Once at Yeji's apartment, she consoled me and then we set to work calling my resort to explain why I wasn't checking in today and to reserve me a spot on the bus tomorrow. After that, she took me out to lunch at her university's cafeteria. Now, when I say cafeteria most people would think oh, lunch ladies, trays, bland food, boring, shabby decor...this newest culture shock phenomenon hit me with the force of a frying pan lol. it's GORGEOUS inside her university, all glass and modern colors and decor. There's a hair salon (YES A HAIR SALON) inside her university, as well as a cobbler, flower shop, glasses shop, etc. Going back to the cafeterias (yes plural), there are multiple cafeterias on each floor it seems like, depending on what you want to eat! We checked out one cafeteria that specialized in Korean food Yeji said, then checked out a second one on the opposite side of the 1st floor from the Korean one, which seemed to specialize in pastas, pizzas, and gratin. I chose this one, since I hadn't had pasta yet here in Korea.
Everything here is so new and fancy!! You order at the front desk of the cafeteria when you first walk in, and then they post your number on a board when your food is ready. You go pick it up from the various stations SO COOL I AM SHOCK. I was like beside myself when I saw the students eating at sparkiling clean tables out of elegant ceramic bowls among such cute, chic decor (sorry if I keep going on about the decor in various places, I wanted to be an interior designer remember? Bear with me hahah, it's always the very first thing I notice when I walk into new places). Everything here looks like a cute little coffee shop in how it's designed! Another minor culture shock for me was the realization that I can leave my purse, with wallet in it, unattended and it will be fine until I am back. When our numbers were posted, Yeji stood up and indicated I should come too, leaving my purse behind. I gaped at her, and asked if my purse would be okay while we were gone, expecting it to be missing altogether when we returned. She laughed at me haha, silly American. Lo and behold, when we came back, it was still there. Why is America so screwed up that you can't leave a freaking travel mug unattended for 10 seconds without it being stolen, much less an iPhone, wallet, or purse?? Or we can go with the WHY IS KOREA SO AWESOME bit instead. I like that one better anyway...
It is midterm week here Yeji informed me, which is why so many students were running around in the Yonsei University jackets. A HA. I had a minor hit of nostalgia as I remembered all those nights spent slaving away until 4am (or later) in my UCSB hood and UCSB sweats at the library, because I wanted to be comfortable. I even got a Yonsei University hood for myself in the University store! It was so warm and pretty, and I didn't bring any sweatshirts to sleep in, what with the weather getting colder now. I have plenty of cute peacoats and trenchcoats I've bought though :) We went to the library also, so Yeji could go inside and pick up a bag from her friend. Watching the flow of humanity coming in and out of the central library was amazing. I miss college already. Students in other countries may speak different languages but they are still all the same students. It's midterms week right now so the library is packed with harassed looking students with coffee, and all are in sweats and comfy clothing. Yeji and I laughed about how students at UCSB were the same, everyone wearing glasses and no makeup.
We got drinks also for dessert from the convenience store outside one of the cafeterias. The bottles were so cool! They were half clear mini-soda liter bottle, but the top was like a metal can. They were called Mojitos but didn't have any alcohol in them, just juice. They tasted very authentic...a little too authentic if you catch my drift lol. Nonetheless, we took them outside and began a tour of her university. We decided that we would view this day today as an extra surprise day in Seoul in my vacation itinerary! A day in the life of a student at Yonsei University :)
The campus is beyond beautiful. It reminds me of the East Coast Ivy League kind of schools I've seen pictures of. Very historical and picturesque, especially with all the fall leaves coloring the various landscapes. She showed me the main administrative buildings, the sciences, the English and linguistics buildings (where her classes are!), and all around. I had so much fun! It was like being in the shoes of a transfer student here, wandering around amidst the buildings with Korean signs directing you where to go.
Yeji had class that afternoon so I took a nap at her place. I was weirdly exhausted, probably because of how early I woke up that morning and how stressed I had been all morning. She returned at 6pm and we went on a walk in search of dinner. She took me to one of her favorite places, called the Frying Pan. IT WAS THE CHICKEN PLACE IVE BEEN WANTING TO GO TO SINCE MY FIRST TRIP TO ITAEWON. They serve you chicken on a long bed of homemade potato chips with two different dipping sauces. It was DELICIOUS. The chicken was crispy and tasty, and we had it with garlic and ranch dipping sauces (although they called it something else). The chip so good, I was saying they could totally package these and sell them lol. We walked back to her place, where she packed her stuff to go work on some homework at the library. As I've mentioned before, students here are so diligent and hardworking; it's incredible. She was saying it is not uncommon for students to take 6 years in college, unlike the usual American 4 years. This is because of numerous reasons. One is that men are required to do their 2 years of military service before they finish university, so they often have to take a break and come back later. Another is that internships here are generally around 6 months and cannot be done during summer break. Students need work experience to graduate, so they must take a leave of school to do the internship. Intense. Finally, sometimes their studies simply require that long to finish. While Yeji left to go study, I made my bed and did some research on the Japan Airlines baggage restrictions for flying (since I will be flying them when I go to Japan on Nov. 8). I wanted to make sure I could bring all my stuff. Luckily the baggage restrictions are about the same as Korean Airlines, so I am safe!
1 Comment
Cali
10/28/2012 03:53:19 am
wow, the campus is so beautiful. Nice place to study. I guess the blip in your Korean adventure was for you to do a Campus Tour....complete with a personal Tour Guide. Nice going! And everywhere you go, there is delicious food. I'd love some of those chips....
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