Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Day 39: Study day

My roommate getting ready woke up me in the morning, and with how I was feeling I was sure skipping basketball was a good choice; I would not have been able to do drills, let alone do a 5v5 match.  Slept a bit more, woke up, played some games and did a bit of studying.  By 2pm when I went to Game Theory I was already exhausted :/

After class, I went straight to the building where I have Korean, where I met up with a classmate from Finance to talk about the homework.  We just talked about what we were having troubles with and agreed to meet tomorrow.  Tried to work on it and some Korean before class, but I started to nod off in the chair.

Korean class was normal, really tired so it was hard to grasp what she was saying.  Afterwards, I went to get a quick meal from the Burger King that just opened on campus - I hadn't eaten since before Game Theory and I needed to eat quick.  I actually ran into the head of my KUBA group there, and he helped me listen for my number being called with my order.

After that, went to the polysci/econ building for a game theory study session with a TA - he was going to explain the answers to the homework, which I was looking forward to.  The first thing he said was "does anyone here not speak Korean?" and of course I was the only one to raise my hand, so he asked me to leave for about 40 minutes so he could teach it in Korean (which I understand) and then come back for a 1 on 1 session after.  So I left, dropped some stuff of at the dorm, got my mail, and then went back.

The session was pretty brief because his English wasn't that good, but he said he'd email me the notes so I could look it over more closely on my own.  Essentially, I WAS RIGHT ABOUT SOME ANSWERS IN THE FACT THERE WASN'T A CORRECT ANSWER OR THE QUESTION DIDN'T ALLOW FOR THE CORRECT ANSWER.  So now I don't know for that class, if he asks us a question and I don't understand I'm just going to assume it's because it's a trick question.  I've always hated when teachers did that.

Anyway, back at home I played a game quick, did some studying, and then waited till around 1230 for my roomie to go to bed so I could sleep.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Day 38: Ordering Pizza!

Woke up after a pretty fitful sleep, got on skype, and then Joe and I decided to have a pizza date, as in, we both ordered pizza to our respective locations and ate together.  I thought it was great because that meant I didn't have to get dressed all day since I could just eat the pizza~

So good~
We talked, played some games, and worked on homework.  Once he left for bed I started more earnestly on my Finance homework since I finally felt awake enough to do things.  Unfortunately, I don't understand some of the questions, so I'm planning on doubling down on google and hoping the textbook I bought for the class have some of the answers.

Played some more games, ate more pizza, and just tried to relax.  Worked on Korean a bit (less than I should have, honestly), but so it goes.  Showered, more homework, and now it's midnight and I'm hoping I can get to sleep.  I'm planning on skipping basketball tomorrow because I know we'll do more 5v5 practice and running on a good day tears up my throat, so I don't want to have to tear it up more and make it a longer recovery time (plus the fact that last week I felt like I was going to collapse with all the running and not being able to breathe, so I figure I'll take it easy this week.).  I don't want to mess up me slowly feeling a bit better this weekend just for that, especially because it's a non-essential class for me.

Also, done with the pills I was given (because they only gave me 2 days dose...) so I have no idea what to do now.  Might see if my roommate will come with me to the pharmacy to see if there's any OTC stuff I can get.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Day 37: In which Kelsey wears pajamas all day

Woke up to go to an all day event with Korea club, and then upon standing up I realized that would be a terrible idea.  Texted my contact for that and Heidi telling them I wasn't going, and went back to bed for another 4 hours.  Got up, played some games with Collin and friends, so that was nice.

They went to bed so I ate and tried to nap, which didn't work out again :(  Tried homework, almost fell asleep on it.  I'm really hating this right now.  Alternated between playing games and attempting naps, with little success.

Other than that, did laundry, drank a bunch of water, and been taking my random pills and hoping they'll do... something.  Here's to hoping tomorrow is better.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Day 36: Finance and Games

So, woke up for Finance, which went pretty okay.  Still wasn't feeling well but at least I'm getting used to that.  Went to class, learned finance-y things.  Someone in class talked to me!  We can do group presentations at the end for extra credit, and he asked if I wanted to be in his group!  Of course I said yes, so hopefully now I have someone to talk to about/in class.  He said he could help me with the homework if I was still confused by it next week (it's due Wednesday), so that's great.  Apparently he studied in Canada for a bit, so it seems like he wanted someone to speak English to :P

Went back to the dorm, played some video games with Joe and some friends of mine.  Once they went to bed, I tried too.  Didn't work :(  Met up with my KUBA buddy to give her money for the shirt for our group (it looks like it'll be a horrible shirt, but whatever, it was $10), and I convinced her to bring me to the pharmacy.  Or at least, that's what I tried.  I just wanted some ambien and advil.  But she took me to the school doctor, and he was just asking about my symptoms (headache, throat pain, hard to sleep).  He decided to fixate on the sleep issue, asking how long it's been going on (years) and then saying I should go to the hospital to get it checked out.  It's like, no, I just need a few good nights and I'll feel better, I'm used to not sleeping well.

Anyway, I ended up getting 6 individual little baggies with a random assortment of pills (tylenol and like, 3 other halves of other pills) that I have to take 3 times a day?  I have no idea what they are.

Back to the dorm, tried to sleep again, didn't work.  Tried to do homework, didn't work because I was too tired.  So I just played some games on the computer, spotted with attempts at sleeping.  Met a girl in the kitchen when I made spaghetti, we both complained about things, so that was nice.  Now it's past midnight, I'm exhausted, still can't fall asleep.  Let's see if I end up going through with my plans (Korea Club trip - supposed to be 12 hours -_- ) tomorrow.

Day 35: Video Games and Grammar

Woke up, had some breakfast, and then went down to the PC cafe to play video games with Joe and some of our friends.  We did that for quite a while (I ordered a drink to my computer, super cool!) before everyone stateside had to go to bed, so I went out to eat and then went home to finish up my Korean homework.

Korean class was super difficult today.  They learned a lot of adjectives (which I hadn't learned yet) and verbs (which I hadn't learned yet), and we spent the day learning how to conjugate verbs in present tense.  No one really understood what was going on, so that was fun.

Went out shopping after class, just in the neighborhood, and got some things I needed (tape, scissors, eye mask for sleeping, face mask for when the yellow dust is bad).  Back at the dorm, just worked on some homework for a bit before dinner, which I had to eat in the kitchen.  It was supposed to be room inspections today, which means pretending you have no perishables in your room (I hid mine in my suitcase, as did most everyone else) and you can't eat in your room, so I figured I'd play it safe and eat there.

Back to my room to do more Finance homework and I was just so confused.  There's quite a bit of math in it, which is something I worked hard to avoid doing when I was at NDSU (instead, I did more theory and conceptual classes; things with words instead of numbers).  Skyped Joe for help and baffled him with my mathematical ignorance.  He gave me some resources to help me out, so hopefully they work.

They ended up not doing room inspections in my room, of course.  Got to bed around 1am because I lost track of time working on homework.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Day 34: Still sick

Woke up, spent like half an hour trying to get myself out of bed for class and actually managed to eat and get dressed (instead of toast I bought bananas to make peanut butter/nutella/banana sandwiches instead), and once I got down the hallway I felt too dizzy and nauseous to even consider going to down the hill to class.  Changed, went back to bed for a few hours.

Woke up again to go to Game Theory because I had homework due in the class.  Turned it in and then tried to follow along in the lecture.  He spent a good 10 minutes talking in Korean again, I feel like I need to talk to him after class and re-remind him that, hey, you have an exchange student in the class who doesn't speak Korean, and this class is supposed to be taught in English, so uh, do that.

Felt okayish after class so I went to get a haircut.  The guy didn't speak much English and I didn't speak much Korean but we managed.  He cut the hair up higher that I would have liked, but such is the case when you can't tell him what to do.  He kept asking if it was okay, but he took my glasses off to cut my hair and so I couldn't see anything so it really didn't matter.  I trusted him to not make it horrible at least.  It was nice though - like $15 for a cut, shampoo and a bit of a styling.

Bought data for my phone after - that's how I know I've been here for a while because I only need to buy that every month!  Started feeling sick so I went to lie down for a bit (and missed Korean since the teacher knew I was sick yesterday).  Got up again and went to do language exchange since it's a dinner and I need to eat regardless of if I'm sick.  That was pretty nice, we just went and got chicken and talked.  We're trying to figure out a way for me to learn Korean and the Korean buddy to learn English since the other two guys are fluent in English and high level in Korean.  We'll see what happens.

Afterwards, went home, did some puzzles for fun, relaxed, and then was in bed by like 10 (which is why I forgot to do this on time).  Got woken up around 1130 to my roomie coming home and it took me about an hour to fall asleep again after that, oh well.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Day 33: Band!

Woke up this morning feeling really terrible still.  Had breakfast, and was just complaining to Joe online before getting ready for yoga.  I was saying how I hated how there was no syllabus because I couldn't see how many classes I could miss and still be able to get a good grade and pass it, when he reminded me that I actually don't need to pass.  I only need 8 credits from here to transfer back, and only 4 of them need to be upper level (ie, game theory and finance).  Those with Korean are 9 credits, so I really don't need to pass the sports classes.

Soooo, I ended up going back to bed for like 3 more hours, it was glorious.  Felt a bit better, had lunch, and went to dance class.  That was fun!  We learned more parts to a waltz and then started on tango which was HARD.  The steps were so fast ;_;  I can't wait to learn more though, it's such a fun class.

Back to the dorm, changed, and then bought some food and went to Korean class.  Still fun, but I was so tired during it.  The teacher seemed really concerned when I said I was sick, so I think that means it's okay if I don't show up tomorrow if I don't feel it (I can miss 10 Korean classes and still pass, probably not the best thing to realize...).

Afterwards, went to the wind orchestra club.  It was boring at first; just them playing and then talking Korean, and then all of us introducing ourselves (seriously, it took like AN HOUR I was so tired).  But, after that we got to try out the different instruments to see what we wanted to play.  I obviously went to trumpet (people were SO SURPRISED I've been playing for 11 years, and to me it's just like eh, I've just played since middle school).  I tried it out - my range is pretty bad now which makes sense after not playing consistently the last three years - and then one of the two trumpet players put some music in front of me to try.  I think I did pretty well for sightreading it - he joined along and we played through the bulk of the piece.  I'm pretty sure I'll join it, I miss playing horn and this would be a good way to get back into it (pretty sure I've found a place to play in Madison once I get there).

Anyway, went grocery shopping after that (aka, I bought cup noodle and microwave rice and cheap snacks for my closet).  Went home and just worked on game theory.  I'm so tired of that class already and we haven't even had classes for a month :<  Oh well.  Kind of finished the homework - I don't understand it and he's just grading if we did it or not, so I just tried to put words on the page to show I thought about it and still don't get it.  Hopefully that works.  It's almost midnight now and I still need to shower and get to bed.  I may opt out of Finance in the morning if I still feel gross; I just want to get over this so I can get energy back and actually enjoy my time here.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Day 32: Ballroom Dance Club!

Got to sleep in until 830, so that was nice.  Had breakfast and the usual morning routine, and then went to basketball class.  Oh man, that was challenging today.  We started with passing and dribbling practice, which was okay, and then moved onto passing drills, which I somehow was able to understand without too much trouble.  But then we played 5v5 matches.  Hooooo boy.  I had forgotten how much breathing absolutely hurts me when I have to run.  After my groups first match I just laid on the group and tried to get my breathing under control before our next one.  It's gonna be an interesting class from now on :P

Grabbed some lunch at the convenience stop (aka, bought kimbab like always because it's like $2 with a drink), showered, and then tried to study some game theory, which didn't work because I was exhausted.  Bought a Mountain Dew to stay awake and went to game theory class.  It went... okay.  I talked to someone sitting by me!  I realize by now that most students won't talk to me first, so if I want to make friends (or at least acquaintances) in class, I need to step up.  Honestly though, I just asked because I wanted to see how someone else was trying the homework problems :P

I actually talked to the teacher after class, and apparently the questions are for like, GRADUATE LEVEL STUDENTS and he just wants us to give at least like 3-4 hours per questions (so like 12-16 hours for the one homework assignment) to try different ways to figure it out.  And it's just dumb.  And I'm tired of ranting about it, so I won't continue.

Anyway, back to the dorm after, relaxed a bit, and then Korean class.  We can finally do like full sentences and we're learning some fun grammar, so that's nice.  I'm glad we're finally doing something in class.  Afterwards, I went to top up data on my phone (since my data is all done since it's been a month) buuuut apparently I still need my passport to do it, so I didn't get it done.  Lame.  Didn't have time to eat before going to ballroom dance club!  It was really fun.  Just talked to quite a few nice people.  We learned how to waltz today!  Good prep for going to my actual dance class tomorrow~

Anyways, I'm super tired so I'm just going to skip homework and studying tonight and attempt to get to bed early.  Hopefully it works!

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Day 31: Homework and laziness

Woke up this morning and started skyping like usual.  I was really itching to have pizza delivered because I didn't want to change, and I only had one thing of cup noodle left in my room, and pizza would be something I could eat all day so I wouldn't have to leave the dorm.  Well, the delivery was dumb and for some reason I couldn't get my address to enter, so I had to settle for cup noodle :(

After skyping, I took a small nap - I'm still feeling sick, though thankfully not as bad as yesterday.  Woke up, and tried to work on game theory.  The teacher responded to one of the questions I emailed him about - essentially, the way he wrote the question was just wrong because he used the wrong English words and it was impossible to do what he originally asked.  I just do not like that class.  But! when I was going through my notes, I remembered that he told us that we don't get graded on the correctness of the homework, just if it is completed or not.  Sooooo I can just write down the wrong answers (or what I believe could maybe be the right answer) and not get docked points from it.  I just want to understand so I don't fail the exams...

After working on that and finance for a bit, I decided it was time to go out and get dinner.  When I was on the way down I ran into Heidi, so we went out together!  Had some super cheap meal which wasn't that good, but hey, it was like $3 so I can't really complain.  Back to the dorm, switched to studying Korean for a bit, and then just some relaxing.  I can't believe the weekend is already over; I feel like I still need way more rest.

Oh, and I'm done with 1/4 of my exchange already!  On one hand it feels like I've been here for ages, but on the other it feels like I've just arrived.  I have so much left that I want to do, I need to get on it.  Only 91 days left!  With the Mongolia trip and my mom and brother coming, I'm sure the time is going to fly by.

Day 30: Ice Skating

Slept in a bit, which was nice, and realized I was definitely starting to get sick, which was not nice.  Stayed in bed as long as possible.  At 3, I went to the ice skating rink with KUBA - that was a blast!  I haven't been ice skating in years but I managed to remember and get my balance fairly quickly.  A lot of people had never ice skated before, so for at least an hour of being there (we were there for two) I was holding people's hands and trying to help them around the arena, so that was fun.

Skipped out a bit early (and skipped the dinner) to eat something quick and then take a long nap.  Woke up, did some homework (I THINK I FIGURED OUT 25% OF A GAME THEORY QUESTION, GO ME), chatted a bit, had some dinner, and back to bed.  Pretty uneventful day.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Day 29: Pro-Gaming!

Woke up feeling kinda sick this morning, so instead of getting up and having breakfast like usual, I just laid in bed until the last possible moment.  Got kimbap for breakfast (mayo and bacon; very interesting), went to finance, mailed my letter and went back to the dorm.  I tried to my game theory homework, oh man I tried.  And then I looked at the syllabus.  The first question on our homework (due Wednesday) is about "auction games".  The syllabus shows us learning auction games in APRIL.  I HATE THIS CLASS SO MUCH.

So then I just complained about class to people online.  Packed up my bags, and then I went down to Itaewon for acupuncture.  I didn't do it on the top/front of my shoulder this time; rather, I did it on the back, right above the shoulder blade.  And OOH MY GOD that spot is tender.  When the machine was attached to it to like pull on the muscle a bit (which usually feels a bit tight and kinda tense, but not bad), it really took all I had not to make a sound.  That hurt SO MUCH, which shows that I definitely need to work on relaxing that muscle.  It's actually the muscle I feel that's super tense when I'm in the gym (I'll do an exercise that barely involves the muscle and I'll be able to feel it pulling because it's so tense), so I'm glad I found it.

Afterwards, I went to Yongsan to go to a pro League of Legends match.  For those of you who don't know, LoL is a video game.  Yes, I went to a professional video game match.  It. Was. Wonderful.  The two teams and coaches were in these soundproof booths, the center stage had announcers (in Korean and English, though for English you had to listen via a receiver).  The match was broadcasted above the announcers and they just had commentary going the whole time.  It was so much fun.  People got really into it.  There were actually two matches, and the teams actually would change some players between matches.  I'm so glad I went - it was one of the few things on my to-do list in Korea, so I'm glad it actually happened :)  I actually barely got my tickets - I had to reserve it online earlier this week, and I only got it because I reserved it within the first hour.

Seating and a view of one of the team rooms

Announcers!
Afterwards, just went home, had some dinner, uploaded pictures.  I got a letter today, so that was really fun to read, and the package from my parents came in!  A fitted sheet, a normal sheet, two pillowcases and a pillow protector.  Exactly what I needed.

Oh, and I treated myself and bought a package of strawberries today (and promptly ate them all today).  So good!  And now it's time to sleep and hopefully make it so I don't end up sick.  I'm just ready to crawl into my nice, soft, clean sheets from home and not wake up to an alarm :)

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Day 28: In which Kelsey misunderstands time

So, I *tried* to sleep in today, but my roommate having class at 1030 and waking up early to get ready for it + the shades getting left open = Kelsey could not sleep in like she planned.  Just goofed off, did laundry, and then met Jasmine and Sofia for lunch.  Sofia's friend met us, and it was just really nice.  Had fun talking with everyone.  Went back to finish my laundry, and then left to do the orientation of a drum group the Seoul Global Center was putting on.

I got lost on the way there - I ended up at the palace next to the folk museum where we were meeting (where the Seoul city tour was the first weekend!), and went to sit down to do orientation.  I set an alarm on my phone to remind me when I had to leave to get a subway back to school for my Korean class (~30 min travel time), and then it hit me.  For some unknown reason, I was thinking Korean class started at 6pm, when in reality it starts at 5pm.  The drum group practices from 3-5.  I think I got confused because the drum group posted times in the 12 hour way, and my phone in is military time, so I my brain just decided to mess everything up to let me think I could join.

So, like 10 minutes after getting there, I knew I had to leave (especially since the orientation was going until 5pm, when I had to be at class).  So I did what any normal person would do under that circumstance: I looked at my phone like I received some horrifying news and grabbed my backpack and ran out of the room like there was an emergency :P  I ended up walking around the palace and folk museum a bit to kill time, which was nice.  Realfeel was like 70 today so it was BEAUTIFUL and so much nicer than when I visited on the city tour.  I definitely need to go back again.

So beautiful outside~



Went to Korean class and almost fell asleep.  We learned quite a few more words today, so that's something to memorize over the weekend.  Then, I met up with my language exchange buddies that KUBA put together.  We actually got together with another group so there were 7 people - 2 Koreans, 2 Korean Americans, 2 Americans, and someone from Indonesia.  We went to get pizza and just talk and try to get better at communicating (the Koreans want to practice their English, us Americans and the Indonesian want to learn Korean, and the two Korean Americans translated anything that got misunderstood :P)

We learned a lot about different styles of communication, texting habits, and a few new words here and there - it was really a lot of fun.  We completely filled up a page with different words and symbols just explaining things to each other.  I think it was really great - everyone was super nice and it was just fun to talk and get to know each other.  We were there for over 2 hours just talking.  Also, the pizza was really good - we tried the bulgogi and sweet potato pizza and it definitely wasn't bad.

I went back to the dorm after and just relaxed.  Was going to do homework but I'm just so tired.  I have a full Friday and weekend planned, which wasn't that well thought out on my part.  I just want to nap!  Just one class tomorrow and then I get to have my acupuncture and explore for a few days!

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Day 27: In which Kelsey gets rid of free time

The day started off nicely enough, as Finance is a pretty cool class.  It's definitely hard, but the teacher is nice and understandable, and I know the concepts will make sense soon enough.  Afterwards, I went back to my dorm to eat and attempt game theory again.  I ended up skyping Joe to complain about it and make him help me out.  Went to game theory, and things were slightly more understandable today.  I could almost read things!  A few other students seemed to complain too (they spoke in Korean, so who knows) because quite a few times he had to go back to variables to fix them up to be easier to read, and then like 10 people would be like "oooooh" and you'd hear everyone writing again.

Afterwards, I went to the school club fair.  It was fun!  I told two separate music groups I would like to join them, and also a dance group (and maybe one more...?)  I also tried shooting bb pellets at this one group and they were impressed that I've used a gun before and that I hit all the targets, though I didn't sign up to join.  Went back to the dorm for a minute and then off to Korean class (in the rain..).  Pretty fun day; we learned a lot of vocabulary so I'm excited for us to finally get into learning for the class.

Went to the gym right after class, and then showered and ate.  I got a message from one of the music groups in all Korean, but after a lot of google translate and some English from both of us I was invited to the group's chat room.  Everyone who responded to the messages seem really nice - that's what I love about music communities :)

I was going to study but then I got really distracted and only studied for a bit, oops!  Thank goodness tomorrow is an off day for me!

Oh, and I booked a long weekend trip to Mongolia!  It's kind of a graduation/birthday/you're off the dole present from my parents, and it's scheduled for the end of April!  I'm so excited - I'm going to stay with a nomad family and ride horses in the steppe.  I've wanted to do that for YEARS and now I finally can, even if it's only for like 2 days.  I have such a privileged life :)

Day 26: The day of exercise

Woke up, unfortunately still tired again.  As much as I need to start working on my game theory homework, I need to sleep early tonight.  Had some breakfast and then went to yoga.  I seriously feel like I should do acupuncture on my lower back after going to that class; my back is so tight and I'm so inflexible as compared to everyone else.  It feels good after class but during it, man, it hurts quite a bit.

Went to try to get a haircut but the place didn't have anyone who spoke English and they didn't seem too keen on trying to pantamime with me, so I just left.  Had some lunch, tried to relax.  Some bad news from back home so I opted to just lay down until my next class since I couldn't concentrate.  But dance was great today!  We actually started learning steps to a few different types of dances, and we even danced with partners at the end.  It's so much fun, and a lot easier than I thought it would be.  It really reminds me of drumline, like having set steps and directions to move and body and toe angles to worry about.  I really like it.

The guys practicing
Went home and showered after class because I definitely needed it, and the off to Korean!  Class was okay, learned some actual words and had a test, which went fine.  Had some food back at the dorm, and then went to the gym for a bit.  Had to take another shower, did some homework, and then went to bed at a more reasonable time.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Day 25: I still hate game theory

Still really tired when I woke up, which goes to show I haven't been getting to bed as early as I've meant to the past few nights.  Whoops~  But I got to wake up a bit later as basketball was the start to my day, and it's only at 9.40.  It was such a great class.  I felt out of breath at points - not in the way I usually did during drumline where it just felt like breathing was the hardest thing in the world and super painful, but in the way where you know you're getting a workout but it doesn't hurt.  We did more ball handling and then worked on passing.  We eventually did a bit of a keep away game at the end (someone in my class talked to me!  He noticed I didn't understand what the teacher said about the game and explained it to me quickly~) and people passed to me!  And I did well!  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed playing basketball.

Went back home, showered, ate, and then sat waiting for the dreaded game theory to happen.  I just get so angry in the class.  I can't stand anything about it now.  My notes were mostly me just fuming and writing it down on paper since I couldn't read any of the equations he put up (not that it mattered since I have no idea why he was doing them or what they were for).  I asked him after class if he can write larger from now on so I can actually read it, so hopefully it happens.  Bought myself some icecream to treat myself for having gone to game theory, fumed a bit more at home, and then there was a fire drill.

Essentially we had to walk out of the building and down the street, stand around for a while when they were giving announcements in Korean, but then we got a free can of pop so I guess it was okay.  The weather is warming up quite nicely so I didn't need a coat at all outside which is just great.  Grabbed my stuff and went to Korean class.  We're still just learning pronunciation so that's kind of a pain - I just want to learn the language!  Killed time after class for a bit before going to get chicken and beer with group 1.  I ended up sitting with 3 great people and we just talked about everything and anything.  Really nice people.

Went home, studied some game theory and finance, tried to figure out some more details for my little break next month, and just relaxed a bit.  But going to bed now, two sport classes and going to the gym tomorrow!

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Day 24: Relaxation and Dessert!

Slept in until almost noon (WONDERFUL), skyped for a while, took a nap, and then went to get groceries.  Contemplated taking another nap, and then tried to work on Game Theory.  The notes he gives us to study from are horrible and I'm going to be complaining about that class so incredibly much on here.  It's like the Econometrics of this semester.

Relaxed a bit more, and then went out with Sofia, Jasmine, and Jasmine's friend for dinner.  It was really good!  We went to a dessert bar afterwards which. was. awesome.  I'm so glad they showed me where it was, but at the same time, I'm probably going to spend so much there.  It's going to be the Quetzal of here.

Quetzal, aka, where most of my money went in Belgium

What I had tonight, SO GOOD
Anyway, just did my Korean homework and now it's about time for bed, I'm exhausted for some reason.  Basketball tomorrow!

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Day 23: War Museum

Ended up waking up at like 9 am, so like 3 hours before I wanted to, which was a bummer.  Had some breakfast (and then some cup noodles) when deciding what to do for the day.  My KUBA group was going to a trick museum, but I honestly don't like museums when you have to stay with a group (too crowded and you can't move at the pace you want), so I just skipped it.  Ended up texting my friend Jo to see if she wanted to meet up and go to the Korean War Museum.

So, we met on the subway, and then decided to go two stops further than the museum to go to get lunch, since we were both pretty hungry.  She had seem a place on TV that looked like it had amazing dumplings, so we wandered around trying to find it.  Well, we found the place, but they didn't actually serve dumplings anymore :P  Ended up walking for another hour trying to find a place to eat - we actually ended up in a giant mall.  We had some bibimbap, and it was great!  One of the older ladies working there actually helped us with the food, as she apparently thought we were mixing it together wrong :P  But really good food!

By now it was after 4, and the latest you can enter the museum is 5 (as it closes at 6), so we hurried up and walked over to it, barely making it in before 5.  It's really such a great museum - I'm definitely planning on going back.  We just walked around and looked and did usual museum things.  Once we got kicked out we took the subway to Dongdaemun strictly to get some crepes, and then continued all the way back to KU.  We ended up stopping at a convenience store for cup noodles and just talking, and one of her friends actually came in so he talked with us for a while too.  He's from Arizona, but apparently thought my Minnesota accent sounds... Scottish?  He didn't believe that I'm originally from the US because he thought my accent was too weird :P

After I went back to the dorm, worked out for a bit and then back to the room.  My legs are exhausted!  I'm so happy I can just relax tomorrow (and probably have to start on my homework again...)

Day 22: Korea Club

Only the one class today, International Finance.  I actually really enjoy it, even if it does mean I have to wake up on a Friday (most exchange students don't have Friday classes at all).  Mailed a letter out after, and then went to Itaewon for another acupuncture appointment.  Honestly, it really has been helping my shoulder, even if it starts to hurt again by the end of the week, it's nice to have that relief for a while.

Though it does give me some marks for a few days after
Stopped in the T-Bell afterwards to try it out - tastes different from back home for sure, and I don't think in a good way.  But at least now I know not to go there (unless I'm going to try some of their different selections, a few did look good...)  Went back to my dorm to chill and just talk to people for a while before going to a Korea Club meeting.  Essentially it seems like it's the same as KUBA, but people who aren't students at KU can join too.  Got a buddy for that group, learned about the activities they're going to do (they all look fun!)  Everyone went out to eat/drink afterwards, but I had a cup noodle before going so I wasn't going to spend $10 to just sit around; I can always meet up with them the next time.

Went to the gym at the dorm, and then had a nice conversation with Heidi about everything - it was nice getting to talk about home and rodeos and all the places in the States I've been to.  Took a shower after and then went to bed pretty soon after.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Day 21: PC Cafes

After getting a long sleep last night, I also got to wake up late; score!  Took some time getting up, and then went to a PC cafe to play games with Joe and some other friends.  Ended up staying there for multiple hours, so I decided to make it a full lazy morning and went out to eat because I was suuper hungry.  Grabbed my stuff and went to Korean class - we're finally done learning the alphabet and how to create words!  Starting real stuff next week :)

Stopped to buy more ramen on the way back to the dorm, and then went to the gym for a bit.  Still not feeling the greatest but eh, it'll either get better or it won't.  Had some of the previously bought ramen, relaxed a bit, and then worked on some homework for my Finance and Game Theory classes.  And by worked on my game theory homework, I mean I looked at it, realized he really hasn't taught us any of that, and closed the homework assignment because I don't feel like googling how to solve it right now.  I really need to, seeing as how he told us yesterday he tried to make the problems so it takes at least an hour per problem -_-

Anyway, going to try to sleep, tomorrow is looking like it's going to be a good day!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Day 20: In which Kelsey vents about Game Theory

Super tired when I woke up; I should really start getting to bed earlier.  Started off the day with my finance course, which actually was really nice.  I just enjoy the teacher and how he teaches, so it's a pretty good start to the morning.  Had my long lunch break, and then game theory :(  I really don't think I'll ever get used to that class, I'm already starting to hate the teacher's voice and how I can't understand half of what he's saying.  Oh, and today he lectured IN KOREAN for a few minutes.  The class is supposed to be taught in English.  I don't know if he was just rehashing what he had already said or was saying something new, so ugh.

Oh, and we had to play a game in class to show this one concept, essentially that people would keep choosing smaller numbers as the game went on.  However, I couldn't understand as all the other students were saying numbers in Korean, so I couldn't make a good guess on what number I should choose, so I basically just chose the highest number allowed (100) to throw everyone in my round off (spiteful? yes.  But that's what happens when I've been brewing about how much his class upsets me with the lack of teaching I understand), even though I knew it was an answer that shouldn't be chosen.  And then part of the lecture afterwards was saying how students who are smart enough to realize the game would realize that choosing any number over 60 is a dumb decision because you'll never win and if you are smart you will know that, and it just felt like he was taking a jab at me so I was just getting really upset (mostly irrationally, but so it goes).

So I was just brewing about that on my next break, and adding into the mix that I've been feeling progressively sicker as the day goes on I was just straight up pissed going into Korean class.  Luckily it ended without incident, so I just went back to my dorm, showered, had some rice for dinner, and now I'm just going to bed early so I don't have to deal with people anymore today.  Hopefully I won't be sick still tomorrow, and luckily it's a late start for me so it should turn out to be a good day.

Day 19: Yoga is hard

Got to the gym a bit early for yoga, considering I didn't know what gym room it was in.  It was really great!  We actually did yoga and stretching, but oh my goodness we stretched things my body doesn't want to stretch, and it threw a fit about it.  Felt like I was about to get muscle spasms in my back.  So,  it's probably a great thing I'm in yoga to try and fix how horribly tight it is.

Class got out at around 11 instead of 1150, so I went back and chilled at my dorm for a bit before meeting up with Group 1 for lunch.  Apparently it's going to be a weekly thing now - lunch on Tuesday and dinner on Monday - but I'm pretty sure I'm only going to go to one seeing as how they cost money and eating out two meals in a row seems a bit excessive.  But the place we went today was great, the typical "Korean style" of meal where everything is shared with the table.

Went up to dance class after the lunch and, of course, we didn't dance again.  We actually watched a movie in Japanese with Korean subtitles and enough glare on the screen I couldn't really make out what was happening.  My dance partner in the class told me we have to write a one page paper about how we compare to a character in the movie, so I'm going to be relying pretty heavily on google translate and imdb to learn the plot.

Korean class afterwards, where we learned consonants.  Pretty simple, since I actually had studied that over the summer and it was one of the few things I remember studying.  Nice to have a bit of a break.  Otherwise, just chilled out and talked with  my roommates and had dinner.  Finally did my laundry, so thankfully that's taken care of now.  There's a free iron in the basement (as opposed to the washers and dryers we pay for) so I was able to iron the collars of my shirts, which was really nice.  Couldn't do that at school!

Anyway, time to get ready for tomorrow - game theory :(

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Day 18: Never do leg day before Basketball

While everyone else was getting ready for their 9am classes, I got to sleep in a bit.  So happy that basketball doesn't start until 940!

I still went a bit early, to make sure I found the right gym.  It was a little nerve wracking at first, but I showed my syllabus to another kid in the class, and he said I was in the right place, so that's good.  Class was great!  We started with some stretches, and then we got thrown into it.  Today was all about dribbling and ball handling and oh boy did we do that.  We practiced just throwing the ball back and forth between our hands - simple stuff.  And then we practiced doing that above our head - still simple.  And then doing that while walking - again, still simple.  And then we practiced passing the ball around ourselves, you know, when you kind of make the ball circle your body around the waist?  That was a bit harder.  And then doing that around our legs - even harder.  And then passing the ball around our legs in a figure eight - okay  now it was getting hard.  And then we had to do all of those while walking up and down the court.

It was insanely fun, but oh man it was tiring!  I haven't had to concentrate on my muscles and how to handle things like that since drumline last year, and that's a completely different set of muscles.  And having to lean down to weave the ball around our legs - I just about fell over since I worked my legs at the gym yesterday and they were still a bit sore.  Never doing leg day before basketball again, that's for sure!  We also practiced dribbling with each hand; that was easier but again, was working some muscles I haven't used in a long time.  Makes me wish I had stuck with basketball through middle and high school.

We ended at like 1120 (originally the class is scheduled 9-1150, but thankfully the teacher cut it down to just 2 hours), so people had time to shower before their next class.  I just went home to shower, ate a bit, and then got ready for game theory.  I swear, that class is going to make me go insane.  The teacher's accent is super hard to understand, and if people ask questions in Korean (which is normal), he answers them IN KOREAN (which is NOT normal as the class is taught in English) and only sometimes re-explains it in English.  Also his handwriting is atrocious - I couldn't tell if he was writing a comma, a multiplication dot, a 1 or an i.  Also his sigmas look like "b" or "G" which is wrong and I got so confused.  I ended up just tossing my pencil on my desk in a "fuck it, I'm done" manner, and the guy sitting next to me just laughed.  He helped clarify a few things for me after class though, so that was nice.

So I was really peeved after class, ended up just sitting in my room and venting to whoever would listen.  Went to Korean class - that was nice!  We learned vowels and some consonants, and the teacher seems really wonderful and enunciates perfectly and makes it easy to understand what she's saying and what we should say.  Really excited for this class!  Went back to the dorm, relaxed for a bit, went out for a quick dinner, and then back home.  I ended up studying game theory a bit on my own - the teacher has some notes online which makes much more sense than what he says, so I'm going through those and taking notes off of them.  May end up emailing an Econ teacher back at NDSU for supplemental notes if these aren't enough.

Oh, and I found out this morning my mom and oldest brother booked their tickets to come see me in May!  I'm super pumped, and I'm already figuring out what things we should do when they get here.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Day 17: Relaxation (The Sunday Theme)

Pretty sure that's going to be the title of all of my Sunday posts :P

Got up, skyped for hours, had some ramen, and then finally changed clothes to go outside.  It was like 60 degrees, I was so warm!  Everyone else still had jackets on and I'm just walking around in a tank top, marveling at the heat.  I found where the gym is so hopefully I'm able to find my basketball class tomorrow.  Went to the Daiso (essentially the dollar store/target) to get some lotion - for some reason I've got horribly dry skin like never before my heels and ankle are cracked really bad - and then back to the dorm.

Took a nap, relaxed more, had some dinner, went to the gym for a bit, and then back to the room.  Just going to bed to hopefully be rested for my first *real* day of classes tomorrow!

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Day 16: Arcades and Karaoke!

Woke up this morning earlier than I should on a Saturday, got ready, and spent about 70 minutes on the subway going to Seohyeon.  What's in Seohyeon you ask?  Well, I had no idea.  A night or two ago I found out about a group that gets together in Seoul once a month to hang out at an arcade and just have fun.  I decided that I may as well join, as the KUBA cheer orientation didn't start until 5.30.

Met up with a some people there - a few were US military and a few were Koreans.  We stopped at a little buffet to get some food before we started, and just talk a bit.  It was pretty fun, just got to know each other.  Then, we went to an arcade that was close by the station.  Honestly, it was really fun.  Just played a bunch of games for cheap, tried out a drumming game and a 4D shooter, which was really cool.

Seohyeon just looked really cool too

Around 2pm or so I got a text from my KUBA buddy saying the cheering orientation was actually at 430 now.  So, that meant I'd have to leave around 3 to make sure I made it in time.  Well, we had actually just started heading out of the cafe to go to a karaoke bar, which is something I really wanted to try here and had already told them I was committed to doing (as I thought I was leaving at 4pm before).  So, I ended up missing the cheering thing, partly because of the plans I had made, and partly because I tend to get irrationally upset when times/places/etc get changed on me last minute.

Honestly, the karaoke cafe was a blast.  We were probably there for over two hours, just drinking and singing and having a great time.  I sang "Ring of Fire" and a few other country songs, joined some of the other guys singing some songs I knew, and just listened to everyone else.  We kind of got kicked out of the place because we had haggled to get it at a discounted price, and as it was about to be peak time she wanted us out for customers paying full price to actually use it, which makes sense.

We went back to the arcade for a while, decided we were hungry, and then got burgers at a place down the street.  During the conversation there it came up that military bases have stores that sell full sized towels (I still reallllly want one), so it's in the works to have me visit so I can buy one.  I figured I'd head back then, and maybe try to hook up with some of the KUBA people if they were having an after party.  Took the subway home, couldn't get in contact with anyone here, so I ended up just sitting and relaxing in the dorm :P

Just relaxing a bit more, gonna turn in early hopefully and get a long night of sleep!

Day 15: Helping with English

Got up at my alarm like usual, made toast, messed around on the internet for a while.  My computer is still in Minnesotan time, so when I saw it was at the :30 mark I started to get ready for class, wondering why my roommate wasn't up since she said she has class at 9 as well.

Then I checked my phone and realized it was 7:30 and not 8:30; I had accidentally set the alarm for an hour early in the day.  So that was a bummer.  Went back to sleep for half an hour and then off to International Finance.  It was actually pretty interesting today, so I'm hoping it stays that way.  The teacher speaks English SO much better than my Game Theory teacher, so having that is a plus too.

Finished class, ate some ramen at home, and then went and met my dance class translator at a cafe because he wanted me to proofread his English cover letter for a job he's applying for.  We talked about the differences in how they should read: in America, it's supposed to be pretty formal and follow some strict rules, while in Korea they teach you to write it a lot more casual and to not use so many big and clinical words.  Very interesting discussion!

Back home, relaxed and started on the Finance homework and then went shopping at Dongdaemun with Jasmine.  We just mainly walked around and looked, though I did end up buying a pair of shoes for $45, which is a pretty good deal I think.  Back at home, just ate and relaxed and went to bed.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Day 14: Acupuncture and ARC's

Thursdays are my day to sleep in, so I took advantage of that and slept in till around 10.  Took my time getting ready before trekking out to the Immigration office for my district.  I needed to turn in my application for my Alien Registration Card (or ARC), which everyone who stays in Korea for more than 90 days has to do.  When I went this weekend with friends, there were over 200 people in line for the student visa (the screen tells you how many people are in line total).  I went in a bit later than I should have today, so there were around 50 people in front of me.  I just buckled down and played videogames for an hour and a half until my number was called :P

As I don't have Korean class this week, I decided to go to Itaewon, which is kind of the foreigner area.  I tried shopping for shoes with no luck (similar to at home), so I now know for sure that I either need to buy men's shoes or wait until I get home and can buy wide women's shoes.  I also went and got acupuncture at a place by the station - I've been considering it for a while and I figured "why not?".  It was really fun, only about $20 for the session and honestly for once my shoulder just feels okay and without pain during the day.  Visiting again is only $15, so I'm definitely planning on doing that.  Got a doughnut when I first got there to stave off hunger until dinner - I was planning on going to the "Nashville Cafe", something my dad's friend had told me about.  The online reviews were really promising and it seemed fitting to get a whiskey and steak on Thirsty Thursday.

Well, after literal hours of walking around shopping/trying to find the place, I was utterly stumped.  I stood where the maps were telling me where it was, only to see a different "American" cafe.  I must have looked really confused because a few American gentlemen in probably their late 50's approached me and asked if I was lost.  I asked where the Nashville was, and they told me it closed down 2 years ago :(  We talked for a bit, they recommended an Irish pub around the corner, and we went our separate ways.  Usually I would follow the advice of someone who's been around the area for a while, but I had gotten it in my head I was having a big plate of meat for dinner, so I went to the American pub anyway.

Honestly, it wasn't that good.  The ribs could have been great, but they put so much sauce on it that it covered up any other flavor, and the sauce wasn't that good.  The fries and coleslaw were okay, and the whiskey was expensive.  Never going back again, but it was nice to have my own Thirsty Thursday here in Korea.

They tried to make it fancy too 
After that, I decided to just head back to school.  I stopped at a PC cafe on the walk from the station to the dorm because I wanted to kill time, so that was fun.  Back at the dorm, I tried out the gym that's inside and it was okay - I'm glad I went when it was quiet, I don't like having a bunch of other people around when I'm trying to exercise.  And apparently I killed too much time doing all that because I haven't even unpacked my camera to upload the few photos I took today, can't believe it's already almost midnight!  Class at 9am tomorrow, so I better get to sleep soon~

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Day 13: In which people drop Game theory

Got to experience my last "new" class for the semester, International Finance.  And oh boy, it seems like it's going to be tough.  The teacher handed out the first homework packet today and it barely resembles anything I've ever seen before in terms of math and general terms.  The teacher also stated that he got his undergrad in Math and hates speaking English and said he's really bad at it, so no one should attempt to learn English from the class.  So that's going to make it hard for me, because there were some things he said I couldn't understand.

But he is not NEARLY as bad as my game theory teacher.  Class today was... horrible.  He used a small microphone so we could actually hear him today, but he holds it too close and every time he enunciates it makes the mic crackle and you can't hear anything.  Even without that, I can only understand about half of the things he says, I honestly can't see how anyone who has English as a second language (namely, everyone else in the class) would be able to follow anything in the course.  And his handwriting is HORRENDOUS.  In game theory, there's a lot of math.  That means using subscripts after variables to denote what they're actually talking about.  Well, for his subscripts, I couldn't tell if it was a 1, 2, q, p, or an s (all of the subscripts possible).  Most of my notes are just general themes with the words "look it up online" underlined multiple times.  A few people just walked out of class, and I heard them saying how they were dropping because they couldn't understand what he was going on about.  I wish I could have done the same, but alas, I need 6 upper level credits to graduate.

Other than that, the day was good.  I went to a PC-bang, or a PC cafe between the two classes.  Essentially it's a place where you can rent a super fast computer, sit in comfortable gaming chairs, and just chill in a gaming environment.  I just played a game for an hour to make sure I could still connect to the North American servers (which I can!), so now I know I can play with people back home :)

Bought the textbooks I need (Finance and Korean) and then spent a lot of time chilling out at home.  The wind was around 15mph all day and even though it was around 30 degrees I just didn't want to spend time at street stalls exploring a new city since I only brought my spring jacket with.  People here think I'm crazy, but with a hat (which I'm kind of known for now, people recognize me because of the hat), warm mittens, and wool tights under jeans, having a light spring jacket is about enough to keep you warm.  Coming from Minnesota this really is spring weather at just around freezing, though I would use a heavier jacket at home for the wind.

I went out with three of my roomies (all of them except Carol, my new Chinese roomie) and Sofia's friend for dinner.  I brought them to where Cole took my first meal here, and it was still really good.  Going to turn in early tonight; I've got to get my alien registration card tomorrow and then off to Itaewon!

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Day 12: In which Kelsey is wrong

So.... I do have a roommate.

Let's back up a bit.  Started the day like normal, had my toast and got ready for classes.  It snowed a bit on the way to class, which was awesoooome!  First off was Yoga, which was a HORRIBLE start to the day.  So yesterday the International One Stop Center called my teacher and asked what classroom I was in - they said 404 in the College Education building 2.  So I went there at 845, and by 9 NO ONE ELSE WAS THERE.  So I'm freaking out that she told me the wrong thing or I wrote down the wrong thing, when a student popped his head in.  I asked about yoga (I said "yoga?", that's it), and he held up fingers to show the room number to me.  I wasn't the last person to enter the room so that made me feel better.

In yoga I sat there for almost 2 hours of a lecture in Korean about... I don't know.  The teacher asked if I spoke Korean and I said no, so she threw me a bone every now and again by writing the English translation of some words on the board, which was nice.  Went back to my place for lunch, skyped my mom, relaxed, and then went off to Sports Dance.  In this class, the teacher actually designated one of the students to translate for me after class and be the go-between, which is awesome.  It's nice to actually know what's going on in one of these classes for once.

After class I went to buy sheets at the Home Plus, but they were expensive, so I just bought more food for my dorm.  I had the extra desk to store everything on, right?

WRONG.  I had put everything up and was just being bored and lazy in the dorm when suddenly like 5 people pop their head in my room.  My roommate, who is from China, is transferring from a different dorm.  And thus ends Kelsey's super lucky life in Korea :P  She left to hang out with friends, so I just made spaghetti and chilled by myself.  Eventually Jasmine, Heidi, Sofia and one of Sofia's friends were all just chilling in my room, and we were just talking about everything.  It was really great, and we're all planning on going out together soon.  My roommate came back, but now it's bedtime so no chance to talk to her!  Anyway, class in the morning (ugh, finance), so time to sleep!

Monday, March 2, 2015

Day 11: First Day of Class!

First day of classes is done!

Got up to an alarm for the first time in a while, dragged myself to the kitchen to cook my toast to have pb toast for breakfast (the peanut butter was like $8 for a small jar, uugh!) and hyped myself up for going to class.  I decided to wear jeans and just a flannel overshirt, with sweats and a tshirt in my bag in case we actually played today in basketball.  I got to the room, and like I always do the first day of class, I start freaking out that I was in the wrong room.  After about 10 minutes of waffling on what to do (I always arrive entirely too early to things) I ended up typing "Is this basketball" in my translation app and showing it to the girl behind me, awkward.

Well, class started and it was in all Korean, as I assumed it would be.  It's just such a weird and exhausting feeling to be in a room with people who all speak a language you don't when you're desperately trying to understand it but have absolutely no idea.  This was even worse than when I was in Belgium, because at least quite a few Dutch words sound similar to English ones, so you can pick up a word here and there.  The teacher handed out a sheet of paper for us to fill out and turn back in.  I pulled out my phone and started translating, but after I had only finished translating the basics (name, age, major), everyone else was done.  Someone collected all the papers, though not mine after I made it evident I was working on it still, turned it in, and everyone left.  EVEN THE TEACHER.

So I'm just sitting in an empty classroom at 930 (class began at 9), and I decided to just head back home and translate it there.  Worked on translating the syllabus before heading back to campus.  I had to look up where the basketball teacher's office was, which took me quite a long time to find.  I turned in the paper much to his surprise, and he started to talk to me in Korean again.  I just shook my head and said that I don't speak it yet, and he's like "Oh, I can't speak English."  So at least we're on the same page now that we'll just have to play charades to communicate :P  He explained to me via broken English and pantamimes that class is only 940-1130 actually (instead of 9-1145 as the schedule says) and we start in the gym up by my dorm on Monday.  Score!

Went to the international student's office and had them phone up my yoga teacher so I could learn where the class was going to be held.  So that's going to be interesting, because I'm just hoping the right person was contacted and the office lady who told me the room is good enough at English that the room number she told me is correct.  Went to my game theory class which seems really lax, though his grasp of English was pretty spotty so we'll see how that goes.  Home again, relaxed, and went to my Korean class.  It was essentially show up, get a paper with the syllabus, and her saying "see you next week" even though classes are supposed to be Monday - Thursday.  Super lax week this week!

Went back to my dorm, cleaned it up, ate more (I've been snacking and eating like every time I've come home, I'll need to restock my dorm foods again soon...) and just chilled out in general. I got my first piece of mail from home which was wonderful and made my night. Just going to bed and hoping tomorrow will be just as relaxed! 
Last "First Day of School" photo I'll ever have! 

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Day 10: Relaxation

Today was pretty much the most relaxing day ever.

Started it off with a marathon skype session before finally changing and leaving the dorm around 2 in the afternoon.  Walked to campus to find my classrooms (only in three buildings total so I was fine), picked up some ramen and instant rice I can cook in the dorm (and peanut butter and bread for breakfast!!), and then headed back.  That's essentially the bulk of the day.

Though, I did add the girl who is supposed to be my roommate on facebook.  I looked up her name and country and found her, and after talking today we realized that's she's actually already moved into a different dorm, so it looks like they double booked her.  Soooooo it looks like I have a double room to myself, which is GREAT because I've already kind of taken the whole thing over and I've never shared a bedroom with anyone before (spoiled, I know), so it's nice to just have a place I can have privacy.  I did tell my other roommates (ie, the girls I share a bathroom with) that they can store their stuff in here since I have all this extra space, and to feel free to use it to skype or whatever if I'm out and they want privacy.

Classes start tomorrow and honestly I'm pretty nervous.  Not for the fact it's a new school - this is my third university and my 5th school in 5 years - but the fact that half my classes, my sport classes, are all in Korean.  Which means I'll have no idea what's happening.  They said it's cool for exchange students to be in them but oh maaaan this is going to be embarrassing.  Not to mention the fact that I'm going to make a fool of myself in all the sport classes (basketball, dance, yoga) because I'm not good at any of those things.  And I don't know if anyone in the classes will be able to speak English (and I feel horrible that I don't know Korean to talk to them) so I don't know if I'll be able to meet any friends in the classes.

Oh, and basketball is my FIRST CLASS TOMORROW.  So my first class is a sport I'm not good at anymore, in a language I don't understand, and I just have no idea how it will go.  I never took sports in the US either as a class, so I don't know if I'm supposed to wear sweats and shorts to class or just bring it or if we're even playing tomorrow or anything that's happening.

Here's to hoping I don't embarrass myself too much tomorrow.  But if I do, you'll be the first to hear about it!

Day 9: Dog Cafes

Woke up slow, and then met up with Terry (a girl from Holland I hung out with on the city tour) and we went to Hongdae to see the sheep cafe!  I was super excited - the pictures of the place online show the sheep IN THE CAFE and they looked adorable and fluffy and amazing.  Well, we get there and it's just two sheep outside and you can't even go in the enclosure and pet them, and no sheep in the cafe.  Total disappointment.

But they were cute

So, instead we went to a dog cafe which was SO WORTH IT.  You just had to pay for one drink (~$7), wear sandals they supplied and use hand sanitizer before going in and then you got to be with the dogs!  There were so many and they were so cute - as soon as you sat on the floor they just came and sat in your lap, it was adorable.



After probably two hours in the cafe, we went and just walked around Hongdae.  We actually came across a FREE place that let us try on Hanboks (traditional Korean dresses) and take pictures in a little scene.  It was super fun.


Just walked around more, had some street food (I got a kebab), did a bit of shopping, and ended up getting a bit lost.  It wasn't a big deal, we just kept walking and actually ended up at a different train station than the one we started at.  I went back to the dorm and Terry went to a different place to meet some other people.  When I was walking back to the dorm from the subway station I actually ran into my roommate Jasmine and we ended up meeting her friend and going to get ramen for supper.

Finally made it back to the dorm, found out my basketball teacher emailed me back so I FINALLY know where the classroom is.  Thank goodness, because it's my first class on Monday.  Chilled out a bit at the dorm and then went to sleep, so pretty productive day!