Woah! Hello there blog. It has been a while since I have written about my days here in Korea. The last four weeks have been really busy regarding school and personal activities. The last four weeks have been very intense!
1. Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
But first, let me take a selfie! This is my selfie with one of the Republic of Korea's guards. I felt tension as I took pictures of him, with him, and just being around him and the other guards. We weren't allowed to point, make any sort of gestures, or get too close.
Another reason for choosing to study abroad in South Korea was because of my curiosity regarding DMZ. I have always wanted to experience seeing this area in person and to just feel the moment - to let my imagination run wild. And it did when I landed on the area. I was scared, nervous, excited, thrilled but most of all - curious. Curious to the history of these exact roads, curious of the people that have died in this area, curious about every story told in such a remote area. I had thousands of thoughts rambling around my head.
The infamous scene of South and North Korea. This is the view of North Korean territory on South Korean territory. It so happened that the time I visited, the North Korean soldiers showed up to guard since some important North Korean was in the territory for some sort of tour. I was one of the lucky ones to witness this. Only 5% of the tours get to see this rare occasion! It made my experience even more worthwhile!
Well friends, I present you North Korea! Well, at least what is presented by the North Korean government - a propaganda city/fake village. Being in North Korean territory was insane - I'm still in shock. And it was also a pretty scary experience.
2. Busan (International Film Festival)
As a Californian, the beach has a special place in my heart. So, I was very much looking forward to going to Busan for the International Film Festival because of the beaches (해운대해수욕장 and 광안리해수욕장). What I found to be even more interesting was my fascination for international films. Film aren't something that usually catches my attention. However, since the purpose of this trip was to experience watching international films, I did just that (with of course casual trips to the beach). And I must say, I was blown away by the films I saw! The best one was 'Mariquina' a film from the Philippines. Of course you might say I am being biased because I am Filipino; however, that is not the case. The film was actually really great and had a very important message that match my values in life (as a bonus, I got to meet one of the actors - Ricky Davao). The other films I saw were from Japan, Malaysia, and another one (documentary) from the Philippines. On a negative note, my left foot was in pain the entire time because of some sort of hard hole on the sole of my foot (which I thought was a corn). This meant that I had to painfully limp on my right foot with me being on my toes on the left foot - I was barely able to move. As soon as I returned to my dorm, the next I went to the hospital because of the serious pain, which leads to my next experience in Korea...
3. Hospital and Emergency Room
With the International Health Center being closed (of course just my luck), I decided to go to the Emergency Room because the pain was unbearable. This was the worst decision. All they did was look at it, touched all around it, then decided it was cellulites and wrapped my leg on a splint - unnecessary! I kept telling them it was some infection and that my foot was not injured. I did what they told me - elevate your foot, rest. It only got worse, the infection started to grow puss and it grew and created a huge circular bubble compilation of puss - it was disgusting! So, of course I went back to the hospital but this time to the International Health Center to make sure I spoke with someone who understood English in order to communicate my pain and symptoms thoroughly. As soon as the doctor saw my foot, he knew it was serious. So he consulted other doctors and they came to the conclusion of drainage (duh)! It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced! They pushed all the puss and blood out and I was screaming (thank you for the soundproof walls). After hundreds of antibiotics, my foot is now finally healing (still some pain and left over dead skin) but is in the process of healing still. Because of this experience, I can now truly appreciate American healthcare! My infection caused me from attending the Yon-Ko Games, which is the biggest sports rivalry between Yonsei University and Korea University - I was looking forward to this ever since I heard of it - ugh!!!
I was really nervous about midterms week - I just had no clue what to expect. My professors gave no direction on how the midterms were going to be like so I had no idea at all. So, I just studied everything! And it paid off - did really well on my midterms and I am more than satisfied! My midterms for the Korean language course I am taking was intense - three days worth: speaking, reading/dictation/listening, and writing!
Grace invited us along to see a Korean play called "죽여주는 이야기" and it was such a blast! Definitely enjoyed every minute of it! Haven't had a good laugh in a long time and this play had me crackin' up and I don't even understand Korean ㅋㅋㅋㅋ it was just a really good way to spend a Friday night.
Since my foot felt better and I actually can walk, I finally got the chance to see the Rubber Duck before it leaves! Thank you Florentijn Hofman for this wonderful piece of art! I have wanted to see this for so long and it visited Seoul for the Rubber Duck Project!!! You should have been there to see my excitement - it was priceless. I bought a picture frame just so I can get the complimentary poster.
Last minute decision to celebrate Halloween; so I put on a costume as "Harry Potter." We decided to go to Itaewon (the foreigner district in Seoul) - worst decision ever! There were thousands of people on the subway and in the streets! It took us 20 minutes to just get out of the subway station and even worse trying to push through the crowds on the street. Instead, we went back to good old Sinchon ate street food - it was worth it.
Realizing that we leave next month, we created a bucket list of things we want to see and do before we leave Korea. One of them was to visit Bukchon Hanok Village, which is a part of town that have traditional housing from the past and new housing and buildings surrounding it - a great dichotomy! It was one of the more beautiful scenery I have seen here in Korea - the richness in history was breathtaking!
Inside the village, one of their workshops was wearing Hanboks and having the chance to take pictures (another one on our bucket list) so it was a must! We had a blast and so did the workers because they would not stop taking pictures of us!
Those are some of the highlights of my last four weeks. They have been pretty eventful and I hope the next coming weeks are just as eventful and joyous!
If you are a future CIEE Seoul student and you are reading this, my advice:
1. Enjoy your time with friends. Quality over quantity - you will enjoy moments better this way, it makes everything more memorable knowing the people you spent them with.
2. Make use of your weekends. Do something spontaneous, push yourself out of your comfort zone and experience every bit of Korea you can get! You never truly realize the speed of time until you are a few weeks away from ending your study abroad experience.
3. Research what is going on around the city and do them! Do not be afraid to ask people to come with you, chances are they also want to do it because they want to experience as much of Korea as possible in your short stay!
4. School is important; but do not get too caught up with it when you are abroad. Culturally emerged yourself outside of the intense academic culture of Korea.
5. And lastly, avoid the hospital! Haha. It is not a fun experience and it is quite heavy on the pocket! So if at anytime you feel sick, go right away. Do not let it get worse.
AND OMG OH YEAH.... I GOT IN TO THE MINOR PROGRAM FOR TECHNOLOGY, ARTS, & MEDIA (TAM)!!! I was still missing one of the required courses but I applied anyways because I already had my own website and a portfolio of graphic design and surprisingly was accepted! It definitely made my week!
