First Week Of School + Eating Poop & Visiting Han River

 It was finally the first week of school! The classes that I picked are Advertising Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Management, and Marketing Research. However, after reading the syllabus and meeting the professors, I decided to drop Consumer Behavior and take a Korean 101 class instead. Reasoning was because I found the professor's teaching style a little more traditional, he required students to use no devices and expected all students to print out material from BlackBoard for his class which can be costly. 

My schedule was quite flexible and easy to manage! I can get to class on time in 5-7 minutes walking from my Goshiwon which is very convenient and like Shidler, we have one day free from the week so we can study or go out and visit places. On Fridays, I usually make plans with people who also did exchange at Korea University from Hawaii or go on campus (sometimes cafes in Anam) to study. 

My schedule! 

      My first lecture in Marketing Research

KU has two campuses; the main and the science campus. On the main campus, they offer 6,000 KRW ($4.50 USD)  buffet lunch and dinners for students. I think eating there made me save myself from consistently eating GS25 food. Although I bought food to make at home, it is very inconvenient to consistently go downstairs to cook, clean, or wait for other residents to finish. The food is different every day and have a good variety of foods I never tried before, definitely one of the best perks about studying here! 

Our school ID

Besides going to school and nearby cafes, that week I visited Insadong, which is a 20-minute bus ride from home and is a very traditional but beautiful area to visit. Many of the stores sell souvenirs or have the same shops selling different things for the same price, almost similar to Daiso but primarily selling accessories like jewelry, bags, and hats. There was a center I visited and inside I ate a steamed chocolate bread shaped as a poop. Instantly it became one of my favorite snacks I've eaten there. The buildings were also more traditional and there was a palace nearby but I was unable to capture a photo. 

On the top level of the center mall 

Two days later, the people from Hawaii who all came to Korea, studying at different schools decided to have a gathering at Han River. I and some of the others who attended KU went a little earlier and decided to take photos by the river...which was a mistake. It was late February but the weather that day was -7 Celius (19 Fahrenheit). After roughly 15 minutes, we decided to meet at Hyundai Mall nearby and grab coffee. I met a few from Yonsei, Ehwa, and SNU. It was overall very chill and some were one-year exchange and they were able to give advice on how the school does things and about the ARC (alien registration card). 

A photo taken by my friend of me at Han River

All in all, the first week of school was very nerve-racking, I didn't know what to expect and how I would fit in with the students, but throughout time I was able to meet a few new people. Mostly exchange students as it is hard for a Korean to actually want to approach foreigners. I can't wait to learn and create memories with the people I meet!