Try to Remember this Things if You want to Study Abroad

"Jadi kaum minoritas itu tentang bagaimana cara menyesuaikan diri tanpa kehilangan jati diri, dan itu susah."

Selama tinggal di Indonesia selalu terbiasa jadi kaum mayoritas. Selalu terbiasa semua tersedia, jadi anak manja yang mau ini ada mau itu ada, gak perlu usaha. Contoh, ketika mau makan, yaudah tinggal beli aja apa yang dimau, di Indonesia kan mayoritas Islam, semua-semua halal, kalo jual yang gak halal pasti dituding ini itu. Padahal emang kenapa kalau mereka jual makanan gak halal? Ya gampang aja, orang muslim ga usah makan disitu. Habis perkara. Tapi sekali lagi, mayoritas. Muslim itu mayoritas di Indonesia, dan mayoritas selalu menang.

Disini, cari makan cenderung susah. Gak ada restoran yang bener-bener halal, terus saya harus apa? Harus marah? Ya gak bisa kan. Saya yang harus menyesuaikan diri, ini rumah orang, saya ga bisa melakukan semau saya. Tapi tetap, saya menghindari yang tidak halal, sebisa mungkin.

Sama dengan tradisi 'minum' disini. Saya gak bisa minum, terus saya harus apa? Melarang teman-teman untuk minum? Ya nggak lah, tinggal saya yang menempatkan diri, kalau memang ga bisa 'minum' ya gak usah 'minum', bawa aja air mineral dari asrama, atau ya beli Cola. Habis perkara.

"Dimana langit dijunjung, disitu bumi dipijak"

Setiap tempat, setiap daerah, setiap negara pastinya punya tradisi, kultur, dan budaya masing-masing. Hormati mereka. Ini rumah mereka, kita yang numpang. Di Korea Selatan, mereka sangat menjujung nilai kesopanan. Semua diukur berdasarkan umur dan senioritas. Ada paling tidak (yang saya tau) 3 tingkatan bahasa di Korea (tolong di koreksi kalau salah). Formal, bahasa formal digunakan pada orang yang lebih tua, lebih senior, atau orang yang baru ditemui. Semi-formal, digunakan pada orang yang lebih tua atau senior tapi sudah kenal dekat. Banmal (informal) digunakan pada yang seumuran atau lebih muda atau junior. 

Tradisi lainnya disini adalah melakukan segala sesuatunya dengan cepat dan tepat waktu. Jangan berjalan malas dan santai ala di Indonesia kalau gak mau ketabrak sama orang lain yang jalan kelewat cepet. Saat menggunakan transportasi umum, jika tidak ingin berjalan di eskalator, berdiri di sebelah kanan.

"You are not a tourist, act like a citizen will you?"

Kalau kita datang dan akan menetap dalam waktu yang lama, berlakulah seperti orang lokal. Jangan memposisikan diri sebagai turis dan mau diperlakukan special di setiap kesempatan. Pelajari bahasa mereka, budaya, adat, dan kebiasaan. Berlakulah seperti penduduk sekitar, ikuti kebiasaan mereka. Insyaallah hidup jadi lebih mudah dan kita juga jadi lebih mudah di terima oleh penduduk lokal.

Saya bukan menggurui, cuma mau memberikan pandangan dari sedikit pengalaman saya saja hihi. Semoga berguna dan bermanfaat untuk semua. Happy study abroad :D

@falenoo

This is my first VLOG ever!

So, i am getting stress today because i have to drop a class and i only took 12 credits so now i only has 9 credits left and i am stress.

Forget the grammar and forget my uncontrolled face and also forgot my annoying voice and don't watch it if you don't want it hahaha.

So the contain of this VLOG is about the difference between universities in Indonesia or at least SBM ITB and in Korea or at least Sogang GSIS.

So, enjoooooooy :D

What to Bring to Seoul

Hey and Hello again guys hihi, this post will be in bilingual between English and Indonesia because i am tired to speaking in English and broken Korea all day long.

So, the topic for today is What to Bring to Seoul instead of doing my summary and essay for my class, i am writing this blog lol. Penjabaran apa-apa yang harus dibawa ke Seoul ini berdasarkan sudut pandang saya sebagai orang Indonesia dengan mata uang Rupiah dan dengan kultur melayu kental.

1. Bring your running shoes

No no, ini bukan karena disini ga ada running shoes, bukan juga karena harga running shoes disini mahal, tapi karena kultur yang ada disini. Kalau di Indonesia kita bisa bertahan berbulan-bulan jalan dengan sepatu teplek (flat shoes), saya rasa sepatu itu akan rusak setelah dipakai kira-kira 2 minggu disini. 

Disini semua dilakukan dengan berjalan kaki dan naik tangga. Akan jadi hal yang aneh dan semua orang pasti melirik kita heran kalau kita naik lift hanya untuk naik satu atau dua lantai dan atau jika kita naik bus atau subway hanya untuk satu pemberhentian. Jadi, sepatu akan lebih cepat rusak disini. Tapi jangan heran, cewek-cewek disini bisa memakai wedges atau bahkan heals untuk hiking. Kalau anda merasa kuat silakan, tapi jangan dipaksakan atau kaki akan sangat menderita.

2. Bring your favorite Shampoo, Conditioner, and Deodorant

Ini juga bukan karena barang-barang ini ga ada disini, itu semua ada kok. Dove, Pantine, Head and Shoulders dan teman-temannya tetep ada disini, tapi harganya............ 

Sebagai perbandingan ya, saya beli Shampoo Dove yg ukuran agak besar dengan harga 6000 Won atau hampir setara dengan 60.000 rupiah dan conditioner dengan harga 7800 Won atau setara dengan 78.000 rupiah, kalau ditotal saya sudah keluar uang 138.000 Rupiah hanya untuk shampoo dan conditioner sedangkan harga catiokan rambut disini hanya 22.000 won alias 220.000 Rupiah.

Sama halnya dengan deodorant, sudahlah susah dicari, harganya pun selangit. Jadi kalau bisa ngestok 3-4 buah aja dari Indonesia untuk berhemat.

3. Bring your own (sorry) tampon

Buat cewek-cewek, tampon ini penting banget untuk mengantisipasi tamu bulanan kan?? Disini memang ada tampon, tapi harganya sampe 10.000 won satu bungkusnya alias 100.000 Rupiah what the heck!! Ukuran tampon disini juga relative kecil kalau dibandingkan dengan yang dijual di Korea, soooo if you want the bigger size and the cheaper price, bring it by your own.

4. Its Okay to bring your own Smart Phone or Tablet from Indonesia

Selama ini yang kita tau kalau pindah ke Korea harus beli HP baru karena HP dari luar gak bisa dipake disini. Tapi tenang aja, sekarang di Korea beberapa provider sudah menyediakan prepaid card untuk foreigner dengan harga yang terjangkau. 

Contohnya, sekarang saya memakai provider Olleh dengan paket data seharga 11.000 won sebulan dengan kuota 500MB (harganya relative sama kayak di Jakarta ga sih?) dan saya tetap bisa menggunakan HP Samsung Galaxy Note II yang saya bawa dari Indonesia. Caranya?? Cukup bawa HP, uang, dan passport ke gerai Olleh terdekat, bilang sama mbaknya "prepaid card". Kalau mereka ga bisa bahasa inggris, biasanya dia akan telpon ke pusat dan minta kita berbicara di telpon. Syarat untuk bisa dapat membeli nomor HP ini adalah kita sudah 3 hari berada di Korea dan HP dalam keadaan unlock. Untuk pembelian pertama, harga simcard 9.900 won untuk samsung dan 5.000 won untuk iPhone, 30.000 won pulsa telpon dan sms untuk 6 bulan, dan saya menambah 11.000 won untuk paket data.

5. Bring 'Sambal' if you like it so much

Sebagian orang Indonesia paling gak bisa makan kalau ga ada sambel, iya kan? Nah coba untuk bawa sambel sachet sendiri dari tanah air. Selain rasanya yang beda, jika kita makan di restaurant fast food, biasanya kita hanya diberi saus tomat dan harus membayar sekitar 500 won untuk sebungkus sambal. 

6. Bawa banyak kunciran serta jepit rambut

Ini sangat amat direkomendasikan sekali oleh saya dan teman-teman, jangan sampe hilang yah kuciran dan jepitannya disini, harganya sangat amat mahal. Satu kunciran rambut bisa berharga sekitar 1000 won atau 10.000 Rupiah. No, i am not willing to buy it with such a high price, so i bring it from home.

Saya rasa ini yang saya ingat. Jika someday saya menyadari ada lagi yang harus dibawa, i might be made an additional post about this. Part 2, maybe? Hehehe. I have to do my essay now. So, Annyeong. Have a nice weekend everyone :)

Love from Seoul,

@falenoo

Being Abroad, Culture Shock, and Realizing

Week 1

Hello there, greetings from Seoul.

Its true that this is my third time being in Seoul, but i have a different purpose now, not as a tourist, but as a student. I am studying International Relation in Graduate School of International Studies Sogang University. Come and say hello to me if you are coming to Seoul or even to my campus. I really exited to meet all of you if you come to Seoul, just let me know.

To be honest, this is my first time studying abroad. Yes, i am studying in the different city before, but its still near to my hometown so i can easily going back on the weekend, but now? The airplane ticket is so high (USD price is really incredible nowadays sigh..) and also i have to take 7 to 8 hours flight to be back home, so i guest, i won't go home that much. 

Why? Why Korea?

Such a simple question but yet everybody asking about this to me. In my point of view, choosing the country for studying is not just about how good the education in that country, but also about the country environment it self. 

Why not US? Why not in some country in UE? Why not going to Australia or Singapore? Its nearer to Indonesia right?

I made a list, i am comparing it and yes i choose Korea. In the simple way, i am not really comfortable with the western culture and i'm scared of it. Australia? Some of my friends studying there and they not recommend someone like me (like what?) to studying there, while Singapore? Singapore is to close to Indonesia and i am worry that i'll be come back home often. So yeah i choose Korea.

Korea has a really friendly atmosphere (yes because it still in Asia) and also people here is not giving a S*** about your business. The environment is really good, the living cost is not as high as Japan and quite the same with Jakarta actually, and yes i do love KPOP.  

Culture Shock

In the first and second time I've been here, i am not really paying to much attention with the people here. At the first time, i come here without knowing a thing. I am purely coming because i have a business here and my colleague at that time is mostly from outside Korea, the environment it self is really formal. In the second time, i come as the tourist who wondering around Seoul with my family, doing shopping, went to the museum and others. And this time, i came as a student, and i got a huge culture shock in my first day at class.

In Indonesia, SBM ITB to be exact, every student can't use a short pants. 3/4 pants is fine, but no short pants. Here, every female using HOT pants in class, not a SHORT pants. In the first class, i showed up with my jeans, t-shirt, and flats shoes and i am surprised that i am the most formal student at the class. Yes i understand that this is still summer (almost fall to be honest) but wow in Indonesia using short pants is not polite, so i am shock! Not only using hot pants, some of the students also using fit flop (sendal jepit) to attend the class, omg my head is spinning around. 

The other culture shock is about the individuality culture here. At first i was thinking that they didn't like me and everything cause we are fine at class but then after class they go by their self anywhere. After a while i got the point that that just their culture to do everything alone. They just going everywhere alone or by two (really good friends) or with their couple (iya pacar maksudnya pacar). In Indonesia, we used to go everywhere on a group aren't we? So this is surprising me a lot. For example, Loise and i just met a week ago in Hongdae because we are going to the same school (Sogang Uni) and we are from Indonesia so we have a common situation. I accompanied her to the real estate agent to find an appropriate flat for her because she didn't living at school dormitory. The agent asked us how long we've been friends because we are really close, we are laughing and told him that we just met 2 days ago and the agent was in shock. People in Korea is not getting close easily he said.

Another culture is taking stairs and walking in beyond human speed. Okay, make a note about this if you want to do a business with Korean people, they are really fast in everything. They are walking really fast and don't like to wait at all. Walking is something in common here, people walking to everywhere. From Sinchon station to my dorm for example, if i were in Jakarta, i will take an Ojek or even calling for my mom to take me from the station. In my walking speed, it will take about half an hour to reach dorm from Sinchon station, but when i am walking with my friends, its only take 10 minutes, FREAKING 10 MINUTES and i am out of breath. 

People also used to taking stairs here. There are two reasons for this, the first one is to save the electricity (?!) and the other one is because they don't want to wait for the elevator. The first time i arrived at GSIS building, i am waiting for the elevator, i was at the 4th floor and will going to 5th floor to the administration room. When i am taking elevator and going out on the 5th floor, everybody looked at me strangely, and now i know that people here will taking a stairs if they just go for one or two level. The other day, i was meeting one of my friends who taking a stairs from the first floor to the 6th floor. I am giving up!

Realizing 

What i am realize? I am realized about how hard and tough our education system is. In the first class, the lecturer explain about rules and the class schedule including the assignment, mid term, final term, and also the absent rules. Everything they explained is really similar with what i have done in Indonesia, for example we should make a class presentation, role games, we can't absent for more that 3 times and anything, but all the people was in shock and thinks that the rule is insane, what??

The other thing is about the require books, so the require books for master degree here is the book that i've been using it for my bachelor degree. I am shock.

So i think its enough for now. I will give more information about what to bring and what to do in the first week you arrive in Korea for studying next time. I don't know when, it can be tonight, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or even next week. Please feel free to contact me or leave a comment bellow if you want to know about how to registering for studying in Korea and all. Or you can email me to falenoo@gmail.com because people find it hard to get the information about studying in Korea, i will help you as long as i can.

Bye now.

@falenoo