School: Day 1

School: Day 1 

So as I mentioned in my previous post school started this week on Monday! On sunday night i brought out my map that i was given at orientation and got to highlighting and circling my classes. Because I am an engineering major, I spend most of my time and have all my major classes on the Science Campus, which happens to be up a very inclined hill on Anam Street Yahy!!! I will have to take pictures sometime but even then i dont think it will do it justice. Literally i fell like all of KU, where i live so basically Anam-dong is a hill everyday i walk up and down the inclines lol. I don't even have to feel bad for not alloting time to exercise because walking to classes and back home is a workout in itself. It takes about 8-10 minutes to get to the main campus and another 10 or so depending on how i "Climb" up the hill lol so about 20-30 minutes on any given day.. ugh!!!!!!!!

sciences is the lower left

science campus classes

main campus classes

Back to School Stuff.... So I am taking 5 classes in total

1. Signals and System
2. Probability and Random Process
3. Begineers Korean Language I
4. Electronic Circuits w/Lab
5. Social Change

My Schedule:

So No classes on Friday!!!!!!!! 4 Day weekend, Yeah! Yeah!  lol. Its great that i have breaks in between my classes midday but since i don't live close to either campus and the breaks in between are classes on both campuses, i don't know what to do with my time. Guess i'll be spending a lot of time in the Library lol! 

Classes:

So on Monday I had two of my three major classes and Beginners Korean. Whats really nice about my Mondays especially being Monday my first class is 2nd period! 

So i forgot to Explain this but Korea University and quite possibly other Korean Colleges/Universites may also follow a period schedule. Unlike GW and other American Schools THERE ARE NO 8AM! WHOOOOOOOOO

Period Schedule:

(1) 09:00 ~ 10:15
(2) 10:30 ~ 11:45
(3) 12:00 ~ 12:50
(4) 13:00 ~ 13:50
(5) 14:00 ~ 15:15
(6) 15:30 ~ 16:45
(7) 17:00 ~ 17:50
(8) 18:00 ~ 18:50
(9) 19:00 ~ 19:50
(10) 20:00 ~20:50
(11) 21:00 ~ 22:00

The classes still are like 2 days a week, so MW or TR but my korean class meets everyday except Friday.

So on Monday I woke up around 7:50/8am and left by 9:00 to give myself time to walk to campus and find all my courses. When i made it to the top of the hill/beginning of the science campus, i pull out my map to try and find my first class building. Immediately i am approached by two guys who ask me where i am looking for and direct me there. It was really easy to Find! KOREAN PEOPLE ARE HONESTLY THE NICEST PEOPLE I HAVE EVERY MET! Almost and Hour early i decide to go and find the other building for my next class and on my way i ended up finding the library! All the buildings on the Science Campus are sooooooo nice and modern and cool and don't look like a school. The Main Campus looks like Castles and Royal-like but even then not old!

I entered my first class and there were people already there just as early as i was lol! ALL Boys of course! I sit next to one of them, and we start talking. His name is Doyoon. He speaks english really well and is also really nice. So in that class i am 1 of 3 foreigners-Shayda is in this class with me- and 1 of about 5 girls which is pretty nice. 

My next class, which Doyoon saved me by coming to find me when i went to the wrong class because the room changes from M and W.  Alix is in this class with me so its nice. I also noticed a couple of girls. Since i was late i didn't really get to see the whole class. This professor seems really cool and his english is impeccable. From past experiences of previous Exchange students although the classes were in english apparently the professor either spoke in korean or their english was not very good but that not my experience thus far.

So none of the language classes are being held this week. we just showed up filled a form and had the option of having an interview to be placed in Beginners II for those who spoke some korean but that did not apply to me or most of the people i know lol 

Some pictures of campus-mostly science campus:

first class' building

entrance

hallway, GWU WHY DONT YOU HAVE COMPUTERS IN THE HALLWAY OF BUILDINGS??

library on Main Campus

Library

Library

Stopped by the CNN Cafe in Inchon Memorial because the had free americanos and i got a coupon when i was walking to class in the morning :)

I ended up calling it a night pretty early because my tuesday classes start 1rst period and im kinda of sick. Somehow me and phoebe have some sort of cold. My voice has been raspy for the past few days but on Monday it was really bad and noticeable that i was sick.

Sorry for the long post, just so much to document!

Shopping in Dongdaemun

Shopping in Dongdaemun

         After Church today,I met up with Jacob and Kennth to go shopping at Dongdaemun market. After getting the jackets stolen at Monkey Beach, they needed to get new ones! IT IS SOOOOOOOO COLD IN KOREA. I am so happy I brought my Northface Jacket!

Dongdaemun market has open markets as well as shopping center with more individual sellers in a mall-like building and a actual mall, so lots of shopping opportunities.

The street market area: 

We also walked by a whole street/block of pets/animals it was really cool!

To get to the mall and Shopping Center area, we missed or couldn't find the walkway to cross the street so we walked across a bridge thing lol! ITS LEGAL TO DO SO!

Under the bridge

the path to cross over, A little scary lol :p

The Mall Area:

This is where i got some clothes from! the market was inside a huge mall-like building

The buildings were all interestingly shaped

The Mall: 

Lol!  They Are such Good Shopping Buddies! They watched me argue the prices lol and gave their opinions on what i was buying! I went prepared knowing how to say "too expensive" and" Make it cheaper" in Korean

we thought this was funny!

Coolest mittens/gloves ever!!!!!!

Had to try one of them on!

Inside the mall: So Cool especially since i used to play the cello

What I bought today:

Dress & Top :)

I will Definitely Go back to Dongdaemun Market! I only got to see the 1rst floor and there is still like 3/4 more floors of women clothing lol 

Street Food:

As usual we go past A LOT of Street food, most i want to try but i cant spend all my money on Food! But everything looks/smells sooooooo good!

This was like a corndong but inside was a hot dog and the outside is french-fries/chips! Isnt this the Best invention ever?!?!?!?!!? Didnt try it but i will sometime!

Kenneth says it was really Good!

Dinner: Marinated Chicken Galbi (YUMMY!!!!)

Its almost like korean BBQ but instead they cook it for you but still in front of you at your table.

So School Starts Tomorrow I have a 10:30am first class so im going to get some sleep now!

BYE!

Life in Seoul: Street food, Clubbing, Gangnam :)

Life in Seoul: Street food, Clubbing, Gangnam :)

On friday afternoon, the "GWU clan" got together to have lunch and see the "surprise" Alix had in store for us. We had lunch at a Japanese place! It was really good fun and quite cheap.

 Rice & Beef, Miso Soup, Kimchi(top left) 

Afterwards Alix showed us her running path, which happened to follow the a major canal that runs throughout all of Seoul, Pretty Cool. We also discovered a "Gym" by the canal lol

The Canal

GW clan :)

 Jacob was really "working on his fitness" lol

                                                                       This place was really expensive so we left lol

Me and Phoebe

Waffles and Ice-cream Yummy!!!

Afterwards we tried to go to the Hello-Kitty Cafe but ended up on an adventure instead. We took a bus close by campus and got off-well actually only some of us managed to get off some were stuck and we had to wait for them to get off at the next stop. We ended up being seperated so Shawn, James, Mark, pheobe and I went on our own seperate adventure. Trying Korean Candy and street food.

Club Fiction: Vibe Seoul
So for the past two-days(friday and saturday night) we have been making the most of our almost ending extended vacation! some of us have been out of school since December so its time to get back in School mode lol! Study! Abroad. 

On Friday Night a big group of the KU Exchange students and Exchange students all over seoul attend the Vibe Seoul party at Fiction Nightclub. There were sooooooo many people there! 

It really was a fun night, first time "clubbing" in Korea so new experience. The music was good, although it was just the same "american" party music I'm used to kinda wished some K-Pop was incorporated lol. 

Unfortunately at some point while we were dancing, phoebes bag pack opened somehow and all her stuff fell out including my camera. Realizing this not sure how long it had been we proceeded to try and find all the stuff from her bag. Trying to Search the floor of a club with people dancing and glass everywhere... NOT FUN!!!!! 

We were able to find most of our thing although both our cameras are broken but we couldn't find phoebes wallet! ;(

After searching for sometime we resumed dancing and decided to make the most of the night! And still really had lots of fun.

Here are some of the pictures i was able to get from my camera:

Gangnam: Monkey Beach

  Saturday night we made our way to Gangdam, YES LIKE GANGNAM STYLE! Its actually the name of a District in Seoul :)

This Club was a lot of fun! It is known to be a really good club and both korean and international students/people were there. In fact more korean people, which was really cool in terms of going out and hanging around with locals!

Unfortunately i did not bring/couldn't bring my camera so there are no pictures but i will definitely go there again.In future i would like to take a day trip to Gangnam to shop and see the district.

BYE!!