Life in Korea - A note

Assalamualaikum,

I've had a junior in INTEC ask me what life was like in Korea. To be really honest, one blogpost cannot even summarize the multitude of experiences that I have been privileged to gain. Even so, I will try to encompass the general aspects of life in South Korea, mostly as a Muslim Malaysian student.

Student life

There are a number of differences when it comes to being a student during your year in the language institute, and when you are a university student. I can honestly say that the year in the language institute is probably the best. One of the reasons is responsibility is almost zero. All you had to do was attend class diligently, finish homework, attend PPMK's activities and have fun. The first year in Korea is always about knowing and immersing yourself in the Korean culture. You learn intensive Korean for a year, and if you love learning language like me, it would be a challenging yet invigorating experience, but if not, it's going to suck.

You get to go to tons of different places from around Korea, all expenses paid (except for souvenirs). The best part of it is you get to go with all your class mates and batch mates. The thing about being in the language institute is that you do the same thing every day. Every single day. Korean classes start from 9 until 1, and then an hour break before continuing with learning physics, chemistry and maths until 4/5 in the afternoon. You go back, eat, do homework, then sleep.

But don't be deceived. It may sound like a hectic life, but university life is more hectic. You have to fight for a spot to register a class every semester, making sure that the courses don't overlap and that you have sufficient time to pray. Assignments are ridiculously hard and plenty. You start having more responsibilities and even though you do get time between each class, it would always be to eat, nap or pray.

In university, if you end up like me, then you'll want to be almost shameless in making friends. Koreans won't go to you, you have to approach them even if it's their country, even if you're scared and shy. You want to score well? Make Korean friends. If you happen to be the only foreigner in the class and you're scared to talk to Koreans, then you'll start feeling lonely and depressed and just miserable. So being friends with Koreans is important.

Food.

Halal food is hard to find. It can be found in relative abundance in Itaewon, but even that, not so many. It is a relief that Koreans like to eat seafood and there are plenty of seafood in Korea so edible food isn't that hard to find. We eat seafood if we eat outside, and we buy our halal supplies in Itaewon, stock up for a 2 weeks or a month and we're thankful for that. Usually when people go out of their own country, they'll probably lose weight because food is hard to find. Not for me. So that's enough indication that we have plenty of food here.

Koreans and pork and alcohol are infused together. As in, if you want to be really close to a Korean, you'll have to spend time with them drinking alcohol. I have worked around that, and my Korean friends and I are very close just because I am open to share my culture with them. They are intrigued and they love Malaysian food (well, at least the ones that I have cooked for), so it's always a bonus if you can show your culture to them.

Praying.

Praying in Korea is hard. We have no musolla, there is only one mosque in Seoul, and that is in Itaewon. My classes are either back to back, or spaced out an hour from each other. Since my house is a 20 minute walk from the engineering building, there is no chance for me to go back home, pray and come back again for another class. Usually muslim students pray anywhere that is clean with little to zero traffic. We pray under stairs, in emergency stair cases, fitting rooms, you name it, we've done it (except bathrooms of course that's a given.)

There are moments that are especially hard when Koreans see you praying, and they call the police, or telling you to stop because they think you're a terrorist doing some sort of terrorist-y stuff. (I don't know if anyone else has experienced this but this is a personal experience so).

Being a muslimah.

Being a muslimah among non-muslims who don't really have knowledge about Islam is challenging yet humbling. You will be bombarded by questions ranging from "why are you wearing that isn't it hot?" to "Are you bald?" (Yes, I have gotten an are you bald question.) It is a trying time when summer comes around and you are in your hijab and long pants and long sleeve loose shirts and they keep telling you to take it off because it's hot.

It is also challenging when guys are very friendly with you and telling them that you can't touch them becomes a burden and you'll feel like you're going to insult them. Not really. Although Koreans have little knowledge about Islam (my friends think Islam came from India), they are very respectful IF you tell them. Tell them why you have to wear a hijab and tell them why you worship Allah, and tell them why you can't drink alcohol or eat pork. They'll understand, and sometimes go out of their way to make sure you're comfortable (and sometimes remind you when you need to pray).

Sure they'll be rare events where an old lady pulls your hijab because she doesn't like it, or a friend who incessantly invites you to go clubbing, but that's the beauty of living abroad. You have to protect Islam, it's your duty to preserve it, and that's why it's humbling. No one else around you is there to protect Islam, it's only you, and that gives a great sense of responsibility that one must keep.

Lifestyle.

Being late is disgusting. You will lose respect from your peers if you're late. If you're late even one minute, sometimes your presence doesn't even count in your final marks. You are absolutely not allowed to throw trash anywhere you like. Public transport here is amazing and so is the internet speed. If I say so myself, the best thing about Korea is the public transport and internet speed. You walk faster and walk more, and it's the best thing ever because in Malaysia, walking for 20 minutes is like a punishment but here, I walk to school and it takes 20 minutes, if I walk fast.

This is a very short version of life in Korea in general. I am too sleepy to go on, but maybe I'll follow up.

Assalamualaikum.

My Super Woman

Assalamualaikum,

You see guys, you haven't met the most incredible woman in my life. She gave birth to 7 kids, the first one was a caesarean baby, where the doctor said that the chances of her having another baby was very little. But SubhanAllah, He is the Most Merciful and Most Gracious, blessed her with another 6 in tow.

She married early, had a baby 1 year after her marriage, received her Master and PhD with 7 kids. She is a lecturer, a doting wife, a loving mother, a caring daughter. She is patient, and calm and she almost always never worries.

She is my super woman. She is my mother.

Cukuplah dengan membazir masa!

Wahai pemuda! Cukuplah membazir masa!

Masa itu tidak lelah berlari menuju tibanya garisan tamat,

Engkau pula leka bermain di alam mimpi,

Khayal dengan isi duniawi,

Sedang engkau kejar kepuasan yang sementara,

engkau diperhati gerak geri hingga ke pusara.

Bangkitlah pemuda!

Bukankah engkau hidup di dunia dengan tujuan?

Untuk menegakkan kebenaran?

Mengapa engkau masih terpinga-pinga

dengan harta benda yang tidak membawa makna?

Apakah kau sudah lupa

janjimu dengan Tuhan

untuk menghapuskan kebatilan?

Pemuda yang tidur!

Kau kerja siang malam, kemudian kau berfoya,

kau berhibur dan bersuka ria,

sedangkan tanggungjawab kau masih tidak terlaksana!

Mungkin kau berkata,

'Ah cukuplah aku baik sendiri!"

Solat, puasa, zakat, haji,

Kau ingat Islam itu sekadar beribadah?

Kubur masing-masing tak payah bersusah?

Sedangkan kau adalah khalifah!

Di akhirat sana, tentu adanya,

orang yang akan menuntut hak mereka,

terhadap engkau kerana engkau alpa,

tugas kau yang kau tinggalkan,

sementara ramai yang masih dalam kejahilan.

Bangkitlah wahai pemuda!

Ummah berdarah dan merana,

tetapi mereka tidak merasa kerana lena,

Tugas engkau dan aku, untuk mengejutnya.

Drowning.

Sometimes, life takes you by a fine thread, stretches, till the point of breaking, but not quite there yet. I, for one, have experienced this. Sometimes you wonder how God can push you to your limits, until you are fed up with yourself, ready to leave your body and mind to escape the complexity of the world.

The skies rolled grey, brooding like a mother who lost a child, looming over the city with a sense of depression. Everyone felt it. It was one of those days where I hated to get up at all, hated to face another day, hated that the drops of water falling from the skies hurts a bit too much on my skin. Rain nowadays feels like sharp pins, unsympathetic. Ruthless even. I dragged myself out of bed, and though trying to avoid my own reflection in the mirror, I caught a glimpse of my face. Haggard and dried out, like I wasn't a 21 year old girl with a bubbling fountain of youth.

The matter of fact is, that fountain is already dried.

Turned on the faucet and washed my face. Why does life have to be so tedious? Boring? So monotonous. It really was my fault. I had no desire, not even a little ounce of passion to want to turn my monotonous life into something worthy of living. Why should I? What's the point? We're all just going to die anyway.

I didn't even bother to take the umbrella on my way to class. Stepped out, and 2 minutes later it was pouring heavily, the brooding mother weeps and sobs, and the whole city was drenched. I looked up at the sky, and at that moment, I imagined the rain to fill the dark, dirty alleys, flood the busy streets, consume the possessions of man.

I imagined the rain drowning me.

I opened my eyes, and life goes on. But I won't.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

disclaimer/footnote/whatever it is called: I decided that I am pretty rusty in my fiction writing (I used to write a lot of fiction when I was younger) so I'm just writing whatever comes at the top of my head. It is not a indication of my mental health (I'm perfectly fine). I'm trying to delve into writing fiction of a more serious tone, but I have to test my skills first.

I personally enjoy angst fictions, it's like torturing oneself, and I get really emotionally attached to pieces that have raw emotions. Probably my biggest achievement when I was younger was the ability to make people cry through my writing (the good kind not the bad one). I wrote some lengthy fictions before and shared it on an online community but I stopped due to life-hogging commitments.

It's probably horrible (my writing), but fiction was always one of my passions, and writing them greatly improves my vocabulary, so I thought, ehh, why not.

I will not write all of my fictions revolving around angst and depression. I'm sorry if this piece makes you depressed, (if it did then the snippet served it's purpose lol)

Assalamualaikum.

What you should know when applying for the Look East Programme: South Korea

Assalamualaikum and warm greetings!

Congratulations to all the SPM candidates and a huge shout out to my juniors Zealot Boes! The main reason I am writing this post is because, when I applied for this Korean Programme, I had absolutely no idea what I had gotten into.

So, I want to shed some light on the Korean Programme to potential new juniors so that you can contemplate and decide whether this is the right road for you.

Of Hijab and Cheerleading.

Assalamualaikum and warm greetings,

It is the start of a new semester here in South Korea. Spring is slowly coming out of her shell (it's still cold but we were blessed with rain today) and Konkuk University is already buzzing with activities.

This week has been funny and hectic. I now live with two juniors who are one year younger than me. It's their first semester at Konkuk University and sometimes they would come home and tell me stories about their day, how hard it is to attend a class where the professor speaks in Korean and the class material is also in Korean, how Koreans won't even smile at them or how they feel totally left out and ignored.

Tips for Batch 14 Korean Programme

Assalamualaikum and warm greetings,

There's a lot to be happy about when new juniors start their studies in Korea. When I picked them up at the airport, I noticed the tired faces, the different expressions and emotions. Scared, excited, homesick, overwhelming, terrified, nauseous, happy and so on and so forth and I can't help but feel nostalgic when I saw them.

That was me, 2 years ago. Totally innocent, totally full of energy (although not at that moment because 6 hours in a flight can get you pretty cranky), new potentials, new explorations. Just a whole bunch of new experiences waiting to be discovered.

I personally love receiving juniors. When I look at them, I feel a new burst of energy, the passion to keep going in my studies. That was me 2 years ago, promising my family, friends, my nation that I will work hard and that all their money will pay off, that it isn't a waste to invest in me.

And to keep that spirit up, and to make staying in South Korea worthwhile, here are some things I wish I took more seriously.

In debt

Assalamualaikum,

There will come a time when you are up to your nose in hardships, that you find it almost impossible to work your way through. There will come a time when you have no one to turn to and you become desperate.

This was one of those times.

To those who helped me in finding a house, paying for the house, moving into the new house, lending a car, letting me stay at their house because I was kicked out early, giving me their energy and time, buying me food, and not a single complaint and the sorts was heard, from the bottom of my heart,

Thank you. Thank you for not asking a repayment. Thank you for helping me at one of the moments when I felt so choked up. Thank you for everything. Thank you to Allah who sent these people to help me.

I hate feeling in debt, as if I have to pay everyone who has helped me because it helps me feel less guilty for asking for so much help, but even if I wanted to treat everyone who has helped me, that is quite far fetched. All that I can really repay you is my sincere prayers. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Alhamdulillah, I'm surrounded by people who are truly kind at heart, selfless and know the true meaning of togetherness.

Studying overseas has it's perks, and the cons that come with it are enough to make you want to go back crying to your mother, but I figured, that the greatest perk in studying overseas is the sense of togetherness. No one is going to help you more than your fellow Malaysians.

Thank you. Jazakumullahu khairan kathira (may Allah reward you with goodness) to everyone who has helped so far, directly or indirectly.

:')

Things I realized I took for granted after coming to Korea

Assalamualaikum and good day :D

I haven't written for such a long time! I tried to, the ideas are there, but materializing it into words is getting so hard. I was given an assignment in English class, but unfortunately, we were only allowed to write 1 page, with times new roman font 12 and double spaced, and because I love writing, 1 page is obviously not enough. The title I picked for my essay was 'Things I realized I took for granted after coming to Korea."

New year and resolutions?

Assalamualaikum and a happy new year to my dear readers,

As 2013 dwindles down to a close, and precious minutes ticks away till 2014, we busy ourselves with statuses and posts about new years, and the inevitable almost ritualistic exercise of writing out our resolutions. Some of them are so far fetched, so fantasized that even we know, it is almost impossible to reach them.

Let's review 2013. How many of us can say that we have actually achieved our resolutions for 2013? Can you honestly recall things that you have done, that you are proud to mention in 2013? Have you lost a lot of weight? Have you gone on a backpacking trip? Have you made your life more than just study, work, sleep, eat, watch TV, facebook, twitter? If you have, then congratulations to you!

Perubahan.

Assalamualaikum ya pembaca-pembaca yang disayangi sekalian keranaNya.

Apa khabar anda dan iman? saya? umm, gitulah kan. :D

Okay, kali ini, post akan diterbit dalam Bahasa Melayu yakni bahasa ibunda. Tapi kalau ayat cam pelik sikit tu mintak maaf la kan, hari-hari kena improve dah berzaman dah tak tulis artikel bahasa melayu.

Pada suatu hari yang tidak panas, tapi tidak pula sejuk, sejurus aku balik dari Penang, aku mendapat sebuah mesej dari kawan yang aku sayangi kerana Allah.

Syaza aku ada problem.

Apa dia?

Aku malu nak mengaku tapi aku rasa macam aku jadi aku yang sebelum ni. macam mana ek?

If I was a character in the television..

If I was a character in the television,

I would be Anastasia

jealous of Cinderella

Some lessons I learnt in AGM 2013 (Annual Grand Meeting)

Assalamualaikum and a very good day.

November has been the most hectic month for me, as well as it is for almost everybody. It feels like November just passed us by only five minutes and we're already in the last month of 2013.

We had our annual grand meeting, on the 30th November 2013. Compared to last year, it was pretty fascinating since I also actively took part in campaigning. After a long and tiring day inside the hall, I reflected back some of the things I've learnt on that day.

"Why do you wear that thing on your head? Isn't it hot?"

Assalamualaikum and warm greetings on a cold autumn's day. :D

During summer, there is always one question that is frequently asked to me. "Isn't it hot wearing that thing on your head?" or even worse, "Don't you feel suffocated?"

There was once when I was traveling to go back to my house in Konkuk, and one of the ahjumma (read: makciks) didn't even greet me with a proper greeting, and started scolding me because I was wearing the hijab.

She started yelling at me and said that if you are in someone else's country, don't try to impose your culture! You should wear like Koreans when you are in Korea! After nagging me at least 5 minutes, and since all I could do was smile and try not to look affected by her harsh words, she said "Hot! It looks hot! Take it off!" and she started pulling on my hijab inside the train, with everyone else looking at me, all silenced because they don't dare talk back to their elderly. Despite being rather old, I guessed that if we were to have a wrestling match, she would win. That's how scary the makciks are in Korea.

Dating at the mosque?!

credit: Saeed Owairan

Assalamualaikum and good'aye mate! (fail aussie accent) :D

Today, I experienced something new and unique! We distributed pamphlets to Koreans! Not just any pamphlets but pamphlets about Islam! (I think spelling the word pamphlet is a pain but whatever)

So I just wanted to share some funny and weird stories while distributing and explaining roughly about Islam to Koreans.

Blood, Sweat, Tears, Sportsmanship and a sweet thing called Friendship.

credit: Hanis Shauqi

Assalamualaikum and a very good day (even though it's a monday) :D

On 5th October 2013, Malaysian Student Association of South Korea held the annual PPMK Sports Day at Jungseok Aviation High School, Incheon. The students were supposed to gather at 9:00 AM but officially started at 10:00 AM something like that. The day was wonderful, the weather was perfect and you could totally feel the adrenaline and energy that radiates from each student, be it as a player or a supporter.

Just google it.

Assalamualaikum.

This happened to me countless of times, and I think it happens to a lot of people as well.

Have you ever asked a question to someone, and their reply was "Just google it." ? I have. To be frankly honest, I get pissed every time someone tells me to google it.

Maybe it's just one of my pet peeves but I honestly think it's kinda rude to tell someone who's asking you a question to go google something.

Why is it such a big deal to me?

Here's why.

Homesick

Assalamualaikum everyone, and good day.

I haven't written a post in quite some time, with the new semester starting and all that, my head has gotten a bit confused, mixed up and the sorts.

I just came back from Malaysia, after 2 months of holidays. Most of my friends also just came back from their holidays, and mostly everyone misses Malaysia.

I would like to take you guys back 2 months before today, just right after I flew from South Korea to Malaysia. There was one week before I flew back, and in that one week, I wanted to do everything.

I wanted to climb mountains, have picnics, go swimming in clear, cool streams, go shopping, go water rafting, bike rides along Han River, and while most of them I did do, I didn't get to do all of them. After one week, it was finally time for me and my friends to return to Malaysia to spend our summer holidays there, bear in mind that we haven't seen our home nation in nearly one and a half year and we were so excited to meet our families and our friends back in our hometown.

I can't really say on behalf of my friends, but after landing safely in Malaysia, chatting with my family, eating out, and at 8PM, I laid in bed and thought,

"I miss Korea. I want to go back."

Saya masih orang yang sama.

Assalamualaikum! hihu~

Apa khabar pembaca-pembaca setia yang dikasihi Allah sekalian?

Hari ini ada cerita panas, well, tak ada la panas mana, cuma satu fenomena yang agak ajaiblah bagi saya.

Pada suatu hari, Lisa bertemu dengan rakan-rakannya setelah bertahun-tahun tidak berjumpa. Sebelum dia keluar, dia mengenakan baju kurung berwarna biru, selendang lebar bertona serupa, lengkap dengan stokin dan stokin tangan. Lisa yang belajar di UK, baru sahaja mendapat peluang balik ke tanah airnya setelah 2 tahun menuntut di universiti terkemuka di UK.

Dia tidak sabar bertemu dengan rakan-rakannya yang mengenalinya dari umur 13 tahun, malah ada yang lebih lama mengenalinya. Setelah menunggu kedatangan kawan-kawannya dia sebuah restoran di pekan, mereka berpelukan sesama sendiri, tangan berjabat, pipi berlaga, senyuman dilemparkan, sungguh Lisa merindui sahabat-sahabat baiknya.

"Wahh, Lisa, ustazah kau sekarang." Komen Mira tersenyum. Rakannya yang lain turut mengangguk tanda setuju.

"Dulu ingat Lisa kan tomboy, main jerit-jerit dekat laki, pastu ingat tak dia pernah tampar seorang budak tu, apa namanya, haa, Mamat!" Azura pula menyelit, diikuti dengan ketawa rakan-rakan. Lisa pun ketawa, tercuit hatinya mengenang masa yang lalu.

"Alah kau ni, dulu ingat tak kau suka dekat Ali, pastu kau siap bagi dia surat layang lagi, kau jugak datang complain kat aku." Lisa menampar lembut bahu kawannya sambil ketawa dengan ketawanya yang cukup unik.

"Weh, kau still gelak sama lah. Tak berubah pun!" kata Dina.

Lisa mengerutkan dahi, tapi senyumannya tidak lekang.

"Mestilah, aku masih Lisa yang sama kot."

"Yalah, kau kan dah berubah sekarang...."

Changing Seasons

The crackle of fresh snow underneath those boots,

the blackened ice of late winter,

stillness and the smell of death thickens the winter air,

probably the smell of your withering hope.

And spring promises you a thousand dreams,

budding beautiful flowers by the dozen,

slowly but steadily growing with love,

and those hopes of yours looks real

the heat heightens with a fierce intensity,

so does your passion and soul,

the sand is warm under your toes,

as you bask in the shine of your triumphs.

soon leaves start to grow old and darken,

growing frail and eventually kissing the damp floor,

what had gone wrong all along when it was going well?

you soon realize that it was the nature of things.

winter creeps in with it's harsh winds,

you seem to start all over again,

but this time you won't falter in the long nights,

for there will be a new spring by dawn.

-Syaza Mariyah-

1:31PM in my room, Malaysia.