It feels like 5 millions years have passed since I last wrote, even though it has only been a few days. Yesterday we went to myeongdong, or the shopping district. We met up at 10 for a crash course lesson in Korean. The teacher who taught us was very kind and she has also been there guiding us the past few days. She’s an English teacher here and I hope I can be as kind and helpful as she was if I ever go into education. We learned the basic “Hello/Goodbye,” “Where is the subway station,” and “Please give me water.” I’m definitely not a natural language learner.

After that, we met up and all got metro cards. They call it T-Money and the subway station is a little overwhelming, but very clean. I always felt embarrassed going in the big group because of how loud everyone is. One of the elevators we were on was so tall and everyone was freaking out about it. I felt fine because it just reminded me of DC. But we made it to a Taekwondo session. The master there was very patient and funny. It made me realize I need to work out more, haha. But they gave us personalized uniforms. When they tried to make us break the board, I was so nervous. We had to do it in front of everyone and it took my three tries. I was so embarrassed, yikes.

Thankfully, we moved on and went to myeongdong. I only bought a purse, but it was less than $10 USD. There was so much to look at, but unfortunately a lot of the street food stalls were closed because of covid concerns. Everyone is wearing masks right now. The M94 ones are going for $2.50 and up. I should’ve brought more with me, but they still sell them here. I also want to get a fabric one for later allergy season.

We had 4 hours to walk around and eventually we all were tired. I mostly stayed with the ABCs and the Filipina American girl. A few other people joined us and after a few hours of wandering we decided to sit in a cafe. The European-style cafes are so expensive! I didn’t order anything, but some of the girls got tea. We chatted about the covid concerns and it seems like it’s only getting worse. The religious sect that started the big spread is under a lot of scrutiny at the moment, but I don’t know much about them personally. I just wish this whole thing didn’t happen.

We finally managed to meet up with the others at the subway station and then we went to a Michelin star restaurant. I had some cold, spicy noodles, but I forgot what they were called. I also tried some dumplings and they were good as well. I sat with the Italian students who also were originally going to China and one of them asked me why I wanted to go to China. This got into a whole conversation about my adoption and how speaking the language and learning more about the culture helps me feel more like I belong somewhere/how it grounds me.

Following dinner, we went to a Jump Show. It was about a family of Taekwondo masters and the performers were so athletic and talented. It was more of a comedy show, but with a lot of flips and kicks involved. I always am so tired by the end of the day, so I just called some people back home and went to bed.

Orientation Day 4

Move-in day! I woke up around 9 am and headed to breakfast. My roommate had already left, but I found her downstairs and we chatted with some other girls in the program. Because everyone from the program was early, we had to wait downstairs with all of our luggage. Eventually, the people going to goshiwons were guided to a bus and we were accompanied by a translator. The other goshitel has an elevator and allows people over, but ours doesn’t. 😦 I was planning on having my sister over, but we’ll see if that’s possible.

The goshitel is so small. I thought I would know what to expect since I had a single in college in NY, but it is maybe 1/3 of that size with the bathroom inside it (the toilet and sink are also inside the shower). The owner wasn’t fluent in English, so he used Papago to translate. The communal kitchen also isn’t provided with rice or cereal like it usually is because of covid.

We had a few minutes to settle down, but then we ate our last lunch as a big group. It was fine, but the foods we’ve been having have so much cheese, so I have to pick around it. Some of the returning students of the program came and answered questions, but it was very casual. The RD led us on a very very quick tour of campus and then we took a group photo. We stopped by Daiso, thankfully, and I picked up some essentials, such as razors, soap, tissues, toilet paper, etc. I still need to buy notebooks/binders, but that’s if the school is still going to run. There’s some speculation that it’ll be online courses or that it’ll be cancelled altogether. I really hope that doesn’t happen. I know the situation is a public health concern, but university students aren’t the most likely to get the virus and I have already spent so much time and energy switching programs and it’d set me back for graduation.

Anyways, after Daiso, me and the 3 other girls in the 2U goshitel went to Lalala, or something like that, and bought some shampoo and other bath items. I think a few of them are going to dye their hair by themselves?

We’re on our own for the rest of the interim period before class, but I’m not sure what I’ll do. I wanted to have my sister stay over, but I’m not sure how feasible that is. I’m currently video calling her right now and we’re unsure of what to do. I finished unpacking since I only brought 1 suitcase, but now I don’t know what to do. It’s only 5 pm, but I am tired and unsure if I want to go out exploring with myself or other people. I still need an umbrella, hand sanitizer, conditioner/leave-in conditioner, and notebooks. I miss home, but I just want courses to start.