Graduated. Moved. Adventure Continues.

Right now, I am staying in a guest house, where I will be staying til 20 March. 2 nights here from 1/3-3/3, then off to Busan for 2 nights, then back here again. The adventure begins...

The guest house is a pretty small place, but comfortable and clean enough. My room doesn't have anything other than a bed, cupboard and bathroom, but it's OK cuz everything else is in the lounge room. They have free internet, which is important for me, and what's more it's so cheap! Less than AUD $30 a night for a single room. You can pay less if you share rooms, but I don't want to.

We have all graduated from the course after our exams. I did quite well, though many of my classmates did much better than me. But either way it doesn't really matter now cuz I have learnt new things and have had a good time.

Our 'graduation' wasn't all that formal, but we did have a little ceremony with speeches from the head of department and also some student representatives in the big lecture hall. After that it was handing out our certificates in the classroom by our room teacher. Took heaps of photos. We really like our room teacher Miss Kim Ji Hye. She is really pretty, and very nice towards us too~ I will miss her, and everyone in our class!!! T.T

Our classmates, and our teacher with the flowers

Then it was out drinking and having dinner with some classmates, and we had so much fun~ However, perhaps cuz I was really tired, and after that many drinks I started to feel really sleepy and dizzy. Plopped onto my bed and slept soundly straight after I got back to the dorm, so I didn't manage to finalize my packing. Woke up the next day hurriedly packing the rest of my stuff before I got to check out of the dorm at 11am. Bade farewell to my friends. Some are going back to their hometown. Some are staying but moving to another dorm for another month's program. Some are staying to continue traveling, just like me. Either way, we don't know when we will all be able to gather together and see each other again, and I am really glad we have met, and had a lovely February spent with them.

Checked into Guest House Korea in Jong-no. Met new people again. I like the fact that I am constantly making friends here and there, and get to know different people from different backgrounds. One of my classmates Nova moved with me but we are in different rooms. She's going back to HK later (3/3) and I've recommended this guest house to her cuz it's cheap and pretty convenient too. Went to Dongdaemun soon after checking in and taking a brief rest. We went to this supposedly famous place to have pan-fried pig intestines but cuz it was over lunch time when we went, we were the only customers there (other than another ahjusshi who ate quickly and left). I don't usually eat intestines, but then this one was really yummy!! Chewy and tasty.. So I ate them with the 'dong fen' and garlic, all wrapped in a piece of sesame leaf. Heaven!

they were just so yummy!!! 

Cafe exploring is an aspect of my traveling purposes, and though cafes are abundant in Korea, I'd rather try unique themed cafes rather than the chain ones... Read on the internet that Lime Tree in Insadong is pretty good, so I went over. Their Belgian waffle was HUUGGGEE!! But I finished it... *pats my fat tummy*

And of cuz, coffee is a MUST in a cafe (for me)

Met up with Jay's "unni" Hyun Kyung at Hap Jeong yesterday for the first time. Hyun Kyung unni has decided that she wanted to meet me cuz she has heard heaps of me from Jay, and she thought I am an interesting person. Jay has called me from Melbourne to tell me that her unni (not real sister, just the way Korean girls call another girl who's older than them) really wants to meet me. However, Hyun Kyung unni does not speak English, so I was really worried that with my command in Korean I will totally bore her out and therefore disappointing her (cuz I am actually not as interesting as she thinks I am). Having no time to do any last-minute revision, I thought I'll just go and totally disappoint someone and blame it on my laziness.

Turned out the day was actually pretty good! Well as a native she speaks fast, but then I managed to catch majority of what she has said. I mean, it's not often that I get to hold a conversation entirely in Korean for that long... Usually it's just daily life conversation that lasts only for a short while (e.g. buying things, asking for directions, or talking to friends whose Korean level is the same as me)..... Hyun Kyung unni is VERY VERY nice. The weird thing is we have arranged to meet at Exit 4 of Hap Jeong station, and there were a couple of people loitering around there waiting for (other) people. But we managed to acknowledge each other without having met before, nor having pre-informed each other what we're wearing or bringing etc. She was really chummy with me and hooked arms with me like we are best friends. We went to where Jay used to work - a cafe called B-hind. Hyun Kyung unni used to work there too! Everyone there knows Jay and Hyun Kyung and since I (now) know both of them, they started talking to me as well. Chatted, ate and drank coffee, and the day went pretty much smoothly, other than a couple of times I need to fish out my dictionary to check on some words I didn't understand :P

French toast and a cup of Americano @ B-Hind

Hyun Kyung unni and me~ I hope to meet her again soon! 

After parting with this lovely unni I went to get my tickets at Seoul Station to go Busan on 3/3 (later). There's Lotte Mall there so I went in to have a look. I didn't get anything (fortunately - given my bulging suitcases and empty wallet I really shouldn't), but I didn't leave empty-handed. I bought something REALLY RANDOM....

YES. I got a recorder~ What, it's only 3,500 won (approx AUD 3; SGD 3.20) and it looks so pretty, and I've learnt the recorder many many years ago in school... I don't think I still have my old one since it could either be at the back of the storage room at our house in Singapore, or being chucked away when we moved from Tampines to Simei. Now I can re-discover the 'beauty' of the recorder with my random purchase... and play some music! :P ) 

Went to Gwanghwamun and stopped by this place.... King Sejong the Great who has invented the Korean alphabets. And Gwanghwamun iust behind it. I didn't go into Gwanghwamun cuz it was late when I arrived, and there's an underground exhibition for King Sejong, which I didn't go into cuz I've been in there last time I was here~

Came back to the Guest House earlier to pack and rest, but I've been loitering around, chatting with other residents, and going online. I have to set off to Busan later (my train's at 11AM but I got to check out of this guest house at 9AM) but I am still not quite packed. Anyway it's only 3 days 2 nights so I don't need that many things, fortunately. The rest of my junk will be temporarily stored at this guest house since I will come back here after my trip to Busan. 


These couple of days have been freezing cold!!! Finally got to see snow 2 days ago when I woke up in the morning and looked out of the window, AHHH there's snow! It has snowed earlier and only light flakes falling down from the skies... The trees, cars, roads were covered with snow, and it was really pretty. But then the wind was so chilly it gave me massive headaches without my hat on. I haven't felt this cold ever since I've arrived in Korea. This is probably the coldest I've ever experienced so far.... 

View from my room window at the dorm
Probably couldn't really capture the snow falling... it was too light to really capture it...

It has been great so far... I am really looking forward to the rest of my trip. Though I will be pretty broke by the time I get back to AU, but then I will have to work really hard to earn it all back. Besides, I don't think with that work load I will be able to go out that much; PLUS I've got all of what I want here so I won't spend in pricey AU. After I am back from Busan I will be meeting some friends who have stayed for another course; and plus Mary + Tony + darling little Nathan will be here, so I AM GOING TO MEET UP WITH THEM!!!!! Oh my.... I don't think I will EVER want to leave Korea! I really like it here, and I really want to stay!!! I vow to be back again next year for another course! 

OK... time to go to bed now... I have promised Nova to go for breakfast (free brekkie at the guest house!) later, and she's leaving for HK tomorrow evening. Unless I go to HK again, I really dunno when next we will meet. Just like all the rest of my classmates/new friends....... For now, it's only Facebook to keep in touch! 

Adios! I will blog again when I get back from Busan.