Banpo Daegyo : Rainbow Bridge

Bye Bye Seoul

One of those couples ...

Well I'm leaving in 16 days now, and so I need to write what I'm feeling now... Kind of weird, I truly know that I'll miss lots of things here, the life, the city, every single accommodation such as that super clean and efficient and never on strike subway, all the convenience stores opened 24/7, rice (yes, it's possible, and i'll repeat it if you want I'll MISS RICE and btw i'll intend to buy a rice cooker as soon as possible) and chopsticks (of course)  anyway i'll even miss the university, all its buildings, stairs, its hilly roads, its hair dressers, coffees, conveniences stores ....

BUT on the other hand there are SOOOOOO many things that I'll definitely NOT miss AT ALL like Kimchi (well I never liked it), its stupid couples wearing the same clothes, its sputum, its cold weather, the dorms, the bathroom of the dorms, the kitchen of the dorms (ha, no i forget I did NOT get ANY kitchen), the boring classes every tuesday and wednesday, the way that korean do NOT speak english (even student), the fact that they're SUPER shy and do NOT want to speak in english with you and prefer let you in a deep shit than tryin' to help you (sometimes)

Anyway, like I said in the beginning (and this article didn't help me at all to find out for which way I have to swing) it's a weird feeling, because I deeply know that when I'll come back to france, after the first weeks of rediscover of what's really food and bla and bla and bla, I'll miss living that life at 300km/h, I'll miss discover a new country every month, I'll miss being in holidays for 5 months, reality will be boring but I'll take the risk to be bored :)

4 days of Rachios Fiesta

Every year spring comes, and the lions roar. After the harsh winter weather and the brutal mid-term exams comes the excitement of Hanyang University’s annual festival, the Rachios Fiesta. From the 17th to the 20th of May, the entire campus came to life, and was vivid with youth, passion, talent, creative ideas, performances and events.

It all started late afternoon Wednesday. By 5pm, the open air theater was crowded and it was impossible to find an empty seat, let alone set foot on the grounds. The eve celebration started with the rooting ceremony of Hanyang University. The HYU rooters conquered the stage, making it known to the entire school that the Rachios Fiesta started. The performances of Girl’s Generation successfully put Hanyangians in the mood to enjoy and celebrate. 

While these special events and performances were prepared for the festival, there were other interactive activities prepared by student bodies on the Culture Road, and Bar Road. The Bar Road which extended all the way from the parking lot next to the Graduate School Building and all the way to the Humanities Building was opened in late afternoons, welcoming guests to home-made snacks and meals, with varieties of liquor. Each department and major prepared their bars to come together with classmates, graduates, and even professors. Some of the bars such as that of Sokna, which is one of the bands of HYU, performed in their bars.

During these four days, students came to school, attended class, and afterwards spread throughout the campus interacting in games and events prepared by clubs and departments. With the evening breeze, they moved on to enjoy performances or went to the Bar Road, to participate and enjoy some drinks with their friends.

ART + SEOUL #4 (Time Lapse in Seoul)

I find that video about Seoul and it's sooooo amazing, I think it's just showing the most beautiful edge of the city. Let you enjoy it ! I also would advise you to enlarge the video, to see every little thing ...

ART + SEOUL #3 (National Museum of Korea)

The National Museum of Korea is quite interesting to visit. Even if you're not fond of art, you would like hanging around in this massive building, only made with glass and granite. Here are gathered from the most primitive to the most contemporary art works. Iron armors, gold royal crowns, porcelain and ceramics of all kinds, from all the korean dynasties. The following works are my favourite ones.

ART + SEOUL #2 (Samsung Leeum Museum of Art)

 

The Samsung Cultural Foundation was founded in 1965 and is now known as one of the most active companies in the artistic patronage in South Korea : After the opening of his first museum in 1982, then of the Rodin Gallery in 1999, the Leeum Museum is his new born.

This museum was inaugurated in 2004 is a  real little architectural jewel. Outside two Louise Bourgeois huge spiders welcome the visitors. Then, Lee Samsung appealed to 3 world-renowned architects to build the 3 different buildings of the whole site. 

The swiss Mario Botta had designed the museum n°1, dedicated to the traditional art, then the contemporary art museum has been designed by Jean Nouvel. The third museum has been designed by the dutch Rem Khoolaas, and is dedicated to the education.

The museum n°2 is the most interesting as far as I am concerned, because it hosts works from Frank Stella, Andy Warhol or Jeff Koons.

ART + SEOUL #1 (Juergen Teller exhibition)

Juergen Teller has worked 10 year with Marc Jacobs, and shot every single ad from the brand. One exhibition in Seoul is dedicated to his works, and I definitely need to go there, not tomorrow, because it's closed, not during my next free days, because I'm on Jeju, maybe on next monday ... Why not ? Argh, time goes so fast !

#11 (Metro pay phones)

#10 (Samcheong Dong)

 

Cheonggyecheon Stream

 

A Day in Samcheong Dong

Samcheong Dong is for me the less exotic place in Seoul. I really like spending afternoon hanging here, just looking the numerous trendy (and so expensive) clothes, shoes, and accessories shops. Why less exotic ? Simply because the street is lined with small shops, cafés, art galleries, trees, and the atmosphere is different from the relentless movement of the major streets of Seoul. Also, I like to say it, but all the korean people hanging are wearing so beautiful clothes, not just girls, but guys are always wearing colorful pants, or accessories which add that "something" such as a bow-tie, colorful socks ... Here are some pictures that I took today, I think you could easily figure out how different it is from the classic Seoul crowded streets.

 

 

Weather issue ...

Today, May 21st, June is almost coming ... Today in Seoul, it was 15°, it was raining, and it's sooooo bad... I mean, and what about the famous "May it please you do", it's usually always true in France. But there I figure it out that korean weather defies the law of the nature : 17° in Busan in February whereas it was -5° in Seoul, then now we can barely reach 20° at noon on some special days whereas we're in May ....

When I'm going to Jeju island, (the warmest and sunniest part of ALL korea) the weather should be almost 20° whouhouu ! (it's an island, so basically it should be warm, and still it's not warm)

Finally, the weather is ... bad, that's the only thing that I can say ... I also think we should reach a summer normal temperature in the end of June, so basically when I'm living, great !

As time goes by

Trying to continue to tell you asian stories or at least what's happening in my seoulite life.

So first, I need to write something about my crazy trip to Malaysia (probably the next article will be entirely devoted to that subject) and also to the life here in Seoul, which is always moving and changing.

I went back to Seoul last Sunday, and for 5 days, I've been doing soooo many things

I've been to a baseball match Seoul Bears vs. Eagles (from ??? couldn't understand, everything was in korean, sorry folks ...). The Seoul team is also sponsored by Doosan which is one of the biggest korean compagny. Also the bears are the most supported team in all Korea (especially Seoul). Baseball is kind of a national sport here, I mean it's almost like soccer in France. So this game was really nice because I saw all the supporters always singing and shouting "doosan whoohouhouuuuuuuu. That was quite funny.

Then, from May 17th to 20th, there is the Hanyang Festival. Crazy korean could be the best word to define that festival. During the day almost everything is all right and still normal. People are going to school, they still look like "normal" students, but after 4pm, they become totally unleashed and wasted HAHAH so funny.

Students having dinner (& soju) in Hanyang

So the festival is all about foods, drinks, and concerts. That so great, because there are lots of kind of tent circus, where students sell grilled sausages, cocktails, kimbap and other korean food, fruits .... there are also plenty of tables, in order to let the students eat there all together. The atmosphere is so different from the one which exists before and after the festival.

Also, concerning concerts, there is a kind of competition between the best universities of Seoul to have the most famous stars on stage. This year, I'm proud of it (yeaaaah) I have to say (and it's not that subjective because I also talk about that with korean students) that Hanyang univ. was beyond my expectations. There are lots of famous singers in Korea, but Hanyang gets the best : Girls' Generation.

In fact, it's easy, K pop is ok, I mean it's not that bad, and it's sometimes really funny, briefly I like it. I don't know a lot of korean groups, but the fact I know girls' generation. So attend a free concert in Hanyang of Girls' generation was really crazy.

Girls' Generation in Hanyang

Seoul Musical

Few weeks ago, I went to see a korean musical. Even if I really didn't get the entire purpose of the play, I found it quite funny anyway. I let you enjoy the final scene. In my opinion I thought it looked like a circus representation, with circus music and also circus dance. However it was quite enjoyable.

Calendars are for careful people, not passionate ones.

Long time no see ....Time runs so fast, and I didn't write anything for such a long time ...So many things to talk about. Maybe I should probably begin by the very beginning, and the early days of March.

Hanyang

I began university courses on the 3rd of March, and I have to say that's quite interesting. I take 4 courses a week (basically spattered between Tuesday and Wednesday). So, concerning the courses that I decided to take, they are similar as the ones I used to have in France : Economics, International Business, Marketing ect ...

But the fact is that in Hanyang University, courses turn into something really interesting : professors get such a new way to speak about business, always talking about time as the precious thing that you can get in your all life. So in this way, no time to sleep, no time to eat, time should only be used to study and make korea a more powerful country ... wow

So I take courses of International Economics, Marketing Management  on Tuesday and then, on Wednesday I have International Business and Fashion Business. As you can see, courses seem to be sooooooooooo cool, but they're juste talking about normal things I already learned at school :

In International Economics, we're talking about the things we learned in high school. Then in Marketing Management w're for instance studying SWOT, BCG Matrix ect ....

But the fact is that's not boring at all because teachers are introducing their subject differently, with another approach, so that's still interesting. Also I cannot get boring of ONLY 2 days at school a week obviously ...

Hanyang Dormitories

I'm living in Hanyang Dormitories because it's really cheaper than living in an appartment in Seoul. That's also super good because that's basically ON the campus, so I thought time to go to school is reduced to the strict mimimum (but at that time I didn't figure the size of the campus out yet ...)

What's to say about the dormitories .... haha long story ...

First : no kitchen AT ALL, that means that you cannot cook at all. There's just on fridge for all the dorms and sometimes, when you put something in, next day you cannot find it again (people coming back from parties are usually starving to death and turn into good robbers) so basically you do not put something in that non sure fridge ...

Then, we also get two different dormitories, on ONLY for girls and one for boys. So, no boy is allowed in the girls dormitory but the fact is 4 japanese guys are living on the first floor of our dorms ... Also, there's a guard who is watching everything you can do in the public areas of the dorms through numerous cameras.

Also, there's something such as a curfew from 00:30 to 5:30. So for Hanyang, that should implies that students should NOT come in the dorms during that time ... hahaha is that a joke ??? so now, Hanyang students developed news ways to open the dorms doors : putting a flat paper between the 2 doors, then going up and up to reach the cell in order to activate it and open the doors. All that operation should be really quiet because in addition the guard is sleeping next door ... but that's fine, touch of spy games in the night ...

Concerning my roomate, in my application form I wrote NO FRENCH PLEASE in bold, red, underligned 3 times but the fact is despite of everything, my roomate is ... french ... but not just french, from MY business school. So basically I know her a little. And I think that's a little bit bad because I speak french all day and all night long.

English Lessons

I got plenty of empty time so I can do lots of stuff outside the University. I decided to give some english lessons to earn a little bit of money. So I found 2 people who were interested in learning english  with me. I was first really afraid (can I really handle it ?) because, well english is not my mother tongue. But anyway, I have to say that's good, I meet that people every sunday for 2 hours and we read newspapers and talk about recent world activities. Good for them, they learn english, good for me, I have to speak english and pay attention not to do any mistake.

Ballet lessons

Due to loooooooooots of empty time I also decided to take some ballet lessons, because I do not want to turn into a "thing" which spend her entire day in bed, geeking on facebook or doing any useless thing else. Just a waste of time here ... so to motivate myself I decided to take 4 ballet lessons a week in order to keep me awake and dynamic. Courses are really great, even if sometimes that's a little bit hard. I mean the professor is korean and all the other dancers are korean. So even if the teacher always shows us the gesture first sometimes I don't get the entire explanation ...

I take theses courses outside of the university because the university does not offer ballet lessons. I find the dance studio were I'm going on the internet and then, with the help of my Hanyang mentor, I went there to registrer myself.

Nutshell

Anyway, I enjoy so much Seoul, and life here is really so exiting. In the next few days I'll try to post some new articles because you should be aware of the crazy seoul day&night life

Ah, and at last but not least, not not not at all actually :) I'm going to Thailand in 3 days, to visit Bangkok and Krabi ... I cannot dream of a better life for now ...

Bicycle Tour / Han River

Boat Race on Han River

#9 : Garak Market

Main gate of Garak Market

I'm living really near to the biggest fruits, vegetables and marine products market of the ENTIRE country, so I thought that night that I really need to go there, before I'll leave the songpa neighborhood to settle in the Hanyang boring dormitories (in exactly 13 days).

So I went there for lunch and I was really surprised : big streets, scooters everywhere, this is not a market that's a hanthill ! full of busy hants...

So I decided to begin by ... the first sector that I found : fruits and vegetables ... That was really pleasant because it was really colorful, aesthetically beautiful to see. Concerning what is bought here, you find commonly the same fruits & vegetables that in france, broccolis, zucchinis, tomatoes, pineapples, bananas, oranges .... but you also find some special things such as different kinds of roots and spinach

Then I went to the dried pepper market and that was my favorite one, that smelt so goooood ! I liked the atmosphere here, and the colors. Also, pepper displays remind me moroccan markets

Finally, I wanted to see the fish market, but I didn't find it ... So, I asked a man who seemed to be a businessman (I said to myself that he was probably able to speak english) and yeaaaah I was right (for the english spoken and also for the businessman). He was really nice and he asked his personal driver to bring me to that fish market ... Korean people are so nice !! And the fish market was up to my expectations, exquisite smell, beautiful fishes and some weird things to ...