Traveling to North Korea?

Im traveling to korea soon and i need HELP!?

• I have alot of questions about skorea and what to expect from it. i just recently graduated from hs and i was wondering if theres any colleges in skorea i could attend to while living there for a year. im only half korean and i live in the US, so another question i had about korea was would they look at me differently since im only half and is life in korea hard to adjust to from western style living? i would also like to hear other peoples experiences that they had from living in korea good and bad :D

• Answer:

  I have been to Korea twice - I am not Korean, but my girlfriend is Korean. I have had a lot of both good and bad experiences there. I first became interested in Korea when I met several Koreans in college - I'm still in college, one more year. I asked a few innocent questions like, how do you say "hello" and other simple things - and before I knew it I was totally addicted to learning the Korean language. A few months ago my girlfriend and I were in Korea - I was doing a semester studying there and she was just there - and I learned a lot about Korean peoples' thinking. It seemed like every male there hated to see me with my girlfriend - they have ridiculous ideas about "purity" -- on the other hand, the women all thought it was wonderful. In Korean society, as in most Asian society, the men are totally dominant, and currently the women seem to be in a little, subtle, rebellion against the traditional structure. One form of that rebellion is dating foreigners - Western men don't control them. However, there is also a general perception that American English teachers are all players, which actually appears to be mostly true. I am talking about the bad stuff, but really Korean people are wonderful. I just recently came back from Korea, but I am already looking forward to my next visit there. You asked about your looks - do you look more like your Korean half, or your non-Korean half? If you look Korean, you need to be able to speak Korean. If not, not. You can live perfectly well in Korea without knowing a word of Korean, but they will mostly believe that if you are Korean, you should be able to speak Korean. Life in Korea is not hard to adjust to. Its wonderful, very stimulating mentally. Basically, the places you wanna live are either Seoul or Busan, and every place in-between is good for weekend touristing-adventures. The cost of living in Seoul is very high -- but I recommend living there for your first time in Korea. Its the best place to learn a lot. After becoming accustomed to life in Korea by living in Seoul for a few months, then I recommend living in Busan. Busan is a city of about 4 million, but it has a small-town feel, and has good beaches and really good cheap seafood. On the other hand, Seoul is a very exciting, busy place of either 13 million or 20 million people, depending on how you count it. I say the city doesn't stop until the buildings stop, so its a lot. Which college are you intending to go to? I studied at Yonsei University for a semester, and thought it was pretty good. However, the high cost of living makes me think I should have gone to Ajou University instead - its not in Seoul, and thus apartment costs are much less. If you really want to study in Seoul, then the best colleges are Yonsei U, Korea U, Hongik U, and if you are a girl then Ewha Women's University. They are all pretty close to each-other, except for Korea U. The areas around and in-between these colleges are a college-kid's paradise. More clubs, restaurants, drinking halls, no-rae-bang's, and everything else essential to having fun in college. On the weekends, when I was there last, my girlfriend and I went mountain hiking or took a bus or train out to the country to see traditional stuff. Hiking in Korea can be very comical. Every old person in Korea goes and hikes the mountains every chance they get. I remember seeing 3 dozen old people stopped about halfway up a mountain on a small level bit of ground, and they were all on exercise machines and doing stretches. The old ajumma'a are the funniest - they all wear the same hiking clothes all the time, even when not hiking, they all wear these big plastic visors, and they all equally short. Just one would be funny, but when you see a whole group of them, and they all look exactly the same, its very comical. Another thing is, when hiking, people are very friendly. On a good weekend there may be a few hundred people hiking the same mountain as you, all talking and laughing. At the summit the men always pull out a beer from their backpack, sit down and enjoy the view and fresh air. There were a few times when I sat at the top of the mountain and talked to some random old guy - it was always very pleasant. I absolutely love Korea. Korea has in a way been a sucking-vortex that won't let me out of its grasp. Its the most fascinating place on earth, and the culture is so enjoyable. Go there - you will love it.