Dinner with friends

You are right - lets skip the day part.

In the evening my girlfriend and me had meet up with my good friend from Korea. Who I had meet on my second day here in Korea.

We did not seen for long each other - few weeks. It still feels like ages - therefore we decided to go for some dinner near the university. We had small discussion on how the university life is going and if I enjoy it to be here. It is a great experience to be here, I can not imagine to going back to Europe. I actually feel to stay here, but if that would be the case it would be more working then playing as I do right now all the times. My blog may would then say everyday - Library - Library. So far I visited the library only to print out documents but not for studies.

I would recommend everyone to come here in Korea and study for a semester or a year. It will be an awarding experience. So far I have spent over a month in Korea and few more are to go.

Tomorrow would be an interesting day to meet up with the British Council.

Duryu Park

After my morning class my girlfriend and I decided to go the local park on which myself also not yet have visited Duryu Park. It is easy to reach from the town - just getting on the subway which will lead direct to the park.

It is a nice a big park, we just walked any direction as many roads lead into different points and we found some statures of various people who either come from Daegu and important people to Korea. Nearby is also a baseball field, we heard some strange noises and found it. The game was unfortunately just finish - so we could not see the game in the park. As watching it on the TV is a bit boring, but if it is in front of you in the park is a bit more interesting.



We had taken a seat and I looked into my tourist map of Daegu and seen that in the city centre is a currency museum. We may could visit it before heading back to the university for a meeting which I will have.

We had asked the tourist information centre at Duryu Park on how to reach it the best - they mention to get on the subway and walk out a specific exit. There did not had been any information - we had asked then the subway information point on how to get there - but we had been pointed out the wrong bank. As when we walked down the road the city centre finished. The people here in Korea are very friendly and lucky own smart phones to show the way on a better map then tourist maps.

We had found the bank very easily. They have shown cased the old currency of Korea and how it has evolved to the latest currency on what we are using right now.  In the second hall we had International currency, and some of them are very nice from different countries. There was also a special section for North Korean currency.

It was already time to get back to university for an orientation session on the volunteering program which is due to start next week Friday. I will keep you posted.

Study Day and IVF

Today is back to Tuesday. I had my study day, which started of with the first group quiz in the Logistic class.
 It was an interesting experience on how the group quiz was organised. As even though answer could be discuss the class had been silent and everyone first solved the question on their own before asking the group if the answers are right.

Let me know skip to the evening.

Today I had visited a new society a Christian society called IVF, which is a very nice society. I had met various type of people and we had been warmly welcomed. I hope by joining this group I can improve my Korean skills as it is straight after my class.

They have two parts of the meeting, but I only will be able to attend only the first part due to being in class for the first part of the session. I guess it also would make it difficult for them and happy that I can join only for part two as all the discussion are held in Korean.

I also forget to bring my camera for this day, so I could not take the picture on how they welcomed us. They suddenly all jump up and coming running towards us and started to sign a song.

I guess I will bring some of the ideas and things they do back to Newcastle for the society there.

KNU AO Society

A new week lets see what kind of challenge it will hold this time, but first of all I shall study. As I have a small quiz tomorrow in my Supply Chain class.

It will be open book and my first exam in Korea, so I have no idea on how it will look like. I presume it will be solving the supply chain in a mathematical and logical approach. Therefore I concentrated my studies on learning and understanding the formulas as the quiz will be only 10-15mins long.

As it will be open book exam, I did not study to memorize the formulas as I will be able to open the books.

In the afternoon we have token the time to explore a bit of the area on where I study and found a nice market. It seems market are nearly in every street corner, and I ask myself do they actually mange to sell it. In my head is full of raised question of supply chain inventory management level. Do they know it on how to calculated it or will be lost of the food wastage? As everyone has so much and everyone is selling the same products. Who will eat all the food or who will it purchases - as market is going to close soon.

After we had return back to university, we had made our way to the KNU AO first society meeting for new members. We had been warmly welcomed to the society. They had shown cased us the instrument they have and which once we can learn to play. The format is very informal of the meeting and very sociable.

Afterwards we had a meal and alcoholic beverage to find more out of ourself and able to introduce ourselves to all the members. It is a good way of welcoming new members into a society. Standing up and saying "Hi" my name is ___ and whatever else you like to mention.

Busan

(23^th September until 25^th September)

It is back to Friday – the weeks are going very fast somehow these days. It shall go a bit slower again. Today my girlfriend and I are setting of to Busan. As I don’t have any classes and no meetings we decided to go to the bus station just after breakfast and purchase a ticket. As Busan is only 1-2hours away from Daegu there is nearly every 30mins or one hour a bus leaving from Daegu station.

We needed to go to Busan for two reasons, the main reason is for the examination of my girlfriend in her IELTS exam and the second just to travel and take a look around the Port city which had been shown cased many times on the TV Channel Arirang.

The bus journey has taken more than two hours, due to being a general service and stopping at every motorway junction to drop off and get on people. I wonder myself on how they manage to get their to the motorway stops and on how they will continue their journey if they had gone off.

All the time when you arrive with the bus you never get taken to the main city as you will be in Europe bus service or Taiwan bus service. They will drop you here off in Korea close to the motorway – in Busan case it is North of Busan. We needed to catch a metro service to City Centre. As we did not have an accommodation yet we made the decision to go to city centre and look around for guesthouses or motels.  

After we moved into the accommodation we gone for food hunting as it was already afternoon time, and there is a market nearly similar design to Andong. In Andong inside the markets had been food vendor, but in Busan or at least in this one there was no food vendor. We managed to find a place outside the market to eat something and to decide on what to visit.  The tourist map recommends to go to Songdo Beach and the port area of Busan. I feel the port is nothing special, maybe as visiting or living near a port.

There had been some confusion between tourist map, local people and Russian tourist on which bus to take. As arrived by metro to the designated station and exit, we asked local people on how to get to Songdo but either this did not speak or not understand English. I see then some tourist coming to our way – I am sure they must have visited the beach or may had an idea where to take a bus. They come from Russia, so I used Russian language to find out – they knew on the opposite side we could take a bus – but it will take to long for arrival of the number we waited for so we asked a local person which bus to take and given us a number. When boarding the bus we asked the bus driver if he will go Songdo Beach but he said – yes but on the other side so we shall wait for him or other bus to come.  We cross again a street and waited for the bus. Then suddenly a bus stop and I try to practise my Korean reading… and read “Song-do”… and quickly jump into the bus to ask if he will go Songdo Beach. Luckily he was indeed going to the beach.

After reaching the beach we had taken the trail which goes along the shore – which is very unique. I wish something like that will be built in Berwick-upon Tweed. That the promenade not suddenly finishes by the rock. I guess it will be a long dream due to all the Health and Safety issues – so I enjoy walking here in Busan along the shore on a secure pathway and hang bridges.

Tomorrow would be the exam - therefore after the beach we had made our way to the university. We shall see where it is and find the building. We had been stopped on our journey by a performance at the Busan Train Station.

 

More videos of the show can be found on their website here.  It was a very interesting show, showcasing again the Korean culture everywhere across the country.

After the show we continue our way to the final destination to the university ground.  The area did not different much from KNU area. Bars, shops, takeaways, etc. Just a bit more busier doing to being two universities at one place.

 Let me skip the part on finding the buidling and get to the eating part. We had some dinner on the street, as we already tried all dishes from restaurant but not the street food yet. We had chosen a few food to try out. Which was very nice and cost a little bit cheaper then in restaurant. After we continue our search for food, and come across an interesting ice shop. The lady is preparing fresh waffle (so shall be hot) and put in 3 spoons of ice cream inside. We bought one ice cream for  $Caribbean 5 as the lady is collecting foreign bank notes, we did not need to pay in Won. Actually we paid more in $ then the price would be in Korean Won. It was still nice and a great experience to try it out, and the waffle become cold with some tricks of the vendor so that the ice cream will not melt.

The next day has come up and it is the exam day. A very long day of waiting for myself. I had brought my Korean homework and study material to practise and read for small quizzes to coming up the following week.

After the exam was finish my girlfriend and me had made our way to Busan International Film Festival part of town. Where we also arrange to meet up with my KNU friends who also come to visit Busan. The only problem had been to communicate as due to my credit has run out and in Korea you can not top up your phone on the weekend due to being the server is down or something. Which is very strange, but at least the member of staff in the phone stores are friendly and let you borrow their phone to you to call your friends. Therefore recharge your phones before weekend or you will be stuck with out connection.


We managed to find my KNU friends and then look around the BIFF Sqaure, before going to get some food and visiting the bridge "Gwangan Bridge" on Gwangalli Beach. My girlfriend and I already seen it yesterday from the other side on where the cars drive on. As it isn't far away from the university.

It is a nice place for taking pictures at night - just need to find a good spot where not many people are walking or they either become ghost or block the view.

The day has gone to the end, we spend a little more time at the beach as we did not been in rush to return to the train station.

The next day we planned to go to visit the Fishery Folk Museum and China Town, and then we shall return in the late afternoon to Daegu.

In the Fishery Museum, we could learn of the old Busan and traditional way of catching fish up to today's method on catching fishes. It is an interesting museum to explore on how the culture has change from the tradition to the modernization.

We had contiune back our journey into town on where we gone and visit China Town or Russia Town. Every second store had a Russian name "Magazin", "Coffee Bar", etc and in between Chinese and Taiwanese Restaurants.

As it is already being getting to late afternoon we decided for one more attraction to see near China Town which is Yongdusan Park. Is on a little mountain which does not need to be climbed up as they have a stair escalators to the top.

Some tourist will say that Busan is not an interesting place of visit. I guess it depends on what you like to see - as it is still a city but with few nature points left such as small parks and the beaches surrounding the area of Busan.

KNU Societies

I am back to my busy time schedule, but I still do find time to join part in activities which are around the campus. Such as today was the society fair or as they call it the Club Recruitment Fair.

I had already left contacts for a few societies, but today I could find out on when and where they actually will meet up. I sign up to Photo and Friends, KNU AO, Table Tennis, Christian Society and Mountain Climbing.

I would be not able to join Photo and Friends as they meet up during my class time, but I do have time on Monday evenings for KNU AO and Christian Society on Tuesday after class.

In my other free time I may will go to table tennis, if nothing is planned for the evening. It shall be one of the best way getting to know a few more Koreans and able to use the language. As I want to improve the language skill of Korean.

The societies will start next week - so if I mange to have time I will let you inform on what has happen.