Yonsei University, Seoul
I participated in a summer long program where I went to school 7 hours a day four days a week. It was an intensified summer school program that was actually in some ways harder and busier than my life in Davis, except for the fact I did not have a job or other obligations in Seoul. Yonsei is a private school, located in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, near an area with exceptional night-life. I lived in the dorms, which I complained about a lot, but overall it was not so bad. It was more the fact I was not used to living in the dorms period--however my roommate was great and we had a lot of fun. The program I was in was part of about 2000 international students, which more than 200 were from California alone, and others also came from the East Coast and various places. So on whole, there were a lot of Americans. This wasn't always good because I actually found myself speaking less Korean than I did back in Davis in my economics classes. It was a lot of fun though. Most of the exchange students were some type of Asian. There were a lot of Korean Americans or Koreans, but also a lot of Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. The selection of food in Seoul was amazing, as always. Mainly a lot of Asian food, but still a good range. It was very cheap for the most part, and one could easily spend only about $5 for dinner. The desserts were fabulous, and shopping was good and affordable. The exchange rate wasn't as good as it had been in the past, but this sort of thing is to be expected given America's economic situation. One complaint I did have was the lack of fruit available to me. I ate a lot of vegetables, and a good amount of seafood as well, but fruits were not readily available, and the market was far from my dorm. Also because I lived in the dorms I ate out just about every day, something I wasn't really accustomed too.
Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
Bilkent is also a private school, also located in the capital of Turkey. However, this capital is not nearly as interesting as Seoul. Like many capitals in America, Ankara is very much a government city. It does have a high population of students, with more than ten universities present in Ankara, but at the same time it is still not very lively. Ankara the city itself is also highly polluted, one of the most polluted cities in all of history actually. This made my life not so enjoyable, especially because I always walked home smelling like smoke or car fumes. (People in Turkey burn coal--politicians actually hand out free coal to get the poor to vote for them in elections. A major problem.) It made running outside essentially impossible. Bilkent was very different than Yonsei. When I arrived at Bilkent no one in the dorms spoke English! The dorms were also very strange and had a very unfriendly vibe. I stayed in the dorms one week and moved out as fast I could. The housing situation was very confusing, but I managed to find a flat with three other girls. However one turned out to be insane, and it made the first month in Ankara very difficult and stressful, which is where much of my woe came from. Contrary to popular belief, people at Bilkent don't really speak English, and especially not that well.
Moving out was great, but Bilkent, unlike Yonsei, was far from the main part of the city. Ankara is a big city that doesn't have the best public transit connections, but there is a bus that goes from my house to my University for free. School here was so much easier than Davis, and I found myself with literally enough time to travel every weekend. Sometimes I stayed in Ankara though, but most weekends I did that I regretted it, but I did have some good times. There are very few Asian people in Bilkent. I can count the number of Asians on two hands easily. There are actually more than I thought there would be though--I expected none. In terms of food selection, if you want Asian food you are basically out of luck. There are a few restaurants, but not of the quality I expect and have grown accustomed to, so I just give up. I made Asian food for my roommates and friends once, but it is very difficult because the ingredients are quite lacking. Luckily for me I have a fantastic Punjabi roommate who can cook excellent Indian food. Turkish food is good, but a bit too heavy. The food on campus really is quite horrible, and rather overpriced, but I recently found a great salad bar. (If only I had found it three months ago!) In terms of food though, Turkey is quite cheap for fruits and vegetables, and I eat at home a lot--perhaps too much. Eating out is not as cheap as I thought it would be though, especially for restaurants. There is some cheap doner and the like, but kebabs really are not so cheap, at least in comparison to what I used to eat in Korea. One great thing about Turkey has been how easily I have been able to travel all over for cheap. Turkey is a big country with a lot of different things to see. Enough said on that...you can see the other blogs for details.
Bias
I already spoke Korean decently before coming to Korea, where as my Turkish was quite poor. This was not my first time in Korea either, and I already had quite a few friends in Korea. I had been to Yonsei before traveling on a previous trip, so I already knew my surroundings of the campus and my surroundings in Seoul. Furthermore I was already fairly well adjusted to Asian culture because that is the culture I have immersed myself in since college, and that is the culture I grew up in for the most part. While I did have some background with Turkey, Turkish, and the culture, I was still very much a NOOB.
Korea vs Turkey
Both countries are very hot in summer, but Korea is very humid, and Turkey is very dry. Similarly both have pollution problems, but Turkey's is much worse, especially Ankara. The terrain of both countries is also very hilly. Korea however is a much smaller country than Turkey, but also more densely populated. Turkey is much more of a tourist attraction than Korea. Turkey also has a much higher geni coefficient, meaning there is greater existence of inequality. Both began in similar economic conditions, but the GDP per capita income of Korea is about three times that of Turkey.
Though Turkey has many rich and privileged, especially with the development of the new middle class in Istanbul, it's GDP per capita income is barely above the international standard of a developing country. The reason for this is how many people are living below the poverty line in gecikondu, which are illegal housing sites that are built without contracts or formal building plans. There is much debate around the existence of these housing--the more Turkey attempts to become a global nation, and the more Istanbul becomes a global city under the efforts of politicians in Turkey that seek to increase tourism and derive profit from the land value of these areas under the commodification of land, the more the gecikondu becomes condemned. The housing get destroyed and the people, many immigrants from the South or the East, become displaced and out of luck.
Furthermore, although Istanbul attempts to become a "global city," it still has far to come. The infrastructure is still lacking. The phone system and internet system is still highly underdeveloped and weak. The internet here has been highly unreliable and quote slow, where as Korea has some of the fastest internet in the world, partly because of their computer gaming industry which developed in light of the competition with Japan's gaming systems such as Sony and Nintendo. The public transit in Turkey is also highly confusing and underdeveloped. While Turkey has a great and affordable private bus system (although it is sometimes hectic and has crashes at times) with extensive networks, its public transit is subpar. The bus systems are confusing and underpublished, and the lack of development on the rail and subway system is substandard, but also comparable to that of America (the West Coast at least). However, currently Istanbul is working on improving and expanding upon there rail system so it is a start. Korea on the other hand has an extensive rail and subway system, most of which was built under Japanese occupation. The shipping and mailing system in Turkey is also lacking--but they are a bigger country than Korea, and they don't have as much of an importing/exporting infrastructure as Korea.
Further Comparison
Both countries smoke a lot. More than I would like. More so in Turkey though. Both countries also drink a lot, but Turkey does not have a culture of getting drunk, and it is somewhat unacceptable to be drunk in public--more so or less so depending on how conservative the area is. Both countries have been under tense political conditions lately, both when I have been there. Turkey suffers domestic strife because it is so diverse and has many different minorities, many of which feel underrepresented. Korea on the other hand suffers from the conflict with North Korea. I never once felt unsafe in either country though--I always felt safer than I would feel in America most times actually.
