How to get to Korea, Seoul and HUFS

So, it happened that I didn't have time (read: was lazy) to write before, but now: I've moved to Seoul!

(Warning: some of the pictures are really bad quality!)

From the bus window while driving from Incheon to HUFS

Let's go back to Finland... First I needed the official Acceptance letter from HUFS (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies), which came around midway of July. Then I was able to fill the SoleMOVE application my university needed for my exchange. Or more like Kela needed it from my university as a proof of my student exchange agreement... Kela is this Finland's government's funding system (or something) that makes it possible for everyone to study by providing a little money once a month and a possibility for a student loan. (FYI: This is only from a student's point of view, Kela does other things, too.) So, I really need the monthly money and the loan from Kela to fund my exchange period.

   (Finland doesn't have tuition fees, at least for students from European Union. And because this is not a normal university between university student exchange, but a freemover student exchange by Asia Exchange (AE), I don't get any scholarships or other money from my university and I need to pay the tuition fee of HUFS, though it is cheaper for me because of AE. As a contrary, my friend is in the US at the moment doing her regular student exchange and she didn't have to pay tuition fees and she gets money from Kela and our university. Altough she did have to pay some money, but it's much less than what I had to pay and will pay and she will kinda get the money back, because the money she gets from Kela and University of Oulu. The same goes with my other friend going to Japan as a regular exchange student. She will get money from Kela and University of Oulu, too. Plus she is supposed to apply for a scholarship provided by Japan's government, I think, and she will get it 'cause she is such a good student, so she might even get richer during her exchange period!)

   The third problem was that all the official workers of unioulu (University of Oulu) were on a vacation till August. So, even when I filled the SoleMOVE application as soon as possible, no-one was there to handle the application and the information didn't get to Kela on time. I did sent the student allowance application to Kela soon after I filled the SoleMOVE application. The Kela application normally takes two weeks for handling. So there was time even at the beginning of August for unioulu workers. Which is why I was a bit annoyed when at the beginning of August Kela send me a message that "Hey, we didn't find your application from SoleMOVE, will you send us your Acceptance letter or something that proves the student exchange". Well, I did put my application on SoleMOVE almost month ago... (Just realized that I haven't even checked if my SoleMOVE application has been accepted by my university... But it should be, because I got the student allowance decision from Kela saying I will get the money given to Finns studying outside of Finland...)

   The next problem was my visa. The problems were I didn't have the Acceptance letter from HUFS and I didn't know where I was going to stay at in Korea. After I got the Acceptance letter and other papers, the first problem was solved. I also applied for a dorm when we were supposed to apply but didn't get any respond, except that all AE students who applied for dorm housing will be placed in a dorm. The proplem: there is three dorms... So, I didn't know my address and where I would be staying at. When we got an email about the course registration and got our ID:s in the beginning of August, I got the housing information. There was a list of us, the visiting students, and after our name and student ID there was mentioned in what dorm we were going to be in. My destiny was to be put in a different dorm then which I applied for. A bit problematic because I am a vegetarian... (More about that later!)

   But so, then I was able to apply for a visa. The new problem: scheduling. For a visa I needed to go to Helsinki where I was going to go anyway though. My old friends got married there in the beginning of August and during my stay at Helsinki I was also seeing my friends from Alkio. At the same time I had a vaccination time at Tampere's YTHS (the health service of many universities in Finland) and I needed to go to Oulu to do an organic chemistry exam (curse that course!) and to visit my friend going to the US before she leaves. So, I went to Helsinki, got a proper registered letter for getting my passport back from the Embassy of Korea, went to the Embassy of Korea with a little help from locals and applied for the visa. Of course I had miscalculated my cash and realized it while applying for the visa, so I had to run to the nearest ATM, break the money for smaller and get back to the Embassy. Luckily there wasn't other people doing their visa business, got to leave my luggage there and the woman on the application counter was really nice. She even chit-chatted with me a bit. A thing you rarely encounter in Finland.

Yay, they are married!

A guest, a bridesmaid (me) & a maid of honor

   After a week I had my visa, had applied for the courses (I applied for most of my courses while traveling to Helsinki), had the health examination form signed by a doctor (getting the tuberculosis skin test wasn't a simple thing either...), had met friends in Helsinki and Oulu, had been in the wedding, had had the exam, had helped friends to move my other friends and what else? Oh, and had been contacted by my atti! Atti is something like the tutors we have in Finland, I guess (not the teaching tutors, they help at everything). He said it means 'a good friend'. The funny thing is that he contacted me in a weird way, in Google hangouts, who even knew you can contact someone in Google hangouts! Ok, it was my fault, 'cause I hadn't replied to the email he had sent, but I really hadn't had time to even read the mail properly! For a moment I was freaked out by a random person contacting me like "who are you and how did you find me??" and then that person just keeps talking to me and I'm like "why do you keep talking to me?? Why would anyone keep talking to me? You weird person" but no, I am the weird person, other people are just nice.

From the inside of our mini bus

   Then we got an email about how to get from the airport to the university. Some people took a taxi with a group of people. Then there was an option to go by a train or a bus to the City Hall and then get someone to get you from there, or something. I understood that if you ordered the ISO pick-up, they would come to get you from the City Hall station. (Realizing I'm not very informative and I know nothing about anything... Sorry!) Anyway I think I chose the easiest option: the enterance airport pick-up. I applied for it in advance and got the information to go to in front of the gate A at the Incheon Airport and then they would get me in a bus. (Didn't know where the bus would take me exactly but hoped for the best.)

To the mini buses! (See? Kim Soo Hyun <3)

   So, when my flight (straight from Helsinki to Seoul, under 9h) arrived to the Incheon Airport I went through immigration and such, got my luggage and searched for the gate A. It was really easy, almost too easy. Still I was super nervous (and scared) and was shaking and wanted to cry, but also I was really excited and overwhelmed by the cool differences. Like the first thing you see on the wall: a huge add about something with a huge picture of Kim Soo Hyun! And when I walked from the gate D to the gate A I passed a crowed of people with cameras and such. "Wow, something quite big is happening in here." Luckily, in front of the gate A there wasn't many people. I walked straight to the enterance people with signs and they told me to wait there. (My bus was supposed to leave after an hour, ups, was a bit early...) So, I sat there (still my college on, don't know why, it was really hot and humid... Like a cool sauna!), other people came, we waited (I finally got my college off), paid for the trip on cash (they really seem to like cash here in Korea) and waited a bit more. Then people in training suits walked past us. Soon I realized that that was South Korea's Olympic team and that they had been the reason for the crowd earlier. (They looked so young...) And then came the time for the ride. We were put in mini buses, waited a bit more and left. The driver was really good. Even though first he drove way too fast (the fastest over 140 km/h at 100 km/h area, the car was shaking and whining a lot) and then we got in a traffic jam (under 10 km/h at 50 km/h area) where cars moved a lot from lane to lane, I wasn't afraid even a bit. After a long drive we arrived in front of HUFS.

HUFS Main Building

Globeedorm and Law School

   At HUFS there was people getting us to our dorms. Me and a couple of Swedish girls from my bus went to Globeedorm where we signed in, got more information and was taken to our rooms. Mine was in 10th floor with a really beautiful view! Then if we had ordered something from Townus beforehand, we were taken back to the lobby and paid (in cash) for the stuff we had ordered and got them. I got my beddings, hangers, soaps and stuff and then signed for the new sim card I got for to be able to contact people without WiFi. Then went to my room to put everything on their places. My roommate hadn't arrived yet so I got to choose my side of the room. Unfortunately the room hadn't been cleaned and there was black hair everywhere. I was really tired so after I got my stuff in order I went to sleep. There would have been a group going to a market at 3 pm but nope, I needed my nap. Besides there was another group going to the market at 9 pm! After my nap I went out. (Mainly because I needed WiFi 'cause I couldn't make my new Internet connection to work and there wasn't WiFi in the dorm.) I walked around the campus a bit and sat down to check my social media. Stayed there for a while.

My room at the first night (wasn't that messy later!)

The view from the room window! See the mountains!? (And my finger...)

The view from the room to another direction!
The main building and the field where is people all the time.
(Except at that moment...)

Need to get through these with your room card that you can go up to the girls' rooms.
The boys' elevator is on the opposite wall.

The main street from the subway station to the uni.

   Apparently the other AE students were going to meet in Hongdae for a drink at 9 pm. It would have been cool to go to meet people but wouldn't try to make it alone in the subway, especially when we have a curfew at midnight in Globeedorm and someone said in our Whatsapp chat group that the last subway to come back would go at 11 pm. Luckily one of the girls said she needed food and I offered to go to eat with her. We decided to stay near the campus and have some Korean food. We walked around the main street, the street from the campus to the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies station. So many colors and sounds and people! So cool! Every shop played their own choice of music but I still recognized more than half of the songs. We went to eat to a little restaurant, which offered vegetarian food, too. (I know I'm gonna cause many problems to people especially 'cause I can't speak Korean...) Luckily my new friend could speak a little Korean and ordered us vegetarian food (bibim bap, I believe). It was delicious! A bit spicy but it was okay, I was prepared for it. I had really practiced to eat spicy food since spring. While we were eating, I think some other AE students went past us. Who other would wave furiously to us? After eating we wondered if we should go to meet people but decided not to go. We would have been able to stay there only for an hour or so... (We were supposed to meet the next day originally, but apparently they changed the day, not added another meeting like we thought.)

Vegetable bibimbap! (Maybe...) It was really good anyway...

   We went past the group going to the market and decided to join them. In the emart, there was a real size cardboard picture of Song Joong Ki and lot of stuff with idols' faces on them! (I saw I.O.I's Somi on a pink package) I will never get used to this... So weird but so cool. My new friend told me that we shouldn't put toilet paper in the toilet but instead into a garbage bin, but I didn't have any garbage bins in my room... (A bit disgusting in my opinion but hey, when in Rome...) The next problem was to find garbage bags. Like seriously! How can that be a problem? Got some bags from the cashier (problematic again because of the language barrier, goddammit) and talked a bit with my French friend and some other exchange students. I kinda admire that French girl, she was able to communicate with the locals and easily talked with other people, too, making friends. Why am I so shy?

Song Joong Ki! XD

I.O.I ramyun(?)

HUFS Main Building at night

   After that I parted from others, had a little SoMe session and went to my room, to clean it. Suffering a little from the lack of Internet connection I went to sleep. And woke up around 4:30... My sleeping rhythm is so f'*cked up at the moment... So, I cleaned more and had a shower thinking my roomie could come at any moment. At midday I went out for couple of hours because of the Internet. I am so lost case... Then had a nap again. No-one contacted me so I didn't meet anyone for the day. A bit surprising was that I had used to the cool sauna weather (over 30°C and humid) and when I put the cooling machine on I felt cold at 25°C! How is that even possible?

Middle of the campus area, Globeedorm is the high building

The difference in temperature...
Well, the time might have something to do with it, too...

The Main building behind the Minerva Complex,
which has the school's motto on it.

Walk thorough the campus

Standing before the Globeedorm,
watching the Main building.

   Later I got my Internet connection fixed and left to buy something to eat from emart. As soon as I left Globeedorm some people from the school's church (club?) run after me and gave me a welcoming gift and talked to me. "You are from Finland? I have flied on Finnair!" "Me, too!" Lovely. One of them asked me if I was a Christian and hearing me being an atheist backed up a little bit but one of them didn't care at all and continued chatting happily. She was so cute. And after I came back from the market they waved at me and greeted me cheerfully. "Annyeong, Uta! (then some Korean which she translated to 'oh, you went to the emart')" She even remembered my name! Well, sorta...
   People have been so nice~ But I feel like I'm being rude 'cause I can't speak Korean and don't know how things work and am too shy to talk to people... I just stay alone and look cold. Sigh... I know it will get better and maybe my roommate will show up, too, but at the moment I feel a bit lonely. Let's see what happens tomorrow when the orientation starts!

Almost in front of the Globeedorm, watching Cyber building.

The big intersection in front of HUFS Seoul Campus

   Oh, the food thing! I had heard that there isn't that much vegetarian food in Korea or at least it is harder to find. It's kinda like going back five years in vegetarianism in Finland. Then my atti told me that there isn't any vegetarian food in the school cafeteria... So, it would be better for me to be able to make my own food, but in Globeedorm you can't cook... And I can't speak Korean (yet!) so it is hard for me to go to eat out every day... So I'm feeling a bit hungry...

   Aaand in the evening I get some text messages in Korean, of course, and my Internet connection dies... Goddammit!

- yukiakitsune 2016.08.25

(Posting this on 2016.09.01 so Happy JungkookDay! XD)