I didn’t go to a theme park recently, but the past few weeks have been a bit of a rollercoaster. To put it nicely, I had a bit of an experience at a hair salon here, and as a warning from me to you: don’t get your hair bleached if your shower doesn’t have a filter here. (FYI: the dorms here at KU don’t have filters). Korean water is hard – meaning it has high mineral content- unlike New Zealand water – and that mineral + bleach combination is NOT good for your hair. Anyway – not having my usual support system around me after that experience made me feel incredibly homesick for the first time since coming to Korea.
But being in a foreign country for only a limited period, I took a few days at home to rest mentally and then pushed myself to go out and experience things after that despite not feeling my best.
I met up with a friend from Japan I hadn’t seen in 3 years, taking her around the shopping area of Sungshin University (again) as a “pretend local.” I also travelled down to Sejong for a day trip, where my Korea University buddy studies.
Our grade at the Korean Language Center had a day trip to watch the Nanta Performance in Myeongdong, which was more entertaining than I expected it would be. Despite the performance being wordless – just acting, noises, and music, it was impressive that the audience members from different countries could follow and understand the story without being dull or uneventful.
I saw the DPR Concert that I missed out on when they went to NZ this past Summer. I also had an incredibly random experience talking to a kpop idol on the phone (Juyeon from The Boyz if anyone was curious).
I also took a 2 Day trip to Jeonju with my roommate Wendy! We stayed at a traditional Korean accommodation, wore Hanbok, explored the Hanok village and Gyeonggijeon Palace, and ate bibimbap – the food that Jeonju is known for.
Besides that and studying, I’ve just been sightseeing around Seoul, cafe hopping and attending the occasional NCT exhibition.
Going out to experience new things has helped me recover from my earlier slump, and I feel very appreciative of the people around me, but I do miss my friends and family back home. We have our final exams this week, and then we leave the day after. Wish me luck for this final stretch!