Adventures of a Hijabi in Seoul

dinopuppy: HOW TO: Fan Etiquette In Korea click here to access...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 18:38:00 -0400

dinopuppy:

HOW TO: Fan Etiquette In Korea

click here to access the script version of the video!

Food makers rush to secure 'halal' certification

Fri, 03 May 2013 15:53:26 -0400

Food makers rush to secure 'halal' certification :

This is so exciting! iA finding halal food in Korea will become easier and easier!

Hello there Im from Turkey.. Can I learn, where you stay in Korea dormy,guesthouse? =)

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:05:00 -0400

I lived in both. During the semester I stayed in a dorm and before my flight home, I stayed in a guesthouse. I’m very independent and prefer living on my own so I prefer a guesthouse. However, if you don’t like commuting and prefer to stay close to campus, then dorming is better.

I’m going to make a post about fanclubs, attending music...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:37:37 -0400

I’m going to make a post about fanclubs, attending music shows, fan signs, etc. BUT first.

This was one show I went to where I was caught on camera! At 2:48 (roughly) you’ll see a blob or red on the right side. That’s me in my cassie-pride red hijab (losing it over Hoya OTL).

What courses are there in Korea University? Is that like the only university with Muslims or there is others too?

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 10:50:00 -0400

The courses in each school vary depending on 1) the school and 2) your language ability. If your Korean is not strong, you’ll be limited to the classes taught in English (usually through the International College). For Korea University, I think the easiest way would be to check through the departments. Starting http://www.korea.edu/ in the “Academics” might be good.

There are many schools with Muslims. The top 3 schools: Yonsei, Korea, and Seoul National University all have a Muslim presence. Also, school like Hanyang University has a strong Muslim community and even a Halal cafeteria :D I’m sure many other schools also have big Muslim communities as well.

Being Muslim in Korea.

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:48:00 -0400

For many people, I know this blog is a resource for practicing Muslims who are interested in studying abroad, working, or even vacationing in Korea. I get at least one private message a day asking for advice and I decided to compile everything I know and could remember into a post.

For non-Muslims, the Masjid in Itaewon is a huge tourist attraction as well as an attractive to native Koreans. Definitely make sure to check it out :D

Question 1: How is it like being Muslim in Korea?

First, I’d like to say that each experience is differently, partially due to the fact that the experience is what YOU make it.

That being said, I never had the feeling that I was being treated unfairly or differently because I was Muslim. People were always kind and helpful to me. People do stare. A lot. If you are from a Western country like me, it won’t be anything different than normal. However, people from “Muslim countries” such as Malaysia will feel a bit uncomfortable because you’re not used to people staring at you. The most important thing is don’t have a negative attitude. Be outgoing, kind, friendly and don’t mind people who are curious.

I had a friend who visited from Malaysia who would tell me that when asked a question, people would ignore him and that Koreans were racist. But he was asking in English and of course they couldn’t understand him. This is what I mean by attitude. You will feel a bit out of place but calling people racists unnecessarily will not help you.

Question 2: Where can you pray? Is there a masjid?

There are 14 Masjids/Islamic Centers that I know of in Korea. Being in Seoul, the Masjid I frequented most was the Seoul Central Masjid, which became a second home to me.

As a Muslim in Korea, my biggest advice would be to get active and make friends within the Muslim community which includes both Muslim converts and Muslims who immigrated/are temporarily residing in Korea.

At the masjid in Seoul, there is Jummah prayer every Friday around 1pm (times will vary depending what time of year). The masjid community is vibrant and diverse. On weekends there are many activities such as Qur’an classes, Arabic classes, Korean classes, Hadith study, and other classes. Additionally, the first Saturday of every month is Salam Nuri which is a Dawah event open to both Koreans and the Masjid community. For more information, you can visit the Salam Nuri website (and let them know Xia led you there :D).

I also visited the masjid in Busan which is SO beautiful and also has a great Muslim community. But I can’t provide a lot of information on it.

For a list of masjids, you can go to the official Seoul Tourism website that lists all the Masjids in Korea as well as various halal food restaurants.

Question 3: How do I find the masjid?

The masjid in Seoul is very easy to find, just make sure to wear flat shoes! It’s on top of a hill T^T.

Exit Itaewon Subway station via Exit 3 and walk straight. At the Mr. Kebab, make a right and head up the hill. Cross the street to the left side where you will see some halal restaurants and a grocery store. As you walk up the hill, there will be side roads on your left. Pass the first two (those will lead to Homo HIll) and take the 3rd side street on the left.

That 3rd side street is called Islam Street and if you are on it, you will notice many halal restaurants Islamic book and clothing stores, and such. Walk to the top of this street and there is the masjid!! You might not notice it at first, because the you have to enter the courtyard and walk up a hill before seeing the masjid.

At the top of Islam Street on your left will be the masjid. The outside (before entering) is blue and white tiled with Arabic at the top of the GIANT entrance. Walk inside and up, and there you will find the masjid :D

Question 4: Is halal food available?

Various halal restaurants are available around Itaewon and advertise it outside their restaurants. Off the top of my head, I can recall Turkish, Malaysian, and many Indo-Pakistani restaurants. Follow the directions up to the masjid, and you will be able to see all the various Halal options you have.

There is a GREAT halal Korean restaurant in Itaewon that you must try. If you’re wearing hijab, they will automatically know to give you halal but make sure you say, just in case. It’s very easy to get there as well. Exit Itaewon Subway station via Exit 3 and walk about 1-2 minutes. You will pass Mr. Kebob and soon after that, you will see a giant set of stair on your right. You can’t miss it. At the top of the stairs is “Itaewon Land”, a spa. Walk up the stairs and on the right is a Kalgugsu place with the best noodles and mandu.

Around Korea University, there is a halal Uzbek restaurant I visited that had great food. I’m not sure how to get there, so if you have a friend at Korea University, make sure to visit there. The name of the restaurant is called “사마르칸트.” Around Korea Uni, there are quite a bit of halal shops due to the Muslims students studying there.

Additionally, there is vegetarian restaurant called the Loving Hut that provides great alternatives. However, it’s quite easy to remain halal in Korea as many foods don’t include meats. My favorite go-to food was Bibim Naengmyeon :D

Question 5: How are Eids and Ramadan in Korea?

I can’t speak on Ramadan but Eid is very festive. Everyone dresses up (not too flashy like here in America) and goes to the masjid early to pray. After most people go out to eat with friends/family and its very warm.

I was worried that as someone who never spent Eid away from home, that I would be very homesick. But I spent time warmly with my friends and had a very memorable Eid.

I hope this post gave some insight into Korean life for Muslims. If you have any questions, please send them in and I’ll answer them/make a new post for reference.

My Biggest Advice?

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:46:43 -0500

Time moves so fast. When you travel, take advantage of every opportunity to move and make a memory or a new friend (safely of course). Watch the sunrise, ride by the river; these leave lasting imprints in your mind and make for an unforgettable journey. : )

Hello all! So obviously I kinda sucked at the updating every day : ( However, I did experience...

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 05:03:37 -0500

Hello all!

So obviously I kinda sucked at the updating every day : ( However, I did experience a lot and I would like to share with you! I’ll be posting little snipets of tips and tutorials of how to get around and where to go in Korea.

Subjects I’m brainstorming at the moment are

Islam and Halal Food In Korea
Fast food in Korea
Music Shows and how they work (plus tips to get in for sure)
Places to eat and foods to try
Places to shop and bargaining

Anything else, just message me and I’ll write on it : )

Malaysia 여행 : )

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 07:53:36 -0500

Finals week is over!! And yesterday night I landed in Kuala Lumpur. As expected, its hot and humid. I had to strip out of my winter jacket and sweater and was still hot in my thin shirt and mini dress T^T It’s like summer in Seoul all over again…

My friend greeted me off the KLIA Express which links the airport to KL Sentral (sort of the like Grand Central in NY). We headed off to the Universiti Malaya campus and I arrived in my dorm a bit after 12? I took a quick shower and was scared half to death by a lizard bomb-diving off the wall before heading to sleep.

Oh, and my first meal? McDonalds double cheeseburger oh yes.

It rained during the night so it was very cool on my first actual day in Malaysia. Even though I slept at 2am, I still work up at 9am lol. Too early and I went back to sleep and woke up around 11:30am. I showered with cold water (which I think is all they have) and got dressed. I’m a pro at humid-makeup because of the first couple weeks in Korea so I was a bit prepared. But still, it all melted off in the end /sigh.

I toured around the GIANT campus with my friend and ventured in the Chancellor building, library (which we couldnt enter because she had flipflops lol), the building environment faculty, and many many other places! The campus is huge and so so beautiful. It looks so tropical with all the plants and bright colors. Alhamdulilah, even the athan playing and the musallahs in every building.

Breakfast..or lunch rather was this fried chicken smothered in gravy. To be honest, the gravy wasn’t in my taste but it was good! Dinner was more my taste, Ayam Tom Yum, I think it was. A bit too sour but still reallyy good. Alhamdulilah.

A good first day :) Can’t wait to explore more tomorrow!

Recently, I also took a visit to Namsan Tower!! Although I was...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:25:52 -0500

Recently, I also took a visit to Namsan Tower!! Although I was really excited to go, it turns out, there isn’t much to do ><

There are many, Many, MANY couples and the view is beautiful… But that’s about it… However, I was very happy to be up there and I had a good time :D

I don’t want to discourage anyone from going though! I would still say its definitely a place worth visiting!

Noksapyeon Station Glass stairs Dome Colored glass wall The...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:17:12 -0500

Noksapyeon Station

Glass stairs
Dome
Colored glass wall
The never ending stairway

Today I went to my favorite cupcake shop (again) and tried 4 new...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:15:00 -0500

Today I went to my favorite cupcake shop (again) and tried 4 new cupcakes :D

I actually bought a Red Velvet mini with Cream Cheese frosting to eat in the store and then 2 more to go. However, in addition to the Vanilla and the Tiramisu mini I bought, she gave me an Oreo mini for free~!

Anyways, the red velvet (not pictured) was good. The cake was a bit dry but the frosting was ON POINT. The perfect balance of cream cheese, vanilla, and a bit of lemon. Just like I remember it back home. (7/10)

The ones to-go came in the usual cute box! Possibly one of my favorite things is the cute way they box the cupcakes. The cupcakes stay perfectly inside; no sliding or smushing.

The vanilla cupcake was good and tasted slightly like a corn muffin. Interesting, but good. The frosting was very sweet and buttery, almost like an ice cream taste. Together, very very good combination. 8/10

The orea cupcake was amazing. One bite and it was just WOW. The frosting literally tastes like oreos. Again the frosting was sweet but balanced well with the cupcake. I only wish the frosting didn’t kill the chocolate taste so much. But still good The cupcake was good and moist. :D 9/10

Tiramisu cupcake was on point although the taste wasn’t really tiramisu. It was a cream cheese frosting with cocoa powder on top. The cupcake was a pleasant surprise, vanilla with a coffee soaked center. I’m not sure how they got it to be so perfectly balanced but really good! 8/10

The next time I go back to try the fruity cupcakes, I’ll take a picture of the interior too! It’s very simple and rustic (simple wooden tables and chairs painted in pale pink or white) and matches the simplicity of the cupcakes. I, personally, really like it there. The giant bookshelf is also a big plus in my book.

Baker’s Tip!! Make sure buttercream frosting is room temperature before you eat the cupcake. Because of the butter in the frosting, it will be solid when cold, and taste not as good as it should. When room temperature, the frosting fluffs up and is really perfect. Whipped cream, however, is highly unstable and should be cold or it will essentially melt.

Me at noksapyeon station ^^ Noksapyeon Station (Line 6) is...

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 09:55:00 -0500

Me at noksapyeon station ^^

Noksapyeon Station (Line 6) is famous for its glass dome ceiling, glass staircase and interior embellished with murals. More like a museum than a subway station. And the glass staircase is a place where (apparently) many couples like to have a pre-wedding photo shoot!

Back from a lovely and crazy fun weekend in Busan!!

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 12:01:14 -0500

Update later! Now I need to sleep TT

Something I have not done for a while haha

WAHHHH I haven’t updated from the end of September!! TT Ok~ tomorrow I’ll recap all of...

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 11:01:25 -0400

WAHHHH I haven’t updated from the end of September!! TT

Ok~ tomorrow I’ll recap all of October, inshallah, and start vlogging for November!!

;A;

October 18th So I haven’t updated in a while TT And so I’ll try to recap (in another...

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:34:35 -0400

October 18th

So I haven’t updated in a while TT And so I’ll try to recap (in another post) what happened the past few weeks as well as probably making vlogs instead of post so I can more easily share my experience. I think the hardest thing is sitting down and typing out so much.. its tiring TT

This will probably be the last post and so tomorrow, I’ll do a recap as well as a post of the events of today and tomorrow ^^

Thank you all very much!

Lotte World Night View from the 3rd (or 2nd?) Floor

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:22:22 -0400

Lotte World

Night View from the 3rd (or 2nd?) Floor

Days 21 - 27: Birthday Week~^^

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 04:00:41 -0400

Day 21 - 9/11/2012

Today I went to dongdaemun with Michole to buy a kendo sword. I was looking for a specific store but we found a smaller store much quickly. I manage to buy a jukdo (bamboo sword) and carrying case with my broken Korean. And, the ahjusshi in the store gave me a 20,000won discount!! I was very thankful~.

We also visited Good Morning City, a giant mall that was close buy. Here you can bargain for prices and is a great experience. I bought 2 peasant skirts, a tanktop, and a dress for about 20,000 won (20$) total. It was great ^^ Everything is also good quality and typically made in Korea.

Michole wanted slippers so we went into a shoe store. She bought her shoes but ended up wanting sneakers too. We went to the store twice before she decided to buy them and then… They only had one shoe, not a pair, one shoe in her size. The oppa helping us thought we were crazy with my bad Korean and Michole’s incessant laughter. But it was a good time.

We also stopped by the beauty store Tony Moly. Originally, we sorta got dragged in but I wanted nail polish. We ended up buying 3 nail polishes, 30 face masks, perfume, and a bunch of free samples were included… Dongdaemun is really the place to shop ^^

We got back late and then I just didn’t feel like going to Korean class… I’m too lazy T^T I need to start working hard and diligently go to class.

Day 20 - 9/12/2012

Today was the first kendo class and korean writing class. The kendo class was simple and basic movements and holding of the sword. Korean writing class however was completely shocking. Its totally in Korean!! But I understand for the most part and hope I can understand a lot!

I also tried to return my Cinema textbook because they gave me the wrong one but they said no refund or exchanges. So I had to buy another one… It was totally annoying but at least the books were cheap.

We also went to edae and went shopping. Edae is what you call the area right in front of Ewha Yeoja Daehakyo (Ewha Women’s University) and is full of clothing, shoe, and beauty shops! We visited a shoe store with a really charismatic owner. He had us laughing and comfortable and sneaked a sale in too. We also found a place that sells discount beauty products from normally expensive stores like Etude House, Tony Moly, and Innisfree. Face masks were only 300 won (30 cents) each!

Day 21 - 9/13/2012

Today was a relaxing day. Mostly because the weekend was Yonko Jeon (Games) and not much was to be done other than cheering on our teams
After classes, I finished AGD and 71: Into the Fire. I highly recommend watching both, great plots and the acting and story lines are phenomenal.

Day 22 - 9/14/2012

Today was the first day of Yonko Games!! I only watched Baseball but there was also Basketball and Ice Hockey. It started off pretty bad. We arrived before our Korean mentors and couldn’t find out reserved seats. We stood for almost one hour, feeling totally humiliated as a bunch of foreigners not knowing what to do or where to go.

Even when the mentors came, we got moved around a bunch of times and just when we got our seats settled, most people left for the basketball game. However, a group of Koreans grabbed us up and cheered with us! It was really great and we bonded a lot ^^ We took the subway home and rested for a bit. The Cheering was INTENSE and tiring.

That night we went to a pizza store and I had Cheleen order. Pizza in Korea is really expensive and it was about 25$ for a Large (which wasn’t all that big). Additionally, they couldn’t finish it so they needed to ask for a box. Cheleen did a really good job but at some point the waiters started using more advanced Korean and I had to manage the situation.

I got a waffle on the way home, because the pizza came with bacon so I didn’t eat any of it TT

Day 22- 9/15/2012

Today was part II of Yonko Jeon and infinitely more fun than the first day. It was more organized so we could find our seats easily and enjoy the game. But, half way though cheering our line disappeared on us and then we went for a walk to find food. No food was to be found and when we returned, our seats were taken T^T We grabbed some empty seats and danced and cheered by ourselves before some Koreans joined us and cheered together!

Yonko Jeon is definitely the epitome of of school spirit and friendly rivalry!! I’ve never enjoyed sports games so much! Especially while singing “Saranghanda Yonsei”, my heart just felt sad to know I couldn’t stayed here forever. I’m seriously going to miss it here T^T

At night, Rachel and I ventured out and went for dinner and we found a hoddeok stand!! Hoddeok is a type of Korean pancake and a really traditional food! It can be filled with meats or dried fruits but we got the traditional kind with brown sugar and nutty filling. It’s fried and the filing gets all melty and oozy and it’s so delicious! But caution, its very hot!! Burnt tongues and fingers will happen but its worth it ^^ We were lucky to be able to watch it being made too!!

Day 23 - 9/16/2012

Today was the World Peace Inititative event at Jamsil Stadium.. But I was so tired from Yonko jeon, I ended up stauing home TT

Today was pre birthday celebrations LOL Now a days, class is as it is everyday so I won’t be focusing too much on that but rather different aspects of life I encounter.

The main point of today was wandering around the Ewha area, my friend ended up needing a bathroom. Normally, coffee shops have bathrooms so we figured if we ducked into one, she could sneak into the bathroom. We stopped in a couple places and one of them was a cupcake store!

It was a small store with maybe.. 8 varieties of cupcakes. And something to note, Korean pastries are light and airy, not decadent like in America. Because of this, I rarely buy cakes and such in Korea BUT, the store was so small, I felt bad not buying anything. They had varieties like tiramisu, oreo, and a berry one, but I bought the “All About Chocolate” one.

While in Edae (short for Ewha Daehakyo), I also bought a backpack. Backpacks are really big in Korea, everyone has them. They’re not so much a school accessory but rather a convientient, hands-free way to carry around lots of stuff, stylishly.

For those of you considering studying abroad or visiting in the Sinchon/Hongdae area or even in the general Seoul area, Edae is THE number one place to go shopping. Jeans and bags for 10,000 won, shoes for 10,000 or 20,000 won, shirts for 5,000 won; all easily found here. Great quality and good fit for foreigners too ^^

Day 24 - 9/17/2012

Today was my birthday!! I am officially 20 years old /sobs. It rained a lot today because another typhoon hit so we had to cancel dinner/party plans T^T

In my Korean writing classmates somehow knew it was my birthday and congratulated me kindly! Additionally, during the break, the teacher bought coffee for the class and they sang me happy birthday! The also tried to get me to sing the Japanese version (which I didn’t know lol) so I told them that I regretfully forgot a lot of my Japanese. In this case, I used the casual form （忘れちゃった）of Japanese because I was so used to it but quickly corrected myself and used the long form (忘れてしまいました）. But they assured me that the casual form was alright and we were all friends~. It was really heart warming and we exchanged kakao talk ID’s after in order to set up a lunch time meeting ^^ The friendliness really touched me and I’m so happy! 本当にありがとうございます！！

Later, I was totally burnt out, partially due to the rain and not sleeping well, so I took a nap. I woke up and my roommate came back with cake!! It was lovely because I really was totally ok to pushing the party till the next day, but still she went out a bought a cake in the rain ^^ 고마워요 언니 <3

After, we headed out and had dinner in the Ewha University area where I also grabbed a pair of Jeans for 10,000 won. I could have gone for more, but I wanted to make sure the size was right before throwing all my money down. I got a size 29 and they we’re a bit tight at first. However, 1 hour after wearing them, they fit perfectly!! I’m definitely going back to buy more!!

Overall, it was a really great birthday! I normally don’t celebrate my birthday so the small size was really comfortable and I enjoyed it a lot!!

Thank you everyone who helped welcome my 20th year of life!!

Day 25 - 9/18/2012

Today was birthday celebrations part II :D Classes were as normal. We watched Sopyonje in Cinema class. It was a old movie about Pansori singing. It was really interesting but I wouldn’t really recommend it. It was very slow paced and a bit boring T^T I ended up texting HyeongSeok the whole time x.x

At night, me and 4 other girl-friends went out for all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ ^^ They ate tons of meat but I happily stuck to my sweet, red sauce-covered dduk! After, we stopped in a Holly’s Coffee, bought drinks and enjoyed the cake, my friends had once again bought for me ^^ I have seriously eaten so much cake in the past 2 days lol.

This afternoon was also the day, Hyeongseok asked me on a date ^^ He’s so my-style but he’s not Muslim and that totally kills me T^T But, he is in the military and so he must interact with foreigners and Muslims often. Korea has this unit called the Zaytuna (Olive in Arabic) Unit that converted to Islam while deployed in the Middle East! So I hope I can slip him a Qur’an and subtly get him interested in Islam as well ^^

Day 26 - 9/19/2012

Today I was completely under the weather. It’s been getting cold quickly and my roommate likes the AC on high.. I think a combination of these got me down. I slept though my classes straight till almost 3pm and managed to drag myself out of bed for Korean class.

I woke up to about 13 or so messages from my Japanese classmates wondering why I wasn’t in class. Turns out, they had prepared a cake for me as a belated birthday but I didn’t show up haha~. So they ate the cake and sent me a picture ^^ Still, I’m thankful they considered me in that way. It was very kind T^T

My voice was scratchy and I was dead tired. I had a Tuna-Kimchi Soon Dubu for dinner, my first meal of the day. It was hot and delicious and I was super thankful for the meal that helped me gain some energy. I also grabbed some ice creams on my way back home to help cheer me up.. There was this one I really liked after I tried it. It had a nutty (soybean I think) shell with vanilla ice cream and a sweet mochi/dduk center! Very Korean and very good ^^

Day 27 - 9/20/2012

Today was a rather laid back day. It was also the second taekwondo class!! I was really glad because, the first day, I could not even get close to stretching to my toes and Master Kim teased us non-flexible people saying things like “Congratulations on getting old”. T^T However, today I could reach my toes and hold them for a while!! I’m getting flexible and fast too!! I also am considering joining the taekwondo school here as well as the taekkyon club for more excerise ^^ Something about Korea gets me motivated to look my best!!

Today, once again, we headed out to Edae where I stocked up on jeans, 4 pairs for 40,000 won!! All in different colors and super comfortable. ^^ I also found some body spray!! I only use vanilla body spray because its light and feminine smelling but it was close to impossible to find any! I was so close to buying some and making my own >< However, Olive Young carried a 5oz bottle for about 4,000 won. Expensive by US standards but its the only body spray around..

We also stopped by the hoddeok stand again and the unnie remembered us! Again we had freshly made hoddeok ^^ I also wanted to try the takoyaki and okonomiyaki stand but they must have moved because I couldn’t find it T^T

Also! There was a cute lingerie shop that I stopped by, only wanting to look around. But before I knew it, I was getting sized up and having a bra-panty set handed to me… Koreans have an uncanny ability to get you to sell things.

But things to note about bras. You go up at least 2-3 bra sizes!! YEAAAAA :D I’m a D-70 cup here. Confidence booster, hell yea. Also, all bras come with insane, INSANE amounts of padding, especially the smaller ones. The B-cups (AA-A cups in the US) have no space for boobs, its literally all padding. Now you know the secret to Asian boobs lol, THEY’RE ALL PADDED!!

One great thing, however, is that Korean only wear matching sets and cute ones to boot! So you can find sexy and cute matching sets for great prices!! The most expensive ones I saw were about 50,000 won (50$) and were gorgeous!! In America, they could easily sell for 80$.

Tomorrow, I plan to go to Jummah in Itaewon as well as relax my hair and get my Alien Registration card done the weekend. So, I’ll have updates on that as well!!

Thoughts about race in Korea.

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:51:00 -0400

One thing I love about being in Korea is the way they approach race. Growing up in America, with dark skin and being dark skinned on top of that and being Muslim on top of that, it sucks. To say the least. It sucks. America is not the land of the free. I mean.. it is for white people.. But not for people like me.

And so coming to Korea… Where I can walk into a store and not get followed around because of the color of my skin. Where I can walk out wearing whatever I want, however messy, and it doesn’t reflect on my character or “my people”. Its so… liberating.

And that’s why I think I love Korea so much. Because, I’m literally free. I can walk down the street and policemen smile at me. I feel the police are there to protect me. This is so, so completely radically different from the States. I see police and my heart starts beating fast, I have an ingrained and irrational fear of police in the States. Sales clerk greet me, smile at me.

When they do follow me around (usually in the beauty stores), they’re not doing it because I’m a POC. But because they’re looking to help, offering samples, the best products, and recommendations. Ahjummas welcome me to Korea. I’m accepted more in this country, than the place I was born and raised.

It’s not to say I don’t get stares. But I peg that to Korea being a racially homogenous country. So obviously, when anyone comes around that’s so radically different, stares occur. But it’s not malignant…. It’s almost like a childlike curiosity. And so, it’s actually goes past my notice. It’s not until someone points it out and even then, I still don’t notice…

I guess.. In simplest terms… The way white people feel in America, I feel here… I might have a lot of problems, but the color of my skin isn’t one.

~~Also. I swear I have like 50 drafts written out, I just need to post them. I’ll try to do that over Chuseok break…~~

Days 20 - Pop-rock Ice Cream :D

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 10:59:00 -0400

Day 20 - 9/10/2012

Today was a day of food, hahaha. I swear it seems like everyday is a food day but its not! I promise!!

I met a friend to have lunch as MOS Burger. MOS is a Japanese chain that I’d seen in a lot of mangas. The one I remember most was the spinoff chain “WOS Burger” in Skip Beat.

However, I got there early and ended up grabbing a Cheesecake Fantasy at the Coldstone next door. It took me till the end of the meeting to finish it and so I didn’t get to try MOS. But, the burger size was really small and my friend said McDonalds was tastier x.x

At night, we went out into Sinchon and wandered some places we don’t really visit often because its too far. We ducked into this empty shop with an ahjumma cooking. I love shops like that because its a great way to experience culture because no English is spoken and have great, Korean style food. I had the Bibim Naengmyeon which did not disappoint. It was cold and spicy and delicious!

While in the ahjumma’s shop, I heard the familiar rhythm of sulpoong drums but I wasn’t sure. However, once outside and heading back to the dorm, there was a sulpoong team performing in the park outside the Hyundai Department Store!! We stayed for about 3 sets of performances, all spectacular, before heading back home.

On the way back, I grabbed some street food. I like trying street food because its food that are unique to Korea and each stand has a different taste. I had sweet, red bean filled fish-shaped pastry and steamed egg on sweet bread ^^ The Egg one was definitely my favorite, the egg was lightly topped with salt and the bread had a sweet taste that went really well together ^^

Lastly, we stopped at Baskin Robbins. Baskin Robbins is HUGE here and I was dying to try their ice cream that has pop-rocks in it. At first bite, I was disappointed because the pop-rocks, well, didn’t pop. But one more bite in and they were popping and fizzing. I honestly have never enjoyed ice cream that much.. EVER. Definitely a must have while in Korea!