Bilbo's back!

It seems I stayed true to my promises and worked very hard on shortening my to do list! I am proud to say that I kinda ditched all my uni work and explored Korea and Seoul. Now is the time, for the midterms are getting closer and soon there won’t be much time for big adventures anymore. So get ready for a blog full of activities.

Although uni had only started for 4 weeks, we felt very ready for a (weldeserved?) holiday. So Jenny, Dominic, Julian and I went to Busan for Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). We managed to get one of the last train tickets available as the whole country was on the move to visit the family. Our four days there were simply amazing. We booked a hostel, two minutes away from Haeundae-beach (let me Google that for you: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=haeundae+beach ). In the summer the beach is cramped and not one spot on the sand or in the water is available, but in September, it was perfect. 30 degreed and a light breeze! We dragged our lazy asses all the way to the beach each morning to swim and sunbathe, and to amuse ourselves by the fact that Koreans go into to the water fully dressed, since they don’t want to gain any extra color. Our nights were characterized by chatting and singing at the beach, watching the waves, drinking some alcohol, listening to street artists on the boulevard and watching fireworks. Did I mention it was perfect? It was perfect.

I also has a personal victory. Our hostel was located above a nightclub. This meant we could practically dance in our room until 4 o’clock in the morning. But this super light sleeper managed to sleep through it! On the last day we moved to the center of the city and explored the area there. The Busan tower gave a beautiful view of the city that lays like a blanket over several hills. The next day we went back with the early train - the least fun part of the whole trip. Especially because old people kept showing up shouting to me I was in their seat (I wasn’t). But before they got that figured out they thought it very normal to pull my ticket out of my hands and push me out of my seat. (thank god for cultural differences…)

Anyways, the next week I spend mostly trying to regain some sleep (it was a very early train ;)). And the next weekend it was time for the KOYON Games! I had never been to a sports game in a big stadium before, but I am quite sure nowhere in Europe it would have been as amazing as here. Korea university and Yonsei university (both from Seoul) play five separate games to determine who is the truly greatest. The previous day (which I watched on national television!), Korea’s tigers and Yonsei’s eagles had both won one game. Today first up was Rugby and after that soccer. Korea and Yonsei are the only universities in Korea with a special cheering tradition. (I told you about the orientation earlier). This means that during the games, there are about forty cheerleaders from both universities dancing towards the crowd. And the crowd is dancing back, for five hours in a row without sitting down! We won rugby (Hey Hey Hey!) and were quite sure soccer should not be a problem (since Korea University has won that four years in a row). However, the last ten minutes of the game, no one was watching the cheerleaders anymore. For Yonsei was leading three-to-two and everyone was focused on the screen (still singing and dancing though!). And yes, we lost. But that didn’t keep anyone from dancing another hour after the games had ended! Even when the other team scored, Korean students kept on cheering. Very funny to see that most Westerners at that moment remained silent. To me it felt like the band of the Titanic that just kept on playing while the ship was sinking…

Only two days later, the next big thing was on the agenda. Adrianna, one of my very best friends, came to visit me in Seoul! Apart from catching up and hearing her stories of the exchange in Singapore - with some people you can just talk for hours - it also gave me the change to be a real tourist. We visited a Buddhist Temple in Gangnam, played 10 different games in a big game arcade (shooting zombies, Tekken, dancing), and visited the Hello Kitty Café. The second day Jenny and Julien joined us for the Seoul tower (finally!) and Lotte World, the biggest indoor theme park in the world. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize how incredibly big it was (wait, are there three more floors?!) until the last hour, but had a great day anyways! The last day we visited the e-sports arena (the biggest in the world I think) and shopped, to end it with a true Gangnam club night, after which she had to catch her plain back home. It was so weird and sad to say goodbye so soon already, as it felt so natural that she was here all week. Luckily I will see her again for Christmas in the Philippines!

I would love to say that I took it slow after all these activities….but no. Today we went on a hiking trip to one of the mountains surrounding Seoul. And it was there that I regained my true Bilbo-spirit. For I noticed that just like a hobbit, I have really short legs and big clumsy feet. But more importantly, I also noticed that I really love all these things. Doing new and exciting stuff and getting short breath from the climbing and beautiful views. Coincidentally, at the top of the mountain was a really nice temple, decorated with dragons :D So yes, I’m doing very good. I start to really appreciate the great chance that I got by living here, experiencing a new culture. Even though there are things that frustrate me, there are also so many eye-openers. And now that I feel better on a personal level, it becomes so much easier to look at things from a distance. I really enjoy talking about Korea with my friends here, or on Skype. And if I didn’t realize it when I left, I know it now: I am blessed with great family and friends back home. Can’t wait to see you all again. But until then, I have to rush, for (oh, so clichéeeeeee……) time flies when you are having fun!