Say Kimchi!: Jungwon University

Every university campus has its own quirks. It gives a university character. At UVM, my former college, quirks included "no bra no problem", enviro-biddies, and the Naked Bike Ride.

Jungwon, on the other hand, has its own set of quirks. Granted, I can't speak much about the actual University. The Korean students do not really interact with us. The Fulbright program is entirely different. Therefore, most of my quirks have to do with the physical aspect of the university.

1) Mysterious empty hallways - Jungwon is a 10 story university. On top of there are two separate different individual towers of these ten floors. It is HUGE. Floors 4-10 are dorm rooms in one of the towers. I'm not sure what lays in the other tower. In fact, I'm not really sure what happens here at all. When I walk around, most of the floors are empty. All the walls are marble. Sound echos. Oh, and these hallways are dark. During the day, it's dark because most of the hallways don't have windows. At night, lights turn off to conserve energy. Therefore, a quick tour around the university means walking in dark, empty, hallways filled with echos. Needless to say, there are many references to scary stories. Oh, and just when you think you're safe, a magical little step appears. In the dark, it's hard to notice when the floor changes height, which happens often...

2) Cult backgroud? - An unsubstantiated rumor circulating among the Fulbright ETAs is that Jungwon is run by a cult. What? Where did anyone even get this idea? Basically, it makes no sense, but it adds to the quirkiness of the University.

3) Golf Courses - Apparently the most popular major at Jungwon is golf. Golf. I mean, I didn't really know golf could be a major. Our university is surrounded by golf courses and a driving range with a HUGE net.

4) Pizza and Chicken - There is a student food place called "Pizza and Chicken." There is a menu for Pizza, which features potato pizza. Then, there is a separate menu specifically for fried chicken. Oh, and it serves Kimbap, or Korean sushi.

5) The Food - Now, by living with my grandmother for 5 years, I have been spoiled by good Korean food. University cafeteria Korean food? Not so good. The kimchi is less sour...and more spicy. There was a soup once that I could only describe as filled with lagoon water. Not just a salty water, I swear I tasted some algae in there. Granted, most of the food is perfectly good. They had some mandu today which, although not as good as Grandma Suki's, still tasted delicious. Overall, there isn't much to complain about. Just the kimchi. That is something to complain about.

These are some preliminary observations about Jungwon based on a few days being here. I'm sure there will be more. Here's some pictures so you can join in the mystery too!