Chuseok, the Korean version of Thanksgiving, was September 9-11 for the 2022 year. I've frequently heard about Chuseok, but this year would mark my first time experiencing Chuseok in Korea. Interestingly enough, I was able to celebrate my first Chuseok with both my mother and father, who were still in Korea at the time. From Korea University, I took a 1.5-hour subway trip to Dongducheon and found myself at the familiar house of my aunt once again. I arrived at a quite hectic time--understandably so, because my aunt had to prepare food for fifteen people, including all three of my mother's siblings and their families. I was surprised to hear that this would be the first Chuseok in a long time where the entirety of my mother's side would be gathering together to celebrate the holiday; this was made possible due to the rare presence of my parents in Korea. Our family members did a quick service before we began to eat. There was an impressive amount of food, including Chuseok classics such as galbi-jjim (steamed beef short ribs), japchae (glass noodles), LA galbi, bulgogi, wanja-jeon (meat and tofu patties), and various banchan. My father's side used to all be in Hawaii but are now spread out across the world; therefore, I haven't been able to eat with so many extended family members in a long time. I was incredibly thankful to catch up with everyone over a delicious meal full of homemade delicacies. I went to Jeju IslandWhen the owner of my goshiwon announced that he was organizing a trip to Jeju Island, I immediately signed up for the opportunity. Going to Jeju Island was one of my top goals for my exchange in South Korea. A whopping total of twenty members of my goshiwon also signed up for the three-day, two-night trip! I really loved Jeju. There's so much to see and do and the people there are very kind and welcoming. I almost felt like I was back home; the weather was hot, the beaches were (nearly) as beautiful as Hawaii's, the air felt cleaner and fresher, and, bonus, my resort was called Blue Hawaii. It was almost comforting to see the familiar sight of surfers at the beach. The goshiwon owner, who we call Uncle, is basically a Jeju expert. He visited Jeju countless times and has various connections throughout the island, so he took us only to the best, "non-touristy" places. We were super thankful to Uncle for making our experience special. Of course, this trip couldn't be truly interesting without a challenge, right? In the midst of my streak of having an incredible time at Jeju, I experienced a great misfortune. I broke my phone. I dropped my phone in such a manner that my screen completely shattered and I could only see the top bar of my screen when I unlocked it. Although there were third-party repair shops in Jeju, I couldn't get my phone fixed during the trip because apparently, U.S iPhone parts were different from Korean iPhone parts; I had to get my phone fixed at the Apple store. With my phone getting broken smack in the middle of my trip, I missed out on taking pictures of a significant part of my trip at Jeju. I'm still quite saddened by this, but I was able to have the interesting experience of not using a phone for nearly two days--needless to say, it was a learning experience, and I held up surprisingly well.
My parents actually went to Jeju two weeks before me, so my mother gave me a long list of recommendations of places to visit and food to eat. With my mother's recommendations, my experience, and Uncle's recommendations, I compiled a master list of recommendations and tips for the best trip in Jeju!
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On August 25, the Korea University Buddy Assistants (KUBA) held its orientation for exchange students. KUBA pairs exchange students with regular students from the school and organizes events for students to meet peers and learn about the school and Korean culture. The day was filled with logistical presentations, a campus tour, and mingling with fellow exchange students. A week later, the business school had its own orientation, organized by the KUBS buddies. I like KUBA, but I really appreciate having a buddy group within the business school because I'm able to meet people who may be in my class or have similar professional interests. For some reason, KU starts the semester on Thursday (9/1), in the middle of the week. Also, just like how Shidler doesn't have classes on Monday, KUBS doesn't hold classes on Friday; students going out on Thursday night to start a 3-day weekend is a common occurrence. Now that I have gone through a week and a half of classes, I have a few overall impressions:
The Shocking Weather & Typhoon HinnamnoorWeather has consistently been an issue since my arrival in Korea. The first issue: Korea is hotter than Hawaii. Yeah, crazy. In Hawaii, I'm usually able to wear a thin cardigan over my outfits without much issue due to the cool breeze of the ocean. Here, I can barely wear two layers of clothing because it's dreadfully hot. The trees stay perfectly still because there's absolutely no wind whatsoever. The sun just shines mercilessly on everything. Exacerbating the issue is the crazy humidity of this country, so your body is basically just constantly steaming inside your clothes. The funny thing is, I feel like it's just me. I seriously don't think Korean people don't sweat. I'm the only one drenched, huffing and panting; meanwhile, everyone else is peacefully carrying on with their day (while wearing jackets)! KOREA TIP: Please buy or bring a handheld fan for the sake of your sanity. After steaming in the sun every time I stepped foot outside for two weeks, the weather did a 180-switch out of nowhere. Rain just kept pouring for a week straight. I usually don't like rain too much, but I welcomed the change with open arms because the rain made the air cooler for once. I noticed that many of my friends were using the cheap convenience store umbrellas, which kept breaking after a couple of uses. I suggest to invest in or bring a high-quality umbrella, because you'll be using it quite frequently--rain just falls out of nowhere sometimes. Speaking of rain, Korea almost got devastated by a typhoon. Prior to my arrival in Korea, some parts of Seoul had experienced extremely heavy showers to the point where serious flooding occurred. Unfortunately, at least nine people had passed during the flooding. Ever since, I had become quite wary about Korean weather; consequently, I was a bit unsurprised to hear that a typhoon, called Typhoon Hinnamnor, was en route to hit the south edge of Korea. Every time I checked the news for updates, experts had predicted that the typhoon would bring severe damage as a Category 5 super typhoon. Thankfully, the typhoon went a bit off the projected route, and southern regions like Busan and Jeju had only experienced heavy rain. Anam: No Shortage of Things to DoAnam is SO underrated. Let's just say it. Most individuals interested in studying abroad in Korea are looking to study at one school: Yonsei University. I was also such an individual. Yonsei was my first choice, and I felt a ping of disappointment when I got Korea University as my exchange school. Yonsei is near a very famous area called Hongdae (short for Hongik University), which is renowned for being a popular hub for college students in Korea to go shopping and engage in the lively nightlife. At Shidler, not many people talk about Korea University. In fact, they talk about Ewha Women's University or even Seoul National University more. And one of the few things I've heard about KU before is that the school is on the "outskirts" of Seoul. This. Is. False!!! The phrase "outskirts of Seoul" doesn't even make sense because KU is still very much in Seoul. It's only a few subway stops away from famous areas like Itaewon, Myeongdong, and Dongdaemun. Hongdae isn't that far either. You can get there by subway in about an hour, which really isn't that long. Anam (the province where KU is located) itself is a great area. I was pleasantly surprised with the vast amount of shopping and eating I could do here. Sometimes, I actually prefer spending time at Anam because of the unique, homely vibes the city brings. I've compiled a working list of things to do in Anam, in case you, the reader, ever get to study here at KU! The moral of the story is, if you have an open mindset, you will quickly discover that everything is much better than it seems! I'm grateful that I was accepted to KU, and I'm still excited to explore more of Anam and the things it has to offer for KU students.
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