A comparison of Korean music stores:
Korean Street Music:
이대 (Ehwa Umniversity)
This is the area right around Ehwa University and is a very popular shopping area for young people. Part of why it’s popular among university students is because its literally walking distance from other big universities such as Yonsei and Sogang University. The area consists of pretty narows streets with small stores that place there cheaper clothes outsie the entrance of the store to lure you in to the inside of the store. The shopping is comparatively cheaper than most places in Seoul seeing as a lot of shirts are as low as five thousand won and dresses as low ten thousand won. Accessories tend to be even cheaper starting at about a thousand won for earrings and bracelets. However the cheap price also means though that the quality of the clothes is not exactly top notch. However considering the cheap prices the clothes are pretty and cute. The down side is that a lot of stores have similar clothes. So the exact same shirt you see in one store a lot of times is probably also in the store next door. But regardless it’s a fun place to shop and buy cute shirts and casual dresses.
동대믄 (Dongdaemun)
This area is filled with huge indoor shopping centers and is famous for it’s nighttime shopping. The bigger stores open in the morning too but there won’t be many others until it gets later in day. The shopping is very varied in that the clothes range from a little less than department store prices to closer to Ehwa prices. All the centers are basically set up with differeny types of items on each floor. Each floor also has lots and lots of mini booths which each have a different set of clothes and is each owned by a different vendors. It’s all indoors too which is awesome for the Korean heat.
명동 (Myeongdong )
This area is the most touristy shopping of the three mentioned. It is set up as big streets with really trendy and large stores. They also have lots of mini stands that line the street selling socks, shirts, phone cases etc. like they do in a lot of other places in Korea. The prices here also vary depending on the store. Many people foreign brands can be find here including H&M, Forever 21, and UNIQLO. This is also the area that tends of be the most crowded and loud especially with the makeup store workers that shout in Korean and Japanese to get all the tourist attention. However it is beautiful at night and fun to walk around.
저는 홈스테이가족하고 같지 8월3일에 바닷가에 갔어요. 8월3일부터 8월5일까지에 바닷가에 있었어요. 저는 쉈어요. 그리고 수영도 핬어요. 금요일 오후에 모래하트가 파다를시작핬어요. 몇개사람들 봤어요.
저는 말았어요. “도와수세요?”
한명 동생이 도와줬어요. 동생이름이 황준혁 이에요. 그리고 10살이에요. 저는 동생하고 같이 많이 팠어요. 1시간30분동안 팠어요. 그 다음에 파다를 끝났어요! 동생하고 같이 사진을 찍었어요. 아주 재미있었어요! 기분이 행북핬어요!
My host family and I went to the beach from august 3~5. I relaxed and swam. Friday afternoon I began digging a sand heart. Some people watched me. I said, “Please help?” 😀 one kid helped me. His name was Hwang Junhyeok, and he was 10 years old. We dug a lot together. We dug for an hour and a half. Then we were finished digging! I took a picture with him, it was really fun and made me happy! ^^
서울에서 어디가 좋아요?
1. 이번: 청계천/Cheonggyecheon
The Cheonggyecheon is a stream flowing from Gwanghwamun to Dongdaemun. It used to be a natural stream, until covered with asphalt. In 2005 it was reverted back into a stream. Now it seems to be a major hangout. You can come here and dip your feet in the cool stream while listening to undiscovered musicians, while enjoying a fantastic lightshow near the glowing waterfall.
2. 일 번: 광화 문/Gwanghwamun
Upon the first night of meeting with my host family, my host mom prepared 라볶이, 고기, and of course, 반찬. The entire family ate together, and it was my first taste of not only a homemade Korean dinner, but also of Korean mannerisms during a meal. Before we ate, my host sisters said the greeting, “잘먹겠습니다,” and waited patiently for their parents to eat first. As a foreigner, I followed my host sisters and waited. The dinner table was filled with conversation, but with my limited knowledge of Korean, I could barely understand exactly what they were saying. Towards the end of the meal, we said another greeting, “잘먹겄습니다,” and my host mom took out a plate of watermelon. In Korea, they generally eat fruits after dinner.
When I look back on that first night, it was extremely frustrating not being able to join in on the conversations, but the food was simply amazing. I learned a lot about Korean etiquette, and realized the differences and similarities between the Korean and American cultures.
All in all, I enjoy eating at 토마토 김밥. The food is pretty good, the air conditioning is nice, and the cashier appreciates your attempts at speaking Korean. But because of the wide variety of dishes, I think this restaurant is a hit or miss; sometimes they craft fantastic food, but other times the food is mediocre or just plain bad. Be sure to check it out!
-Korean people make pretty decent 일분식. According to Sean, the 일본 돈가누 beats 한국 돈가누: the crisp, but still moist, taste of 코코 가수’s 가수 is better than the 한국 돈가누 that quickly gets soaked in the sauce poured on top of it. Plus, the presentation of this dish was beautiful; on top of a tray were small dishes (we’re in 한국, after all) but the sauce was neatly in a small bowl and the meat was elevated on a metal disk that made sure the meat wouldn’t get soggy.
-Oh, how I love 돈부리– a blend of onions, eggs, (pork) cutlet, and rice to create a bowl of perfection. And 코코 가수 didn’t mess anything up- the 돈부리 tasted near-perfect. I opted for the two extra 새우 (for only 500원!) but it was mediocre. I would have hoped there was an extra meat option, because the shrimp didn’t really taste like anything. But the slightly sweet aroma of the 돈부리 reminded me of how much I miss non-한국식. Biggest problem-SERVING SIZE TOO SMALL! I finished my meal a good seven to eight minutes before Sean. They should at least try and make the bowl look big.
This video gives an insider’s view on NSLI-Y students’ daily lives. Follow three students on their daily commute, snacking with friends, studying Korean, visiting cultural sites, and walking the streets of Seoul.
At some point in time you will probably have to take public transportation in Korea. Although Korean transportation is inexpensive, it is not free. Most people choose to upload money (돈) onto a T-money card, which they swipe on the bus or in the subway (지하철). When the bus doors open there will be a post with T-money written in large letters. Just swipe your card there. In the subway you have to pass barriers to reach the train cars. Place the card face down on top of the machine and then walk through. Do not crawl under the barricade! If you are about to miss a train refrain from running. You could injure yourself or an innocent bystander. In addition, do not try to stop the subway doors from closing. After you manage to catch a bus or subway car, hold onto the poles or handles to prevent falling. If, by some miracle, you manage to find an empty seat do not sit on the ones separated from the rest. Those seats are only for elderly people who deserve them more. A large amount of the older community wield vicious canes that could potentially kill someone, so use your skills of self- preservation. You may witness Koreans sleeping on the subway. Do not do this! Unless you have developed a special subway sense, you could sleep through your stop. Listen to music or play a game on your phone to prevent falling asleep. Make sure that you mute the volume or use headphones. When receiving a phone call, do not converse loudly. Koreans may think you are rude. Now that you know the basic rules, go forth and ride public transportation to your heart’s content.
이화에서쇼핑 해요
너는이화에서bargain for prices. I wanted white wedges and the guy tried selling it to me for 삼만이천원. So I told him 이만팔천원. 그리고 he said ok. At another shop I looked at some 쪼리 and asked the guy 이거얼마에요? He replied 만이원. 저는 쪼리를 밨어요. Then i said 비싸요. 그럼 he said 만원. Since my size 없어요 조는못사요. Of course not every place is open to bargaining but most places where the prices aren’t marked is.
너는캌아달라고말해야해.
Tips on what to say and/or do while shopping:
이거얼마에요? How much is this?
비싸요. Expensive
깎깎주세요.please lower price.
State a price you are willing to pay because sometimes the saler agrees. or a compromise can be made between you and the saler.
And staring at an item like you want it but you are deciding on whether or not to get it, really helps. Don’t be afraid to walk out because sometimes they ask you how much you will pay for the item. If they don’t chase after you, you can always return back to the store/place.