This weekend was an exciting one filled with new experiences! On Saturday, I went to a music festival event called RapBeat with my friends. The flyer below is the official final lineup posted by the coordinators: Of the list of performing artists I was most excited to see Zico, Zion. T, Dean, and DPR Live! The concert was hosted at Seoul Land amusement park and was still open to to the public as it was an amusement park. Therefore, although the DJs played a certain rap genre, there were still families with little children walking around, which I found to be interesting, Overall, I enjoyed the concert and liked it a lot, but I was unable to refer it to a different music festival because this was the first I attended. One thing that I did not really enjoy was how the artists were separated between three different "planets" or locations around the park. Therefore, if you liked multiple artists who performed during the same time slot, then you would have to choose to go to one. I chose to go to the area with the artists I was most excited about and luckily they were all in one "planet"! Towards the end of the concert I ended up getting really close to the front of the stage (although technically I was pushed forward from people behind me trying to get in front). This part was actually pretty uncomfortable because the people around me were taller and larger than me so when the crowd pushed, I would be stuck in the middle and pushed without being able to move momentarily. It was a good thing that I had bought a water bottle before entering the crowd because it was very hot with all of the body heat. Despite the uncomfortable pushing and shoving, because I was close to the front of the stage I was able to see the artists' face up close and clearly! I had not seen any famous people in real life previously - because I do not attend concerts or meet and greet events - so this was especially exciting for me! The energy of each artist was very different so I felt like a was getting a good mix of multiple concerts! On Sunday I attended an indoor sport day event at Sports Monster located in Starfield Mall with my Korea University Business School Buddy program, which will be referred to as KUBS Buddy. This is the first activity for the program for the semester. It is very interesting to go to group events here in Korea because you travel the long distances through public transportation together as opposed to driving or carpooling there. I enjoyed the bus rides going there because the location of the mall is very far from Anam and therefore offered a different landscape and view.
One thing that I will note though, for future business students attending this university, is to be prepared for conflicting schedules between KUBA and KUBS Buddy. For example, this Sports Monster event was on the same day as the KUBA Field Day event on campus at Nokjee Sports Field. The difference between the two are that KUBA had an outside event playing different sporting games competing against other KUBA groups. Although, I would liked to have attended both events, I had to choose one. I ultimately chose to go with KUBS Buddy because KUBA has a lot of other events including Tuesday lunches, Thursday dinners, and different scheduled events throughout the month. However, KUBS Buddy rarely has any events in comparison and I thought it would be best to meet people from both programs! At Sports Monster, because I was able to meet a really great senior Korea University full time student as we were both early for the gathering time, she stayed with me throughout the event and showed me around to find which games I wanted to play! My favorite game was the rock climbing wall because I have never done it before. I thought it would be a lot scarier when you are at the top and going down but it ended up being a lot funner! Other games I played included archery (also have not done this before and although my companions said that I was really good for not having experience, I barely hit the target area), darts (also a new thing for me to try - surprisingly I won against my seniors!), and a batting cage. After Sports Monster we ate dinner with those who remained after our time at the event expired - on the opposite side of the mall. It was nice because although I was the only exchange student there, I did not feel excluded from the conversation everyone was having as my new friends would either translate part of it to English or they would have a different conversation with me. I rode the station back with my new friends as they are in the neighboring dorms next to me. Before going up we enjoyed talking a bit more outside of the CU Convenience while eating ice cream!
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Prior to arriving in South Korea, I knew that my experience would be completely different from my daily routine back home and therefore would experience some sort of "culture shock". However, through my previous Korean culture and language courses, I assumed that I would experience minimum culture shock as I have studied the sociology of the country including the general behavior and values that the South Korean society has. However, my courses on the history and sociology of South Korea did not prepare me for the following cultural differences! (Please note that this is based on my observation after living is Seoul for about one month)
1. Sweetness Tolerance Typically back in the United States, the taste preference is generally salty (supported by the popularity of fast food restaurants that sell salted fries, burgers, etc.). However, one big thing that I noticed after eating multiple meals in Seoul is that sugar and sweet flavors is preferred or common here! Some sandwiches even have whipped cream inside (which is something I had never seen before)! It took a little time for me to adjust to the palate, but I am no longer surprised when I eat something that ends up tasting sweet. Although I will say that one of the biggest surprises for me was when I ate some Doritos I bought from Homeplus when I wanted a salty and familiar snack but instead got a sweet cheesy unfamiliar taste. 2. Standing Out as a Foreigner Historically and traditionally, South Korea has been a very collectivist and harmonious society. Therefore, being a foreigner be prepared to be stared at even when you feel like you are not doing anything in particular to stand out. For example, I recently I walked down a street near my University to search for a place to eat lunch at and passed two elderly women sitting down and conversing. As I passed them I noticed that they both stopped their conversation and stared at me as I continued to walk. When I passed them once again to go back towards the direction I came from, they shifted their bodies and chairs and stared at me even when I was already quite a distance from them. Even when I am in a subway, I often see elderly people stare at me as I wait for my stop to get off. Due to globalization, it seems as though the younger generations are more open to mingling with and befriending foreigners. My advice to you is to not be offended or feel isolated when they stare at you and to remember that the country has a different history and culture from your own so they may not mean to offend you but are just curious or surprised to see a foreign person in the area. 3. Cafe Culture - Prepare to Budget! South Korea has many great and aesthetic cafes everywhere so if you are looking for a cute cafe to hang out in or to take Instagram photos in, you definitely will not have any trouble finding one in Seoul. Cafes are also popular among students during Midterm and Final exam week (although some cafes extend their hours during exam week not all do). During exam seasons, cafes are especially busy and packed with very focused and and stressed out students (one of them being myself) |
AuthorJust a person who is excited and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Korea University Student Body! CategoriesArchives
December 2019
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