Wow, the time flew by while being in Korea. One semester went by in a blink! Here's some of the last things I did during my time here. First was Sinchon, which is only a short walk away from my campus. Here I got to see the festive decorations and experience a restaurant from the Michelin Guide! Sinchon has tons to do including arcades, karaoke, and cafes and is near Sogang, Ewha, and Yonsei university. Second was a visit to the city of Incheon. The city includes towering skyscrapers, Triple Street (shopping street), and tons of shopping outlets. Next was a bunch of random things like hiking, eating, bike riding through Seoul, and watching the new Spiderman movie. I also met some ajussi (uncles) on the mountain top gym who were impressed with my strength! The first snow of the year in Seoul! I was lucky to see the snowfall as it usually doesn't snow until January. Being my first time seeing snow fall, I played in it like I was a kid again. Seeing the snow fall again at night was truly mesmerizing. The silence with the snowfall was so peaceful and surreal. I would say this day was definitely one of the highlights of my study abroad. A few days before Christmas, I visited Lotte World Tower, the highest building in all of South Korea. It completely towers over other skyscrapers in the area and has tons of malls and restaurants around. After that, I finally moved out of my dorm. Living on my own taught me so many things. I especially learned how to meet new people from many different backgrounds and live independently. I'll for sure miss the campus and all the fun memories in the dormitory! The last thing before leaving was to go skiing. This ski resort was in Gangwon-do which is about one and a half hours outside of Seoul. It costed about $90 for the ski lift pass, access to the slopes, and rental gear. Skiing was a lot harder than it looks! I lost count on how much times I fell but I eventually made it all the way down the slopes without falling. This is something I would definitely recommend to do in Korea, especially if you lived in Hawaii your whole life! With only two days left, I visited Myeongdong Cathedral for Christmas Eve and shopped around. Myeongdong was full of people and felt so lively, considering the fact that it was a ghost town a year ago. I would recommend this area to anyone who loves street food and shopping. Finally, my last day. With stricter restrictions on entering the US, I went to Incheon Airport early for a covid test. After my results, I had some time to kill so I visited a nearby beach and cafe. The temperature was freezing and was close to -8F with the wind chill! After getting in my last taste of Korean street food, I was off to Hawaii. Now that it's all said and done, this has been the journey of a lifetime. The memories, experiences, and lessons I learned abroad are irreplaceable. Even with covid, I still enjoyed every second of it and made the absolute most of it. To anyone reading this who is considering studying abroad, I would say do it! Taking the chance and going changed my life forever and I'm forever grateful that I had the opportunity. These past five months have pushed me out of my comfort zone but have also been the most fun I've ever had in my life. Korea, I'll surely be back! So that's the end of my blog, I hope you enjoyed keeping up with me during this journey. Thank you for reading!
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It's December 1st here in Seoul and this marks the last month of my exchange semester. This journey so far has been amazing, life-changing, and full of new memories. The past two weeks have been filled with random adventures here and there. First was a hike up Wonmi Mountain, 노래방 (karaoke), and of course, eating delicious food. Next, our buddy program club invited us to learn Korean drinking games. We learned lots of popular games that students usually learn in their freshman year of university. I didn't get any photos of us learning the games but got one after we finished practicing! The next set of photos is the last field trip for my buddy club. We visited Incheon and went to Chinatown, Fairy-tail Village, and Wolmi Island. I'm really grateful that I participated in this club and got to experience many fun field trips and gatherings throughout the semester. I took a quick visit to Itaewon to eat some traditional Korean food as well as a traditional American breakfast. Itaewon is always nice to visit since it features so much different cultures coming together. Also, this is where I did my 14 day quarantine! It's nice to see that 3 and a half months ago, I was stuck in a room not knowing what would happen when I get to the outside world. Little did I know I would be having the time of my life here in Korea. Namsan Tower is a must visit spot in Seoul and I finally visited. I highly recommend visiting at night to see the Seoul skyline light up. It's completely free to visit but the top observation deck does cost around $14. Being on top of Seoul is a breathtaking feeling, the magnitude of the city really leaves you in awe. Lastly for this update is Lotte World again. This time, it featured a winter and Christmas theme. It's tons of fun here and its central and convenient location makes it really easy to visit. The only problem this time was the freezing temperatures after the sunset. This forced us to stay inside for the rest of the time here. After Lotte World, we decided to go to Gangnam for dinner. Kimchi fried rice and sushi at a popular pocha is always nice to end the day!
The last two weeks have been filled with fun including my 22nd birthday! The first event was a visit to Changgyeong Palace with a club at my university. With covid restrictions easing in Korea, we can now go on group field trips. The palace was beautiful and featured a massive garden and lake. It also showed off the wonderful fall leaves that I never get to see in Hawaii. Next, I celebrated my birthday with a haircut and a steak dinner. The restaurant was beautiful with a view of Dongdaemun Square. After, we visited DDP, an art exhibit museum in Seoul and ate dakbal (chicken feet) at a local pocha (pub). As for the haircut, I was nervous to get one but the hair salons here are extremely good. For about $12 I got a haircut, shampoo, then another haircut to clean up any mistakes. It felt like it would be closer to $30 back home with the quality and service they offered. Bringing a Korean friend to help communicate with the barber is also extremely helpful! Next is Bukhansan, one of my bucket-list items in Korea. As someone who enjoys hiking, this was a must. I did the hike as a field trip with the H.U.G. club from my university again. Bukhansan is the highest point in Seoul and is about five miles in total. This was one of the most beautiful things I've done in Seoul so far. The views were breathtaking but it definitely wasn't easy. Steep climbs, scaling the side of a rock face, tons of steep stairs, and freezing winds at the peak were all apart of the climb but still, it was worth it. If you do this hike, plan in the fall to experience the autumn leaves throughout the hike. After the hike, me and my group went to get some chicken shabu shabu to celebrate conquering the infamous hike. Incheon is about 30 to 40 minutes outside of central Seoul and has many popular attractions like its Chinatown, pier, ferry rides, and "Korean Manhattan". First, we visited the Chinatown to have some Chinese food and check out the various cafes in the area. Next, we took a ride on the sea train to see the massive Incheon Port and some nearby temples. We got off at Wolmido Island which is comparable to Santa Monica in the states. The rides there are crazy and feel like crazier versions of the ones back home. We rode the viking ship, disco, and ferris wheel. To end the day, we took a ferry with a beautiful view of the sunset. Some other random things were visiting Time Square in Korea and eating Downtowner Burger, one of the most popular burgers in Korea. The wait was over 30 minutes but it was worth it!
With midterms over, it was time to celebrate and fly around Korea. Me and a Korean friend I met here decided to spontaneously go to Busan! I visited Busan in 2015 but didn't get to experience it to the fullest so this time I really wanted to explore and do as much as I could. Day 1: The flight to Busan took around forty-five minutes and offered some breathtaking views from above. The next day (the real day one) we started the day with some cold noodles. After we visited Haeundae beach and the city around it, a traditional market, and took the ocean train to a nearby coastal city. After all of this, dinner was fish and chips at Bay101 with a beautiful view of Marine City. Day 2:
Day number two started off with an early lunch from a famous pork stew place. We had to wait for about 20 minutes before getting in but as we were leaving, there were about 25 people in line. Next was one of the highlights which was Gamcheon Village. This village was surreal, giving off a feeling of Santorini or the Favelas. There are many cafes and shops in this area so you could spend hours here. Next, we visited a traditional Korean market which included fresh fish and seafood, street food, and clothes/souvenirs. Lastly, Gwangalli Beach and Marine City. All of these places I would say are must visits if you ever visit Busan. The first two weeks of October consisted of a lot of eating and Lotte World! After Everland, me and my roommate decided to check out Lotte World with some friends to see the "Disneyland of Korea". Lotte World was definitely fun, but small in comparison to Everland. With its location in the heart of the city right next to Lake Seokchon, it's still a must visit for its special events and rides.
Besides Lotte World, there has been tons of eating. I have been trying to eat as much traditional Korean dishes as I can up here. This includes traditional stews and broths. With the weather soon approaching the thirties, I'll probably be eating a lot of these warm dishes in the near future. Lastly, a random visit to the top of Hongdae to a pop-up cafe with magnificent panoramic view of Seoul. Experiencing the sunset and seeing Namsan Tower light up as the night filled the sky was a surreal experience. Also, a Noraebang and night walk of the Han River to top it all off. Midterms are approaching so most of my time for the next week will be used to study. Wish me luck! September in Seoul has been tons of fun! This is the last month before autumn and the cold weather arrives. Being a Hawai'i boy my whole life, I now have to prepare for the cold months ahead.
The first picture is of a group of us from the H.U.G. program at Sogang University. This program lets us have a Korean buddy to show us around, answer questions, and help us adjust to Seoul. My buddy, Jay, takes us out to his favorite restaurants around Sinchon and Hongdae every Friday. Pictures two and three show the Han River where a group of us from the dorms went for a picnic. Picnicking here is one of the most popular activities in Seoul. Many locals go here for fried chicken and beer. The park (Yeouido Hangang Park) here is massive with tons of street vendors and places to hang out. Pictures three and four are at an animal cafe in Hongdae. This cafe had a variety of exotic animals including meerkats, exotic cats, foxes, racoons, and my favorite, the wallaby. There are tons of these cafes around Seoul and I would highly recommend checking at least one out. The next three pictures after show a PC cafe, the Lotte World Tower, and a pop-up for the popular drama "Squid Game" in Itaewon. Last is Everland, Korea's version of Disneyland. It was about $60 to get in for the day and was completely worth it. There were tons of rides, games, food, shows, and activities to do. One of the highlights of the day was the T-Express, a massive wooden roller coaster that I was super nervous to ride but ended up loving it. A month has gone by and wow.... so far, I love it here in Seoul. Some of my favorite places from the past two weeks have been Gangnam, Hongdae, and Gyeongbokgung Palace. After a month I've managed to figure out the transportation system, get used to the spicy Korean food, and learn about the many districts of Seoul.
For my classes, they feel very similar to back home due to them being on zoom. One thing I'm looking forward to later in the semester is the group work. My professors are adamant on integrating international and Korean students in groups so we can learn to work with people of many different backgrounds and cultures. Another thing to note for the first month is the Alien Registration Card (ARC). This must be completed in your first 90 days in Korea and it cost 40,000 won. I completed mine with the help of my school and paid at a nearby bank. Overall, my first month here surpassed my expectations. Minus the fourteen days in quarantine, it has been a dream come true. I can't wait to keep you all updated on my future adventures. My schedule for the semester is finally set. For my university, we have three opportunities to get the classes you want. The first was at the end of July through the school's online registration system where I only got 2/4 of my required courses. Next was from August 26th until September 7th where you can email professors and manually get their approval. Lastly is the online registration system again from September 2nd to September 7th where you can add classes since students drop classes and revise their schedule. I got my last two classes by emailing professors and getting approval. The classes I am taking are three business courses and one political history course.
For the first adventure in Seoul, me and my roommate hiked Inwangsan Mountain(인왕산). The hike was fairly short (about 30 minutes to the top) but the views were breathtaking. With our school gym being closed, hiking and walking have been ways I've been keeping active up here. Also, it was my first time trying kimchi stew that day and the shop owner was impressed that I handled the heat and ate the whole thing. After fourteen days, I finally finished up my quarantine. Surprisingly, it went by faster than I expected. My quarantine consisted of mostly sleeping, working out, playing games, and eating. After leaving, I arrived at Sogang University. Moving in to my dorm was quick and easy, I met my roommate Daniel who is from the Czech Republic and went out to get basic essentials for the dorm. It was an eventful and tiring day moving in but I'm ready to start my semester here in Korea.
Today I arrived in Seoul. The flight was actually not bad considering it was ten hours. The flight was mostly empty so I could lift up the middle arm rest and sleep. After arriving, it was exhausting. Lines upon lines of people. In total, it took around three and a half hours to settle down in my quarantine. They require you to fill out four documents on the plane which include customs declarations and a health form. The first line checks for your negative covid test. That line took around an hour and a half to get through as it wasn't moving at all. The second line was to install the covid app which tracks you in quarantine and makes you take two health surveys a day. An important note is that you need to make sure you have a guardian (family member, advisor) with a Korean number. After that, it was two last lines which moved fairly quick compared to the first two. It was normal customs and more covid papers. Finally, I got my bags and took a quarantine taxi to my quarantine housing for the next fourteen days. The cost of the taxi was 80,000 won or about $80. It was about a forty minute ride from Incheon and the move in to my room was fairly easy. I like to joke that my room looks like a jail cell but it's spacious and clean which is all that really matters.
I booked with a service called EnKor which was recommended by my school. They provide three meals a day and the cost was around $1,200 for the entire fourteen nights. I also got my SIM card through them. |
This is my blog site to keep up with me throughout my study abroad.
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