Warning      The following article is highly subjective and only reflects the author’s personal experience and opinion. Read at your own risk.
8:05 a.m  I woke up because some old man is singing ‘Ave Maria’ in the forest behind the International House, as he does every morning.
8:33 a.m.  My Korean roommate is leaving the apartment to go for a run. Are all Koreans that disciplined? I am lazy, especially in the morning.
8:47 a.m.  I am fighting the mosquitos that already spent the whole night in the same room with me. Korean mosquitos are a lot more aggressive by the way. You cannot simply catch them. They just start to attack you in order to defend their life. The result is a bunch of mosquito bites on my face.
9:45 a.m.  I have breakfast to go. On the way to the class I see a lot of very fashionable Korean girls in high heels. Why are you all so stylish? You make me feel underdressed!
10:00 a.m.  Class starts. The shutters are all closed in the classroom; Koreans really do not like the sun, right? Sometimes I feel like a vampire here, but now I have to pay attention! We just learned “kaka juseyo.” I am definitely going to use that the next time I buy something.
1:00 p.m.   Class is over. Finally!! We are going to the cafeteria. I have had the chicken wrap every day this week, so I think it is time to take a risk and try another dish.
1:16 p.m.  I am sitting in ANNEKAN. I already regret that I did not take the safe choice. The meal is so spicy that I have to cry. Korean food is way too spicy for me 99% of the time I tried it. But I will not give up on it!
2:28 p.m.  We are off this afternoon, so we are going to Myeongdong. After we found out which subway we have to take, we enter the train, which is packed as always. I just notice the red seats for the elderly. I am afraid of old Korean ladies. They just fight their way through the crowd and they do not care if they step on your foot or hurt you in another way. They are like street fighters! So why do they get their own seats? They are definitely strong enough to compete with other people for the normal seats… Reminder to myself: Never start a fight with an old lady in Korea!
3:14 p.m.  I just bought a snack and now I am looking for a trash can. But trash cans in Korea are very rare, how do you keep your city clean??
4:52 p.m.  We just found a shoe store that also sells our size! I want to buy shoes and I remember “kaka juseyo!” Unfortunately, the shop owner is unwilling to give me some discount right away. We talk about Gangnam Style. Somehow we end up dancing together. This will make an exceptional memory and now I get my discount!
5:17 p.m.  We got lost! And all the Koreans we ask for help just run away from us because they are too shy to talk with us in English… Can somebody maybe explain to me why?
6:03 p.m.  We take a taxi back to university. The driver is talking to us in Korean and he does not care that nobody understands what he is saying. The only thing I can say is “Myeongdong nomo tschuaio,” he likes it!
8:55 p.m.  I am getting ready for clubbing. Dressing up with the new things I bought in Myeongdong and using new Korean make-up, which is really awesome!
10:37 p.m.  Soju and maekju already start to show their effects. We decided to talk to the Korean boys next to our table; maybe they are not shy anymore after some soju?
11:45 p.m.  The club is so crowded, you could not fall. Maybe a good thing right now!
2:11 a.m.  Vodka sets are a great invention! If I only could pour it into my glass without spilling half of it onto the fruit… But hey, who is up for vodka fruits?!
2:53 a.m.  Good that I just practiced my Gangnam Style in the shoe store! So now I can dance it like PSY himself (or at least the vodka makes me think so…).
3:42 a.m.  Right now I am fluent in Korean!
 4:26 a.m.  Sitting in the taxi and looking at the Han River and all the colorful lights. I love this city.
5:00 a.m.  We can enter the dormitory, curfew is over.
5:14 a.m.  I am falling asleep immediately and happy.
8:05 a.m.  Did I just hear someone singing ‘Ave Maria’?

 Isabel Brendenahl Exchange Student
isabel.b@online.de
 

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