Finnish Seoul

Forget me not, Seoul

2006-08-07T03:11:00.000+03:00

It's my last morning in South Korea: time to go back home.

It's been an incredible journey full of new experiences and new people. I'm left with a few great friends for life, an increased knowledge level of Korea and Asia, the ability to read and write Korean characters (but not to understand what it says) and fluency in chopsticks. Not everything here has been positive. Not getting to know many Koreans, the never-ending rain and waiting for five minutes at every traffic light have all been a part of my summer here as well. But the general taste in my mouth is positive.

So it is somewhat wiser, gastronomically more experienced and just a bit tanned I say farwell to Seoul. Forget me not!

Facts and Figures

2006-07-24T14:39:00.000+03:00

Korea is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. With 492 people per square kilometre it becomes second only to Bangladesh (and then some Lilliputian areas such as Monaco, Singapore and Hong Kong). The estimated population density of the city of Seoul is 16 600 / km2. This is about a thousand times the density of Finland. You can imagine what this means for real estate prices. Owning a house is often a utopia for many Seoulites.

The city of Seoul holds a population of 10 million (yes, twice as much as Finland). If the entire metropolitan area is considered, the figure pops up to 22.4 million. This adds up to being the third largest in the world after Tokyo and Mexico City. Sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming, making this little Finn feel a bit insignificant. But then again, I think I’ve been to the most important spots around this city and know the way around pretty well. I can’t really speak Korean, but can get by.

Check this out, it's a great picture. In the middle there is the Han River, but all of the white is houses. And it goes on for miles more, especially to the East and South.

The four most common last names cover 50% of the population. 22% are Kims, 15% have Lee as their last name, 8.5% are called Pak and 4.7% belong to the Choi line. Koreans keep a special book called jogdo in which they keep a record of all of the members of their clan. Meaningless to say that there are several Kim and Lee clans, but most Koreans can trace their roots back even a thousand years.

In addition to this Korea is one of the most homogenous societies in the world. Koreans are really proud and protective of their Korean blood. Out of the 48 million population, the largest minority are the Chinese, of who there are about 20 000. Of course there are approximately 1 million foreigners residing in the country, but they are all here short-term.

A pie chart showing the distribution of Korean last names. (click on the picture to enlarge)

Fresh mud and live octopus

2006-07-17T12:21:00.000+03:00

So I have another culinary adventure to share. A bunch of us Finns and a few of our friends decided to embark on a mission. We were to try a very normal local food: live octopus. Basically, they take the octopus out of a tank, chop off its head and serve the arms (no, they are not called tentacles) on a plate. Simple and delicious, right? I swear I have never been so excited to eat anything. The arms were still moving, desperately trying to find their way back to the sea. My god, it was gross! I can’t believe I actually put that thing in my mouth. My hands were trembling, but I just closed my eyes and went on with it. I tried to chew as fast as I could, but it was really hard. And the suction cups kept on sticking to your tongue. I felt a bit better since all of the other people in the table were equally disturbed by the act, as the pictures prove.

Yes, it really was just as disgusting as it sounds.

Timo having the same trouble as I was. David, the vegetarian, looking surprisingly happy in the back.

Jenna, our Korean hostess, had no trouble letting an dead octopus leg stick to her tongue. Awesome!

On the brighter side, Yonsei organized a trip to the Boryeong Mudfestival (http://www.mudfestival.or.kr/english/festival/festival1.php). Basically there’s nothing else there but mud. So we just ran around in the mud, painted ourselves with mud, mud wrestled, took a mud slide and swam all the mud off in the ocean. There was also a mud spa with a mud sauna, a mud Jacuzzi and mud bathes. A lot of people that I know ended up going with different groups, so it was also great to see so many people at the same time. Actually, it was an absolutely awesome day. And my skin felt really smooth and relaxed afterwards.

See all 'em boys posin'.

The holy Trinity: Juho the Son, Lauri the Father and Otto the Holy Ghost.

A spa, boy style. Me, Mark, David and Otto.

If you have been following the news, you’ll know that the monsoons hit the Korean peninsula pretty hard this year. There was a typhoon running around the south causing a lot of damage. Here in Seoul it’s been raining pretty much four days straight. And I mean poring. I don’t have any shoes left to walk outside in, even if I wanted to leave the house. Of course there are slightly graver problems than my lack of chance to tan and my forever-ruined Lacoste’s, such as several people dying and millions of won worth of damages. The Han River, which runs through the entire city, has flooded so bad that all of the parks around it meant for running are now more suitable for swimming. When the water levels hits the freeway, that’s when it gets scary. People have had to evacuate from their homes and probably will return to ruined apartments. But in any case, if it so happened that any of you were worried or something (hey, thanks for calling), I’m fine and so is everyone I know. For more on the floods, read http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/07/16/storm.korea.ap/index.html.

Way on the other side of Russia, in Finland, apparently there has never been a better summer. Though I try to remind myself that being in Korea is quite cool, I cannot help and feel a little resentment. I want to have strawberries and peas at the market place, have a barbeque at my backyard, have a cider at a terrace, go swimming in a clean lake and stay up all night when the sun is shining. I’m positive that a rainy season will start immediately after I return in August… I just try to live by the consolation my friend gave me: “Summer will be soon gone and forgotten, but the fact that you were in Korea will be remembered”. I’m trying to tell myself that he’s right, but the smell of grilled steak is still rather tempting. Here’s a link to an article from the New York Times praising Finland’s summer: http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/travel/16helsinki.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1153270536-MIv/x8/u1f2JOM1RUVNeLw.

In my dreams

Fashion and Popular Culture

2006-07-03T14:58:00.000+03:00

Seoul is a very vibrant city with own sense of style and a distinct cultural scene. Here I offer some of my insights to the bubbly zeitgeist of Korea.

First off, everyone here is skinny. It must be food. America, turn your eyes to Korean refrigerators! As a generalization, Koreans dress “better” than most Westerners. When I say better, I mainly mean more formally. Of course this often translates to better in the way that they actually look quite good as well. An interesting feature is that couples here match their outfits. And I’m not just talking about genre or color coordination, but they actually wear the exact same item of clothing, like a t-shirt or shoes.

A very popular look for girls here right now is a very glamorous 1950’s lady-look. Think Audrey Hepburn. They wear pleat skirts, dresses, boleros and cute little cardigans. And high heels. Always high heels. Many of them clearly put a lot of time and effort into their daily dressing-up routine. I think they look quite nice.

There’s just one way to describe the way young men around here dress. Gay. No, not flamboyantly chic, nor stylishly metro, just plain gay. As my friend Brian put it, they make “Oscar Wilde look like a monk”. So we're talking big v-neck t-shirts, purple shirts with pop-up collars and jeans only to be worn by Ms Sixty herself. The look is completed by long hiply unsymmetrical haircuts that accentuate their relative femininity ever further. But hey, I ain’t one to judge. Make up your own mind, here's a pic of popular Korean actor Lee Jun-gi:

Koreans live under the impression that Korean culture is taking over the world. There is even a word for it: Hallyu. What is basically happening is that some Korean soap operas have been sold to Southeast Asia and a Korean singer BoA has been number one on the Japanese charts. At the Korea Times the word hallyu is mentioned on an average three times a day, usually utterly out of context. The term has come so big that even at Yonsei – one of the most prestigious universities in the whole of Asia – they teach an entire course on the subject. This is a direct quote from the syllabus of Understanding Popular Korean Culture and the Korean Culture Wave:

“Many people now look to Korea for inspiration in fashion, lifestyle and entertainment. It is not an exaggeration to say that Korea is setting new international standards in business, politics, and culture.”

I’m positive all you readers from outside Korea could not agree more with the above.

This is just my opinion, so don’t anybody get offended, but to put it bluntly: Korean pop music is terrible. They can’t sing, the songs all sound the same, and that sound is just bad. Sometimes in supermarkets I just feel like trashing the loudspeakers. I haven’t found a single song that I would like, me who is notorious for my crappy britney-bsb-xtina-nsync taste in music. Right now in Korea its cool for songs to have English names. Stuff like “Once in a Lifetime” or “Let’s Party”. But don’t let the tiles fool you; this only means thought that the first line of the chorus is in English. Or what do you think about this lyrical masterpiece by popular boyband Shinhwa:

“Can really be a shooting star? Can't stop the music!
Ddo uri ape yollyojin mirel wihe go-go.
Nege pilyohan kon, Energy wa noeui bitnan nunbit.
We're going higher to keep this hot parade.”

Shinhwa, the hottest boyband around.

Feeling American

2006-06-28T10:45:00.000+03:00

When most people start their vacation, what does Juho do?
Goes to school.

The second half of my Korean adventure started on Monay as classes finally began at Yonsei University. International Summer School: pretty much me and 500 Korean Americans. For fairness’ sake, there are a few people from different Asian countries and a handful of white Americans. But no worries, everyone seems really nice and I’ve made a bunch of new friends already. And of course I already knew many of the intern-kids beforehand. A lot of the bad stereotypes have also been broken, because there are a lot of actually intelligent and opinionated people. Most students in the summer program are from really good school such as UCLA or UC Berkeley. It makes me a bit jealous though, once I start thinking that maybe I could have gone to a school like one of those. But then again, there’s always the Master’s Programs. Almost everyone else is living at the International House dorms. I’ve decided to stay loyal to Ted and stick around at his place for the rest of the summer. I think I’ll get more out of Korea by doing homestay and not just only hanging out with Yonsei kids.

I’m taking Comparative Asian Economies, Mass Media in Korea, Marketing and Management Strategy and Korean for Beginners. All my courses seem really good so far. Having Korean in the afternoon might become really tiring at some point, though. I have class every day from 9 am to 5 pm. No lunch break. Thank god for kimbap, which is like poor man’s sushi, so rice and other mixed ingredients in a seaweed roll.

It’s weird, but here in Korea I have this new-found American identity. I notice myself becoming more and more Americanized all the time. Maybe it has to do with the fact that all foreigners are just naturally assumed to be American here. But hanging out with people from the States all day probably has something to do with it as well. As soon as I start talking someone says “Wow, you have no accent in your English” (meaning that I sound authentically American :D), to which I respond “Well, I spent some time in the States when I was a kid”, from which they presume that I actually am “American” and treat me as an equal. Even a Swedish girl who knew that a Finnish guy called Juho was coming to the same party as her, thought that I was American after I introduced myself. Apparently I was missing the “Scandinavian coldness”.

Friggin' Hong Kong, baby!

2006-06-22T15:23:00.000+03:00

Monday morning at the same time as the Korea-France football game ended, a group of tired but eager travellers dragged themselves into a bus to the airport. Destination? Hong Kong, China. This week was my only vacation week, so I decided to join a group of friends who were going to the free trade haven. Our group consisted of Lauri, myself and an entourage of six Japanese girls from Lauri’s Korean class. We must have looked like having a harem of midgets. I love those girls! It’s a pleasure to just to observe how they are so full of enthusiasm and excitement about life.

Our local tour guide Karman, a friend of the girls and Lauri, had reserved a hotel for us at an island called Cheung Chan just outside of Hong Kong Island. It was an half an hour ferry ride away, which sometimes felt a bit overwhelming, but was ok in the end. The island had beautiful beaches, cheap prices and rumouredly some historically important ancient cave carvings, which we missed even though we walked the market spot on several occasions.

I can’t rave enough about this, but Hong Kong is amazing! I totally fell in love with the zest of the city. Alive, vibrant, modern, clean, humid, exciting. I think the Hong Kong skyline viewed from the Kowloon side is one of the most impressive pieces of man-made scenery I’ve ever seen. Breathtaking. In addition to walking around, we went to see Victoria Peak mountain, took the special tram and saw the Avenue of Stars. It was truly a great city. Maybe someday I’ll get the chance to work there...

If you look at travel guide books about Hong Kong they all say that the main attraction of the city is … SHOPPING! I was pretty suspicious about it beforehand. What sort of city has nothing else to offer than shops? Apparently Hong Kong is such as place, just because nothing else is needed. There are so many stores for every single taste and style everywhere. Whether you are looking for 5000 dollar Gucci or 5 dollar Cucci, HK is the place for you. Thankfully we didn’t have that much time, so my credit limit was left un-exceeded for the time being.

According to those same travel guides Hong Kong is also internationally renowned for its cuisine. The city more than lived up to its expectations as plate after plate of more and more delicious dishes appeared at out table. At one restaurant we had Beijing duck, where they brought the whole duck to the table and then the chef cut it to pieces in front of us. Pretty awesome. On Cheung Chau we indulged with various fresh seafood plates. There was octopus, shrimp, mussels, crab and a helluvalot of other fruits de mer. It was excellent! And the whole thing was under 3 euros per person.

Oh, and some of my articles have been tagged by other news sources! Like my article about the closure of a website was distributed by Asiamedia. Though we’re still talking small scale here, it’s pretty exciting :).

Football fever!

2006-06-14T12:36:00.000+03:00

The entire country of Korea has gone ballistic over football (got the pun, quite clever, huh?). Everything revolves around the World Cup. The streets are filled with red and white banners with catchy slogans like "Reds go together", "Korea Fighting" and "Again 2002". Those readers of this blog who know me at least a little might be familiar with the low interest level that I generally have for group sports. But this time I’ve sort of been drawn into the frenzy. Korea played Togo last night and Lauri, Otto, Brian (, some Korean chicks) and myself headed to Seoul City Hall Plaza to watch the game. It started at 10 pm, but Lauri and Brian came already at 2 pm to get us a good sitting spot. The ambience was amazing! At one point I got on Brian’s shoulders and …wow. There were 150 000 strong crowd who all wore red shirts. Before the game started there was pre-show of popular Korean bands. At one point the host came into the crowd to interview people. Of course he spotted us. I didn’t understand what he was saying, but we just shouted and were all supportive of Korea. It was pretty amazing to see your face on these huge-ass screens and have thousands of people scream with you. Soon after, this woman came to talk to us, wanting to do a live interview for TV. First we were to scream and shout like maniacs. Then a reporter would ask us a question, to which we were to reply “KOREAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!” Then she’d ask another question to which we had to reply: “Dae-han-min-guk!” and clap. We practiced a few times and then we were live. I think it went quite well. It was a lot of fun anyway. And of course Korea won the game, so the feeling was quite exhilarating. Here’s a news story of the happening: http://cbs.sportsline.com/worldcup/story/9495570.

I also participated in another big event, but a slightly different one. The Korean Queer Culture Festival was held last week. It culminated with a Street Parade on Saturday. Korea Times staff reporter Juho Tuovinen was on the job. I had real press card and everything. I interviewed a lot people, took tons of pictures and of course walked the walk. I’d never been to a pride before, so I really didn’t know what to expect. It rained all day and I was in really bad mood at first. Korea is a really conservative country and homosexuality is not well-accepted here. About 1000 people participated, which was a lot, but still it was really small for a pride. But the atmosphere was amazing. There was a true sense of unity between the people. Everyone seemed sincerely proud to be there. I ended up hanging out with the foreign crowd. I’m really happy I had the assignment because otherwise I would have never gone. It was truly a great experience. You can read a watered-down version of the article from http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/special/200606/kt2006061316313367670.htm. See how they changed my title from Korea Times Intern to Contributing Writer :)? If you want to read more of my texts, here’s another article that I wrote: http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/special/200606/kt2006061316360567670.htm. It’s about an expat website that got shut down because Koreans were offended by some of its content.

Annina and Pete left for China, but on their last day we took a trip to Everland, a really big amusement Park. I love rollercoaster’s and all the wild rides and in Everland there were plenty. We had a great day! Ted gave me this discount card (like Plussa-kortti or a JC Penney card) to use. The ticket saleswoman didn’t exactly get my drift and I ended up accidentally paying everyone’s entrance with the card. Apparently it had a credit card in it as well. Ups. We’ll of course we gave Ted the cash later, but it’s not that often that you commit credit card fraud. And since when has it been possible to mistake me for a Yoo Wan Sik?

Funny phenomena

2006-06-07T14:47:00.000+03:00

Once you’ve stayed in country for more than just on vacation, you start to notice small details that you wouldn’t usually pay attention to.

Cars
Like Finnish people only use Nokia cell phones, Koreans only drive Korean cars. You will only see Hyundais, Kias, Daewoos and other Korean brands. And all cars look alike. They are either black or grey, large executive type cars. Many cars also have these small blue stickers on them. Because there are so many cars and so little space here, people have the habit of bumping into each other. Though it might take away from the aesthetic appeal, having those thick blue stickers on the side of your car ensures the paint stays intact while the car is waiting in the parking lot.

Like no other.

Those are the little blue thingies that I meant. Same car in the pic.

Bangs
Bang litereally means room. They are the Koreans’ favourite pastime. They are several different types of bangs, of course. Norebang’s are the most popular ones. You have this place that is filled with small rooms that fit from 5 to 15 people and you just go there and sing. Your own private karaoke. We’ve gone a few times, but most people (especially me) sing so badly that the experience is more excruciating than pleasant. In addition to Norebangs there are PC bangs, Playstation bangs, board game bangs and DVD bangs. Why would anyone want to watch a DVD in private room somewhere instead of watching it at home, you might ask. That’s right: they are extremely popular among young couples.

White skin
Korean women want to have white skin. Here having white skin means that you’re not poor and that you’re not (oh good heavens!) from South Asia. Here whiteness is associated with cleanliness. So women here do everything in their power to whiten their skin. They use as strong sun block as I do, they wear non-revealing clothes even though its hot, wear these sun caps that protect their face, and yes: whitening cream. It’s weird to familiar cosmetics brands such as L’Oreal, Elizabeth Arden, Givenchy and others advertising skin whitening products. We even had an article in the Korea Times on how and why women should whiten their skin. These products apparently destroy all the melanin in the face or something. 60% of Korean women use them. First I was bit disturbed by the whole white-craze (ok, I still am a little), but you have to remember that Westerners are equally obsessed with tanning. Fake tanning, self-tanning lotion, inside sun, sun powder, the list goes on.

Ajumas, or old ladies, sporting their sun visors.

Teri oonjon
Unfortunately, if you're a businessman in Korea, something you will inevitably have to partake in is big drinking sessions which are supposed to be bonding experiences for company people. During these drinking sessions, you'll probably be forced to down way more booze than you're accustomed to. If you drove your car to the drinking venue, don't worry! Certain factions of Koreans (like company men) are so used to drinking themselves into oblivion, that they came up with a convenient service whereby you can still come home in your own car! Instead of taking a taxi and leaving your car in a parking garage or on the street, you can hire a driver to drive your car home for you! These saviors are known as a teri oonjon in Korean. This clever service doesn't cost much and you can request for a teri oonjon at most bars and restaurants. It will save you overnight parking fees, taxi fare, a possible night at the police station with fines, or it may just save you from hurting yourself or someone else.
(Courtesy of www.seoulstyle.com)

This one is just for your enjoyment: a traditional Korean bathroom. No, we have normal one at home, the photo's from a subway station. Some of them have mirrors. Not kidding.

Field Trips of the Gentle Tiger

2006-06-01T10:31:00.000+03:00

The time just seems to pass by so quickly. Every day I get to experience, taste or do something new. I feel so lucky to be here. For the past few days I’ve been hanging around a lot with Otto, Pete and Annina (yeah, that’s right: Finnish people). But we’ve been participating in a lot of culturally significant soirees such as Norebang (karaoke), so I don’t feel bad.

Last weekend a bunch of us Finns took a trip the notorious Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is the 4 kilometer wide strip of land between North Korea and South Korea. The place has a very misleading name, because it was full of soldiers and barbwire and road blocks. I didn’t know it before, but the two countries are still officially at war with each other. After the Korean War in 1953 only an armistice was signed. For me the highlight of the tour was a tunnel that the North Koreans had dug to the South. It was a pretty gloomy place. While walking down the tunnel about 70 meters underground I was just thinking to myself “Imagine where you are right now!” The downside of the day was that is was raining nearly the entire time. The view of the North Korean side was really foggy. What was also surprising about the place was that it was full of life. There were souvenir shops, army bases, a train station and people actually live there. The unification process of the two Koreas is at full speed and both sides are really striving for it. Though it may seem utopistic, the people here actually believe that some day the country will be united again.
Even though it's raining in South Korea, the sun always shines in the North.

Wouldn't wanna take that train.

We're such badasses.

Without the helmet a tunnel tour would never be so authentic.

The entire day of Sunday I spent at the temple where Annie goes. I partook in some meditation, did some ritual walking and listened to two Zen masters’ Dharma-talk. I learned the basics of meditation and a few things about the Buddhist way of thinking. We also went out for dinner afterwards with a lot of nice Korean and foreign people. Unfortunately I did not experience enlightenment, but the visit was still worth it because I made a lot of new acquaintances. So I just might give temple another try some weekend.

Temple-hoppin'.

Danny and I went out a few days back in Itaewon, which is the area designated mainly to US military troops and other tourists. I made Danny take a walk on the wild side and we bravely rose up a place ominously called Hooker Hill. I don’t think I’ve ever seen prostitutes before, so it was a real hoot. Actually it was pretty lame: there were just girl sitting on the porches of bars. Some of them made a little effort to try to get us in, but surprisingly they were met with little interest. On the next street we encountered a group of five Portuguese gentlemen with two Korean hosts entering a shady looking bar. So naturally we followed them in. Knowing my nerdy nature, I still can’t believe we had the chutzpah to do it. But again, it was a disappointment. There were just some girls there who were willing to sit down and chat with you. Once we found out that the company was included in the pricing (one beer for 15 000 won, which is like 13 €), we suddenly felt the urge to leave. I was so disappointed :).

Excellent news on the professional field: I got my first article published! It’s not a very big or socially significant piece, but at least it’s a start. You can see the caption online at: http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/special/200605/kt2006053015471467670.htm. So from hereon I shall consider myself a renowned international journalist.

One thing I love about Korea is that they can actually pronounce my name here. After years of being dubbed Jewhoe, Yuuhuu, Yahoo, Huo, Hugo and Ugo, I’ve finally found a place where they understand me. I won’t let the fact that they think its spelled Yoo Ho bother me to the slightest. As you know, in Asia the last name comes before the first name. Ted’s last name actually happens to be Yoo. Therefore I am officially a part of the family. What’s even cooler is that Yoo means gentle and Ho means tiger. So from hereon I shall only refer to myself as Gentle Tiger.

Food and drink

2006-05-27T18:37:00.000+03:00

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

2006-05-22T06:43:00.000+03:00

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

2006-05-17T08:48:00.000+03:00

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

2006-05-14T12:41:00.000+03:00

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!

2006-05-12T15:20:00.000+03:00

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!

2006-05-09T12:38:00.000+03:00

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.