Sonntag, 27. September 2015

Chuseok

It's Korean Thanksgiving Weekend! Which means no school on Monday and Tuesday for me! Here a gif of me and a classmate wearing Hanbok, a traditional korean dress. 


Freitag, 25. September 2015

Seoul Food

If you follow my Story on Snapchat you might be thinking that I went to Korea to eat and not to study. In fact it is true, I feel like I'm spending more time eating than studying here!
Seoul is a city where you can grab breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner/snacks at any time of the day AND night. There are so many restaurants, bars, cafés, takeouts, food stands and street food vendors here that will allay your hunger  - it's insane! Thus the probability to suffer from starvation is very very low. Even at night you will always spot a GS25 or 7/11 (korean kiosks) sign illuminated from afar, where you can get easy snacks like a roll of Gimbap (korean Sushi) for only 1500 Won (which is like 1.20 CHF). When I want to save some money I'll just grab a Gimbap for lunch and I'll become the happiest person on earth.
There are still so many korean dishes that I haven't tried, and I bet so many dishes that I haven't heard of and I really really want to try! So little time but so much to eat. The thought of it stresses me out just a tiny bit. Well here are some of the things that I've tried so far and some photos that are related to food.

Bing Su! Also known as Snowflake. It's basically frozen milk with anything you like. This one is with sweet red bean, rice cake and something called injeolmi. You can eat it by yourself, but that's kind of sad, it's common to share a bowl of Bing Su with your friends.

Naengmyon: cold buckwheat noodles with eggs, Gochuchang (korean chilli pepper paste) and veggies. It's served with ice to make it extra cold! I really like it!

Squid! I tried a tentacle, was salty, chewy and yummy!

Sushi in a Bowl with Croquette and Salad as a side. Everybody knows I love Japanese Food.

One of my favorite restaurant here in Seoul: fusion indian place in Gangnam! Various Currys with Naan Bread - Endless Love.

Vietnamese Lunch for one: Noodles with Seafood. Love that they serve proper portions here. 

Authentic Mexican food in Hongdae. I went there with my mexican friend, he approved it, and we of course loved it! Was kinda expensive though.
This was my first time eating Gimbap. One of the most cutting in moment of my stay here in seoul. Love it ever since.
This one is literally called "Ugly but Tasty Gimbap". That's rice with beef wrapped in seaweed. I liked it dipped in Soy Sauce.

Gimbap from the convenient store of our School. Not as good as the ones from the restaurant, but it still satisfies my Hunger for Gimbap. The one on the right comes with Sweet Tofu stuffed with rice, which is so so good!

Another visit to a japanese place, love that they served so many little sides to it!
Corndog from a Street Vendor somewhen in the middle of the night between Clubbing/Barhopping in Hongdae. So bad but so good though.

Selfie Attempt at a Budae-Jjigae Place. That's basically a slightly spicy stew with sausage, tofu, soybean sprouts, glass noodles etc. 

Bibimbap with my swiss friend. It's rice with Gochuchang (korean chilli pepper paste), egg and veggies in a hot bowl. It makes a sizzling sound when it's being served. It's like music in my ears.

The English Girls having Korean BBQ for their first time. There are so many Korean BBQ places in Seoul, I've been to three so far, and this one were the picture was taken was definitely my favorite so far! You have your pork on the grill, when it's ready you grab a salad leaf, put the meat and the side dishes like kimchi, onions and sauce inside and eat it as a wrap. So hungry when I think about it.
Soju (known as Baby Vodka) - I love it and I hate it (it's the only alcohol that gives me the asian flush)
Another Day at the Budae-jjigae place. Already finished the food and also the soju.

Japanese Udon Noodle Soup for a change! Even if it's not korean, they will still serve a kimchi and radish side to it.
 My tastebuds are excited for more delicious food to come.

Montag, 21. September 2015

After one month

Observations/Findings/Conclusions after one month living in Seoul
  • The first month went by so fast
  • Hongdae is not for me
  • Kimchi and Gochuchang is not so bad after all
  • Korean Drinking Games are fun fun fun. I'm never gonna play "never have I ever" again.
  • Gimbap is the love of my life, I could eat it every single day
  • Pure Soju is not nice
  • Fruit Soju is delicious and it's killing me
  • A lot of Korean Men have kimchi breath or sweat out kimchi
  • Koreans love small puppies and treat them like humans
  • Korean Couples love PDA and wear matching clothes
  • Girls walk around with a hair roller and don't give a fuck
  • Bingsu with Red Bean Paste is like Heaven in my Mouth
  • ... in fact everything with red bean paste is like heaven in my mouth
  • Cafés everywhere I look
  • Americano is what I order here in Cafés
  • I make more than 12.000 Steps everyday
  • Beer can be nice actually (but only the korean ones)
  • Girls all dress the same here
  • Boys all have the same haircut here
  • Korean Teachers are so friendly and nice
  • Seoul is a safe city
  • ... but hold on tight while in a Bus
  • Bus drivers drive around with open doors and don't give a fuck
  • I look Korean to Koreans
  • Garosu-gil is dangerous for my wallet
  • Hip Hop rules Hongdae
  • I love taking long walks after dinner at night, gives me time to reflect on my day
  • Taxi Drivers drive like they are drunk (probably they are)
  • Koreans find it funny when you say bless you to them
  • I love Korean Cucumber, Soy Milk and Sweet Potatoes
  • Koreans never say pardon, they just push you away when they want to pass you
  • Even though I'm in korea I can't seem to find a Cover for my Samsung Cell Phone
  • Korean Students are not interested in talking to me because I don't look foreign enough
List to be continued...

Sonntag, 20. September 2015

Seoul Photo Diary: The First month

Cell Phone Snaps of my first month here in Seoul.

On the 22nd of August I flew from Tokyo to Seoul, this was the very first image I took of this ginourmous city.

No time for rest, after I landed I immediately dived into the nightlife of Seoul in vibrant Itaewon

Swiss reunion in Seoul

Koreans are obsessed with Candy Crush, they even have advertisement in the subways

this is a typical situation you will encounter in Seouls Subways, everybody be on their phones

First time walking to the Hangang River from where I live, you'll see a lot of people (mainly couples) sitting by the river at night

a shady-looking alley in my neighbourhood. There are many suspicious looking alleys around here, but never have I ever felt scared when walking around by myself at night. 

the people are super hard-working here. I don't know about the retiring age here, but some people look way too old and weak to be still working. 

a painted mural close to my University

on our welcoming day to Hongik University a police-officer came by to explain us the rules here in korea

first encounter with soju and drinking games at the welcoming dinner. conclusion of the night: never underestimate the force of Soju.

Visiting a cat Café in Hongdae. These animals are so spoiled! They get petted and fed everyday. I prefer Dogs.

Went to a sticker photo place in Hongdae with my fellow internationals, so Girly.

Free Outdoor Gyms! Mostly used by elderly people and occasionally by me.

First night out with my new friends

Destroyed. Waiting for the first Train to arrive. In korea the tubes stop driving at around 12pm, which is crazy. 

Fried Chicken and Beer in the Hangang Park. A very typical thing to do in parks here. I got sick from the chicken, too much fried things is no good.

Skyline behind us while eating, drinking and chatting

Another night out with my swiss Korean Girl, casually posing for my camera.

a Sunday well spent: visiting the Bukchon traditional Village.

went inside one of the traditional houses and got our picture taken by an uberfriendly korean man there

Drying the Chili for Korean Dishes. Spice is everything here. 

Popular Photo Spot for a Picture of the Bukchon traditional Houses

The main gate to Hongik University, where I will be studying this semester

girls night out in Hongdae. Superinternational: UK, Sweden, Korea, Mexico, France and Israel.

only boys at 5am outside of the Clubs/Bars in Hongdae

When I finally found time to go to Gangnam. I felt so happy, I think it's one of my favorite areas here so far.

Introduction to Ceramics Class. I wanna make sculptures like that!

Lovely Café close to my uni. Loving the neon Signs in Hangul.