The Land of the Morning Calm

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It’s been over a week since I landed at Gimpo and set foot on Korean land for the first time. Since then I have learned more than I would think possible in a week, while at the same time realizing that I know nothing (just like Jon Snow).

Korea is often known for its nickname “the Land of the Morning Calm”. Google tells me that this is usually credited to Percival Lowell who coined the term back 1885, inspired by earlier attempts to translate the Chinese name for Korea (Joseon), and refers to the calm and fresh landscape of Korea.

Coincidentally, The Land of Morning Calm fits modern-day Seoul perfectly. If you’re an early riser in Seoul, you might as well take up a hobby (reading perhaps?) or get a job. Seoulites wake up early to go to school or work, and if neither is the case, then they will sleep in until noon. That is at least the impression you get when you’re out and about. Coffee shops open late, and never start filling up until way past 3PM, and the real city life doesn’t start until 6 or 7. Neon lights, shops and restaurants that close at 7 in the morning (or not at all), and plenty of alcohol (soju) turn the city into a never-ending party zone every night.

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The view from my apartment

Partying until dawn is the norm, and the alcohol culture in Korea has inspired the creation of beautiful blogs like BlackOutKorea, a site dedicated to posting photos of business-clad Korean men lying passed out in places that are not their bed (street corners, bathroom stalls, under cars, on the subway, on top of trashcans, etc.).

I usually wake up at 7AM, which means that I have to keep myself entertained for the first 4 hours every day before the city wakes up to do it for me. Luckily school starts on Monday, but by then I will probably have finished all of the books I’ve brought with me. Luxury problems, huh?

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