Halloween and a giant rubber duck

This week was relatively low-key which was nice because relaxing weeks are needed once in awhile. I had a normal week of classes but during Korean my class on Monday (or Wednesday, I forget which day) we watched three videos depicting three gatherings: alumni, college club initiation, and co-worker. We were learning about the different kinds of gatherings in Korean so the videos displayed how those gatherings would typically be acted out in real life. One somewhat disturbing detail stood out to me. After watching one of the videos our teacher would write down phrases that were spoken in the video and then translate them to English. Two phrases that were spoken in the alumni video between two female friends were "You gained a little weight" and "You're aren't getting plastic surgery?" My class was shocked to find out that this woman was saying these things so nonchalantly to her friend. In the United States this would be considered extremely rude, but in Korea it's commonplace. Beauty is very emphasized here from the numerous plastic surgery advertisements to cosmetics stores. Have you ever looked at K-pop stars and wondered why they all look exactly the same? Well the beauty standards in Korea and the extreme pressure both women and men face explains how so much effort is put into appearance. I find it very sad and discomforting and probably an aspect I dislike the most about Korea.

Since Halloween was this weekend, the mentor's club threw a Halloween party at a club in Gangnam on Thursday so me and my friends went. Halloween is really only celebrated in the foreigner-populated parts of Seoul and usually only in clubs. Instead of going all out on Halloween with my costume like I usually do in the United States, I brought my leopard ears I bought in Lotte World and didn't put them on until we reached the club. We took the subway there and no one was dressed up except for us, but our costumes weren't outstanding in anyway so it looked like we were just wearing normal going-out clothes. The club was fun because it was decorated for Halloween and I enjoyed catching up with some of my exchange student friends. A 7-11 was also conveniently located right outside of the club so instead of paying for $15 club drinks we were able to buy bottles of soju for $1 or $2. While I had a lot of fun, one thing that bothers me about clubs here is that you are allowed to smoke inside, so the air is so smoky because the smoke can't escape that it becomes hard to breathe after awhile. Your clothes and hair also get saturated with smoke so you have to wash them pretty well when you get back home.

Clubbing in Gangnam!

I had five hours of class on Friday and I was still worn out from the previous night so I decided to take it easy. Back in the summer someone on Reddit posted a map of Seoul's subway that I really wanted. I was thinking about ways to decorate my walls in the apartment and I remembered that the artist for that particular map is in Seoul. After further research it turns out his store is only a subway stop and a 15-minute walk away, so Lea and I (since Lea is also a fan of maps) went to the store to buy the map. I absolutely love the map especially for how it depicts the Han river, which looks like the inner part of South Korea's flag. The artist also has subway maps of other major cities. I highly recommend checking out his website: zeroperzero.com. It was hard not buying more items at his store, haha.

A photo of the subway map hanging in my room. The website provides a clearer image.

Lea and I then grabbed some dinner and then headed to Hongdae to people-watch those who decided to wear a costume. Compared to the U.S. there was a significant less amount of people dressed up but it was still cool seeing those that did dress up. We also headed to the Hello Kitty cafe and relaxed there before heading back to Sinchon. Even though it was Halloween it didn't really feel like it, which is to be expected when you are in a foreign country. This is the first of several holidays I will experience here where it won't be the same as the U.S. I already know not celebrating Thanksgiving will be tough, since it's my favorite holiday, but I'm determined to see if a restaurant in Itaewon serves Thanksgiving food. Or maybe the American army base opens up to American citizens that day, but I'm doubtful.

The Hello Kitty desserts at the cafe.

The green tea latte I ordered. Isn't it cute?

A giant rubber duck made by artist Florentijn Hofman has been traveling the world since 2007 and for one month it's in Seoul! Out of curiosity I wanted to check the duck out, so me and my KLI classmate headed to Jamsil to see the duck. It's located in the lake right next to Lotte World and it was indeed giant! I still wonder how the artist was able to make an inflatable so large. There was also a pop-up store nearby so I bought a couple of postcards to decorate the walls in my apartment. We wanted to get another view of the duck further up so we walked into the nearby Lotte World Shopping Mall and went to one of the top floors where we took photos of the duck on the lake. They also had a mini version of the rubber duck so of course I had to take a photo with that one too, haha. This mall was incredible! Inside there was an aquarium and movie theater and I have to say it was the best movie theater I've ever been in. I definitely want to make my way back to the mall just to watch a movie in that theater.

Posing by the giant rubber duck.

A photo of the duck taken in the Lotte mall.

A mini version of the duck.

At this point we were both starving so we headed across the street to the Lotte Department Store. As if you couldn't tell already, this part of Seoul is filled with Lotte everything. We decided on Japanese food and so I got a huge meal of beef teriyaki, udon, rice, tempura, kimchi, and salad. It was by far one of the best meals I've had here and I ate every last bite despite how large the meal was. Afterwards we headed to an outlet mall for department store clothing at the Gasan Digital Complex where I went to earlier to buy my winter coat. One of the outlet malls called Mario Outlet is simply awesome. I was able to buy a quality winter coat that was originally $400 for $60! When I went the second time I wasn't planning on buying another coat but I came across a perfect fall coat that I know I wouldn't be able to find in the U.S. that was originally $350 but was selling for $40! Not all coats had that good of a deal. I actually had to look around a lot and scope out the correct stores to find a coat that was under $100. I highly recommend the Mario Outlet for anyone in Seoul if they need to find a good but affordable winter coat. I now don't even consider shopping in department stores anymore (and I'm glad I haven't) because this outlet mall is the way to go. I'm actually looking forward to the weather becoming colder just so I can wear my coats more, haha.

The delicious meal I had at the Lotte Department Store.

Today on Sunday I've been taking it easy and completing a lot of errands I've been putting off during the week. I've done laundry, cleaned, and now I'm working on homework and this blog. I also have to do some grocery shopping. It's great being an adult, isn't it? But I really do enjoy and have enjoyed living in my apartment thus far. With my new decorations it's starting to feel like home and with the weather becoming colder it's gotten a lot more cozy.

Additionally, before I moved into my apartment I was interviewed by a Korean newspaper about my homestay experience. The article is now published and it's really cool seeing my face in a publication written in a foreign language! It can accessed here: http://www.newscj.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=263263. In short, I discussed how I learned about Korean culture and ate delicious Korean food everyday. I also talked about how speaking with my host family everyday greatly improved my Korean speaking skills and because of that I did well on my speaking midterm.

A screenshot the newspaper home page. You can see my face on the left!

The article wanted to promote the benefits of Koreastay, the website where I found my host family, so the article discussed the program to get more families involved. If anyone wants a full English translation, let me know and I'll do my best. Anyways, I will see you next week!