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Fail reference to An American in Paris?
Anyway, I've recently sparked some pretty serious interest in my school's study abroad program. I've been debating pretty heavily between studying abroad in Japan or Korea. In very recent events, I've become aware of a study abroad opportunity in Korea, offered by Korea University, Sejong campus. I went to an informational meeting, and got SUPER excited about it. So I discussed some things with my parents, and with my friends, and it's looking like it's pretty set to happen. All I have to do is ensure that my credits will transfer and still count in a manner that I can still graduate in four years, and I have to apply and get accepted. (There are 5 openings per semester, ATM)
Also, I'm really excited about this because if I do go, it won't be a problem financially, because KU will take care of my room, board, and airfare! (Baller!) I'm also extremely excited to take Korean language and culture if I do get accepted. I'm also very thrilled at the prospect of having 2 Korean roommates to practice my Korean with and also possibly build orders. ;]
A little bit about me: I'm a freshman at University of Northern Colorado, but I'm from Hawaii. I'm Japanese/Okinowan, but people say I look... Korean? I love Starcraft, Starcraft 2, and progaming. My favorite players of each race ZPT, respectively: Jaedong, Stork, Nada. SC2: Liquid'Ret, oGs.MC, tie between Liquid'Jinro/oGs.NaDa. Current Diamond Protoss player. (Working on getting Master. -_-) I keep up my grades while also playing quite a bit of BW and SC2, and watching the GSL, OSL, MSL, SPL, and Day[9]. (I meet the GPA requirement to study abroad, 3.0. I have a 3.44) I speak intermediate Japanese, and very little Korean, but am trying to learn both from relatives. (My aunty is tri-lingual, KR, JP, EN) I'm fairly outgoing, social, not afraid to talk to new people (esp. cute girls), and can play piano and trombone decently.(self-taught pianist)
Now, questions for you guys: (Mainly directed towards people living in Korea or studying abroad in Korea, but I'll gladly accept as much info as I can about Korea and its culture)
- As an Asian of a different descent, will I blend in and be fairly ignored, or will people show any sort of disdain, because I am Japanese and not Korean?
- I've asked the KU representative about the Starcraft scene at KU, and he told me it's pretty big. So, will I be able to play SC2 on some kind of foreigner SSN, or student visa, or will I have to play on a KR client with a roommate's account?
Also, how far is Sejong from the GSL/OSL/MSL/SPL happenings?
- How are girls at Korea universities, and will American tactics of getting girls' numbers and such be offensive?
- Shopping-wise, are things in Korea expensive? (like clothes, hygenics, and other dorm necessities.)
- How's the weather in Sejong in the fall/spring semester? (This will help factor in whether I apply to go for the fall or spring semester)
- I heard that the nightclub scene is bumpin', are there any age restrictions I should know about, or gay clubs I might accidentally walk into? Would I get slapped if I were to start grinding with a girl? Anything else to do on the weekends or in my free time?
Any other tips or info about Korean culture and Korea itself would be extremely grand. I'm already mega-hyped about the possibility of studying and visiting Korea, and further discussion might just drive me crazy. :D
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- As an Asian of a different descent, will I blend in and be fairly ignored, or will people show any sort of disdain, because I am Japanese and not Korean?
My guess based on experience is most people will recognize easily that you are asian american. I think it's fashion sense that mainly gives it away. I doubt they'll pick you out as japanese, and I don't think there will be any good reason for you to advertise that.
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Oh man I've been wanting to go to Korea for a term or two when I go to uni and these are the exact same questions as I have! THANKS YOU FOR POSTING! I LOVE YOU, in a way a TL member can love another TL member.
For his question about the "being another Asian" can someone talk about how well Chinese can blend in and fit in and all that?
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(elf-taught pianist)
Holy shit
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I have a feeling there's a sort of bias against Japanese in Korea because it's that way in China. All those wars in Asia left their mark.
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In very recent events, I've become aware of a study abroad opportunity in Korea, offered by Korea University, Sejong campus. "Sejong"?....o_O uh... 'kay... Not a good school. I guess it won't matter if it's just an exchange program... You do know the difference between the Anam campus and the Sejong campus, right? The Anam is the famous, good one, while Sejong.. isn't even in Seoul. It's like 2 hours? away from Seoul.
I'm Japanese/Okinowan, but people say I look... Korean? People will know you're Japanese. Trust me. Koreans can tell if someone's not Korean, if someone's Korean but was born overseas, and if someone's Korean but studied overseas for a while.
- As an Asian of a different descent, will I blend in and be fairly ignored, or will people show any sort of disdain, because I am Japanese and not Korean? There might be a little disdain, but probably not outright. You might want to emphasize your 'American-ness' though. I don't know about how it is at Sejong, but a lot of universities have plenty of foreign students, and so you tend to blend in more near universities. Some people might even be more interested in you(in a good way) because of your foreign-ness, although this applies the most to (good-looking) white people.
I've asked the KU representative about the Starcraft scene at KU, and he told me it's pretty big. So, will I be able to play SC2 on some kind of foreigner SSN, or student visa, or will I have to play on a KR client with a roommate's account? You probably aren't going to get the 외국인번호 if you're just coming to study, so you won't be able to get your own SC2 account. There's probably going to be plenty of people to borrow an ID from. I've also heard that you can ask PC bang staff to lend you their account.
Also, how far is Sejong from the GSL/OSL/MSL/SPL happenings? Sejong is 2+ hours from Seoul.
Where you are(the man icon) VS where you have to go for GSL.
How are girls at Korea universities, and will American tactics of getting girls' numbers and such be offensive? Don't really know the American way ~_~
Shopping-wise, are things in Korea expensive? (like clothes, hygenics, and other dorm necessities.) Clothes are cheap in general but "good quality"/brand clothes aren't. Dorm necessities will probably be cheap.
How's the weather in Sejong in the fall/spring semester? (This will help factor in whether I apply to go for the fall or spring semester) The weather's fine? I guess...
I heard that the nightclub scene is bumpin', are there any age restrictions I should know about, or gay clubs I might accidentally walk into? Would I get slapped if I were to start grinding with a girl? Anything else to do on the weekends or in my free time? In 2011, 92ers can start drinking/clubbing. Not gay so no idea, but I doubt you'd accidentally walk into a gay club.
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Just getting behind a girl and grinding is not even acceptable here, but good luck anyway.
One thing I have to say though, being Asian American in an Asian country is actually pretty weird since most people will immediately expect you to speak their language, at least in my experience. I think people just thought I was really dumb. You will probably just end up hanging out with other Americans in the program after a while, which is actually not that bad.
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to link, there are lots of chinese exchange students directly from China, so it's no biggie + you'll have some chinese homies to call on if you get lonely from the lack of communication
to OP, there are some asshole adults that might (silently) discriminate if you advertised that you were japanese to them, mostly old fogeys that you probably won't meet though. young people are fine.
food there is super cheap in general omfg. the school cafeterias at most places sell delicious meals for under like 3 bucks (a pretty big variety, and cooked shin-ramen for 1 dollar lool). just don't expect to eat beef because that shit is expensive. eat up all the t-bone steaks or w/e u like back in the states while u can because it is ridiculous in korea. eating outside in little street vendor shops is the best though, relatively healthy food (for being bought out) that's delicious n cheap.
brand names like polo, raulph lauren, and w/e are really expensive, but everything else is pretty cheap (korean society is pretty vain in general, like "he who wears better clothes is better" ish kinda thing, so you might wanna bring a polo or two for your nights out).
borrowing a roomie's acc for sc2 would probably be the easiest way, you can ask blizzard customer support before you go to korea / when you are in korea, see what you can get done. THey do require a SSN kinda thing for most games in korea, but I don't know about that too well from a foreigner's point of view. (btw sc2 ladder in korea wayyy harsher than US, its not even funny lol. you might get dropped down to silver @_@)
if you like snow and don't mind cold weather, fall (it will transition from hot/warm -> cold) if you prefer the warm/ don't mind heat, spring (start cool -> hot) i prefer fall myself, but they're both great.
clubs are everywhere, you're gonna have a fun time lol. drinking age is 20 (in korean age) so most college students are of drinking age when they arrive there (late 18/19 US). don't worry too much about walking into a gay club, i don't think that'll be the problem you run into lol. i would start out by coming with a guy friend who knows his way around, he'll teach you how to mosey around
if you get a basic grasp of korean before you go, it will make ur life that much easier. i would try to make the effort to get basic korean down (they have signs up for where bathrooms n shit are in english too, so that isn't really the issue, but you'll get a lot more respect and your life in general will be a lot easier if you can do some basic chatting in both languages). you can make "friends" while speaking english only, but they will be mostly jerk-offs who will try to use you to learn english better lol. if you make an effort to learn some korean and practice around with some people you meet, i'm sure you'll meet some great people
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I'm not Chinese from China. I'm Canadian Chinese. Would be cool to get to know some Chinese Chinese (I'd be balling, be all like "Ni hao", "hi", "an yang(I don't think I typed that right)")
Though I'm asking more along the lines of discrimination. Are other Asians be discriminated? Chinese in particular?
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United States5582 Posts
The people above me covered mostly all of your questions, but I can provide a little more long-winded tl;dr advice to you.
+ Show Spoiler +1. Despite the stereotype of "OMFG ALL KOREANS HATE JAPANESE WHAT SHOULD I DO, WEAR A SIGN THAT SAYS 'SORRY FOR WWII, KOREA'?", I find that 95% of young Koreans are very friendly and willing to befriend Japanese or Nikeijin, no matter how much Japanese blood you got in you/how much your Japaneseness shows. Koreans love Japanese culture, such as anime, manga, washoku, Nintendo/Sony, Street Fighter, Tekken, etc. They'll be pretty open to you, and in worse-case scenario, they'll just ignore you. As just another same Asian in Korea blending in with the general population though, yes, you will most likely blend in and get ignored, and you may get mistaken as a fellow Korean one too many times. You'll learn to get used to it though. You'll also learn to ignore screaming drunk old men who shriek racist profanities at you if you encounter them, but remember, their lives will end soon, so don't bother raging over them. They're not worth your time, seriously. And if they wanna pick a fight with you, don't be a fool and choose to fight. Just walk away while they continue to scream their heads off. Just walk away calmly. Then make a rage blog here on TL to vent your anger!
2. How to act around Korean peoples? Well, just treat them as normal people! Koreans aren't different from any other people, except they tend to look more down on others that pull fail moves. Don't pull any fail moves. Just be friendly and amiable to them, and they should return the same attitude to you. One thing to keep in mind though: Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT hang out with other English-speaking foreigners 24/7. Avoid them as much as possible. And if you insist on hanging out with Koreans that know fluent/good English, then at least try to practice some Korean with them. If you never speak a lick of Korean in Korea, what's the point of trying to learn Korean then? Try to not speak as much English as possible, not even a single word, unless you want to impress some girls, lolz. Even if you wanna impress some girls, don't take your foreignness too far though, or else they'll see you as some cocky foreigner.
3. Korean girls? Well, most Korean girls are shy, like any other girl that first meets someone new, but most should also be willing to talk and befriend you. If you wanna hit on them and get their number though, just be assertive, but not arrogant/cocky. Take small steps at a time, and don't overload them. You want to be the leader when you talk to girls, not a follower. Always make sure that you have their interest when you're talking, and look like you really care and are listening when they're talking. Reinforce this with nods and "ahs" and "oohs" and stuff to let them know that you're listening. This should be common logic with any girl though; you should know this stuff already. By showing that you're genuinely treating her like a human being and not some random wall painting, you should score someone in no time. Korean girls tend to like positive and kinda over-friendly guys, but not over-the-top-creepy-friendly, so always put on your best smile! Don't put on your creeper one though. Don't wanna scare them girls away.
4. Lastly, if you wanna break the ice, talk about how much you love Korean culture. Don't mention Starcraft a lot though, since Koreans kinda view it as a geeky thing like here. It's okay to mention Starcraft to guys though, unless they look like jerks. Instead, if you're into Korean dramas/K-Pop, spout out as much info you know as much as possible. Koreans are pleased when others know Korean culture. Although they'll be most likely be a little shocked that a foreigner knows so much about Korean media at first, they'll soon get excited and share their favorite Korean media stuffs with you too. If you keep up with stuff in Korea, talking about the latest episode of whatever drama/live music broadcast program like Inkigayo is a good way to keep connections with others.
5. Korea is mad cheap compared to Japan. You'll love how everything is priced dirt cheap there. LOVE IT. You'll be in bargain paradise.
6. Try practicing Japanese with Koreans as well! Some are also trying to learn Japanese since they love Japanese culture, so that'll be a fun thing to do if you run out of things to talk about.
7. Korea is fucking cold in the fall/winter. Enroll in spring, unless you're a polar bear. Watch out for the deadly, almost death-inducing humidity in late spring/early summer though. You'll sweat buckets. You're welcome. Congrats on being able to study in Korea! I wanna go back there, but I'm heading for crazy Nihon in the summer, where animu characters and giant robots and okonomiyaki await me. |D Make sure you watch a lot of live Starcraft, advertise TL to the cameramen, and spam lots of pics about your experiences in Korea! (Girl blogs must be shared too.)
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So Chinese ain't so cool to the Koreans huh?
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we aren't as fashionable QQ
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On January 19 2011 12:30 aidnai wrote:Show nested quote +- As an Asian of a different descent, will I blend in and be fairly ignored, or will people show any sort of disdain, because I am Japanese and not Korean? My guess based on experience is most people will recognize easily that you are asian american. I think it's fashion sense that mainly gives it away. I doubt they'll pick you out as japanese, and I don't think there will be any good reason for you to advertise that.
Hmmm. I'm not sure how I would describe my fashion sense... but it's a little more on the Asian side, I guess, but I'm sure I would stand out from legit Koreans.
On January 19 2011 12:44 wherebugsgo wrote:Holy shit Self, fixed, thanks.
On January 19 2011 12:50 yoonyoon wrote:Show nested quote +In very recent events, I've become aware of a study abroad opportunity in Korea, offered by Korea University, Sejong campus. "Sejong"?....o_O uh... 'kay... Not a good school. I guess it won't matter if it's just an exchange program... You do know the difference between the Anam campus and the Sejong campus, right? The Anam is the famous, good one, while Sejong.. isn't even in Seoul. It's like 2 hours? away from Seoul.
Well, I haven't looked that much into other Korean universities, but I could tell it wasn't the main one. Is it totally shit compared to the Anam campus?
On January 19 2011 12:50 yoonyoon wrote:People will know you're Japanese. Trust me. Koreans can tell if someone's not Korean, if someone's Korean but was born overseas, and if someone's Korean but studied overseas for a while.
That makes sense, thanks.
On January 19 2011 12:50 yoonyoon wrote:Show nested quote +- As an Asian of a different descent, will I blend in and be fairly ignored, or will people show any sort of disdain, because I am Japanese and not Korean? There might be a little disdain, but probably not outright. You might want to emphasize your 'American-ness' though. I don't know about how it is at Sejong, but a lot of universities have plenty of foreign students, and so you tend to blend in more near universities. Some people might even be more interested in you(in a good way) because of your foreign-ness, although this applies the most to (good-looking) white people.
All right, I'm just worried about getting like jumped, by some extreme Korean nationalists.
On January 19 2011 12:50 yoonyoon wrote:Show nested quote +I've asked the KU representative about the Starcraft scene at KU, and he told me it's pretty big. So, will I be able to play SC2 on some kind of foreigner SSN, or student visa, or will I have to play on a KR client with a roommate's account? You probably aren't going to get the 외국인번호 if you're just coming to study, so you won't be able to get your own SC2 account. There's probably going to be plenty of people to borrow an ID from. I've also heard that you can ask PC bang staff to lend you their account.
Yeah, I'll probably ask around, and see if they'll let me ladder on their account. I guess I'll also ask Blizzard and see what they can do.
On January 19 2011 12:50 yoonyoon wrote:Show nested quote +I heard that the nightclub scene is bumpin', are there any age restrictions I should know about, or gay clubs I might accidentally walk into? Would I get slapped if I were to start grinding with a girl? Anything else to do on the weekends or in my free time? In 2011, 92ers can start drinking/clubbing. Not gay so no idea, but I doubt you'd accidentally walk into a gay club.
Yay I'm legal! Thanks for the info.
On January 19 2011 12:54 denzelz wrote: Just getting behind a girl and grinding is not even acceptable here, but good luck anyway.
One thing I have to say though, being Asian American in an Asian country is actually pretty weird since most people will immediately expect you to speak their language, at least in my experience. I think people just thought I was really dumb. You will probably just end up hanging out with other Americans in the program after a while, which is actually not that bad.
In Hawaii I was never approached by Japanese tourists with them trying to speak to me in Japanese, so, I think I'll be ok.
I read that one, thanks for posting though.
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United States5582 Posts
On January 19 2011 13:21 The_LiNk wrote: I'm not Chinese from China. I'm Canadian Chinese. Would be cool to get to know some Chinese Chinese (I'd be balling, be all like "Ni hao", "hi", "an yang(I don't think I typed that right)")
Though I'm asking more along the lines of discrimination. Are other Asians be discriminated? Chinese in particular? Are you talking about Asians being discriminated in Korea? Well, I'll just assume that.
Remember, no matter which Asian country you're in: All Asians hate each other. Trufax.
In other words, don't act like a fool in any country, whether you're in Korea or Bhutan, and you most likely won't get discriminated against. Don't worry too much about it.
And you were close; it's "Ahnyeong".
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I would recommend going to Japan rather and get your Japanese to an even more advanced level since knowing 2 languages is great for possible job opportunities in the future.
If you do end up going to Korea you might feel a little out of place at times since you are not Korean, but still among other Asians that seem similar to you(yet they are not). I am sure other Asian know what I am talking about, especially those that have traveled and lived in other Asian countries with similar appearances to the people living there, but not able to not speaking the language fluently.
It would be a waste to go to Korea as well and then not mastering the language completely since it is probably harder for you as opposed to Japanese which you seem to have the fundamentals for already. The internet is Japan is great as well, you'll be able to play on the US server fine.
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Live in Toronto for most of your life, move away, and realize how much hate there is in the world. Toronto is too awesome, there is so little racial hate here that when I go during vacations, it surprises me every time. Sheltered from the real world.
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On January 19 2011 14:22 bubblegumbo wrote: I would recommend going to Japan rather and get your Japanese to an even more advanced level since knowing 2 languages is great for possible job opportunities in the future.
If you do end up going to Korea you might feel a little out of place at times since you are not Korean, but still among other Asians that seem similar to you(yet they are not). I am sure other Asian know what I am talking about, especially those that have traveled and lived in other Asian countries with similar appearances to the people living there, but not able to not speaking the language fluently.
It would be a waste to go to Korea as well and then not mastering the language completely since it is probably harder for you as opposed to Japanese which you seem to have the fundamentals for already. The internet is Japan is great as well, you'll be able to play on the US server fine.
Well the thing about studying in Korea, is that it's WAY cheaper than studying in Tokyo, because KU is willing to pay for my room and board AND airfare.
If a similar opportunity pops up for Japan, I'll definitely consider it.
Money is a pretty big issue for my family, so affordability isn't just heavily weighted, it's a yes/no thing. (Three siblings in college does that to you)
(I'll reply to the other lengthier posts when I have more time, and am back in my dorm room.)
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A few paragraphs about my Chinese-Canadian friend who went on exchange to Korea: + Show Spoiler + I haven't been to Korea for like 4 years now, but I do have a friend who was recently on an exchange program (with Seoul Univ.) for a couple of months. He's Chinese-Canadian and didn't speak any Korean before he went there... he had a good time, made a couple friends, you know. He's not into e-sports at all though.
According to him, as long as you drank happily (but not like an idiot) it was easy fitting in. Don't be a clown or something, but do be sociable and always show willingness to learn/appreciate the Korean culture. Be careful when you want to criticize something, because some people can go nuts (you know how crazy Korean netizens can get). It's ok to have positive/negative opinions on issues but be careful if you want to declare them outright. I know my friend is pretty opinionated and a stubborn kind of guy, and he was able to somehow fit in, so any "average" person shouldn't have a problem.
Spend the first few days making sure you're settled in. Get the administrative stuff all set and done, locate the important places nearby (like grocery store). I suppose having someone help you with the translations and all would help.
Food: cheap in general, but coffee is MAD EXPENSIVE if you need coffee just go for cheap vending machine ones or supermarket ones, coffee from cafe's (both franchise like Starbucks and non-franchise like nice cozy ones) are more expensive than it is here in North America.
Girls: don't plan too much ahead, just go there and be natural. Slightly more conservative than it is in North America. Many girls will have some interest in you (you are different, after all) so be a good conversation buddy and maybe some girls will want to go beyond that
Technology: internet: FAST. phones: NICE. e-sports: AWESOME. Korea University is in Seoul I think, but I'm not sure whether Sejong campus is an expansion campus (outside Seoul) or part of the main campus.
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^ Sejong is in 충남..
On January 19 2011 13:41 mizU wrote:] Show nested quote +On January 19 2011 12:50 yoonyoon wrote:In very recent events, I've become aware of a study abroad opportunity in Korea, offered by Korea University, Sejong campus. "Sejong"?....o_O uh... 'kay... Not a good school. I guess it won't matter if it's just an exchange program... You do know the difference between the Anam campus and the Sejong campus, right? The Anam is the famous, good one, while Sejong.. isn't even in Seoul. It's like 2 hours? away from Seoul. Well, I haven't looked that much into other Korean universities, but I could tell it wasn't the main one. Is it totally shit compared to the Anam campus? KU Anam is considered to be the third best in Korea. KU Sejong is like... 40something-th? ... I guess, I have no idea. Maybe 30something-th? Probably within 50th... What major you are does play a big factor, but anyways, the general impression of Sejong is pretty bad.
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On January 19 2011 13:13 Navi wrote: to OP, there are some asshole adults that might (silently) discriminate if you advertised that you were japanese to them, mostly old fogeys that you probably won't meet though. young people are fine.
All right, that's what I figured.
On January 19 2011 13:13 Navi wrote: food there is super cheap in general omfg. the school cafeterias at most places sell delicious meals for under like 3 bucks (a pretty big variety, and cooked shin-ramen for 1 dollar lool). just don't expect to eat beef because that shit is expensive. eat up all the t-bone steaks or w/e u like back in the states while u can because it is ridiculous in korea. eating outside in little street vendor shops is the best though, relatively healthy food (for being bought out) that's delicious n cheap. I'm excited for food! I'm not too worried because I don't get much steak at my school anyway, so that won't be a problem. I do LOVE ramen though.
On January 19 2011 13:13 Navi wrote: brand names like polo, raulph lauren, and w/e are really expensive, but everything else is pretty cheap (korean society is pretty vain in general, like "he who wears better clothes is better" ish kinda thing, so you might wanna bring a polo or two for your nights out).
So basically... American brands? I wanna get some Korean clothes, if that's even possible, but I think I dress fairly nicely.
On January 19 2011 13:13 Navi wrote: borrowing a roomie's acc for sc2 would probably be the easiest way, you can ask blizzard customer support before you go to korea / when you are in korea, see what you can get done. THey do require a SSN kinda thing for most games in korea, but I don't know about that too well from a foreigner's point of view. (btw sc2 ladder in korea wayyy harsher than US, its not even funny lol. you might get dropped down to silver @_@)
:3 I hope I don't get totally raped on ladder... I'm a mere NA diamond. Which probably does = KR silver. I'll probably borrow a roomie or future friend's acc. We'll see.
On January 19 2011 13:13 Navi wrote: if you like snow and don't mind cold weather, fall (it will transition from hot/warm -> cold) if you prefer the warm/ don't mind heat, spring (start cool -> hot) i prefer fall myself, but they're both great.
Well. I'm already in Colorado, so I'm not sure if it gets colder then here. But I do like the autumn to winter progression.
On January 19 2011 13:13 Navi wrote: clubs are everywhere, you're gonna have a fun time lol. drinking age is 20 (in korean age) so most college students are of drinking age when they arrive there (late 18/19 US). don't worry too much about walking into a gay club, i don't think that'll be the problem you run into lol. i would start out by coming with a guy friend who knows his way around, he'll teach you how to mosey around
Yayyy legal drinking age! Sounds like a good plan, wingman possibly? Cool, cool.
On January 19 2011 13:13 Navi wrote: if you get a basic grasp of korean before you go, it will make ur life that much easier. i would try to make the effort to get basic korean down (they have signs up for where bathrooms n shit are in english too, so that isn't really the issue, but you'll get a lot more respect and your life in general will be a lot easier if you can do some basic chatting in both languages). you can make "friends" while speaking english only, but they will be mostly jerk-offs who will try to use you to learn english better lol. if you make an effort to learn some korean and practice around with some people you meet, i'm sure you'll meet some great people
Well I know very basic Korean, hello, goodbye, thank you, I love you. I'll work on expanding my Korean.
Thank you very much for your reply!
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
- Shopping-wise, are things in Korea expensive? (like clothes, hygenics, and other dorm necessities.)
Another tip is to check if you can find domestic versions of imported products. Things like pasta sauce, certain snack foods etc have Korean equivalents which don't taste that different (or different at all) and cost you a few thousand won less.
For buying fresh fruits and veggies (some of the most expensive items in the local supermarkets) the open air market stalls manned by ajjushis and ajjumas usually give the best deals. You are also way more likely to get free items thrown in as service.
Oh and for transport don't forget to buy a T-Money card (I've found it's easier to just buy one of those keychain style ones from Family Mart or GS25 and stick it on your phone.) It'll save you a decent amount on the already cheap public transport fares.
Clothing can be pricey if you're looking for labels, but the best deals are online via using Gmarket and Interpark. Both have English language sign ups too. I've had friends who got service for making larger orders even if it was only their first time ordering from a particular seller. There are also many temporary clothing stores offering reduced rates if you just need something cheap to see you through a couple of months. They usually spring up in market areas like Namdaemun or popular shopping areas like Myeongdong and Hongdae. Student areas definitely provide the best range of affordable deals for everything from clothing to food.
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- As an Asian of a different descent, will I blend in and be fairly ignored, or will people show any sort of disdain, because I am Japanese and not Korean? Some of the OLDER generation MIGHT have a little angst towards japanese still, but in general you won't really see much of it. Get in a debate about Dokdo or WW2 or something, though and you're in for it haha.
- I've asked the KU representative about the Starcraft scene at KU, and he told me it's pretty big. So, will I be able to play SC2 on some kind of foreigner SSN, or student visa, or will I have to play on a KR client with a roommate's account? You can play on your foreigner SSN but you need to play on the Korean servers. I'm sure anyone here or I can help walk you through it.
- How are girls at Korea universities, and will American tactics of getting girls' numbers and such be offensive? Honestly Korean girls are not really approached the way us americans approach girls. So alot of them see it as a refreshing change of pace vs. the usual (소개팅[sogaeting] through friends). I'm sure if you go under the guise of learning Korean or wanting to ask some questions, girls will be pretty receptive. Korean girls usually enjoy drinking, but don't be surprised if alot of them shy away from other nightlife (clubs).
- Shopping-wise, are things in Korea expensive? (like clothes, hygenics, and other dorm necessities.) Clothes, no, name-brand clothes, though, yes. Keep an eye out for a place called DAISO (they're quite common), amazing dollar-store-ish place that has everything you would need.
- How's the weather in Sejong in the fall/spring semester? BEAUTIFUL, those two seasons are amazing and like something out of a movie. The other two seasons tho are balls and are like out of a horror movie.
- I heard that the nightclub scene is bumpin', are there any age restrictions I should know about, or gay clubs I might accidentally walk into? Would I get slapped if I were to start grinding with a girl? Anything else to do on the weekends or in my free time? You will probably be carded (they've really stepped it up these days). Head to 홍대(hongdae) and you can find alot of no-cover, or foreigner-free clubs. I actually run a website here: http://www.aroundseoul.com Check it out there's tons of places to go there.
All the gay clubs are in 이태원(Itaewon). I generally stay away from there, but head there for good buffallo wings and football games.
Any other tips or info about Korean culture and Korea itself would be extremely grand. I'm already mega-hyped about the possibility of studying and visiting Korea, and further discussion might just drive me crazy. :D If you like people and busyness, you'll like it. My number one tip for people coming over, INVEST IN A SCOOTER OR MOTORCYCLE You can get them dirt cheap (free ~ $1000) and they'll let you see alot more than you ever would sticking to the subways.
Anyway PM me if you want to know more, gluck -Keith
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Korea (South)1897 Posts
Whatever yoonyoon wrote is right on the money.
I am a KU grad and my wife is too (Law) and I was on the rugby pro team there, but we were at the Anam campus, so where you are going is the country side, but it should be fun and I dont' think nowadays you'll have any issues and also I'm sure you can come to seoul to participate in the Ko-yo-Jun (the annual Korea University and Yonsei univeristy games);
there is an old saying in Korea, that there are 3 races, male, female and female at KU, meaning that traditionally, only the ugly really nerdy girls went to KU, but I'd like to think that its not the case anymore ^^
Anyways, it will be a great experience if everything is covered!
Cheers
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On January 19 2011 16:00 NeverGG wrote: - Shopping-wise, are things in Korea expensive? (like clothes, hygenics, and other dorm necessities.)
Another tip is to check if you can find domestic versions of imported products. Things like pasta sauce, certain snack foods etc have Korean equivalents which don't taste that different (or different at all) and cost you a few thousand won less.
For buying fresh fruits and veggies (some of the most expensive items in the local supermarkets) the open air market stalls manned by ajjushis and ajjumas usually give the best deals. You are also way more likely to get free items thrown in as service.
Oh and for transport don't forget to buy a T-Money card (I've found it's easier to just buy one of those keychain style ones from Family Mart or GS25 and stick it on your phone.) It'll save you a decent amount on the already cheap public transport fares.
Clothing can be pricey if you're looking for labels, but the best deals are online via using Gmarket and Interpark. Both have English language sign ups too. I've had friends who got service for making larger orders even if it was only their first time ordering from a particular seller. There are also many temporary clothing stores offering reduced rates if you just need something cheap to see you through a couple of months. They usually spring up in market areas like Namdaemun or popular shopping areas like Myeongdong and Hongdae. Student areas definitely provide the best range of affordable deals for everything from clothing to food.
Thanks for the budgetary tips!
] I'll keep them in mind. :D
I'll work on replies and maybe other questions later.
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So I've picked up my application for the study abroad program, and should be submitting it fairly soon. I'll probably find out if I get accepted or not by March 11.
As of late, I've been watching a lot of subbed Korean variety shows, and have been picking up a LOT of Korean.
On another not, I've fallen in love with SNSD.
Do you guys know some good sites where I can learn some more Korean, or culturistics, like music I should probably know, etc?
I've been using this one site to learn a phrase a day, http://www.linguanaut.com/english_korean.htm but after checking with my Korean friend, some of their responses are... incorrect.
Thank you to everyone, SO MUCH, who's posted already. Kamsamnida, and sarangmida. <3
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congrats on getting in!
as a korean-american who is more american than korean , i can tell you that you probably will stand out as an american. especially for you since you wont be fluent in the language.... and even for me, who can speak korean fluently without an accent (my aunts/cousins said i didnt have an accent when i visited last summer), just the way i talk gives me away (word choice, slang, etc).
I want to warn you though.... younger generations will probablynot have much of a problem with this for a most part (as there is plenty of cultural/pop culture exchange btw japan and korea), but some older folks still harbor dislike for the japanese for what they did to korea in WWII. i personally do not harbor any ill will towards the japanese, but i do remember my parents (especially my dad) being unhappy with me when i was in my anime obsession phase in middle school.... he stopped bothering me about it since high school, so i think he was just trying to raise me as a korean while i was still a kid... he has no problem at all with it now. I have a good friend named Aki who ive hung out with since kindergarten, but they had no problems at ALL with that.... but my grandpa still doesn't buy any japanese products (no sony tv etc) as he was personally in WWII himself... i dont/havent lived in korea, so i dont know how things would be like there regarding this issue, but i just want to let you know you may occassionally not be treated respectfully by bitter elderly folk.
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On March 28 2011 03:36 OMin wrote: congrats on getting in!
as a korean-american who is more american than korean , i can tell you that you probably will stand out as an american. especially for you since you wont be fluent in the language.... and even for me, who can speak korean fluently without an accent (my aunts/cousins said i didnt have an accent when i visited last summer), just the way i talk gives me away (word choice, slang, etc).
I want to warn you though.... younger generations will probablynot have much of a problem with this for a most part (as there is plenty of cultural/pop culture exchange btw japan and korea), but some older folks still harbor dislike for the japanese for what they did to korea in WWII. i personally do not harbor any ill will towards the japanese, but i do remember my parents (especially my dad) being unhappy with me when i was in my anime obsession phase in middle school.... he stopped bothering me about it since high school, so i think he was just trying to raise me as a korean while i was still a kid... he has no problem at all with it now. I have a good friend named Aki who ive hung out with since kindergarten, but they had no problems at ALL with that.... but my grandpa still doesn't buy any japanese products (no sony tv etc) as he was personally in WWII himself... i dont/havent lived in korea, so i dont know how things would be like there regarding this issue, but i just want to let you know you may occassionally not be treated respectfully by bitter elderly folk.
That's interesting.. Kinda ironic. My Japanese grandpa fought in the Korean war.
Thanks for the tips though. :D
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