Day 7 & 8 (Aug 29th & 30th)

Okay so I'm putting yesterday and today together cuz I honestly didn't do much. So here goes...

Yesterday
1. I went to the immigration office to apply for my alien registration card. It was packed, took 2 hours (since I got there when it opened) and honestly, was way worse than being at the DMV.

2. Afterwards, me and my buddy tried to go to Itaewon (a region near the army base and a hotspot for foreigners) but it was raining pretty bad so we decided to go home.

3. Had jajangmyun for lunch (noodles with thick black bean sauce topped with onions...a lot of onions...) and it was good. Yeah, I kinda picked out the onions. There was way too much for my taste. Oh and the tea at the restaurant we went to is the bomb.

4. Came home, watched TV, and had a burger and fries for dinner. The burger was delish but I ate it before I got to take a picture of it.

Today
1. All I did was watch Korean dramas and took a nap. Yeah...I know. But I decided it was a resting day because my legs hurt from all the walking and I'm lazy.

2. Had a burger and fries for dinner again at the same burger place except I ordered a different burger. It was delicious and this time I took a picture.

I know this sounds sooooooooo fun but classes start on Monday so I'm trying to get a break and rest before then. No, I lied. I'm actually too lazy to go anywhere because I've been tired. Since being here my sleep has been all irregular. Or should I say more regular since I actually go to bed and get up at reasonable hours. Anwho I'm more fatigued than usual so I'm just gonna rest up. That and I've been sweating like crazy because of the heat and humidity here (which is gross). I've also been breaking out which upsets me. So...that's it for today. Thanks for reading my blog!

Day 6 (Aug 28th)

Okay so today I went on a city tour which honestly wasn't quite a city tour. Just a bunch of cool sights. So we went to Namsangol Hanok Village which is a...hanok village. I can't really describe it. Anyway, we tried on hanbok (which is traditional Korean clothing and imma buy me one before I leave here), and I saw a bunch of cute little kindergartners that I wanted to hug. Asian babies are so adorable. It made me miss my sister but she's way taller than them.

Afterwards I ate lunch which was very hot. It had bean sprouts, squid, and rice in it and I forgot what it's called. Then we went to the National Museum where I saw cool stuff. Yeah I know, so descriptive. You guys just gotta be here. It's like way too much to explain but...I took pictures so you guys can sort of second-hand experience it.

After the museum, we went to a place called Samsung Delight which was like nerd heaven and I'm sure if I had enough money my house would be filled with the stuff in there. Basically we learned about Samsung, and the cool new trinkets they got. There was one TV that was showing two shows simultaneously and if you wore these glasses that go with the TV, you can watch either one of the two shows just by itself. No more fighting over the TV!

And finally after the long field trip, I went to Myeongdong with a group of people and we ate a bunch of street food which were delicious. The egg bread is to die for...if you like eggs. But don't literally die for it, that's bad for your health.

You know, surprisingly, Seoul has like a bunch of "American" restaurants like: taco bell, outback, mickey d's, burger king, krispy kreme, dunkin doughnuts, KFC, and even auntie anne's pretzels. Cool isn't it? Although I haven't seem a Popeye's yet...that would be AMAZING!

Day 5 (Aug 27th)

Hi guys!

So was gonna go get my alien registration card today (kind of the Korean equivalent of a green card) but I didn't want to spend all day at the immigration office so I like...didn't. However, I did go to Dongdaemun with a couple of people and it was fun. I helped one of the girls haggle at the markets with my broken Korean and even helped people order lunch. It's kind of funny really. I spent most of the day translating for her even though I barely knew what the ajummas and ajusshis were saying myself. Oh and one of the shop ajummas patted my face...I don't know if it was a nice gesture or not. But she was surprised I was Vietnamese...as most people are...

As usual, there are pictures of what I ate. In the morning, I ate baloise spaghetti (I think that's how you spell it), and it had chicken and pork and mushrooms, and peppers and stuff in it. I couldn't finish it. I know it looks like a small portion in the picture, but it was a lot. Then I had like this french-fry corn dog thing from one of the street vending ajummas. Actually, I didn't buy it, I mooched off some from the girl I was translating for. I'd tell you guys the names of the people I've met but I'm not sure if they'd appreciate that so they shall remain anonymous.

I also had an expensive Krispy Kreme doughnut. For some reason, the doughnuts just look way fancier here. Uh...and for dinner I had a mini salad (they weren't joking when they said mini; like it's super small), a fried egg, and a kimchi rice ball (which was way larger than the salad).

In Dongdaemun, all I bought was an over-priced hat. I liked it, so it's alright. Not like I can go return it anyway. I think I was also hit on cuz the marketplace guys asked me why I didn't have a boyfriend. But then again he might have been trying to sell me a couple-tee. LoL I guess you can judge for yourself. The conversation was in Korean and it went something like this:

Guy 1: Hey, what are you looking for?
Me: My friends.
Guy 1: Oh I'm your friend. I'm right here.
Me: *smile and laugh and keep it moving*
Guy 2: Hey, what are you looking for?
(At that point, I found my friends so I didn't really say anything.)

Guy 3: Hey you should come check out these shirts!
Me: But I'm a girl...(he was selling men's clothes)
Guy 3: Well we have couple tees!
Me: But I don't have a boyfriend.
Guy 3: Oh really?!? Why?!?
Me: I don't want one.
Guy 3: Oh...so you're looking for female shirts? They're downstairs.
(Can't a girl try and buy a tie in peace?)

Yeah...pretty sure he was just trynna sell me something. Anywho, I apologize to the unsuspecting pedestrians in my pictures. Just to let you guys know, I'm going on a city tour tomorrow so that should be cool. I'll keep y'all posted. Night night!

Dondaemun

Day 4 (Aug 26th)

Well...I didn't do much today so this post may not be entertaining. So I will make a list since it's easier to read that way.

1. I ate breakfast. It was good.

2. I walked through Sinchon trying to find a phone place to get a SIM card but no one spoke English and it was...an experience. (I did manage to get one though, although it doesn't have a data plan but...I guess I'll make the best  of it and just immerse myself in my surroundings instead of immersing myself in my phone.)

3. I ate this yummy dessert that reminded me of Sunos but it wasn't.

4. I ate dinner with my hallmate in my room and we watched TV. (Miley Cyrus is a mess guys...)

5. Went to bed. Done!

Considering how I only took pictures of what I ate today...I'll post it up later since my phone is dead. Thanks for reading my blog guys!

Mandu (Fried Version)

Strawberry Bingsu

Day 3 (Aug 25th)

I went to Gyeongbokgung Palace today!

Not really much else to say though. The sights were very pretty, and on the way there, a butterfly landed on my arm. (Although the arm in the picture isn't mine, it was the guy next to me. Haha.) I also ate bibim naengmyoeon which is a spicy cold noodle dish. It came with this pork dish on the side which was delicious. After the palace I went back to my dorm room and watched TV cuz my feet hurt and I was tired. Man do you walk around a lot here.

Oh and I met some new friends. We talked about our respective schools and one spotted a celebrity filming on campus today. Pretty cool huh? Anyway, here's what I learned on the tour:

1. The king had three offices, two of which were heated by putting wood under these slots below the building to heat the floor. What were the offices for? Well basically, he can pick and choose which one he wanted to use because he was the king and he could do that.
2. The symbol for the king is the phoenix, not the dragon. The dragon as the symbol for the emperor (which is chinese.)
3. There are various statues around the palace to ward off evil.
4. The queen had a separate building where she gave birth that overlooked the mountains.
5. There's not many furniture in the sleeping quarters to prevent people from hiding behind them or under them.

...And that's about it because it was hot and I don't really remember the other stuff correctly. I don't do well in the sun you guys.

Oh and I forgot I didn't tell you guys about my dorm room. It's really small. The furniture is nice but my mattress is hard as heck. And the pillow they give you isn't a real pillow. It's like a mesh pillow case with these plastic noodle things inside. So needless to say, I bought a pillow. Done.

Day 2 (Aug 24th)

Okay so contrary to what I said, I haven't posted pictures. But never fear my friends, I shall do that soon.

And thus, my day goes like this...

1. I woke up at 8 am to the sound of my alarm clock and thought I had to go on a tour. (It's tomorrow.)

2. Got breakfast at one of the school cafeterias with my roommate, a guy from UGA, and someone he just met. (For the record, I had mandu which are dumplings.)

3. Then went to Myeongdong with UGA guy. It was fun. We took the subway where you technically have to stand the whole time cuz there's a lot of old people. I bought some food from the street vending ajummas and ajusshis. It was good.

Myeongdong has a bunch of shops with brand name stores and they're all expensive. And cool. But mostly expensive. Like they had Aldo, H&M, Foot Locker...I know, normal right? And then we went into this department store that had Chanel, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and other brand names I can't afford. And just like anywhere, the sales associates look at you if you're window shopping and idling around. LoL

 4. After Myeongdong, we went back to Sinchon (where Yonsei is) and ate lunch. I had egg ramyun and the ajumma that made it said I was pretty. Hehe.

5. Then I just went back to the dorm and watched shows on my computer and took a nap cuz my legs were killing me. And that's my day. Ta dah!

I know, not as eventful as yesterday but it was still fun. Anyway here are some tips and random things I observed:

1. Flip flops don't make good walking footwear so if you ever go to Korea, don't forget your running shoes.
2. Contrary to what I believed, I'm not that tall compared to other Asians...unless I wear heels. I'm 5'7".
3. Most people wear tall shoes.
4. There is "double-eyelid tape" here. (Yeah...idk ponder that.)
5. Apparently I look Filipino and have an accent.
6. According to my roommate, I was apparently dubbed "the girl with the big eyes" and know stuff about plastic surgery. (not really sure if they're assuming I got double-eyelid surgery or not but I can assure you I have not.)
7. And lastly, some of the girls are getting plastic surgery (their nose done) which is what my mom told me to do while I'm in Korea but I am currently not entertaining that notion cuz I don't believe anything is wrong with my face.

Oki doki, that's all. ^ . ^ To Gyeongbukgung tomorrow!

Myeongdong

Mandu, Egg Ramyun, and Hurricane Potato

Day 1 (Aug 23rd)

Oh...em...gee...

Today was crazy. So you know how I said I slept at 9:00pm? Well I woke up at 6:30am because I slept for a long time, took a shower, changed, talked to my friends and my cousin, and then went to the orientation they had for exchange students. Oh, if you haven't already known, I am now a foreign exchange student at Yonsei University for a semester. But...I haven't gotten to the crazy part of my day yet.

I walked...a lot. And ate...a lot. And drank...a moderate amount.

In a nutshell, the orientation was long and kinda boring (as orientations all tend to be). My favorite part of the morning was eating breakfast. I went out to eat with some of the girls on my floor. They're all really nice and according to Ana, Georgia is a random place to come from and I still haven't fully figured out why.
Anywho, I had kimbap (which is basically Korean sushi but I don't think my definition is doing it justice), and ddeokbokki (which is a spicy rice cake dish). They were both delicious and lunch cost me like $3 so I wasn't complaining.

After morning orientation and breakfast we went to a little market where everyone bought stuff they "needed" and then we ate lunch. Bibimbap is great. You guys should try it. To get to the market, we had to walk through Sinchon which was...an experience. Apparently the ajusshis don't care that you're crossing the street. They got places to be and if you can't walk fast enough, so be it. 

From there I went to the afternoon orientation (yeah I know, one was bad enough), where we took a short campus tour, got free sweet bread, and learned about the different trips the school offered us. There was a limited number of seats for the trip so...I bum-rushed the line. I mean, I felt bad because there seemed to have been people waiting but I think since I made a valiant effort to participate and fully immerse myself in my student exchange, I was rewarded. Yeah...still bad to cut the line. (Sorry guys.)

Okay so here goes the crazy part...which honestly wasn't so crazy. It was actually totally wicked!!! Jk. Not really on that level yet, but really, the night was fun. And it goes like this...

1. At the end of the 2nd orientation the "Yonsei Blue Knights" (cheer squad) taught us school cheers for a rivalry sports tournament. At first it was fun and great but then it got really hot in that auditorium and I'm sorry to say that the school spirit left my body.

2. We then met our "mentors" from the Mentor's Club (an organization to help exchange student integrate with Korean culture and do Korean things). We had dakgalbi (spicy chicken) for dinner with our group and I had 4 shots of Soju (alcohol). Yeah yeah, 1st day and I'm already drinking BUT Koreans like their alcohol and I was just "immersing myself with the culture". If you're wondering how Soju tastes, it tastes like light vodka...except stronger...if that makes any sense...(but of course, I wouldn't know how vodka tastes like because today was my first time having alcohol considering yah know...it's illegal in America.)

3. After dinner, everyone went to club/bar where everyone danced badly and we all had a free drink as well as a free shot of tequila, all for $5. Just so you guys know...most Asians have no rhythm. I was at the club for idk how long where they played a lot of hip-hop music you kind of just beef-it-up and jig to. Once people started dancing on the poles and some techno-ish music came on, I left. Because I had to admit, I was kind of tipsy and also tired.

4. But...I didn't go home. Me and two friends I made during dinner walked around downtown where we saw like a bajillion noraebangs (karaoke bars) and a lot of restaurants that sold chicken. Then we merged ourselves with some fun students who were drinking makgeolli (korean rice whine) and sprite. I don't think you're supposed to mix them like that but...it was good. After a while of being slightly obnoxious, we went to a noraebang where we sang Britney Spears and Beyonce very loudly...and badly.

5. After number 4, the night gets kind of uneventful cuz I just walked back to the dorm with a new friend I met and now I'm writing this post for the blog. But yah. That's about it for my day. It was eventful, fun, and...an experience.

Right now, I'm sleepy, my feet hurt, and I'm rebelling the shower. So, this about wraps up my day (and my post), and I'll update you guys tomorrow. And post pictures. Nighty night.

Pretty Part of Campus

Bibimbap, DakGalbi, and Ddeokbokki 

Party, Soju, and Noraebang

Day 0.5 (Aug 21st/22nd)

So, not much to say here, nor did I take any pictures. I know, I'm awful right?? Can't remember much from that day really. All I know is I woke up really early to get to the airport, my heels hurt on the plane, and I slept for like forever. Well, what seemed like forever. Cuz on my flight from Dallas to Seoul I thought I'd get to Seoul by the time I woke up from my sleep but...I still had like 7 or 8 hours of the flight left. You guys know that the Dallas airport had a Popeye's?!? Anywho, I ate Shin Ramyun on the plane (it was delish, as ramyun tends to be), some chicken with veggies and rice thing (not so great; carrots tasted like soup), and Milano cookies (which...do I even have to say it? I mean, who doesn't like Milano cookies?). Anywho, I arrived at the airport in Seoul and it was huge...and hot. More huge than hot but I couldn't get past the hot. And when I got outside it was also hot. Kinda like Savannah all sticky and humid and junk but considering how I hadn't been outside all summer, I didn't welcome the weather I was experiencing.

Took a taxi to the dorms and had to walk down these ridiculous rock steps with my suitcases. Yeah...it took a minute because my suitcases were heavy, the stairs were steep, and I'm not really that strong. I moved in, unpacked, met some of the girls on my floor, watched M Countdown with them, grabbed some dinner, and slept at like 9:00pm. And that wraps up that. I know, very exciting right? However I will give you some tips about planes and airports through my experience:

1. Don't wear heels. It's just a bad idea no matter how cute your outfit is.
2. Kids kick your seat so feel free to recline it. You'll be annoyed, but slightly more comfortable.
3. Don't eat the chicken and rice. It's not that great.
4. People stare at you often if you're tall...especially old Asian ladies.
5. Get a window seat or an aisle seat cuz being in the middle is inconvenient.
6. Oblivion, Epic, Trance, and Iron Man 3 are all good movies. (This has nothing to do with my list but they're what I watched on the plane so it sort of counts.)

And...that's all folks.