Global Korea Scholarship application - Do's and Don'ts

The Global Korea Scholarship is open for application, and the deadline is 15 March 2022. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Zimbabwe posted the call for applications on their Facebook page. They highlighted all the application procedures (see poster below). 

Poster extracted from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Zimbabwe (Facebook Page)

They "Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Zimbabwe Facebook Page" specified that Zimbabwean, Zambian and Malawian students are eligible to apply for this scholarship (on another Facebook post). The program package includes a 12 months Korean language training, Masters or PhD tuition, stipend, insurance, airfare and other grants for study completion. It's the best scholarship and an opportunity one can easily come to South Korea to further their studies. I urge you to follow the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Zimbabwe Facebook Page for more details concerning this scholarship offer,  read all the instructions, apply and also share the information.

The deadline is 15 March 2022, there isn't much time but you can run around now and make your documents ready for submission. Do not submit incomplete applications; this is a competitive scholarship, you-snooze-you-lose kinda scenario. Do not use middle-men to process your documents, this is a genuine scholarship so at this application stage, all communications should be between you and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Zimbabwe. I mean do not pay anyone to process any of your documents, scammers are there (beware of them and resist the temptation). Just follow the procedures outlined on the scholarship site and instructions provided by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Zimbabwe. One more thing: Do not inbox me for further assistance or clarifications because I do not know how they select or screen the documents. Therefore, your communications should be between you and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Zimbabwe! GOOD LUCK!!! Please apply and good luck everyone.

I purposefully didn't attach any links on this post because I want to avoid any corrupt software from interfering with this post. Simply search for the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Zimbabwe (Facebook Page) and start your preparations now! 

If you want to know more about life in Korea, please check us, Zimboz in Korea page on Facebook. If you want to apply for other scholarships, partial scholarships or full scholarships offered by Universities in South Korea please join our Facebook page Scholarship Plug Korea.

5+ things African women complain about in Korea

 I am writing this post so that you understand what we go through in Korea. Being away from home, the new environment and culture affects our well-being... The 5 things we African women complain about in Korea are:

1. Hair braiding is so expensive, it costs from 50,000 to up to 250,000 won (roughly 50 to 250 USD) for the cornrows, micro to box braids and fancy weave hair styles on a fix and supply basis. 

Box braids by one talented sister in Itaewon,
 please inbox me for contacts.

2. Hair products are out of reach in Korean shops and they're so expensive in International Marts. You may check the products for yourself on Coupang products or Gmarket the popular shopping sites in Korea. Other international marts also sell hair products at 5 to 10 times the prices we buy them in our home countries. However, some products tend to be cheaper on Coupang and other shopping sites.

Cantu hair product prizes on Coupang shopping site Coupang products

3. Honestly, most hair braiders are not talented, they just learnt how to braid as an opportunity to make money. So far, WE HAVE HEARD and seen THE WORST hair dresser reviews online.

4. Korean cuts are smaller for some of our curvy-licious sisters, we fail to get perfect fits to cover our arms, and legs. Shoe sizes too, we struggle to get bigger cuts so buying online is a no for non-international cuts (only an option for the FAMOUS Branded products like Nike, Puma, Adidas etc.).

Korean slim cuts

5. Kitchens or houses are tiny, I embraced the minimalistic spaces but it was so difficult at first:

       

                Tiny kitchen 

Tiny kitchen in Seoul

6. No cleavage out, the modest dressing in Korea is the one where you cover the cleavage! This was and is a culture shocker for us. Sigh! To avoid the judgmental stares one has to cover up the cleavage.

Round 'T-shirt cuts' are the best

The list is endless, but we try to fit in the Korean culture. Please check my video on YouTube for more details.

  

Wishing you a happy 2022. ciao ciao

Links for Partial Scholarships in Korea

Partial Scholarships for International students: 

Application period September to end of October for Spring semester in March 2022 (Cross-check the application deadlines)

Benefits 

1. Full tuition (100%, 80%, 50% etc, sometimes tuition discount is fixed throughout the studies)

2. Stipend (requires back up if less than 900,000 won per month)

3. Discounted dormitory (with/without meals or cooking facilities)

4. Research based (extra allowance Masters & Ph.D degree)

Shiyelia in Korea (graduation ceremony 2014 & 2019)  

What to expect on research based scholarship

- you become full time research student as soon as you join your lab 

-  you get extra allowance through your Supervisor depending on the ongoing projects

Where to find a partial scholarship?

- University websites, admissions, scholarships for international students! 

- Some tips about studying in Korea in this video.

The best partial scholarships: KAIST scholarships for undergraduates application period on their website, https://admission.kaist.ac.kr/intl-undergraduate/scholarships/ scholarship review on this video below:

The SRD Dongguk Scholarship, Masters and PhD students, research based,  100% tuition, review in this video:

 

For detailed reviews please join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/scholarshipplugkorea

Seoul Namsan Tower: Where love is locked up with padlocks

The Seoul Namsan Tower is place where love is locked up in colorful padlocks. The Seoul Namsan Tower is one of the popular places filmed in Korean dramas. It's a must go places for lovers, friends and family! I will share the most Instagram-able zones around the Tower. I recommend people to visit the tower all season especially at sunset! The sunset is so beautiful.

Seoul Namsan Tower: View in front of cable car deck

The cable car costs around 13,000 won for a round trip for adults. There are discounts for senior citizens and children. Climbing up to the Namsan Tower is very tiring but a great way to burn some calories.

Love locks at Seoul Namsan Tower

The love locks area is where all the love is padlocked. Love is a beautiful thing!

Seoul Namsan Tower "no locks allowed there"

Love locks are only padlocked on designated places. No padlocks allowed on the big heart!!!

Up and above the Seoul Namsan Tower

The Seoul Namsan Tower looks so beautiful at night. This is one of my favorite pics of the Day!

Sunsets are so beautiful "view from the Namsan tower"

Sunsets are so beautiful and so divine. This view was captured from the far-right side of the Namsan Tower, closer to the love lock balcony!

View from the Namsan Tower "Myeondong area"

Night city views are the most beautiful ones. I really loved the sunset horizon over the mountains. This post will be updated with more Instagram-able photo ideas!

Seoul Namsan Tower

Love lock shrubs at Namsan Tower

The love lock area is shown in this video:

The tower view, late fall 2020, is in this video: 

What it is to be black in Korea Part 2 (Korean people's assumptions about hair braids)

This is a continuation from the previous post: What it is to be black in Korea! The truth is some culture shock always happen, whenever you go to a new place. Based on that experience, I have compiled some of the statements or comments I have been hearing from Korean people concerning my hair braids. 

African hair: Long hair braids 

 I'm sharing these experiences for cultural exchange purposes! So, the greatest shocker to Koreans is the way we braid our hair!! So they would ask:

Shoulder length hair braids

How much was it? How much time we spend braiding? If it gets itchy! If it's fake or real hair. How do we wash it? Someone thought maybe I braided myself every day. Some even think that the braids would fall off the moment we put water. So I have to explain myself over and over that the same way you wash your hair is the same way I wash mine! But I just need longer drying time. Some people also asked me if there is a machine to braid hair, lol! This question shocked me so much the first time I heard it. Then I said by hand, and they would applaud the hairdresser saying they are so talented! 

African Hair Styles "twisted hair"

Some people just touch our hair without even asking for permission, and this has been a normal thing to me. But some kindly ask before touching! I remember several occasions, most grandmothers and Ajuma's or aunties asked me if they can touch my hair. I never said no! Not only women are interested in our hair braid styles, even men!

I remember most taxi drivers if they notice  you can speak Korean well, they would ask about where, how much and how do we get our hair braided. All these encounters require one to understand Korean language. Sometimes if they see you don't understand Korean, they just do sign language to say your hair is good. I encourage you all African brothers and sisters to go and practice how to answer the hair questions! In a day if I go for some errands (in the shopping area or the market, on the bus or subway) I can answer more than five people about my hair! 

The hair questions or comments have become so normal to me that I just smile whenever someone asks me about it. I hope from this post; I will motivate someone to study Korean so that they know how to respond to "HAIR QUESTIONS." As for me, responding to hair questions helped me to improve my Korean speaking skill! And most Koreans would say I speak Korean so well, not knowing that I just recited those answers over and over. 

You can imagine how my Korean vocabulary has improved over the years! Anyway, I will record some podcasts and share on my channel anchorfm.com/shiyeliainkorea. 

For more about Korean people's reactions, please check this video.

Thank you, bye bye!

What is it to be Black in South Korea? Part 1

Being black in Korea means you are at the center of attraction. Yes, people will just notice you! This is a positive vibe post of the things which have become normal to me here in South Korea for the past 10 years. I have some sweet and bad first-time encounters with Korean kids. 

At Starfield Library, Samsung World trade exit 6.

What normally happens when I come across Korean kids: some kids cry or scream, some become shy and some are exceptionally nice. Here is a list of the things I have heard from Korean kids, firstly they scream with excitement saying:

- black person or,

- African person

- American person

- English teacher

- Foreign national

- Movie actor

- Some may even mention some black actor. 

Some kids become so shy that your eyes can't even meet, LOL. Most parents would say, "greet her you know English..." Some KIDS would shyly say hello while other KIDS' English disappears and they just wave and bow. I think I have said enough about kids. Let me move on to the Korean grandfathers and grandmothers, you would wonder why I skipped other age groups! It's only because those age groups are more reserved, they don't say anything. But I remember one day I passed a group of high school students, they all said, "Reggae style" because I was having hair braids. Anyways, the grandmothers/grandmothers usually ask in Korean, "where are you from?"  If you respond in Korean, they become so happy and continue with conversation asking about your life in Korea or your country. Most grandfathers are retired army generals, I have met a lot of them who speak English so well. These experiences sum up, what it is to be black in South Korea.

I will write part 2 of this post, but if you are interested in knowing what Koreans think about black girl's hair please check this video;

All about being black in Korea in this video.

If you are black in Korea, please inbox me your experiences if you can't comment for other reasons.

 

I regretted buying a phone in South Korea untold stories part 2

An electronic dictionary or smart phone dictionary apps were very handy for understanding Korean language. Most students who were on good scholarships could afford them. I remember very well that I couldn't afford such smart devices. At the same time, I didn't want to buy a 'buttons phone' or kambudzi in Shona because it only limited me to text messages and calls. Though some of those phones had dictionary apps, but the absence of color pictures was something else.

Buying a phone in South Korea

My scholarship was partial, but it was good because the dormitory (including breakfast, diner) and tuition were fully covered! The downside was my stipend. It was just little but better than nothing. I was receiving 150,000 won (~$125). I was living on a very tight budget, and I kept pondering on how to buy a phone. In South Korea that time, smart phones were rolling in and most people were transitioning to smart phones. With that tight budget of mine, I also decided to buy a smart phone. THIS WAS A VERY WRONG MOVE. 

The 2011 smartphone

Fast forward to how I bought a phone. I went to an LG shop near Yongsan station in Daegu. My Korean Buddy accompanied me because I couldn't speak Korean. I only knew greetings and few phrases for buying food. We got there, I selected my cheapest smart phone, LG brand. The LG shop was going to auto deduct money from my account every month. The fixed installment was 34,000 won per month for two years. It was the cheapest option available. I don't know if some explanations were lost in translation, the LG salesman assured the installment was fixed inclusively of data. I settled for it and signed the contract.

One month down the line, 94,000 won was deducted from (bank account) my little allowance of 150,000 won. I STARTED REGRETTING the whole idea of buying a smart phone. I went off the budget and sacrificed my lunch money for some time. I kept complaining whenever I discuss about contract phones with my friends. Most students were also going through similar contract bill dilemma, but most of them could afford. I then decided to switch off data and the next two months the bill came around 70,000 won and 45,000  won. I did the Maths again and realized the data wasn't fixed at all. I was paying more than the stipulated 34,000 won monthly installment.

I didn't want to live in regret, worse I couldn't make international calls on that bill. I sent a message to my Korean Buddy, asking her to help me cancel the contract because I couldn't afford the phone anymore. I think that was after only 3-months of using the phone. The Salesman understood my problem, and he said I had to pay off the phone bill in installments of  16,000 won to the agreed 24 months. They cut off the data and the cellphone number. That day I returned to the dormitory with a sim less phone. Luckily, I used the phone over WIFI as dictionary and Facebooking. 

On several occasions I tried to look for a prepaid sim card but couldn't get one. A few months later I then registered my smart phone with the same service provider for prepaid phones. If you want to know more of this story please watch this video: full video here

Ten years later, I haven't bought any contract phone. I don't want any regrets! Korean internet is fast but very expensive to use on contract phones. I resolved to prepaid phones which require a monthly top up of 10,000 won. The good thing is there are many WIFI hotspots in Korea so YAY to free WIFI.

Ten years later, with my prepaid Samsung phone.

Thank you for reading my story, please feel free to leave some comment! Bye.

My Untold Experiences in South Korea (Part 1)

 This week I'm celebrating my 10 years in South Korea, so I decided to share on how I survived back then in 2011. 

International Students Festival 2011 @Keimyung University Daegu.

When I got the full tuition, dormitory and stipend ₩450,000 scholarship I thought it would be enough. Even though the rate to US to won was fluctuating between 1,000 to 1,200 won, I just thought it would be enough. When I arrived at Incheon International Airport and tried to buy some snacks that's when I realized this allowance wouldn't last for two weeks. 

My settling week, everything became real! We could only get breakfast and dinner! Buy our own books every Korean language semester. Unlike in Zimbabwe we used to recycle books, but here the teachers wanted you to use personal copy that you write the answers inside. As a lady I also had to balance to buy monthly toiletries. Which were even 10-times more more expensive than back home. For a semester I managed to pull through with my toiletries from home. 

The good thing was the settling in anxiety and culture differences! I didn't focus much on my stipend. Fast forward to the second semester, I could speak little Korean, I could ask how much a product is in Korean and all the survival Korean skill.  Then we used to get the 450,000 won at the beginning of the semester to cater for 3- full months 😥. I had to buy new books, leave lunch money, toiletries and transportation to church and other  activities with friends. It wasn't enough, one trip by subway was around 1,000 won so I cut off shopping and hanging out with friends. I would just go nearby our school. I mastered eye shopping those days. Just go and watch and admire the products and leave it there. It wasn't easy because most people were on a well sponsored scholarship which gave them almost $800 to $1000 per month. Mine was just ~$125 per month. It was a partial scholarship but they didn't really specify the need for back up funds so I just assumed it was enough 😁. Well, I needed backup and in 2011, back home we were recovering from the 2008 inflation and I didn't want to bother anyone to support me, I just tried to survive within my tight budget.  

I thank God for the support we got from our international church the Abundant Life Worship Center in Daegu. We used to get winter clothing and some supplies. My first 6 months in Korea were the toughest, but I pulled through. I can only express in words what I went through. Fortunately, around 2012 my scholarship grant from University of Zimbabwe was processed. That's how I managed to complete my studies at peace as a normal stress free student.

My advice to anyone accepting a partial scholarship in Korea is; "take it, if you're really desperate." Take it knowing that there are high chances that you can't do part time in Korea. Though most people do work illegally.  I also think now the immigration wants to see backup funding of around US$10-20,000 per year when you renew the visa. Back then, we just used the scholarship certificate that's all. We used to get student visa extension easily, irregardless of the stipend amount on paper. Whenever you want any information about visa processing, please visit the official websites because my information is outdated. Things changed so fast and they are changing every day. I hope my story will be helpful to someone. 

Part 2 is coming soon, you may comment below or inbox me through my Instagram @shiyelia_in_korea. I will be glad to share more information only if you ask.

How I survived when I couldn't speak, read, or write Korean

In this post I will share four survival tips on how I used to select Korean meals back then when  I couldn't speak, read, or write Korean. But before I do so, you have to know or you may know that the most common ingredient in Korean food apart from chilli, tofu and radish is eggs! 

Korean food: Bibimbap with sunny-side egg.

I always thought eggs were for breakfast or salads. Not until I came to Korea, I was surprised to see sunny side eggs served with rice. In most soups they just break an egg and let it boil with other vegetables. In Kimbaps the egg is always in the middle, popping up. Not forgetting the dip fried Korean street foods, most of them are coated with eggs! 

In the next paragraph, I listed the 4-tips on how I used to select Korean meals and I also recommend these tips to all non-Korean speakers.

1. Use your sense of sight because what is you see is what you get .

2. If it's looking reddish it's spicy so if you can't handle spice move to whitish soups

3. Check the main ingredient, ask again and tell them what you don't take (with google translate and picture, lol). You have to be careful with meat dishes because sometimes pork can look like chicken or fish.

4. Ramen soups contain trace elements of pork it's written on the box, best way to eat ramen is to ditch the soups and use your own SEASONINGS.

I wasn't a picky eater not until I discovered that eggs were the main culprit causing allergies on my elbows and sometimes on my chest. I did the elimination method and to my surprise my skin became flawless! I didn't need any doctor, it was clear to me that eggs do no good to my system.

I envy you all who eat eggs without allergies. As for me I now avoid fried rice because of egg. Some Korean soups contain eggs, ramen too so my ramen intake is also low, I resort to the rice noodles and I now prepare my Egg-free Kimbap at home! 

Who else is allergic to eggs? 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. That's how I survived when I couldn't speak, read, or write Korean.

Review on the 'good' scholarships offered in South Korea

Most people want to know if there are any good scholarships offered in South Korea so for clarification I will do {Q} and {A} blog.

Q: Are there GOOD scholarships in Korea?

A: yes, there are many scholarships offered in South Korea. The good scholarships are fully funded type of scholarships. One good example is the Korean government scholarship. This is the best since it's fully funded with a two way air-ticket from/to student's country of residence and a health insurance too. If you get the government scholarship, you pay nothing. However, the Korean Government Scholarship (KGSP) has ONE requirement: passing Korean Language Proficiency Test (TOPIK level 3 or 4, you will get all information from the time of applying). 

Q: Where to get the forms?

A: South Korean Embassy in your country. (Information also available on Korean Government Scholarship websites)

Q: Do you need to pay any processing fees etc.? 

A: I may only say yes on your side to process your passports and get your certifications ready for submission. (I do not know exactly but once you start applying for the scholarship you communicate directly with the coordinators in charge of those scholarships.)

Q: Does knowing Korean help in any way? 

A: I think yes, you may have a better chance to respond to the applications with confidence since you already have interest in Korea by knowing the language.

If lucky then it means your days in language school or in Korean (if you get the scholarship) will be smoother than someone who learns the alphabet or characters from scratch in class.

Enough said about Korean Government Scholarship; yearly they enroll, breakdown of finances, figures and statistics available on the website. No need to think of saving money to cover expenses!!!

Q: Other examples of scholarships sponsored by the Korean government are:

Types of government scholarships:

1. NIIED Scholarship (or popularly known as KGSP) 

2. KOICA Scholarship KOICA or MURD (government workers in developing countries)

Q: is there age limit? Other restrictions?

A: AGE LIMIT, is the main cut off point for the KGSP scholarship. 

Pregnancy test and other health check ups also mandatory during application period. 

The KOICA and MURD scholarships are for sponsoring government workers in selected countries, so the age limit is not really important.

In conclusion:

Q: How many people do they select?

A: They only select a few, in some cases one person per country or two people it all depends on their selection criteria.

This means, chances are slim to get it but it's worth trying!

Q: Other important tips?

A: Please prepare your documents and submit before the deadline. 

AVOID mistakes!!!

Imagine thousands of people applying for the same scholarship and use that to motivate you to meticulously prepare your applications! 

BEST WISHES if you are planning to apply for these scholarships. Please comment or share this info to motivate others.

Culture Shock about Christmas Holiday in Korea

  If you are in Korea or any Asian country I have a question for you; do you enjoy Christmas there? As for me, I do not enjoy Christmas in Korea. If you are not in Asia or Korea, you can imagine how boring it is to be in a quiet home. Especially Christmas time! Korean neighborhoods are so quite. The landlord can give you several warnings if you make noise in your apartment. Even your neighbors whom you haven't seen can leave notices at your door if you play loud music or talk loudly. If one wants to hold a party, they have to rent a facility for that. In Korea if you want the ghetto kind of noise, you just go to the market, shopping malls and clubs. 

 Imagine, the ghetto in me of listening to loud music and even dancing to music from neighbor's parties. I even wonder if Korean families own speakers or amplifiers. Honestly, Korean households are just too quiet for me. This is a culture shocker and others mentioned in previous post.

 I always go to downtown for a Christmas feel. South Korean calendar shows Christmas holiday only on the 25th of December! No boxing day holiday, if 26th of December falls on a working day you just go to work! Luckily this year 26th was a Saturday so we had a day off!  Another shocker is the amount of decorations they put for Christmas you would think it's a week holiday. I am one person who grew up celebrating Christmas from the 19th of December to 2 January kind of festive mood. I miss loud music parties and outdoor braai on fire at home.  Who else miss home Christmas party?

Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. Please leave a comment.

Review on Research Based Ph.D. Scholarships in South Korea

A research based scholarship for Ph.D. is a full-tuition scholarship offered to International Students to pursue their studies. These are mostly in research based degrees such as Engineering and Biological Sciences.

Ph.D. graduation 22 Feb 2018, Materials Science & Engineering
 @University of Seoul

I will stick to my major, Materials Science and Engineering. I was offered the full-tuition scholarship at University of Seoul from 2015 to 2017 (2 years of course work to obtain 60 credits). Then depending on your Supervisor whom you work with from day one of your admission, you simultaneously conduct research daily whilst doing coursework. In other words, from the day you get enrolled you become fulltime research student until the day of graduation. You also get a living allowance from your Supervisor depending on your ongoing research activities. 

The scholarship package:

1. full tuition by the university

2. Living allowance (depending on the projects in your laboratory)

*if  project funding is low then your living expense allowance will be low, why? There is no way Professor can support you if there is no funding.

In such cases, you need a BACK UP somewhere somehow because cost of living in Seoul is so high. Minimum monthly expenses on tightest budget would be 700,000 won.

This scholarship type is best if your Supervisor has good funding, if not it's a real headache to survive on it because you cannot do part-times here in Korea, it's rare to find one especially for African people.

I also discussed my journey on this link here

Please leave some comments and share this info too. Thank you!

Reviewing the 'so-so'/partial scholarships offered in South Korea

The truth about so-so scholarships/partial scholarships. I  titled this blog 'the so-so scholarships' because these are not the best scholarship options since they are partially funded. 

Master's Degree graduation at Keimyung University 8. 2014 (KISS scholarship)

If your family has to sell an asset to send you to study on this type of scholarship don't even bother. Honestly, you will forever need money from home. You can't work at all, though some people illegally do so, but when caught the fine is very big. I'm talking of more than $1000. Korea is not like Europe or America where you can work to sponsor your studies and family at home so don't give your family unnecessary headache to sponsor your studies in Korea. It's even much better to get a diploma in your country than to come and struggle financially for a Korean degree that you are not certain you will get it. 

The so-so scholarships are for people who can afford:

* to pay to and fro air-ticket

* to pay living expenses monthly for the whole duration of study (~$700 to $1000 per month), but the immigration set up some figures depending on cost of living in South Korea.

*to pay monthly health insurances 

*to top up tuition as discounted by university if you meet the criteria.

*sometimes it can be good that you get full tuition, dormitory and a little living allowance which requires a backup. I was on such scholarship it wasn't easy to survive on that small amount. I reviewed this type of scholarship here.

Which criteria?

* Korean language proficiency, by the student, level 3, level 4, level 5, level 6

The higher the TOPIK score the higher the tuition waiver for example for level 3 you get 40% discount, level 4 you get 50% discount, level 5 you get 80% discount and level 6 you get 100% discount.

Where to find such scholarships?

*On university websites, just click on international admission scholarships icon on any Korean University site, if they OFFER any, you will definitely see this type of scholarship. N.B you need a backup plan for this kind of scholarship! It's also difficult to work and study to raise funds and in most cases it is prohibited do work on student visa as I mentioned above.

This information might be helpful to someone so please share the information to those interested in studying in Korea. The second part to scholarship reviews is still in the drafts and I will publish asap. Wishing you a joyous Christmas holiday. 

Please leave some comments or questions! Thank you.

Culture shock in Korea - cross-culture awareness tag

Today I will share some culture shockers in South Korea. Disclaimer: these may not shock you or shock you depending on your background. This post is for culture awareness and nothing else. Let me just list them down without wasting time:

(1). Removing shoes when you enter the House, some traditional restaurants too and some facilities. You just have to remove your shoes at the door as you enter the house. Early days I used to forget to remove shoes but now I'm pro at removing shoes at the door. It actually keeps the floors cleaner.

Leave the shoes at the door!

(2). No hand shakes for greeting just bow and greet though some people believe in handshakes so you only give handshakes to the those interested in them.

(3). Sleeping on the floor, most people prefer sleeping on the floor and most families do not have beds, not that they do not afford them but because of the health benefits of sleeping on the floor. OK!

(4). Warm floors; At least the floors will be warm in winter.

(5). Make up on the bus or subway, of all the places Korean women/ladies/girls are comfortable to do their make up in public places. 

(6). Kindergarten for dogs just like the way we send our kids to kindergarten here in Korea there are pet kindergarten. Pet maintenance is top notch and very costly too.

Pic 2015 with Mong my friend's dog.

(7). If your dog p--ps in the pavements you clear the mess, I saw many dog-owners clearing the mess and sometimes I get surprised to see some not clearing it. Review on dogs going to school.

(8). Mandatory army trainings for a certain period 'for all men'

(9). You pay for throwing away furniture or electronic appliances such as fridge, tv. The trick is if you wanna throw away better sell or give away.

(10). In general Korean society is not very judgmental (compared to where I come from) so most women drink alcohol and they really don't understand if you say I just don't drink beer. 

There are many other culture shockers and I will try to share them in next blogs. Thank you for taking your time to read these culture shockers. 

Zero waste lifestyle ruined! My new strategy!

 I can boldly say I am trying to live a zero-waste lifestyle. As you all know it is difficult to completely eliminate non-biodegradable waste from our daily lives, especially now that food take outs are common. At our university we went on a serious buy-take-out week due to sanitizing measures in September to early October. The amount of trash that we generated those weeks was so huge!  For one meal, one would get a plastic bag, plastic spoon wrapped up in plastic, plastic container of the main meal, another one for soup or separate salad, yogurt container and of course biodegradable chopsticks wrapped in paper. Maybe with a picture or pictures you can figure out how much trash we generated in a day. 

Food packaging 'single use items'

Sigh!!! Sad, right? So sad that a 30-minute meal generated this much waste, non-biodegradable! Hmm it's so disturbing. Anyway, in Korea the recycling seems to be efficient and it's rare to find piles of rotten garbage.

Back to my routine during the sanitizing week. Due to daily temperature checkups and all, it was a wise decision to reduce contact tracing by eating at the closest place so I avoided going off-campus but resorted to the 'plastic packed meals'. Though some days I just chose to reduce my carbon print by going home and eat plastic free lunch. 

Every step counts though it would seem insignificant. I later started to seriously plan on reducing my carbon print. It is my responsibility to make a positive impact on the earth for future generations. 

My new strategy towards zerowaste is to always carry reusable shopping bags whenever I go for shopping, refusing excess plastic packaging, carry my own basket when buying fruits and vegetables in the mart, go for bottled products than plastics etc.

I hope you enjoyed reading my ZEROWASTE LIFESTYLE. Please feel free to comment and share any zerowaste lifestyle tips, together we can save the environment.

Korean winter diary "my first snow"

I'm always feeling cold even from the lowest fan wind. I studied in Midlands/Zimbabwe for 2-years, where lowest temperatures are recorded. Believe me the Midlands winter compares to Korean fall or spring. Korea is extremely cold in winter.  I'm talking about negative temperatures! I first saw snow in Daegu, but it wasn't thick like what we saw on news in other places like Seoul. 

Later on, I realized I was in the hottest city of Korea 'the Beitbridge/Kariba weather city' in Daegu. People around me used to say Seoul area is even colder, but I said no, a cold is cold there is no colder place to me. Yeah, Daegu winter was freezing cold. The 3-winters I spent in Daegu were freezing cold, I used to layer up like a Christmas tree. One could just recognize my eyes of-course since they were the ones exposed. As you can see, in the camel jacket below.

Left: me in camel jacket and my friend Nini in white, on a snowish day at Keimyung University, Daegu, December 2011.

8-winters later, I'm used to cold now but I don't like winter!

Thank you for reading my winter diary. Now temperatures are dropping and I have started layering up! Please leave a comment if you can, do you like winter?

Spicy foods breakthrough 'kimchi superfood?'

    I grew up with constant upset stomach which automatically detoxify after eating spicy foods. In other words, a little chilli sauce could just send me to the restroom.  Before I came to Korea, I was worried how I would survive with all the Korean spicy foods around. 

Rice with black sauce, spicy kimchi, bibimeon and sea weed soup.

    Like for every Korean dish, if you see red-stew-like color be rest assured it's chilli! Whilst in Zimbabwean dishes if you see red-popping it's definitely a tomato. 

So yaah, at first  I thought maybe I would find tomato stewed menus in Korea.. Alas! There wasn't any.

Korean food: rice with spicy chicken, soup, spicy kimchi cabbage and radish type  and soy pan cake.

    Then, I guess my gastrointestinal system got aware of it and decided to normalize.  Yaah, you heard me well, from the first day I ate kimchi, I never experienced any "running stomach" or grumpiness. So it's now that I really wonder what is the secret nutrient in the fermented Kimchi that stopped my lifetime chilli-triggered upset stomach. Up to now I can't figure out but I can say, the Kimchi fermented microbiomes corrected my gastro-fauna to accept all the chilli. Forget the 'microbiome' term lol, just know that kimchi settles well in my stomach now!!

Raw sea food kimchi.

So yeah you can guess the taste of kimchi, it's fermented so yaa that kombucha/vinegarish taste is the one I enjoy whenever I eat it. 

Thank you for reading my spicy food breakthrough 'Kimchi superfood' story. Please check out my videos where I was enjoying Kimchi. 

My next blog I will share tips on how to select Korean menu for non-korean speakers.

How I mastered using Chopsticks

I knew Asian community uses chopsticks to eat. From the TV programs I noticed that they were 2-types of chopsticks, the wooden and stainless steel types. I wasn't surprised to see chopsticks the day I first ate Korean meal in Korea back then on 26th of March 2011, "Bulgugi rice' at Keimyung University.

Since it was my first meal, I just used the spoon throughout. I tried chopsticks for  a short while but they were sliding from my hands, yes, they were falling down on the floor not on the table.  😂😂

So I thought, 🤔 how will I manage for the next 3-years. Few days later an idea came to me. I had to practice till I perfect my chopstick eating skill.

I had to buy and eat Ramen, not with a spoon

but with chopsticks. Please check my Spoon the Ramen challenge

Luckily they sold wooden chopsticks attached to cup Ramen. That was the beginning of my success story to handling stainless steel chopsticks. I repeatedly tried on other foods then 😎 I became a pro. Now I can even cook with chopsticks, yeah 😂. I hope you enjoyed reading my chopsticks success story in-few-words. Have you ever tried chopsticks? Please check my YouTube video where I was trying to cook chicken with chopsticks.

My next blog, I will share my kimchi taste review. 

Thank you! Kamsahamnida.

My experience with Korean characters in-few-words

My journey to Korea started in November 2011 when I was offered a scholarship to pursue Masters degree in Materials Science and Engineering. I accepted the offer ONLY because they said the courses were in English. I JUST knew Chinese characters from several products that we buy. Honestly I had to google and see how the Korean language looks like I somehow saw that Korean characters were easy to look at as compared to complex Chinese characters. (안녕하세요 - HELLO in Korean) I am sure you can also confirm that Korean characters are easier to look at and not that complicated like Chinese characters. I then printed a paper of few phrases on how to get around, believe me I didn't even use them.

When I arrived at Incheon International airport, 

the struggle got real, NO-ONE was speaking English, they were speaking Korean. I started wondering if the courses were really going to be offered in English. First week in the Korean Language School hehehehe 🤣🤣, it wasn't true "it-wasn't-true" we learnt Korean language in Korean. The only English that I heard in class was O-KE-YI (Ko-nglish OK). It was like a Greek lesson though I don't know how Greek sounds lol. My jaws were tight, I couldn't follow confidently the pronunciation sounds. This went on and on for several weeks until I started grasping few words in class. Writing the alphabet wasn't difficult but hahaha the pronunciation was something else, I felt like I was speaking another Shona dialect lol. [SHONA is Zimbabwean Language]

That was my experience with Korean characters in-few-words. Now I am glad that I CAN distinguish Asian characters without struggle. I hope you enjoyed reading my experience, please let me know in the COMMENTS, your thoughts about ASIAN LANGUAGES. If you like my blog please follow me.

Please check out my YouTube video on tips of selecting Korean menu for non-KOREAN speakers.

My next blog is on My experience with chop sticks in-few-words.

Life in South Korea in few words

 I came to South Korea in 2011 to pursue my Master's degree in Materials Science and Engineering. How I came to Korea. I had to complete the Korean Language classes and pass the TOPIK intermediate level first. It was a tough journey to learn Korean characters from scratch among other Asian students who already knew Korean culture and language. I studied hard, real hard, my journey wasn't an easy one but I later passed Korean in 18-months. Then, I did my Masters degree from 2012-2014. 

During the Korean Language program I met many friends from all continents and it became a daily learning experience in terms of hearing different languages and seeing different cultural dressings. 

 Adjusting to Korean Culture and food was easy since I am a food lover and adventurous person. I had endless 'eye shopping' sprees, tour visits and memorable Korean food tasting moments. Yeah, food food food, I love food and I also desired to gain just a few kilos but during that time the stressing study schedule couldn't let me gain a pound.

Mungyeong-saejae Trip May 2011, South Korea

I later moved to Seoul for my PHD degree studies  from 2015 to 2018. This was the longest part of my journey, I felt like it was a 10-year degree program. BUT here I am now, a PhD holder motivating young girls in Science. Intro to my life in Korea. That's my life in Korea in-few-words.

I would like to know if you enjoyed my life in Korea in-few-words. Please check my YouTube channel for more detailed videos about my life in Korea: Shiyelia in Korea.