It's been 17 days!

I can't even begin to process the fact that I've been in South Korea for 17 days. It just doesn't seem possible.

Last night, the last day in August, was an amazing night, I had an orientation from at 2-5(ish) at the YMCA. Yes, they have YMCA's here. It's quite strange. Anyways, after that the exchangers all wanted to hang out and grab something to eat so we walked around the district and found some restaurants. None of us could really agree on what we wanted, but my friend Casey and I both really wanted to eat at a Korean restaurant right by where we were, so we split off from everyone else and went to eat there. We ordered dumplings, and if I d say so myself, they were absolutely delicious. Casey and I also did a pretty good job of finishing off all of the little dipping sauces and sides that came with it, and all in all, for the equivalent of 4 US dollars, I think we ate pretty well.

After we left, we discovered the rest of the group had gotten onto the subway and were now at this huge subway transfer station. We started to make our way there, but on the way we took a shortcut through a really cool little street market with live fish and lots of fresh fruit and grains all on display. I realized in the middle of this giant, bustling city how quiet it was in this little street market, and it was strange not to hear any car or mechanical noises seeping from the surrounding areas. We walked through the market, and it spit us out almost directly on top of a subway station. Casey and I boarded what would have to be the most cramped subway car I have experienced to date, and headed to the transfer station, where we could not find anyone. We decided to go above ground, and after a few shopping detours ( I got a new purse! ) we finally made our way up. we stopped and ate street food, and even met someone who had been an exchange student in Canada! He was really nice, and he knew right where our friends were eating (a fast food restaurant with basically American food, soooo adventurous) when we explained what they had said, and was nice enough to lead us there, while telling us about his experience in Canada and his trips to the Eastern part of the US.

In the end, we were reunited with the others and after a long, really fun day, made it home safely.

I think it was a pretty amazing way to say goodbye to August and welcome September in! I can't wait for more adventures like last night, and I know there won't be a lack of them this year. Oh, and some of those adventures will be in China! Yes, I get to go to China this year as an extra trip! I'm really excited and I don't know when exactly, or where exactly, I just know I get to go! Which is the best news of all!

I hope everything worldwide and stateside is as fantastic as it is here!

A Lot Has Happened!

Sorry for the delay. It's because Korea is so amazing. 

Let's see, my first week went about as smoothly as a first week could. I finally got my uniform and people stopped staring as much, but every single person who passes me in the halls says "Hi" and it kinda makes me feel really....watched. I don't know. At least my class has gotten over the shock of having me. The classes are really hard, I mentioned Calc and Japanese, but I'm also in Chinese writing, Ethics, and, luckily, two different English classes. 

This week, for the one day I've been there so far (I'll get to that in a second), I've been presenting to different  English classes in my grade. It's really fun and I get to talk about all I do, but making the power-point with pictures of all my favourite people made me really homesick for the first time since I've been here. I think I'm about over this first little burst of homesickness. School has been really boring other than English class, and sometimes Japanese when the teacher tries to engage me, but other than that the teachers don't even acknowledge me most of the time which is fine with me, because it's not like I can understand anything right now, anyways. However, for the past two days, I've stayed home. Tuesday my district chair for Rotary had all the students stay home because of the typhoon. No big deal, just A TYPHOON. It created some really beautiful waves though? My host family also went to Seoul to send of my host sister to New York for the year. So I was home alone for majority of the day. Then, my lovely foreign exchange friend here from NC, came and rescued me from a night of solitude. We went to dinner with her host mom, and another foreign exchange student, Yasara, from Germany, and her host mom. It was really amazing, and we made Korean traditional candy that was like a lollipop in "Burnt Marsh-mellow" flavour. It was delicious. After that, Rosa and I went back to Rosa's and from there we walked up and down Gwangalli beach, where the Diamond bridge was lit up, and there were waves because of the typhoon, and it was like a scene from a movie, it was so beautiful. 

Today, I woke up and my stomach just didn't feel very good. Neither did my head, so I stayed home from school and have been sleeping it off. It's 11am here, 14 hours from Illinois, in case you were wondering. 

I think that's all the important stuff! Hope everything stateside and worldwide is fantastic. 

First Day

My first day was pretty awesome.

I live about 25-30 minutes away from my school, which is a really long way in this town. I have to take a bus to the train station, then a train for about 15 minutes, then I get off that train and transfer onto another for about 10 minutes, then about a 5 minute walk to my school.

I did all of this very smoothly this morning, if I do say so myself...and then came the umbrella.

So, it started raining when we got on the subway, and so we bought a really cheap umbrella, sounds like a good plan right? well, all was going fine, we (my host mom and I) were literally on the front steps of my school when it stopped raining and I started to close the cheap umbrella...at which point I proceeded to slice my finger open on the exposed metal of the now broken in half metal part right above the handle.

YEP.

Two cups of water, a nurse's office, and an extravagantly large bandage and I went to class. Where  no open desks. So I awkwardly sat in the back of the class with a circle of giggling Korean girls around me asking me  all sorts of questions ad every single one of them saying "HI" to me, and then giggling more.

My school apparently loves embarrassing me, because twice, once in front of the entire school and another for the entire class period, I had to introduce myself and answer questions thus revealing how little Korean I actually knew.


Let's see...anything else?

Oh yeah, I'm taking Calculus and Stats(MIND BLOWING) and a dog barked at me for like 30 minutes because i'm not Asian or something.

I think that's it.

I need some sleep.

What I've Learned So Far.

1. Everything tastes like fish, including the donuts.

2. Koreans firmly believe that if they drive at a busy road full of cars, a space must open up for them, because they are NOT slowing down.

3. Everyone stares at a Westerner, especially girl ones.

4. Everyone says "Hi" to a Westerner, then runs away giggling.

5.For some reason, the clouds are always moving. Like, always.

6. Sidewalks are not only a place for walking, they are for driving, parking, selling clothes, selling food, dumping your meals, and hobo bedrooms, too.

7. Cops aren't too harsh. Been here 4 days, and I've seen one cop....watering his flowers.

it's 8:15pm, first day of school tomorrow, going to sleep.

#sotired

Busan is...

Busan is...
the best place on the planet.
without any traffic rules, apparently.
the only place with roads at 90 degree angles and once you get to the top a U-turn.
where you go under a mountain for 15 minutes in a 20 minute commute.
where nice Korean ladies tell you your pretty, then continue on in Korean and you have no idea what's happening.
where you get hugged by everyone new, and bow to them, too.
where the buildings are all beautiful, even the really decrepit ones.
where your school is a 5 minute walk from your 40 minute train ride.
where you can see the ocean from your apartment building, through all the skyscrapers.

This city is (of course) amazing. Everyone has been so inviting and they all make me feel right at home.
My family is even more amazing, I have a host sister, who is off to New York in a week or so, a host brother, and a mom and dad. They have done so much for me already, the only word for all of this is AMAZING.

Also, Busan rocks.

First day in Korea (kinda)!

I'm here in Korea!

Flight was good, food was a s good as flight food could be!

It's so fantastic here, a girl literally just gave me a piece of chocolate! For nothing!

Oh, and I broke my camera. In the lamest way possible. I sat on it. Great.

My school starts on Monday and I know the next 4 days will be full of school uniform fittings, shopping trips, and family events, which I am so excited for. My Korean has already improved just by being on the flight to Korea and using Korean pleasantries!

3 days left.

I can't believe it's this soon, and everything feels like one big, stressful dream. I know everything will be alright once I'm there and that I'll have an amazing year, but it still feels stressful.

3 days.

4 days.

Let's just say my stress level isn't the lowest it's ever been.

The Countdown is winding down, I'm like a really slow rocket.

9 days. 
I just made some new friends, and hearing them make plans with the people I was with, a realizing I would be well into my year in Korea is mind-blowing. Thinking ahead to what I'll be missing, like homecoming, ACT's, and seeing my friends graduate is heart breaking, but I know that I would regret not going on this amazing opportunity and that I'm going to experience so much more while I'm gone. It seems weird to think I wont be here in three weeks, heck, I won't be here for two more weeks, and that is mind-blowing. I have a feeling the words mind-blowing, exhilarating, and incredible will be used a lot in the next 11 months- and for the majority of that, they most likely wont be said in English, again, MIND-BLOWING. ♥


10 days. 
I can't believe I will break the single digits tomorrow. I remember being in school and saying "3 months left!" and how soon that seemed, and now with less than two weeks left, I keep looking back on all the amazing friends I've made, how much fun I've had getting to know an amazing group of people from all over the world, and I know it only gets better from here. I cannot wait to get on this roller coaster, because I know it'll be a roller coaster that only goes up. ♥ thank you to everyone.

11 days, basically.

10 days and 22 hours until I embark on one of the mos significant trips of my entire life. Lets just say I may be freaking out a little bit.

I fly out of Chicago at 12:45pm on August 14th, and arrive in Seoul on the 15th  August, Liberation day for Korea, arrival day for me.

There is so much let to do here before I leave, so many people to see and so many things to buy. I have so many loose ends to tie up, it's kinda crazy. I think the packing will be the easiest part of this whole thing. I wasn't ever big on buying and keeping tons of physical possessions and that's coming in handy now, because while everyone else is struggling to get all their stuff into three suitcases, I'm struggling to fill up two. And they're not big suitcases, either.