Being a member of an International & Korean university club really has certain perks. It allows us to truly feel like part of the students' community, experience Korean university life on a deeper note, practice our Korean language and develop more sincere friendships.
The reasons mentioned above are why I decided to join a university club as soon as I had the chance to. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we haven't been able to meet within large groups of people. But, that hasn't stalled either the club or the members from engaging in stimulating activities.
The monthly schedule was to be divided into teams of four people and create an activity plan together. Keeping in mind having to choose one of the club's three divisions to center our plans accordingly.
Without further ado; here's how a regular cultural exchange activity in my Korean university club looks!
Our plan was initially to go to Damyang, have lunch, visit the Bamboo forest, do some outdoor sightseeing then chill at a local cafe. However, we were late (because of me) and even considered cancelling the trip since Damyang was about an hour away.
I wasn't going to let that happen because of my lack of proper timing and insisted we go (we all really wanted to go, so there was no convincing needed.)
So the plan turned out to be: Eat lunch, take the bus, visit the bamboo forest.. spontaneous activity if the time allows!
1. KalGookSoo
Kal literally translates to knife, Good is broth and Soo.. well I'm not too sure but eventually together, the name of the dish means Knife noodles! And if I may? it is a delight!
Smooth transparent rich broth, freshly sliced zucchini & cucumber, perfectly cooked clams and tender chewy noodles. Truly, it tasted like a symphony.
Perks: These KalGook Soo were 100% Halal!! (the broth might have meat depending on the restaurant so make sure to ask).
2. Bus stop
Since yours truly was late, after lunch we decided to take the afternoon bus.. U-square is quite the distance so we took a cab and barely made it (running is a good exercise after KalGookSoo)
3. Arrival to Damyang
The bus station was quite different than I'd imagined and so was the city. For some reason I thought it'd be more lively as I've seen photos of my friends' trip there but it's rather calm, small & quiet.
4. Bamboo forest
First time seeing Bamboo trees was exhilarating. It was like a scene from an Asian animation. The green scenery was mesmerizing, the smell of the soil & the sight of sky peeping through the branches when we look up was heart-rendering.
Luckily, my team and I had one thing in common: a love for taking photos!
We took pictures at almost every nook & cranny of the forest, took a look around the museum (yup! there's a museum and a tiny village inside the forest) and even got lost for about 30 minutes trying to find our way back.. hehe..
5. Way back
Unfortunately, we couldn't enjoy different sightseeing due to the late time & having to catch a bus back to our city.
6. Board Cafe
After safely arriving back to our city, we decided the evening was still young and instead of going to the all time classic Karaoke, we went to a Board game cafe! This one was a local cafe near our university but I've never heard of it before. Thanks to my Korean teammates, I was able to discover such a place and experience it for the first time. While enjoying some refreshments, we played the spy or einstein code game (I have no idea what the game name really is..) and UNO!
7. The end
To sum it up; our cultural exchange activity was going to a different city, trying new food & a new experience! Each activity plan is different than the other and each team is different but we all share a sincere trait which is; being a world citizen. We all enjoy learning about different cultures, languages & engaging with people who are different from us.
My favorite memory of that day? Talking in Korean about a deep topic (for the first time) with my Korean teammate. We got closer through it & could understand one another better despite being from entirely different countries & ethnicities.
