Korea: AKARAKA!!

Going to a big school (about 36,000 students, ugrad and grad combined) means lots of school spirit. This is displayed at various sporting and school events throughout each semester. One of the major events each year is Akaraka, which is Yonsei's version of spring concert, but is as big of a deal as 36000 students can make it (so about 10x Babson's).

It starts with a festival in the center of campus that lasts for a few days. The festival was mostly food, but campus organizations also had some things going on. Apparently there was an American booth for a while, but we missed it. There was also a lot of music playing really loud, including some live performances and some karaoke.

The first night I went with Megan and Joaqim (please excuse the spelling; he is our Swedish friend who had dreadlocks for about 10 years until he cut them off this past weekend). We enjoyed looking around for a while, then sat on the curb because we saw a couple other friends and hung out for a while. Our friends had coconut milk to drink (like straight from the coconut) and then Joaqim broke open the coconuts and we sat there eating coconut and saying "아녕하새요!" (Hello!) to random people as they walked by. We turned it into a game to see who could get the most responses. Joaqim totally won, which is probably because I pronounce hello more like goodbye, oh well. We then got the delightful surprise of fireworks. Apparently our school can afford a fireworks show? It was kinda awesome. But then I was tired so I went back to the dorm while Megan went out to what was apparently a lame after party.

 

When she got back a group of us went to the basement (the only way to hang out with a group of guys and gals past 10pm) for nutella and snacks, yummmm! (Suddenly there is nutella everywhere here? I don't know how/why, but I approve ^.^) We were up until maybe 3am.

The next day (Thursday) was when international students could attempt to get tickets. There were about 200 tickets for about 400 international students. They went on sale at 7pm, but people were lining up by 2pm. I, not wanting to skip my entire day for tickets, had arranged with a friend from my Biology class to get a ticket ahead of time. I was one of few students in Korean class that day.

That evening Parth, Sammi, Avery and I went back to the Akaraka festivities. We got some food and drinks (it's a Presbyterian university, but they have NO issue with selling alcohol on campus. Except in the dorm. Having alcohol in the dorm is grounds for dismissal, as is being in the room of someone of the opposite sex, or having someone of the opposite sex in your room, or being on their floor at all after 10pm. #Korea).

We met up with Megan, Christina, and KaylaAnn at some point, but in the end everyone dispersed and Parth and I sat listening to Koreans singing really hard music (the type I don't listen to that is more of yelling than music. It confused me greatly but Parth was amused). I recall being up until 3am once again, though I can't remember why. Maybe with Sammi in the study lounge? Maybe?

Friday was the big day. We all put on our blue Yonsei t shirts, skipped our afternoon classes, and enjoyed Akaraka. Only about 10,000 students could get Akaraka tickets, but we were ALL in the amphitheater. 10,000 people in blue in one small area. For hours.

My Akaraka ticket, courtesy of my friend 문월 :)

 
I got there at 2, at which point there weren't too many other people there. They had some music playing from the stage at the front, and a slide show with some amusing little bits going (like Oscar the grouch).

A brief clip of Oscar the Grouch

Not too long later, the amphitheater was FULL and the event really started. Yonsei has a number of school cheers which all of the students know, and I picked up on well enough even though the were all in Korean. The cheers also had dances that went along with them. It was a sea of 10,000 people singing the same song and doing the exact same dance for a while. Then they rotated in the acts of the evening.

Out came an apparently famous comedy act (I don't know who they were or what they were saying, but the Koreans loved it), and some musical acts. I didn't recognize any of the performers (cut me some slack, I don't really follow kpop at all). The last group was a subunit of SNSD, Girl's Generation, a group which I would've recognized if it were in full.

apparently famous Korean comedians?

SO many people wearing blue!

Cheer leaders (not to be confused with cheerleaders)

Ms. Korea came to visit!

Another apparently famous Korean act

That couple just got engaged. Cutest. Engagement. Ever.
Although I'm pretty sure there were nerves on both ends.
They were in front of 10,000 of their peers after all.

SNSD

Then there were more school cheers, a laser show, fireworks, and more school cheers. I had figured this would all be done by maybe 8pm (really starting at around 4, that's still 4 hours) but I was VERY wrong. I left after 8 hours, hungry and tired, at just shy of 10pm. It went on for another hour of so after I left.

Megan, Christina, Parth and I got dinner, then Parth left and the girls and I attempted to go out. We ended up at a 24hr Krispy Kreme that was pretty much out of donuts (#fail), and then watched Tim Burton's new movie Dark Shadows around midnight. It was a fun night, but we were once again up until 3am (I really didn't sleep much that weekend).

Fail KK, Fail.

                                       

Christina really wanted her donuts. She made a song.

And that is pretty much the story of Akaraka: days of festivities, hours of cheering, apparently famous kpop acts. All very amusing and fun.