FIRST WEEKS BACK IN KOREA
[20.02.25]1:25pm
I absolutely love it here! Although it was hard finding my place at first, and it is a little farther from my school than I had originally anticipated, I am so in love with the area I live in. Yeonnamdong is just so beautiful and unique with such pretty buildings, artsy restaurants, independent bookstores, and cafes everywhere. I just love being able to explore and walk all around my neighborhood. At first, I thought I knew all of the areas around my school after living here for five months, but man was I wrong. Being isolated in an international dorm on campus does not even remotely compare to actually living off-campus. I just love it so much here! Although there is a lot going on right now, I still feel as though nothing can stop me from enjoying my time here and I am just so excited to see what the next few weeks have to offer now that the semester has been postponed.
[20.02.28]5:11pm
So much has happened in the span of only one week. The issue here has rapidly and drastically worsened within the past week. Cases have skyrocketed, universities are postponing the start of the semester, and all of these study abroad programs are now pulling students back and canceling all spring programs. Even now I am faced with the same decision as many others, whether to stay or to leave like everyone else. Although I still have the same stance on the matter as I did a few days ago, and even from before coming here, I can’t ignore the pertinent decision that in the end, might not even be in my hands and that really scares me a lot. I have planned this for so long, and now it seems more imminent than ever that all of my planning and precision will all be compromised. My faith right now is resting with the decision of my university, their trust in me, as well as the accurate and factual state of affairs. I’m getting increasingly anxious, which is actually a first for me…
[20.03.02]3:45pm
I feel so happy and free. Given everything that’s going on, the days where the sun is out and the day is mine just feels so liberating. Being able to just make the most of each day has been so enjoyable. Walking the streets with nothing but an idea and no destination has proven to be the best way to just relax and enjoy every moment here. It’s such a relief that I can spend my days carefree for the most part. With all of this time, I have been studying more and more and I am so desperately trying to speak every day, but it is still really hard for me due to my lack of Korean speaking experience during school. These next few weeks I would like to have all of my level two vocabulary terms memorized by the time the semester starts. Level 3…I just feel like that would be the best way for me to take advantage of studying at Yonsei for my last semester. Language, Language, Language…of how it continues to allude me so…
[20.03.05]11:05pm
Today was such a good day! I got to see an old friend from my home university after such a long time and it was honestly the best. I am looking forward to spending more time with her in the coming weeks as she is currently living in Korea as well. I also had dinner with my housemates for the first time and honestly, it was the best! Getting to sit and talk with everyone and enjoy each other’s company was really special for me. I hope we do this more often. Although funny enough, they are much older than I thought (which was so shocking!) I really loved spending with them and eating such yummy foods. We ate Korean style pizza and fried chicken. Ugh! So good! Tomorrow I will see another friend I met through a group hiking trip I took. Sadly she has decided to leave too, but I am glad to get to see her one last time before she has to leave. And! I am seeing another friend from my home university on Saturday. I am just so happy to be surrounded by such good people in my life, and seemingly so unexpectedly with everything that is going on and I am just really enjoying my time here so much.
[20.03.11]2:55pm
Who would have thought that these past few weeks would have been such a blast! I’ve met so many amazing people, and although many of them have left due to virus fears, the people I have gotten to meet and the experiences I have been able to still enjoy in such a short amount of time have truly been something to remember. With school finally coming up next week, I have been doing as much as possible to prepare (especially studying language with my exam coming up in the next few days). By putting myself out there more and more, watching movies in Korean every day, and finding ways to speak as much as possible throughout daily life; studying on my own is finally becoming a little bit easier. Although there is still so much to learn, it’s becoming more self-explanatory now in contrast to when I first started studying independently. In addition, I am trying to join more clubs on campus and looking for more ways to really immerse myself in the language as much as possible. Although my language level is still low (as I took it for the first time last semester0 I am gaining more confidence in speaking with the little I use in everyday life. I am just so grateful I stuck to my decision to live off-campus because in more ways than one, it has been such a better experience for me. Spending these last few weeks with new and old friends, my heart feels so full as I find myself surrounded by such good people who have really made my experience here so much more worthwhile since I was really nervous before coming back to Korea.