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Hello all,
I'm a University student here in the US and am thinking about studying abroad in the great city of Seoul, and I figured I'd ask TL some questions about Korea in general, since I know several of you have been there.
I definitely like the food so far, at least what I've had (basic panchan, bulgogi, samgyeopsal) but I'm wondering what other types of Korean food I should try before I make my decision to head out there.
As far as culture goes, I'm aware of a giant difference compared to the US, but to anyone who has been there, or knows for sure, what huge differences are there? And is Brood War/SC2 really as big as all of us westerners think?
Obviously, I won't be able to live in the GSL studios  but I will be checking out the GSL as much as possible. There are two Universities I'm considering:
Korea University vs Yonsei University
Both Universities are in Seoul, and are apparently very prestigious in the country as well as around the world.
Academics: I'm a math/CS major, in my third year of schooling, and I've heard Yonsei has a better engineering/math program. From looking at the courses taught in English at both schools, I'd have to agree. KU has a limited number of high level math courses, compared to Yonsei's vast number of courses.
I couldn't find a lot of pictures showing the campus flaws of each University (obviously) so if someone has been to either University, please let me know what you thought of the schooling or the campus in general, as well as the surroundings of each University.
The public transit in Seoul has been praised worldwide, and I assume I won't have any problem getting to Mokdong studios for GSL whenever I can, as it seems to only be a 15 minute difference or so between the two Universities.
Also, the Korean landscapes are most likely very beautiful, and anyone who has been there should be able to let me know where the best areas for great landscapes are. Please let me know  , as I'd love to get pictures with the camera I'm planning to buy (advice will probably be asked for in a future blog entry).
If you've been to either University, please let me know some things about the student experience at the school, as well as some tips for Korean living in general. thanks!
tl;dr probably going abroad to Seoul, wondering some things about general culture, academics, transportation, and where to visit while in Seoul (landscapes, restaurants, landmarks, etc).
 
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I want to live in Korea after high school too :D GL
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im looking to do study abroad in korea @ ewha university in seoul in the fall. hope I can learn about korea in this blog with you 
(if tastosis/gsl stops while im there im going to cryyyy)
also a cs major!
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Korea vs Yonsei University is a debate you'll never get a complete answer to. They are basically rivals for "2nd best Korean University" (Seoul University widely considered the best Uni). Both have beautiful campuses so no need to worry there.
I have a friend that attends Yonsei that says that it's actually a really easy university after you pass the really, really, really hard entry requirements (she says canadian university was much harder on a day-to-day basis, but canadian universities are a billion times easier to get into), but I feel that's a more of a Korean university feature rather than a Yonsei feature. I also... knew... a professor at Korea University who swore that it's area had the best restaraunts/atmosphere, but that's clearly a biased source. Really can't go wrong with either, but Yonsei is a "christian" university in tradition so if any aspect of that bothers you, I say don't risk the trouble. Korean christians tend to be very fundamentalist and very pushy if they feel they can convert you. Also, Yonsei seems to be in a better location in terms of proximity to other cool places in seoul.
Things to try in Korea:
~Beebimbap is my staple lunch meal, easy, non-fancy but stupidly delicious.
~Soju cocktail (basically fruitcocktails with soju mixed in, there are bars dedicated to just these sort of drinks, but be prepared to be forced to buy food with your drinks)
~Noraebang (karaokee rooms): These are an absolute blast if you're a few too many drinks in and especially if you're in the company of some pretty ladies
~DVD bangs: These are generally places Korean couples go to have sex if they're too cheap to rent Love Motels, however, for foreigners these are the best places to watch Korean films with English subtitles (or still a great place to have sex if you don't want to pay 30 dollars for a love motel ^^)
~Deokgalbi (떡갈비?) Really spicy meat/veggie dish, one of my personal favs in Korea. If you can handle spicy foods, this is a must-try.
~Hongdae: This is the young-people club area of seoul. I'm sure you'll learn about it more once you come to Korea, but it's a name to keep in mind if you are interested in partying in Korea
I~taewon: This is the "foreigner" area of seoul. Basically "America-town" in Korea with lots of army GIs and American products being sold. If you want to party with forigners, you go here, or if you want to get American products you can't find elsewhere, you go to Itaewon. (I personally don't like this place, but i would be irresponsible to not mention it to new foreigners in Korea).
~Landscapes: First stop should be namsan (south mountain) town. A great 360 degree view of seoul from the top of a mountain. Other than that, basically go any direction outside of seoul and you'll be treated to either great asian-style mountain scenery or ocean coasts.
~Dongdaemoon: This is a market area, but there's also a Russian district nearby that is GREAT for Central-Asian restaurants and bakeries. Definitely something that I, as a cultural Eastern-European, greatly enjoyed, but not may be everyone's cup of teas (If you're a white female in this area, expect to be thought of as a prostitute, most Russian females are in this country)
There's a ton of cultural differences and norms that I could write an essay about, but in general what sort of cultural differences are you worried about? Koreans are generally pretty forgiving towards foreigners for breaking social taboos, because they understand that Korean culture is radically different from western culture, and often koreans themselves will break basic korean norms when interacting with foriegners, since they know it's something of an escape from rigid Korean expectations.
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Also, learn some basics of hangul (korean writing) before coming. There's plenty of english words that are just written in hangul around the country, and it's very handy for transportation. Hangul is literally the easiest written alphabet to learn, it will take about half an afternoon to grasp most of it.
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Thanks for the help guys, especially the long post by TheKwas. I'll definitely be posting more in here as this progresses, and once I get to Seoul, it will be even more often as I'll want people back home to know what I'm up to.
I'm starting up Rosetta Stone Korean tonight, as I figure it can't hurt to know a bit of Korean. Hangul is definitely something I'll pick up on; it will definitely help if I could at least read the English words spelled out in hangul.
Also, with Internet connection, is it actually true that Seoul is almost 100% WiFi equipped? And does Korea actually have as amazing Internet connection (Ethernet) as I think, or am I just kidding myself?
Even though I will be studying, I'd love to play a bit on the Korean server and get my ass handed to me!
Reading up on culture is interesting, I had Korean food for lunch today and noticed that he handed me my receipt with two hands, one grasping his forearm, and now I know why!
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Also...agnostic/atheist here, hardcore Christian conversion people annoy me, but I think I'll be fine once they notice that wall is up.
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Yeah, Seoul is very Wifi friendly. I'm not 100% sure since I lack most devices that would require mobile Wifi (which makes me basically a barbarian in high-tech Korea), but where I live I don't even both paying for internet because the free internet is more than adequate for my needs. I understand that if you want to use the best Wifi networks (generally NESPOT I think?), you have to pay something like 3300 won a month (roughly 3 dollars),
If you want to Play on the Korean server, you'll need to use your Foreign ID number to sign up, which can be a hassle if you don't find good instructions on what to do.
And yeah, after being here a while, a lot of things that were once weird and strange become second nature. When I go back to Canada, it's going to take me a long time to get out of the habit of doing everything with 2 hands.
PS: I wrote namsan town in the first post, that should be "tower". Drunken typo.
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Nice, yeah I'm sort of a technology nerd, so the mobile WiFi would be a great thing since I don't feel like spending 50USD/mo for around 200mb of data =[ (we suck in that regard). $3/mo for great Internet though, sign me up!!
I'm getting more and more excited for this, and started up Rosetta Stone yesterday to try to learn the language. Hopefully will help out, as even Lesson 1 gave me the semantics I'd need to have a conversation about eating apples and swimming.
Dunno when the next time I'll update this is, probably when I have another meeting with the advisor here.
Thanks again
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EPT
