be something of a very corny night, the 4 of us sat on my top bunk (when Hana and Jae-eun's curiosity got the better of them and overcame their coyness to join us!), giggling and gossiping about film stars - namely RPatz, Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom! They couldn't have made me feel more welcome!
Jae-eun brings me food presents to test what I like, today it was a packet of pepper steak flavour crisps (after the squid flavour disaster which they laughed about!). Also a sausage shape cheese with crab in it! (Not quite sure how to break it to her that was definite no!)
Well thats all for now, cho-un-ha-ru (have a nice day)!
Friday 11 September 2009
Upon Arrival....................
Well after a good time traveling from Manchester-Dubai-Incheon we arrived in Seoul! Fought our way through the rush hour traffic and arrived to our home for the next 2months! Surroundings around the uni are beautiful, tall green mountains in most directions that are amazing!! In the centre of the campus is a football pitch, running circuit and basketball courts. All in brilliant condition! No excuse for not joining in the fitness regime now!!
First Korean meal this evening, Rae-man (I think it is pronounced!!) Noodles and spicy soup! Side dish Kim-chi; fermented cabbage, and some Miso soup! You fight so hard to keep the long noodles on the chopsticks you deserve another meal, but you get too frustrated and end up giving in and slurpping! Ma-shiss-oss-o-yo! Delicous! However the squid flavouur crisps I bought are not! Met some lovely tutors and think we have our timetables sorted: Monday- computer art Thursday- Film and Movies (making, I think!) Friday- Oriental painting and Contemporary art theory. Until then we have the weekend to explore and get our bearings! Much Love!
First Korean meal this evening, Rae-man (I think it is pronounced!!) Noodles and spicy soup! Side dish Kim-chi; fermented cabbage, and some Miso soup! You fight so hard to keep the long noodles on the chopsticks you deserve another meal, but you get too frustrated and end up giving in and slurpping! Ma-shiss-oss-o-yo! Delicous! However the squid flavouur crisps I bought are not! Met some lovely tutors and think we have our timetables sorted: Monday- computer art Thursday- Film and Movies (making, I think!) Friday- Oriental painting and Contemporary art theory. Until then we have the weekend to explore and get our bearings! Much Love!
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