Having began my first week of classes at Korea University, I feel as though I am a freshman who has entered college for the first time again. I am beginning to familiarize myself with the campus and really enjoy my classes. My professors have taught me much about the Korean history and how the Korean society has evolved into what it is today. Being able to gain insight of the country I am studying in and being able to relate the issues we learned about from a global perspective has been eye-opening.
For my first weekend at Korea University, the university has hosted cultural events that introduce us to many parts of Seoul. The first cultural event we attended as KU students was the Lotte World Amusement Park. The theme park mostly consisted of the indoor portion, but also had great rides in the outdoor portion. Being able to spend a fun and exciting day at the theme park with my classmates allowed us to bond outside of classes. Walking about the park, we could easily recognize who was one of us because many wore their KU International Summer Campus t-shirts. That day was one of the days where we students could enjoy ourselves to the maximum despite about age and status as foreign students. I would have to say that it was indeed a magical day because right next to Lotte World was the Lotte World Tower. The Lottle World Tower is the tallest building in Seoul, South Korea and the fifth tallest building in the world. The thrilling of riding roller coaster rides and looking upon this tall tower was such a height of my day.
Following Lotte World, a group of friends and I went to eat Korean barbeque. Many of us attempted at grilling meat for the first time and if I had to say, the meat turned out pretty good. After all the years of watching Korean drama and seeing what/how Koreans eat, I finally am sitting in South Korea eating a proper Korean meal. We celebrated our first official meal in Korea with a bottle of soju and cheers to the Korean culture. Despite unfamiliar with the traditions of the meal, we happily enjoyed ourselves as we laughed and grilled the meat. The night as still long after we finished our meal, so we walked about buzzing night life of Hongdae. We saw cute shops, clothing shops, cosmetic shops, and a bunch of street food that we were all too full to try. But deep down, we all knew that we would definitely come back to try all the street food. As I walked down the busy streets of Hongdae, I felt as though I was no longer a foreigner. I felt like I was a Korean just enjoying the weekend night with friends. As the night got later, we took the subway back and realized how much more familiar we were with the subway now after a week in Seoul. I think we have finally arrived at the phase where we went from unfamiliar to adjusting the Korea culture.
