First day of class

Today was my first day of classes at Soonchunhyang. After a great weekend of meeting so many new people and having fun around campus, it's time to start classes. We had a welcome dinner on Friday with Korean, Japanese, and American food. I ate my first octopus, which didn't have too much taste. It was nice to meet the other international students that I didn't get a chance to talk to in orientation.
Last night, I played UNO with some of the girls from the suite upstairs. They are students from other countries in Asia. They are in our program, but they do not have to meet with the Korean students for English exchange. They are so funny and it was great to talk about music and movies with girls from so many countries. We played UNO with Indonesian rules where the loser get powdered with baby powder! My roomate moved in last night. Her name is Mi-So and she speaks English very well. She is also very tall for Korea and was excited to meet a girl who is taller than her. She wants to become a doctor (kudos to her, I'm terrible around needles!) and loves to watch movies. I also met some of her friends from her classes. They were very funny and patient when I continued to forget their names (I am horrible at remembering names and trying to remember so many names from all around the world is so hard).
Today, I first had a weekly meeting with the other international students. Carrie and I were unsure about what time we were supposed to meet so we were an hour early. We opened our bank account while we were waiting and had breakfast. After our meeting it was time to hit the books! My first class was Korean speaking. We went through part of the alphabet and pronunciation of the vowels. So far so good! My teacher is very sweet and patient with my class.
After class I went to lunch in the cafeteria with Dyra, an international student from Indonesia. She is sooo funny and loves to listen to Jordin Sparks, Usher, and others. After lunch I went to Korean history. The teacher went over the syllabus and let us leave very early.
I came back to my dorm and fell asleep for two hours! I woke up, confused about how I could sleep for so long when I was going to just read a book. I went to dinner with Xian-Chen, a Chinese student who is so adorable. I met her two days ago. The first thing she said to me is "Hello I'm Xian-Chen and you are the first American I have met, we will be friends!" She introduced me to her boyfriend in Beijing via skype and asks me a lot of questions about America. She is very sweet and has taught me more about China.
Tomorrow, I have Korean speaking and writing. I also have Korean drumming, which I am very excited about. I am having a great time learning so much about Korea and meeting so many diverse people. This weekend I am hoping to go to a traditional Korean village not to far from Asan.

First day at Soonchunhyang

Yesterday, I made it to school. The Byeons took me to the airport to meet a student from school who came to pick me up and two other students. The two students names are Annina from Finland and Csila from Hungary. They are both graduate students. We took two buses and after almost five hours, we made it to campus. The school is beautiful.
Last night after unpacking, I walked around campus and saw the mountains in the mist. At about 9 pm, one of the Korean students that will be staying in my suite came to unpack her stuff. She knew very little English but we tried to understand each other as much as we could. She showed me some her pictures from her trip to China last month and played a song by Trey Songs over and over. She told me it is her favorite song and now I see why!
This morning, I woke up and met the other American student that will be in my suite. Her name in Carrie. She is from Minnesota and arrived last night at midnight. We walked around the stores in the dorms. Today we had orientation. I got to meet the international students which was fantastic! There are people from over twenty different countries. I met students from Cambodia, Indonesia, Australia, Columbia to name a few. I also got to walk around Asan while some of the students took the Korean placement exam to place in higher Korean language classes. There are a lot of restaurants in Korea and it is very cheap to eat out. We went to a Korean restaurant for lunch and I had this huge bowl of Beef Gimbap which only cost 3500 won (about $3).
Tomorrow I will sign up for classes which I am very excited about. The Korean students move in Saturday and Sunday. We are supposed to start classes on Monday. I am having a great time meeting lots of different people from all over the world. I am excited to finally meet the Korean students that I will be living with for a semester.
(Oh, my dorm has satilite TV and I get FoxNews and CNN! I am so happy that I can watch American news to keep up with whats going on at home).

A rainy day in Seoul

So, today it rained, a lot. I woke up to the sound of rain and I am getting ready for bed listening to rain. However, the rain did not stop me and the Byeons from touring Seoul. Hye Sun introduced me to the Seoul public transportation as we traveled by bus to downtown Seoul.
Seoul is not a concentrated city but a wide area that is filled with offices, apartments, and parks. It is the greenest city I have ever seen. every few miles there is a park and there are small gardens next to skyscrapers. Seoul is divided into a north and south side by the Han river. The largest island in the river is home to South Korea's government. It is also home to one of the largest churches in Korea. We went to this island and went to the top of one of the tallest buildings in Seoul and home to the highest art museum in the world. After looking at both Korean artwork and the skyline of Seoul, we met Hye Sun's parents. Hye Sun had to go to a meeting for the internship she just completed in Shanghai. While she was there I went with her parents to tour more of Seoul. Her father knew some English, so we were able to talk about the city as we toured.
We went to a display about the Korean War and the countries that helped South Korea. It was very interesting to see firsthand what South Korea has to say about the war. The entire display was created to thank the other nations for helping South Korea in the war. I did not know that South Korea was created as a Democracy in 1947which angered the North to eventually invade. I also learned that three days after declaring war, North Korea captured Seoul and within five months, all but Busan. It was then that Truman declared a state of emergancy and the UN sent troops to help. One of the other things that struck me was a statement at the end of the exibit that read: "Many people around the world have become amicable towards North Korea, however its attitude remains the same towards the South. They want to reunite the country under the flag of communism. We must never forget this."
After the display, we went on a boat tour of Seoul on the Han. It was great to see the enormity of this city in such a fun way. We then went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. I told the Byeons to pick their favorite foods for me to try. There was a seafood noodle soup and two beef dishes. I enjoyed all of them and my chopstick skills are improving.
We went to meet Hye Sun. She and I with two of her friends from her internship went to a coffeehouse. I have met a genius. Her friend Lee Hyun has an IQ of over 150. She is a double major in business and music, an interesting combination. She is super smart and very funny. I also met someone who is my height. Her other friend Seunghyan is 6'1" He was very funny and helped me learn how to count to ten in Chinese (I still have trouble with Korean). We talked about their job offer with the company and Korean culture. When we left the cafe it poured. Hye Sun and I ran to the bus and made it back home. I am having a great time and I have met many interesting people. I am looking forward to tommorow. Hopefully we can visit more sites.

Hello from Korea

Annyeonghaseyo from Seoul! I arrived this morning at 4 am. The flight was good. I fell asleep for about nine of the thirteen hours of the flight. I know now why Asiana is ranked as one of the best airlines. We were given blankets, pillows, and slippers for the flight. Each seat had its own screen and remote to choose one of six movies to watch. I was in the front of the plane with all the families with children. I'm not sure how I was placed there. What was interesting was the airline had baby beds for the tots to sleep in during the flight. The Byeon's were already waiting for me when I arrived. We drove to their home and we took a nap. For lunch we had kimchi with a soup that is sometimes called Johnson soup. It is made of kimchi, various meat, and vegetables. It was made when US troops were stationed in Korea. In the afternoon Hye Sun and Kyung Hye's aunt and uncle came for a visit with their two children. Everyone played Rummi which is the family game. For dinner, we walked to a restaurant and ate pork with kimchi. Hye Sun said that all tourists come to restaurants to eat this pork meal. Tommorow, Hye Sun and I will be touring Seoul. It's supposed to rain, but we will be prepared. We are hoping to visit some of the palaces in Seoul.

My First Post

Hey all! I finally got this blog started two days before I leave for Korea! I have been packing like crazy. I am allowed two 50 lb bags and 22 lbs for a carry on. It may seem like a lot but it is really hard to pack being tall and leaving for a year. I have 10 lbs left to pack. I'm very excited about this awesome opportunity to live somewhere new and learn about another culture. I will be staying with the Byeons in Seoul for four days before I leave for the school. Kyung Hye and Hye Sun were two of our exchange students. They are sisters and I will finally get to meet their family. I will get to tour with Hye Sun while Kyung Hye prepares for her exam.