Second Semester Part I (03/01~05/09)

I have been so busy with classes and getting ready to go back home that I hadn't really kept up on here for a good 3 months.  The second semester started off the same way the first one did - new students, orientations, run down of all the rules, etc.  However, the only orientation returning students had to go to was the dorm orientation (for those returning to the dorms) and the fire safety orientation (again, for the ones in the dorms ONLY).  The feeling/atmosphere was different though.  Personally it felt a little emptier because a lot of my friends were gone and back to their normal lives and there were a lot of new faces.  I noticed that opposed to last semester, the new students were more to themselves and didn't really mix with the returning students for about a month (which is understandable if you want to learn everything on your through personal experience).  Another major difference is that first semester students have to room with people from their same home country (except in the case when two countries have an odd number of students exchanging, then there is a small exception); but in second semester we are roomed with other exchange students that are also returning but from different countries (and chances of getting a french roommate was about 60% this semester haha).  My roommate is from Cambodia and WAAYY better than my situation last semester.  There are also more CKEPs this semester (I think the OIA said this semester there were supposed to be 4 or 5 and we have already done 3).  The first CKEP was a repeat of one from last semester where we went pear picking.  However, since it was spring we went strawberry picking and the strawberries were so sweet, juicy and all around delicious.  The most mouthwatering strawberries I have ever had.  It was like a mini ocean of strawberry juice flowing through my mouth when I bit into one at the farm.  It was that good!
Spring semester in Korea is the first semester of the school year and on the second day of school we had the welcoming ceremony where clubs gave away free food, snacks and folders with coupons and free lotions and stuff in them.

That is one of the two mascots at the school (the pink dragon) and it was walking around taking random pictures with anyone it could get.  Afterward the dragon told us where we can go to get free stuff, spin a wheel and try to win something.  That was March 2nd.  

A couple weeks later was CKEP 1 (the farm).  A bit of advice first: when the OIA emails you and says an application opens at a certain time you MUST be ready to click on that page at that time because the events fill up in a matter of minutes (the standing record currently is almost 4 minutes after opening).  

Here is what it will look like if you were accepted to go to the CKEP after filling out the application (if the application is full already, you will see another screen).  

March 25th-- Here is a row of fresh, mostly organic and super juicy strawberries ready to pick and eat.  We are given an empty carton and only fill it to what we can put in and let it close without smashing the other strawberries.  Since they don't get filled with preservatives, they rot within 3 days after being picked.  

Here is makgoli being made but this time, the lady was way more detailed about the process thins time and the tofu soup they served was so much better the second time around.  

Since this day was raining, the farmers had a different activity planned for us.  We made literal eggs in a basket.  We made little baskets from straw and put eggs in them.  The eggs were hard boiled and the baskets were made to keep them from breaking and for safe storage.  I kind of messed up my handle (miscalculated how much space I had) and well...there it is.

April 2nd-- the opening of the Lotte tower in Jamsil was a massive event.  It was a huge fireworks show and people from all over Korea went there to see it.  Lotte tower is 123 floors high and stands as the 5th tallest building in the world.  Its tip can be seen all the way across the city from the 1st floor of 310 on campus.  Oh, and fireworks in Korea are on a whole new level.  

I took this picture from lotte world (next to the tower) and this was halfway through the ceremony and yes, the mortars were coming out of the building on ever single floor. 

One of my friends took this picture from the Han river park at Youido.  This was the end of the opening ceremony for the tower.  There was also a huge free concert and a whole festival for the opening and everything.  It was the craziest and prettiest event I experienced in Korea.  By craziest, i mean there were easily 1,000,000 people there (an I am not exaggerating the number).  Leaving the festival literally took all night because the streets were filled with people for miles.  

April 8th and 9th-- The cherry blossom festival was a week later.  The cherry blossom festival in Korea is huge.  I learned that cherry blossoms, though famous in Japan, are originally from Korea and very well loved.  The ceremonies were fun.  There were concerts all over the city at every park and so many activities.  I went to one festival but left early because it was like the Lotte tower opening all over gain (minus all the pretty fireworks).  During the cherry blossom festival, Gyeongbok Palace is open for free to the public and they perform traditional ceremonies from when the palace was occupied by the royal family almost 30 years ago.  

I made cotton candy at one of the cherry blossom festivals in Jamsil.  It was 1,000 won so why not.

Pictures from April 8th's cherry blossom festival at Youido.

April 9th-- at the palace.  Tradition guard switching ceremony.  I didn't catch what this was for but I understood that during this ceremony the guards switched posts and went to different parts of the palace grounds and the emperor oversaw the event.  We were also allowed to wear hanbok for free for up to an hour and walk around the area.

Every CKEP (no matter how far or close to campus the event is) requires us to all take a bus together.  At least it is really close to the dorms.

April 13-- CKEP 2: Baseball match in Jamsil.  This is the CKEP that broke the application record and completely filled up in less than 4 minutes.  It was a fun game.  We got free meals provided by KFC and free wand things.  

One last thing before wrapping up part one: there are a lot of holidays in the spring which means a lot of days off.  Although we don't get a spring break (which would honestly be so much easier) we still get time off during the week.  May 3rd was Buddha day, May 5th was children's day, may 7th (Sunday) was Parent's day and May 9th was election day.  We got all those days off school (basically every other day for a week).  So what did I do? I went to Busan for less than $100 total for transportation and 3 days there.  In part two I'll go over traveling through Korea, post midterms, CKEP 3 and getting ready to go home.