Korea: BibimBlog Recipe

안녕하세요, 여러분 \(^^)/ Welcome to my blog. My name's Ria and i'm an italian girl currently living in Seoul, South Korea. I started this blog to share my experience in Korea and, maybe, help u all with my informations, But i will also collect all my travel experiences around the world so enjoy it and feel free to ask for more details.

[koria3-blog]

  Theme Café: 또옹카페 

(Poop Café)  

Have you ever heard about a poop-based coffee shop? No, of course not. Come on... who's gonna even imagine to make something like this? Well... in Korea, Seoul, someone did. And in a pretty effective way i must say. So, let's start from the name: Poop Cafè. I know what you are thinking now, quite easy to imagine: 1. "What?...Really?... Poop? Are they crazy?" 2. "Will i find poop everywhere inside?" Is... is it more or less what popped out in your mind?  It was, honestly, exactly what came in mine when i first found about this coffee shop on the internet.  I still cannot explain to myself how someone, one day, woke up and decided that poop could have been cool enough to base an eating and drinking place on it so i came to the conclusion that my friend's only reply to every strange thing is "cause they are asian" is an acceptable reply XD. Of course it is meant in a good way since, until now, not me or any of my friends from different parts of the world,  we have never seen some of the really unique things we can find here. And, of course, this coffee shop is absolutely on the top list of this unique things.  If you have never been on last floor of the Ssamziegil Mall in Insadong, it will be pretty hard for you to find out the existence of this place since, despite the expectations, outside is nothing more than a normal coffee shop with big korean letters on the window at the entrance. But, honestly speaking, even forgetting for a while the "whole-poop-things" the big window and the location on the top of the mall, make it to appear like a nice place where spend some quiet time.  

©http://seoulsearching.net  

However, once you get closer, you start to realize that there is a tree inside decorated with colorful poop-shaped papers and some poop-plush on the tables and, at this point, you will probably wonder which kind of place is it. And, even more probably, you will decide to enter.  Then, when you will be inside, a flower-toilet, right in front of the entrance and under the coffee bar, will welcome you but despite this, you will surprisingly notice that the place is more normal than what your expected. Spacious and an essential interior, a casual style and a very clean and bright space.  And, especially in the late evening, the view from the big window on the roof of the mall make the atmosphere more characteristic and enjoyable.  

  Honestly speaking the first impact with the inside of the café made me to be a little disappointed: i was expecting something more... "shocking" but, as i sit inside with my friend, and as i started to look around, i could slowly find out many little (and sometimes pretty well hidden) cute-made details. So i can say that it was in that moment that i changed my mind: yes, it is a poop themed coffee but... what i was actually expecting? Probably a more "shocking" place could have resulted odd or even dirty but, instead, the way every detail recall the toilet theme without giving up to the uniqueness of the place is absolutely the best choice the owner could have taken.  

      ©http://seoulsearching.net

Another thing that made me surprised is the price of the drinks that i was expecting to be a little higher since the tourist location and the quite special cup service but, despite my expectations, i found out that the price is totally average: 5500won for a Vanilla latte, 5000 for a Cappuccino and 6000 for a waffle with ice cream. So if you were thinking that maybe the place is not worth the price, don't worry about it!  Anyway, that's not exactly what makes this place to be unique. Well... have you ever wonder how it feel to drink from a toilet? No? If you have (how could you?? hahahah) now you can guess the feeling drinking from this so cute toilet shaped cup. I must tell you that, if you absolutely wanna receive your drink in this kind of cup it is required an hot drink and, even so, not always you will be lucky enough to get the cup you want so, if you wanna enjoy the fun to drink from it or even just take a picture i suggest you to choose the 장미라떼(Rose Latte).  

©http://seoulsearching.net

©http://seoulsearching.net

장미라떼(Rose Latte) ©http://seoulsearching.net

If you will be not lucky enough to get this cups you will be happy to know that there are also other kind of cute cups and drinks.  

©http://seoulsearching.net

   How to get there:

종로구 관훈동 38 쌈지길 건물 4층

(Located on the 4th floor of the Ssamziegil Mall)

[koria3-blog]

Health Insurance  

If you are coming to Korea as university student probably, as listed among Yonsei's documentations, it will be required to send a proof that you have health insurance that will cover all your medical issues in Korea. Of course, as i know only about Italy and everyone will have no choice to make the insurance everywhere else then in their own country, i can't give special advices but, i can surely introduce a better and more economic insurance that you can make in Korea as soon as you insurance will be expired. First, my suggestion is to limit you "travel" insurance period to 3 (or less) months so, after that time, you can make the 1 year korean one that will be not only less expensive but also more comfortable and fast to receive back your money when you will have some health problem. At this point, maybe someone is thinking.... If this insurance is so good why i can't make it directly before come to Korea? Well, very simple: to make it you need an Alien Card and, as you know, you can obtain it only in Korea. More, you should consider, even this is indicated for foreigners you should have even just a little knowledge about korean health system. And, last, it would be good (necessary if you don't have friends that can "lend" you their phone number)  a Korean simcard. So, said this, let's see how can you make your korean insurance and how it works. 1. Go to the website: CLICK HERE 2. Luckily, as you can see, the options to choose are in english but to be sure...click on the "new application"  3. Apply on the website (required Passport number, AlienCard, StudentID) 4. There will be many field that probably you will not know how to fill... like: "address, bank name, bank account, ecc."  As the website suggest, you can skip this part but, since at the payment time you will need to make a deposit on a korean bank, i suggest you to make a korean credit card and, in my opinion, Woori Bank (우리 은행) is the best choice for foreigners. (in the next post i will explain how to make it ) In any case you can ask to a friend to "lend" you his/her bank account. 5. After you have decided the period you want your insurance to last until, you can find the price u need to pay finding your year of birth. The difference of price between years and sex may looks strange but, reflecting on it: you can easily imagine that older you are more your health can be dedicated so, as you may need more hospital care the company has to spend more on you. 6. In the end, to pay is all that left! U will receive all the data that you need to go to the bank and make the payment. (Bank name, recipient, account number, ecc) 7. So, if i will go to the hospital, make a visit in some private clinic, or spend money for my health, how can i have them back? Simple.  Remember that the first thing to do is to save ALL the receipts: the visit ones and also the medicine ones. At this point, all you have to do is to take a picture of all of them and send it by email or phone to the company you just applied. (I suggest to use the mail: if you still don't have your personal phone number can be easier for you to do everything through the laptop.) And then you will receive the refund directly on your (or your friend if you don't have one) korean bank account. Not that hard, right? Personally i applied for 3 months and i payed (if i can remember well) 60.000 won. So cheap! Isn't it? For 6, in Italy, i payed over 150 euro! it means... around 190.000 korean won. 8. Hospital I want to add also this information for all the Yonsei student: being a Yonsei student gives to you the right to benefit of the campus little medical room. Unluckily, even being a Yonsei student, take access to the Several Hospital is not easy but, i can assure, the doctor in the Yonsei main campus is as good as every other one you can find in a big hospital and, more, she can also speak english fluently. When you will go there, all you need is your student Id card and after the visit, in case you need medicine, you will pay just the medicine amount, not for the visit.  

  Of course, if you will need more info feel free to contact me and... hope this can help more ^^

[koria3-blog]

  Theme Café: My Princess Diary (Wedding dress café)  

I'm sorry for the late: i promised to write something everyday but... i guess it is just impossibile sometimes... I must also say that it's just thanks to my mom and friends, that support and incourage me to keep this blog, if i'm putting so much efforts in it. Said this... it's time to introduce today topic. This post is especially dedicated to my friend Martina who shared this incredibly crazy experience and to my other friend Cris who was so lovely and patient (he really enjoy that anyway hahahah) to take the pics i will show to you. As you could read from the title, this post is dedicated to a theme café and, in particular, a cafè in which you can rent a wedding dress and play around with it for a while and, of course, taking pics and a delicious drink too. Where is the cafè located? The café is lacated in the Ewha University area: famous to be a shopping area mostly for girls, in which you can find over 15 cosmetic brands shop, accessory and every kind of cute things, there would not be a better place for such a cute and princess dream like cafè! To find it easily you can follow this instructions: Take the green metro line and take of at 이대역 (Ewha Womans University), Exit 3. Go straight untill the second side street to your right. You will see, again on the right side of the small street, watching on the top of the building, the name of the café. But, if you wanna go with the taxi to make everything easier, this is the full adress:  26, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu | Ihwa Bldg. 3F, Seoul 120-808, South Korea (Sinchon / Ewha)  

What i need to do to rent the dress? And which kind of dresses i can find? When i went with my friends, at 16:00 more or less, there were only other 4 girls from China or maybe Japan. The space is not so small but neighter that big so we preferred to wait and take first something to drink. Of course you can choose if you wanna get a drink before or after but: - you must take a drink! No escape XD - you cannot drink it while you have the wedding dress on. After you finished to enjoy your drink (that i should say was really good!) you can choose your dress. There are various kind of dresses and of course prices. - Classic long, princess like, mermaid like... wedding dress - Short, ballerina like dresses - Colorfull as red, black... well... a little burlesque style maybe - Hanbok, Chinese style dress, and some others particular dresses (some of them look more like carnival dresses but... well XD) - Men's suits. What about the price? And how long can i use my dress? The price goes from 25.000 to 50.000 and, of course, more you dress is elaborate and well made, more it will costs. But don't worry!! mine was 30.000won and it was, in my opinion, superb! You can use the dress for 1 hour but, i suppose, you can pay one more time and use for longer if you need or want. What else i will have with my dress? The 2 girls who works will scort you in the fitting room and, there, there will help you to wear the dress. First, they are gonna give you a push-up bra to put on your own: so that your size can fit with the dress. Then, after you will finish with the dress, they will give your size shoes and a tiara if you want. More than this, outside the fitting room, you can find whatever can help you to enjoy your experience and make your pics more realistic or cute: - various bouquet. - gloves - cat, bunny ears - hats - hair clips And more. Location The location, as i said, is not really big but, every part of the café, is organised in the way you can find many different spot and style for your pics. - There is a mirror in which reserved for the make up (so bring your own make up if u want ) - A piano - A "safari" and esotic area - And a traditional asian room

My personal experience When my friend came to Seoul, it was for her not the first time so i wanted to find something that could have been funny and interesting without move too far from the city center. So i searched on Naver and Google which activity could have been the best for us and, as my blog, i found a girl's post about this cute place. At first i thought: "yeah... well... looks cute but... isn't it too much???"  We are girls, every girls dream about her wedding day and dress but... spend money to try, just for fun, a dress... I was really not sure about it but then i convinced my self that it could have been a really funny experience and so, at the end, we ended up going there. You must know: i don't regret it at all!! Still i don't like the idea that i spent money on it ( i can be a really stingy girl -.-) but at same time ... just for one time is fine! We are young, and for my friend was a travel for plasure, so at that time you need to do something like that that can make you to enjoy the time and save good memories. It was really funny! I must say it again and again to make you feel like you have absolutly to try it! For one time i felt really like a princess, enjoying the photos and selcas and all the laughs with my friends. It was a really unique feeling and experience and i hope, if you will come to Korea, that you will try it too! Ps. i'm sorry for our faces but i hope you will enjoy the pics ^^  That was my dress:

And this is my beautiful friend Martina (Instagram ID: mew_berry_)

[koria3-blog]

  Alien Card  

If you are planning to stay in Korea for more than 3 months, well, you need to make an Alien Card. Without this card it will be impossible for you to obtain many other services that might be useful and even necessary for you long-term stay in Korea. For example? You can't get a korean medical insurance (3 times cheaper than italian one), or obtain a korean simcard for you phone, and more, it may be almost impossible to open a bank account, and more. Basically, being the Alien Card an ID card, granted to foreiners who got the visa, without this document you can't be recognized as a (temporary) korean citizen. So, how can i make an Alien Card, and what do i need? Maybe you're thinking that it will be an hard job but, trust me, it's not hard as it looks like. First, don't worry: you don't need to make it as soon as u will arrive in Korea! If you got a visa you have 90days time to go to the Immigration Center, fill the request and receive the card.  (Maybe not everyone knows it but, if your plan is to stay in Korea less than 3 months, there's no need to make a Visa or Alien Card)  Second, let's see together which documents you need before go there.  1. Application Form:  you can find it directly in the office but, if you feel more confortable to fill it home, you can download it from the website 2. Your passport 3. A copy of your passport 4. Photo 3.5x4.5 5. 20.000won (can change) When you will fill the application form will be required your korean phone number and korean adress. Well, don't worry! You can use a korean friend phone number or just skip this part. About the adress... remember to ask to your house owner, or to check on the hostel, livingtel, goshiwon, school dormitory, etc. website. I was not ready with this information so, if you wanna finish as fast as possibile, i suggest you to prepare everything before :) How long will it take to receive the Alien Card? Usually where and how long it takes to receive it is different and can also be chosen by you.  Let me explain. For me, for example, it tooks just 1 working week and i received it directly in my hostel.  For some of my friends, it tooks 15 days and they had to go there to take it personally. Honestly i guess it may be because not many workers (even in the immigration center) can speak english, so understand the questions they are gonna ask you, in korean, if you have never studied korean before or even just for 3 months, is really hard. Luckily for me, i found a really kind girl who could speak english enough to ask me if i prefered to receive it "home" or not and so it was not as stressful and i thought it could be. How to extend my Alien Card? What i need? At one point of your stay, whatever visa you have, (besides the working holiday visa, at least if you don't get an official job) if you plan to stay longer, u must extend your Alien Card date. Basically to extend will be almost same that make it, just you will need some different documents: 1. School certificate or application (you can request it to the office in your university. For the Yonsei KLI, for exemple, you can go to the 2 floor office and fill a document with your informations as (name, passport number, number of copy, etc) and pay 800won is u want a korean copy or 1200won if u like more an english one (if u need it to extend your visa there's no need to pay more for an english one, u are in Korea after all... XD) 2. A proof that you extend you accommodation period (i asked it to my hostel responsable and she was so kind to write it for me, Basically it's like a sponsorship letter in which thet say that you effectively are gonna stay there for more than 3 months. 3. Passport 4. Money. (i'm sorry, i paid with my credit card so i'm not sure how exactly was it but, next time, i will check) That's all what you need! Where is the immigration center? If i'm not wrong, there are 3 immigration offices in Seoul. Each office is responsable of a determined area of Seoul and so you need to check before in which area you are and which office is responsable for that area. 1. Mok-Dong Adress: #319-2 Shinjeong 6-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul Way to go there: take the green line (line number 2) direction Sinchon -> Hongdae, take off at Yeongdeungpo-office/엉등포구청 and transfer in the purple line (line number 5) and take of at Omokgyo/오목교 station. From the station is 10 min far by walk

2. Sejongno Area: Jung-gu, Jongno-gu, Dongdaemun-gu, Jungnang-gu, Seonngbuk-gu, Gangbuk-gu, dobong-gu, Nowon-gu e Eunpyeong-gu. Adress: 2F, SK Hub Building, 89-4, Gyeongun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul Way to go there: you can find this office inside the Unhyungung SK Hub building, second piano. Take the orange line  (line number 3), take off at Anguk Station and go out at the exit 3. 3. Downtown office This immigration office is located in Gwanghwamun Seoul Global Center 2,3F.  

[koria3-blog]

    Sailor Moon Eyeliner Limited Edition  

Girls, if you are in Korea, and you like whatever is related with Sailor Moon... Run to Olive Young and buy this 2 cute eyeliner!  

 So cute! Isn't it? That's not the first time Olive Young sells this 2 cute Limited Ed. Eyeliner but, since they come directly from Japan and the number is really limited, a few months ago it was for me and my friend impossible to find and so buy them. But now, finally, thanks to that friend (that i don't know how she found it out XD) we knew that they were in the shops again and so, right after school, i went look for them. Even they are in the shops since 1 or 2 days i had to go in a not central area to find them so, if u wanna buy them, i suggest to run...NOW! Actually i didn't even opened them yet: you know... being a cosplayers and manga/anime lover and figure collector... well... for me is more like a treasure than an real cosmetic product so... i'm not really sure i will open even one of them way soon XD I'm so sorry that, in this case, i can't talk about the quality of the product but just show you the exterior part. By the way, the price of 1(same for both) is 23.000 korean won. Basically around 19/20 euro.  Little expensive, i know, but... i just love them!   

  Oh! and since i bought 3 products, if u plan to do as me XD, you will probably receive this as service ^^  

  Basically stickers and post it XD I don't even really know who is the guy so... i would have prefered to receive some cosmetics or face masks XD but, maybe some of us would love to know that you can also get it :)

[koria3-blog]

  Korean penpal friends  

OMO! I actually didn't expect to receive already some questions and a few followers! Really, i'm happly surprised :) so, at first, thanks very much ^^ For this second post i've spent a few hours thinking of what could have been interesting to read: ... again some "technical" information? Food? Interesting places? Well, in the end i decided instead to talk about the korean application i used, or some of my friends suggested to me, in order to find korean language partners or friends. I guess, not everyone who is interested in Korea can actually come here so, maybe, make some korean friends can at least be a good way to feel more close to Korea. Share your Kpop interest, improve your korean skills, know more about korean culture... well, everyone has his own reason to make a korean friend but anyway, if you don't know where o which app is good to do that, i'm gonna introduce some to you. 1. Epenpal ★★★☆☆ App: ePenpal - SNS, Snail Mail Website: http://www.epenpal.net/ That's the first app i've never used to make some korean friends. It's been almost 2 years ago since i downloaded it for the first time and, i should say, at that time i crazy liked it. Basically at that time the number of korean ppl was really high: of course, there were also foreigners but compared the number of asian people was definitely higher. Most of koreans could speak english even a little and, so, help them with english and be helped with korean was a really good practice. More, there were (there is still) a space similar to a personal blog in which you can share pictures and texts and receive comments from anyone. As i said i really liked it a lot! Share my stories and pics gave me the opportunity to know some good people and make good friends. Still know i'm in contact with a few of them even if, unluckily, we are not talking so much anymore.  So, in conclusion, it was a really great app but, nowadays, i think it's not that good anymore. To be honest i stopped to used it 2 years ago but, since my friend is still using it, i could check on her phone what's the difference back then and now. Basically thechnically nothing's changed but, as i saw, the number of korean people (or just active people) is decreased a lot.  More than find friends in order to help each other's to learn a new languages the main topic seams to share selcas and find a partner. Well, not that this actually a terrible or bad things but... if u already have a girlfriend or boyfriend, will be really hard for you to keep a conversation for more than 10 minutes. 2. Tinder ★☆☆☆☆ App: tinder OMG! No, really, OMG! Do you wanna find a partner close to you? That's the app! Do you wanna find a boyfriend/girlfriend/a onedaynight or whatever? That's the app. That's not really useful to make friends! That's not even useful to find a korean people since the app is made to locate people who are near to you and, unless you are not in Korea, that's pretty hard to find korean people. When my friend introduced it to me i was pretty curious since she told me that she could actually made a lot of good friends so, for 2 days, i tried too. Well... i tried to "like" as many girls pics as i could but, in the end, no one replied to me. I really didnt like it at all but, i must say but!, i could in the end find a good friend that is one of the closest one i have: not only a good chatting friend but a good help to practice korean skills. That's all about what you are looking for... but if u wanna find good friends here you have maybe the 10% chance of success. 3. MEEFF ★★☆ ☆ ☆  App: MEEFF - Korean friends! I don't really know that much about this app. I've seen my classmate use it so i asked a few things about it to make a "review" for you all. Basically, as my friend said, this application is not that different from Tinder... Wait, let me explain XD The purpose may be similar and so find a real friend can be really hard but, technically speaking, there are many differences. First, you can finally make a personal profile avoiding to connect you facebook or google ID.  You can specify which languages you know and which one you are interested to learn; more, you can also choose the gender, main language, distance and the age that you would like your partner to have; and that can be really useful to focus your research on the language you are interested in but... well... is not like the others will mind about what you are looking for... but anyway. More, being a korean focused application i suppose most of the people you will talk with will be korean. At this point it looks like a perfect app? Isn't it? But as my friend said... the number or people who actually use this app is really low and, more, the "looking for a partner, not a friend" seems to be the main goal. (korean guys are really annoying on this point of view! Asking if you are in a relationship, even after the greetings, can even be ok but... i love you, i wanna marry you, stay also with me... seems to me really stupid and annoying. Anyway...) So, in conclusion, maybe it can be a not bad app but... i can surely suggest you something way better! ;) 4. Globee ★★★★☆  App: Globee-meet foreign tutors Well, this app is a little different from the others one: that's a real way to find or to be a teacher. I don't know if you are interested in this but give it a try can be not a bad idea after all. Thanks to this app, pretty serious app i must say, you can even earn some money. Interested now? Well, so let's introduce it! At first, as every other app, it will be requested to you to create an ID: name, age, etc etc. Important is it will be asked to you to add your mother tongue, language that you you want to teach and language that you would like to learn. Of course you don't need to do both: if u are only interested to learn just choose to be a student, if you wanna try to teach, well choose it. In case you decide to be a teacher, remember that you must upload your school certificate or anyway whatever can prove that you know the language you are going to teach well enough. that's will be necessary in case you decide to be payed, if you want try to teach for free or just find an exchange student, i suppose you don't really need it. If instead you wanna just learn a language, all you have to do is choose the language you wanna learn, how much you wanna pay (of course there is also free lessons) and even if you want your teacher to be in your same area or not. After this, you can exchange with your partner Skype or whatever you want to start the "class". I tried it for a while teaching spanish cause i feel like i'm losing all my spanish skills T_T and, even we just had practice by chat on that same app, it seems to me a really serious and useful app. Well, if u decided to share Skype be always careful... never know what you can see XD 5. Anygram ★★☆☆☆  App: anygram : Make Global Friends Honestly speaking i found this application a few days ago but i never downloaded it. How can i make a review so???  I'm so sorry but actually i can't. I'm trying to use it now, while i'm writing this, in order to give you all a better opinion about it but... i found it really complicated to use and, more, i've still not found even just one korean girl or guy! The starts on the app (4,4) make me think that it should be a not so bad app but... as now i really don't feel comfortable using it XD so, if someone will try it please give me your personal opinion in order for me to share it. :) 6. Hello Pal ★★★★★ App: Hello Pal : parla con il mondo Finally my favorite one! Yeah, that's what is said, my favorite! XD I wanna start to say that, as in this specific case, this app is rated 4.1, less than the app i just introduced before this one... It means, don't let yourself to be influenced by the stars: not always they said the truth ;D So, said that, let's talk about the app. First, as the others, you can make your own profile avoiding to connect the app to Facebook or whatever. You can choose your pics, in which country u are living at the moment, your age, sex and so on. Naturally you have to add your mother tongue, the languages you can speak (and the level) and with language you would like to learn or you are studying. Until here nothing really new, right? Wrong! That's what makes this app so much better than the others! 1. During the chat you have a translator (actually working REALLY well) to help you during your conversation. 2. You can send text or also recorder your voice and that's can make the conversation more interesting and funny. 3. You also have a game section in which you can, according to the level you will choose, practice you skill in whatever language you like. These are pretty much the technical differences u can find but, for me, the biggest difference between this and the other app is that... actually this chat is REALLY working!! I mean, as soon as you will create your profile probably not many people will send you a request (u can start a conversation anyway) but, after a few hours, you will see that actually all the people contacting you are mother tongue in the language you wanna learn and wanna learn the language you can actually speak. Finally a good deal! You will be really surprised to see that not only men (if u are a girl) will send u a msg but only a lot of girls would like to talk with you and be your friend! That's was for me absolutely fantastic! As much as i tried to chat with girls always they avoid me so, to see that, was for me totally new and a very good sign. More, most of the people you will talk with will actually ask for you to help them or to be friends and, honestly, even i talked with a few guys, no one asked me if i'm or not in a relationship! another really good sign for me.  I've tried few app looking for people who are really interested in learn and help and, finally, i ended up find this one where the people are really a good help to improve you language skills and also a good possibility to make friends all over the world. Of course, i can't guarantee you that none perv or stupid people will contact you but... well, to me has not happened yet so... XD If i should suggest you an app to try i will definitely suggest this one! Give it a try and then let me know ;) Ok guys,  As always, u will probably see if you decided to keep following this blog, i'm quite a talkative person XD but i hope my long talk was detailed enough to help you ^^ As always, again, if you have any question i will be happy to reply as soon as possible and even talk and share ideas about the topic will before me interesting and funny. So... See you guys next time :)  

[koria3-blog]

ciao :) ho letto che ti sei già laureata qui in Italia e non capisco.. La tua laurea in Corea non vale? Nell'istituto lì sei ripartita da 0 oppure è come se stessi facendo una specialistica/master?

Ciao a te!!Hai ragione,non ho specificato e quindi questo punto appare poco chiaro XDIn realtà, come forse sai, le iscrizioni per i bimestri alle università di lingua coreano aprono moooolto prima (solitamente dai 4-2 mesi prima) così, per poter frequentare il corso primaverile agli inizi di marzo, e per la paura di non fare in tempo a completare tutto le procedure, mi iscrissi alla Yonsei in dicembre: allora ero laureanda. Nella fretta, come ti ho appena detto, ho fatto tradurre il diploma liceale poichè avevo la seduta di laura solo a fine gennaio e la partenza prevista per metà febbraio. Ecco spiegato tutto :DPer quanto riguarda la Yonsei... beh, c’è una precisazione da fare.Ovviamente, in primo luogo, la Yonsei è una università di studi come quelle italiane e, come tale, frequentata dai ragazzi coreani che, in 4 anni solitamente, vogliono conseguire la laurea. la sezione KLI, invece, è da considerare solo una scuola di lingua privata e non una università vera e propria. Alla fine dei completati 6 o 7 livelli ti verrà sì rilasciato un bel diploma valido per tutte le aziende coreane (Qualora tu volessi lavorare qui) e ovviamente, mi auguro, quale certificazione di lingua all’estero, ma più di tanto no.Mi piego meglio, che tu sia laureata in lingue, medicina o quel che vuoi, quando entri alla KLI non conta nulla: sei solo una normale studentessa di lingua coreana. A meno che, ovviamente, tu non sia laurata in lingue! Certo, non sarà una specialistica ufficiale ma per conto mio io lo ritengo un bel master. :) in fin dei conti ottieni la certificazione dalla seconda università più accreditata di Seoul e, anche, impari una lingua non solo studiandola ma facendo pratica sul campo.In conclusione credo che, dipenda da ciò che vuoi fare in futuro. Per me, come ti ho detto, rappresenta un master vero e proprio. Per altri amici, di diverse facoltà,rappresenta la possibilità di aggiungere al curriculum una credenziale maggiore.spero di esserti stata utile :Dnel caso non esitare a chiedere ancora!Mi rendo conto di quanto sia difficile trovare le informazioni adatte! Pensa, nonostante io abbia “tentato” di studiare coreano all’università (senza imparare assolutamente nulla!) neanche il mio professore sapeva aiutarmi su come regolarmi prima di venire qui. -.-’

Beh alla prossima allora ;)

[koria3-blog]

  Yonsei KLI  

Well, what's the best way to start my blog if not talk about the language school? That's a classic! And... yeah, I'll be honest, i'm not gonna start talk about all the language schools in Korea or Seoul 'cause the only one i know and have experience about, at the moment, is Yonsei KLI so, if you are interested in this particular school, hope this can be useful (and i mean REALLY useful!) and clear. At first, i should say, for who is not familiar with the korean application way, use the school website is really hell! For me, even though i searched for help on the website (and i must say i found some well made blog) it was still not enough deteils to help me in a deep way.  As i said before, i'm italian so, of course, i can guide italian people during the document process very well and, for this reason, i'm gonna add a special info during the "documentations" in italian.  So, let's start! 1. What is Yonsei website? And what does KLI means? This is the Yonsei KLI website. (u can switch the language intro english, of course) KLI litteraly means "Korean Language Institute": it is considered as an "extra" of the main Yonsei University (it is not in the main campus but located in a different place although just 2 bus stop far) and is specific made for foreign people who wanna learn korean language. If u wanna apply to Yonsei school u may want to know that u will focus your study on the grammar. Unfortunately there is not much time to practice speaking and listening skills so it will be up to you to improve it. But don't worry!! you grammar level will be absolutelly great so, with a little help from your korean friends you can slowly improve your speaking skills too. 2. How to apply? Which documents i need to prepare? Of course, the first thing to do, is to create an ID and a password to Login. U will be requested to fill a personal statement with your personal informations and a picture. (if you plan to stay more than 3 months, at the question "will u apply for a student visa?" remember to reply YES!) After this you need to collect the required documentation. - A copy of your passport. - Accademic certificate (u need at least a diploma of highschool. And it has to be in ENGLISH) - A picture  - A bank statement ( u need to certificate that you have enough money to live in korea during the study period or, that someone can provide to support you and your studies) - Health insurance (i suggest to make a short term one in your country and then a long term one in korea since here is way more cheap. Unfortunatelly u need the Alien Card to make the korean one so you can obtein it only after arrived here) After decided which program are you going to follow (i'm gonna talk about it later) apply to it and send by mail all the documents. (there is also an essey you will be requested to write but don't worry! it is not important for the admission. Basically everyone is taken XD) The last step, when everything is complite, is to wait that the Yonsei office will send to you the documents to obtein the student visa. (i guess it the time to arrival is different for every country. But more or less 15-20 days) I know it is still not easy and maybe i missed something (i applied 1 year ago XD) so, during the process, if u need still help don't hesitate to send a msg. Italian info: Anche solo ricordare quanto sia stato uno stress immenso procurarmi tutti i documenti richiesti, mi fa venire la nausea XD per cui, magari posso aiutare qualcuno semplificandogli la vita.  Io sono di Napoli per cui, onestamente, non so quanto siano differenti i procedimenti rispetto ad un'altra città; in ogni caso scriverò semplicemente come io sono riuscita a cavarmela e cosa ho fatto per superare l'immensa incapacità lavorativa che regna a Napoli. - Il diploma: è necessario che sia in inglese e, ovviamente, nessuna scuola ti fornisce una traduzione del tuo diploma bella e pronta (non almeno a Napoli!) per cui, su internet, ho cercato un traduttore giurato che supperisse a questa mancanza. Una volta trovato e fornitogli il diploma, in 4 giorni(una settimana forse, non ricordo precisamente) mi ha riconsegnato la traduzione completa di documenti di certificazione e credenziali della tradtuttrice. Il tutto mi è costato 40 euro. - La banca: preferirei stendere un velo pietoso! Nessuno ha saputo dirmi come e quale documento specifico ottenere per soddisfare la richiesta dell'università. In fine, ho risolto il tutto chiedendo una "references letter". Ovviamente, anche questo documento era necessario fosse in inglese per cui, mi auguro, troviate una banca ed un dipendente abbastanza competente che vi fornisca il modello prestampato del documento. Per metterla già facile, il documento attesta che un genitore (o chi vogliate) vi fornirà denaro sufficiente per i vostri studi e le vostre necessità durante il soggiorno in Corea.  - Il visto: un altro bel casotto! Se vivete a Roma probabilmente sarà una passeggiata per voi ma, per cui come me vive "sfortunatamente" altrove, una passeggiata non lo è stata! O almeno, sì, è stata una luuuuunga passeggiata. Da Napoli a Roma. Ben due volte. Ad ogni modo, una volta arrivata all'ambasciata coreana, forniti i documenti spediti dalla Yonsei e il passaporto, in 10 giorni (max 2 settimane e anche meno!) ti chiameranno per tornare a riprendere tutto.  3. The programs. There is really a wide selction and u can all find it on the website so, what i can help for, is to make u understand the little difference between them. I'm currently following the Regular program that is, inmy opinion, the best way to learn korean from the basic in a good way. What you cannot find on the website, about the Regular program, is this: - It is divided in A and B class. A class is made for Asian students as the grammar can be considered similar. If u follow this class u must know that probably in your class no one will be able to speak english and, in learning terms, the teaching process will be faster and not always detailed. During the exams, if for the B class students careless mistakes will be considered as what they are, (if the reply is right you will not lose the point but just a 0.10 or more will be subtracted for the wrong word) in the A class even a wrong word will make u lose the points Basically, the A class is suggested for ppl who already have a good knowledge of korean language and are ready to study by themself more than during the class. Another difference is that for A class u must complete 6 level to graduate. For the B class the level are 8 but, honestly speaking, they are 7.  At the end of the 4th level,since the number of ppl ready to pay for 2 years study is very low, you will be automatically put in the A class even though u will do again the level 4. 4. The Books Even the price is not that expensive, is not either cheap! There will be 3 kind of books u will use everyday during the class: - Grammar book  - Excercice book - Reading book The first too will be the base for your grammar practice. With this books u will not only practice the writing skills but, also, the conversation and the topics for the speaking exam. The reading is focused on the comprehension and, of course, the aloud reading. (The price may be different now) Books:

Price:

5. The Exam. Attendence. The exam is usually divided in 2 days: - 1st day: Speaking, Comprehension - 2nd day: Writing, Aloud reading, Listening U need to obtein a minimum of 60 to pass. And of course need to pass all of it to advance to the next level. More, if u fail one you have the possibility to take it again. If u will fail again u must do again the same level. About the attendance you can skip 40 hours maximum and, it means, not more than 10 days. If u will skip more than 10 days automatically u will fail the level.  

At the moment i can't think of anything else u need to know to apply to Yonsey KLI:  basically that's all you may want to know about the school. As me, if i should give some personal advices, i can add just a few things: 1. I'm sorry i skiped the Dormitory part but, as i arrived here, i refused to stay in the dormitory. I'm currently living in a one room and, as the price is cheaper than the dormitory i also prefer to have my space (i will add a one room post soon)  By the way, some of my friends told me that the life in the dormitory is quite good. U can choose according to your needs if u wanna take a private or a share room and more, you will live just 5 or 10 min far from the school. That's just a personal choice :) 2. About the teaching and learning process i'm really happy i choose Yonsei. As i said before they focus everything on the grammar and so, it means u will have a really good vocabulary and knowledge about the korean language. U will be able to use all the speaking level in the normal life and in the working places but, unfortunatelly, u will not practice the speaking that much. That's why, as i finished the 4th level (considered as an high intermediate level) i wanna move to Sogang university to improve my conversation skills. As soon as this will happen i will surely write a new post giving all the information u may want to know.  

Part of the Yonsei University

Hope my post was useful for you ^^ If you want, let me know your experience: according to it i can improve my post in order to help more.