Night Excursion In Ilsan Lake Park (일산호수공원)

It's currently the middle of October which means midterms are quickly approaching us college students in Korea. Unlike in my home university, during midterm week, there are no scheduled classes (unless otherwise stated by professors). Most of the cafés in and near the campuses are jam packed with Korean students and a handful of foreigners busily studying for their exams. Being an exchange student, we don't necessarily have as much to study...

What to do during 추석 (Chuseok)

추석 (Chuseok) is Korea's version of Thanksgiving (also known as 한가위) and is the biggest celebrated holiday in Korea. As with American Thanksgiving, people from all over the nation go back to their hometowns or wherever their family decides to celebrate the holidays. It is a time to commemorate your ancestors as well as celebrate good harvest in the autumn season. Traditional customs include eating 송편 (songpyeon) and playing games such as 씨름 (Korean wrestling) and 강강술래 (ganggangsullae [video]). As this is a family centered holiday, a large number...

Surviving a K-Pop Concert

Sorry it's been a while since my last update. I've been busy with school and watching old episodes of 런링맨 (Running Man) on my free time. I've been living in Korea for more than a month now and I've gotten quite used to it. The weather is just starting to get colder and I love it! This past month I actually got to go to two different K-Pop concerts. The first was the 2012 Incheon K-Pop Concert on Sept. 09. The concert featured top 한류 (Hallyu or Korean...

Dorm life and my first week of school in Sogang

I've officially been living in Korea for about two weeks now and I'm already getting quite familiar with my surroundings. Sogang University is located in the Mapo district (마포구) of Seoul. It is conveniently located literally right next to the Seodaemun district (서대문구) which is home to Sinchon (신촌동), a largely populated neighborhood because of it's active nightlife and close proximity to other universities including Yonsei University (연세대학교)...

Overcoming Financial Worries Abroad

No wants to be without money, right? Especially when in a foreign country. No one can be completely worry free when it comes to financial issues but here are some of my experiences and tips (in bold) to be somewhat worry free while abroad. (*Note; I arrived in Korea about two weeks ago (August 17) and have been busy exploring and getting used to my school/campus ever since so I haven't had the chance to update regularly. I'm fairly settled so I should be able to post whenever something of interest pops into my mind.) It's my first time...

The visa process [+ Tips!]

With just a little more than a week left before I head off to Korea, I recently received my visa in the mail. I submitted the application to the Korean Consulate General (KCG) on O'ahu on August 02 and received it today, August 07. Thankfully, it only took two to three days to process and a little less than a week to return to me (over the weekend and with express mail). The flat-rate express mail cost roughly $19 each way plus the D-2 student visa processing fee of $50 (for US Permanent residents [fees taken from the Honolulu KCG])...