Reflection on Yonsei International Summer Exchange program 2015

"Everything you do will come to an end." I still cannot believe my trip to Korea had ended more than four months ago. Now that I graduated with a bachelor degree and have started a new chapter of my life, I'd like to write this last post to give you my thoughts/ tips on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. 

Application phase: 

• Record all application deadlines on a small notebook and keep track of them every week (seems easy but trust me, it was one of the challenges I faced)
• Start early! The earlier the better. Seek for advice from your study abroad advisors
• Seek for fundings/ scholarships/ grants at National Scholarship office at your school (This step will change your life and make your trip way affordable.)
• Apply for Benjamin A. Gilman International scholarship if you meet its requirements! I cannot address this enough (I wrote a post about this scholarship on my blog. Click here to check it out)
• When filling out Yonsei's application form, be very specific and correct with your personal information and address to avoid unnecessary hassles later on. 
• Check your email frequently, including your spam folder for important messages from Yonsei!

Post-Yonsei acceptance phase:

• Make payment for housing as soon as you receive Yonsei permission (you will have more privileges to stay at your favorite dorm if you complete this step early. Check out my previous post for more details)
• Register for Yonsei classes at your assigned time (don't be late because you will regret and end up looking for your second or even third option because seats in summer classes specifically for exchange students are limited and filled up quick the moment Yonsei opens its registration portal) 
• Purchase your ticket on studentuniverse.com. This offers reasonable ticket price for student. (I am not sponsored to advertise it. This suggestion came from my personal experience and my friends) 

Preparation phase:

• Pack light (one big luggage is enough in my opinion)! I saw students suffered from carrying their luggages from the bus stop to the dorm (I felt really bad for them so I had to list this out for you to consider)
• Bring light and solid color clothes (You can pair them together easily and those are more suitable for the summer)
• Bring a pair of comfortable shoes (You will walk a lot up hills and down hills)

"In Korea" phase:

• Always carry an umbrella (Korea sometimes rains suddenly so it's best to be prepared)! Purchase one at any stores on the street except for convenient stores (everything is twice the prices at convenient stores so you want to save money)
• Remember you're here firstly to take classes not to party (LOL). Don't recklessly forget the main purpose of this trip. You can always hang out after finishing your homework :)
• Be confident in everything you do, speak up and ask people if you have questions (in both English and Korean)
• Save seats for the elders when you're on subway or buses
• Know your limit when you go clubbing. Don't drink too much!
• Take pictures! A lot of pictures so you can keep those memories forever :)
• Talk with everyone in the program. Everyone is here with the same purposes (don't be shy!). They want to be your friends too.
• Carry a water bottle with you everywhere you go (Drinks at cafe can be expensive if you drink it often)

"Post-Korea" phase:

• Update your advisor that you are back home safely (This might be a requirement for some school)
• Do your project for any scholarships/grants that you get.

What I learned:

• Different types of movies and how every little details in filming techniques can make a different in a movie/drama from Korean cinema course. These knowledge are so essential to my marketing/advertising related career moving on. 
• Be adaptable/open in different circumstances/ environment. When I get lost or do not understand a language, etc. I would no longer feel scared of confronting those difficulties (I used to before).
• Better time management between school and other activities
• Be more collaborative with people that I work with.  

For those who are planning to apply or will surely be participating in Yonsei Exchange program next summer, I'd really hope you can make the best our of your trip. Good luck with everything that you do and will be doing! Thank you so much for following my blog!

Certification of completion

Bye Bye Yonseiii! I will miss you <heart>

A day at Cheonggyecheon stream and Gyeongbokgung palace

Cheonggyecheon Stream and Gyeongbokgung Palace are close by one another. If you plan to go to one, make some time to visit the other since this can save you a ton of time. I got to Cheonggyecheon Stream first using line 1 City Hall station, exit 4. After getting out of the exit, I walked for about 5 minutes to the right until I saw the "Spring" tower, a gigantic sculpture that is considered to be the landmark of Cheonggyecheon. Trust me! You cannot miss this spot because this is where everyone gathers and takes pictures. 

What I have been mentioning, the "Spring" tower! 

Snapped a picture with the landmark before heading to the stream

You might have wondered where exactly Cheonggyecheon stream is. Look no further! It is located right at the back of the tower. The beginning of the stream, as I saw, is a very beautiful fountain that is lighted up at night. If you go here at night, you will see a lot of couples sitting and chilling along the stream. Cheonggyecheon stream is an 11km long that runs through downtown of Seoul. You can hang out here for a while or take a walk with your friends. I figured out that every part of the stream is significantly similar so I only stayed at the front part of the stream and took pictures instead.

I and the Candlelight fountain! I looked like a man here but whatever... I'll do anything for you guys ;))

See that couple far out? There was a lot of couples at night when I visited

I went back to Cheonggyecheon again at night on another day just to see how pretty the light is from the fountain... Really pretty indeed. The light seriously brightened up the entire atmosphere around it. 

Cute couples everywhere...

The next stop of this adventure was Gyeongbokgung palace. On the way from Cheonggyecheon stream to the palace, you would definitely run into Gwanghawmun Square. This place is where King Sejong Statue was erected. He was the inventor of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet in case you didn't know. 

King Sejong

King Sejong and I :)

After you passed the statue and walked a little bit further down,  you will see a unique and traditional gate. That is where you should head to for Gyeongbokgung palace. When I visited Gyeongbokgung, there was free admission going on till the end of July so it didn't cost me anything. I'm not sure if this will happen again though but wish you guys luck ;). This palace was seriously the most traditional place that I visited this summer. Everywhere I visited reminded me so much of K-dramas that I watched. Because it was one of the hot days again, I took a break and was not able to walk the whole palace at once. 

Please excuse my expression LOL 

The entrance

These guards were changing their shifts. It happened a few times a day in front of the entrance. During this time, guests are not allowed to enter the palace.

They conduct the ceremony like it is real. 

Yayyy... free admission the whole July

King's seat! Visitors do not have permission to come close or touch the chair

I gotta share this photo with you because it is my most favorite one of all that I took. This is exactly what I expected to see in Korea. Skyscrapers and traditional building all in one. So perfect! 

Didn't miss the chance to be in this amazing scene 

Took a break to avoid passing out because of the heat LOL

Regained some energy after dehydrating my body with cool orange juice

Pretended to be in a candid shot :))

Poor guy standing under the sun all day long. At least he gave my photo a slight smile! 

Visit this while you can! You will definitely enjoy it :)

Bukchon Hanok village

I wished I'd have picked another day for my adventure to Bukchon Hanok village (Hanok village in short). Could you guess what happened? It was one of the days with the highest temperature in the summer and the worse thing was Hanok village has so many hills. If you want to explore this village in details while enjoying the scenery, you should check on the weather forecast and plan in advance. Because I did not research ahead of time, I just picked up my backpack and went out whenever I was free so that was a mistake. If you want to take good pictures without being exhausted from walking under the sun or looking all sweaty, you should start heading to station to go to Hanok village around 3:30pm or 4:00pm. Don't go there to late because you would not be able to took nice quality pictures. Hanok village is a real residential area. Because there are always so many tourists coming in and out, a lot of houses has signs in front of their houses that respectably ask tourists to keep their voices down. The good thing is there is no admission fee to Hanok. You can pretty much stay there for as long as you want. Luckily, I   wore sneakers that day so I didn't experience any blisters on my feet like most people do. Even though I didn't prepare enough water for my short trip, it was still wonderful because I got to share my mistakes to you guys. In brief:

• Wear comfortable shoes since you will be walking a lot
• Wear comfortable and light clothes since it's gonna be super humid and hot 
• Bring water if you don't want to spend money on drinks at coffee shops
• Bring a hat if you own one (big enough to give you some shade). Otherwise you should purchase one on your way to Hanok. I didn't have a hat so I purchased one for 10,000 won (you will see my hat in the following photos). 
• Get a Hanok map at the tourist center. When you get out of the according station, you surely will pass this center. Drop by for a bit and ask for a map. If you miss this center, keep going because some tourist instructors have their booths near by that will hand you the map for free. Google the location before you go so you won't lose too much time looking for a way to Hanok.

The map I got from a tourist center near by

I tried to be a little bit artsy here but meh~~ 

Unique and traditional Korean houses. This reminded me of some old K-dramas I watched in the past.

From my perspective, this area is like a main entrance of Hanok. It's the prettiest part of Hanok that attracts the most visitors. This definitely reflects everything that you'd want to see from Hanok. 

A picture from above! A local neighborhood (not a part of Hanok).. so peaceful

Yayyy... Namsan Tower! It isn't close to Hanok in real life but it's visible for human eyes.  I zoomed my camera to the max. to get this photo. 

This is incredibly amazing... The old blends with the new!

Spotted some K-stores in Hanok. I wouldn't suggest you buying K-entertainment related stuffs here though since they looked relatively old.

Looked like I came here all by myself but it was not right. I told my friends to be away from me so I could take this picture. Seriously! Mirror everywhere

Here comes the most colorful model LOL

I looked like a Christmas tree hahahahaha

Ran out of pose ideas

See that old roof top? It is part of a palace. Forgot what it is called :(

My skin got tanned after that day.

Waittt... I'm not ready!

Traditional door? 

Time to say goodbye to this beautiful place! I'll surely see you again, Bukchon Hanok village :)

Trickeye museum - Hongdae

I knew about Trickeye museum through blogs of previous Yonsei students. The more I looked at the photos that these students were apart of, the more I was curious and confused at the reality of the optical illusion arts and sculptures inside the museum. One day when I and a few other friends were at Hongdae area for some beauty shopping and street performances, we came across the Trickeye museum banner featured at a building in a small alley. If I didn't get lost into this alley, I probably would not remember that Trickeye museum was where I desired to explore since I missed it on my to-do-list. If I remembered everything correctly, Trickeye museum is located in the basement of the building, which is also where the ice museum is located. Because I went there on a weekday, I felt like this place was not as crowded as it should be. There was only a few couples and some other foreigners during our visit so we were so comfortable making funny poses and taking our time to take pictures without waiting in line. The museum opens from 9am - 9pm. Its last admission is 8pm so after finishing classes, you can have dinner and go there right away to have fun. The admission fee is 15000 won per each person (varies in different seasons). I think it's kinda expensive for indoor adventure. However since I took multiple pictures and stayed there for more than an hour, I think it was really worth my money. If you are looking for something fun to do but not suffering from the heat, I would highly recommend Trickeye museum.

Trickeye museum ticket

Hahaha.... The only difference is the bottom :))

Don't kill me please...

Can I have all the money please?

Please save me just this one time!

Everyone does this... don't be shy 

This doesn't seem appropriate but who cares right?

Never happened twice so just simply enjoyed

Dance dance dance.....

I ain't need to go to Europe... I could do everything in Korea :))

Time is out.

New hobby.... moving forward! 

Oh My Shark.... don't come close to me... (;))

My dream....

Do I look like an angel? Of course not... An angel server maybe ;)

Transformed to a Panda in Korea :))

Will I be able to get out of here?

Let me help you sir!

Sexy lady on the beach LOL

Like a pro

Forever alone :(

* The ticket generally comes with the ICE museum admission. If you plan on come on both, wear something warm enough so you won't have to look for the exit right away like me :( I didn't get to