Monday, June 29, 2015

Day 122: Leaving Korea/Back home

Sunday, June 21

My roomie woke up around 4am to shower and get her shuttle to the airport, so we barely got a few hours of sleep.  I repacked when she left, showered, and then checked us out of the hotel.  They shuttled me to the airport a bit before 7.  It took about 45 minutes to get through baggage and have that checked, but then I still had a bit over 2 hours before my flight.

I got some doughnuts and then walked to where the subway line goes to the airport.  My friend was taking the subway in so we had decided to meet up and chat a bit before our flights.  Met him, and then I ditched him once he was in baggage to go through security because I get anxious about that.  Sat at my gate for a bit, rearranged my carry on baggage (and I lost something at the airport because of that :/), met up with my friend again, and finally got on the flight to Toronto!

Honestly, the flight was pretty terrible.  I was exhausted, I can't sleep on planes, and for about 2 hours there was turbulence so bad even the flight attendants couldn't stand up, meaning you also couldn't use the bathroom.  But we landed safely in Toronto, so whatever.  We had left Seoul at 10am local time on Sunday, and gotten to Toronto around 1030am local time so that was really funny to me.  There, had to get my bags, recheck them, change terminals, and go through US security (which was convoluted and a pain and everyone was confused).  But made it through, ate a bit, and then went to my gate.  I tried to sleep there and it didn't work, of course.  It was a gate for the smaller flights, so like 4 different flights were in this little area, very small planes.

Well, when it was time to get on the plane, my ticket didn't work, and I just stood off to the side when the ticket agent checked everyone else on the plane because even if I was the type of a person to kick up a fuss, I was just too tired.  Apparently they had double booked my seat, but the guy who was sitting in it actually had gotten kicked off the flight a few hours before - I think he had a standby ticket or something.  They offered to let me take the next flight 4 hours later and get a flight voucher, but since I had someone waiting for me at the airport I decided against it.

This flight went better, seeing as how it was around 2 hours instead of 13.  Got off the flight and ran to the gate where I met my boyfriend.  It was really nice to see him again after 4 months, especially when he had some gifts for me to make the day better (read: caffeine and chocolate and roses), so that was really sweet.  We picked up my bags, and drove to our hotel in the city I lived in most of my life.  I felt disgusting from the flight so I tried to take a bath since it was a jacuzzi but I almost fell asleep so I decided to just shower, which was a bummer.  Had enough pizza to stop my stomach from grumbling and just passed out in bed.

121: Last Full Day!

Saturday, June 20

Pretty exciting day.  Woke up, grabbed some triangle kimbap from the GS25 (last one ever), and went to the PC cafe.  Spent a few hours there talking with people back home and playing games, just relaxing.  I went out after and did "scratching" in my hair - where they shave a design into the hair.  They wouldn't do it at the first haircut place I went to, but luckily the second one did.  I've wanted to do it for a long time now and figured may as well when I'm in Korea!  It didn't turn out too well - he didn't really know what to do - but I enjoyed it.

Afterwards, met my friend at Hansot for our last meal there - we're both such regulars there they know our order before we even say it.  Just sat outside and chatted and ate.  It was pretty chilly actually and rainy, so we both decided to go back to the dorms.  I finished up my packing, and helped my roommate carry some of her stuff into a different dorm for storage over the summer.  We said goodbye to my roommate, she was crying when she had to leave, it was so sweet.  Just relaxed for a long time honestly and waited for my roomie to get ready.

Finally, we got a taxi to a bus stop to get a bus to the airport!  There, we called our hotel and they picked us up, and we got some food and settled in around 1am to go to bed.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Day 120: Jongmyo Shrine

Friday, June 19

Slept in again, skyped, and then off I went.  Grabbed some breakfast and went to Itaewon for my last acupuncture session.  I didn't actually do my shoulder this time - it actually hasn't been hurting me for a while which is WONDERFUL - but I decided to do it on my lower back to fix it up and make it not so tight for the airplane ride home.  I went there a bit late, so I was rushing on my way to the shrine.

I got to the station, saw it was 3:55 and decided to just grab a snack and take my time walking there, seeing as how online it says it's a 10 minute walk from the station.  Well, even after getting my snacks I was there at 4:03 so I hurried and bought my ticket (English tour was at 4, I was just going to take the 4:20 Korean tour as you HAVE to go with a tour group during the week).

And then, the best thing ever happened.  I'm giving the ticket guy my ticket to get in so I can hurry and catch up to the tour group, when I heard someone saying "Where can you buy tickets?", like the type of rhetorical question you say out loud with friends when you're confused.  I decided to be a nice person and just pointed to the ticket office (it's hard to see) and said that it's over there.  The guy said thanks, and then a split second later asked "You speak Dutch?"  Then I realized that both the first question and the last question were actually spoken in Dutch, but I just comprehended it right away.  I just responded saying "a little" in Dutch back, but it just made my day.  Like, I could just understand it.  I didn't answer his first question in Dutch since I wasn't really paying attention, but just the fact I instantly understood what he meant and could respond is huge to me.  August 2nd will be the 3 year anniversary of me coming back from Belgium (as you can see by my entries from then!) - I never would have thought the language would stick with me this long.

Anyway, back to the boring recap of my day to day life.  Toured the shrine, chatted with people in the tour group (though none of the people from Holland - I know they were from Holland and not Belgium from the accent or I would have tried to strike up conversation) and took the train back to Anam.

Probably my favorite picture from the day




Back in Anam, I met my English speaking dance partner at the subway station.  He had insisted on treating me to dinner for helping him do his final early, so we met up today.  We ended up going for Korean BBQ (YESSSSS) and just chatting.  Afterwards we went to a PC cafe and gamed a bit, which was just really fun.  Learned some of the differences between Korean and North American servers for the game I play.

Went back to the dorm, showered, edited my pictures, and just relaxed.  I'm starting to charge up all of my electronics for the flight, packing things, etc.  I have a bit to do tomorrow yet (after my plans), but I should be able to get done with more than enough time.  It's so unreal that it's here - I've been waiting to go home for a long time now because I'm just so tired of traveling - but now I'm starting to get a bit sad about the prospect.  I know I'm ready but it's still sad to leave a place that you don't think you'll ever come back to.  Hopefully sometime long in the future I can come back with travel companions, that's really what I've been missing on this trip.

Anyway, time for bed.  I'm sure a few days after I get back I'll get a nice rambling post about everything, but tonight it's time to sleep.

Day 119: Gyeongbokgung Palace

Thursday, June 18

Slept in, no alarm, which was GLORIOUS.  My roommate did the same so neither of us got out of bed/disturbed each other until past noon.  It felt great to sleep in that much.  I was super hungry when I got up so I went to Dos Mas (the Chipotle ripoff that's not near as good) and ate a burrito.  So soon I can have Chiptole again!

Then, took the subway and went back to Gyeongbokgung Palace, the first palace I visited when I was here.  It was nice to see it when it was green and warm and just nice.  Got a fresh strawberry juice there which was really good.  Afterwards, walked around for a while, shopped a bit, and just relaxed.  Tried to buy souvenirs in Insa-dong but then I just felt sick.  I think it was a combination of heat, not enough food, not enough water, and just my body letting out all my stress from the semester.  It was super hard to make it back to Anam without getting sick.




Got a juice back at Anam station since I needed to sit before going up the hill.  Had fresh watermelon juice.  I really love the juice culture here - just throw some ice and fresh fruit in a blender and get a wonderfully refreshing glass of any sort of fruit or veggie.  Went to the dorm, laid down for a while, ate, and then started my laundry.  Luckily I just beat the rush, though someone did open my dryer when it was running so I had to pay for it again since it didn't finish drying.  Then, packed up all my stuff.  Figured out what outfits I'm wearing on the plane and these last few days, what I'm wearing my first few days home, and just packed it all up.  My main suitcase (aka the one with wheels) is  juuust under the weight limit, and my duffel bag is much, much lighter.

Then, just skyped a bit, relaxed a bit, and went to bed.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Day 118: LAST UNDERGRAD FINAL

Wednesday, June 17

Woke up, studied a bit, went to Dunkin' to get some more substantial breakfast than a poptart, and went to the game theory classroom.  Googled some stuff I figured might be on the exam (hint: nothing I studied was).  The exam itself went... okay?  Definitely didn't know how to do everything correctly, but I made an honest effort, wrote about 3 pages, and explained a lot more of what I was thinking than on the midterm.

Walking out after turning it in was so refreshing, especially after I realized I'm done with my undergraduate.  Sure, I'll have to do some paperwork to get this all figured out, but I don't have to take anymore classes.  I never have to take a college class again if I so choose.  I've already got a job lined up that starts in a month and a half, so I'm basically going to have to become a real adult now :P  But knowing that there's no more meaningless busy work or things of that nature is so nice.  Everything I learn now will be related to my career.  And even better, if I decide to take classes I can take whatever I want.  I can finally study the things I want to study, and I'll honestly have more free time than I've ever had before.

Plus, I'm moving to Madison, which is, of course, where UW-Madison is located.  And what's so special about that?  Well, it's a great language school, that offers both Dutch and Korean.  So, I can find out of school study groups for both languages, and possibly find some great resources to keep up my skills in each language (and improve them because they both definitely need that).

Anyway, after the exam I took the subway to Wangsimni, bought tickets to Jurassic World, and then just shopped for a bit to kill time.  My friend met me at the theater and we watched the movie in 4D, which is watching it in 3D but the chairs move and there's wind and things like that.  I was a bit disappointed because they advertise saying there's water (didn't feel any :<), lightning (no lightning in the movie :<) and such as well, but oh well.  It was just a fun way to end the day.

Back to the dorm, played some games, relaxed a bit, and now getting ready for a sleep where I have absolutely no reason for having to get up.

Day 117: Korean Final

Tuesday, June 16

Woke up, studied, went out to eat, and then went to the school and studied more away from any temptations to slack off.  Napped a bit on the couch, studied more, chatted with friends who were also studying.  More studying.

And then, it was time for the Korean Final!  It felt like it went okay - definitely glad I studied what I did before the exam.  My friend and I went out for dinner after, talked about what we're planning on doing the next few days, etc.  Went back to the dorm and then started studying for game theory.  This was harder because I really had no idea what would be on the exam, or really what would even be relevant, seeing as how the midterm covered things he didn't emphasize and the things the emphasized didn't turn up as much as one would think.

It was so hot during the night too it was impossible to sleep.  And some mosquitoes got indoors - you couldn't hear them, but I got like 5 or 6 bites that were super itchy.  Combine that with being too sweaty and you get a pretty bad night of sleep.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Day 116: Last Korean Class

Monday, June 15

Slept in a bit, skyped a bit, and studied.  Pretty normal day, just did some studying and relaxing and goofing off.  Went to my Korean class and we talked grammar and just did some last review before the final.  Afterwards, we got a picture as a whole class - I'm really glad someone thought to do that!

Class~! Of course I made myself front and center...
Back to the dorm, studied Korean, ate, studied more Korean.  Nothing too much of note.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Day 115: Studying (on and off)

Sunday, June 14

Woke up, skyped a bit, played some games, got some food, and then studied.  Got most of my Korean stuff written in my study notebook, took a nap, skyped a bit more, ate more, studied more Korean.  Pretty boring day, but hey, all done putting stuff in my Korean study notebook now!  Just gonna study out of that tomorrow and write more in my game theory study notebook and I'm almost done!

It really doesn't feel real, especially with how lax this semester is compared to last.  I have 6 credits of finals this next week, and I'm not terribly worried about either.  Last semester I had 16 credits of senior level classes and my thesis due and I was just freaking out.  That feels so far away now; I'm glad I doubled up that semester so I could just slide during this one.  It's a nice break before my little 3 week summer vacation before I start up a real job with a fixed schedule and benefits :P

Day 114: Last Game Theory lecture!

Saturday, June 13

Slept in (sooooooo nice!), got ready, and went to the last game theory lecture!  Technically it was a study session held by one of the TA's, but it was still about 1.5 hours long so I'm calling it a lecture.  They actually spoke in English this time!- I was afraid I'd get kicked out again because the TA the first time didn't speak English.  But luckily this TA could, so I was able to learn what the correct answers were for the last homework set.  And man, I needed that help.

Got some food, went back to the dorm.  Studied a bit, napped a bit, studied some more.  More Korean than game theory which is probably good since Korean is a lot of rules and the game theory teacher said he'd pass me, but I still don't want to rely on the game theory teacher unless I have to.  It'd be 
such a bummer if I did badly and he decided to fail me (and probably half the class along with me since half of us failed the midterm anyway...)

But yeah, lots of studying with a liberal amount of breaks thrown in and staying up too late talking to people.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Day 113: Studying

Friday, June 12

Slept in a bit which was nice, and was going to study when I realized how hungry I was.  Met a friend and ate at a traditional Korean restaurant - the type where you sit on the ground.  It was really fun, we had no idea what we ordered or how to eat it, so we had to keep asking the waitress to help us out :P  It ended up being really good though, and it was nice to just relax and talk.

Went back to the dorm, studied game theory, napped, studied Korean, played some games, studied more.  Didn't get as far into game theory as I would have liked, but I was pretty tired.  But definitely planning on studying all weekend - just a few days and I'll be done with all my undergraduate classes*!

* Assuming I pass all of the classes

Day 112: Goofing off

Thursday, June 11

Woke up, gamed a bit, and tried to study.  That didn't really work out as planned because I was lazy, so I just basically goofed off until Korean class.  Full day of lecture, hit the last grammar point that will be on the exam.  We still have class next Monday, but I think it'll be good to have that.  Nothing too much else, just started my studying, planned out my last week, and went to bed.

Day 111: Lectures

Wednesday, June 10

Didn't get much sleep after staying up late at the PC cafe.

Went to Finance, which wasn't needed, but I wanted to see my grade.  Well, the teacher said he won't be posting grades from the final until next week, so it wasn't worth showing up.  I only get the 3 extra credit points if I show up the next two class periods too and I'm not planning on that, so I basically sat around and listened to the student presentations until I could leave.  One was in English and was interesting, but the other was in Korean and just didn't have much info in English on the powerpoint, so I didn't learn anything.

Went back to the dorm, relaxed, napped a bit.  I set my alarm for 1pm so I could eat, woke up then and promptly turned off the alarm and fell asleep again.  Somehow I woke up at 1.30, which was weird because it was pitch black in my room and my roommate was also asleep, but totally needed because class was at 2.  Went to my game theory lecture - it was actually the last real lecture!  I thought we'd have it again on Monday but we don't!  So that was a nice surprise.

Ate quick (since I skipped lunch to nap those extra 30 minutes) and went to Korean.  Last day of student presentations there!  Just listened to those and did a bit of grammar in class, nothing too much.

Went home, studied a bit and napped a bit before finally going to bed.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Day 110: PC Cafe and Dance Final!

Tuesday, June 9

Interesting day!

Woke up, skyped a bit, and got ready.  Dressed in some nicer clothes and then went to my dance final!  It was really fun - two couples at a time danced, and each couple had a "group name" for fun.  My partner and I were "body language" since he spoke no English and I spoke little Korean :P  It went great!  There was only one part where we got confused ,but we fixed it right away.  I got some guys in my class to record it for me, so I can prove that at one point in my life I was able to dance :P

Some partners were really unprepared - just stopping, not knowing what to do, etc.  One time one couple started and the other started 4 beats after and it was just hilarious, they kept looking at the first couple to see what moves to do next.  The teacher was having a great time with it.  Then, at the end, there was a guy who's partner didn't show up.  The teacher called on me to dance with him, so technically my third time doing the final.  It was hilarious.  He had absolutely no idea what to do, so I told him every step right before we did it and like, man handled him around the dance floor.  I'd spin him when we had to move, pull his hand the right way to do things, etc.  He just offered no resistance and let me do that, he seemed really grateful :)

Afterwards, got a burrito and ran into some guys from the class who were also getting food.  We all said hi and just did the little kind of bow to each other when we walked away, it was fun.  Then, went to Korean, endured more speeches and grammar practice, and then met my friend and his friend at the PC cafe.  We actually stayed there for like 6 hours playing games, with a little break for food.  Also, one of the part time workers was having her last day.  She speaks really good English and always talks to us, so my friend and his friend got her a little cake and drinks to celebrate.  We ate with her at the cafe (cake with chopsticks - it was an experience) and just chatted.  It was really nice!  We're hoping to meet up for drinks after finals and before we all leave the country.

Anyway, then it was like midnight so I hurried home because I actually had class the next day.

Day 109: Class and such

Monday, June 8

Nothing too much to note again.  Slept in a bit, skyped, attempted some studying, and went to Game Theory.  It's so close to being over but that doesn't curb the urge to skip it.  I can't wait to be done with the class.  Ate a bit and then went to Korean.  The speeches were pretty bad today as well.  It's so hard to pay attention to them when you can't understand what the other person is saying :/  Like I know it's hard, I had to do it too, but I practiced quite a bit so I could be understood.  Same when I had to give my speech in Dutch to Rotary.  I just think even if not for the grade, you should practice for the people you're presenting to.

Anyway, nothing too much else.  Just some games and studying and going to bed too late after doing too much of nothing during the day.

Day 108: Movie!

Sunday, June 7

Nothing too much of note in the morning, just slept in, relaxed, did some studying, did some skyping - the usual.  Made plans to meet my friend around 6 at the PC cafe, and took a nap until then.  We met up and took the subway to a different station, where we went to the movie theater!  Since you can bring in your own food, we stopped at a candy stall in the mall and got a bunch of snacks and sweet things to bring in.

We got our tickets and got soda, which was really funny.  It's SO cheap for concessions here compared to the US, and the soda was the size of probably a US medium for a movie theater, but the cover has two slots for straws, showing they think it's a sharing size here :P  We watched Mad Max, which was super fun.  Just a good action movie.

Took the subway back to Anam, and then wen to the PC cafe for games until midnight.  Well, I left then, my friend stayed :P  Did a few quick things online and then went to bed.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Day 107: In which Kelsey doesn't leave the dorm

Saturday, June 6

Slept in, which was really nice.  Played some games and tried to get in contact with my friend.  We were planning on going to a movie, but decided to put it off a day just because.  Really just spent the whole day napping and gaming and not being productive at all.  I should probably start studying game theory and Korean for finals, but I just wasn't in the mood.

Had room check to make sure I get my deposit back, so that's nice.  Cleaned up a bit, and just skyped and gamed more.  It was really uneventful but really great to just not do anything.

Day 106: Finance final!

Friday, June 5

Woke up, studied a bit, and then went to my Finance final!  The first two questions, I had absolutely NO idea how to do them.  Like, they were on the part of the homework I didn't get, and it was pretty bad.  I put things down for them, but I doubt I'll get many (if any) points from those.  But, the last two questions, I think I did super well on.  I did basically a full page of writing for each.  And seeing as how I only need 3 points out of the 100 to pass, I'm pretty sure I will.

Left the final, and went to the PC cafe for a bit (this is how I'm getting into the culture).  Played games with some people for an hour or two and then left.  I took the subway to go visit a shrine, and I got lost on the way there.  I found the outside wall of the shrine and walked the wrong way around it for like 30 minutes, and then hit construction and they made me turn around and backtrack, so that was annoying.  I found the front after debating if it was worth it to stay, and then saw that as it was Friday I had to get a guided tour, and the next one was in 45 minutes.

I just left and went back to school because I was hungry and just not in the mood to wait that long in light rain with no umbrella to look at another shrine.  Maybe another day, but I'm not going to be crushed if I don't.  Honestly, I've seen more than I thought I would during my exchange, and I just don't want to force myself to see things if I'm not feeling it.  I know some people would chastise me for not "making the most of my time" and seeing every little temple and shrine and palace, but honestly, if you're not feeling it it's just a chore.

So, I went back to the dorm, slept for quite a while, and just watched things online and chatted with friends.  Very relaxing and just what I needed.

Day 105: Nothing much of note

Thursday, June 4

Honestly, really nothing happened.  Woke up, played some games, watched stupid things online.  It was too hot to really want to go outside, so besides going to Korean I basically just stayed in, relaxed, and napped.  I'm definitely one of the exchange students who cares more about relaxing than running on fumes to see another temple or palace that looks the same as the others.  Did some basic studying for finance before bed, but nothing too intense.

Day 104: Lots of school

Wednesday, June 3

UUGH I FELL BEHIND AGAIN, it's so hard to get back into this habit...

Anyway, woke up tired, and turned in my Finance homework at 10 (no class!).  Played some games, ate, and then went to the dance class to do the final with my first dance partner.  We practiced quite a bit before, and we did really well during it!  I'm hoping to get a video of the next time I perform it.  The teacher said we did really well and complimented me for it too :)

Went back to the dorm, showered, and went to game theory.  Same stuff, not fun.  I'm just waiting for that class to be over.  It makes no sense.  But students are asking a lot of questions and he's getting frustrated, so 1) that means I'm not the only person who doesn't understand and 2) it makes me feel validated that he's not teaching well if people don't understand and he gets kinda mad about having to reiterate concepts.  Ate again and went to Korean.  More speeches and some grammar practice.  It's so weird it's winding down!

Back to the dorm, basically just relaxed, gamed, and watched stupid things online.  It was a good day.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Day 103: Dance!

Tuesday, June 2

Slept in as much as I could, played some games, and went to dance!  We did a bit of a new dance, but mostly practiced the cha-cha-cha for our final.  We were assigned random partners - my partner doesn't speak English, which makes it hard because we need to discuss wardrobe and a team name :P  The guy who speaks English in the class actually can't make the final next Tuesday, so he needed a partner to perform it tomorrow.  I volunteered, and since I'm doing the dance twice I don't need to write the one page paper in Korean!  Yay!

Went back, showered, and went to Korean.  We heard more speeches today - some were really bad.  Like, really bad.  Did some more grammar practice and then the class was done.  I stopped to eat a burrito and then went home and worked on Finance homework until 1am, when I finally finished it.  Almost done with that class!

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Day 102: Korean Speech!

Monday, June 1

I'M FINALLY CAUGHT UP!  Sorry to anyone reading about how far behind I got - it just snowballed and I couldn't get myself to catch up for some reason.

Anyway, woke up before my alarm (whoo!) and practiced my speech gave.  Skyped, gave my speech to Joe even though he doesn't know Korean, and then gamed.  After a game or two, worked on my speech more.  There were just a few words I was having trouble memorizing.  Went to game theory, almost fell asleep like usual.  SO CLOSE to being done with that class.  I can't wait.

Worked on my speech more and then went to Korean.  The girl who went before me was really quiet, so I tried to be loud enough for mine.  I felt like I was stuttering and shaking a bit (it's hard to memorize things! if we looked at a notecard we got docked points), but it went well.  I got a few laughs during it, especially when I said I didn't study Korean :P

Besides that, class was good.  Went and got some food after, relaxed, played games, and got a little bit of work done on my finance homework.  Should have done more but I was tired, so I just went to bed.


Monday, June 1, 2015

Day 101: Pizza, Youtube and Memorization

Sunday, May 31

Well, it was another pizza Sunday.  Spent a majority of the morning on skype, playing games, and eating pizza.  Eventually finished up my Korean speech (including texting my teacher to double check on some grammar).  Watched trashy shows on youtube because it was too hot to go outside, worked on memorizing the speech more, and then just switched between those two actions for the rest of the night.

Day 100! Naps and Walks

Saturday, May 30

100 days already!

Woke up early with the intention of doing things.  Packed my bag and went to the PC bang for a bit to game/chat with people, and make it a bit later since a lot of places don't open till 10, so I figured I could play for a while.  Well, after a few fun games, it was around 11 aaaaand it was raining.  Just gloomy and rainy and gross.  I didn't want to walk around in that, especially with my camera, so I went back to my room.

Ended up watching things on youtube, working on my Korean speech a bit, and then finally taking a nap.  I woke up around 430, and it wasn't raining, buuuut most of the things I wanted to see closed at 6 and would take a bit to get to, so I couldn't do that.  I still wanted to make myself get out of the dorm (since I'm not here for that much longer), so I went to Dongdaemun.  Just ate some stall food (one was like a corndog with french fries on it) and of course my crepe (I'm pretty sure he recognizes me now...) and then walked around.

I found a really nice area with the old city wall and some other things, so I just walked around there.  Some really beautiful scenery, which was cool to see in the city.  I ended up walking back to Anam along the stream.  However, at one point, there was a break - another stream joined up.  I honestly had no idea which one I had to take.  I ended up asking an older man in Korean where the school was, and he pointed me in the right direction.

The city wall

The city
Well, walked that way for another 15 or 20 minutes, before I felt like I was getting closer.  I was about to stop to look at signs when I saw the old man in front of me - he got in front because I kept stopping to take pictures.  He waved me over and pointed up the steps, so that was super sweet of him.  I went up, and then kind of looked around the intersection trying to figure out where to go.  I hesitantly started walking one direction, when I heard a shout.  He came up the steps too on the other side of the intersection and had googled the directions!  He pointed at the road I need, so that was super nice.

Ended up back at the dorm, which was great.  Just showered, relaxed, and went to bed.

Also, this is my post from my 100th day in Belgium.  I forgot that that was my first day of Dutch lessons!  I remember how upset I was that it took that long for Rotary to finally let me enroll.  Oh, and this is my post from this day 3 years ago.  It's crazy to think about!  I can't believe how motivated I was with my online class too - I wish I had that much energy towards school now.  But now, as this is actually my fifth year of college, I'm just done.  Just barely over 2 weeks and I'm DONE with undergrad (baring any tragedies with grades).  I'M SO EXCITED TO BE DONE WITH ALL THIS.