Food and drink

I’m getting really accustomed to the local cuisine. Most foods are amazingly good and healthy as well. Most days people eat out at least once. Different kinds of barbeques are the most common, but there are also many different kinds of soups and rice dishes. Usually there are several different cups from which to eat and often the food is prepared in the table. I really like it, because it turns a plain meal into a communal dining experience.

Breakfast. Soup and rice. Yum.

Ok, so don’t judge me, but I ate dog. Yes, that’s right: I took a bite out of little Lassie, Snoopy, and RinTinTin. Before you go all ballistic on the Korean people for slaughtering your pets, remember that cows are considered sacred by the Hindus, Jews and Muslims won’t touch pork with a stick and Finnish people mix blood in their pancakes. Every culture views foods differently, so who is to say what is ethical or normal and what is not. And Koreans only eat it on special days and there are many Koreans who have never tried it, so it’s not an everyday snack here either. But anyway, I really wanted to try it, so I made Ted take me to a dog restaurant. The delicacy was served as stew, cooked on the table with leaves and pepper sauce. The meat was cut into small pieces and it looked a bit like roast beef. But it had a sort of brownish fat on it and when you ate it with the leaves, it felt like you were chewing on fur. So I have to admit I didn’t really develop gusto for the canine culinary delights. But it was definitely worthwhile.



The dog, el perro, le chien, koira, hund.
Pre-cooked. Cooked. In mouth.

I went bicycle riding with Ted and his friends along the Han River. It was really nice and a good way to see the city. Afterwards we went to a restaurant to have samgyupsal, which is one type of Korean barbeque. It was great meeting Ted’s friends and hanging out with Korean people. They didn’t really speak English, but we had a good time anyway. They told me things like (read the following in a bad Korean accent) “You are very handsome boy”, “When I saw you, I think you are actor” and “You are in very good physical shape, yes”. I’ve always been a sucker for compliments, but getting them from a bunch of married 40-year-old men could be described as somewhat disturbing. But it’s just the way the people are here. It’s really odd being the center of attention all the time. Wherever I (or another Westerner for that matter) go, people stare all the time. At the Gyeongbokgung Palace all the kids on their class trips shouted “Hello, hello, what’s your name” at me, on the bus a lady came to ask whether Sandra (one of the interns) and I were dating, I’ve participated in three student interviews for English their class and a fat kid started screaming in the middle of the street “American, American!” when he saw me.

Ready to go bicycling along the Han River.

Since so many of the Koreans seem to view us foreigners as “foreign”, it was really lucky that I met Otto (the Finpro trainee guy) back in Finland before I left. There are almost ten Finnish people here, which has been fun. We’ve been eating out and going out a lot, and meeting tons of new faces and making new friends. Though Koreans are really friendly, many of them don’t speak English that well, and let’s face it: hanging out with your “peers” is refreshing once in a while. Korean people like to drink quite a lot and an essential part of every dinner is of course soju. It tastes more or less like a mixture of water and vodka. One bottle costs 3000 won (less than 3 €). Korean beer is quite smooth and even I manage to swallow some of it. So it must be good for beer.

A Korean food stand. Instead of beef jerky they have squid jerky (featured on the bottom right).

I spent a day with Sarah, another one of the interns, and she introduced me to one more Korean specialty: ice-cream and red bean sauce. So yes, you eat beans with ice-cream. It was actually really tasty and sweet. They even serve it at Burger King, it's so ubiquitous You learn something new every day. And you know usually the two basic flavours are vanilla and chocolate? Well, here it's vanilla and green tea. I don’t what it is with Koreans and their ice-cream, but one for some reason cherry tomatoes are considered to be a fruit here. So they are served in fruit salads, cakes... and even in ice-cream. The ice-cream tasted like frozen ketchup, not really my thing. But despite this horrific setback, all-in-all, it’s been another great week. I’ve had something new to do every day and there hasn’t been a boring moment to speak of, except at work :).

Fast-paced days

Since I’m here for such a short time, I have this urge to spend every minute I have here constructively. I’ve been walking around different parts of Seoul every day. I’ve been to the huge Yongsan electronics market, Insagong arts and crafts street Youido financial district and the Han River area amongst others. But there is still so much to see. I met an American girl, Annie, who works at the Korea Times as well. She’s been here for quite long already and knows her way around Seoul. We went for dinner one day and got to know the Itaewon district, which is filled with foreigners.

The Cheonggyecheon river at the center of Seoul

I finally got a Korean cell phone activated. If you want to contact me, the number is +821068756583. Receiving calls is free for me, so no worries. Having a cell phone has aided the formation of social networks significantly. I got into contact with Otto, a Finnish guy from HSE that’s working at Finpro who I met at the Korean embassy, and we went out to eat on Saturday in Sinchon (so basically where I live). I also got a first glimpse of Seoul nightlife, as after dinner we joined a group other foreigners at a nearby bar. I met two other Finns, Lauri and Katja, both from Jyväskylä, who are studying here as well. There were also people from Holland, Germany, USA and Korea. The best part was that we were still in Sinchon, so I could just walk home.

Once I got home I checked my email and remembered at the same time that the Eurovision Song Contest was on that same day. I went to the Eurovision website to see whether the results were already in. They weren’t, but I found a link to watch the competition live instead. So I sat at my computer until 7 a.m. cheering for Finland. Sometimes I still marvel at the possibilities that modern technology enables :). But I’m glad I didn’t miss it. After 40 years of waiting, disappointments and humiliation, we finally did it! I’m so thrilled. Congratulations Lordi! And congratulations to the Finnish ice-hockey team as well!

Ted, Minjun and I went to do something that Koreans like to call mountain climbing on Sunday. Basically it means walking around forests with other people. It’s the Korean national sport; they do it all the time. It was a lot of fun. We hiked for the entire afternoon. The highlight for me was visiting a Buddhist temple that’s actually not too far from where we live. I wouldn’t go as far as to describe the experience as spiritual, but there was a certain feeling of tranquility that I got after “meditating” (sitting quietly) in the temple for a while. There was like this one huge Buddha and then 3000 little Buddhas. It was pretty amazing. I hope to get the chance to go another less crowded temple for a longer stay sometime during the summer.

Ted and I at the Buddhist temple

Danny (one of the other interns) and I went to the movies to see The Da Vinci Code. I loved the book, so I had really high hopes for the movie. I was especially excited to see Audrey Tautou in a big American movie. So the disappointment was ever so great once the movie sucked. I mean it was terrible. The adaptation was totally unsuccessful, the general mood was all wrong, the chemistry between Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou was awkward and Tautou gave possible the blandest performance since Brad Pitt played Death in Meet Joe Black. The soundtrack was also so pompous it became distracting. The movie lacked all of the excitement, tension and subtle conspiracy theories that made the novel such an entertaining reading experience. Namdaemun Gate, the entrance to Seoul

All together, the first week has been quite exhilarating. Everyday there was something exciting and different. Met a lot of great people and saw a lot of new things. I know pretty well how to get around the Sinchon area (the one near where I live) and the center area of Seoul. Taking the buses and metros has become easy. I’m getting more fluent in chopsticks, but my Hangul (Korean) is still nearly inexistent.

First few days of work

So I started working as an intern at the Korea Times on Monday. The morning begin with a minor disaster when I realized that the hangers at the dry cleaners in Finland had been mixed up, and I ended up taking my dad’s suit! Let’s just say that we’re not exactly the same size. After a moment of sheer panic, I opted for a jacket, shirt, tie and jeans. So it all worked out in the end. Especially since only the Korean workers seem to wear suits anyway. All of the Westerners working here confide in jeans. In addition to myself, there are four other interns, all from America. We’ve all been assigned to different posts, such as Finance, Sports, Culture. I’m currently at the National Section (“Why?”, you are asking. I wish I could answer that).


The good stuff
The location is great, it’s near the center of Seoul, just five minute bus ride from the Yonsei campus. Gyeonbokgung, the old King’s Palace, and the American Embassy are right nearby. The working hours are flexible. The main editor seems like a really cool guy and the work atmosphere is really relaxed. The editor also took us to this amazing welcoming luncheon at the top of the building. They had like a five table buffet with every single Korean food imaginable. Can you imagine so many different sorts of foods, none of which you had tasted before? Meaningless to say, I was in heaven. All of the other interns are really nice. We’ve formed a pretty tight group together. I’m the oldest, but I also feel like the junior, since I’m the only one who doesn’t speak Korean. Anyway, Sarah, Danny, Sandra and Nari are all great and I’m looking forward to spending the summer with them.

From left: me, Sandra, Sarah and Danny enjoying a Korean barbeque (and soju).

The bad stuff
Ok, so what sucks is that there’s basically like nothing to do. Most people here seem unaware, uninterested and unbothered by our existence. We were given some assignments, but they aren’t like really challenging. I think the most surprising part has been the atmosphere. I imagined it to be hectic and exciting, with phones ringing, faxes beeping and people rushing around. Instead -sort of natural come to think of it- it’s more like a library. The reporters are just sitting around typing on their laptops. About one forth of the people here are western, whereas the rest are Korean. Considering that this is an English language newspaper one might assume everyone would be fluent in English, but frankly that’s not the case. At least they can write. Supposedly we’ll get the chance to publish articles later on. I’m optimistic things will pick up after a few days. It’s very frustrating just sitting around knowing you could be of use.

The view from my desk. I know this is like the worst picture ever, but it's all I've got, sorry guys.

I’ve noticed that people here go and brush their teeth in the bathroom in the middle of the working day. It’s so that their breath wouldn’t smell after a spicy lunch. Apparently bubble gum is not an option, since it would be considered rude. It’s just a bit comic when a 40-year-old Korean man in a suit keeps a toothbrush on his desk. But so anyway, now we are just pretty much sitting here, waiting for something exciting to show up. I have some ideas for articles, let’s hope I can push them though one of these days.

Fun in the sun: sightseeing weekend

The past few days have been about absorbing Korean culture, food, history and air pollution. Ted took me sightseeing and I did a solitary excursion around central Seoul as well. I now know how to take the bus to work, how to use the subway and how to get back home. The city is absolutely stunning! I can’t say how much I’ve enjoyed getting to know it. The weather is great, the architecture is amazing, there are people everywhere and there is just so much more to see.

We've been having soup and rice for breakfast, which tastes fine, but will definitely take some getting used to. Especially when lunch and dinner also include soup and rice. I tried to find conditioner today, but at the supermarket they had none and at Body Shop they had two which both cost like 20 000 won (~20 €). How do these people wash their hair :D?

Well, I’m pretty knackered right now, so I’ll just post a few pictures of beautiful Seoul.
Work begins tomorrow: pretty exciting!

Finally made it!

I’ve been waiting for this for so long. It’s good to get out of familiar surroundings for a while. Here I finally am: Seoul, South Korea. 7000 kilometres, 6 time zones and a state of mind away from home.

KLM evidently hates all of their clients. Too hot, too cold, uncomfortable seats, no leg space and you’re always the last one to get food. The ten hour flight from Amsterdam to Seoul was not a top 10 moment for me, but at least it served its purpose. I made it to my destination safe and sound, even though dead tired. I briefly visited Yonsei University this afternoon. Unexpectedly the campus is just short from huge. There are like 50 buildings. I’ll go on a more thorough tour later on.

Unfortunately Finnish cell phones have troubles using the local network technology. So if any of you try calling, there’s a 100% chance that you will get a “Hi! This is Juho, I’m spending the summer in Korea…” –reply. I’ll try to get a pre-paid phone in the near future. Before that, email is by far the most successful medium of reaching me. Be sure to check my Messenger and Skype availability.

My new host for the following months is a wonderful gentleman by the name of Ted Yoo. Ted is 39 years old and works as a librarian at Yonsei University. His place is about 5 minutes from the campus, which is quite convenient. Ted is not married, but his 16-year-old nephew Minjun lives with him. Hence from now on it’s just us three guys living under the same roof. The apartment is quite small, but modern and clean. There are enough of different technological machines for a science fair. I have my own room, which fits a bed, a desk and a closet. We all share a bathroom and for some reason sheets are not a part of Korean bed-culture, but then again there’s W-LAN. So win some, lose some.

A room with a view

Ted and Ming are both great. They speak English somewhat brokenly, but both are very avid learners and quite talkative. They also seem genuinely interested in having me here. The evening started out in very traditional bachelor-style, as we ordered food from the Pizza Hut around the corner. I guess some things are the same wherever you go. The pizza eating habits of different countries never fail to surprise me in their peculiarity. In Mexico they dump ketchup on top, in Norway different sorts of sauces such as tsatsiki are used, and in Korea apparently – pickles. Yup, pickles on a pizza. I decided to pass on the gourmet cucumbers and focused on the pizza. And it was just as good as could be expected. God bless quality standards.

Anyway, kudos to Ted for taking on such a challenge as having some random Finnish dude bunk at his place for a few months. He promised to take me sightseeing and show me how to move around Soul. We have the weekend to get to know a part of this 11 million person metropolis. Can’t wait.

The streets of Seoul

Farewell Finland!

This is my last morning in Finland... The excitement is getting tangible as my hands are shaking to an extent that it’s hard to hold a teacup in my hand. I have a long flight ahead of me, but tomorrow at this time I’ll be landing in Seoul, South Korea.

To all of you who have managed to miss my constant blabbering about this topic for the past months, here’s a review:

What?
I´m going to Seoul, South Korea as a part of my studies of the Helsinki School of Economics BScBA Degree Program

When?
From May 11, 2006 to early August, so approximately three months.

To do what?
First I’ll be interning at the Korea Times for one month, then going on a trip around South Korea and finally studying at Yonsei University for a bit less than two months.

Accomadation?
Participating in the university’s Homestay Program, so I'll be living with a local Korean family.

Feelings?
Super-excited, but nervous. Korea is bound to be a totally different culture from what I’m used to. Seoul with 11 million inhabitants will certainly be an experience to remember.

Last night was my farewell party at restaurant Korea House in Helsinki. About 25 friends of mine were there to celebrate the event with me. Thank you everyone for coming, it meant the world to me! Thank you also for all of your wonderful presents. I somehow managed to squeeze them into the depths of my suitcase.




At the Korea House


Afterwards at the Piano Bar. Me with pretty blonde Finnish girls


The dearest


After-afterwards at the Artic Ice Bar.
I hope it's a lot warmer in Seoul.