2 Months of "Scratching Itchy Feet"

Again, I'm a bit late writing my weekly entry. Get used to it, dear readers, time's flying here, one week really is nothing for me. Yesterday it's been excactly 2 months that I left (or should I say switched) home. Since Andi already touched on the delicate subject of homesickness, I'm thinking I could pick it up too on that occasion.

What do I miss from Austria, or Europe?

First thing, there's family and friends, of course. It would be nice to see them some time, or have a chat, but I must admit that their absence isn't heartbreaking. Anyone who knows Asia a little will understand that it's difficult to feel alone here, cause you simply never are. Even in my Livingtel I'm not, cause the walls, thin as paper, are forcing me to eavesdrop on my neighbours every conversation.

There's a difference between being alone and being lonely, though. But also here, the answer is negative. Unsurprisingly, among a few 100 exchange students, there are some I really get on with very well, and I also have a couple of Korean friends by now and keep making more (so I hope).

Another thing that could possibly be missed when abroad is food. Could be, but doesn't have to be, as in my case. Back home, I used to practice the What's-in-the-fridge-School of Cooking (I can teach you) and this relatively seldom produces a Brat'l in da Rein or Wiener Schnitzel. I'm fine eating the latter every half a year, and since I did before leaving, I'll be o.k. having one again when I go back. Should I have a really weak moment, there's first, an Austrian butcher in Itaewon, the "foreigners-district" of Seoul, second, a dish called Dongkass that strongly resembles the Austrian Schnitzel, except that instead of potatoes, or fries, it comes with Kimchi, of course.
Yet, I'd rather not dwell on the thought of Grandma's Apfelstrudel for too long, but even a sweet tooth as me is more than taken care of in Korea.

More than I miss Austrian food now, I will definitely miss Asian food when I'm back in Europe. (I mean real Asian food. After my first stay in China, I never went to a Chinese restaurant again back home, cause I dreaded the disappointing experience it would have been.) I love Chinese food for it's incredible variety, and whatever I have tried in Korea, whether it's Korean barbequeue, or something as simple as Mulmandu (dumpling soup, or literally, water-dumplings) it was also always fuckin' mashissoyo (take your guess).

I can do without Austrian cuisine, and also very well without Austria, and most of its people. Salzburg is a lovely little town, and I'm happy about having had it as my Lebensabschnittsheimat (temporary hometown) for as long as 2 years. It was nice while it lasted, but after my degree, there'll not be too much that could make me go back.
What I do miss a little from there though is my "spacious apartment". Anybody who's ever seen it, knows now how my standards, regarding the definition of "spacious", have been lowered here. I'm currently writing in the library, and part of the reason why is that I don't want to spend more time than absolutely necessary in my Livingcell (The other part is that my computer is broken. I hate Windows, it just needs to be yelled out loud).

Another thing that I like about Europe, is 음악, eumak,(live) music. Not that they don't have it here, I find the traditional Korean drums particularly cool, but when it comes to non-mainstream music of today, I have a feeling as if Seoul can't keep up with Salzburg. That sounds weird. So, I guess it'll just take me some more time figuring out where to find it (or find more of it, there's definitely some exiting stuff around here). In particular, my weakness for Eastern European music that is danceable is a little underserved. But, even there's a spark of hope. I heard Shantel & Bucovina Club Orkestar in several Bars already, now somebody needs to convince them to come over and play one of their amazing shows (the same is true for all the other great bands in the field. I can't make a list due to lack of time, space and, sorry, priority).

Speaking of music, this Saturday, we, meaning 2 friends from Lithuania and the US and I, went to the Asia Song Festival, a huge event that was hold in the World Cup Stadium, featuring everything that's crappy and big in Asia right now when it comes to Pop. I guess, when I say Pop, I don't even have to add "crappy" and "big". That's just my personal opinion, no offence to all these approx. 40 000 kids who were waving neon sticks and screaming when Girls Generation, Big Bang, Gackt and the likes entered the stage to lip-sing and do their well practised choreographies.
Needless to say that I did not particularly enjoy myself, but this didn't take me by surprise. It was all about the unique cultural experience (always a good thing to say when a poor decision in a foreign country needs justification).
The facts that this event was sponsored by the Ministery of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Profile Plastic Surgery, and that it was free for foreigners only, are maybe also worth mentioning.

After this slightly bizarre and highly intense experience, we needed a retreat from the city, so on Sunday we headed to Muido, an island near Incheon. The weather was still nice enough for swimming, but when we eventually got to the beach after a hike over the whole island, there was sand, and beach huts, but no water. After initial bafflement, I remembered what I had read about the tides in the West Sea of Korea. It changes by several meters every day, and after some sunbathing, which caused some bewildered stares by Koreans who were hiking the island in their full hiking gear, the water came back and we jumped in. (That caused some more bewildered stares). At this time of the year, Koreans don't go swimming anymore, which left us pretty much alone on the beach. It was nice and this weekend I want to go to Jeju-Do, Korea's biggest island, to stretch summer a little further. Hopefully there's affordable flights out there.

Apart from all that, I'm pretty busy studying. Korean for Beginners got a little more challenging (we started to do stuff) and there's a couple of presentations to prepare. These however are very much like what I was used to do for 2 years at the FH Salzburg. Even though I'm usually rather critical of that institution, it apparently wasn't all a waste of time.