Awkward

So I had dinner with some Korean SEP students yesterday at pgp
all guys
four of them
plus one more guy that went Korea
together last sem

5 guys 1 girl
who just met for the second/third times
having dinner together
Results:
AWKWARDNESS TO THE MAX

But
special experience lor~

Peer Advising Group

To overcome my post-SEP syndrome
I joined this Peer Advising Group
to be a buddy for SEP students coming NUS

I don't really fulfill my "duty" as a buddy to my buddy group
only met half of them once
I think I tend to be more "friendly" towards Korean SEP students instead
who are not in my buddy group actually

Met them during welcome party
Made friends with them because I was wearing a sticker with Korean Flag printed on it
(to indicate that I am a SEP returnee back from Korea)

So ya
With help of the stalking function facebook provides
I mingle with Koreans, again...

* * *

There's a whole bunch of Koreans coming NUS this sem
like 20~30 of them
a lot~~~
Among them, I only met and got to know 4~5
After survived half a year in Korea,
I sort of get the hang on how to mingle with Koreans
like, how to start a conversation with them

First you start with name, then continue with school
then based on what school they attend, try to talk about the "characteristics" of students in that school
eg, if they are from Seoul National Uni or Korea Uni or Yonsei Uni
you can say: "oooo.... S.K.Y~~~" and glance with them with amazement
('cause those 3 schools are supposed to be the top 3 uni in Seoul)

Then after talking about school, you can slowly move on to sth more personal
like, how old are you / which year are you born
this topic is IMPORTANT to Koreans
due to the junior-senior relationship thingy~
and well....
All those 4~5 Korean I got to know, are all younger than me =.=
And one of them actually TRIED to call me noona, but i rejected
(I'm okay with people calling me Unni, but, Noona, no please >.< )

Then can talk about the weather (really....)
Topic on weather can last quite long sometimes actually...
especially if you complain together with them, on how hot Singapore is
:D

* * *

This time
by talking to them
I finally gotten rid of my post-SEP syndrome
and finally admit and accept the reality that:

"Ah... I'm back in NUS..."

Lab - my second home

Just started FYP for one month
and I already started to see the lab as my second home
physically...

Except the time for lunch and dinner and lectures
I stay in lab most of the time...

I still can't adapt to the tempo yet
Felt exhausted every time I'm back in pgp at night
Don't feel like doing anything except slacking...

That's a bad thing...
since I need to prepare for Korean test, which will be held in one month time
and also
I need to read all those papers to get ready for experiments
esp when meeting with prof scares me already >.<

어떡해~~ ㅠㅠ

My Unni~

我有个姐姐～
两年前开始“叫”的。
开始时害羞叫不出口，
只有传短讯时才叫她“Unni”，
平日见面都是咿咿呀呀的没叫。
知道半年前再次回韩国时间面，
两个人比较熟了，
我的韩文也没那么别扭了，
那是，
正式开始叫“Unni”，
越叫越上口，呵……

* * *

Unni 是我2009年在延世大学的Buddy……
托Unni的福，
带我去了很多地方，
吃了很多好吃的～

【回忆录：http://musical-bell.blogspot.com/search/label/%2709%20Yonsei】

2011年初回到韩国，
Unni 主动通过facebook联络我。
那时是感动加开心，
Unni 没忘记我 :)
可是Unni忙，我也不好意思一直找她，
所以在韩国的四个月，
只见到了Unni两次。
那时的Unni，看上去真的很憔悴，
学校也太折腾人了吧～

在韩国和Unni告别的时候，
很很很不舍，
毕竟是第二次说再见了，
不知何时才可以“再见”。

* * *

可才过了一个月半，
Unni 一家人竟然来新加坡度假！！！
短短的两天，没时间聚一聚，
可我决不能就这样让她回韩国！
呵呵……
所以，
去机场送机，
顺便送上一些土产～

* * *

三次相遇、三次的再见。
希望
以后还有更多更多的 "안녕" ^^





* * * * * * * * * *


番外篇
这礼拜，两次遇到初院的同学。
第一次，她也是可欣的朋友，一起坐着等上课；
我知道，那是自己突然变得很静很静。
第二次，在朋友家，去他们家的时候刚好碰上的；
我站在门外，拿了东西就走人了，短短1分钟。
到了现在，
我终于明白了，
我在初院很安静、和班同学不亲，
是有原因的。
因为自己成绩不顶尖却拿着奖学金、
因为自己是scholar却老是不及格、
因为自己的GCE O Level英文拿A2实际上英文却差得要死，
所以我自卑。
甚至会怕同学们讨厌我这个“冒牌”的scholar。
所以我孤僻起来、安静起来，没法和他们亲起来。
即使是到了现在，
看到了他们，我还是会莫名其妙的“自卑”和“怕”。
唉，
我也想和他们交朋友，自由自在的聊天什么的。
就可惜，我们认识的时候，
我刚到新加坡，人生地不熟，有语言障碍，
正处“人生低潮期”。
Too bad~~~

NUS Year 4 Week 1

Byebye SEP
Byebye KU
Now that I'm back in NUS
FYP torture starts now~~~

* * *

刚开始回学校时
真的很不习惯
都大四了
得准备实验和论文了
可是看书温书什么的
有心无力啊

现在周末
一个人在宿舍
自己吃饭什么的
很闷很闷
想出去找朋友吃饭逛街
可又怕打扰到人家
自己也知道其实搞利用周末的时间看书
毕竟再一个月就要去考韩文TOPIK测验了
到现在都还没做准备
唉
所以就没出门
呆在房里
可是
就是提不起劲儿看书啊
T.T


我被韩国宠坏了啦！！！

Last post for '11 SEP à Korea

Finally tidied up my feeling
and
finally writing the last post
to mark a full stop to my journal on SEP @ Korea


* * *

Flew back from Korea on 2350 Korea time
Luggage got fined ~900 ringgit (Bravo AirAsia)
Transited at KL, ate Nasi Lemak (Aww that taste T.T )
And finally reached JB ~9am M'sia time
Got home ~10am
Sitting at living room, i stoned~
To use Chinese: 懵
To use Malay: Bingung
To use Korean: 멍~
(there's a reason why i write in 4 languages...hmm...)

Well
that's the real "reaction" I had when first got home
after 4 long months

Later went Sutera Mall, walked around
reaction?
"HOW COME EVERYTHING STILL SEEM SO FAMILIAR?"
"HAD I EVER LEFT JB BEFORE?"
"WAS THE 4 MONTHS TRIP JUST A DREAM?"

Everything simply seemed unreal
I'm not referring to the things surrounding me at the moment
but those memories that I had had on my SEP
all those stuffs that happened in Korea
The feeling was really...frightening...
...frightened that all those memories were simply just a dream...
...real scared...


* * *

The first few days
even after a few weeks back to Sg
I still "refused" to accept the truth that I'd left Korea
I started being sensitive to my surroundings
started to compare things with what I'd had/seen/experienced in Korea
I saw the trees and flowers along the roadside; I complained the absence for sakura in Sg
I took public bus to find friends; I complained the absence of announcer on Sg buses
I tried some "local-made" Kimchi; I secretly sniffed, and disapproved of its inauthencity


* * *

Then
I started going for IRO's SEP-related events
I went to Pre-departure Briefing Session, shared my stories with students going Korea next sem
I had phone interview with Reader's Digest, tried to be a NUS ambassador talking good of Korea
I went to Re-entry Talk, learnt something that changed my mentality...
i learnt that...
all this while, after i was back in Msia/Sg
I was actually having "Reverse Culture Shock" (Oh well, they have a NAME for it haa)
which has the following "stages":

1. can't adapt back to the life at home
2. find things being imperfect at home, incompatible to that in Korea
3. find it frustrating to see things being so imperfect, wished i can be back to Korea
4. manage to find a balance and see things from new perspective

* * *

Now,
I find our Hibiscus really beautiful, prettier than Korean's Hibiscus syriacus
I find Sg public transport much more comfortable and cleaner than that in Korea
I find Chicken Rice and Bubble Tea the BEST!!

* * *

Thanks god I manage to pass through the "Reverse Culture Shock"
and mange through all the frustration, especially:

"No-one-wants-to-listen"
Well...SEP returnees are usually super emo upon return
and we simply wish someone can listen to our stories,
be it an interesting experience, or just a complain.
But, not everyone wants to hear those stories...
Your family, and even your close friends, might not be THAT interested to listen
You being so enthu to share the stories, yet people just "Oh...Okay...Hmm..."Interesting"
The story-teller would feel REAL bad and hurt
I was hurt
and hence, sooner, i learnt not to share to people
not unless they ask and "look" enthu enough to want to listen
and i dont share everything at once
I was just so hurt, and scared that they will get bored and start being "perfunctorily"
So, how to overcome that?
You go for SEP-related briefing or talk or sharing session
Students who want to go SEP are the best listeners!!
And,
I become a Peer Advisor, buddy to foreign students who are having SEP in NUS now
:)


* * *

Yes, I adapt well :)

Instead of saying "Goodbye Korea"
I would rather say:
"Thank you Korea"





* * *

Read more on Reverse Culture Shock here: <click>

Last week in Korea, featuring the best of Seoul

This shall serve as a travel guide for those who want to visit Koreaand have something different from what travel agency/ tour guide would take you to
All to be summarised and presented in photos

For me
they are the best out of the best of Seoul ^^

All to be summarised and presented in pictures and short captions,
click to read more ya!!!

KU Week 16 Part 6 - Farewells (20th June)

20th June (Monday)
The closing of all farewells~~~

Morning...
packed luggages
and checked out CJ I-House

Well...see my luggages?!!! muahahahahhah~~~
Luckily I got my ABK roommate to help me carry down to lobby as well as help me call a taxi >.<

So what did I do after checking out of CJ?
I didn't go home
but stay for a few days in Korea
coz me mum was visiting!!!

So I went check in to hotel at Myeongdong
closed my bank account
sent some postage
and
last round of farewell with Kukyeon friends...
Had Cold Noodles at 서울쌈
think that place is going to be the "memorable place" for Kukyeon

After lunch,
철희선배 treated us yogurt ice cream
before going back to Kukyeon Room (동방) and slack

And
Here comes the end of my 4-months SEP trip
Bravo~
:')





p.s.
as i said
i stayed in Korea for a few more days with my mum
so on Monday night
after the farewell
I went back to hotel for a while
and
finally
started on my history paper
oppsss
yes
it's due that night 12mn
muahahahha~~~

and i got to rush to airport to pick up my mum
carrying my laptop with me
keep typing and typing and typing my essay on the train to airport
and i finally produced a 4 pages essay
and submitted it around 1am to the prof
BRAVO~~~~~

(note: I got an A for History wor!!!!! muahahahaha)

KU Week 16 Part 5 - Farewells (19th June)

19th June (Sunday)
Another farewell
with my unni
:'(

Unni didn't look good
looked sick
and i think that's why she brought along her brother with her
to safeguard her
though she said her brother came because he's "curious"

Seriously
when an unni still came out to meet you when she's not feeling well
or when she's busy with her schoolworks
how can you not be touched...
Of all Korean friends I made friends with,
unni was the BEST friend I think I've befriended with
though we didnt meet each other frequently
and though we are not very very close

Oh yes, we had fun playing with the polaroid instant camera...glad that I bought it :)

p.s.

wanted to visit JYPE company...but didn't go at the end...

reason 1: I hadnt started on my history paper yet, which was due the next day

reason 2: I sort of got bored of those 追星 games, though I never really tried it

well...

so did i regret that I didnt visit JYPE? nope...not at all :)

KU Week 16 Part 4 - Farewells (18th June)

18th June (Sat)
Woken up by the cleaner ajummas at 8am
Why must they clear up the room now?
I still haven't check out leh~~

Anyway...
went for another farewell lunch
with a girl whom I knew in NUS before
the girl who was once my cluster mate in pgp

Maybe it's all destined
I finally visit Daehangno (대학로 大学路 University Street)
It's a place that I've heard lots of stories from many Koreans
past by the street for several times
but never got a chance to tour around that area
Hence being brought to the place before I left
gave me a weird feeling

Daehangno - a smaller version of Myeongdong crowded with teenagers...

We had Hanjeongsik 한정식 韩定食 - something like “满汉全席” hahahha...

Btw, we visited the Seongkyunkwan University... the one featured in Korean drama Seongkyunkwan Scandal

p.s. went Homeplus to buy a new luggage bag....well... you will see how many luggage I ended up having ><