Midtermweek just ended which means that the half of my study abroad has passed as well. Time is going by so quickly and I really don't feel like going home.. In the beginning I had some days that I really missed home - and I still do - and the end couldn't come any quicker. But now, knowing that the time that has passed is the exact length of time that I still have left.


Do note that even though I've seen a lot of places, I still haven't seen 70% of Seoul. Which is about to change in the next half of the semester. That is my proclamation. I'm good at these promises. I make these and break these every block. But hey, Seoul is the best motivation to actually keep this one. I enjoyed Seoul a lot in the first two months, which automatically meant that school didn't get as much attention as it supposed to have. That's why I never talk about it. Because.. well it's school. Just because it's in Seoul, doesn't mean that school will be amazingly fun, adventurous and suddenly 40 times more interesting.

So I ended up studying a lot. Which meant a lot of days not exploring the city. I refuse to spend my last 2 weeks solely surrounded by books to pass my final exams. So I'll need to do better on a weekly basis in the next half. Bear with me, encourage me and even force me sometimes, because I know I'll need your help. (Mom, please, you don't have to do that any more than you already do. Thank you - love you)

However, having a lot of study to do didn't mean that I couldn't experience Korea. Since Asians in general are seen as hardworking students (especially Koreans), I'd figure I'd go and experience this the Korean way.

So studying isn't done at home a lot, since the rooms are very small in general. Other than that it is THE place where you suddenly feel like cleaning up, eating everything that's edible, watch make up tutorials that you're never going to do, watch home diy's that you're never going to make. , even reconsider to continue that show that you decided to stop watching because it was to boring. and so on.. So what are popular spots in Korea? Library, study rooms and cafes.

So study rooms are basically just rooms with little cubicles and desks where you can study. They have them in every building (My school has different buildings for every kind of faculty). I think you can even use the classrooms if they are not occupied.


But let me tell you about the library. Our library is beautiful. It's like Harry Potter meets Notre Dame. It's amazing and you already feel successful walking in there. But during midterms this baby is opened 24/7. Yes. I don't know what kind of sick minded propaganda that is, but I think in The Netherlands that is some illegal message to send out to students. Korean people study like crazy. I now understand why a lot of them have the fluffy laptop cases because you need some sleep when you do that. It's also common to have a toothbrush and toothpaste in your bag and just brush your teeth in the rest room.

Which by the way brings me to a very (in my
opinion) strange thing. People sleep. Anywhere. Anytime. I kid you not. They will just lie down with their head rested on their arms on the table and sleep. I don't know how they wake up in time without any alarm (Do note that that statement is totally irrelevant because I need at least 4 alarm clocks to wake me up - My loved ones unfortunately know that as well.. Shout out: I love you). I know in The Netherlands that is impossible because simply: You can say goodbye to your wallet and electronics. Korea is truly the safest country I've ever been.  Even in such a big city as Seoul. People trust people and that creates an atmosphere where you cán sleep wherever you want to. It's a dream that I hope to see come true in The Netherlands.. I've been struggling on the trains with holding my bag as tightly as if someone is already out for it, and sleeping at the same time.


Also the competitiveness is crazy. The system an A-F grading scale. When I ask Korean students what their aiming for, they will actually say A+ (perfect score) - and not even be sarcastic. I don't know about you, but where I come from it is pretty much expected that perfect score is impossible. That's why we talk about "good" grades, instead of perfect grades. And Koreans can get sad for getting A- or B (which is still 80%).  It sometimes has something to do with scholarships as well though. I know for my university, they don't care about my grade as long as it's sufficient. So a 5.5 as we know it, equals D- (60%)  in Korea, which could equal mental depression for a Korean. But hey it makes my appreciate the Dutch system so much more. I feel like it's more based on ones potential, and doesn't look down on those who do worse even though they tried their best - because you can't do more, right? However Korean culture can be seen as forcing students to get to their full potential (and we all know, that us dutchies can get really lazy). But no worries, I'm still cripwalking around this place like I own it - I just have to get D-. It also means that I should worry about exploring more of Seoul instead of school! So I will definitely work hard on that =D.  Oh and school as well obviously.

Please note that every comment made is not a judgement on the Korean culture. Just because they have differences that don't comply with your own values or logic, doesn't mean it's bad or should be otherwise. Since every culture does things because of their foundation (whether it is in history, traditions or believes), it is never our right to say how it should be in other cultures. It's truly a blessing that I can live here in Seoul, to truly learn about the culture and ask deeper questions to answer all my why's!

Blessings and love,

Nin