February 26th-March 1st
Honestly, it has been an interesting trip trying to get to Korea. Leaving Sunday afternoon and arriving on Tuesday morning was something experiencing. I have never traveled to the other side of the world, only places like Mexico, and Guatemala. The flight from Chicago O’Hare to Incheon was a great 14 hours. The airline I took provided pillows, blankets, slippers, headphones, and a sleeping mask. They provided one dinner meal, and one breakfast meal. Arriving on 26th of February at Incheon, the Airport was clean and immaculate. I was able to find my way around to obtain my luggage. I met some people who were visiting Korea for vacation. The most economical choice to arrive at Hanyang University was to take the Subway. It was about a good hour and thirty minutes until I arrived and found my place!
Once I arrived, I unpacked and took a well deserved nap. I was too exhausted that I just took a shower and fell asleep again. Being honest, I do miss my family and friends. I felt alone and that I had no one to help me. One way that eased my sadness was calling my family and talking with them for a while. They told me to be strong, and this will be a great experience for you. I call them right before I go to bed (because it is early morning in North Carolina) and right when I wake up ( since they are about to go to sleep). This helped me calm down and push this fear of being alone to the side. Orientation was on the 27th of February and I was hoping to meet students and to see what Hanyang University has to offer!
During orientation, there was a vast amount of students for different countries all coming here! I loved the introduction and how campus life would be. We had middle school students doing aย taekwondo performance that was amazing. They gave us a tour of the campus, and showed us a few of the clubs such as Hanyang Global Lions, Global Leaders, and more. Their goal is to help exchange students feel like South Korea is a second home by hosting events throughout four months. I cannot wait for school to start, there will be much to do and explore! One amazing program this school offers is that two international students like myself get paired with a buddy, and their goal is show us around campus as well as to show us around Seoul! I have met my buddy and his name is Siwon Kim. He is such a great person because he was an exchange student in the United States. He understands what type of feelings I am going through. He showed me many places and huge malls to shop around. He even helped me find my buildings for my classes.
It has almost been a week since I arrived, I am glad that my mood has changed for the better! There is still much more to do before classes begin on March 4th such as the Alien Registration Card. Making new friends and visiting new places is on my list for this first month! I am excited, I will keep everyone updated!!
