Today as I was going for calligraphy class, a Korean approached my friend and asked him whether he's a Christian. And not being one, he asked me to talk to the guy instead.
So they were telling me that Bible study is an important part for a Christian, we should study the Bible often, and so on.
He also invited me to join their Bible study. The place? Anywhere in the campus ground.
So being a curious person like me, I tried it out. Actually he wanted me to meet another guy who is better in English, but the person had other things to attend to and could not make it. So we had to communicate with my weak Korean and his English.
Fortunately the passage was a familiar one - Parable of the Seeds. So he did the best he could and we ended our short session.
However I'll be meeting his other friend tomorrow, and we'll see whether we'll be able to communicate better in English.
So back to square one, I'm confused whether to continue with this group of people as I'm currently joining another Bible study conducted by ABSK (Asian Baptist Student Koinonia) every Wednesday evening.
Guess I'll just have to wait and see.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Korean Language - level 2
Starting my Level 2 Korean language lesson today. Though it officially started yesterday, we had a Korean language proficiency test set by the government, and gosh! It was hard. Lots of vocabulary and grammar that we've not learn. But by God's grace I manage to obtain 90%.
So the test took about 3 1/2 hours and another half hour was used for a brief orientation.
Starting this level, we'll be having hanja, Chinese character in Korean language. These characters are the traditional ones. So though I can read, writing will be something new.
We'll also be learning Mathematics and some computer skills this level. And the activity that we're all longing for is the trip to Everland!!!
Well, lots to look forward to : )
For those who wants to learn Korean, this is a good place.
So the test took about 3 1/2 hours and another half hour was used for a brief orientation.
Starting this level, we'll be having hanja, Chinese character in Korean language. These characters are the traditional ones. So though I can read, writing will be something new.
We'll also be learning Mathematics and some computer skills this level. And the activity that we're all longing for is the trip to Everland!!!
Well, lots to look forward to : )
For those who wants to learn Korean, this is a good place.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Daejeon Metropolitan City
After weeks of planning, finally I manage to go to Sophia's home in Daejeon. Even before I came to Korea, she gave me her contacts and told me she'll be back at the beginning of October. But sadly I was occupied with other things at hand and didn't manage to visit her then.
But anyway she invited me to go to her place and meet her brother and spend time with her family. And that's exactly what I did.
Frankly, I'm very impressed with myself. Being a young, inexperience foreigner in this country not more than 2 months yet I go out and about by myself, not without troubles, of course.
While Sophia asked me to buy a bus ticket to 대전정부청사, yet her brother asked me to get a bus heading for Yuseong. In the end, I bought a ticket to Buyeo, before making a transfer to Daejeon....(another of my typical ability -- getting myself loss).
I departed from my home at 9.00a.m and arrive at about 4.00p.m.
Despite the "tough" journey, I really enjoyed my 2 days 1 night stay at Daejeon ( which is literally "Great Field" from the Chinese charater)
I had my first trip to a cinema in Korea. Went to watch the Korean movie "My Brother" with Sophia's brother, John. And ya, the shop run my his mom is indeed beautiful and the food is great.
I also had my first experience of singing in a "music box" (?). It's this square box equipped with karaoke system in it.
John introduced me to 3 of his friends who are taking the same major as him. There were wonderful people as well. It was fun to be with the four of them.
And of course not to forget, it was my first time joining a Korean Church. We attended Central Gate Church on Sunday. As the whole service was conducted in Korean, and my Korean is still at kindergarten level, I could barely understand what was said. Fortunately the passage was a familiar one : Isaiah 6.
Daejeon, Daejeon....lots of memories to recall within the 2 days I was there.....
But anyway she invited me to go to her place and meet her brother and spend time with her family. And that's exactly what I did.
Frankly, I'm very impressed with myself. Being a young, inexperience foreigner in this country not more than 2 months yet I go out and about by myself, not without troubles, of course.
While Sophia asked me to buy a bus ticket to 대전정부청사, yet her brother asked me to get a bus heading for Yuseong. In the end, I bought a ticket to Buyeo, before making a transfer to Daejeon....(another of my typical ability -- getting myself loss).
I departed from my home at 9.00a.m and arrive at about 4.00p.m.
Despite the "tough" journey, I really enjoyed my 2 days 1 night stay at Daejeon ( which is literally "Great Field" from the Chinese charater)
I had my first trip to a cinema in Korea. Went to watch the Korean movie "My Brother" with Sophia's brother, John. And ya, the shop run my his mom is indeed beautiful and the food is great.
I also had my first experience of singing in a "music box" (?). It's this square box equipped with karaoke system in it.
John introduced me to 3 of his friends who are taking the same major as him. There were wonderful people as well. It was fun to be with the four of them.
And of course not to forget, it was my first time joining a Korean Church. We attended Central Gate Church on Sunday. As the whole service was conducted in Korean, and my Korean is still at kindergarten level, I could barely understand what was said. Fortunately the passage was a familiar one : Isaiah 6.
Daejeon, Daejeon....lots of memories to recall within the 2 days I was there.....
Friday, October 22, 2004
X-Box
Finally, at long last we got a X-Box!!!!! Not that I was longing for it, bit at least there's something to entertainment me before I get my computer...which is still quite some time from now....
So that adds up to our current household items which includes a 29" TV, a 10kg washing machine (why did we ever buy such a big one?), a toaster(which has only been used once)and a 270liter(?) fridge (which is not big enough).
This is our home.
The X-Box came loaded with 40 games. Unfortunately, I wasn't there on the spot to chose the games. So must of them are sports: basketball, football, racing, hockey, ice hockey, wrestling.....and the sorts which doesn't appeal to me.
The only game I'm playing right now is Kingdom Under Fire.
Anyway, I don't think this Xbox enthusiasm will last long, though....
So that adds up to our current household items which includes a 29" TV, a 10kg washing machine (why did we ever buy such a big one?), a toaster(which has only been used once)and a 270liter(?) fridge (which is not big enough).
This is our home.
The X-Box came loaded with 40 games. Unfortunately, I wasn't there on the spot to chose the games. So must of them are sports: basketball, football, racing, hockey, ice hockey, wrestling.....and the sorts which doesn't appeal to me.
The only game I'm playing right now is Kingdom Under Fire.
Anyway, I don't think this Xbox enthusiasm will last long, though....
Monday, October 18, 2004
Marathon
Took part in the marathon at Seoul National University this morning.
Well, not that I thought I could win, but every participant gets a free gift. Hahaha...it's especially tempting for poor, students like us : )
Anyway, the course was one round in SNU's campus. It was the first time we walked around the campus on foot. And indeed the sceneries were beautiful. Being able to see such wonderful creation of God is worth the 45 minutes walk.
Well, not that I thought I could win, but every participant gets a free gift. Hahaha...it's especially tempting for poor, students like us : )
Anyway, the course was one round in SNU's campus. It was the first time we walked around the campus on foot. And indeed the sceneries were beautiful. Being able to see such wonderful creation of God is worth the 45 minutes walk.
Mt Seorak
Went to Seoraksan (Mt Seorak) on Saturday with some of the people I got to know through a Bible study group. Got up at 4am, took breakfast with my Muslim friends and set off for the bus terminal.
One of the thing I noticed was that the people taking the bus and subways were the elderly people, which reminds me of the social problem I heard recently.
Anyway, the trip up to Mt Seorak was indeed worthwhile, though it took us 3 1/2 hours just to get there.
We didn't go for the highest peak though. Actually, few of the their church members were having some sort of health programs there (trying to loss weight by exercises, mountain climbing and the sort) . So we went to the place where they were staying.
However, we did hike up one of the lower peak till we reach Yongsa Waterfall. As it's autumn and the leaves are turning golden yellow, it's the season which attracts lots of mountain hikers to come.
We had an outdoor barbecue at about 5pm. An outdoor barbecue is actually a rare occation in Korea. But as the sky was getting dark, we burnt quite a number of the food. But it was a wonderful experience. It seems more like a campfire tome, as the weather was quite cold and everyone gathers around the fire.
Anyway, by the time we finished dinner and head back to Seoul, it was already 8pm. We got back to Seoul at 11.30pm, which some of us manage to take the last train back to their home. I wasn't so fortunate. Had to take the taxi back as the buses didn't run so late. Actually I'd rather spent the night in a 24 hour bathhouse than spending the amount for taxis. But anyway.....
One of the thing I noticed was that the people taking the bus and subways were the elderly people, which reminds me of the social problem I heard recently.
Anyway, the trip up to Mt Seorak was indeed worthwhile, though it took us 3 1/2 hours just to get there.
We didn't go for the highest peak though. Actually, few of the their church members were having some sort of health programs there (trying to loss weight by exercises, mountain climbing and the sort) . So we went to the place where they were staying.
However, we did hike up one of the lower peak till we reach Yongsa Waterfall. As it's autumn and the leaves are turning golden yellow, it's the season which attracts lots of mountain hikers to come.
We had an outdoor barbecue at about 5pm. An outdoor barbecue is actually a rare occation in Korea. But as the sky was getting dark, we burnt quite a number of the food. But it was a wonderful experience. It seems more like a campfire tome, as the weather was quite cold and everyone gathers around the fire.
Anyway, by the time we finished dinner and head back to Seoul, it was already 8pm. We got back to Seoul at 11.30pm, which some of us manage to take the last train back to their home. I wasn't so fortunate. Had to take the taxi back as the buses didn't run so late. Actually I'd rather spent the night in a 24 hour bathhouse than spending the amount for taxis. But anyway.....
Friday, October 15, 2004
Ice Skating
Yesterday was the last day of our Level 1 Korean Language class. Got back my results for the language exam. Got 97%. The highest among us was 99% and the lowest I think was 85%.
We also had price giving for those who got 90% and above. It was a golf tower (do they think we are rich enough to play golf?) , but better than nothing right?
To celebrate the end of Level 1, a few of my friends and I went to Lotte World and spent 3 hours skating on ICE!!!
It was my first time and considering that I have no roller-skating background I think I did quite well. Had a few falls, but in the end manage to "walk" around the rink several times without falling.
Too bad my camera ran out of battery ( why does this always happen to me?) or else it would have been a good remembrance......
Had dinner at 12 midnight last night (this morning?) waiting for my friends to come back from the mosque. It's the beginning of Ramadan today.
We also had price giving for those who got 90% and above. It was a golf tower (do they think we are rich enough to play golf?) , but better than nothing right?
To celebrate the end of Level 1, a few of my friends and I went to Lotte World and spent 3 hours skating on ICE!!!
It was my first time and considering that I have no roller-skating background I think I did quite well. Had a few falls, but in the end manage to "walk" around the rink several times without falling.
Too bad my camera ran out of battery ( why does this always happen to me?) or else it would have been a good remembrance......
Had dinner at 12 midnight last night (this morning?) waiting for my friends to come back from the mosque. It's the beginning of Ramadan today.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Mt Gwanaksan
Today our lecturers brought us to Gwanaksan, a mountain that is right behind our university. We gathered at 9.30am, took breakfast and started our journey up the mountain.
One thing I noticed was that different from the mountains I climbed back home in Kuching, the mountains here are rocky, we need to walk and climb over stones and rocks to go reach the top.
The scenery was indeed beautiful. From the top one can clearly see that the city of Seoul is built on a mountainous terrain. There are hills near the centre of this metropolitan city.
We took lots of picture along the path going up the mountain. When we reached a place where there's a Korean flag, we stopped there and rested. I've heard from seniors that every year the lecturers would bring them to that particular spot for group picture taking.
Waiting for the others to arrived, we chit chatted. Some of us saw a higher peak and wanted to go there, but our lecturers were not keen to go up any further (most of them were females).
When they prepared to take picture according to class, suddenly they realized that 2 person were missing. They started to worry and searched the surrounding for them.
On the other hand, two other students were on their way to the higher peak, where there is a military base. One of them had told a lecturer that he was going to the place. As they walked along, they met a Korean man who was going up as well. So they joined the man and continued the journey.
Arriving at the peak, they found out from the man that there's a temple there and quite a number of people go there to pray.
After taking photos and meeting an old Korean man who went to Malaysia years back, they wanted to go back to meet their lecturers. They talked to the man who was with them and found out that he was going down as well (at least that was what they thought the man said), so they decided to go down together.
After a while they arrived at a place with lots of people and began to queue up. Sensing something strange, they asked the man where's that place, only to find out it was a restaurant.
Wanting to go back faster, they asked the man for direction to Seoul National University (SNU), where they started the journey, and the man gave them the direction. Thus they moved on towards the direction.
Along the path, they sense that it was a wrong way, but the other travelers told them that's the way, so they continued on. Finally they arrived at the bottom, only to find that indeed it's a different entrance, but somewhere near SNU.
One thing I noticed was that different from the mountains I climbed back home in Kuching, the mountains here are rocky, we need to walk and climb over stones and rocks to go reach the top.
The scenery was indeed beautiful. From the top one can clearly see that the city of Seoul is built on a mountainous terrain. There are hills near the centre of this metropolitan city.
We took lots of picture along the path going up the mountain. When we reached a place where there's a Korean flag, we stopped there and rested. I've heard from seniors that every year the lecturers would bring them to that particular spot for group picture taking.
Waiting for the others to arrived, we chit chatted. Some of us saw a higher peak and wanted to go there, but our lecturers were not keen to go up any further (most of them were females).
When they prepared to take picture according to class, suddenly they realized that 2 person were missing. They started to worry and searched the surrounding for them.
On the other hand, two other students were on their way to the higher peak, where there is a military base. One of them had told a lecturer that he was going to the place. As they walked along, they met a Korean man who was going up as well. So they joined the man and continued the journey.
Arriving at the peak, they found out from the man that there's a temple there and quite a number of people go there to pray.
After taking photos and meeting an old Korean man who went to Malaysia years back, they wanted to go back to meet their lecturers. They talked to the man who was with them and found out that he was going down as well (at least that was what they thought the man said), so they decided to go down together.
After a while they arrived at a place with lots of people and began to queue up. Sensing something strange, they asked the man where's that place, only to find out it was a restaurant.
Wanting to go back faster, they asked the man for direction to Seoul National University (SNU), where they started the journey, and the man gave them the direction. Thus they moved on towards the direction.
Along the path, they sense that it was a wrong way, but the other travelers told them that's the way, so they continued on. Finally they arrived at the bottom, only to find that indeed it's a different entrance, but somewhere near SNU.
On the other hand, the lecturers and students were shouting out the name of the students that were missing, and wondering what could have happened to them. One of the lecturer met two men who told him they met two Malaysian students at the peak, so he went there to look. As he was searching, suddenly he got a call from a lecturer at the Language Education Centre telling him the two students were back in the centre.
So they stopped their search and came back down. By the time they reached the bottom it was about 2pm, more than an hour later that the original schedule.
And the two students? Of course they feel guilty. Later on they found out that the lecturer was just joking when she allowed them to go.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
End of Exam : )
Finished my exams this morning. It wasn't so hard, but I was nervous for the oral yesterday and didn't perform up to my standard (most of my friends suffered the same symptom). Thanks to all who prayed for me. God bless you all!
Anyway, surprisingly I didn't go anywhere this afternoon except to Daerim to borrow a convertor from a friend, so that I can get some contacts out of my handphone which is useless in Korea.
Did some planning as of where to go during the coming 10-days holiday. My plans includes COEX Mall, World Taekwondo Federation, Seoul Tower and a few historical sights in Seoul. Let's see whether my plans will come to pass.
Guess that's all for now. Waiting a phone call from a Korean friend so got to rush back home
Anyway, surprisingly I didn't go anywhere this afternoon except to Daerim to borrow a convertor from a friend, so that I can get some contacts out of my handphone which is useless in Korea.
Did some planning as of where to go during the coming 10-days holiday. My plans includes COEX Mall, World Taekwondo Federation, Seoul Tower and a few historical sights in Seoul. Let's see whether my plans will come to pass.
Guess that's all for now. Waiting a phone call from a Korean friend so got to rush back home
Monday, October 11, 2004
Site Updates
Just added a photo gallery at the side bars. Not many photos taken yet though. Everytime I go out either I didn't bring my cam along or the sceneries weren't so attracting.
Will try to upload more during the week-long holiday that is coming.
Will try to upload more during the week-long holiday that is coming.
Friday, October 08, 2004
Level 1 Korean Language Proficiency Test
Having an exam coming up this Monday and Tuesday.
On Monday I'll be having my oral test and on Tuesday I'll be sitting for the writting, reading and listening test. So do pray for me.
Due to the exam I may not be on-line till Tuesday afternoon.
Admit the exam coming up soon, lots of us went to watch the movie Brotherhood (In one of the classroom, not in cinema). It's quite a good film. Even more "real" than Saving Private Ryan. So if you have the chance, watch it.
By the way, I just signed up for a marathon that will be held in the campus on 18/10. Not that I think I'll win, but everyone who joins gets a free t-shirt. Haha..
On Monday I'll be having my oral test and on Tuesday I'll be sitting for the writting, reading and listening test. So do pray for me.
Due to the exam I may not be on-line till Tuesday afternoon.
Admit the exam coming up soon, lots of us went to watch the movie Brotherhood (In one of the classroom, not in cinema). It's quite a good film. Even more "real" than Saving Private Ryan. So if you have the chance, watch it.
By the way, I just signed up for a marathon that will be held in the campus on 18/10. Not that I think I'll win, but everyone who joins gets a free t-shirt. Haha..
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