It's been ~year and a half... So many things have happened... I kinda forgot this blog, too :'D So, I have maaany things to write about... But now I just announce the greatest thing happening now~ I'M MOVING TO KOREA!! = ^_^ =
Ok, not until at the end of August...
I'm still a biology student at the University of Oulu, ending my second year. Next academic year I'm studying at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) in Seoul, South Korea. I'm going there as a free mover, an exchange student who pays the tuition fee by them-self. Though I'm not a regular free mover 'cause I'm going there by Asia Exchange, a Finnish organization which makes it possible to go studying at Asian universities. Most people choose to go to Bali, but you can also choose to go for example to Thailand, China or South Korea. Choosing Korea and HUFS wasn't difficult for me.
Now I am in point of waiting for the official acceptance letter from HUFS so that I can apply for visa and fill the SoleMOVE application for my uni. I also bought the flight to Seoul today. You can find pretty cheap flights to Korea from Finland (~300€), if you are ready to travel ~30h... :'D I chose the bit more expensive flight option. If you are 18-25 years old, Finnair offers you a chance to travel with youth fare prices; straight flight from Helsinki-Vantaa to Incheon International airport (8h 50min), price 430€. Ok, it can be more expensive, but I got the flight with that price + the extra luggage 60€ ('cause I can't travel light & I'm staying there 10kk)...
Why I chose Korea & HUFS? I'm still thinking the answer, but for starters I have always been interested in East Asian cultures. Don't know if my dad being a first mate and bringing souvenirs from China had anything to do with it. Or that in our living room there is a huuuge pretty fan on the wall brought from Japan. Or that my parents made me watch anime since I was a toddler. Or those mangas I read. Or the fast rising popularity of Japan in Finland when I was a kid. Or those Jackie Chan movies, which made me fancy martial arts.
Or my friend doing taekwondo and suggesting it to me and my other friend, too. Or my friends being Japan fans, too (Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani). Or the western singers I listened being Japan fans, too. Or me doing taekwondo for ~3 years. Or listening to j-rock (I recommend to listen One Ok Rock and nano, they are my favorite!). Or me watching youtube.
Or studying Japanese with my friend. Or in high school meeting a friend, who was a huge kpop and kdrama fan. Or that friend making me watch kdramas and listening kpop (especially EXO and Hyuna). Or that friend telling me many things about Korean popular culture. Or also my cousin liking East Asian things and kpop (EXO). Or me going to Japan for almost three weeks with my friends (who are getting married this summer!). Or me getting an idea of studying archeology in Japan (not gonna happen). Or me wishing to live in Japan in some point of my life. Or me generally finding Asian facial and body features very beautiful and lovely. Or me learning to love those cute Asian styles and clothes.
Or meeting friends in uni, other being a manga, anime and kpop fan and other loving Japan and dancing and having a Japanese boyfriend (they are so cute together~). Or studying more Japanese (still a beginner >.<). Or this kpop fan making me watch Bangtan Bombs and making me an ARMY. Or kpop and these friends making me love dancing again (dancing even though I'm not that good at it is so freeing<3). Or wanting to go to Japan as an exchange student, but realizing that I had no chance (they prefer to send graduate students or people with really really really good grades to there). Or applying to be an exchange student in America or Canada and in the process realizing a minimal chance to get into a Korean university (didn't make it there either, haha... Dunno was it because of my grades or my poor motivation letter -_-'). Or me not even trying to get to Japan as an exchange student. Or me starting to watch youtube videos again (found a youtuber whose videos I enjoyed before, too. I recommend watching Megan Bowen aka chonunmigooksaram's videos! She lives in Korea, but is originally from USA.).
Or someone sending an email to our biology mailing list about Asia Exchange. Or me researching AE website and finding a chance to study at an East Asian university. Or HUFS having so many interesting courses taught in English. Or me trying to figure out, if I would be able to have those courses as part of my degree (no-one really knows, but none has said that I couldn't have them as part of my degree, so at the moment the answer is yes :'D). Or me getting pass at the English proficiency test. Or me applying for the exchange program and getting accepted... Maybe at least the last things had something to do with me choosing Korea and HUFS... :P
And here is almost my whole life story, haha! XD Probably still forgot something important... Oh well, next time I'll write about something else, but now I need to go to sleep 'cause I'm going to help in my friends move tomorrow... or in fact today 'cause it's already 1:30AM. Good night~ ^.^
