Category: Getting Cultured – Busan

3-week cultural exchange in Busan, South Korea.

PKNU Cultural Exchange â€“ 2.1.2012 (Part 1)

January 9, 2012January 9, 2012 sweet surrender No Comments

Views from my bedroom balcony. Very nice views!

Finally the class started on 2/1/2012. Woke up early to prepare for orientation.

Breakfast at the cafetaria with new friends we met. They’re all Koreans and Australians. It’s interesting to see so many eye candies hehehe… Sitting next to one is even more exciting ;p

Orientation in the lecture hall. Then, we headed for lunch.

Views of some parts of the university.

After that, we walked to the UN Memorial Cemetery. Suddenly, the street of Busan was filled with foreigners!! Took lots of photos. The Korean girl standing next to me is my roommate aka Korean buddy.

This is with another Malaysian, only two Malaysians. She’s studying in Brisbane.

The view of the cemetery.

We should be quiet and solemn but we made so much noise.

Even took photo like this in such place. So inappropriate… All the others were looking at us when we took this photo ;p We’re so hyper.

Anyway, it was fun. To be continued…

Getting Cultured - Busan, Going Places

PKNU Cultural Exchange â€“ 1.1.2012 (Part 2)

January 6, 2012January 6, 2012 sweet surrender No Comments

I took the Airport Railway to Gimpo Airport as it’s much easier.

Got the ticket from the vending machine. I fell asleep so many times on the train. So exhausted!

Finally I’m in Gimpo Airport. I just followed the crowd. Was almost denied entrance to the departure hall because of the name difference on my boarding pass and my passport because it’s too long, the ‘g’ in my name was omitted. I tried so hard to explain in English and use sign langugage as I don’t know any Korean language, it was a bit frustrating. Luckily I was allowed to go in at the end.

According to my buddy, I’m the first one to arrive. So early in the morning. This is the place I’m going to stay for the next 3 weeks. We had problem figure out how to use the heating system. I was thinking to get a shower the first thing I arrived but ended up napping first because the water was too cold and need time to heat up.

Left: My name tag and room key. So special, it’s so small, just scan the tiny little card to unlock the room door.

Right: The main entrance of Pukyong National University.

The view from one of the section of the university.

Random street view on the way for my early dinner at 4pm+

The side dishes.

Left: Kimbap, my roommate’s dinner.
Right: I don’t remember what’s this, I’m not the one ordering it and everything was in Korean, I got no clue ;p Anyway, I paid KRW3000 for my dinner.

Called it an early night at around 9pm. Classes start the next day, there’s no such things as replacement holiday for the new year here.

Food Porn, Getting Cultured - Busan, Going Places

PKNU Cultural Exchange – 1.1.2012 (Part 1)

January 5, 2012 sweet surrender No Comments

Finally I reached Incheon Airport at 10pm+ on 31/1/11. Then took me about 45 minutes to get tru’ to the immigration. So many people!

First thing when I got out of the arrival hall was to find a place to settle down in the airport but the transit area was already closed! Then I thought I should find out how should I head to Gimpo Airport in the morning to catch my flight to Busan. It wasn’t easy, I was practically lost, not knowing how to read or speak Korean. Luckily there’s English signs but still not much of help as I need to do an airport transfer.

Was so frustrated. Decided to go to the toilet to change into warm clothes and wash my face and guess what?!?! I heard the countdown! Damn! I’m in the toilet welcoming the new year! What a memory. I remember there’s a joke circulating on Facebook about it, warning people not to go to the toilet near 12am or else you’ll be coming out from the toilet the next year. It happened to me! *LOL*

8 hours of transit, trying to find my way to Gimpo Airport, on and off sleeping and loitering around the airport to kill time. It was strange that there’s no dinner served on the flight hmm…

I got hungry at 2am, bought McD set meal, Bulgogi Burger (KRW4600). After that, continue loitering around and sleeping on and off in different parts of the airport. Such pity… All alone, so helpless…

Finally I decided to use the AREX to Gimpo instead of the limousine bus. Went to the vending machine but it was closed. So waited until 4.45am to go over to the train station again. Finally! Got on the train and follow the crowd when got off the train at Gimpo Airport. I was so worried and scared that time as there’s no foreigner at all!

To be continued…

Food Porn, Getting Cultured - Busan, Going Places

I’m Disconnected!

January 2, 2012January 4, 2012 sweet surrender No Comments

Announcement to make…

I arrived safely in Busan. Phew… What an advanture! I was on my own all the time with very very little knowledge of Korean -.-” Everyone was speaking Korean, even on the flight, majority were Koreans. The journey was more than 26 hours! Long transits.

From Adelaide to Singapore, then to Seoul, transfer to another airport in Seoul, then lastly to Busan.

The food on Singapore Airline was great 😉

Even though the travel hour was long, I had a comfortable flights because the flights weren’t full and those who traveled on their own were not assigned with any other passenger on the same row!

I got windows seat for both international flights with no one sitting next to me.

WOW! GREAT! Paying for economy class but get huge seat space! Luckily! Else I’ll really be in serious discomfort.

On the way to Busan, I’m the only non-Korean. Got to see the sunrise of the first day of 2012 on the flight to Busan.

I’m almost disconnected here! Going to the pre-mobile phone era. All my phones are useless as I didn’t subscribe to the global roaming service at the airport. Foreigners/Tourists cannot use their own phones for auto roaming. We need to subscribe to the service here and rent a mobile phone here. The service is only available in the airports! -.-” I didn’t know. So… I can’t be contacted with my M’sia and Aus numbers even though I have the auto roaming activated. I’m totally out of touch with the outside world.

As for Internet, very limited. No WiFi in the hostel, only have in the uni. In the room, need network cable for it and I’m waiting for my roommate to get a cable for me, no point for me to buy, I’m not using it after this. They didn’t tell us we should bring LAN cable. *smack head* Now, I’m relying on the roommate’s pocket WiFi.

This is my very first post in Busan! 😉 My class starts today, so many handsome guys! Not the Koreans but the other exchange students hehehe… Eye candies it is! Going to the UN Memorial Cemetery later at 2pm.

Getting Cultured - Busan, Going Places

Happy 2012!

January 1, 2012December 29, 2011 sweet surrender 2 Comments

Happy 2012 from Sweet Surrender!

I welcomed 2012 at Incheon International Airport. First time welcoming a new year in the airport instead of at home or with my family. All these while I thought I’ll be welcoming 2012 in Adelaide, the place I called home now and with someone special but instead in a foreign land which I will be staying for 3 weeks as an exchange student getting “cultured”, in the airport some more and very much single ;p I’ve never thought of being in Korea. This is not even in my plan or in my dream. Life is getting exciting indeed.

Achieved most of the things I wanted to achieve last year. Only failure was in the relationship part, lots of ups and downs, all very short-lived. So this year, my very first new year’s resolution in my entire life, “Get into a REAL relationship with the right person”.

Happy new year everyone! I might come back with new look 😉 Thinking of getting my haircut here. We’ll see… It’s getting too long already and I’m not willing to pay so much to get it cut in Australia because getting a haircut in Australia equals to about 3-4 haircuts back home which is also equivalent to 2 to 3 years worth of haircuts for me as I only cut my hair either once or twice a year.

Till then… Have a great 2012! Updates now will be from the Land of Kimchi! 😉

Bulletin Board, Getting Cultured - Busan, Going Places, Me, myself and I, Personal Events