Hi heidi, random question but do you think its better to be at a standing area or seated during a shinee world concert?

June 23, 2014

omg...that's a good question...I think it really depends on the person for this one. For me, I don't always like to be pushed around when I'm in standing. It's much nicer to watch the concert from the seated area (as long as you're not too far back). I also like to live-tweet and give fanaccounts of concerts, which I can't do when I'm in standing.

In Korea, SHINee doesn't actually have standing areas at their concerts, ever. There are rows of seats on the ground, and the fans do stand up in front of their seats at some parts, but no one is running and pushing. I really like that system! (But some people might not, because they prefer to push their way to the front in a mosh...I don't like that though).

So during The Wizard I was in the stands, and at SWC3 I was in the stands the first day, and on the floor by the stage the second day ^^ The second day, I couldn't fanaccount or anything because I was in the front row. I don't like holding a camera or phone when i'm by the stage during SHINee events, I prefer to just enjoy everything. Haha.

(But if you want to take photos, definitely get a seat on the floor XD)

Liked by: Pirilinee

hi heidi! can i ask you something? if i go to korea for living, what is the first important thing i shoud to know?

June 23, 2014

Hmmm I think the FIRST important thing is to research what's available in Korea and make sure you pack everything you need! For example, it's not always easy to find deodorant here in Korea...but it's so important for us smelly Americans (LOL -_-) so I had to pack a lot to bring with me.
That's also important for things like food and stuff like that. Sometimes foods from your home country will be available in Korea, but with super expensive prices. So you can pack a little to bring with you ^^ keke

Another important thing after you arrive is you should quickly learn things like your address, the name of your building or living area (in case you have to take a taxi home or something), and effective modes of transportation. Learn the best way to get around, like subway or bus or train. The easiest way to learn is by asking people who live near you how they go to certain places.

Sometimes you can get to a place using many different kinds of transportation, but one way is much faster or much cheaper than the others. And it's always different! In the South, you can go really far really fast by using a train, because there are so many train lines down here. But to go to Seoul, it's almost twice as fast to take a bus, even though a train is available too! So you should be paying close attention to your options!

Liked by: nuggets Pirilinee

Hi Heidi! I like to follow your activity in twitter, esp about SHINee n korean. did you already study in Korea or will? I really wanna scholarships to study there too^^

June 23, 2014

I haven't studied here in Korea yet, but I lived here for two years teaching English! I'm really excited to study at a Korean university though, so that's why I'm going home in a couple months and coming back as soon as I can to attend uni~ :D

Liked by: Sarely

When do you use 도 and 또? Like "again"? I see some people using 도 and others using 또, so i searched it up and theyre to same meaning, i feel so lost :-(

June 23, 2014

I don't think the meaning is exactly the same ^^ hmmm let's see...From what I know, 또 is "again" and 도 is "also" (or "too").

So for example, if you say "나도!!" It means "me too!" (used with nouns)

and if you say "또 가요?" it means "(you're) going again?" (used with verbs)

hope that helps~
(p.s., if you see something somewhere that looks different than this rule, it might just be a typo!) ^^

Liked by: nuggets carrot♔

Hi Heidi! Are you korean? If yes, you have great english skills!

June 23, 2014

Unfortunately not! I wish I was fluent in Korean ^^; haha. I just study hard. But nope, my real name is actually Heidi and I'm white and blond and from America :)

hi heidi! can you explain how korean age works? i don't really understand. so if i was born in 2000 on April, would i be 15 or 16 in Korea? (international age is 14) thanks~

June 23, 2014

Korean age sounds a lot harder than it actually is. The point of using the "Korean age" system is just to make it so that every person born in the same year is the same age.

The way Korean age works is by making everyone 1 on the day they are born. Then, they also add +1 at every new year. So any baby that was born this year in 2014, they are ALL one year old in Korean age. Then, when it becomes 2015, they will all be 2 years old. It doesn't matter if you were born in January or December, all people in the same year are the same age.

That's why Koreans always talk about "lines" (like 91-line, etc). In Korean culture, someone born in the same year as you, even if they are /technically/ many months older or younger, is considered equal to you and it creates a strong bond between people.

So when you were born in April 2000, you were 1 year old in Korean age. When it became 2001, you were 2. If you keep adding up, it makes you 15 in Korean age this year :)

Here's a tip! If you don't want to do all that counting, you just take someone's international age (for example, yours is 14) and if their birthday has already passed this year (like yours was in April), you add +1 (so that makes you 15). And if their birthday has NOT passed yet, you add +2 ^^ simple!

And here's some interesting information in case you're curious, the reason Koreans count Korean age by starting at 1 instead of 0, is because in the past it wasn't easy to survive for reasons like lack of food and medicine, etc. It was quite common for babies to die before they reached their first birthday. So they started calling every newborn baby 1 year old, because it was easier and gave more respect to the baby than saying 0 or some months. And that's also why in Korea, even today it's still a VERY big celebration when a baby reaches its (real) first birthday. The babies recieve many extravagant gifts from friends and family.

Anyway, hope that helped! ^^

Liked by: Pirilinee nuggets

heidi... thank you for taking the time to answer these questions through your first hand experiences. i'm planning to apply through gepik next year... are the chances quite low? that is my fear because i don't want to put my eggs in one basket. i just don't think i can handle the countryside..

June 23, 2014

I don't really know anyone in gepik so I can't be positive, but I think the chances aren't too bad. You should always have a plan B, but I think you should go with your heart :D you can't succeed if you don't try!

(p.s. I don't blame you, I lived in the countryside here in Korea for two years. It's nice but gets boring after a while)

I know that if we work hard we'll find a way to fulfil our dreams like studying abroad. It's just I don't think I can go study there or Japan bc there are no Uni connections TTTTTT

June 23, 2014

Yeah but you can find other ways too ^^; instead of doing study abroad programs you can move to Korea and apply to the uni separately. That's what I'm going to do~ (there are also other options, you just have to find one that works for you!)

heidi you made me smile while reading yoir experiences with SHINee <3 my heart feels warm now e u e

June 22, 2014

awww i'm glad ;u; ♥

Do you still have a american accent?

June 22, 2014

yes of course i do! :D i sound very midwest-american hahaha

there is no way to be a "official shawol" now right? not open registration? plus being a foreigner... [sorry for bad english T_T)

June 22, 2014

As of right now, there's no way to join the official SHINee World fanclub :(

To join a fanclub, you must wait until the registration opens, which lasts for only about two weeks. But SHINee's fanclub has only opened one time, more than five years ago. Some fans suspect that SM is getting rid of fanclubs, because they haven't opened registration to ANY fanclub in so many years. Even SNSD is also on their first generation of fanclub. It's almost hopeless...

As for being a foreigner...back in the beginning (when SHINee's fanclub opened five years ago) it wasn't common for overseas foreigners to be allowed to join fanclubs, so SHINee's fanclub didn't allow overseas foreigner registration. But since then, many new kpop groups have allowed overseas registration for their fanclubs, so if SM suddenly started opening their fanclubs again, they might change their policy, but we can't be sure.

If SM doesn't change the policy, then the only way for a foreigner to join is to live in Korea and have an ARC number (equivalent of a Korean social security number) to join.

Liked by: T.

Selca pleaseeee , I want to see your face :(

June 22, 2014

check my twitter! ^^ i occasionally upload selcas there. i just tweeted one last weekend at UMF :)

thanks for the answer about the muslim thing, you're the best <3

June 22, 2014

anytime! I wish you and any others good luck on your trip to Korea! ^^

I'm a muslim and I'm going to korea soon and I was wondering if you have any idea what the koreans' perception of muslims is, if any?

June 22, 2014

I don't think there are any negative feelings towards Muslims in Korea. Being a Muslim in Korea would be the same as being any other race or ethnicity here. There aren't very many people here who wear hijab, so if you do you might stand out a little bit, but that's all. Since Seoul is a really large and international city, I don't think you would have anything to worry about. There are people of all kinds of different races and ethnicities in Seoul :) and I haven't heard many stories of racism or anything like that.

Liked by: els (엜)

why is it so hard to get into fansigns?? sorry if you're bored with all these questions but how does signing up for fanmeetings and the fanmeeting itself goes??

June 22, 2014

Fansigns are hard to get into because they require lots of money and luck. If you have enough money, you don't need luck, and if you have enough luck, you don't need much money.

To sign up you must buy albums during the sale period for the fansign. There's usually only a window of two or three days. It's run like a raffle, and each album you buy counts as one entry ticket. If you buy one album, you get one ticket, and if you buy 15 albums, you get 15 tickets, etc. They take everyone's tickets and only pick 100 people to win entry to the fansign. (Even if you buy many albums, if you're picked once, your name can't be picked again, it will automatically go to someone else.)

I personally know people who have bought 35 albums (~ $600) and not won. I also know people who have won by buying only one album. So it really depends on your luck, but the more you buy, the better your chances.

Here's a much more in-depth description/tutorial on fansigns and music shows in Korea: http://kimkeyy.tumblr.com/post/55628838466

Liked by: Tracy

So I was reading a topic in a forum abt fansites. Some1 said It's not uncommon for idols to communicate with their fans on fansite pages.Do u know any where SHINee or any group actually talked with fans thru the fansite? Just curious bc I find it unbelievable some idols use fansites to comm w/fans.

June 22, 2014

I think it's common for fansites and owners of fan forums to create IDs on their website for their idols. They send them the ID and password information when they send other gifts like on birthdays and anniversaries. But I think it's more common for idols in less famous groups to communicate with fans through SNS or on their fan cafes.

I do remember one time though, I was online while Amber signed in to Affxtion forums and chatted with a few of the fans in the chatbox. But to my knowledge, SHINee has never done anything like that.

Whats your impresseion or opinion of their characters? Are they really very nice? :D

June 22, 2014

SHINee are pretty polite. They do a lot of fansigns and have been doing them for years, plus they're usually very tired. So sometimes at fansigns they seem a little bored, but it's just because they get worked to death :( they're never rude on purpose.
In my opinion, Minho is the most polite irl ^^ I always say he's such a gentleman. Key might be the second best at fansigns. Even if he's really tired or sick, he usually is able to pull himself together and give a lot of himself to the fans.

Liked by: T.

This might sound like a stupid question but if you were to learn korean in korea, would the teachers speak in english, korean or both? xD

June 22, 2014

It depends on where you take the class and what level you're at. For beginner classes, teachers may speak in English to give difficult explanations and instructions, but for advanced classes they probably speak only in Korean. And I think some immersion classes, that are designed to make you learn a lot in a short period of time, will have you and the teacher speak Korean only. Also, if you take a class at a Korean university where the students come from many countries (i.e. not all of them speak English), then the class may be held in Korean only.
But it's not too hard ^^ I've taken some classes that were held completely in Korean. It's ok if you can't say much, and if you're confused you can always ask them to slow down or explain things.

So if i want to buy a ticket for their concert i havr to fly to korea to get it? :/

June 22, 2014

Overseas fans can get a ticket to a concert in Korea by buying SM's global package, buying from a friend who is already in Korea, or coming to Korea to buy the ticket. SM concerts always sell tickets on the day of the event, but there are no guarantees how many tickets will be available or where the seats will be. You also may have to line up overnight.

thanks for chatting w me today :DD u shld tweet more!! its 1am here so good night~

Tracy

June 22, 2014

haha ok i'll try to tweet more without being annoying XDDD night!

i guess T-T but smtown is kind of guaranteed whereas fansign is all luck OTL i loveeee his english >__< i hope he understood it bc i basically told him in the simplest way possible abt how i he & shinee helped me thru my depression & i told him he made me who i am today >///< so cheesy hahah

Tracy

June 22, 2014

i'm sure he understood it! and i'm sure he appreciated it ^^

Liked by: Tracy

i got him a $60 collared button down but ill be so happy if he just read the letter. it was all in english tho ㅠㅠ i wld buy albums for fansigns but i spent most of my $$ on airfare + smtown is coming up

Tracy

June 22, 2014

fansigns are more important than smtown i think, keke T_T

aww yeah but it's ok if your letter was in english because key's english is so freakin good O__O hahaha i refuse to speak korean to him cuz i like hearing his english XD

Is it possible for international fans to buy tickets for swc in seoul? Lets say if theres a swc4 in seoul next year, is it possible for us to buy online or do we have to fly to korea to buy?

June 22, 2014

unfortunately, to my knowledge there's not a way to buy tickets if you're overseas unless you buy from someone who can get them in korea (which is technically not allowed, but you can do it), or use SM's global package, which is expensive.

SM sells their concert tickets through gmarket, and I'm not sure if it's SM's policy or gmarket's policy but you need to use the korean gmarket site, not the global one. ><

omg ㅠㅠ i heard fan signs are hell to get into tho... im amazed u went to so many. i got him a shirt but i doubt he'll wear it v.v but its ok cause my priority was the letter c:

June 22, 2014

awww yeah a friend and i gave him a $250 jacket but he never wore it XDDDD fml

and yeah fansigns just require a LOT of money and/or luck T_T i've been really lucky with them. and also spent a lot of money, so yea LOL

Liked by: Tracy

I FEEL LIKE HE DID T^T or its all in my head hahah, but there were only a few fans at arrival like ~6, and i was the only fan to give a gift >< and i feel like he waved esp to me during the con cause he saw my sign :"") bdjdhjskslsn HEIDI THE FEELS I MISS HIM CRIES

Tracy

June 22, 2014

yeah key has a very good memory so i think if you ever met him at a fansign and told him what gift you gave him at the airport, he'd probably remember it! :D

i miss him too T_T <3

Liked by: Anyss Nadya

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