Seoul-ed out!

Greetings from Seoul, everyone, and a Happy Chuseuk! (Korean equivalent of Thanks Giving.)

I can't believe that I'm only 3 weeks into the semester and I've already got a 5-6 day holiday for this annual event. People have told me that it's almost like Christmas to them. Everyone in Seoul City clears out to the rural areas or surrounding Korean Islands to visit family, usually Grandparents where they spend time together. This usually busy mega city is eerily quiet today and a lot of shops and restaurants have closed until Monday! The rush-hour yesterday at the subway stations was crazy. I have to say though that it's almost a relief not having as many people in the city so I don't have to compete for pavement space!!

Before I begin, I would as always like to say a big thank you to all readers of my blog posts. My blog has now received an overwhelming 1,250+ views, with 600+ on my last post alone. I'm so glad that I can share my adventure and experiences with you all. 

Every week after I write a blog, I try keep track of what I've been up to by adding notes to my Iphone. There seems to be quite a lot to sift though today...in other words, I've been extremely busy! 

Last Thursday I got my first taste of what a night out in Gangnam District is like. We went to Club Octagon which is the no1 club in Korea, and apparently the 12th best club in the world! It was incredible. I really cannot describe how crazy nights out are here in Korea- they KNOW how to party. In other party districts such as Hongdae, I would draw comparisons with that and of the 'strip' in Magalluf. I did not expect this sort of culture here. 

Club Octagon- Gangnam. 

On Friday, I finally went and registered for my Alien Registration card which is a card essential for foreigners who plan to stay in Korea for longer than 90 days. The immigration office was full of lost looking exchange students from all over the world applying for the exact same thing. Luckily the immigration officer spoke good English so I was able to register without any bother. I should get it in 2-3 weeks. 

Interestingly, we were accompanied by one of my friend's mentor, who is a 23-year-old Korean guy who has just completed his 2 years compulsory military service. He was part of the riot police. I was very interested about this and asked him questions regarding if he enjoyed it etc. His reply was: "I didn't want to do it, but it is my morale obligation and duty to do this to serve my country and protect it from invaders." As the weeks have gone on in Korea, I've noticed that there does seem to be some form of fear of attack from North Korea. I suppose with a neighbour that threatens nuclear war on a regular basis, then they have ground to fear this!! All Korean males are to complete military service. It is 2 years long and they only get 50 days off the whole time they are serving- a tough gig! I will talk more about the army etc later in my post, as today I visited the DMZ and witnessed first hand the dangers faced by these young soldiers usually of 20-23 years old. 

Me & a 'Korean Soldier' at the DMZ.

I suppose the biggest news of my week was that I spontaneously booked flights to Tokyo, Japan!! I'm so so excited. I'm going there next Thursday (26th) until the 30th. I'm flying with Air Asia and it only cost £80 return from Seoul. It was a deal that I couldn't turn down, and I'm happy that I'll get to tick another Asian country off my list. :) I booked my accommodation tonight, and with the rest of the people I'm going with I'll be staying at the Khaosan Tokyo Annex in a 28-cabin bed dormitory. That only cost £60 for the 4 nights, so I'm doing well so far. Unfortunately though I think I'll spend a lot more money when in Japan, as it's meant to be a lot more expensive. However, I'm just really looking forward to the experience and being able to see things I never thought I'd see, like Mt Fuji, and perhaps a sumo-wrestling match! 

On Sunday, I went SHOPPING! Seoul is pretty cheap in comparison to shopping in the UK. I managed to get a few nice things for the same price as I would normally get for one item in the UK. However...yet again this week I had trouble purchasing shoes! Asian people are genuinely (this is not a stereotype) pretty small...and with this comes smaller feet compared to the BOAT size feet I have at the end of my legs. I was trying to purchase shoes for going out clubbing etc that were comfortable, yet appropriate. I ended up buying some Converse for just under £20 (pretty sure they are £40+ in the UK). They had my size no problem. I then found another pair of converse in the shop which were appropriate to wear when partying. I went to the shop assistant and asked if she had my size (UK-11-12), and she literally let out a 'shriek' of shock and gasped staring at my feet. She then proceeded to make an 'x' with her arms saying "no big size, this too big, sorry." I was pretty gutted! Annoyingly too, this was in Itaewon which is a popular expat area known for having Western sizes. Some places even advertise 'big sizes' outside their clothing shops. However, when they say big, they mean it. All the shirts in one shop were like bed sheets on me. So confusing! In the UK I'm between a M and L but here I'm more like a 3XL! Crazy! Also, those of you that know me well, will know that I am partial to wearing Abercrombie & Fitch clothing- but here in Seoul it really is not a big deal and they sell their products on the street in small stalls (not fake!)...so if anyone wants a genuine A&F t-shirt let me know- it will only cost you £8!! 

Aside from partying and shopping, university is also going well. I'm settling into my 5 different classes and getting used to the teaching methods of my different professors. There is a lot of homework and reading- so that keeps me busy during the week. My media effects professor is so good that he received an applause from the class at the end of every lecture- seems so strange to me, but at the same time I think it's nice because he's genuinely doing a good job and in Korean culture it's appropriate to show admiration and thanks for this. 

I got some good news this week from my dormitory administration saying that I was getting refunded all my money ($1400US) for my rent for the 4-5 months. Apparently I'm viewed as a scholarship student here. To receive this refund however, I had to create a Korean bank account. I was invited into the Manager's office and was told in pigeon English "name signature, name signature" on numerous forms that were all in Korean. Most of the other exchange students have gone through this process and have consulted with their mentors on this, and this is just normal proceedings-hopefully I haven't signed my life away. I'll get my money back during my time away in Japan. 

This week in my digital media class, a girl walked into the class with a Glasgow University, Scotland hoodie on. I was so surprised. I caught up with her after class and her name is Young and she's Korean. She studied in Glasgow for 6 months as part of a study abroad programme. It was great meeting her- small world!!

Young & I- representing Scotland!!

Now onto my DMZ news- it was absolutely incredible. I really recommend you visit this place before you die. It's the only fortified border in the entire world. I've never been to such a place that gives you a buzz of excitement, tension and fear. It separates North and South Korea and during a time when the current leader Kim Jong Un is feeding rhetoric threats to the world, you can feel the tension on the South side and also the fear that this "madman" will eventually do something. We booked through a tour group and it cost 46,000KRW which is £26 for a half-day trip to the de-militarised zone (DMZ). We were picked up at the Lotte Hotel in Myondong and we made the 50 minute trip to the DMZ from Seoul. The tour guide told us that South Koreans cannot enter North Korea. However, if foreigners such as myself want to go- we have to arrange a visa through the Chinese embassy in Seoul, then fly via Beijing to Pyongyang. After this we would have to go and bow to the statue of Kim Il Sung- the founder of North Korea (there are said to be 25,000 statues of him in North Korea). The tour guide told us a lot of stories from years gone by. The barbed wire starts not long after you get out of Seoul, along the Han River. In the 1990s many North Korean spies were caught trying to scuba dive down into the South, so these fences were erected along the river banks, as well as watch towers to ensure the South could never be infiltrated.

Our first stop was the 3rd infiltration tunnel which is a tunnel 73m below ground and it was going to be used to attack the South by the North Koreans. It was discovered in 1990, and the North Koreans claimed they were digging for coal (they painted rocks black...original) and they had gone 435m past the divided line, knowing full well what they were doing. To date there has been 4 secret tunnels found beneath the DMZ, but there is speculation that more may exist much deeper than the 3rd. If any tour guests or normal citizens finds a new tunnel, they will be awarded $100,000US by the South Korean Government for their efforts! The 3rd infiltration tunnel could pass 30,000 North Korean soldiers through in 1 hour, just 50km away from Seoul- a scary thought! 

It was so interesting driving towards the DMZ. The tour guide pointed out the vast difference between the mountain-scape of both North and South Korea. On the South side, the mountains are very green with a lot of trees, whereas on the North side the mountains are brown/black and look bare. This is because they still use wood to heat their homes instead of central heating! Also, at night from a satellite South Korea is shining brightly, but North Korea is pitch black. This is the only time of year when South Koreans can go North to spend time with their now distant separated families (during Chuseuk). Unfortunately relations between North and South are fluctuating at the moment, with the change of North Korean leader. The South Korean dream is said to be that of "unification". There is a dream that one day, Korea can become united once again. Unfortunately that dream seems a very long way away. When we enter the DMZ, the bus is boarded by a South Korean soldier. We were informed that the most handsome and tall soldiers are chosen to do this job as a sign of strength. They count the amount of passengers and register our passports and allow us to enter. These sort of tactics seem to be used in this part of the world...kind of petty! For example, from the Dora Observatory, the best view over the DMZ to North Korea, there are two villages visible. One is South Korean and the other is North. For years the two villages competed in seeing who could have the highest flag pole. At present, the North Korean village, affectionately known as 'Propaganda Village' is winning as their flag is suspended 165m high! On the way out we were counted once more by a soldier to make sure no one had 'defected' to the North- HA! No chance of that happening. 

Imjingak Park- Registration area.

"Thank you for supporting Korea's dream of re-unification."

The last train station before entering North Korea. (No trains go there at present!!)

Propaganda Village 165m flag pole...

So, to wrap up a rather long blog post (apologies!)...this week I'll be doing some more touristy sites in and around Seoul since I have the free time and the weather is great at the moment. It's around 26-30 degrees every day. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts as it does get really cold here during the Winter! I'll try and update you on what I got up to during Chuseuk before I leave for Japan next week. 

Once again, thank you for your support. If you'd like to give me any feedback please don't hesitate in doing so. If you want to see more pictures or speak to me, please add me on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ben.philip.750 :) 

Goodbye for now!