Qingdao – Part I

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As I wrote in my previous post, my winter vacation started with a flight to Qingdao. My first impression of the city was small surprise, I got surprised how much there were construction sites all over the city. And they weren’t building few small houses, but lots and lots of tall skyscrapers. Clearly this is fast growing city.

Nearby street

Nearby street

As previously mentioned reasons, I was tired when I checked in to the hostel and after getting into my room, despite it was cold, I just relaxed on my bed and got a good long nap. After waking up, I took my camera and walked around neighborhood a little bit, but only to discover soon that weather in Qingdao was really cold at this time, specially the wind was really strong and made weather even colder than it actually was. So I was quickly back to my hostel where the New Year party had started already, so I stayed in hostel, enjoyed free food, good Tsingtao beer and nice company. I met many nice people who stayed also in the same hostel all over the world – though amazing amount of guests were from Korea, in the party at least half of the people were coming from Korea and mostly they were English teachers there. Well, it was nice to share some experiences…

Smaller nearby street

Smaller nearby street

Next day wasn’t any better for sightseeing as my New Year celebration got little bit longer and I was sleeping long on the next day. It wasn’t until in the evening when I got out with my friend to find nice restaurant to have a dinner. Our choice was a neighborhood that was recommended by hostel reception, and we took nice looking restaurant and had hotpot.

Finished hotpot

Finished hotpot

Hotpot was Beijing style, looked nice and had traditional coals to make stuff hot, but the part where the food was were shallow and deep, making it quite difficult to find food with chopsticks. In the end I managed to find though all mutton pieces and clams. And have to admit, that was good dinner. Chinese hotpot is just great, specially when it is cold outside.

Bridge

Bridge

After dinner we walked a little bit in the neighborhood but as it was getting late and weather was still cold, we headed back to hostel. There was second day of new year celebration, but I skipped this day as I felt tired and was just relaxing in my room. At this point I started to really realize that hostel dorm rooms were not so good as although AC has been on in my room all the time, it was still freezing near the floor. In my bed, which was directly opposite of AC, it was somewhat warm, but bed felt still cold. Partially. But also while in bed, it was sometimes little bit too warm as AC was blowing directly into my bed (as I set it to do so though).

Red trees

Red trees

Qingdao

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My China trip started by taking airplane from Seoul to Qingdao. Reason for this was simple, it was cheapest flight to China :) After very late packing, I had too little of sleep, I woke up early (5am, which is way too early for me), and after some last minute packing, I ealized that I was going to be late from airport. I quickly took metro to Seoul Station, switched to Airport Express train, took and paid express train and got to airport just after the check-in time was over, but luckily they were still checking in people and I managed to check my self in without any problems. Then quickly running through security check and immigration, switching to correct terminal and again, I was almost late from boarding – expect that they weren’t boarding at all at that time. So all good, I got on the plane just in time and my China trip was about to start as planned.

I arrived to Qingdao at 9.20am, after getting through immigration I got taxi to my hostel. It is nice place, on top of the hill, and it is located in old observatory. Place looked great but after checking in and getting my room key, I noticed that my room is terrible cold. Putting AC on full power helped a little bit but not too much. Anyways, as I wasa really tired of not sleeping enough last night, I just started to taking long naps. After waking up, it was night already, so I just took my camera and walked around the hostel area to get my first view of Qingdao. And that was just bloody cold. The wind was just amazing and I was freezing so badly. So I walked back to hostel, pretty much just in time to get in the New YEar cparty that hostel was arranging. Free food, free glogi and really cheap Tsingtao beer, not bad. After year changed, I actually ended up to go to bar with couple other hostel guests but still feeling quite tired I left there before others and got back to hostel around 3am. And next day went pretty much of sleeping and surviving previous day.

In the evening I went with my friend to have hotpot, it was nice looking restaurant that offered hotpot in Beijing style. It was delicious but little difficult to get food out of hotpot as the space to get anything was narrow. Anyways, as always, chinese food is just great.

I do have some photos to share from my couple first days, but I don’t have Internet access on my laptop right now, so you have to wait a little longer to see more photos. And to hear my family visit to Jiaonan…

Korea Bye Bye – China Hello

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This is my last posting from my Korean apartment for a while, and definitely last time I update my blog from Korea for this year. Reason, my winter vacation started already couple weeks ago and now I am finally leaving to explore Asia, or at least China. I got today my passport and Chinese visa back, which was expected, I got my 6 month double entry visa. 6 months is quite useless for me as I am planning to use both entrys during these next two months, I am going to be in China more than one month and my visa only allows me to be 30 days at one time in China, so I have to escape to Hong Kong in the middle. How horrible… :D

As usual, I am packing in the last night. This time is luckily little bit easier as I have decided to travel lightly, I learned from my Shanghai trip that it is just useless to carry all extra stuff that you think that you might need – you don’t need those. This time though it is a little bit challenging as I am planning to travel to some southern countries as well, which means that from the northern ~0ËšC temperature to around +20ËšC, so I have to carry my summer clothes with me as well. But so far looks quite good, I just need to pack my toilet stuff and towel in the morning and that’s it.

So goodbye Korea for a while, see you again in end of February! And hello China!

(I try to keep updating my blog often during my trip, as well as posting photos to somewhere. As usual, Facebook updating might be a little challenging, but I try to update that as well :D ).

Searching Christmas

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Being abroad during the Christmas is not something easy. I though beforehand that it might be a little bit challenging, but the truth is that it is more challenging that I expected. Not only the thing that I am so far away from my family and everything familiar, but also that here in Seoul, there is no such a thing as Christmas, at least not in a way I know it.
For me Christmas is about relaxing, peaceful feeling, quietness, family. And on top of all, food. I am not sure when the best part of Christmas Eve changed from opening presents when I was kid to current, when I eagerly wait for Christmas dinner to start and enjoying all the good food. But in here Christmas is a holiday for couples, it is time when couples are spending time together, not families. I liked in Finland when everything quiets down, that after afternoon there are no cars driving on the streets at all, no trains, whole country stops and everybody are just relaxing and enjoying quiet times. Here, nothing stops, contrary even more peoples were outside walking and shopping.

But few days ago when I realized that it is almost Christmas and didn’t felt like that at all yet, I decided to go search for some Christmas feel by looking some Christmas lights in the city. Well, found some. And some more. And even some more. And all these were in the same small bush… I got a book from a friend that explains in funny way of Korean culture and habits and one thing the book mentioned is that Koreans can be described by using word ‘extreme’. And that was true at least what comes to Christmas lights. Honestly, I got blind. I have never seen as many lights at the same time. There were just too many lights together. In a small tree, it was just endless amount of lights. Small lamps right next to each other. It was bright, but the nice peaceful feeling that I get from Christmas lights from back home was just somewhere far, far away. I felt like everybody were just competing who can put more lights in the smallest bush they can find… Luckily there were couple, but just couple, trees with really beautiful snow flake lights. Those looked really peaceful and calming.

Wasn't quite sure how umbrellas has anything to do with Christmas...

Snow flake lights

More snowflakes

Got blinded

There's an empty spot... Not anymore...

Christmas lights

Using Habits

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Some time ago I bought a new laptop here in Korea, mostly as my previous laptop’s warranty ended in the spring and it is cheaper to buy a new one here than from Finland. And as I also wanted US/Korean keyboard more than Finnish one, as it is easier to write Korean when I can see correct keys and coding and using Aperture is much easier with US keyboard than with Finnish one.

My old laptop was old good 15″ MacBook Pro from 2007. Laptop before that was 2005 12″ Powerbook. Although 15″ was nice as I had enough screen, it was just too big to me. It was little bit too heavy and physical size was disrupting big, with it I needed big shoulder bags and using it on lap while sitting in my TV-chair was sometimes little bit difficult. Also in the lecture rooms the desk size was sometimes slightly too small for it. So when it came time for me to choose new laptop, I just knew that it is going to be 13″ MacBook Pro. And of course, as student, I didn’t complain about the fact that first time since 2005, the cheapest option was the best one for me…

By switching to smaller laptop meant some changes for me in how I use my computer. It took a while to get used to this smaller screen, as at first this felt just too small. All the time I was running out of screen and wishing that I just had bigger screen to use. But after a while I just stop noticing it anymore. And then I realized that the way I use my laptop has changed. Most of my applications are taking more and more the whole screen. I have noticed that it is most easiest way to handle pretty much everything. For having small screen, well using it all for one application at a time most of the time fixes the problem. Multi-tasking, well, human is pretty bad in that and some studies even has proven that trying to multi-task is worse idea and just slows down all tasks instead of concentrating to do one task at the time. Having only one application at the time on the screen definitely fixes the problem, as then I need to be active to see something else, i.e. from writing term paper to read latest RSS feeds, I have to notice badge on Reeder for Mac icon and switch to there to read. I feel that this woks for me nicely, as when I am really concentrated, all I can see is this one application window, and sometimes it takes a long time to notice that I have some unread posts.

This all makes me really waiting for next OS X version, Lion, as one of the promoted features is fullscreen applications. It is still unknown how many applications really are going to use this new fullscreen ability, but I really like this idea and hope that this is going to be adopted widely. Maybe this all new habit of using applications comes from heavy use of iPhone.

End of Part I

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Today I had my last final exam, which also meant last study related thing for me on this semester. (Okey, I still have one Korean class tomorrow, but I don’t count that). So I think it’s time to sum up this semester and studies (and life) here.

I really can’t believe that my semester is over already. It feels like I just landed to Incheon yesterday, chosen my courses for coming semester – and, now it all gone. And still I have been here three and half months already.

Studies

In the beginning of semester I ended up to choose in a hurry (more or less) courses that seemed interesting. My selection was Mass Media, International Relations in Northeast Asia, Korean Language for Foreigners I, Modern Korean History and Advertising and Promotion Strategy. Mass media started by professor speaking only Korean for the first ten minutes unless she realized that I was sitting there and made huge conclusion that there might be non-Korean speakers in the English-speaking class… nd course didn’t got any better from that point. Professors English was quite bad and her preparation for course was just horrible. It has been a long time since I have seen such a bad course or teaching, I’m not even sure if I have ever encountered anything similar before. During the time I noticed that that course is more than useless for me and just decided to drop it. Definitely not worth of wasting time there – especially as lectures were in the morning :D

Other courses were much better, luckily. About Korean learning, I have wrote earlier here. Modern Korean History was good enough, I haven’t been taking any history courses at my home university, so I don’t know if this was any different from those, but I doubt that. It was a little bit boring teaching, as it is always when teacher is just speaking in the front and that’s all. In the first half of the course we had student presentations in the beginning of the class, but after mid-term those just disappeared. I luckily was among the students who didn’t had to keep any presentation.

Advertising and Promotion Strategy was also good course, professor was interesting and his teaching style was vivid. It was enjoyable to sit on the class and listen. And we needed to do advertising critic/analysis and then make our own story-board (in a group), which was fun. Only bad thing about the course was that the textbook we used was too american point of view – so in the end I wanted to come to here to learn about local markets, marketing, and I ended up to course that most examples was about US markets. ell, I guess that there’s not so many English books about Korean or Asian markets.

The best course was definitely International Relations in Northeast Asia. The whole course was about student presentation, in every lecture we had two presentations about some topics. As usual, some pairs made really good job, others didn’t achieved as good. But after all presentations we had discussion, which meant that mostly the professor was talking more about the topic. And similar way as in the end, last year in Jordan Intercultural communications ended up to be giving a lot of information about Arabic culture, this course ended up also to be most useful about local cultures and problems around here. It was interesting to hear and learn about views of US present, about North Korea, and how locals see other world.

Living

In three and half months I am started to get quite used to of living here. This is definitely different place than Tampere or Finland but not too much. What I mean with this is that normal daily life is easy enough. Things works pretty much in similar way, you find products you need where you expect mostly, snacks, drinking, food, go to nearby convenient store or supermarket. Beer, alcohol, same thing. Medicine, go to pharmacy. And so on. Want to eat something, well this is part that differs the most, if you want to eat something, it is easy to go to restaurant. Depending what you want, it is either cheap or even cheaper… I have ability to cook now at my apartment, but I haven’t been cooking so much, all the time, first, as I am sometimes too lazy, and second, it seems that it is actually cheaper to eat outside than make yourself. Well, when I cook by myself, it means that I use much more meat for the meal than I get in restaurant, which probable explains the difference. But I really like being able to cook – mostly my morning now contains instant coffee (coffee maker is still on todo list) and toast.

For coffee lover and addict as I am, this place is just amazing. I have never seen anywhere else as many coffee shops as Seoul has. This place is full of them. And I have even seen two Starbucks in the same block, distance between those was less than 20 meters. Some places are more expensive than others and the atmosphere differs also more or less. I personally like Starbucks, not only as I can get a lot of coffee at one time (gotta love Ventiâ„¢…) but also cause its atmosphere is pretty much for working and studying. Most people I see there are either working with their laptops or having a book in front of them. Its nice place for studying or working, when you just start to hate library and its quietness (seriously, I get feeling that even my breathing is too laud in there, it’s quieter place than morgue). Other places feels much more for meeting people, and I would prefer those places over Starbucks if I just want to hang with friends.
Coffee tastes also different in different places, I am still searching for my favorite place, but have to admit, I really like Flanel Coffee’s Hazelnut Latte. It is sweet but not too much and tastes good. Bonsol Coffee around here is really popular, but it is too sweet for me. Finding a good Latte without anything is still under searching, school coffee shops offers lattes for really cheap (I think it is about 2100KRW ~ 1,40EUR), but it can be tasted, not as good as elsewhere. Don’t know why actually, but it just tastes different. And as coffee lover, it is kinda funny to notice that I miss little bit bad tasting basic Finnish coffee, not because how it tastes but because its simplicity. Here the normal coffee is americano, which is just not for my taste. I need sometimes just caffeine, and for that, finnish coffee with milk is easiest way to deliver that. Juvenes Ala-Kuppila and big coffee… Not such a bad thing after all :D

Final Exams

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It feels weird to realize that all my classes for this semester is over already. And that I am currently in University library to write my final paper for one course and that weekend is full of studying for my final exams. And after Tuesday, nothing. End of studying. Holiday. Vacation. 진짜?
I feels like it was just yesterday when my plane landed to Incheon, when I met my buddy and chose my courses for this semester and now it’s all over already. Time really has flied so fast.

Studying for final exams is really something different from Finland. In my home university I got bad habit not to care too much of exams, as there I can always try couple times if I don’t get good grade. And as usually the courses I took had essay exams, which are quite easy for me to answer. But here, first it is one shot, either you get good grade or not, but no new chances. Second, I still feel that studying here mostly is just learning facts and answering by memory. Korean History course has a little bit something that is closer to Finnish essay questions but luckily, the answers are expected to be much shorter. But this all affects to me that first time maybe ever, I am really studying and also a little bit worried about exams. It is so different when I know that I have only one shot to try and that’s all. No backup plans, no extra time, no nothing.

So in other words, don’t expect many updates before Wednesday… After that, well, I have decided that on my winter vacation I really start to travel around. At least in Seoul. Time really has passed so fast that I haven’t even understood that, and suddenly I am in the situation that first semester here is over and I have no idea what I have been doing here, expect I haven’t been outside Seoul almost at all. Nor travelled anywhere else. Well, winter vacation is going to chance that, that’s for sure. I am not quite yet sure where I end up, but so far I know that I will spend some time in China, when and how long and where, not sure yet. But most likely I am going to be in China during Spring Festival.

Independence Day

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On Monday we celebrated our 93-year-old Finland. For me Independence Day hasn’t been so special day,I have always liked it though, as it is nice to live in Finland and be Finnish, but more it was nice holiday in the end of the year, before Christmas, meaning also in the middle of all final exams in the school (and specially in the university). Not so much celebrating expect spending some time at home, and probably going to see fireworks in the city center.

This year was different. First, this was first time I was celebrating Finnish Independence Day outside of Finland and that made a huge difference inside in my mind. This time it felt something, it was really Finnish day. And as I was in Seoul, I got invitation to reception which was kept by Finnish Ambassador. So at six pm I found myself from metro station, taking taxi to Ambassador’s home with my friend. For next two hours I was enjoying good Finnish style of celebrating. It was little bit weird though, after three months and after pretty much not spoken Finnish or heard it at all for the whole time, suddenly I was in the room that was full of Finnish people, and suddenly I understood what people next to me were talking.

At reception food and other offerings were great, and it was really nice to meet other Finnish people as well. Somehow it did end up that mostly I was talking with other exchange students, but in the end the director of Cargotec’s Korean factories came to talk to us. I guess that there were also few other “big” names, but maybe next time…

After two hours official reception ended and guests left and tried to find taxis. As usual, I and my friends needed to wait for taxi for a while, one taxi even stopped and when he saw us, just left. No idea why we did look so scary or what… In the end we found taxi (surprisingly many taxis were driving in the area though as it was quite far away from anywhere and I guess that people in the area mostly have their own cars and/or drivers…). The night ended to celebrating Finnish independence day little bit more, which included some Soju and in the night also some Karaoke…..

Culture

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I have been way too lazy for the past month (or almost two). Do I decided stop wasting my time for doing nothing and start exploring at least Seoul. Some time ago I founded Seoul City Blog which lists events happening around Seoul. From there I spotted that in Seoul Arts Center there is going to be National Geographic Exhibition and decided to go to see it. So this weekend for a time for great photos.

Finding Seoul Arts Center was easy, getting off the right metro station and then just following good signs. But after we got there, there were small problems. They did advertised exhibition and nice enough, put even arrows so we knew which direction to go. But, that was all. There was a some notice putted on the posters but only English word there was “Notice” and that’s all. Well, after a while looking around we found a desk that looked like ticket selling point, asked for NG tickets and then we learned that those were sold outside. Well, good enough, short walking to outside and then realization that Seoul is a big city, there was a long line for buying a tickets. It started to look like that we weren’t going to get inside to see exhibition anytime fast. But then we got lucky. After queuing for a while, couple foreigners stopped to us and asked if we want to buy their tickets as they run out of time. And at that point I remembered the small fact that Koreans like queueing (clearly), in Expo, they were letting people inside Korean pavilion only certain amount of people at once, in Lantern Festival, same thing, and as you might guessed, same thing here. So after waiting to have a chance to buy ticket, then it was required to go to outside of exhibition entrance to get queuing number to get actually inside. And a this point buying tickets from those two foreigners who had already both tickets and queueing number started to be more than great opportunity, so we bought them and left a queue.

It still meant that we needed to wait about an hour to actually get inside. But when we got in, it was worth it. I knew that NG photos are one of the best ones of nature but seeing those there, they were just great. One after another, just amazing photos. And it was nice to spot a photo from Finland (from Lapland, with Aurora Borealis and snow of course). Some photos were of course much better than others, my favorite was definitely one really cute photo with polar bear with it babies. One really funny photo was a photo of bear who was getting its dinner by just waiting salmon to jump to its mouth :D

All photos were just great and I’m happy that I spotted this opportunity and more, that I took and used this opportunity to see great photos. Seeing all these photos also gave me a little bit more motivation which hopefully leads to better photos. Not NG level but who knows…