Burgers
C-Festival
have entered without buying a ticket because we didn't know that we needed one and no one stopped us when we just walked in. There weren't any cultural activities or performances happening when we went but I think there were supposed to be performances that night but, there wasn't too much to do so we only spent about an hour and a half there. Nevertheless, we had some great food and got to see some interesting exhibits! surprise birthday party
room and got everything done on time and the surprise was a success! It was so nice to celebrate our friends with the people that have become my family,here, in Korea. I had such a great time and it made me sad to think that the time we have is dwindling :(.
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Its been a while! Studying for midterms has kept me glued to my books, but I got done with them this week and I found some time between my study sessions to fit in some fun activities! Catching up with a keanan
Bowling
Gyeongbokgung palaceThis was probably the most exciting thing that I've done these past two weeks. My friend Becca and I decided to rent hanbok (Korean traditional clothes) and explore the palace and the traditional village nearby. Becca did a lot of research on places we could go to rent habok but after we walked around the palace we realized that there are many, many, many places to rent and I think we may have paid a little more than necessary, but the service there was great! When we walked into the store, people greeted us as showed us where the pieces were and we were able to pick the one we liked. Once we tried it one and liked the way we looked, we were able to pick out a hairstyle that they could do for us (for an additional charge), and lastly, we were allowed to pick out a headpiece and handbag. I paid 25,000 won for 4 hours to rent the hanbok and that was plenty of time because walking around in the heat tired us out very quickly. Once we left the store, we had to walk about 5 min to the palace and renting a hanbok allows you free entry into the palaces so we just walked right on in. I had such a great time walking around and we took so many pictures! Also, do not be alarmed when people ask to take pictures with you because there will probably be a few people who do! We were also approached by a few groups of children asking if they can teach us about the history of Korea. They were so cute!! We couldn't resist giving in. This week was jam packed! It has been one of the busy weeks yet so i'll just jump right into it! Midterms"I had my first midterm this week and studying for it was so stressful! I'm glad that I got one out of the way and that I have a few weeks to study for my other midterms. I have two more in class exams and one take home exam left to complete in the next few weeks and I am stressing out about them because two of my midterms are only one day apart. So, time management and prioritization are going to be key! A few tips that have worked for me in order to have a productive study session are: 1. Schedule out study time This tends to work for me because if I dont plan out a time that I am going to study, then I will keep pushing it off until the last minute and I am stressing even harder. 2. Study with a friend I know everyone has their own way of studying but I find that studying with a friend helps me to be more productive. But, this one can be a hit or miss depending on what your friends are like. So, be smart about who you ask to study with you! Make sure that the person you ask will help you be productive and not distract you from your studying. For me, this tip goes hand in hand with Tip #1 because by planning a study time with a friend, it keeps me from pushing my study time back because I made a plan with someone else and I am not someone who likes to cancel plans once they're made. I have made a friend that keeps me on track and isn't afraid to call me out when I am getting distracted (thank you, Becca! <3 ). So, find yourself a "Becca" and they will make a world of difference in your productivity. 3. Put your phone away! I know that I always make the excuse that "someone is going to be looking for me" but if they really need to find you, then they can call! So, turn your volume on and put your phone out of sight so that you are not tempted to pick it up and get distracted. 4. Take breaks Taking breaks is a good thing! When I stare at my notes or computer for too long it makes me cranky and tired. So, I would get up and either walk around or stretch every hour or so if possible. Those are a few of my tips for studying. I hope I will make it out of these next few weeks alive! Happy studying! FC seoul
We also got to see a goal called back after they referred to the replay. Also, the fans showed so much pride in their team by wearing their gear, singing songs, and some people even brought huge flags to wave and show their support. I had so much fun watching the game with my friends and seeing the Seoul World Cup Stadium. TIP: You are allowed to bring your own food in, so buy food/snacks from the HomePlus under the stadium and bring them in with you if you want to save some money! worlds larget ikea+Movie night
there by train but it didn't feel so bad. Once we got there, my friends and I headed straight for the food. I got the Swedish meatballs which came with mashed potatoes, gravy, and a berry sauce that was absolutely delicious. I was also told that I have to try the cinnamon rolls and so I got one of those as well. All of the food was phenomenal and once we were stuffed full of Swedish meatballs, I was excited to explore the rest of the store. IKEA had everything and the prices were so affordable for the quality! I could,ve spent hours and hours walking around but we just took a quick walk around and headed home. Not before we got a soft-serve ice cream though. After we left IKEA, my friends and I headed back to Sinchon, grabbed some chicken for dinner, then had a movie night in our dorm's lounge. We rearranged the chairs and and set up my laptop to connect to the T.V. We each brought our own snacks to share and had a fun movie night! Jazz club
see that although our cultures culture are totally different, music has no cultural boundary and it speaks to everyone. This was a great way to end the week and I totally recommend that you come here or go to other places where there are live performances!
This week was filled with fun activities and new experiences, but I think I am going to have to buckle down to study so that I can do well on my midterms. So, wish me luck and I will talk to you next time! :) Spring has sprung! The flowers are beginning to bloom and it is officially cherry blossom season! The cherry blossom are only going to be here for a few weeks so I wanted to take the time to see them in full bloom. There are cherry blossom trees all over Seoul and it has been so refreshing to see life in the trees again. I was beginning to feel a little down because of the gloomy skies and cold weather, but I feel a lot better now that I see beautiful colors when I go outside. A group of my friends and I decided to see the cherry blossoms on Yeouido because we were planning to go to the festival but we got the dates wrong and went a day earlier. But, it turned out to be a good mistake because if we had gone during the festival, it would have been too crowded to get nice pictures with the cherry blossoms. The day we went was extremely cold but overall, the cherry blossoms were beautiful and I had a great time walking the cherry blossom lined street with my friends.
Korean culture nightMy dorm hosted a Korean Culture Night for international students in the lobby of our dorm where they were traditional Korean performances and free snacks! The performances were so interesting to watch. There were performances of traditional songs, instruments, and dances. The performers were dressed beautiful in traditional clothing and I was so glad that the dorm put on something like this event because I never would have been able to see anything like it otherwise. Many of the performances were high energy and a few people were even pulled up to dance. The entire culture night only took about an hour to an hour and a half so I suggest you take time out of your day to check it out if you get a chance! everlandThis past weekend my friends and I were free so we decided to visit Everland! It is an amusement park that is home to the oldest wooden roller coaster in Korea. TIP: SEARCH FOR DISCOUNTED TICKETS. A few websites offer cheaper tickets specifically for foreigners so you can save a good amount of money by looking for them! The original price of a one day ticket is 54,000₩ and I only paid 30,000₩ through klook.com. I also know that Trazy.com has discounts as well but you have to book about day in advance. But anyway, the trip to Everland is quite long. There is an option for a shuttle bus that picks you up at certain stations along the way, but that was an extra 10,000₩ so my friends and I opted for the cheaper bus alternative. The first bus was a 25-30 min ride, then the second bus was another 40 min. The second bus was so crowded and uncomfortable that I felt sick by the end. By the time my friends and I got on the bus, it was already full so we had to stand the entire way. The ride was very long with many rough twists and turns. Plus, there were so many people on the bus that all of the body heat made the ride even more uncomfortable. But, after enduring that ride, we made it to Everland! We simply had to show the QR code, that we received from the website, at the entrance and we didn't have to stand in the long lines to by tickets. This made the process much easier. Everland was beautiful with many fun attractions! TIP: YOU ARE ALLOWED TO BRING IN YOUR OWN FOOD AND DRINKS. So, keep this in mind if you want to save money. Also, in my opinion, the food in the park wasn't very good for the price so you'll probably be more satisfied if you bring in your own food and drinks! The lines weren't too bad. For the major attraction rides the lines were between 30-50 min so I would try to get to these first if possible. But, I did go on a Friday so if you go on Saturday or Sunday the wait times may be even longer. I had such a great time at Everland and I definitely think I will be visiting again! I have finally gotten in a rhythm with my courses and I'm so excited about it! My teachers are great and the content is very interesting. I have also been able to do more exploring! My friends and I visited the Bukhansan National Park and the N Seoul Tower this week! bukhansan national park
would recommend bring food and water with you because you will be spending quite a big chunk of your day hiking this mountain and you will definitely get hungry and thirsty. The hike is majorly uphill and you you will encounter many stairs, steep uphills and downhills, and something close to rock climbing. It was an extremely scenic route and there are places to take pictures along the way, so get your cameras ready! It was very interesting that only older Korean people were hiking. It seem that hiking isn't a popular pastime for the younger generation here. But anyway, I am so glad that I went on this hike because I felt so accomplished at the end, and the views were so beautiful. So, grab your friends and try it out! I have a few suggestions for this hike:
N Seoul Tower
na good workout, then walking is a good option for you! The views on the way up were photo worthy but the real views are at the top! We tried to go out for the sunset, but we slightly missed it. But, the tower is know for its views at night anyway! It was really cold up there, but we came prepared with beanies, gloves, and lots of layers. There are places selling food and drinks if you needed to refuel. It costs more to go all the way to the top of the tower so my friends and I decided to skip that part. The view was so beautiful and I would highly recommend visiting at least once during your stay!
Thats all I have for now. Until next time! <3 I have learned so much since I arrived in Korean and I have picked a few tips and tricks that I would like to share before I forget!
I will also be adding things that I wish I... (knew, did, etc) before coming to Korea so that you can be better prepared than I was! These are all my opinions so they may or may not apply to you! Tip #1: Invest in a good coat IT IS COLD HERE!! If you come during the spring semester, it will still be cold. It even snowed a few times! I was born and raised on Oahu in beautiful weather all my life so this change has been very hard for me! It is between 20-60 degrees (on a very nice day) here so investing in a good coat is crucial especially if you plan to do anything at night. In my opinion you really only need one but if you want to change it up then you can bring more! The one I bought from UNIQLO was very good in the beginning but all of the feathers have been coming out of the seams and it gets all over my clothes. I am hoping that it will last through the cold season but it already seems like it's not as warm anymore. So, I would take the money to invest in a good coat that does well with wind, rain, and snow! I wish I had brought more of my own shoes/clothes I thought that I would be able to find cute shoes and clothes that I would like here, but I have had an extremely hard time finding clothes that fit my style. Although everything is cute and I would love to wear them if I was going to live in Korea, but the clothes dont seem practical for Hawaii. If you are attached to your kind of style, then I would suggest bringing your own clothes. Most of their tops are one size and most stores do not allow you to try tops on. Although, a plus side is that the clothing and shoes are very cheap so if it doesn't fit right, then its not as big of a deal, but I just haven't been able to find many items that I like. I also wish I had brought more of my own closed toed shoes. I only brought one pair of running shoes, a pair of heels, a pair of slippers, and a pair of sandals. It is cold outside right now so I have only been able to wear my running shoes. If you wanted to change up your footwear then I would suggest bringing other close toed shoes with you. Thats all for now, but I will give more tips as they come up! :) explorationI have been able to visit so many areas within Seoul since my arrival on the 19th of February! I will probably be going back to these places multiple times throughout my study abroad experience this semester, so I would juts like to highlight a few key places that I have gone and what you can find there! Ewha Womens College Ewha is right next to Yonsei and the main shopping area is about a 10-15 min walk from the dorms. The area has great shopping! You can find clothes, shoes, cosmetics, street food, and so much more! There are convenience stores and even a Daiso (this is where I went to get most of the items for my dorm) right in the area. Ewha is a one stop shop that is close to campus. There is also a subway station for Line 2. Myeong-dong This area is great if you are looking for cosmetics or street food! There are department stores around as well but those are quite expensive. There are many many cosmetic brands for you to look at so do your research and head to Myeong-dong to pick up your products. The streets are also lined with food carts so you can pick something up while you shop till you drop.
Hongdae I have visited Hongdae multiple times since I arrived in Korea and I always seem to find something new here. There is good shopping, food, and I hear the nightlife here is great as well. I will definitely be coming back to see what else I can find.
add/drop periodThe campus is so beautiful!! The first week of class was great but I made many changes to my schedule. I was unable to get into two courses during the registration period so I had another chance to get them during the add/drop period (which began 3 days after the first day of school). I was still unable to get into the course because they were full but I got on the waitlist for my International Trade class and eventually made it into the course. For the other courses, if the course is full, you must get a course approval form from the Office of International Affairs then kindly ask the professor to sign the form to allow you to join the course. The professor has the right to deny your request, and their signature does not ensure that you will get into the course so HAVE A BACK UP PLAN because you will not be able to add any other course once the period expires. I took a lot of time weighing my options for classes that will transfer back to UH and will benefit my academic track the most. I wanted to get into the International Money and Finance course but the course was at absolute maximum capacity. This process stressed me out TREMENDOUSLY because I was having an extremely hard time finding courses that were not full that would go towards my major. I looked through many of the courses and went back and fourth between the course equivalencies and the Yonsei course catalog to see if there was any way I could find a course that would fit into my schedule. I made multiple schedule possibilities and went to the courses that I couldn't get into but really wanted to get into and spoke to the professors. But, in the end, I am happy with my schedule although I had no idea how stressed this process would make me. I would suggest that you plan plan plan! Although it is impossible to know whether or not you will actually be able to get into the course during registration, I would be prepared for the worst. Anyway, this is what my schedule looks like for the semester along with a list of courses and equivalencies that I was looking at: I am taking four courses and planned my schedule so that I don't have classes on Friday. This has been great so far and I am hoping that this will allow me to go on a few weekend trips throughout the semester. Day tourOne of my friends found out about a free day tour where we could sign up for free so we signed up! On the tour, we met at Hongik University, drove to Soyanggang Skywalk, explored Chuncheon, went to Nami Island and ended back at Hongik University.
ArrivalI made it to Korea!! Brittany (my cousin and fellow Freeman Scholar) and I said our good-byes to our loved ones left Hawaii on February 18th at 1:15pm and we arrived at Incheon International Airport on February 19th at 8pm. The direct flight took around 11 hours. We flew with Hawaiian Airlines and although the flight was one of the longest I have ever taken, it wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. Three meals were provided and the crew came around with beverages frequently. After landing and pulling up to the gate, we made our way through customs and went to pick up our bags from baggage claim.
cuter cards from the convenience stores (typical girls haha!).It was quite difficult to move through the train station because we had so many bags and the station we transferred at didn't seem to have an escalator... so we had to carry the bags down one by one. We didn't have Wifi so it was quite difficult to navigate but we made it to the AirBnB safely thanks to the instructions provided by our host, and a few extremely kind strangers who saw that were were lost and walked us from the train station all the way to the building that we were staying in (bless their hearts). It was extremely cold and pretty late so if they hadn't helped us, who knows how long we would have been wandering around the city before we found the apartment. Our AirBnB was small but very clean and they provided many amenities (like a pocket Wifi). I stayed at the AirBnB from the night of February the 19th until the morning of the 22nd and Brittany left on the night of the 21st because she needed to check into her dorm at Korea University. During our time in Hapjeong, Brittany and I were able to briefly travel to other parts of Seoul but we did spend much time out and about because we were still recovering from the long flight. Our host, Jason, was extremely responsive to our questions and the apartment was safe and squeaky clean, I would definitely recommend his AirBnB if you are looking for a place to stay in the Hapjong area that is a bang for your buck! It is also very close to the train station so it makes travel very easy as well! Here is the link to the AirBnB if you ned a place to stay before heading to the dorms! dorm check-inOn the morning of February 22nd I was extremely nervous because once I left the AirBnB to catch my UBER on the street, I didn't have Wifi or a way to communicate because I didn't have international calling services, a Korean SIM, or a portable Wifi. So, I called my parents, called the UBER and hoped that the driver would know where to pick me up. When it comes to modes of transportation, there are a few options:
If you just tell the driver you are going to Yonsei, they will drop you off at the front gate! This is about a 20 min walk from the dorms! So if at all possible, try to communicate with the driver that you want to be dropped off at the EAST GATE. My Uber driver dropped me off on the back side of the dorm so I carried all my luggage down a few flights of stairs to get to the front, when I later found out that there was an elevator... anyway, here are a few pictures SK Global from different angles and inside just for reference in case get dropped off in different areas. And dont be like me and carry everything down the stairs. TAKE THE ELEVATOR!! It will save you time and energy. After finding the right place to enter the building I was ready to check in. I got there right at 9am which is right when check in started so it was very empty. I suggest going early because its not as crowded and you have time to ask the people any questions that you have before everyone else begins to check in. Then you walk up to the front desk and this is basically what is going to happen:
ALSO if you need the wifi once you get settle in, you can pick either the "Yonsei" or "Yonsei Web" (I think this one is better for computers) and the username and password are:
OrientationAfter getting settled in, we had two scheduled orientations the following day. One for housing and one for incoming international students.
HOUSING ORIENTATION The housing orientation was pretty straight forward. They told us the rules of the building and some tips about the campus, transportation, etc. INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ORIENTATION During this orientation, we were given a student handbook (which is very handy so I would keep it for future reference!) and are introduced to different clubs. They also go into depth about other things like how to use the library, steps to get the Alien Registration Card (I will do another post about my experience), and so much more. At the end of this orientation, you are also able to sign up for different tours of Seoul. I would recommend signing up for this because you are able to meet other international students and potential friends! After orientation we have about a week before classes start so it was time to explore! Until next time! :) You're one step closer to getting to your study abroad experience at Yonsei! Now that you have officially been accepted to the University, there are a few things that you have to do before heading off to Korea. visa (D-2)I suggest doing this as soon as possible so that you are not worrying about getting your student visa in time for your departure. The visa requires you to have a few things: 1. Visa applicaitonThe first thing you will need is the visa application, which can be found here. I would fill out at much as you can and if you have any questions, the person at the Consulate will be happy to answer any questions that you have. 2. Valid passportYou should already have this! 3. Passport photo (2x2)The Consulate is very strict about the way they want their pictures and you can use the same requirements that you used for the Yonsei app ID photo. Beware that if your photo does not meet the requirements, they will turn you away. I got my photo done at Costco and it was very affordable. But, there are many places that you can get your passport photo taken. 4. admissions letterYou will need your acceptance letter, but I would just bring the entire admissions packet because you will be needing a few other forms and pieces of information that will be in the packet. 5. copy of most recent transcriptI am not sure if it has to be a sealed copy of your transcript or not, but just to be sure, I ordered another copy just to be safe. 6. certificate of bank balanceThis is just to make sure that you have the funds to study abroad. I printed out a copy of my Freeman Scholarship reward email and that worked just fine. 7. $45The last thing you will need is $45. The payment must either be in CASH or MONEY ORDER. They will not accept any other form of payment so make sure you dont forget about this! Thats everything you will need! The website for the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hawaii can be found here if you need more information. HousingThe housing application period is extremely competitive at Yonsei. If you are not diligent and on top of things, then you will not receive the housing that you want or receive on campus housing at all. Yonsei is very good about sending out emails about key topics such as housing and registration so keep an eye out for those. These emails will give you instructions on how to get to the housing website, your log in information, as well as the time and date for housing registration. You will have to create an account on the website prior to actually registering so I would do this beforehand so that you are not rushing to do so on the day of registration. So, how the registration process goes is that you first register for your preferred form of housing, then they inform you of whether or not you received your first choice, then within 10 days you must wire the money to Yonsei for the housing you received. I opted for the single room room in SK Global house because I like my privacy and this room also has it's own bathroom which I appreciate as well. This room does cost a more than the other housing options, but I think it is worth it for the privacy. All the times that are given in the Yonsei emails are on Korean time, so keep this in mind when you begin the registration process. The website allows you to log in prior to the actual registration time so I would do so just to be sure that there are no issues that would set you back. This is what you will see once the registration period begins. You choose your preferred form of housing, answer a few questions, and hit submit! I would do this as quickly and accurately as possible. After you submit that form you can go to the "My Page" tab of the housing website to check the status of your housing. Yonsei will inform you of the date that they will be announcing if you received your choice of housing. The status will say "Pass" if you got your choice. After the date that Yonsei announces the decision, you will have 10 days to wire the payment to Yonsei. All the information of how much you have to pay and where to pay it to will be under the "My Page" tab. My bank does international wire transferring for a fee of $50 per transaction so you should check with your bank to see if 1) they do wire transferring and 2) if there is a fee to do so. I'm not sure if there are any fees that the Korean bank charges so I sent extra money just in case there are any other fees. You will get the surplus back after arriving at the dorms. course registrationPrior to registering I would ready this course guide that tells you about what all the symbols mean in the course catalog. I had a few bumps in the road when it came to figuring out my schedule and finding classes that will transfer back to UH and go towards my major. So, I have a couple tips for you when it comes to course planning:
1. Look at the course catalog as soon as it comes out!! The course catalog for the spring semester does not come out until around early to mid January, so you dont have much time to plan your courses out. When I applied to MIX and wanted to go to Yonsei, I looked at the course equivalencies (I did not link the actual course equivalence sheet because it is constantly being updated so the link would stop working when the sheet is updated) and saw that many of the courses offered at Yonsei would transfer back to UH and go towards my major. BUT, when I was actually preparing to register, I found that the courses I was planning to take were not being offered anymore or were not being offered to business majors!! (BEWARE: Check to make sure the classes are being offered in your semester because not all of them are, a few of the course numbers have changed, and some of the classes are no longer available to exchange students or business majors!!!) I was extremely thrown off with this and was having an extremely hard time finding classes that had course equivalencies, would go towards my major, and didn't overlap time wise. So, dont be set on a schedule that you made before the course catalog comes out because it is very likely that it will change. Finding the right courses was a difficult task and I worried that I would not receive credits for any of the courses that I am going to take in Korea! I started later because I figured since it was on the course equivalence list, then it will be offered, but THIS IS NOT THE CASE! So, I decided to meet with Rikki and she is such a blessing!!! This brings me to my second tip. 2. MEET WITH RIKKI MITSUNAGA (study abroad advisor)!! This is why I suggest looking at the course catalog as soon as it comes out for your semester because if you have any questions, you will have time to make an appointment with Rikki before the registration date! I felt so much better after meeting with Rikki about my courses. She helped me find courses that I could petition to get credit for and we found a "shopping list" of courses that could go towards my majors so that if they are approved, I will be able to pick which ones I really want to take. If i had not met with Rikki, I would have ended up taking classes that I dont find interesting or courses that I would not get credit for. So, If you ever have any questions at all, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH RIKKI. She is so knowledgable and will know what to do if you get stuck. Thank you so much for getting me out of my sticky situation, Rikki!! Yonsei's course registration is a little different than other school's there are two rounds of registration and the first round is based on a mileage system where you "bid" a certain amount of your milage (I had 72) for the courses you would like to take. The more mileage you bid, the more likely you are to get that class. Yonsei will email you information for how and when to register. Once you have figured out which classes you would like to take, the actual registration is quite simple. You just log in, search for the classes, and then enter the amount of mileage you would like to bid. The courses that you bid on will be shown at the bottom of the screen and you can make changes to your choices afterwards. That is all there is to it! The most stressful part is finding the classes that you want to take so get started on that early! After you bid for the courses, you go back to the same place where to registered at the give given in the email in order to see if you go the classes that you bid on. If you are unable to to get your classes the first time around, there is a second round where it is first come first serve for the courses that are not full and a waitlist for the ones that are. That was my experience with registration, and I hope my tips help! |
About meMy name is Michelle Pham and I am currently a junior at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I am a full time student majoring in finance, human resource management, and international business. My dream is to travel the world, help people, and to make a difference in my community. Archives
May 2018
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