K-style

Let me introduce you to a real Korean activity: The Membership Training (MT). Last week there was the MT for my Kuba group. MT is just a very fancy way of saying: let’s all go to the seaside and get wasted and all sleep on the floor - LOL. It sounded like hell to me, but since I already paid the money I might as well just go. And it was actually great fun! The games were hilarious and the Soju flowed richly. I got to play the guitar again for the first time in three months – made me cry and I still have blisters on my fingers. And it turns out I am the strongest girl in our group when it comes to arm wrestling… you get the picture.

One things that makes Korea a nice place to live is that they really understand politeness and convenience. You can eat everywhere, it’s always cheap and the food is great! Now that I totally mastered eating spicy meals I really Love it. You also always get free water with your meals and they are super polite. The subway system works perfectly. All systems work perfectly actually. Everywhere (literally EVERYWHERE!) there are cosy coffee shops with free wifi and delicious drinks. And if you want to shop, there are so many places to go and you will always end up with something cheap and stylish (this city is turning me into a hipster!!!). And sometimes, it’s just so nice not to be able to speak the language. I love walking around this beautiful city and don’t have to listen to anyone’s boring conversations. Instead, I can just watch the people and let my thoughts run freely.

God, I am going to miss this place! I wrote last time that I reached the point that I don’t want to leave Korea. And I really don’t. Now that there is not even a month left I get awfully emotional. Last week my buddies and I went to a photo studio (so cheap!) and shot some beautiful pictures as a memory. I am probably becoming really Korean because I didn’t even mind that they were totally photoshopped. And by now I met so many nice people whit whom I have spend (and hopefully am going to spend) so many great days and nights in this city.

On the other hand. There is part of me that really wants to go home. I miss my family and friends. I also don’t mind getting back to Maastricht and start with the last half year of UCM. Now that I am kind of figuring out what I want to do next, I really look forward to writing my thesis and starting my master applications. And doing theatre. That is maybe what I miss most at this point…

But first things first. I have one more month to do everything I wanted. I am really looking forward to a trip to Jeju with my buddies. Jeju is a beautiful Island in the south and it is much warmer there this time of the year. (oh, Seoul is just as cold as the Netherlands now…) J,D and I are also invited to visit a Korean family and share a traditional dinner, really looking forward to that as well. And then there is the South-East Asia trip. I was quite shocked to hear the news on the disaster in the Philippines. But we decided not to cancel our trip. Tourism is super important for their economy, so we better go there and spend as much money as possible. I will also try to find a local initiative and donate directly. After all, it will be Christmas when we’re there.

Okay, now I should really get back to some studying. Because in between all these nice activities I am still expected to pass al my courses (and I will, no worries there). I have become really good at tuning out during the lectures and just sit back and say nothing. Even if they say something really stupid about women’s rights or gay marriage. (I can’t believe some of the things students here dare to say, but I just keep my mouth shut. You can imagine that takes me quite some effort). Also, all courses include a group presentation with 8 people, so there is still some work to do. Poor Koreans, because I am the only foreigner in their groups, they are obliged to speak English, and they are so insecure about/ bad at it! Whenever I say something, I see their faces going into I-have-no-idea-what-she-is-saying-but-I-just-smile-politely-mode. Oh well…