7/5/2018
It has been a little over a week since my program at Seoul National University (SNU) has started. The first week has consisted of getting used to the new environment and learning how to use public transportation. Because SNU is much larger than Notre Dame, it is sometimes necessary to ride the buses to get to class (especially during the current monsoon season). The first few times I accidentally got on a bus going in the opposite direction that left the school campus. After asking around, I discovered that there are free shuttle buses that only go around the campus. Thus, my worries of getting on a bus that leaves campus has shrunk significantly. Other than that everything has been smooth sailing so far. My classes (Korean Culture and Korean Language) have both been great so far. In my Korean culture class, we are learning about the differences in the two Koreas (North and South) after 1945. This seems like a great opportunity to learn more about Korean history and analyze how it has shaped modern Korean society and culture. For my Korean language class, I placed into level 6 (the highest level). This class has definitely challeneged me so far by looking at more detail specific grammar points and more ambiguous topics in the Korean language, such as onomatopoeias (Korean has a vast collection of these that sound similar but must be used for a specific situation). Overall, I think that I will enjoy my time here and cannot wait to make new memories!
P. S. Here is a picture of me and my roommate with the SNU cheerleadin team. Their definition of cheerleading is very different from the definition that I am used to.
