A change of plan/ Muutos suunnitelmissa

Hi!

To those of you that don't know yet (and I'm honestly very sorry that I didn't tell you about this earlier), it didn't work out with the family I was staying with. I moved out on Monday morning and I've been staying at a guesthouse now for free in exchange for work. I'm not going to lie, it was very stressful and hectic last weekend when I was trying to figure out where I could live (as the family had told me on Friday evening that they wanted me to leave by Monday the latest). Fortunately I got an opportunity to have an interview with the manager of this guesthouse on Sunday and I could move here already on Monday. It's been slightly challenging getting used to living in a small dorm with five other girls and basically to have to really look after myself properly. I know that I've had a very privileged and sheltered life in Finland and now I've had to learn the harsh reality of the real world in a country completely different from my own. I don't want to worry you, I'm honestly alright. The girls I share the room with are nice and the work isn't too bad (just cleaning the rooms of the guests in the guesthouse). I've also made some new friends, with whom I visited the Gyeonbokgung Palace yesterday, which was beautiful. This is just the first time in my life that I really have to do everything myself, I'm finally (?) becoming an independent adult. It's a challenge, but hopefully I'll get used to everything over here soon and start to feel truly comfortable in Korea. This is definitely a life changing experience!

Moi!

Te, jotka ette tiedä vielä (ja olen oikeasti hyvin pahoillani etten kertonut teille tätä aikaisemmin), yhteiselo perheen kanssa ei sujunut. Muutin sieltä pois maanantai aamuna majataloon, jossa voin asua ilmaiseksi sitä vastaan, että teen töitä täällä. Oli hyvin stressaavaa ja kiireistä yrittää löytää uusi asuinsija viime viikonloppuna, sillä sain tietää perjantai-iltana, että perhe haluaa minun muuttavan pois viimeistään maanantaina. Onneksi sain haastattelu mahdollisuuden majatalon johtajan kanssa sunnuntaina ja pystyin muuttamaan tänne jo maanantaina. On ollut hieman haastavaa tottua asumaan pienessä huoneessa viiden toisen tytön kanssa ja oikeasti huolehtia itsestäni kunnolla. Tiedän, että minulla on ollut hyvin turvallinen ja etuoikeutettu elämä Suomessa ja nyt olen joutunut oppimaan, että todellinen maailma on karu paikka. Kaikenlisäksi olen joutunut tajuamaan tämän maassa, joka on täysin erilainen kuin kotimaani. En halua huolestuttaa teitä, olen oikeasti ihan kunnossa. Huonetoverini ovat mukavia eikä työ niin hirveää ole (asiakkaiden huoneiden siivoamista). Olen myös saanut uusia kavereita, joiden kanssa kävin eilen kauniissa Gyeongbokgung palatsissa. Tämä on ensimmäinen kerta, kun minun on oikeasti pitänyt tehdä kaikki itse, olen vihdoinkin (?) kasvamassa itsenäiseksi aikuiseksi. Se on haaste, mutta toivottavasti totun kaikkeen pian ja alan tuntea oloni mukavaksi täällä Koreassa. Tämä se vasta on elämää muuttava kokemus!

Anteeksi muuten, etten kirjoittanut työharjoittelustani suomeksi, en vain jaksanut. Se meni tosi hyvin, pomo ja työkaverit olivat mukavia ja sain tehdä monia erilaisia töitä, mm. yhteystietojen arkistointia, yhtiön esitteen kääntämistä koreasta englanniksi ja suomalaisen koulutuksen esittelemistä. Yritän vastedes kirjoittaa jokaisessa postauksessa vähemmän, jotta jaksan kirjoittaa sekä englanniksi että suomeksi :P

Now, time for some pictures! Nyt kuvia!

Dorm life/ meidän huoneemme

Our fancy shower/ Laadukas suihkumme

Gyeongbokgung Palace, museum and replica of a 20th century Korean village/ Gyeongbokgung palatsi, museo ja 20-luvun korealaisen kylän jäljennös:

 Until next time, missing you all <3 Ensi kertaan, ikävöin teitä <3

My internship with a Korean social media marketing company

Last week I had my internship with a new Korean social media marketing company situated in Hongdae. To be honest I was feeling nervous about it, as I was scared that my boss was expecting too much of me. I'd been told that my job was to translate the company's brochure from Korean into English, a challenging task for someone whose Korean skills aren't that advanced yet. I would be able to use Google Translate too, but as you may know, Google Translate isn't exactly the best possible tool for translating.

On Monday morning I was feeling nervous due to the pressure of work and I was worried about getting there, as I had to take the bus. What if I got off at the wrong bus stop again? What if I got lost in Hongdae?  What if I was late for work? Fortunately the parents of the family I'm staying with helped me find the route to the office and which bus to take. The dad took me to the bus stop and waited for the bus with me. Then I got on the bus and off I went!

I managed to get off at the correct bus stop and then I had to find my way around the Habjeongyeok subway station, which was quite confusing to say the least. After asking a few people where I could find Exit 2, I managed to find my way out of the station and walked the rest of the way to work. It was also challenging, but fortunately I had the Korean Naver map to help me find my way. I ended up in some shabbier area with old flats and streets without pavements, so people and cars just walked and drove along the same roads. I couldn't find the right building the office was in, so I asked two Korean women sitting outside a convenience shop to help me. I called the office, told them I didn't know where I was and then one of the Korean women talked on the phone on my behalf. It turned out that I was right outside the office all along! It was on the 4th floor above the convenience shop! I was relieved to have finally found it. Here's a picture of the building the office is in, so you can see why I was a bit confused:

It doesn't exactly look like a place where one would expect a social media marketing company to be, does it?

Anyway, after thanking the women, I went inside and climbed up the stairs to the 4th floor. One of the workers opened the door for me and I was immediately faced with yet another language barrier. However, we managed to understand each other in the end (thanks to some translation app) and I went down to the shop to buy some lunch, as I had arrived at the office an hour early. The lady in the shop could speak English and helped me prepare a portion of bland noodles (very exciting, I know).

On my first day at the office I got to meet all of the staff: my boss, three other regular workers and another intern. I was surprised by how small the office and company actually was, but I didn't mind. It was nice and peaceful to work there and my boss was very friendly. The other workers were nice too, although I didn't get to talk to them that much. I was also suprised that I had to take my shoes off (I knew this was a normal custom in the Korean households and at some restaurants, but I wasn't expecting to do so at the office) and instead I wore these:

Comfortable and surprisingly warm slippers!

I had different tasks each day. On Monday and Tuesday I typed the company's contacts' business card information onto an Excel file. It wasn't very exciting, but challenging, as the keyboard was in Korean. Most of the contacts had the most bizarre email addresses! For example here are some interesting ones: wartsnalls@...., eggroll@...., Eggmann@...., octorber@...(yes, octorber, not October). Why would anyone have such unprofessional email addresses on their business cards? It was amusing, but concerning from a professional point of view.

On Wednesday I started translating the company's brochure. I also had lunch with my colleagues at a nearby Chinese restaurant. I ate 짜장면 (jjajangmyeon), which is a Korean-Chinese style noodle dish in a black soybean sauce including pork, vegetables and mushrooms:

It was delicious and the sauce was similar to Bisto's gravy, so it reminded me of home ^^

After some translating, I had the pleasure of watching several video clips, which were part of a project called Pocket Boyfriend. The clips were about five different young men in different types of dating scenarios and to my surprise the guys acting the parts were the members of a relatively new Kpop group called MyName (I've never listened to their music before). My job was to watch the clips and choose which member was the most suitable from a foreigner's perspective. I wrote a short report about each member after watching all of the clips and then stated who I liked the most and why. This information all went towards some romance guidance book that the company I worked for were helping to publish. If you're interested in seeing the video clips, you can check them out on Youtube by typing in "pocket boyfriend". The clips were funny and some very strange, so I suggest you check them out just to see how different dating culture is in Korea compared to Finland. I chose Chaejin as the best boyfriend candidate, who would you choose? ;)

On Thursday I filled in a questionnaire about the Finnish education system, especially concerning the high school and university systems. My boss had met up with a person from Gyeonggido's Education Office and as they're interested in Finnish education, she decided to ask me about it. It was a bit difficult to write about it, as I haven't experienced the traditional Finnish high school system and I haven't applied to uni yet. However, I wrote as much as I could based on what I've experienced, heard from others and what I know. After filling in the questionnaire, one of my colleagues took me out to lunch and to the Han River, where we filmed a few clips in which I answered some of the questions from the questionnaire. It was a hot, sunny day :) Here are some pics:

On Friday, which was my last day at the office, I researched different foreign education systems, such as the British, French, German and American education systems, amongst many others. I felt a bit sad to leave, as I'd enjoyed working there and both my boss and colleagues were really nice. However, my boss wants to see me again in October for an interview with a uni student, so there is something to look forward to :)

Everland amusement park/ huvipuisto

Ciaodums! Moi!

Yesterday we visited Everland, a huge amusement park about 2 hours away from home.We saw various different kinds of animals, went on a safari trip, ate lunch, rode the scary T Express rollercoaster... Check out the pics below:

Eilen kävimme Everland-huvipuistossa, joka oli n. kahden tunnin ajomatkan päästä kotoa. Näimme paljon erilaisia eläimiä, kävimme safari-ajelulla, söimme lounasta, olimme pelottavan T Express-vuoristoradan kyydissä... Katso all olevat kuvat:

There were many ethnic-styled buildings/ Siellä oli monia etnisen näköisiä rakennuksia.

First time I saw a black swan/ Ensimmäinen kerta, kun näin mustan joutsenen.

There was an area where one could feed cute little budgerigars/ Alue, jossa sai ruokkia söpöjä undulaatteja.

A bit like me in the morning/ Vähän kuin minä aamuisin xD

Something I wasn't expecting to ever see, at least not in Korea... a polar bear!
En olisi ikinä uskonut, että tulisin näkemään jääkarhun livenä, edes Koreassa!

We queued for about an hour to get to go on the safari trip in the Lost Valley. The queues were very long for most of the attractions...
Jonotimme noin tunnin päästääksemme Lost Valleyn safariajelulle. Jonot olivat muutenkin hyvin pitkät huvipuistossa...

First time seeing a rhinocerous! /Ensimmäinen kerta, kun näin sarvikuonon!

After the safari trip, we had lunch and then split into two groups. I went on this T Express rollercoaster with the dad of the family. We both screamed/shouted almost all the way through the ride! It was great, the rollercoaster at Linnanmäki is nothing compared to this...

Safarin jälkeen söimme lounasta ja jakaannuimme kahteen ryhmään. Menin T Express-vuoristorataan perheen isän kanssa. Huusimme/kiljuimme molemmat lähes koko ajon aikana! Se oli mahtavaa, Linnanmäen vuoristorata ei ole mitään verrattuna tähän...

This was definitely the highlight of my day! I got to see both 2NE1 and BigBang perform as a hologram ^^ It was really cool and very lifelike. They didn't have U-Kiss performing, otherwise the amusement park would have to be called Neverland instead of Everland (Kpoppers, you know what I mean! ;D).

Tämä oli päivän kohokohta! Näin sekä 2NE1:n ja BigBangin esiintyvän hologrammina ^^ Se oli tosi siistiä ja hyvin elävännäköistä. U-Kiss ei esiintynyt, muuten huvipuiston nimen pitäisi olla Neverland Everlandin sijaan (Kpop fanit, tiedätte mitä tarkoitan! ;D).

I'm off to buy me some dinner now, it'll be summin' ewse... Toodles!
Lähden nyt ostamaan itselleni illallista... Moido!

Getting off at the wrong bus stop and grocery shopping at 하이마트/ Väärä bussipysäkki ja ruokaostoksilla Haimateussa

Hi!

Today was my first full day in Gimpo, Korea. So far everything has gone well. I guess I could tell you a bit about my flight over here.

I was excited to fly to Seoul Incheon International airport all by myself. I was a bit worried about who would sit next to me on the plane, as I'm slightly sensitive to smells (if you catch my drift...). However, I was pleasantly surprised to be sitting next to a friendly Korean grandmother, who spent most of the flight showing me pictures of her family and her holiday around Eastern Europe. We talked only in Korean, so I probably understood less than 50% of what she told me. Yet, I managed to grasp the main points and learned some more Korean, as she was eager to teach me :)

We arrived here safe and sound and I couldn't help but laugh at the slogan written above the immigration office: "Korea Immigration Where We Greet the World". It was definitely more welcoming than Ian Foote from Come Fly With Me xD

The Korean family I'm staying with were waiting for me at the airport. It was lovely to finally meet them and after talking a while they played BigBang's songs and other Kpop songs in the car on our way home ^^ The day was mainly spent eating, unpacking and resting. Below are some pictures of lunch and dinner:

Lunch: two types of 떡볶이 (ddeokbokki, a sort of pasta-like food in a spicy sauce) in the bowls, Korean sausage (a bit like Finnish mustamakkara or English black pudding), deepfried rice-seaweed rolls and deepfried fish. 
Lounas: kaksi lajia ddeokbokkia (pastan-tyyppinen ruoka mausteisessa kastikkeessa), korealaista makkaraa (vähän kuin suomalainen mustamakkara), friteerattuja riisi-merilevä kääryleitä sekä friteerattua kalaa.

Dinner: Korean fried chicken, sausages, chips and noodles mixed with vegetables (not visible in the picture).
Illallinen: korealaista paistettua kanaa, makkaroita, ranskalaisia ja nuudeleita vihannesten kera (eivät näy kuvassa).

Today I had the pleasure of eating a Korean breakfast: rice, seaweed, bread and eggs. The bread is very sweet, like brioche, so it felt like I was eating dessert. Later on in the afternoon I was supposed to meet the mother and daughter at the piano academy. However, it being my first time on a Korean bus and without a companion, I got off at the wrong bus stop. Fortunately the dad then came to pick me up and drove me to the academy, where I taught the daughter English for an hour or so.

We had 불고기 (bulgogi, beef with vegetables) for dinner along with rice, 만두 (mandu, dumplings filled with vegetables) and various side dishes including black beans, kimchi and salad:

After dinner we drove to 하이마트 (haimateu), a large supermarket. I felt like I was at an actual marketplace, because there were various salespeople calling out whatever they were selling, e.g. fish, yoghurt, toiletries -30% off, and there were honestly a few middle-aged/old women (known as "ajumma" in Korea) almost by every corner and in every aisle telling people to taste their products. It would've been heaven for the Finnish grandmas back at home, or at least for my Mummo :D

What added to the marketplace quality was that there were live fish for sale, fresh crabs and even a pet section upstairs where one could purchase a puppy (not for eating!). I also found it funny how many of the products and sections were clearly English words "Koreanised", e.g. 주스 (juseu = juice), 인테리어 (interieo = interior) and 멤버 대이 (membeo daei = member day (which is why the toiletries were -30% off)). Another strange thing was that instead of putting one's shopping into grocery bags, one puts them back in the trolley after purchasing them, then reconstructs used cardbord boxes to place the groceries in them. I really wanted to take a picture of the box-area, but I felt a bit silly (it's normal over here, after all). I couldn't help but think how impractical it all was, but I guess it's more environmentally friendly than using new plastic bags everytime one goes shopping.

That's all for now, more about family life later on :)


Ja nyt suomeksi vähän lyhyempänä. Mitä meninkään lupaamaan...

Lentomatka meni mukavasti. Oli jännittävää lentää yksin Seoul Incheon International lentokentälle ja täytyy myöntää, että huoletti vähäsen kenet saisin matkatoverikseni. Onnekseni erittäin mukava korealainen isoäiti piti minulle seuraa ja näytti valokuvia perheestään sekä Itä-Euroopan matkoiltaan. Puhuimme pelkästään koreaa, joten ymmärsin varmaan alle puolet siitä, mitä hän innoissaan kertoi. No jaa, ainakin ymmärsin pääasiat ja opin lisää koreaa, sillä hän oli myös innokas opettamaan minua :)

Korealainen perhe, jonka kanssa asun täällä Gimpossa, olivat odottamassa minua lentokentällä. Oli mukavaa vihdoinkin tavata heidät. Vietin eilispäivän syöden, leväten ja matkalaukkua tyhjentäen. 

Tänään sain nauttia korealaisen aamiaisen: riisiä, merilevää, leipää ja kananmunia. Leipä oli hyvin makeaa, kuin briossia, joten oli kuin söisi jälkiruokaa. Myöhemmin iltapäivällä minun oli tarkoitus tavata perheen äiti ja tytär pianokoululla. Matkustin ensimmäistä kertaa korealaisella bussilla ja kaikenlisäksi yksin, joten ei ollut mitenkään yllättävää, että jäin pois väärällä pysäkillä. Onneksi perheen isä tuli hakemaan minua ja vei minut koululle, jossa opetin tyttärelle englantia noin tunnin ajan. Illallisella söimme bulgogia (ei bulldogia), eli naudanlihaa vihannesten kera, riisiä, manduja, eli vihannesmykyjä, sekä muutamia sivuruokia, kuten mustia papuja, kimchiä ja salaattia.

Illalisen jälkeen menimme ruokaostoksille Haimateuun, suureen ruokakauppaan.Tuntui kuin olisin ollut ihan oikealla torilla, sillä myyjät huutelivat asiakkaille mitä he myivät, mm. kalaa, jogurttia, alennuksessa olevia hygienatarvikkeita, ja oikeasti lähes jokaisella kulmalla ja käytävällä oli muutama keski-ikäinen nainen, joka kehotti maistamaan myytävää tuotetta. Se olisi ollut suomalaisten mummojen taivas, tai ainakin oman Mummoni taivas :D (Kukapa nyt ei ilmaisista maistiaisista pitäisi?)

Myynnissä olevat elävät kalat, tuoreet ravut ja yläkerrassa olevat lemmikit lisäsivät tori-fiilistä. Oudointa oli kenties tapa pakata ruokaostokset. Sen sijaan että ne laitetaan muovipusseihin, ostokset laitetaan takaisin ostoskärryyn maksun jälkeen, viedään pakkausalueelle, jossa vanhat pahvilaatikot kootaan itse ja jonne ostokset lopulta laitetaan. Tämä vaikutti hyvin epäkäytännölliseltä, mutta kai se on ekologisempaa kuin käyttää aina uusia muovipusseja.

Tämä oli nyt tässä, lisää perhe-elämästä myöhemmin :)

 My room/Huoneeni ^^ Time for bed! Nyt nukkumaan!

Going to Korea :D Matkalla Koreaan!

안녕하세요! Ciaodums! Moi!

This blog was originally a project started last year at a Community Journalism Workshop I took part in, which is why you will find some earlier (random) news-related posts. Now I'll be using it as my travel log for my three months' stay in Korea! I'm travelling tomorrow and I must say that I'm excited... I'm going to the land of K-Pop! (Sorry for the fangirl moment ^^' There will be plenty of those...)

Anyway, I'll be posting something here once or twice a week in both English and Finnish to cater for all of my lovely family and friends (men inte på svenska, eftersom min svenskspråkiga vänner talar engelska också :P) and whoever else might be reading this. Do feel free to leave comments, ask questions, share your thoughts, start a TOK debate, anything ;) (well, almost anything...)

I look forward to sharing my stories with you soon! 



Tämä blogi oli alunperin projekti, jonka aloitin viime vuonna ollessani Community Journalism työpajalla, eli kirjoittamassa paikallisia uutisia yms., sen takia täältä löytyy muutama uutis-aiheinen postaus. Nyt tämä blogi toimii matkapäiväkirjanani kolmen kuukauden ajan ollessani Koreassa! Matkustan huomenna ja on pakko myöntää, että jännittää... olen sentään menossa K-Popin synnyinmaahan! (hehee... ^^')

Takaisin asiaan. Aion kirjoittaa tänne noin kerran tai pari kertaa viikossa sekä englanniksi että suomeksi, jotta kaikki ihanat perheenjäseneni ja ystäväni sun muut tuttavat voivat lukea tätä blogia. Kommentoikaa, kysykää kysymyksiä, jakakaa ajatuksia, aloittakaa väittely, tehkää mitä tahansa ;) (tai melkein mitä tahansa...)

Odotan innolla, että pääsen jakamaan kokemuksiani teidän kanssanne!

Olivia x

Young families affected by child benefit cuts

The families of new-born babies might no longer receive the same childcare benefits as before.  Due to city savings and investments, the Espoo-lisä childcare benefit will decrease.

Families visiting WeeGee museum today gave their thoughts on potential benefit cuts. The Linja-aho family have three children and are about to move to Espoo, so the change will affect them.

Mother Minttu Linja-aho said: “The notice time is too short, if one has a tight budget.” Her husband Vesa added: “There should be at least one year’s notice, if someone has a low income and is planning on having a child.”

                                                                                                                                                                       Minttu, Vilho and Vesa Linja-aho

Ville Kuusala,who also has a young family, pointed out: “The city must look at the whole picture, what the citizens need and so decide what sectors to make cuts on.”

                Ville Kuusala

The city plans on investing 8,4 million euros on income and labour market support, while only investing 6,4 million on the child benefit.  Currently 3,000 children receive the Espoo-lisä benefit. The cut will result in about 1,000 children not receiving the benefit. 

               

News story on drama performances at Entresse library

The final year drama students performed creative improvisations and scenes from their latest play at Entresse library in Espoon keskus. 

The students from Espoo's School of Performing Arts (ESKO) were raising awareness about their school and promoting their future performances on Tuesday evening.

Teacher Janne Jokelainen said:           “I've never seen so much energy before, it was great!”

Student performances included improvised role plays, forming statues and previewing scenes from their forthcoming play to an audience of library users.

Next, the students will perform Satu Rasila's Finnish drama Kohtalona murha at Kannusali theatre from April to May 2015. 

More details for booking tickets will be published at http://www.esko.fi/etusivu next year.