zaterdag 17 november 2012

DAYS OF OUR LIVES


Life goes on, as they say... after one autumn  another comes and after that most likely another, until it won't. I said I was enjoying autumn less this year... I might be wrong. Last year I was amazed by the colors and everything was new. This year I'm overwhelmed by melancholia... colors seem stronger, moods are changing faster. This autumn is definitely not like any other autumn. People around me are more stressed and busy. Next season is at the door with some winter blues. Days are getting shorter, the weather ice cold. It's always nice to talk about the weather, right? I guess that's because it's a talk everybody can enjoy.

I've climbed Gwanak mountain again, this time with Raj. Too bad he lost his jacket on the mountain. ;( We hid it somewhere because it was to hot to wear. We thought that Korean people don't steal easily, but we thought wrong. Umer's birthday has come again, as well as July's. I had a lot of fun. Especially blinding and turning July around, while dragging around on campus before bringing her to the place of surprise: where we would celebrate her birthday. She was so confused, and I had a good laugh!

Academic life is not the same as back in Gent... So students over there have no right to complain! Since it is much more easygoing and far less stressful than here! The workload here is also considerably bigger. Now I start to understand why students here are getting depressed easily. But I'm not letting it get under my skin! :)

I want to go to Indonesia in February... Anybody who wants to join me, just join me!

Love, Lara



Before losing his Jacket :D


On the way to the top of Gwanak, mountain on our campus


After five minutes, this Indian fella got tired already!






Having a quick lunch before heading to the top


view on campus and Seoul center in the background










autmn and spring my favorite seasons




a dinosaur rock with feet!


we reached the top!




The real top


Looking down on Raj
Mr Raj taking a nap


and some picnicing ajumoni's (middle aged ladies who are not afraid to push you aside when they want to pass you. And who always bring a nice picnic. Thanks to them for the grapes!) :)


아름다운 단풍 Beautiful autumn leaves


Gwanak top with the Korean flag


Time for a nap in the sun


After waking up we got invited by some ajushi's (middle aged man) to join their picnic hehe... homemade blackberry wine , kimchi, rice, egss, kimbab, bananas)


een dameskransje... a club of ajumoni's


Indian sweets I got from Raj, thanks to his family! very delicious indeed




The pond next to my lab,  where my department is and where I study









July's bday






a new hairdryer


Cactusses!





students rushing on campus


Where I have one class


my department

woensdag 31 oktober 2012

AUTUMN AGAIN

We're back... and it's already autumn again. It took me a while to write. Well now some news from the country of forever kimchi. People still eat a lot of kimchi and I started to eat less. Is it a good thing, or a bad thing? Who knows?! ;) 

For the past months I've been trying to find my way in this Korean academic world. I must say it's far more scarier than I thought it would ever be. First of all, my level of Korean is not good enough to study my major (It's actually far from not good enough!)... If you would compare last year with this time... It would be like going from learning how to express "I would like to go to the movie theater, how can I get there?" to "How can I explain Kim Soo Young's poetry through Heideggers philosophy?" Yes, I must be crazy to be wanting to study modern Korean literature after just one year of language school! But it wouldn't be a challenge if it were too easy, right?! ;) I have  to admit that the first weeks were like hell and I wanted to go home straight after the first day the courses started. Luckily it got better after some time... But still, some days I sit and think "what am I doing and what the hell am I trying to proof here?"... That crazy foreigners also can study Korean literature from scratch just after one year of Korean? That it's the experience that counts not the seriousness of all this? Hmmm... Yes maybe. One thing is for sure, if I will be able to graduate from this major, I might be the first Belgian person to do this... ever. And my Korean will be damn good. So we're still going for it... with the low and the highs. Good that I still have a whole bunch of nice friends... 고마워! :)

Korean autumn is as beautiful as always, but last time I enjoyed it more. The weather got very cold all of a sudden, nevertheless still sunny. Let's see if we can reach the top of Gwanak mountain this weekend. I'm planning to go for a hike with a few friends. It would be great to see the colorful autumn scenery before it will start to fade away into that awful greyness.

Like some of us have noticed my Facebook profile is not visable anymore but my head is cleared out and can see well again. I started to like mailing more... and you can always Skype me or send me messages by any smartphone instant messaging app.

Love and some autumn sunshine for all of you wherever you are!


Lara - 라라