British Council and Seoul

(30^th September until 2^nd October)

Today on Friday I had a meeting with the British Council director. He liked to find out more of British students and studying in the UK from abroad and now here in S Korea abroad. His mission is to bring more UK students into Korea, as many of them come for travel but not studying. He is keen to find out the reason on it - why and how do they hear about the opportunity of coming to S Korea. I hope I can contribute to his mission - by posting my experience here and be read by my home university for the start and expand to other students who come across this blog and make them exited on what they can experience while being here. 

In the later afternoon was a session for Korean students  on who like to find out more about the UK and progress their studies there. I have been asked to come for the Q&A session that students could ask me on my experience - as technically I will encounter nearly the same problems as they will do. They also can ask me about the student life into more detail as British council would answer it with case studies and on past students they had meet on the return. The lady from the British council had been greatful that I have attended the Q&A session of her event.

 As soon the event has finish we made our way to Seoul. It is now the last weekend for my girlfriend here in Korea or only one day off the weekend as she is flying away on Sunday morning. The weeks had gone by very quick I still can remember on how I pick her up from the airport and actually on how myself I just arrived to Korea.  

Before the meeting of the Brtish Council we said good bye to her friends from the church at a place which my friend had recommended me to go for tea and coffee (or Coffee and bread).  As the name says you get for every drink you order 4 to 5 different types of bread. The price of the drink does not vary much from other places, therefore actually it is cheaper in this place if the cost of the bread is included into the price. 

After the meeting with British Council we made our way to the station and set off to Seoul. I promised the hostel to come for 10pm but due to late finish and want to save a bit of money (therefore not token KTX) got the train at 7pm and arrived at around 11pm in Seoul. The hostel is very friendly and let us arrived and check in for 11pm. I am not sure as if I had been guest there now twice or is that there policy to wait until 1am. 

The next day me had met up with our friend from Seoul and said good bye to him (or at least my girlfriend). We also have given him the Kimchi we had made ourselves in Suncheon. He was very happy - as it is actually his favourite Kimchi.  

We could not stay long with him as we had been looking out for our tour guide and needed to go to the theatre at 2pm. The promised tour guide did not had shown up or they already meet up and walked around. We did not had register for the tour anyway as it was closed - as we found out one day before. We just thought just to join them when we arrive there. We just made our on way at Namsan to the Namsan Tower. It is very confusing on how to get there, from the base it might be a 4km walk but then it can not decided itself either 2.7km and then you walk for a long period of time (maybe up to 5mins) and the next sign says 2.6km or 2.8km.

 Maybe we just walked wrong or they can not decided on where to start the measurement, but during the time many new ways up have been formed which are a little bit faster then the sign says. Therefore it might be a different way.  After a while of walk we found the way to the tower, but on the way there we had found other interesting things, such as a wedding and a Korean garden. 

As soon we reached to the tower we could only stay for a while before already making the way down. As we are going to the show "Pan" not far away (by subway) from here. It is a traditional show of Korea, and we purchased the tickets online. 

It was actually very easy to find the location - as on the map they given it looked simple but when actually being on the road it is a bit more difficult. In this case the simplified version had worked and we found it on the first go.  Unlucky both camera have died - as forgotten to recharge last night. We need to remember the event of today in our brain. I surely will not forget it as I was able to participate in one of the games they played. They played very nice music and told stories, those who's Korean isn't fluent there had been subtitle provided on the screen behind the acting  and on the side there was general information on what this play was about. 

After the show we had a look around the area and head back to the hostel for an hour to recharge the cameras.  Then we head back to the Namsan area to look around the market - as last time we been for the food but not for items. As my girlfriend wanted to buy last minutes gifts. 

 The next day has broken up and it is Sunday. We had made an early start to the airport. The flight was scheduled for 11 in the morning. After I said good bye to her, I wanted to visit Incheon and token a bus from outside to Incheon Train Station. Incheon itself is also very big therefore I just visited only two parts of it China Town and an Island. Where I could find a Korean style garden with buildings and Emigration Museum. I have learnt on why Koreans aim to US and who the first emigrates of modern Korean been. It was also interesting to find out that Koreans in 1903 had been classed as "low cost" labour. 

I did wanted to stay to long in Incheon as I had been a bit tired and needed also to be back to the dorm before 1am. 

I also did not wanted to sit on the subway all the way to Seoul Station and decided to take a bus to Daegu, which is nearly gone the similar time as I would have taken the subway plus train. 

Chuesok Holiday

(9th September until 13th September) 

  

As you may read the last article it stated I am in the airport. Here it continues.

My girlfriend had arrived and we meet up with our friend from Korea who we meet in Newcastle. He lives himself in Seoul and he has shown us around his city. We had been to a small market street near to our hostel and continue along to the National Museum where we met up with his girlfriend.  While we visited the Museum, most of us felt very sleepy as we all did not sleep well or had jet leg off the long travel.  We decided therefore to head back for a little sleep all of us and meet up again at night time for Nansam Tower in Seoul.  It was a great view during the night onto Seoul.

In the second day we had gone to the bus station to purchase tickets to Andong, it is better to do in advance due to the holiday. Everyone is travelling back home to their parents or a meeting point with all the family.  After purchasing the tickets from the East Bus Station (DongSeoul), we had taken a look on the map where we could go. I saw that just few stations away the Olympic Stadium of 1988 was nearby. Therefore we visited the Olympic Park of Seoul Games 1988.

We then taken the Subway back into town of Seoul, on the way back we come across a stop which called “Market” and decided to have a look. We found out it is a whole sale market and was very interesting to see on how they sell it. It is sometimes very hard to purchases something as they try to sell you either the full box or a bowl of 5 fruits. We only just want to try the pears, peaches and apple, therefore are not willing to purchase the bowl.  We manage to find some stores on where we could just buy one apple, and at some other stall one peach and one pear.  We had a look around the market and continued back on the journey to city centre on where we try to find the market at Nansam and maybe to have also some dinner.  As it is the last night of Seoul, I also liked to see the river as I only seen from the car while stuck in traffic.

We manage to get a subway to the river where we stayed for an hour before traveling back to the hostel and take a good rest for the journey southward to Andong.

It is Sunday now and tomorrow is the day of Chuesok. It is a Korean thanksgiving day, where family member get together and worship their ancestors.  We had made the way the to the bus station and had around a fours journey to Andong. The bus was full and I did not been aware we will drive direct to Andong – so great service. I was as well surprised that 50km before the destination we take a 15mins break.  As 50kms is not anymore a long journey.

We arrived late afternoon in Andong and still manage to visit Tourist Information centre before closure, so they could tell us on how to get to the famous village in Andong. The most important aspect on where is the best place to stay overnight. They had given as a few suggestions and then we made on the way to ask for the best price.

We token a walk in Andong and seen a nice park which looks many hundred years old, but was just recently build for its local citizen to relax and for us tourist after the long journey from Seoul. It was a good place to relax.

The next day has broken in and we been had been given the information on bus services to Hahoe Village which is not very frequent. Therefore we decided to take an early bus, maybe a bit too early.  It was good as no tourist expect us had been on the side of arrival, and you got the best spot on taking pictures of the village. No one will appear in the peaceful village.  As today is also Chuesok holiday I will not expect many visitors coming, but later in the day more people joined from Korea. Maybe some of their family member used to live in the village. As they worship their ancestor as mention above.

As we only would spend one day in Andong we decided for lunch time to head backwards and see if we could visit the bridge, but before that look on how to return back to Daegu and stop by Tourist Centre. They advise us that the train and bus service would be very busy and indeed the train service was fully booked, so the plan change and we gone to bus station to luckily manage to purchases tickets back to Daegu or may would stuck in Andong.

After purchasing the tickets we went to the longest pedestrian bridge in S Korea. It was something special, as usually a bridge is just for walking over, but on this one you could take a rest in the shadow as you do on the river bank in Korea.

In our tour guide it had been mention that the chicken dish is original from Andong, so we shall try it here. We went to the market on where many vendors been and just decided for one and ordered the dish, being unaware it is for sharing.  As my girlfriend is vegetarian I had the whole plate for myself – I am sure you can imagine on how I felt after finishing the dish.

This was the end of the Chuesok, thanks for taking the time to read the blog. As this was a long blog entry so far.

Incheon Airport

Today I had again mine busy schedule of classes from early in the morning until early evening. We continue to study the basic understanding of each of the module. The professor made it again important to all students to purchase the book, as we needed them by next week and we may go to have exam any time.

After the class today I have hurried back home as my girlfriend will be arriving at Incheon Airport at around 3am. I knew there will be a direct train to the airport at 10pm, from Daegu so I had two hours’ time to reach it. But, due to upcoming holiday Chuesok many people will be traveling to Seoul due to a 10 million people populated city. I wasn’t able to purchase a direct ticket, but I knew that the last subway is at around 11pm from Seoul Station to the airport, and if they give me the ticket to arrive at 10pm I have one hour window to get the subway. I did not had any trouble to reach Incheon Airport on the night and had 4 hours waiting time, but when I was on the subway they had screen of departure and arrival information – and I see the information New York flight is delay. Maybe it was due to the hurricane, but there was no correct information on how long the flight will be delay.

There is nothing I could do – just wait and watch on Samsung TV MBC News or MBC Drama TV. It was very quiet at the airport until Tokyo and Beijing had arrived at around midnight and stayed for some reason at the airport a few passenger instant going on the shuttle bus to Seoul Station (Central). Maybe they are unaware like me that there is actually an hourly bus service from Seoul Station after subway has closed. I therefore did not needed to be worried that I will not arrive at midnight to the airport.