This week started similar to the previous few weeks since my class schedule changed. I didn’t need to be at school until just before 2-o-clock, so I was able to sleep in a little later. I am always grateful for an extra hour or so in the mornings, getting ready slowly helps me start the day of right.

I woke up around 10-o-clock and laid in bed for another thirty minutes before actually beginning my day. I try to start each morning by drinking a full bottle of water, I’m not always successful, but at least I make an attempt. With how hot and humid it is in Korea right now I sweat much more than I ever have while living in Utah or Oregon, which makes it very easy to become dehydrated.

After drinking as much water as I can, I begin my morning routine by brushing my teeth and washing my face. Surprisingly, I haven’t purchased any new skincare products, yet, while living in Seoul so my routine isn’t all that different from before I moved, I’d say the biggest thing that has changed is that I am much more consistent now than I ever was back home. I won’t lie, I have been avoiding Olive Young stores like the plague because I know I will spend too much money. Once I have the budget I will definitely be going on a shopping spree to pick up all the products I have been recommended.

After finishing up in the bathroom I complete the rest of my skincare, focusing heavily on sunscreen since my skin gets sunburnt very easily and the UV is quite high most days. I’m trying my hardest to minimize my chances of developing skin cancer while I can.

I chose to put a bit more effort into my appearance today, meaning I paid more attention to detail while putting on my makeup and even curled my hair and swapped my jewelry. My outfits are almost always very simple, it’s much less of a hassle to wear more basic clothing and focus on accessories to spice up an outfit when I feel like it. I wore baggy blue jeans and a light weight, dark grey, long-sleeved shirt with a pair of white Nike high-tops.

You might think I’m crazy for wearing full pants and sleeves when I complain about how hot it is and how much I sweat but the air conditioning at my school is on full blast almost every day, also it can get very cold in the subway when it’s not so crowded.

Elise, my roommate, and I don’t normally talk very much on the way to and from school, I typically choose to listen to music or a Korean podcast (in an attempt to improve my listening comprehension). We have been pretty consistent at leaving the house with plenty of time, it is very rare that we actually have to rush to arrive at school on time. Most days we are about ten minutes early.

The walk to the subway station form our apartment only takes about ten minutes. We both opted to listen to music today and after entering the subway station played Mahjong on our phones while we waiting for the train to arrive. I don’t have very good service in the subway, and the WIFI is very slow, Mahjong has become my go to game when I don’t have an internet connection. I am currently at level 726, Elise passed me a while ago so I’m sure she is more than 100 levels ahead of me.

From my experience so far, the subway on weekday afternoons isn’t too busy, today there were a few more people than usual so, there weren’t any seats open until we had passed a few stops. After about three stops we were able to sit down and relax the rest of the ride to school. When the subway is packed it can feel very stuffy, but when there aren’t so many people it is the perfect place to daydream for a while. Something about the atmosphere inside each car makes it very easy for me to let my thoughts run wild.

After exiting the subway there is only about a ten minute walk to our school building.

My first class of the day is vocabulary. We learned and practiced using words and phrases to describe our daily routines. simple things like, waking up, changing clothes, heading to work, etc. sometimes the vocabulary we learn I don’t end up using very often but when we focus more on phrases we can use every day I am able to memorize them much better. During dinner each evening, Elise and I try our best to practice using any new words or phrases we have learned during class.

Our classes at EF Seoul are all 90 minutes long. on days when my schedule starts in the afternoon I have three classes with a ten minute break in between each lecture. I did end up freezing cold during each of my classes and had to open the window near me by the end because, man, let me tell you, the air conditioning was working overtime today.

Once my vocabulary class finished, I have my two main classes where we learn a particular unit/topic each week and study grammar, reading, speaking and writing. In these classes we do a bit more partner work which can be fun when both you and your partner have been paying attention and have an actual motivation to learn and try your best.

I forgot that the previous week we finished the last unit in our books, which meant I ended up having to carry four books home instead of only two. This time the books are green instead of yellow so they’re much cuter at least that is my opinion. Each day during class, even though we use the assignments and lessons in our books, we receive many handout papers, I always end up with way to many papers in my backpack by the end of the week.

Classes ended just after 6 and I met Elise outside the building to start our journey home. When classes end in the evening I always mentally prepare myself, during my walk to the station, for how packed the subway. We get out of school around the same time all of the office workers are heading home for the day. Today, Elise and I ended up in different subway cars. We don’t ever talk in the subway, actually, almost nobody does. It’s just part of the culture here. Even though we never talk during the commute, it is much less awkward for us to bump into each other or step on one another’s feet instead of a strangers.

Recently, I have been attempting to reorganize my playlists and sort through all of my liked songs on Spotify. I have so much saved music it seems like a never ending task. Let’s just say it’s a work in progress.

After I arrived at my station, I walked up the steep hill to my host parents house and then waited on a bench outside for Elise so we could walk in together. She showed up not much later and we headed inside for dinner today we ate rice with eggs…I would say it’s a version of fried rice, but I’m not sure if it has an actual name or not. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite dish, but I finished eating it all, I must have been pretty hungry. Sometimes the food our host mom prepares is not quite my style and I can only eat so much before giving up. However, since moving to Korea, I have tried many new foods and my palette has grown a lot. We also had kiwi, pear and some cucumber. And, of course, every Korean meal has kimchi as a side dish.

Elise and I finished our meals and then stayed a while longer to visit with our host parents and enjoy the air conditioning. They also have the funniest little dog, named Carron, who knows many tricks. We also technically have air conditioning in our apartment, but it’s not turned on because it costs extra money. Right now, we’ve been surviving just fan with our fans, occasionally it gets a bit too hot but a quick cold shower works great to cool down.

We eventually made our way up the bajillion flights of stairs to our apartment. Once inside I always change into looser clothes to help cool down and get rid of all the germs from public transportation and school. I had already finished my homework in between classes, so I got ready for bed early and laid down for a while to read before going to sleep. Before bed, I also ate some strawberry ice cream… there is a store very close to our apartment where you can buy popsicles or tubs of ice cream much cheaper than at the convenience store or grocery marts and I have spent way to much money there… I really need to start holding off on the ice cream and save my money for something that’ll last a while longer. It’s a guilty pleasure I learned from my dad.

-<3

My host mom is quite consistent when it comes to meal times, so on Saturdays and Sundays when she prepares lunch for us students she almost always texts just before or just after noon that food is ready. Today was no different. I slept like a baby and woke up just before 12-o-clock to see a text telling me to head over to the main house for the meal.

After arriving at my host parents apartment I quickly realized that both Elise and I had mixed up our days and we had forgotten that we made plans to go to a cafe with our host mom right after lunch. Since I didn’t get ready at all before going to lunch, I quickly finished eating my pancakes and fruit and rushed back to my apartment to change clothes and throw on a little makeup before meeting them at the car.

Today was the first time Elise and I had ever driven anywhere with our host mom. We traveled about forty minutes, just a little outside of Seoul, to Pointvill Coffee Roasters, a cafe surrounded by mountains and greenery. My host mom has visited this cafe many times with her friends and family, it is one of her favorite places to relax and chat. She treated us to drinks, both her and I ordered iced cafe lattes and Elise chose to drink lemonade. she also bought a bag of sourdough bread crisps that we could snack on while we visited with eachother.

After waiting only a few minutes we received our drinks and headed outside to chose a seat. We found a small table under the shade overlooking the gardens and facing the Bukhansan mountains. My drink was delicious and refreshing, and even though I didn’t personally try Elise’s lemonade she finished it quickly so I’m sure it tasted delicious. I hadn’t had any sourdough since moving to Korea, so the crisps we ate cured a craving I didn’t even know I had. The sourdough alone was the perfect snack, next time I’d like to try them dipped in balsamic vinegar and oil, I’m sure it would taste even better.

The weather all day was overcast and cloudy, I brought an umbrella in case it rained but ended up not needing it. The temperature was quite high but there was a gentle breeze blowing which made for a comfortable atmosphere. The cicadas and birds chirping created wonderful background noise. The location really felt like it had been stolen out of a novel or movie.

Elise and I practice speaking Korean with our host parents almost every day during dinner, but getting the chance to visit and practice outside of the house was very nice. Our host mom understands some English, but we spoke almost entirely in Korean the whole time we were at the cafe, and during the car ride there and back. Even though I have been practicing hard during class and outside of school it always surprises me how much I have learned and can now understand. It makes me feel more confident in my choice to come to Korea when I can see just how much I’ve improved since moving here.

After finishing our drinks we walked around the property and enjoyed the scenery from various places. At about 3-o-clock we decided it was time to start heading home. Even though there was a bit of traffic on the way home, I stayed off my phone and instead chose to people watch out the back window. I almost always take the bus or subway nowadays so sitting in the backseat of a car was a bit nostalgic for me. We drove past many neighborhoods and shops that I would like to visit while living here. We passed by Hanok village, which has been on my bucket-list for a little while now, and even though I could only see it from the street it looked even prettier than I’d seen in pictures.

After returning home I completed a couple random tasks and then chose to relax until it was time for dinner. Dinner is almost always at 6-o-clock. I received a text at about five after the hour and headed down immediately. For some reason I was really hungry. We ate bibimbap and kimchi pancakes, there were a couple of side dishes too. (I always forget to take pictures of my meals…I need to set a reminder) At meal times we get to visit with the students who stay at the main house. Elise and I don’t normally see them during the day or at school since our schedules are so different.

Since moving to Korea, and going to school at EF Seoul, I have met and made friends with people from all around the world. Most of the students in my classes happen to be from Europe, but I’ve met a couple from the Americas and other places in Asia too.

Once I finished eating and catching up with the other students I headed back to my apartment. I didn’t have any plans to go back out but Elise convinced me to go with her to meet up with some of our other friends in Hongdae. I don’t like clubbing very much but it can be fun depending on the crowd and occasion. Unfortunately, because it was Saturday, there were so many people. The club was very crowded and super loud. Elise went home earlier than I did because she was tired. I chose to stay a little longer since we weren’t going to be hanging out inside the club anymore. We instead decided to head to ‘The Underground’ which is a more relaxed basement bar with really great decorations and very comfortable seating. I ordered a platter of chicken tenders and fries and shared them with my friends.

We visited and talked for an hour or so and then I decided to head home. The bus home from the club is normally not very full, depending on how early in the morning it is, and I was grateful to sit down and put my headphones in. There are many reasons I don’t like clubbing, but the biggest reason is the smell. Even if you are only inside for a couple of minutes you leave smelling like cigarettes, sweat, and alcohol. I always need to wash my hair at least 3 time after getting home to get rid of the lingering smell. After walking up too many flights of stairs I finally arrived home. My bed was desperately calling my name so I quickly showered and went straight to sleep.

Elise and I had no plans on Sunday, so we both took the day to rest, clean, and do our laundry. The weekend is over now, and I’m about to head to my first class of the week. The subway shouldn’t be too busy at this time of day, so hopefully the ride to school will be peaceful and I’ll get a moment longer to mentally prepare for the busy week ahead.

Wish me luck!