STISS Class 2016
Earlier this year, i started actively surfing through my university's international office website. The purpose to that is none other than i was looking for a chance to spend my summer break (re: summer exchange program) in another country and of course, for free. Unfortunately, not all of the programs offered were free, being such an economical type of a person, i kept looking until i came across this program called SeoulTech International Summer School where everything is for free except the round trip airfare which was a good deal. I started preparing all documents needed for the application and of course me being such a procrastinator, gave all the documents on the last day of application. Well done. Fast forward to mid May, i got an email from SeoulTech saying that i was accepted to participate in this turn out to be such an unforgettable program. Not only i am so honored to be one of 89 students chosen from around the world, but also to go in behalf of my university.
After all these sleepless nights with Kdramas, all these tteobokki, all these samyang, i finally got a chance to go to the city, one of the places which is on my must-visit checklist. And in the end, i have to say that Seoul is such a city, not only because i had to walk everywhere and lost 2 kilos in less than 2 weeks, but also the people who is really nice, of course not all of them but still. Like when my 3 Taiwanese friends and i had to go to the nearest subway station and took a city bus with 20ish kilos worth of luggage each, we came to meet the nicest bus driver i have ever met. He voluntarily got off from the driver seat and helped us with our luggage and even said a proper goodbye. How nice. Spending two weeks which is such a short time to be in the city where the traditional and modern collide, i gotta say that i learnt a lot.
Somewhere across Dongdaemun Market.
Eating myself to the fullest with chicken and bear, getting a little bit lost after bottles of soju from the convenient store nearby, meeting my juicy love (the best juice with the best deal), sweating my pain after hours of hiking in Ihwa Mural Village, getting lost in a tricky subway system, dealing with 46 degrees celcius heat index, strolling around Itaewon at night all by myself, eating tteobokki in Myeongdong accompanied by the worst rainy day for the sake of exchanging rupiah, watching the small little band gigs in front of Dongdaemun Design Plaza on a friday night, soaking my feet in the river where no one seems to be younger than 50 years old, all of these have been such a great great experience.
You might or might not remember how i have always said that i need to go somewhere to discover a little bit of me which is still unseen and i came to find that small piece while getting around Seoul all by myself. I do not know if it's just me or not but i find getting around the city i have never been all alone is such a challenge and it makes me grow as a person. Not only you have to overcome the fear of getting lost, or the fear of asking stranger who shows not even 1 percent of interest in trying to communicate in english, but also you also discover a part of your brain with a different perspective. The experience might not last forever, but the lesson will.
Nothing feels better than early morning flight. right?
Somewhere in Ihwa where height always fails me.
There was this very moment where i, with no doubt, forgot to bring my powerbank and it felt like a rainstorm coming, i was eating the best tteobokki i have ever had in the street of myeongdong and accidentally spilled all the red sauce all over my hand and cellphone, yes, cellphone. Running out of wet and dry tissue, i had no idea what to do until this old korean man gave me his tissue with a straight face. Seems to be a cold person on the oustide, the coldness or warmth inside a person is forever unseen, right?
But, despite all the good things about the city i have already said, there are a few things that amazes me from the very first second i arrived at the airport. Gadget. Everyone sticks to their gadget whenever and wherever they are. Whether it's looking at their cellphone or talking to someone on the phone, everyone on the street, subway, bus, seems to be online all the time. The second one is beauty. How women do the touch up almost everywhere or with their reflection on subway door as a mirror, pretty amusing though.
From such a short period of time, i started seeing the value that different people from different culture bring. And how we become so proud of our country when we got a chance to tell a little story about our country. Sharing is gold.
Dongdaemun Design Plaza is the bae.
See you when i see you, Seoul.
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