First of all, thank you so much for everyone who sent in questions. There's lot more of them than I expected.. I love you all. Second, I got some questions from my Finnish readers too so I answered those in both English and Finnish. Let's get into the questions without further ado !
Q: Should I be scared to visit Korea because I don't fit their standards of beauty?
A: No! It's very true that Korea has ridiculous beauty standards but let me tell you, people here aren't as glamorous and skinny and pretty as those kpoppers in the music videos. 99% of the people you see here daily on the subway or on the streets are just normal, regular people who are short, tall, skinny or chubby - just like in any other country or place in the world. You should DEFINITELY visit Korea if that's what you want to do.
Q: Did you get a student loan to pay for your university?
A: Yes. Without it I couldn't afford living and studying in Korea. Can hardly afford it WITH the loan HAHA
Q: How much money do you usually spend a month?
A: Waaaay too much. Including my rent I spend around 1200 / 1300 dollars a month.
Q: How do you make new friends (different from your classmates) ?
A: I usually meet people randomly when I go out with my friends or meet friends through my other friends etc... Sometimes even like randomly through instagram or facebook. Case in point, this one guy recognized himself from my instagram video I took at a club and we started talking and became friends... There's literally just so many ways to meet new people.
Q: How are the clubs in Korea different from those in Europe?
A: Probably my favorite question... hahaha. I've never clubbed in Europe and I'm from small little Finland so I'm sure some of the clubs around Europe are just as amazing as the clubs here in Korea. But In Finland our clubs are like.. bars. In Korea clubs are like proper CLUBS like most of the space is meant for dancing and there aren't really that much tables. And there's usually like a stage or multiple stage areas with like poles and whatnot. The biggest difference probably is the whole atmosphere. Then there's like club dances that people learn and dance together and like confetti rains and.. I personally looove the club scene in Korea so I could like go on and on about this matter but go check my instagram for some videos from clubs or check out this youtube video of club Answer (my favorite Gangnam club) here.
Q: Are clothes expensive? How about food / drinks? How much money do you spend on food / drinks on a normal day or week?
A: If you buy clothing or shoes from the small street shops e.g in Myeongdong or Hongdae, Idae, Dongdaemun et cetera the prices start from like about 10 dollars for a nomal t-shirt. Some skirts can be only like 10 dollars, shoes 15 dollars, bags 10 dollars and so on. But they can also like go up to 40 bucks or so. It really depends on the store. But like overall shopping for clothes here is pretty damn cheap unless you go to like H&M or Forever 21 which I have noticed to be even more expensive here than for example in Finland. Food is also cheap if we're talking about like restaurant food not like restaurant / bar - food. Usually for one person its from 6 dollars to somewhere around 12 dollars. Drinks are also very affordable; around a dollar or two for a normal 0,5 bottle. I usually buy food and cook at home unless I'm like super lazy (which I often am). I do eat lunch at school though when I'm there around the lunch time so on average I'd say I spend from 5 to 10 bucks on food and drinks a day. Most of that money goes on coffee. On some days I spend more, on some days I don't spend anything though sooo it varies a lot.
Q: How long are your studies gonna last & are you gonna work in Korea after that? // Kuinka pitkään sun koulu kestää & haetko sen jälkeen töihin Koreaan?
A: My undergraduate studies will last for 4 years, 8 semesters. And I have no idea what I will do and where I will end up after that ! I might be totally sick of Korea by then and run back to Finland (or fulfill my other long dream and go to the US) or I might be completely Koreanized by then and want to work and live here. At the moment though, the goal is to get fluent in Korean and work here in the entertainment industry when I graduate. // Mun opinnot kestää 4 vuotta eli 8 lukukautta. Sen jälkeen suunnitelmissa ois, jos vain mahdollista, niin hankkia myös töitä täältä Koreasta mun alalta elikkä jostain elokuva / musiikki / tv-bisneksen parista! Voi tosin olla että juoksen häntä koipien välissä takaisin Suomeen koska oon niin täynnä tätä maata sen jälkeen tai sitten tie vie jonnekin muualle, kuten esim Jenkkeihin mikä on ollut yks mun unelmista siitä asti kun olin 12.
Q: How well did you do in High school to get a scholarship ? // Kuinka hyviä sun arvosanat oli lukiossa jos sait scholarshipin?
A: I was never an A+ type of a student. I had like grades from A to C and even like few D's (from chemistry and math LOL). My overall GPA was like 85%, in the Finnish grading system it was around 8.5 ! So every school has different scholarship systems but Hanyang offers a scholarship to foreign students with a GPA over 80%. If your GPA is over 90% you get a 100% scholarship and if it's over 80% You get 50% (not automatically though you still need to apply for it but those are the requirements). But in order to keep the scholarship for full 4 years you need to do well on your university studies, too. The requirement is to maintain a GPA over 32.0. But there's also like countless of other scholarships you can apply for once the studies start so I wouldn't worry too much! // En ole ikinä ollut mikään täyden kympin oppilas että siellä todistuksessa oli numeroita ihan 10 sinne 6 asti (matikka, kemia). Keskiarvo oli kuitenkin siinä 8.5 pintaan joka riitti scholarshipin saamiseen. Jokasella koululla on oma taktiikka jakaa näitä mutta Hanyangissa on ohjelma ulkomaalaisille oppilaille joiden keskiarvo ylittää 8.0. Mutta!! Sen 8.0 keskiarvon pitää koostua normaaleista lukuaineista eli esim jos käyt erikoislukiota ja erikoiskurssit poisluettuna sun keskiarvo ei ylitä tota 8.0 et voi hakea tätä scholarshippiä. Ja jotta tää stipendi pysyy sulla on sut pidettävä sun keskiarvo koko yliopiston ajan tietyn rajan yläpuolella. On myös paljon muita scholarshippejä jota voi sitten hakea opintojen aikana ja niistä löytyy tietoa aina kunkin koulun sivuilta. Niitä on ihan lukemattomia joten en huolehtisi liikaa vaikka ei keskiarvo riittäisi just tuohon stipendiin mitä haetaan sisäänhaun yhteydessä!
Q: I heard that Korean summers are super hot and humid. Is it that bad? Do you have some tips on surviving this kind of weather without looking too sweaty and gross?
A: GIIIIRL. Or.. BOOOOY. (gender equality RULES) I wish there was a magic trick for avoiding looking sweaty and gross during those hot humid summer days. Yes, it's really that bad. It's so bad, that when you step out from your amazingly air conditioned apartment you are literally WET in like 2 minutes. I wish I was kidding. What you can do is buy blotting paper that's sold in any beauty stores for like a dollar or few and use those throughout the day to keep your makeup on point. What I absolutely loved last summer and need to quickly buy a new bottle of (thank you for reminding me by the way) is The Face shop arsainte eco-therapy mist seen in THIS blog post ! Also aloe-vera face mist by Nature republic is amazingly refreshing on those hot summer days. These mists can be applied even though you have your makeup on and they actually make your face feel like...cold? and very refreshed ! Also drinking lots of water is very important let's not forget that.
Q: What is your favorite coffee shop?
A: I'm not picky when it comes to my coffee. I just love a good view and calm atmosphere. But I'd have to say that my absolute favorite coffee shop is CAFE URP (Your roasting park) that is literally right outside my building. Snapchat family knows more than better that it has become like a part of my apartment by now, I go there night or day and just sit there for hours studying or chilling. The coffee is a size of a bucket and costs less than 3 dollars AND they have a free refill.
Q: Do you ever feel homesick? What do you do about it? Do you have any tips or advice?
A: Since I came to Korea I've been going home every like 6 months for a vacation so I haven't really had time to feel that REAL homesickness. Also my mother is one of my best friends and we talk on phone literally every damn day through facebook... but there are times when I feel really frustrated with this place and automatically start thinking my family back in Finland. During those moments or days I usually treat myself something delicious and watch like a Finnish movie or some comedy shows. Or go out with my friends to remind myself why I came here in the first place. The homesickness usually fades away pretty quickly because in the end I really love being here and I know that I wouldn't be happy living in Finland right now. This is where I belong right now. I guess homesickness is just something you need to feel every now and then and it might be hard to deal with but I'd say just try to remember that your home and those people back there aren't going anywhere and enjoy your current adventure ! You can aaalways go back home and there's people waiting you there.
Q: What are the 5 things you don't like about living in Korea? What about 5 best things about living in Korea? // Viisi ärsyttävintä asiaa Koreassa? Vastapainoksi 5 parhainta asiaa?
A: Things I don't like: 1. Obsession with beauty and looks 2. Racism and on the contrary the "obsession" with foreigners (talking about those creepy people who pop out of nowhere and ask for your number or ask you to go to a hotel with them) 3. Immigration office LOL 4. Way too hot summers 5. People's lack of common sense. Things I do like: 1. Nightlife & alcohol culture 2. People are very social and love hanging out and going out together 3. Everything, even clothing stores stay open until 11pm, many places are open around the clock. This city never sleeps. 4. People are veeery fashionable ! 5. Entertainment industry. It has so much to offer and Koreans really know to create entertainment, tv shows, movies, etc. // 1. Pakkomielle ulkonäköön. 2. Rasismi ja samalla sit taas pakkomielle ulkomaalaisiin (randomit lähestyy ja huutelee joskus kaduilla perään, kysyy haluatko lähteä hotelliin, jne) 3. Korean Immigration office. Maailman monimutkaisin instituutio. 4.Liian kuumat kesät. Niin kuumat ettei siitä osaa enää edes nauttia. 5. Ihmisiltä puuttuu maalaisjärki. Sitten niitä hyviä puolia: 1. Yöelämä ja alkoholikulttuuri. 2. Ihmiset on todella sosiaalisia ja rakastaa yhdessä olemista ja ulkona käymistä. 3. Kaikki paikat, jopa vaatekaupat kuten H&M, on auki iltayhteentoista asti. Monet ravintolat ja kahvilat on ympäri vuorokauden auki, lähikaupat on kaikki 24/7. 4. Ihmiset on ihan älyttömän muotitietoisia! 5. Korean Entertainment industry elikkä musiikki, elokuva, TV ym bisnes. Kiehtoo mua ihan älyttömästi ja tää on just se syy miksi oon tullut tänne mediaa opiskelemaan.
Q: Are you considered as a skinny / normal /chubby girl in Korea? Does it put pressure on you because they are like obsessed with appearance? (By the way you're so pretty)
A: Thank you !! I am definitely considered as chubby here in Korea ! The truth is, Korean people consider 99% of us foreigners chubby even though on our Western scale we would be completely normal or even skinny. It's ridiculous ! I have friends who are lot smaller than me and even they get called " a bit fat " by some Koreans and we sit there staring at them in disbelief like ....wait, what? But in Korea they are veeery straightforward and don't consider making remarks about your weight or appearance as a bad thing. It's a common topic to talk about with your friends even though most of us foreigners find it super rude and weird. It definitely puts pressure on me. No need to hide that. I mean before I came to Korea I never even thought about things like these that much but now I'm like legit ready to go get a plastic surgery and I don't even think about it as a weird thing it's just...something people do. So living here totally fucks you up, excuse the expression.
Q: Would you actually marry a Korean boy and spend the rest of your life in Korea with him?
A: Hahaha I don't see a reason why I couldn't marry a Korean guy if I happened to meet someone open minded and not too... um, let's say, Korean...person. But living in Korea for the rest of my life? Not sure, to be honest. I'd want to probably raise my kids in Finland where I have my mom and my family. Ideal situation would be like to kind of have a home in both countries I guess, but I would definitely want my kids to attend school in Finland because it's well, free, and the education is so much better over there.
Q: Do you work part-time? I remember you talked about how your friend got serious problems from doing so, can you please explain?
A: I don't work part-time currently because our uni has this rule where you need to wait 6 months before they let you work (I have no idea why though). My friend basically worked without a proper visa and got caught and sent back to home. But before that she was kept in some jail-like place for about a week which is just. horrible.
Q: What kind of phone do you use? Also could you sometime show us your makeup or clothes (like a lookbook type of a thing would ne nice) // Mikä puhelin sulla on? Voitko joskus näyttää sun meikkejä tai vaatteita (joku lookbook-tyylinen juttu ois kiva)
A: I use Samsung galaxy Note 3 ! Been my baby for the past 2 years and I love this phone. I could, definitely~ When I buy new makeup I usually do blog about it but I mean I guess I could do a makeup collection video or blogpost of some sort as well. Also lookbook is something I would like to do, too, but that's still under...lots of work. hahahah (Very camera shy person here hi) // Mulla on Samsung galaxy note 3 ! Ollut mulla nyt n. 2 vuotta ja oon tykännyt kovin ! Ja meikkejä voin hyvinkin näyttää voisin vaikka tehdä jonkun meikkikokoelma videon tai blogipostauksen tässä joskus kun aikaa löytyisi. Lookbook on kans sellanen mikä houkuttelisi mutta tarviin aikaa henkisesti valmistautua siihen vielä.. hahah (linssikammoinen täällä moi)
Q: Can you give any tips for us who want to study in Korea but attended a vocational high school instead of a regular one. Can we still apply for universities in Korea? // Anna jotain vinkkejä meille jotka haluaisivat Koreaan opiskelemaan mutta eivät ole käyneet lukiota. Kannattaako amistutkinnolla lähteä hakemaan Koreaan yliopistoon?
A: So this is kind of confusing for me as well but I will try my best. Korea does have vocational high schools as well but even in those students still learn lots of normal subjects and study according to the national curriculum and only take extra classes relevant to their specialization starting from second year. About 25% of students from those schools get into universities. I don't know how similar other vocational schools abroad are with Korean schools but in many of official university web pages it does say a requirement to get into a university is a high school diploma, as we foreigners can't take the same korean exams koreans take when they finish high school. But if you still want to come to Korea to study there are language schools and programs that you can (probably) apply to without having a high school diploma or there are also vocational higher education schools I've seen around and I think getting into one of those would be possible with a vocational high school diploma? I haven't really investigated that much but those do exist nevertheless ! //EDIT Some schools do accept vocational school certificates ! // Tää on vähän mutkikas juttu mutta koitan parhaani mukaan vastata. Koreassa on kyllä amiksen tyylinen vaihtoehto lukio-oppilaille mutta jopa näissä "amiksissa" oppilaat opiskelee pääsääntöisesti normiaineita ja sit vaan ottaa extrana näitä "oman alan kursseja". Kaiken lisäksi koreassa on nää loppukokeet joiden kautta yliopistoon voi pyrkiä joten näillä oppilaillakin on mahis mennä yliopistoon toisin kuin suomen amiksista valmistuvilla. Kun katselee yliopistojen sivuja siellä aina lukee, että vaatimuksen high school certificate, joten mä sanoisin että ikävä kyllä yliopistoon ei oo mahdollista hakea amispohjalla.. Mutta Koreassa on myös ammattikorkeakoulu-tyyppisiä laitoksia jonne sit taas voi olla ihan eri homma hakea. Sit on myös kielikouluja joihin mun muistaakseni tarvitaan vaan jokin kolmannen asteen koulutus eli amispohjallakin voi sinne hakea jos haluaan koreaan tulla asumaan ja oppimaan kieltä. //EDIT Jotkut yliopistot hyväksyvät amistodistuksella hakemisen !! Joten kannattaa siis vaan selata yliopistojen sivuja tai laittaa rohkeasti spostia ja kysyä :)
Q: What's your fave Korean dish? What food do you dislike?
A: I like lots of Korean foods.. as long as they're not spicy. Bibimbap is amazing, as well as Pajeon, jjimtak, Korean barbeque meat, fried chicken, kimbap, mandu, all kinds of warm soups are also amazing but often very spicy so I'm sitting there crying while eating, LOL. I have yet to meet a dish I full on dislike. Usually the food is just too spicy for me and that's the reason I don't eat it.
Q: Hey Julia ! Stupid question... But I am coming to Korea at the end of June and and I am worried about the expenses and how much money can I afford to spend monthly.. I am drinking about 2.5-3l of water daily. Is bottled water expensive in Korea? Or can you drink tap water?
A: There's no stupid questions! I am also a huge water freak. One big bottle of water is usually around one or two dollars in a convenience store but if you go to big markets they sell huge 6 bottle packs of water for like 3 or four bucks!! It's soo convenient if you like exclude the weight and the horrible walk home because the thing is heavy af. Tap water usually tastes weird but if you can get over the taste I mean why not drink it every now and then. The tap water in my previous apartment was horrible so I never drank it but in my new apartment the tap water tastes completely normal so I do drink it sometimes. All in all Korea is a very affordable country when it comes to living and food expenses etc so I wouldn't worry about that too much !!
Q: What are you planning to do after uni?
Q: Tell about Korean drinking culture?
A: Korean drinking culture is craazzzy. It's very common to go out with friends to a restaurant and eat, drink, play drinking games and then continue to the second round either to a club, another bar or karaoke. Usually there are 3-4 different rounds and it's not until 7am when people go home if you party very hardcore. In Korea alcohol is very cheap - soju costs one dollar at a convenience store and 3 dollars in a bar or restaurant. So usually people drink soju shots and beer. Drinking culture is also a big part of university life and work life and there's lots of "회식" aka after-work dinners and "뒤풀이" aka wrap-up parties after long work days and school events or club gatherings. Social life here in Korea is very important and 99% time social life is accompanied with alcohol. There's also lots of rules and like etiquette rules while drinking. Younger people should always fill the glasses of older or people of higher position. You should pour and accept drinks with both hands. When the olders drink the younger ones have to drink too, saying no is considered very impolite. This only applies when drinking in like "formal" situations so when we go out with friends we don't really pay attention to this type of stuff much. But for example one time there were sunbaes (older students from school) drinking with us and we had to be like reaaally careful about all this stuff. Even the koreans stress in situations like these hahah-
Q: Are you planning to get the Korean citizenship?
A: Nope. If I end up living here and having a family here I might try to get like a multiple citizenship of some kind if that's even possible. But nope not really planning that. Finland is a very good country if something happens here or anywhere I want to be able to go back anytime.
Q: What to take into consideration before traveling to Korea or Japan for the first time for about a week? // Mitä kannattaa ottaa huomioon kun suunnittelee matkustamista Japaniin tai Koreaan ensimmäistä kertaa ja matkan kesto olisi noin viikon pituinen lomamatka?
A: Weather. The weather is crazy in Japan and Korea during summers and on the winter it can get super cold in Korea. Also many people don't speak English very fluently but nowadays because of tourism many people know at least the basic words in restaurants or stores. Mostly I'd just suggest to kind of maybe learn about the etiquette because in Asian countries, especially in Japan, there's lots of rules and whatever so you don't want to accidentally like.. be rude to someone? // Sää kannattaa ottaa huomioon ja miettii vähän sitä matkustusajankohtaa sen kannalta sillä molemmissa maissa on kuolettavan kuuma kesällä. Kevät on paras ajankohta matkustaa myös esim kirsikankukkien puolesta ja sääkin on silloin tosi bueno suomikesä sää. Sit toinen juttu niin varmaan jotain perus etikettiä ja tällästä kannattaa lukasta läpi että tietää ainakin mitä ei nyt kannata ihan heti tehdä jossain ravintolassa tms koska varsinkin Japanilaiset tuppaa olemaan aika pikkutarkkoja tälläisten juttujen kannalta. Muuten en uskois että mitään muuta tarviin sen enemmin ottaa huomioon..
Once again thanks for everyone who participated it was lot of fun to do this and hopefully someone finds this helpful! If you have any questions feel free to comment or send me a tumblr message anytime. I arrived to Finland yesterday and am very excited to spend the next months just chilling and spending time with my family.
xx,
Julia
Halusin vaan sanoa että kyllä on mahdollista tulla yliopistoon Koreaan ammattikoulupohjalta. Kaikki yliopistot ei varmaan ota, mutta osalla on hakuohjeissa vaatimuksena high school tai vastaava toisen asteen 3 vuoden tutkinto. Niistäkin kouluista kannattaa suoraan kysyä että voiko tälläsella koulutuksella hakea kun se kotimaassa antaa oikeuden yliopisto-opintoihin, vaikka nettisivuilla lukiskin vaan high school. Hakijan kannattaa vaan ottaa huomioon että täälläkin yliopistoissa joutuu oikeasti lukemaan ja tekemään töitä paljon paljon enemmän kuin amiksessa ja etenkin vieraalla kielellä akateemisen tekstin lukeminen voi alkuun olla hankalaa ja aikaa vievää. :) Ja erillinen virallinen testitulos korean/englannin kielestä tietenkin vaaditaan. Mulla on tosiaan vaan ammattikoulututkinto ja löysin useammankin yliopiston mihin ois voinut hakea. Mulla on myös scholarship koko tutkinnolle (kun ylläpitää sen tietyn keskiarvon), mutta sen sain muuta kautta koska mun ammattikoulun todistus oli hyvin keskiverto. :D
ReplyDeleteJee hyvä homma !! Kiitos kun jaoit viisauttas meidän kanssa itelläni ei tosiaan ollut mitään käsitystä sen paremmin :D ne yliopistot mitä katselin kun tänne hain niin sanoivat aina että high school certificate,ja kun täällä me ulkkarit ei 수능 koetta voida tehdä kuten esim korealaiset amislaiset voi niin mielsin asian olevan siinä sitten. Mut hei hienoa ja kiitos että kommentoit edittaan sen tohon postaukseen kun kerkeän (:
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