It happens often that I take a look at my calendar, and I’m surprised to see what date it is. I can’t believe it’s already May. I feel like it was February just yesterday when I arrived to Seoul, moved into my room on the fifth floor of the International House without knowing anyone, and got lost so many times trying to get to the Sinchon subway station. Now, I can walk all around Sinchon blind folded without getting lost, navigate Seoul public transportation system as if I lived here my entire life, order food even if everything is in Korean and I speak almost no Korean (I can say hello, goodbye, thank you, yes, and no, which almost doesn’t really count.), and I have made so many friendships that I already know will last. I don’t think study abroad can get any better.
Last week I had my midterms. It was really weird to talk to my friends at Richmond who were preparing for their final exams while I was “only” dealing with midterms and had two more months of classes to go. But, now I’m done with first part of the semester at Yonsei. I had quite a lot of projects and papers to write, and an in-class exam. It was a lot of work, but it was all worth it. There is not all that much difference between the examination here at Yonsei and at UR. Depending on the class you can get a project to complete (That was the case with my Free Trade Agreements (FTA) class where I had a project on EU-Japan FTA to finish.), paper to write (I had papers for my Modern Korean History and for my International Conflicts and Cooperation class.), or an in-class exam (My only in-class exam was a 75 minute long exam for my US-Korea Relations class consisting of multiple choice, True/False, and short essay questions.). All in all, I would expect something as similar at Richmond, too. It is funny to think I was slightly freaking out about my midterms just 10 days ago as I didn’t know how they’ll go, but now that they are over I am more than ready to enjoy beautiful Seoul.
Even though the midterms are over I still have some projects and presentations due in the next couple of weeks. The work never stops. I, however, still get more than enough time to enjoy Seoul and the beautiful weather we have right now. Campus also looks amazing. Everything is blooming and blossoming, and the plenty of sunshine we get can only make everyone that much happier.
And people having birthdays lately only add to the good time we are all having here. Some of my friends had their Birthdays recently, so there were some group dinners and celebrations going on. For one of my friends we prepared a surprise Birthday party which we all enjoyed.
The only thing that can top all the things that happened up until now is creating the opportunity for more adventures to happen. Currently I am planning some trips around Asia. Right now I have plans for Jeju (beautiful island located in the very south of South Korea). After all, I have to make the best out of the time I have left in this part of the world.
urtravelogues.com 