Hello! So it's been about a month since I came back from my 3-week exchange at Yonsei University 연세대학교 in Seoul, and it was honestly one of the best decisions I made. I'm planning to do up a quick photo/journal-style blog for each of the 25 days I was there (if there was anything interesting accomplished that day), which means that it will take "a while" for it to be done.. But for now, here's a quick little post on a few observations I made while in Korea, and my thoughts on them.


Bad driving
My gosh, do South Koreans drive terribly! And I thought China was bad. While I was in Seoul, bus drivers obstinately filtered into oncoming traffic, cars honked at each other all the time, taxis swerved in and out, and sometimes even traffic lights or signs were ignored. On the positive side, it must take a fair amount of skill and courage to drive in Seoul but as for me, I'll stick to safe ol' Brissie roads!

Seongsan-ro 성산로, Yonsei Uni


Ubiquitous beauty stores
I knew Korean beauty was a huge enterprise, but truly, they were everywhere! In more well-visited areas like Myeongdong, it was not uncommon to see stores like Tony Moly, Etude House, Missha, The Face Shop, Nature Republic, Skinfood, Banila Co and so many others jostling for your attention as you walked past them. For someone as inexperienced with Korean beauty as I was, they were places you went into, wide-eyed at the type of products, number of options and the myriads of colours available at every store. Then you turn the next corner, and behold, the same few stores are there too, and you wonder how franchising 3 stores within a 500m radius makes a sound business strategy.

As overwhelming as it was, going into those stores was exciting and fun (except for the fact you'd probably leave with your pocket that little bit lighter). Although that feeling of excitement died away a little in the middle of my trip owing to the overexposure to those brands, but towards the end, when I had to buy a few more things on my list, going into the stores rekindled that excitement and made me wish I knew that little bit more about Korean beauty. But I'll be back! Hopefully wiser and more prepared to tackle your cute packaging and overwhelming beauty choices!


Homogeneous fashion/beauty
It might have been the fact that it was winter, but it felt like everyone sorta looked the same.

For girls: Hair worn down and fairly straight/relaxed, no hair accessories, black eyeliner, a thick layer of pale BB cream, a red/pink gradient lip, a parka/coat, dark jeans, sneakers/boots.

For guys: Well... they kinda have more limited clothing choices so I'll excuse them, but they basically wore coat/parka, dark jeans, boots/sneakers.

I think what really surprised me was that unlike what I was made to believe, South Koreans don't seem to wear beanies or gloves that much. All those 'street-style' photos you see of cool Korean girls wearing beanies and a couldn't-care-less graphic top just weren't there! But again, it was winter; people care more about staying warm than getting snapped by street photographers, and I'm willing to make a concession that spring or fall would be a better time to people-watch.

Images from pinterest by searching "stylenanda winter"


Couples everywhere
By the second week, I started to notice couples everywhere holding hands/wearing their couple clothes etc., and I couldn't help but wonder: was there something wrong with me? I'm normally pretty confident in my singlehood (heh) but something about being surrounded by a considerably-higher-amount-of-couples-than-in-Brisbane/Singapore made me feel slightly insecure haha. If so many people my age have found their other half, surely I would have found someone by now? I can see why sogaeting 소개팅 (Korean-style speed dating) would be socially acceptable there. Since coming back to Brisbane, that awareness of being single has pretty much diminished to what it was before.

E.g. at the Ihwa 이화 Mural Village


Heating systems
Ahhhhhhh, nothing was better when I was outside in the cold than coming back to a room with heated flooring. This was reminded me of my trip to hot spring territory (i.e. near Rotorua) in North Island, New Zealand, where the toilet floor was deliciously heated to a nice toasty temperature for my feet. Talking about heating, the metal seats on Seoul's subway trains were also surprisingly heated--it was so warm at one point that I actually started sweating a little.


Sanitary issues
Why, oh why, when Seoul is so fantastically high-tech (see: technologically-advanced heated train seats!), we can't even flush our toilet papers down but have to throw them into a primitive wastebin at the side?? This is reminiscent of the toilet system in Taiwan, or China, where I've heard that the reason for this phenomenon is because their waste pipes are just too small to cope with the extra volume of toilet paper. Granted, I may have faced more of this problem due to the fact I was staying at International House (double room with shared bathrooms on each floor), in comparison to most of the other people in the WAY program, who were staying at Global House and had their own private bathrooms. Come every weekend (thank goodness I only experienced three of them), when the wonderful cleaner had those two days off, the toilets' wastebaskets became piled up with swaths of toilet paper and the stink intensified greatly. I only spent the required amount of time in there, and I got out pronto. Although most toilets I went to, whether in public or at uni, were as primitive as this, there were a wonderful one or two that had fancy biodegradable toilet paper which could be flushed down the toilet. Still, I expected better from you, Korea.
(Sorry, I didn't mean to spend such a long time talking about toilets, but this was a major gripe of mine.)


Further thoughts
Interestingly enough, I think Seoul is actually a lot like Singapore and China combined. It has the advancement and commercialisation that Singapore is known for, yet has the disorder and gross habits (smoking and spitting, ew) that China has. In that way, it was pretty familiar to me.

Seoul was also familiar in the sense that quite a few of the people there not only spoke fluent Korean, but could speak Chinese as well. This proved to be pretty helpful for me, especially in those beauty cosmetic stores and some of the busier food places as well. Definitely a bonus when you're bilingual! (It also helps if you can read and understand a little Korean as well, since not everything is in English).


xx

Labels: korea, seoul, thoughts, travel

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So I 'recently' just came back from a trip to Singapore and I felt somewhat inspired to do a quick little post for all the places/food my sis and I make to sure to go/eat when I make that yearly visit back. Also, this feels pretty timely since one of 'founding fathers' Mr Lee Kuan Yew recently passed away. So this post is partly in honour of him.

Note: everyone has different tastes and interests. This is just what we like to do when we're back! And also, some images with a date in the corner are from a trip we took back in 2010 (we were on a food rampage!!).

PLACES TO GO

Image from Ambot-ah

For cheap touristy knick-knacks:
CHINATOWN!!
So when you come out of the train station you will see a whole street full of shops on either side. There are just so many touristy souvenir things like merlion statues (lion and fish symbol thing of Singapore), decorated coasters, bags, magnets, jewellery and many other miscellaneous things around. And they're all usually 3 for $10 or 2 for $5. Something affordable like that. Personally we like to spend pretty much half a day here (noon to late afternoon) as we'll go from shop to shop just buying stuff to our heart's delight. And because there are so many shops with very similar items, don't fret if you can't find something you like in one store. 3 other stores will probably have it too in 5 more designs.




Most touristy organisations would probably want you to go to Sentosa, which is a reclaimed (i.e. man-made) island at the southern most tip of Singapore. If you're from Australia, you definitely better off just skipping this, cause Sentosa's beaches are reaaaaaally average. I'm not too sure about the beaches in other countries but I also wouldn't really recommend going, unless it's for the Siloso Beach Party thing at New Year's which is really renowned apparently. Obviously I've never been to it. But yeah, apart for some really boring beaches, there's nothing much to do there without paying $$$. So skip it! (Well there is a huge statue of the merlion, which is great for pictures and stuff, but there is a much nicer though considerably smaller version at Marina Bay).



Image from e2 Singapore

For touristy pictures/famous landmarks: This brings me to my next recommended spot! Marina Bay! It's pretty much right in the heart of Singapore where you can see the Singapore river, Marina Bay Sands (MBS) hotel with its famous infinity pool, the mini version of the merlion I was talking about earlier, and the durian-inspired theater we call The Esplanade! The area has great historical significance as well, since Singapore river used to be the lifeline of Singapore in the 1900s. It was incredibly dirty though, filled with waste and gross stuff in general. Then Lee Kuan Yew came along and started a huge cleaning up project and put nice sand at the bottom so it no longer stinks and people can go on touristy duck rides or something on the nice river. Would totally recommend if you wanna chill a little (there's high-end shopping in MBS if you'd prefer) and to just check out the cool juxtaposition of the modern Singapore skyline and its simple seatown roots.



Image from YourSingapore
Near Marina Bay, there is also this cool bustling night food market of sorts, officially called Lau Pa Sat (old market) which has probably all the food I talk about below. The interesting about this place is the outdoor sitting area where a section of the road is blocked of and seats are placed out in the open (city) air. It's definitely worth a visit at night, since that's when it gets so busy and the atmosphere is so exciting. Oh, and the satay stalls (kebab stalls) there produce a lot of smoke so be prepared to take a shower after that.

FOOD TO TRY:

Hainanese chicken rice
This is a total must-try. It's a very 'safe' but amazing dish, i.e. it's doesn't have weird flavours in it or weird ingredients. It's literally chicken and rice with vegetables and/or soup. You can get this dish anywhere, but preferably in a hawker centre though, they're cheaper and more authentic (read: fragrant and oilier).



Image from Thaifood.com
Durian (if you can stomach it)
Now this notorious fruit is one of those weird tasting ones you either love or hate. Good ones actually have a rich, bitter, and alcoholic taste to them. They are only in season at certain times of the year and are sold in the neighbourhood areas (i.e. suburbs). They only smell really bad, I promise.



Fishball noodles
Another oldie but a goodie. It's incredibly simple and my all-time favourite. This simple clear kuay teow soup with the best fishballs ever (totes unlike the ones in Australia) is like home away from home for me. Pair it with some cut red chilli and I'll be satisfied. Oh yeah.

Singapore noodles
I know Singapore doesn't sell this, but whoever's out there in a Western country will probably have seen some version of this around. DO NOT BUY THEM. They do not exist. No one in Singapore has ever made or heard of Singapore noodles. Now you know.

Other dishes to try

TOP: prawn noodles / ice kachang (ice dessert with food colouring) / sugarcane juice
MIDDLE: laksa (spicy seafood and coconut noodle soup) / roti prata + meat curry (indian 'pancake') / snow ice (from dessertstory--this isn't quintessentially Singaporean though).
BOTTOM: Water chestnut & sour plum drink / Or Lua (Fried Omelette with Oysters) / Mee Pok (Oily noodles with minced pork and chilli)

If you do begin to crave the food of your own country, that's ok, Singapore also has many hipster cafes, great burger joints (not Maccas) and presentable restaurants to choose from. I AM GETTING SO HUNGRY FROM THIS.
p.s. we don't have much good local vegetarian food. Most are meat/seafood-based.

GENERAL TIPS:

Take public transport. It's can get incredibly crowded but is so convenient and comfortable otherwise. It really is one of the best ways to get around, apart from walking, since you really get a feel for the smallness (or shall we say, convenience) of the island.

It can be pretty intimidating ordering food in Singapore, particularly in hawker centres and food courts not near the CBD (we call it 'town', as in downtown) during lunch/dinner time. You should be prepared for a little bit of jostling, loud voices and substandard customer service. It can be pretty awkward, but just think of all the food you will try!!

People in Singapore do speak English. For many, it is their first language. This may not be immediately apparent, since we speak a version that is colloquially known as Singlish, and may be hard to understand in some cases.

Humidity is your enemy. Please don't wear jeans and sweaters. It's an affront to my eyes. Think year-long summer. Think sweat. Except it does rain like once a week or something, so perhaps be prepared for that.

This is so not sponsored btw (like who would want to sponsor me?!), I just feel totally blessed to have grown up in such a safe, multicultural nation, with all its yummy cuisine and well-designed town planning. Of course, there are are downsides to this country as well, such as its welfare system, freedom of speech issues and rushed city culture, to name a few. No single country is perfect. But I am proud to have once called Singapore home. #RIPLKY

Labels: article, experiences, food, guide, singapore, travel

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