Campus Tour

So after settling into my new room (kind of), I finally decided to go around the campus and appreciate it.

As Korea's number 1 university, both in size and in academics, Seoul National University (SNU) is situated on Gwanaksan mountain, which is a popular hiking site among the locals. Which explains the reason why I have to hike everyday to get to classes and why I will (hopefully) become super fit after 4 months. 

It is also part of SKY, an acronym for SNU, Korea U, and Yonsei U, the top 3 prestigious universities in Korea, which is similar to the Ivy League in the US. Apparently, its first years belong to the top 2.5% of all Koreans who take the National University Entrance Exam. There's also a saying that SNU is full of nerds because of this. But the semester only started so I can't verify this yet.

Anyway, this weekend is Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and we are given 3 days of holiday + weekend. This gives students plenty of time to go back to their hometowns all across Korea which leaves the campus pretty much deserted. I took that advantage to explore the campus a bit and enjoyed the peacefulness. 

I only got to go halfway around the campus as it was starting to get dark and I was getting tired from all the walking uphill and downhill. Next time I will go further.

Here we go!!

My dorm building!

See how far up the mountain we are?

There are free shuttle buses that go around the campus and ones that bring you off campus to the nearest subway station.

Tennis courts!! But I don't play anymore :(

Where I take my Korean class.

The business building!!

Kyujanggak - This used to be the royal library during the Joseon Dynasty and was located in the Changdeokgong Palace. But it was relocated to where it is now and now belongs to SNU. Apparently it still holds collections of documents from the Joseon Dynasty.

Jahayon Pond - a popular meeting place for students.

Where my French class takes place.

All moved in!

After a week of being a tourist, I'm finally moved into my dorm here at SNU.

It has been a long week, going around Seoul with my parents. Trust me, jampacking all the tourist sights into 6 days or so is very tiring.

But that's all done and I'm finally settled down in my home for four months.

My side of the dorm room.

I also had my first class today: Current French. I know, I get a lot of questioning why I'm taking French in Korea. But I'm minoring in French, and is currently missing only one more course to complete that minor and my schedule is already packed when I go back to Canada. However, the class was definitely not something I expected. First of all, it was taught in Korean, second of all, there are only 10 people in that class, and it also seems like the prof isn't 100% fluent in French (or at least he has some kind of an accent). The times he spoke in French I couldn't really understand him, or is that because of my weak skills? Hmmm, maybe I should brush up my French... I don't think I'll be dropping it, though. Since all the tests and exams are only based on course material, which is in French, so I can just study off of that. Plus, since I'm on an exchange, I only need to pass! Hahaha

So I haven't made much friends yet, which is sad because Korea is a culture where being in a group is preferred, so I look so pathetic being alone all the time T.T But hopefully that would change by the end of the week after I attend more classes. To be honest, I thought I would be fine being alone coming from a single child family, but boy, was I wrong. When you're surrounded by an environemnt and a language that you are not familiar with, it gets real lonely, real fast. 

I've also noticed that I get quite some stares, but I don't even know why. I mean, I don't look THAT different than a Korean. Black hair with yellow skin. Maybe it's because I'm shorter than average? Or maybe because my skin isn't as nice as theirs? I don't know what it is. It's real strange. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

Anyway, fun facts:

- Celebrities with most CF deals: Suzy (Miss A), Kim Soohyun, Lee Seunggi, Yoo Heeyeol (this is a surprise for me), Lee Minho

- There are no trash bins on the street

Here are some things that I already miss about Canada:

- People holding the door for you

- 'Sorry's' are said as an automatic response

- The 'excuse me's' said when passing through

Just ranting, I've also met some genuinely nice Koreans that are willing to get out of their ways to help. So, God is always good :)

Pre-departure preparations

Finally things are coming together.

Visas are applied (and picked up), accommodations are settled, and classes are also registered. It seems like everything is more or less in control now.

Although Canadians get to stay in Korea for 6 months without a visa, I had to get a D-2 Visa in order to study there. To be honest it was kind of scary going to the Toronto Consulate by myself. The Consulate wasn't the closest to where I was living, which means if I forgot to bring anything it would take another hour of driving to apply again. But everything went smoother than I expected and I can now officially study in Korea!!

The accommodation took especially long to confirm. I've applied for the Gwanaksa (dorms) back in early July with uncertainties of whether I will be accepted into a room or not since space is very limited. And when I say  very limited, I mean very, very, VERY limited. Even more so, exchange students get no first priority at all. Rooms are allotted in a lottery ticket process, meaning it's by random. This is really frustrating since exchange students normally have no connections in Korea at all, and it would be extra hard for us to find an off-campus accommodation in the short time we're there.

But after more than a month of waiting, and almost giving up, results are out. I GOT INTO GWANAKSA!!!

Anyway, with that worry aside, I've also got all my courses registered. I'm pretty satisfied with my selections actually. They're all courses that either complete my minor or my major. Hahaha

There are only 2 more weeks until I arrive in Seoul.

THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!