One week in Korea

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Tomorrow will be a week since I arrive in Seoul. I feel like I’ve been here forever since I’ve been so busy these past few days, but that’s Seoul. A city that never sleeps.

Dormitory move-in was Monday, so I checked out of the hostel along with two other fellow future classmates I met there, and we headed outside to catch a taxi. Okay, so I’ve been here before and I’ve ridden taxis here, but I was always with someone that spoke Korean. This was the first time I would be the one to give the driver instructions. Such a simple thing, but it was so nerve wracking since my Korean skills are lacking in so many ways. However, I managed to get me and my new friends in the other taxi to the dorms without any problems. The driver even complimented my Korean and said I must have studied a lot. That compliment really made my day because it means that all my self-studying has payed off a bit.

Now, I’m all settled into my dorm room. They are just like how I remember them and I’m even on the same floor as I was last time. I’m glad that the dorms house such a diverse population because it makes me feel a bit like I’m at home, but it also makes it much harder to make friends that are native to Korea.

Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Busan, which is in the Southern part of South Korea. It’s a beautiful city alongside the beach about 5 hours away from Seoul by bus. I will talk about it in the next post. Wish me luck!

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.