I woke up to an email saying that I will be able to stay in Korea! It will be a direct affiliated program with Korea University. I messaged my other friend in Hanyang and my friends back home. There are 3 other people staying from the same program I’m in. I heard that some European students also had their programs cancelled. I hope that everything goes well for us all. The virus is apparently hitting the city hard, so many people are staying inside. I don’t want to be cooped up in this tiny goshiwon, but I also realize that it’s safer.

Yesterday I didn’t do anything until noon. I met up with the last girl in my hotel and then went to lunch with another guy from the program. We ate and then went to the Korea University bookstore. I just got more postcards. (Right now my landlord is vacuuming. The walls are so thin here!) I went back to say goodbye to the other girl who was leaving. At 4 I went out to Hongdae with the first girl and we went to the Meerkat cafe. It was so cute and they had animals like civets, meerkats, wallabies, raccoons, and arctic foxes. They were so cute and so tame. The meerkats were a lot noisier than I thought they would be. They also had some really pretty cats there. It was around 13,000 KRW to go in, but I definitely say it was worth it.

We visited a dog cafe right after that. There were about 15 dogs and it was 10,000 KRW to go in, which included a drink. The dogs were all really familiar with some of the people who visited and it was cute watching them interact. I love Samoyeds and big fluffy dogs, but they shed so much! We spent about an hour there and then went to the Line Store, Kakao Store, and walked around a little bit. We ate at a pho place and talked about her family. She’s a first-generation college student and her dad apparently was in a gang before he moved here, where he became a chef. Both of her parents cook now and she has two other siblings. I really enjoy hearing about other people’s family dynamics because it helps me contextualize my own experiences while getting to know my friends better.

There were many more students milling around there than around Anam. I miss being around people, but I understand why people are staying away from crowds. I didn’t know if I was going to leave, so I just spent a lot on souvenirs and gifts for my friends.

We ended up getting back to the goshiwon at 11:30. I was so tired, so I just went to bed. This morning, like I said, I was informed that I could stay here. I’m excited to stay, but I wish I could move somewhere where I could have friends over. But I don’t think any goshiwons really allow visitors. I think mine is just more strict.

I went to my last lunch with the ABC who stayed here and she insisted on paying. I miss her already. She was the only one left who was in the same goshiwon as me. Now I’m not sure who I will hang out with. The RD had me sign a contract saying TEAN won’t provide any more services. I also talked to my sister. She wants to come visit, but I don’t think it would be a good idea until the virus is contained. I also worry about her going back to the US and if she will need to be quarantied. I need to wash my clothes soon. It’s only 2:30 pm. I know that some of the last people staying are going to karaoke, but I don’t feel comfortable singing with people I don’t know that well. I might just stay in, I guess.

My Hanyang friend said to stay in and order food or just shop online. I don’t know what would be best. Everyone is asleep right now. I want to go out and explore… I don’t know if I should though. I guess I’ll keep you updated later.

Edit: I took a nap for a few hours and then woke up. A girl I messaged from the Gilman Scholar Facebook page (whose program also was cancelled) messaged me and we went to Hongdae to shop again. I know I shouldn’t go out too far, but… I don’t know. I finally got a coat! I’ve been wanting a cute trench coat for a while and it was less than $40 USD. We had Korean fried chicken again and I got the 32 cm ice cream. I had green tea and it was really good. I got back at around 11 again and it’s finally midnight.

Tomorrow I need to go out and shop for hand towels and get more cash. I think I’ll end up staying in unless somebody else reaches out.