Level 2. Que Super Mario Music.

Another quarter has come to it's abrupt end.

Yeah, it felt like it passed so quickly. I guess compared to the last quarter, we were learning SO MUCH more that I barely had the time to catch up with my reviews when we had to jump right into the next topic. But, nonetheless, it was fun and I felt like I was actually progressing in terms of the language. It was quite challenging, as I guess I've figured out that during the exams, as much as I would like to make up my own stuff with the grammar we've learnt, the way for me to get good grades is to basically remember on a rough basis the previous work we've done and use most of that stuff during the speaking and writing tests as that has more grammar points and will get us the grade.

Nonetheless, I am happy and absolutely proud to say that I passed Level 2 with almost rainbow colors (though it most definitely can be better, with A LOT LESS silly mistakes, my biggest downfall SIGH)

On a new note though, the reason why I've been pre-occupied and not blogging is also because I've been home searching. 

a really cool room of one of the houses I visited

Yes, I've spent a good 2 full weeks (while studying for midterms and very quickly finals) looking for a place, and by golly, that process takes SO LONG. I would look at soooo many places in one day, literally spend 4 hours with agents looking at places, walking and looking at potential places only to get shown places that are WAY out of budget and not worth it at all. And I'm not just talking 10,20 bucks more. This is 200 bucks more. Sigh, hard selling it man. 

On some days, when I had dance practice that ends at 3.30,
it was out the door again knocking on real estate agent's doors for places. 

a really cool rooftop of one of the over budget yet too small places

With the help of another friend, we finally found a place! It was at the price range we were looking for and is much much closer to both our schools (major plus! it's a short walk to the stations but it's about the same really)

And so.....

The packing is almost complete, as we move out completely tomorrow. 

I've been gradually packing to kinda get ahead as I know I'm a procrastinator, and the last thing I want is to have a last minute scramble. So I've already started the day of dance rehearsals (I'm in Dance Club and we were performing for the closing ceremony).

during dance rehearsal

We'd danced and rehearsed so many times that by the time I was done moving that day I was dead tired. 

Round 1 of packing

with the help of my 친구 (friends from China)
if only you could see the hills we had to brave and the oceans of sweat..

the much needed post move break, Gongcha! (:

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.

.

*

And so we've come to the last league of the moving process.

We (my roommate Sun & I) officially move in tomorrow.

Feeling: Exhausted & Stoked. 

I Bump You Bump.

Just a note when it comes to roaming and being on your way anywhere. 

While I really hope that this is not the case, I notice that my shoulder hit counts have hit a sky high record in my life after being here. 

Deluge: Water's Memory (물의 기억)

Last night I went to watch Deluge: Water's Memory at the Namsan Art Center.

A huge huge HUGE thank you to my boss for asking me to go along! 

A year ago today, an unfortunate incident occurred. A school field trip turned horrifying when the ship that carried over 300 students sank off Jindo Island (Southwest of Korea) from being overloaded and having been illegally redesigned. And to make matters worse, the captain not only abandoned ship, but also did nothing to prevent the passengers from drowning, instead, the opposite had occurred. The deaths of the students led to the later suicide of the Vice Principal who led the field trip from the emotional trauma that haunted him.

In remembrance of the incident, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture invited Jeremy Neideck, a composer cum director from Brisbane, Australia to perform his piece Deluge: Water's Memory. The original piece was actually created after the 2011 flood in Brisbane that inspired this performance. Paired with influences of ancient greek mythology Poseidon, Korea's 'King Under the Sea', and the late Australian poet Judith Wright's poem 'The Flood'.

In the last 10 years, Jeremy has moved between Australia and Korea for work and in the last 5 years has immersed himself in traditional Korean Pansori (Opera) and with his extensive background in Japanese Butoh dance, he has combined modern dance with his acquainted performing arts to present "the physical and emotional effect of water and the human body...something of a contemporary ritual that seeks to rbing the intangible a little bit closer to the world we can see and hear".

After the Sewol Ferry incident last year, they found it fitting to invite Jeremy to present his work to the local audience in Korea, with some adjustments to the original piece. The atmosphere and start of the performance had already tugged at my heart for reasons I could not fathom.

Before the performance, we were told that the movements are organic and would be a little hard to comprehend in the beginning. But man, it got me from the beginning. At the start I was resisting tears from falling my just looking at this scene

the dancers were clad in outfits that were made out of rubbish bags and old bedsheets

In the interview that we later conducted for our show, Jeremy explained to us that the poles are a really common element in Brisbane but that also looks eerily like pier stands. He also included a lot of trinkets and bits that combined both Korean and western items that seem to have a huge influence after a tragic event: household items. 

his work involves a lot of unique movements that displays the lack of control over one's body

Btw this whole show was done without conversation and lyrics. Merely body movements, and body language. And through it all, the dancers did a fantastic job of showing what its like to grief in the most naturally involuntary way.

wails that initially sounded like the soothing sounds of the ocean, turned into painful screams and howls 

Combined with some AMAZING lighting, my tears just flowed, as if I could empathize with the pain. I don't want to ruin it so I will only say that this bit looked like the dancers were just easing their way into the water, losing themselves to death and my body followed suit with waterfalls. 

this scene got my spine frozen and tears rolling down my cheeks 

You know when you're faced with so much heartache that you want to let it out beyond crying, but if you do, people would think you need to see a shrink or something? So instead you go shopping, or smash glass/things (or is this just me -not that I actually broke anything-)? Well, in this show, I witness just how you cope with those emotions when even therapy cannot help you recover, unless you allow yourself to look like a madman. It's like fits, and you pass out as a result.

Interestingly enough, a common element I noticed was the use of what most of us deem to be rubbish, but was absolutely integral in mourning. What once was trash to us, becomes equivalent to treasures at a loss. The tears came and went, my brows furrowed at the frustration that was transcendent and translated by the dancers' bodies inexplicable by words. 

As much as I am not a fan of modern dance, this definitely moved me deeply. 

If you want to catch it, you still can. 

Title: Deluge: Water's Memory

Place: Namsan Arts Center
Time: 16 Thur - 19 Sun April, 22 Wed - 25 Sat April (8PM on Weekdays 3PM on Weekends)

Admission: 15,000₩

Ticket Purchase: http://ticket.interpark.com/Ticket/Goods/GoodsInfo.asp?GoodsCode=15003185

Do check it out if you're in Seoul. Tickets are still on sale and I can definitely guarantee you it is worth your money. 

Warning: for those with visual epilepsy, there are some intense scenes with flashing lights. 

Here is a photo with my boss Christina, the host of my show Curt Achin, and Jeremy Neideck the mastermind behind the stunning performance.

To catch our interview with Jeremy Neideck, tune into 

Koreascape on TBS EFM 101.3MHZ 

Saturday 18th April 10AM-12PM (UTC+09:00) 

Hello Again!

Hi!

It's been a while but...

I'm back here in Seoul!

I've spent the last two days organizing things and just moving into my apartment. Tomorrow, I have a busy busy day of buying some supplies (as I had to rid my baggage of so may clothes even though I actually have pretty little. Damn winter clothes so bulky and heavy.

I've also spent some time today looking up ways to really explore this city, and to talk about it more efficiently. I'm vowing to do my best to keep this blog updated to the best of my abilities!

Here, I will be posting about the my life here, the food, the places, the people, shopping, and anything else between in regards to being in Korea. I will also be blogging about any other adventures (both within and outside Korea) so keep your eyes peeled for them!

Also, I hope you guys continue to support me as I do my best to write about things that are foreign to me. What I will be talking about will be as I understand them to be. My thoughts and ideas will defer from others, and opinions are my own. So please be kind! (:

Thank you again for your understanding!

I will see you guys soon!

Love,
Kim

남산타워 Uh, LEE MINHO! DUHHHH

I know I said I would do a video review but uhm... that has a shit ton of work to be done to it before it can be shown to public... So bare with me (: hehe

Instead, today, I'll be talking a bit about 남산타워 aka Namsan Tower! or N Seoul Tower! Super famous landmark, gives you a pretty good view of Seoul (towards Myeondong and all), and it's a pretty known place for couples to visit and have their personalized locks locked onto the rails of the look out point.

How to get there:
Kay, honestly, a friend drove me to the National Theatre of Korea, and we bused it up the hill to the tower!

So, I'm gonna pull out my cheat sheet and show you some ways of getting up there (instead of you having to google it and all hehehe)

Alright.

How to get there by:


BUS
First, get to the bus stop by subway.
Your options include Myeondong Station (Line 4), getting out at Exit 3 or Chungmuro Station (Line 3 or Line 4), getting out at Exit 2/ if you're looking at the map, in front of Daehan Cinema)
From there, you can take the Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus #2 (02번 남산 순환버스) up to the tower.

Running Hours: 0700 -2400 (aka Midnight)
Intervals: 15 minutes
Cost: 950 won with cash, 850 with T Money card.

Route/ Using the same bus, you can also board it at the following locations:
N Seoul Tower (N서울타워) → Namsan Public Library (남산도서관) → Seoul Education Research & Information Institute (교육연구정보원) → Namsan Walk B Course (남산산책로입구B코스) → Seoul Animation Center/Soongeui Women's College (서울애니매이션센터,승의여대) → Teogyero 3-ga Hanok Village (퇴계로3가하녹마을) →  Daehan Cinema (댈한국산) → Teogyero 5-ga (퇴계로5가) → Dongguk University Station (동대입구역) → National Theatre of Korea (국립극산) → Namsan North Side Circuit Entry (남산북측순환로입국).

Option 2 (subway and Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus #3)
Subway stops: Seoul Station (Line 1/ Line 4) getting off at Exit 9, Itaewon (Line 6) Exit 4, Hangangjin Station (Line 6) in front of Exit 2

Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus #3 (3번 남산 순환버스)
Running Hours: 0730 -2330 (aka 11.30pm)
Intervals: 20 minutes
Cost: 950 won with cash, 850 with T Money card.

Route: N Seoul Tower (N서울타워) → Namsan Public Library (남산도서관) → Beokbeom Plaza (벅범광장) → Huam Intersection (후암삼거리) → Namdaemun Police Station (남대문경찰서) → Seoul Station (서울역) → Namdaemun Market (남대문시장) → Namsan Tunnel 3 (남산산3호터날) → Yonghan Hanshin Apartment (영한한신아파트) → Haebangchon (해방촌) → Itaewon Yongsan-gu Office (이태원 녕산구청) → Hamilton Hotel (해밀톤호텔) → Itaewon Fire Branch (이태원소방파출서) → Hangangjin Station (한강진역) → Beoti Gogae (버티고개) → Songdo Hospital (송도병원앞) → Yaksu Station (약수역) → Dongguk University Station (동대잎구역) → National Theatre of Korea (국립극산) → Namsan North Side Circuit Entry (남산북측순환로입국) → N Seoul Tower (N서울타워)


Option 3: Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus #5 (5번 남산 순환버스)
Running Hours: 0730 -2330 (aka 11.30pm)
Intervals: 15 minutes
Cost: 950 won with cash, 850 with T Money card.

Route: N Seoul Tower (N서울타워) → Namsan Public Library (남산도서관) → Beokbeom Plaza (벅범광장) → Hilton Hotel (힐톤호텔) Namdaemun Market, Accessory Arcade (남대문시장, ) → Entrance to Myeongdong () → Teogyero 3-ga Hanok Village (퇴계로3가하녹마을) → Daehan Cinema (댈한국산) → Teogyero 5-ga (퇴계로5가) Teogyero 6-ga (퇴계로6가) → Gwanghui-dong Crossroads (광희희동사거리) → Chungmu Art Hall, Jungbu Fire Station (충무아트홀, 충무소바서) → Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town (신당동 떡볶이타운) → Sindang-dong Cheongo Station (신당동, 청구역) → Yaksu Station (약수역) → Dongguk University Station (동대잎구역) → National Theatre of Korea (국립극산) → Namsan North Side Circuit Entry (남산북측순환로입국) → N Seoul Tower (N서울타워)


CABLE CAR
Operating Hours: 10.00-2300
How To Get There: Get on the Subway and take Exit 3 at Myeongdong Station (Line 4), when you see Pacific Hotel, go on the road to the RIGHT of it, and walk for 10-15 minutes to the stop.
Price:

I would recommend taking the cable car (especially if you watched Boys Over Flowers) cause it's a different view I believe (:

There are other means of getting there that are less common. But if you wanna go how to get there by Seoul City Bus, or by driving, click here and here individually.

When you get there by bus though, you'll have to walk up this super steep hill up to the Tower (the night view is quite breathtaking actually) itself. Then when you're there, you can just follow the crowd to the look out point. If you're there with your significant other, you can either purchase those love locks and/or love magnets and do your message thing. For the locks, couples write their names on the lock and hang them on the railings of the look out point, they say that its so that the relationship will last. And the magnets is an extra, after writing a message, you get to hang it up in the gift shop (also where you buy the lock and magnets), though the lock I'd recommend buying it BEFORE you go up, but the magnets, they only allow the store bought ones. 

And when inside the tower, you can walk around the shopping area and check out some souvenirs (POSTCARDS! I'd recommend getting them here cause it was a rather difficult task trying to find postcards in the city itself) while being silly like me...

these little deco things are just too cute not to take photos with haha

or go UP the tower (something I didn't do cause I didn't have the money) for an extended view though the open look out point has a good enough view. 

Here's Sun and I (: It was a pretty good night. 

Sorry for the late late LATE updates ): 

I know I apologize a lot, but my time is seriously so limited I barely have time ):