Making adjustments...
6:02 PM
My experience in South Korea has been pretty good so far. I've met some really great people and the locals are really nice. Besides the language, there haven't been many differences from back at home. But here are just a few of the minor things I've had to get adjusted to while here.
The top right side is a form of kimchi |
Kimchi
Kimchi, or pickled cabbage, is served with almost every Korean dish. I knew this already from going to Korean restaurants back home, and could only eat it in a stew or in small bites. I've learned that kimchi isn't only limited to the spicy red dish, but also has other colors and more bearable flavors. I am not a hardcore fan yet, but the variety means I may actually eat more of it.
Kimchi, or pickled cabbage, is served with almost every Korean dish. I knew this already from going to Korean restaurants back home, and could only eat it in a stew or in small bites. I've learned that kimchi isn't only limited to the spicy red dish, but also has other colors and more bearable flavors. I am not a hardcore fan yet, but the variety means I may actually eat more of it.
Serving sizes
Whomever said that Asian people eat in small portions was a liar-or at least half way. Most of the places we have been to give large food servings, meaning we've been sharing a lot of stuff over here. This isn't really a bad thing when it comes to going to BBQ places or My My Chicken, and splitting things helps cut back on the coat as well. But if you don't like aharing you'll be taking home a lot of leftovers and become broke fast.
Whomever said that Asian people eat in small portions was a liar-or at least half way. Most of the places we have been to give large food servings, meaning we've been sharing a lot of stuff over here. This isn't really a bad thing when it comes to going to BBQ places or My My Chicken, and splitting things helps cut back on the coat as well. But if you don't like aharing you'll be taking home a lot of leftovers and become broke fast.
The bathroom |
Bathing
Did I tell you guys there is no shower in my dorm? No? Well my dorm doesn't have a shower. Or a bathtub. I had been warned by friends about this before, but only imaged that the shower area was without a curtain, like a locker room shower. Instead, it has this little shower head hosted next to the sink that you use to wash with. The small size of the rooms make it even worse and everything is always damp after a shower.
Learning Hangul
I've dabbled in learning Hangul, or Korean, on and off for the last three years. Usually my schedule would make it impossible to squeeze in my Talk To Me In Korean lessons (It is free! Try it!) or I'd only do a few lessons and quit. Now that Hangul is a part of the course here, I'm actually going further with vocabulary and the alphabet than before. Some of the characters I already remember from my classes, but some of the consonants are new for me and hard to pronounce for a foreigner.
I've dabbled in learning Hangul, or Korean, on and off for the last three years. Usually my schedule would make it impossible to squeeze in my Talk To Me In Korean lessons (It is free! Try it!) or I'd only do a few lessons and quit. Now that Hangul is a part of the course here, I'm actually going further with vocabulary and the alphabet than before. Some of the characters I already remember from my classes, but some of the consonants are new for me and hard to pronounce for a foreigner.
My roommate Silk and I |
Roommates
I have never lived in a dorm before and the only person I've ever shared my room with has been my sister. During the UIP program, I share a room with a student from China. Everything has been pretty great so far though, so you won't be seeing a horrible roommate story from this trip. It is strange living with a basic stranger though- learning each other's boundaries, not being able to sing Disney songs as loud as I want, etc.
Stay tuned for more pictures and posts from the trip coming soon! And follow our Instagram or tumblr to see more pictures from the trip.
2 comments
Oh my goodness! That shower situation looks like it'll be fun to deal with! Good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I've gotten used it so far, but it's not the worst or strangest bathroom accommodation I've seen so far!
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