First Month in South Korea

View from the top of Hanyang's campus

   It has been a month since I moved to South Korea and it still feels like I just flew in yesterday. I am starting to reach the point now where I have more reminders that this is where I live and that I am not just on an extended vacation. I have settled into a weekly schedule, I know my way around my neighborhood-- and am able to describe landmarks around it to locals-- I have found my social group here.
   Every day, I have class from 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. of Intensive Korean. While I had some previous knowledge before I went in I am glad about the level I was placed into because the class is giving me a structured way to learn the fundamentals of the language. On Tuesday's and Thursday's my friends and I find a local cafe to study at and have some of our local Korean friends help us with pronunciation and coming up with sentences from our own thoughts rather than plug-and-chug sentences from the book.
   On Wednesday's my evening is filled with events of a club I joined. The club is called Speaking Society Club and is designed to help local Koreans with their English, while also helping exchange students with their Korean and any other complications that might come up as a foreign student. Wednesday nights are debate nights. Two topics are chosen for small groups to discuss. This lasts weeks subjects were "iPhone vs. Android" and an overall topic of "Extraterrestrial Life". I also spent my Friday with this club this week. The club rented out a party room and invited members to an all-night party to get to know each other. We played icebreaker games as well and were even taught some Korean drinking games. Overall, the night was a fun way to meet new people and share cultures.

Myeong-dong street

   On the weekends, I spend my time exploring the city. I have been to several of the hottest places in Seoul, including; Hongdae, Myeong-dong, Itaewon, Gangnam, and Sinchon. Each time is a different experience. Hongdae has held up to its reputation of being one of the best places to go to watch busking. Myeong-dong is great to go if you are in the mood for street food. Itaewon and Gangnam have been great places to go clubbing and Sinchon has a great mix of everything.
   This Saturday however I went to a concert to see my favorite group, Oneus. It was a lot of fun for me and it was such a surreal moment. This is a group that I found while looking for Korean music to listen to and then watched all their videos, watched their pre-debut show and truly became a Oneus stan. I have always seen them on a screen or just listened to them, but being at their concert -- in South Korea-- was a moment I'll never forget. Also, because they are still a newer group, I was able to get standing tickets close to the stage for cheap! It was also such a fun concert for me because I knew all their songs and most of their dances -- as seen in the video taken by Georgia. It was also a Special Live Concert so they previewed some songs to their newest album, so now I am just waiting until their album comes out on the 30th so I can listen to nothing but their songs.
   Overall, the month has gone by too fast, but I'm also excited for everything coming up.

Upcoming: Hiking in the mountains this weekend, exploring more of Seoul on our days off of school for holidays and a festival on campus.