Asian Games 2018 - Men’s Football Final (Sept. 1) The Asian Games, or Asiad, is a multi-sport event held in the summertime every four years in between the summer Olympic Games, much like the World Cup schedule. This year, Indonesia hosted and over 40 countries in Asia participated. My friends and I stumbled upon a huge crowd of over 500 fans packed into the courtyard of the Sinchon Station Megabox, the movie theater between Ewha and Sinchon. We heard the crowd enthusiastically cheering and shouting before we saw them. It turns out that the final match for Men’s Football (Soccer) was being screened on a giant projector complete with live commentators and cheerleaders! Due to the crowd (and our heights), we found the best view by sitting across the street on the steps of “A Twosome Place” coffee shop with a dozen other fans. Although not the most ideal view, we couldn’t stop laughing everytime a bus stopped at the light and blocked our view of the screen! Ultimately, South Korea took home the gold and we took home a great memory of country pride and celebration in Sinchon! Dae Han Min Guk! Rating: 5/5 Mamma Mia (Sept. 4) This is the event that I was most excited for - the Yonsei student-produced musical of “Mamma Mia”! My friends and I spotted the drama students selling tickets in the lobby of the Student Union building the week before for 7,000 won (<$7). My friend Keri and I LOVE both “Mamma Mia” movies, so we were absolutely thrilled. We expected the play would be in Korean and were not concerned because we basically know the movie line-for-line. On the night of the play, we arrived 30 min early to find Centennial Hall completely packed. There were no seats left on the first floor, so we had to sit on the mezzanine. With my poor eyesight, I thought we might as well be in the nosebleeds; however, the front and center part of the mezzanine was a great view to see the entire stage. The performance itself was ASTOUNDING! I cannot sing enough praise for the cast and crew - especially the young thespian who played Donna! Although the entire play, songs and all, were in Korean, I still found myself laughing, tearing up, and softly singing along in English to all the ABBA hits. Yonsei University is teeming with remarkable, student talent; the drama department is the perfect example of that and is a can’t-miss part of school culture! Rating: 4.5/5 (simply because I did not understand the words, but for the actors and quality - a solid 5/5!) Tips:
Sinchon Beer Festival (Sept. 7 - 9) Yonsei-ro, the lively main street of Sinchon, transformed into a mecca of food, entertainment, and craft beer from Friday 9/7 to Sunday 9/9. From end to end, the entire street was filled with dozens of booths and trucks selling food (mainly fried or sausages), artisanal craft beer, and handmade goods. Thousands of people flooded in to enjoy the festival and watch the various performances on the huge stage set up in front of the Red Tube. I love that Yonsei is situated in a bustling and affordable college town, but it’s events like this festival that showcase global culture and Korean liveliness that truly makes studying in South Korea an unforgettable experience. Rating 5/5 International Student Festival in Itaewon (Sept. 6) The ISF Board frequently post ticket sales for hosted International Parties on the International Exchange page for students in Seoul. We bought our tickets late when 90% were already sold, so we paid 20,000 won (<$20). Itaewon is the infamous party district that is also the undisputed international hub of Seoul. The area boasts many nightclubs and global cuisines including kebab stands (my favorite Middle Eastern food that reminds me of my “inexpensive, college food in France” days!). Getting to Itaewon requires us to take Line 2 to “Hapjeong” station and transfer to Line 6; total subway time is about 30 minutes. I personally do not like Itaewon because of its expensive prices and inconvenience/impossibility in hailing cabs after midnight (when the metro stops running). I much prefer Hongdae, only one station from Sinchon, which also has nightclubs, but with cheaper food and many street performers. As for the International Party, the $20 ticket only got us into a venue and one free drink. Although the party was meant for meeting other international students, you can imagine that a loud, rambunctious club is not ideal for conversations. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun with my friends and would recommend for the sake of going out. If your purpose for attending is to make friends, you are better off talking to the person next to you in class! Rating: 3.5/5 (The International Party was a waste of money, but going out in Itaewon on your own is really fun!) Spectrum 2018 Dance Music Festival (Sept. 8 - 9) I have never been to a techno/house music event (“rave”) and somehow decided to attend the Spectrum DMF. The equivalent of diving off the deep end. . . from a 10 metres diving board. . . without knowing how to swim. . . I suddenly found myself in the middle of a sea of thousands of fans filling South Korea’s largest stadium, the Olympic Stadium, dancing to over a dozen of the hottest DJ’s in the world! To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement; truth be told, I spent about half the time on Saturday sitting outside eating Korean fried chicken. What was I thinking buying two-day tickets?! In all seriousness, I am very happy with the fact that I experienced this music festival because it was one of the largest culminations of dance music in the world. . . “when in Seoul,” I guess. Getting to the Olympic Sports Complex was very simple - we just took Line 2 to “Sports Complex” which is 40-minutes from either direction at “Sinchon” station. The stages and sets were beautiful, compete with fireworks and flames; there were three stages, dozens of food vendors, and many great DJ’s performing. My friend Keri and I bought our tickets through a reseller on Facebook for 144,000 won (<$140), though I would recommend just paying the 154,000 won for two-day passes. We were extra cautious and insisted in paying the down and final payment in-person, so meeting up with the seller was very inconvenient. The reason we had to do that was because the ticket sales were restricted to Korea forms of payment (Visa and Mastercard will not work!) so your best bet is to open a Korean bank account or ask a Korean-national friend to purchase them. If you love going to raves and listening to dance music, you absolutely MUST attend Spectrum! Rating: 3.5/5 (Not my scene; but this is an easy 5/5 for an EDM fan!) Tips:
Best of Bites #2AYCE Pork BBQ in Hongdae: This place is unbelievable - all-you-can-eat pork BBQ for 12,000 won (<$12) and drink for 5,000 won (<$5). We found this place through a YouTube video of WeFancy. I highly recommend watching the video to see the proper way to eat Korean BBQ (or I guess here in South Korea, just “BBQ”) and learning the names of the different marinated pork cuts, so you know that to re-order. The food was delicious, sides were plentiful, and service was welcoming. I felt that the 5,000 won for drinks was wasted on me because soju in Korea is really cheap - I could not drink my money’s worth! The pork however. . . $12 is unheard of back in Hawai`i! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!
LINK to WeFancy video & address of restaurant $3 Tonkatsu in Sinchon: Yes, you read that correctly - traditional Japanese tonkatsu set for 3,000 won (<$3)! This place in Sinchon is only a six-minute walk from the Main Gate of Yonsei. Open from 11am-8pm, this small and tightly-packed restaurant cannot be beat in terms of cheap eats. Untainted by Korean influences (except for the pickled daikon side), the set comes with tonkatsu, rice, shredded cabbage, miso soup, and sauce complete with grounded sesame seeds. I must admit that the tonkatsu (I’d rate it ⅗) is not nearly as soft and juicy as ones I have had in Japan, but for $3, who can complain? This is no-fuss in that you don’t need to order since they only serve one set and you pay first (CASH ONLY). LINK to address of Cochon Tonkatsu
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South KoreaSinchon, the bustling U-district in the center of Seoul, will be my current home for the next few months. This blog is a collection of adventures in and around Seoul from the eyes of an exchange student from Hawai`i. Archives
January 2019
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