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Destination: Seoul
FINALLY! Hello K
orea, Hello Seoul, Hello Cold? It was lovely to leave HK with the sun out and more beautiful to arrive in Korea seeing sunlight. The flight was unbelievably fast despite the plane taking off a tad late. I remember napping for half an hour, than it was our in flight meal, watched a Korean movie with subs, and before I hit the climax, announcements were being made that we were arriving already. Either the pilot sped up, time just fled by, or were experts flyers by now.
I'm so thankful that one of our SVCC teachers, (a Korean exchange student who studied at U of A when my friend and I were in our first year and taught beginner Korean on Saturday mornings at the Education building) Jieun Unni (term for an older girl/sister from a female's perspective) came to pick us up despite an hour and a half bus ride. Once we headed outside to take the limousine bus, (basically a tour bus that stored your luggage underneath with comfy seats for you to sit in above heading from the airport to Seoul (about an hour ride)), it felt colder than Edmonton. Jieun joked that we picked the wrong day to come because today was the coldest day of the year so far, and tomorrow will be about the same. We weren't dressed very appropriately for the weather either as we were in our lightweight jackets and a thin single layer. I guess we thought Korea would have had a similar climate to Osaka- which was chillier than HK, but not cold enough for you to see your breath, guess we were wrong. As Korea is humid, when its cold, it feels way colder than it is, thus, Korea was FREEZING no joke.
We got off an hour later in Sinchon-dong (one of the many 'provinces' in Seoul), where our hostel was located. I'm so glad we had a Korean with us because there are seriously no street signs. Even though we had instructions on how to get to the hostel, I felt overwhelmed with the multitude of neon lights, people, lack of direction, and the amount of luggage we had. We each had two large luggage, one carry on on wheels and a back pack. If Jieun wasn't there, I don't know how we would have maneuvered three luggage on wheels with a third pair of hands.
After taking a wrong turn at a 24hr KFC (24hr shops are popular in Seoul), heading back in the right direction and stopping in the middle of an intersection because we didn't know where to head next, we found the building our hostel was in. Then the next obstacle was how the heck do we get to the 5F without an elevator with 6 pieces and 2 backpacks? As if pulling two large luggage with a heavy backpack on your back and a chill going down your spine and biting your fingers off wasn't difficult enough, now we had to face five flight of stairs.
Fast forward and getting help from the employees at the hostel with our luggages (thank God!), we arrived to a room consisting of a bunk bed and a twin bag to the two of us. We settled down, changed into warmer clothes and headed out for dinner with sweet Jieun. We walked around the area a bit and were bombarded with such a wide selection of predominantly Korean food. From food stalls on the streets which looked like little tents to line ups of restuarants on the block, it took us a while before we decided on 보고지개 (boh-go-ji-gae), a hot pot style meal that consisted of boiling a variety of sausages, meat, vegetables, ramen (instant) noodles, and udon all in a spicy kimchi broth. For three people, we ordered the special for 3 which was only $25 CAD. We also got two bowls of rice, a can of pepsi, a cooked sausage-onion-mushroom dish on a hot stone plate, and a variety of side dishes like your typical kimchi, pickled onions, anchovies, and salad.
Afterwards, we went for patbingsoo (shave ice) at a chain store known as IceBerry and ordered a green tea flavored one with fresh fruits, red bean, and jelly. We shared a serving for two a
nd was so satisfied with the freshness and size of our dessert. Unni answered some questions we had and taught us some necessary questions we should know when asking for directions. She also showed us how to work the subway map, phones, and locating addresses.I'm really happy to finally be here and its only the first day.
Tomorrow we will be meeting a tour guide my parents befriended when they traveled to Korea last year. She's half Chinese and half Korean and offered to meet us and help us to exchange our money, open a bank account, and get a local phone plan. I'm very thankful that the connections I and my parents have made are playing such a significant part in my time in Korea so far. Its really a blessing and I can't wait to meet more people.
FINALLY! Hello K
orea, Hello Seoul, Hello Cold? It was lovely to leave HK with the sun out and more beautiful to arrive in Korea seeing sunlight. The flight was unbelievably fast despite the plane taking off a tad late. I remember napping for half an hour, than it was our in flight meal, watched a Korean movie with subs, and before I hit the climax, announcements were being made that we were arriving already. Either the pilot sped up, time just fled by, or were experts flyers by now.I'm so thankful that one of our SVCC teachers, (a Korean exchange student who studied at U of A when my friend and I were in our first year and taught beginner Korean on Saturday mornings at the Education building) Jieun Unni (term for an older girl/sister from a female's perspective) came to pick us up despite an hour and a half bus ride. Once we headed outside to take the limousine bus, (basically a tour bus that stored your luggage underneath with comfy seats for you to sit in above heading from the airport to Seoul (about an hour ride)), it felt colder than Edmonton. Jieun joked that we picked the wrong day to come because today was the coldest day of the year so far, and tomorrow will be about the same. We weren't dressed very appropriately for the weather either as we were in our lightweight jackets and a thin single layer. I guess we thought Korea would have had a similar climate to Osaka- which was chillier than HK, but not cold enough for you to see your breath, guess we were wrong. As Korea is humid, when its cold, it feels way colder than it is, thus, Korea was FREEZING no joke.
We got off an hour later in Sinchon-dong (one of the many 'provinces' in Seoul), where our hostel was located. I'm so glad we had a Korean with us because there are seriously no street signs. Even though we had instructions on how to get to the hostel, I felt overwhelmed with the multitude of neon lights, people, lack of direction, and the amount of luggage we had. We each had two large luggage, one carry on on wheels and a back pack. If Jieun wasn't there, I don't know how we would have maneuvered three luggage on wheels with a third pair of hands.
After taking a wrong turn at a 24hr KFC (24hr shops are popular in Seoul), heading back in the right direction and stopping in the middle of an intersection because we didn't know where to head next, we found the building our hostel was in. Then the next obstacle was how the heck do we get to the 5F without an elevator with 6 pieces and 2 backpacks? As if pulling two large luggage with a heavy backpack on your back and a chill going down your spine and biting your fingers off wasn't difficult enough, now we had to face five flight of stairs.
Fast forward and getting help from the employees at the hostel with our luggages (thank God!), we arrived to a room consisting of a bunk bed and a twin bag to the two of us. We settled down, changed into warmer clothes and headed out for dinner with sweet Jieun. We walked around the area a bit and were bombarded with such a wide selection of predominantly Korean food. From food stalls on the streets which looked like little tents to line ups of restuarants on the block, it took us a while before we decided on 보고지개 (boh-go-ji-gae), a hot pot style meal that consisted of boiling a variety of sausages, meat, vegetables, ramen (instant) noodles, and udon all in a spicy kimchi broth. For three people, we ordered the special for 3 which was only $25 CAD. We also got two bowls of rice, a can of pepsi, a cooked sausage-onion-mushroom dish on a hot stone plate, and a variety of side dishes like your typical kimchi, pickled onions, anchovies, and salad.
Afterwards, we went for patbingsoo (shave ice) at a chain store known as IceBerry and ordered a green tea flavored one with fresh fruits, red bean, and jelly. We shared a serving for two a
nd was so satisfied with the freshness and size of our dessert. Unni answered some questions we had and taught us some necessary questions we should know when asking for directions. She also showed us how to work the subway map, phones, and locating addresses.I'm really happy to finally be here and its only the first day.Tomorrow we will be meeting a tour guide my parents befriended when they traveled to Korea last year. She's half Chinese and half Korean and offered to meet us and help us to exchange our money, open a bank account, and get a local phone plan. I'm very thankful that the connections I and my parents have made are playing such a significant part in my time in Korea so far. Its really a blessing and I can't wait to meet more people.
Labels: Culture, Korea, Korean Life, Seoul
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