During my last 2 Busan trips, I've come to conclusion that there are not as many sights here than in vibrant Seoul or my trips were really short. So when I found out that the K-CLIP 2014 program is going to be held at Pusan National University, I said that maybe I could appreciate Busan in a different light. Learning the Korean language (Hangeul / Hangul) has been in my list of things to do ever since I came here in 2009 because I've experienced how fun it is to travel around in China and other parts of Southeast Asia when I talk in Mandarin Chinese. There's no language barrier and you can freely express yourself in general. And so, I can say that I came here primarily to learn Hangeul in a university setting. In the last few 3 days, I've successfully (and finally) taken the first steps to fulfill that goal. I feel so lucky that the program includes much more than that and I will get to learn more about Korean culture from experts, meet more friends from 12 other countries and travel to cities near Busan as a bonus. On top of these, I also feel younger and this is like a blast from my past haha - being abroad, living simply with a roomie and hanging out in each other's dorm rooms.
I've said before that I was dreading going to a Level 0 class but I'm loving it now and it's only the 3rd day.
We also made business cards hehe. Can you understand what this says?
Our seonsaengnim said that our program is a bit short so we really have to study a lot of words on our own for the weekend so that we can follow next week's class lesson. I also have to step it up and start talking in Korean with my advanced level Pinoy friends hehe. I can't believe I've done 600 minutes (10 hours) of Hangeul class already.. Haha. We've already discussed occupations, countries, basic phrases, pronunciations, spelling, verbs and adjectives. Now, for homework, I have to broaden my vocabulary. Our weekends are for travel while afternoons are for culture exposure and classes. We watched this tear-jerker K-movie Miss Granny yesterday and it was really nice with English subtitles.
I liked that it had a combination of music, drama and comedy. The movie was very successful in Korea, they said.
We've just finished all the alphabets and more. Phew! I can now read (ever so slowly but improving, also write) and I'm becoming more comfortable when I see Korean words :D Woah! Haha.
Yesterday, we went up the podium and introduced ourselves in Korean :D
I liked that it had a combination of music, drama and comedy. The movie was very successful in Korea, they said.
Naturally, being a student means I'm outside most of the day. Aside from class, our normal day consists of rushing to breakfast and dinner in our dorm Woongbee Hall (with yummy Korean food),
walking downhill to class at ILI (Pusan National University International Language Institute),
going to 7-11 or Ministop for breaks to buy snacks & ice cream (hehe),
eating lunch at the caf (with not so good food..),
doing laundry (my meditation time) and extras if we have time. The other participants still have the energy to go out after dinner. My dinner on the other hand was some DIY bibimbap ;) Their kimchi is actually very good for me here at the dorm caf.
So far, I'd rather stay, rest, blog a bit and study within the comforts of my room and out of the heat with rain (weird, right?). KJ (kill-joy)? Yah well, maybe on the weekend or when I've adjusted a bit more and when I've overcome my shyness :) I'm game for midnight snacks though LOL. Just look at what our Korean buddies ordered for us for bonding time in their room! Did you know that chicken is prohibited in the rooms here?! Because centipedes like chicken bones and you wouldn't want one crawling on you haha. LuRi and Ah Hyun were kind enough to meet the delivery guy at the PNU main gate (far - near our classrooms). I've been craving for these again (while writing this haha). It's Chiseu (Cheese) Tteokbokki!!!
Must-try! I don't know what kind of cheese but I liked it a little too much (very addicting) haha.
I would definitely recommend a lot of stuff in their menu to dip into it!
I took a pic of the store for next time ehehehe.
Our new Malaysian friends also brought some popular pastries from their country :)
These are my fellow Pinoy K-CLIP participants Ryan and Don =)
going back to class then walking uphill again back to the dorm,
