Say cheese!

So the past week has been super busy.  School's in the swing of the things and I had a presentation last Thursday which went ok (I think).  It's kind of hard as the Professor didn't really give us much of a guideline, so we'll see.  Next Monday i've got a report due for my China class which I haven't started, but which I plan to do tomorrow and Friday.  It's only 3-4 pages (double spaced thank you very much), so it'll be fine.  I've also got my Korean Language Institute test next Monday.  In all honesty, despite the fact i've been studying Korean for 2 and a half years in Australia, i'm expecting to be put into Beginner 2 Intensive class.  I haven't studied Korean since July last year, i've forgotten a lot, plus, in Australia we only did Korean for 4hrs a week which isn't much, and my speaking ability isn't great.  I'm functional, but that's about it.  So I feel like I need to go over everything I learned in the last 2 years this semester.  So we'll see how I go with the placement test on Monday.  I really need to study this weekend!

So last week I was feeling a bit homesick on the Tuesday, but my friend Grace and I went out for dinner (Indian again - love it) which made me feel better.  There's a great Indian place in Shinchon, just near the uni main gates.  It's cheap and so good.  Man i love naan bread.  We also had samosas and lassis which were very tasty as well.

On Friday, after discussing hair with Yeojin earlier in the week, we decided to go get our hair 'did' Korean style.  We both got our hair permed, and before some of you recoil in horror, i'm not talking poodle perms, but loose curls.  We went to a place in Shinchon train station and they were pretty good (plus there's a 30% discount for Yonsei and Edae students!).  I even had a hot Korean hairdresser, who was really nice and we had an amusing conversation in both English and Korean about problems when learning a language.  So my hair turned out pretty good, i haven't really taken pics, but you'll see it no doubt in my next blog.  I'm actually heading back there on Friday, as they've got some special thing happening and asked if we wanted to go back on Friday for a free hair treatment, so we said yes (of course! If it's free, we're into it!).  I'll try and take some photos then.

Afterward we got a bite to eat in Edae and did a bit of shopping, before heading back to the dorm.  I'd gotten a message from Angie and Vanessa that they were keen for burgers for dinner, so after meeting up we went to Yaletown in Shinchon for what we'd heard were good burgers.  And they were, plus they came with all you can eat curly fries (though the amount they give you on the first serving is crazy - so much, couldn't eat it all).    Plus, we got a free pint of beer, so of course I immediately rated the place highly.  It's a cool place, mostly a sports bar really, with a big screen for sports and bar-type food, but the manager/waiter guys are cool (and attractive! hahaha) and it has a good vibe.  Will definitely go back for more!

After dinner Vanessa and I said bye to Angie, then met up with my mentors group for a quick drink before heading to a bar called Barfly.  It's a bit of a dive, but all the people from my dorm go there regularly as drinks are cheap, along with a bunch of Korean dudes wanting to pick up foreign chicks and some other random older Western dudes.  It was actually a really fun night, but $1 tequila shots are dangerous. Hahaha

 
I didn't think to take any pics until we went to another bar, and the next morning this is the photo I found: Vanessa doing the traditional Korean photo symbol and Saki asleep on the table.  It was a fun night, but I paid for it the next day.

Saturday I met up with Trang and HyoJeong from the program I did here last year.  We went out for dinner and had a great night catching up.  There was also a crazy yellow dust storm on Saturday - here's a link about it - http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/03/117_62750.html - Koreans call it Hwang sa.  It was really bad on Saturday, the sky was orange, and visibility was terrible.  I really need to get a mask I think, as I woke up the next day with a sore throat and a bit of a cough.


Sunday saw me take a trip to Lotte World, an amusement park in Seoul, that is pretty much a miniature rip-off of Disneyland.  My friend Angie joined the Yonsei Photography Club and they were going to Lotte World to take pics (and ride rides) so Vanessa and I tagged along.  It was actually a really fun day, and most of the students were really nice.  They also have the giant drop (called the Gyro drop and Melba it was as terrifying as the one at Dreamworld) and also the Giant Claw, which is also terrifying, but a lot of fun.

 

I've realised that while I enjoy taking photos I really hate getting my photo taken!  But I like this club, and I'm going to go to the meetings on Wednesday nights.  They meet each Wednesday, then  go out taking pics on weekends.  It's fun, and it's a good way to practice my Korean and meet Korean students.  The group I was with, three of the guys were really nice and friendly (the girls not so much - one was actually a rude little cow, but anyway), and later when we all had dinner, I met another two girls who were really lovely.  So, most of the people were nice, so i'll see how it goes.

This week is going to busy again.  I've gotta get some work done tomorrow, but i'm also going to get a sports massage in Itaewon, as my neck has been hurting me and i'm getting headaches.  I blame the pillow from the dorm as it's about a foot high.  I really should invest in a proper pillow but anyway.

Ok people, got to do some uni work.  See yas.