Study Abroad and Exchange Travel

Wow… fantastic baby: my Korean adventure – part 4

Angela and friends from Pukyong National University, Korea

This is the final instalment in my series about my adventures in South Korea at PKNU International Summer School. Probably the perfect time to reminisce about the things I miss…

I miss… the presence of K-pop everywhere. Every time I walked past a shop I could hear the sweet sounds blasting my way. It’s how I imagine heaven will be. And although I usually despair at the sight of advertising everywhere I turn, I found it perfectly okay – pleasant really – when the advert featured my favourite K-pop stars.

Angela posing with K-pop poster

I miss… the fried chicken. I don’t know how they make it – surely by some form of sorcery – but it is the perfect way to eat chicken. Just… so… good. My mouth is watering just typing this, so I think I should refrain from writing any more on the subject. Looks like my face says it all anyway…

Angela eating fried chicken in Korea

I miss… getting free stuff. There seems to be a phenomenon in South Korea known as “service”. Basically, I was getting something for free almost every time I purchased something. I didn’t need, or even want, these things being thrown at me, but I definitely wasn’t complaining about it. At the restaurant, at the cosmetics shop, at the convenience store: my face lit up every time I got something for free.

I miss… Popeye the cat. This was a stray cat that we frequently sighted outside our dormitory building. He/she was given the name “Popeye” after the fast food brand of fried chicken that my classmates fed him/her. He/she was rather timid around humans, and potentially riddled with disease, but he/she was also pretty darn cute. Recently, my PKNU roomie sent me picture she took of Popeye while she was strolling around campus. So, I can gladly say that Popeye is still alive and well and stalking his/her turf in search of junk food.

Popeye the cat

I miss… the people. It surprises me how quickly people become familiar to me. All in all, I only spent three weeks with my classmates, but I certainly miss their friendly faces and diverse personalities. I miss seeing the same faces in the cafeteria every morning, where we would talk about how bad the food was (but now I confess I even kind of miss that food…). I miss how tired some people would look after spending the night becoming better acquainted with South Korean drinking culture. I miss people’s catchphrases and accents. And I especially miss my roommate, Dahyun, and our routine of doing facials, snacking on sweets and chatting incessantly – I couldn’t have asked for a better roomie! Since I have been back on the Gold Coast, I keep seeing the doppelgangers of my PKNU classmates and every time I want to go up to the person and say “hi”, but then I realise that of course it’s not who I think it is. Every time a crushing disappointment. But I suppose it goes to show how much I treasure the experience I had at PKNU’s International Summer School. Thank you to everyone who helped me get there and to those who made it a special adventure!

Angela and friends from Pukyong National University, Korea

– Angela

Read Wow… fantastic baby: my Korean adventure – part 3

 

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  • Katelyn
    November 19, 2014 at 6:25 am

    Hello! I really really enjoyed your story 🙂
    It all seemed so wonderful and so rich in cultural experiences!
    I will be attending PKNU this upcoming September 🙂
    I actually have a few questions if that is okay with you?
    I’m super curious and I feel like you could help me out a lot 🙂

    I loved reading your 4 parts and I hope I can hear from you soon! ^^

    • Angela
      November 19, 2014 at 10:29 pm

      Hi Katelyn! Thanks for reading my posts and for your lovely words 🙂
      Glad to hear you’ll be heading to PKNU. Where are you from?
      Sure, you can ask me questions. I hope I can help you out 🙂