Dynamic S(e)oul

I am learning the Hangeul language at SNU’s Language Education Institute (LEI). I think this might help to gel with the city and its culture in the true sense.

I met so many international students who have come to SNU not only for academic reason but also to experience the Korean culture. A conversation over coffee, at Fanco Café (near LEI), with them was really gripping. Even though we came from different countries, backgrounds, and culture we shared something in common.

Seoul, a city where it is impossible not to feel alive, is dynamic. A concrete-high rise industrial powerhouse bordered by bottle-green coloured mountains. It is home to old, short heighted but strong men with backpacks and mountaineering stick. One cannot possibly avoid the sight of impossibly beautiful girls flashing shiny leather bags and stylish metro-sexual men sporting hi-tech electronic gadgets. On a ride in the Seoul Subway, everyone is busy. Some may be watching TV on their mobile phones, some may reading a Korean literature and some may be saving time on their sleep.

But the one thing that distinguishes Seoul and makes it a exciting place to live is the love of eating together. Eating places are open almost 24/7.

It is great food, great people, and great culture. But I am still a stranger in Seoul.

Nalin Chakoo