One month in Korea

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Yesterday night marked one month since I arrive to Korea! I can’t even believe that one whole month has already passed by. While I do feel well adapted to my life as an exchange student, I feel like I just got here two weeks ago, but I certainly do feel like I’ve been taking advantage of my time. If I’m not in class, I’m usually out exploring the city.

To celebrate one month being here I’ll share some of my favorite experiences so far.

KBS “Quiz on Korea” Recording

I’ve never been to a show recording back in the states, so this was my first time going to one. I was so lucky and got a seat in second row, and it was a really fun experience. It was a pre-recording and the recording lasted 4 hours., so I can’t wait to see the edited version to see what they edited out. The thing that was very different about going to this recording is that there were different lines for the general audience, and then lines for the fans of the artists that were performing.

I managed to record one of the performances by a new Korean boy group called Monsta X.

Cafe Dore Dore

You can’t walk 2 minutes in Seoul without passing a cafe, most of them are average, but in Dore Dore you can find this beautiful rainbow cake. The name of the cake roughly translates into Good Feeling cake which is a great name for it because this has been this cake is so GOOD! The each colored layered taste the same, but the texture is so soft, and each layer is separated by a layer of cream cheese that’s not too sweet and it’s just the perfect combination.

I went around 11 am and the cafe already had quite a number of couples eating this cake and taking pictures of it. I definitely plan going here another time and trying the other cakes.

Gyeongbok Palace

Seoul has 5 Grand Palaces, but this one is my favorite out of all of them. It’s the palace where the King lived and where decisions for the country were made. Most of it was burned down when the Japanese Invaded, but they have managed to restore almost all of it.

I came here alone and even though it was full of tourists the place seemed so peaceful. The walls surrounding it block out most of the city noise, so it’s like a small getaway from the city even though it’s surrounded by so many other buildings.

 

Karen Conde

My name is Karen Conde and I'm a senior studying International Business and French at the University of Texas at Arlington. I spend most of my free time trying out new cooking recipes, walking my dog, and learning about the history of other countries. As a first generation college student and coming from a low-income family, nobody ever believed me when I said I would go study abroad. Well, I proved all those people wrong because this will be my second time studying abroad in South Korea! Next Fall I will be spending the last semester of my undergraduate career at Yonsei University, one of the most prestigious universities in South Korea. It is a goal of mine to work in Seoul someday and studying at Yonsei will get me two steps closer to that goal. I will be studying Korean and International business there, but I also plan to travel to historical sites, try all the delicious cuisine I missed out on last time, and share my experiences with everyone.