Author: ekang6

CLASS-한국어 수업

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Hanyang University has this intensive Korean course that is 10 weeks long and is M-F from 2-6pm. So I am in this small little classroom everyday! I do enjoy it for the most part, the class is divided up in 50 minute sections and we get a 10 minute break every hour. I have 13 people in the class, mostly consisting of Chinese students, one from England, and one from Vietnam. I am the only American in the class and only the student from England can speak English. It is a first to be in a classroom where Korean is the base language to be able to communicate, even amongst peers.

It’s pretty much your standard language class but jammed packed. Considering that Korean at U of O was everyday for 50 minutes long, you can think of one class as a weeks worth of learning. At UO we would learn a new grammar point and study it for a couple days with practice, but here we learn about 3-4 new grammar structures everyday and move on quickly. You are expected to do outside review and studying to stay on top of it, on top of the normal 4 pages of homework (with a writing short essay every time). It is pretty manageable and though the class time is pretty sucky since its in the middle of the day, you get accustomed to it.

The teachers are super nice and helpful, and we even have a Kakao chat room for our class that was made from day one. As for tests, we only have our midterm exam and final exam, but have four speeches from our essays dispersed throughout the semester. You need to buy your workbook, textbook, and homework book and bring them everyday (~ $30 for all). Class is all located in the International Building which is at the center of campus, and they have this Korean class available for all international students from levels 1-6.

10 Differences from Korea to America

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1. Couples. Everywhere. I mean anywhere you look. And you can be certain they are a couple by their hand holding and PDA. But if you weren’t sure, you might be able to tell by their matching shirts, pants, shoes, or even hair color.

I feel like this is the result from all of the kdramas.. Korean media focuses on love and relationships which I assume is what influences the culture and the mindset of teenagers/college students (which seem to be the mass age group of the couples). Whereas in America, independency is celebrated and I’m jamming to Single Ladies.

2. There are hardly any public trash cans. Now this irks me! I don’t want to litter but I also don’t want to hold a cup dripping of 떡복이 sauce for an hour (true story, it got on my shoe).

3. But, Koreans are incredibly sustainable with their trash. So upon moving into the dorm, we had to go out and buy two different kinds of trash bags. One for food waste and one for trash. Then there is plastic/paper, which goes into any kind of bag. So we have three trash cans under the sink. Did that make sense? Then downstairs we have to throw it out in different places. Its more work but also really smart; America needs to take a couple notes. (ALSO, you have to pay for plastic bags at store and they are 50 cents! So I opt on carrying it a lot and now start carrying reusable bags)

4. Food is CHEAP! A lot more cheaper than America. Street food ranges from $1-$3, and can be a meal. An average meal might be $6-$8. I got a bowl of jajangmyun at a restaurant for 4,000 won, which is really $3.50 in U.S. dollars.

5. There are no dryers, we hang dry everything. My dorm just has a washer. I think this is common for Asian countries. It’s more work, but again pretty smart and sustainable. Why do we need a fancy dryer when wet things can just dry naturally from being out?

6. Cafes everywhere. And I’m from Portland where we have coffee shops on every block. This is like 5 coffee shops per block. It amazes me how they can stay in business when there is so much competition and their interiors are so nice. (but the drinks are expensive!! This kiwi juice was 6,000 won (~$6).

7. Make up stores, everywhere. This goes hand in hand with the desire to look really nice, all the time. It is rare to see anyone outside without any makeup on. And you’ll come to see all of the make up (and hair and clothing) is done very similarly.

8. Which leads me to say that all Koreans kind of look the same. Yup.

9. There seems to be a certain level of trust amongst people. There are many street vendors that leave their clothing out in the open or food outside without anyone watching it, and my first thought is that someone could steal it. But I don’t think people would here. People here seem to be pretty respectful and fair, at least in my short experience thus far.

10. Mosquito bites, watch out for them. They nasty. My perfume has become bug spray, but it smells pretty nice.

Campus Pictures

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Went for an evening run (which was a mistake, because campus has way too many hills that my knees were suffering the next few days), and the sun was setting and I took a gazillion pictures. I’m still not positive how to get around and which building is which. But they are pretty and have these nice huge numbers on the side that correspond with our map and is easy to navigate. Wow, flashback to freshman year.

The Hunt for Mexican Food

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Korea is becoming more and more diverse, and you can see it in the increase of foreigners and in their expansion of food. 4 years back I don’t remember spotting any Mexican restaurants. But now, in Gangnam I walked by five.

I tried Dos Tacos, which was a bit of a walk from the station. It had popular reviews and seemed promising because its called Dos Tacos, and I can’t turn down tacos.

This is one taco!! Probably the size of two American tacos. I think Koreans like to put that skinny cabbage in everything here. But this was so so good and definitely satisfied the Mexican craving.

Quesadillas. I found it funny how they individually wrapped each one. And served the tacos with the fork.

Okay I didn’t try this place, but its right when you walk out towards Exit 8 from Gangnam Station. It is called Cuchara Mexican Eatery and looks exactly like Chipotle!! Even the interior and the chairs!!!

Muchacho: good reviews online. (The cheese in the back is for a different restaurant, sorry)