Junior's Adventures

So, it’s roughly been a month since I’ve been teaching at my hagwon. I can’t believe that a month passed already! I wanted to post an update about how things have been. I’ve had my fair share of struggles, so stay tuned hahaha.

First of all, the curriculum we have to teach is really not that hard to adjust to. Since our school provides us with the materials, prep time is not too bad. It’s mostly printing out the students’ weekly homework reports (depends on the class), worksheets, and downloading audio files. Each class, I have to cover a unit in the textbook. It’s quite straightforward.

The problem mostly lies in the fact that a great deal of the material can be so bland... Which contributes to a lot of the lack of interest during class LOL. And it doesn’t help that the classes are only 40-50 minutes along, so there isn’t really a lot of time to fit in additional material that I might be able to do to boost interest in class. It’s a difficult situation, but it’s mostly something that I have to just accept, unless I have the time to try and fit in my own ideas for class.

Which leads me to some other issues I found during my first month of teaching. Although I really do like teaching some classes in particular, there are others that are more difficult because there are either a. sleepy students (some kids have fallen asleep in class, and they said it’s because they’re really tired) b. really quiet students, or c. really loud, disruptive, and wild students. Mind you, this is my first time teaching an actual class, so even though these kinds of students are pretty typical in any given classroom, it’s shocking when you actually experience having to teach them LOL. 

For the sleepy students, I really feel for them, they come here after their actual school, and then sometimes have to leave really late (9-10pm for middle schoolers!) and then they have to go home to do homework due the next day. I know the education system in Korea is no joke. It just feels really discouraging when there are those few that doze off in class. I know not to take it personally, but I still kind of do since I have to wake them up and encourage them to push through the material LOL. Thankfully, I only experienced this with two students. One of them stopped dozing off in class but has now turned into a really loud, disruptive, and wild student... The other is just constantly sleepy, but he’s really smart and can do the work in class easily. He just nods off quickly. I’m thinking of ways to make the class more active, but there’s only so much we can do since we have to get through the book material. Thankfully, this problem isn’t too huge.

As for the quieter students. I have this one class in particular where I ask questions and I am met with awkward silence *cues Stray Kids’ ‘Awkward Silence’* and they don’t really participate much. 

Me trying to be enthusiastic in class but the kids hit me with the ol’ silent treatment... *awkward smiles*

The first time I experienced this, I was so drained after. This really begs the question, which is worse, a class full of rowdy, crazy students, or a class where getting them to participate is like pulling teeth? Truth be told though, I don’t know much about this class, so maybe I should think more about what I can do. I’m sure they’re mostly, if not all introverts too, so that’s also a factor to keep in mind. It’s not a bad thing, just a different perspective!

And the crazy, loud ones... sigh. Although they do put a smile on my face, sometimes it’s just too much and it’s really mentally exhausting dealing with them. It doesn’t help that the kids don’t really see the foreign teacher as having a lot of authority in class, and that discipline is also not really a thing for us to carry out. I’ve found going to the Korean teachers for the appropriate advice and measures helps a lot. They got my back, which is such a relief. I’ve learned to be a bit firmer now since I started off really compassionate about their behavior, and I felt “too nice” too, until my coworker told me for certain wild ones, being firm and strict is necessary. Sound advice, and will continue to do so, but I’m still gonna be sweet when I can LOL.

However, I do like getting to know my students better, and sharing jokes and fun conversations in class! For example, a few students like Pokemon so I drew some on the white board for fun, and they were so hyped lol. One of them brought their switch to class to show me their Let’s go Pikachu team and I was like “OMG DON’T BRING IT TO SCHOOL THAT’S DANGEROUS, SOMEONE MIGHT TAKE IT” Lol. Oh wait, Koreans don’t steal. Never mind. HAHA. Also, some of my students are realizing that I like kpop too. One of them was really shook because I knew BTS’ “You Never Walk Alone” album title when they made a pun about it in class LOL. She was like, “Are you an ARMY?” with a shocked face HAHA. I’ll be able to chat with them about it as we progress through the semester, so that’s a fun way to bond with them~

How my students look and act some classes.

But overall, my job is not super stressful or horrible. I do have my share of stressors, but it’s still a job nonetheless! I am still getting into the routine of each teaching day, printing worksheets, posting homework, writing detention lists, submitting my daily reports, and extra assignments that come up. I had a hard time yesterday because I totally forgot about extra essays I had to give in class. It didn’t help that I was feeling under the weather and pretty bad about it, but that was a blow to me and I felt so overwhelmed. It’s taught me another lesson in stress management. I’m still not the best at letting things go and pass so that I can stop stressing about it, but I was thankful for my coworkers telling me that it will be okay, and I can just adjust the schedule next week to get the essays done in class! I know it will be fine, everything works out eventually!

Furthermore, especially for the real young ones, I don’t feel like just a teacher. I feel like a babysitter caretaker. I teach one class of first and second graders, and a lot of them just started attending this semester. They can get rambunctious, but they’re literal kids so it’s understandable! It does tire me out sometimes though, when I have to constantly tell them to finish their book work. I’m learning that I have to be there emotionally for them as well, when no one else can. 

Yesterday, one particular student who is easily the rowdiest kid in my class was feeling down. They started off class per usual, going up to me, hanging on me, and treating my tummy like their own personal pillow. He literally calls me his cushion... I think it’s kinda adorable in a way, and he is LOL. Anyway, not even halfway through class, he stopped doing his work and put his head down. The other kids were hooting and getting all bouncy because of it, and at first I didn’t think too much of it. One kid said he was faking. I continued class, but as time went by, he didn’t bounce back like how he usually does. I went up to him and asked him, in a calm and kind voice, “What’s wrong?” in English. He refused to look at me. 

Oh yeah, so my school has an “Only English” policy for foreign teacher classes. Which, in theory, makes a lot of sense. A ton of kids, ESPECIALLY these youngins, keep trying to make me speak Korean, or “find out” if I can, which I have to play coy about. But in situations like this, where emotional support is also something a teacher could provide, and asking him, “Why?” and, “What?” in English wasn’t helping, I asked him in Korean, “What happened?” He eventually murmured, “Something sad happened to me.” I asked him if we wanted to talk about it, but he said no. I also asked him if any of his classmates made him sad, or if I upset him (since I did tell him sternly to behave prior), but he said no again. Thankfully, it was already the end of class, and I told him to cheer up and enjoy the weekend. He nodded cutely, and seemed visibly better, and dare I say appreciative that I checked up personally on him.

It broke my heart to see him so gloomy about something I didn’t know about, but I genuinely hope the weekend gives him a lot of rest and fun with his family. Knowing him, he will bounce back and be as playful and rowdy as usual again. But it taught me another lesson.

WHAT A WEEKEND. I can’t believe I actually got... autographed cups from Stray Kids ㅠㅠ And to think that I stumbled upon the news of the event pretty much randomly. 

So, I’m sure STAYS know about Stray Kids’ official Twitter, Instagram, and even Facebook handles, but to get the in-depth and most current information, schedule, and events of the group, you should join their “JYP Fan’s” cafe as well! Heck, I didn’t even know about it until like a week ago, honestly. I mostly saw their updates on their IG, but the JYP Fan’s website is where it’s at. It’s basically like their fancafe. You can go to the website and join easily here. I also didn’t keep track of their Twitter up until recently when I got to check it out, but their Twitter updates also link to the JYP website for events and all that good stuff! Keep reading for the full experience!

HELLO~ 

Sooo I’m actually back in Korea after about 2 years! I graduated and got my Bachelor’s, worked some jobs shortly after that for some time, and decided hey, I want to kickstart my teaching career abroad. I really loved my time in Korea as an exchange student, and now I can pursue my passion in teaching while living in Korea again! This time, I have bigger motivations and goals: save money, pay off loans, do some more traveling, and just simply live life and enjoy the happiness that I can gain from these experiences! I wanted to do more blogs before this one, including like how it was getting my teaching job (the process) and my first week in Korea. Then again, it’s only my second week back here so I’ll have a lot to say! I also want to record some vlogs so keep an eye out for that maybe? 

So, today was full of revelations after quite a bit of uncertainty and just floating around. I started receiving training from my current job at a hagwon last week Wednesday. I’ve done some mock teaching, where I got to prepare various lessons of different units and focused skills (Speaking, Writing, Reading) suited to different skill levels. I also got to observe a great number of different classes, which was nice because I got to see how the classes are like, and also got to meet a lot of the kids at the school! So excited to have my own classes because then I’ll have my own kids HAHAHA. I was just worried up until today because I wasn’t told which classes and age groups I would be teaching due to the delayed release of the syllabus and timetable for the new semester, which begins next week! Talk about nerve-wracking! 

But today, we were given the schedule for next semester!

I will be teaching:

1 Phonics Class- the youngest kids at our school! They are pretty much 1st or 2nd graders I believe. I met a few classes and they are so adorable omgggg. I really really wanted to teach at least one Phonics class, and since I found this out, I’m super stoked to teach them! We pretty much read cute stories (aka Sleeping Beauty and so on) and sing songs, while also learning, well, phonics. I hope they like me because I will love them so much. I was observing one class, and this one boy literally kept turning his head from me to the teacher throughout the entire class HAHA. I thought it was so cute but I pointed to the teacher, telling him to listen to the lesson lol. Way too cute. If I get him in my class.... Oh boy. 

4 Other Elementary Classes (Writing, Speaking, Reading, Story Book)- In addition to the lil’ Phonics kids, I get to teach four elementary classes, all in different focus areas and skill levels! All the elementary classes are super cute though, and the different focus areas will definitely give me a breadth of teaching experience. 

8 Middle School Classes (Listening, Speaking, lots of it, oh and TOEFL)- The bulk of my classes are the middle school ones. I didn’t expect eight of them, though! I did mention I preferred teaching older ones but seeing how adorable and less cranky/moody the elementary kids are compared to the middle schoolers, I’m not sure anymore LOL. Nah, it’ll be all good! These classes are basically different levels focusing on Listening and Speaking. I’m also teaching two TOEFL-specific classes. The TOEFL is basically the giant entrance exam for Korean high schoolers before they go to college (think SAT and ACT). It’s actually a pretty brutal and uber-stressful exam for them, and it becomes their main concern in high school. Yikes! I’ll try my best to be informative, helpful, and not totally boring. Hopefully, they won’t dislike me (I’ve seen classes, these kids have had a long day, they’re usually over it or they don’t want to really speak or chitchat with us). I know I can give good feedback on their writing and how to improve it, so fingers crossed that it’ll be good for them! I know a lot of the middle school girls love Kpop (I’ve heard BTS and Wanna One being mentioned quite a lot) here, so maybe I’ll get them to be more engaged by asking them their bias and fave songs and whatnot hahaha. 

Finding out my schedule was such a load off my shoulders. Granted, I still have a lot more because tomorrow is the last day of the week before the Spring Semester hits us next week (Korea has a national holiday on Friday) and I have to prepare all my first day lessons at least, at the most, the first week (omg that just sounds like way too much for a beginner like me). I also have to paste the syllabi into each of my textbook, along with the class rosters! My head teacher mentioned I might have to make a self-introduction, too. Well, we’ll see what happens tomorrow. I’m going to try and get as much done as I can since the teacher I’m replacing will be there tomorrow. They don’t need to teach any classes, so I can basically ask them for all the help I need because I will definitely need that lmao. Bless for coworkers that are really welcoming, helpful, and funny though! 

Also, I’m moving into my very own apartment studio this Friday! I’ve been staying in the comfy Park Habio hotel in Songpa, near Jangji Station. I’ve been loving that I got to stay in this hotel since landing in Korea at no cost to me. Basically, I get to stay for free in a nice hotel for two weeks! And those two weeks are coming to an end lol. And the hotel has a free breakfast buffet every morning! Yasss. I’m really pumped to have my own place, though. I had to share the hotel room with a roommate, but he’s been cool, so that was great! However, my own place... It’ll be my very own home! I’ll be staying rent-free there too! I will definitely do an apartment tour vlog, so stay tuned~! I’ve seen the place once, and it’s bigger than I imagined! It’s definitely a nice place, and 10 minutes away from my school via subway! So many exciting things. Oh, I got to see a really good friend last weekend for dinner in Gangnam, and I’m going to see some more friends this weekend, guess where, in Gangnam again LOL. But it’s okay, Gangnam is lit lmao. Time to sleep, because I have a health check tomorrow, which got delayed because I was supposed to do it during my first week. I really don’t know how the first appointment got messed up but whatever, it’s water under the bridge now~! I’ve been fasting since 10pm and I can’t eat anything until after the appointment, which is at 11am... I am definitely eating gooood after that. 

Hi again! 

I’m here with my fanaccount for KNK’s fansign during their “해달별" promotions.

This was a notably important fansign for me because I’m pretty sure this is my last fansign event before I leave Korea on the 22nd...

I’m so sad. ㅠㅠ

Anyway, it was a really awesome event and I’m glad I got to see my favorite group up close and personal again.

I did a video about their fansign before during “U” era too.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

KNK’s fansigns are getting more competitive nowadays, with fans buying more than 10 albums to have a chance to get in. I originally bought 9 albums, but after seeing a fan next to me at the CD store buy 10, I bought 3 more, totaling up to 12 albums overall. And I got in!

On the day of the fansign, I found the building where it was held and headed to the B2 floor. Some fans were waiting to get in, but the staircase and entrance was rather narrow. I showed my Alien Registration Card to verify my identification (though a passport works just as well) and the staff told me to pick a card that was on the table. The assorted cards were all face-down, and this was to determine my seat number. I got number 63. 

I took my seat, but the rows of chairs were all close together and narrow too, not allowing much room. This was a noticeable inconvenience when fans had to squeeze past each other in the rows. I spent a huge amount of time before coming to prepare a fanletter for my bias Seungjun, so I had to write down all the post-its for the members that I would put in my album.

Soon the members appeared and the fansign went underway. They looked so handsome as always, but they look especially good with the suits in this era aghhhh. 

Sorry that my picture’s quality isn’t too good, but this is how the fansign was conducted. The order was: Jihun→Inseong→Seungjun→Youjin→Heejun

MEMBER INTERACTIONS (with pictures and gifs!)

I’ll fast-forward to the interactions I had with each member. I’m sorry that I forgot some things that happened, but in the thick of the moment, it’s hard to process and take in everything that happened (for me). Luckily, I met someone at the fansign that was kind enough to take a video of me when I went through this great experience. I was really nervous again, because they’re my favorite group and this was my last time, so I was even more anxious. 

JIHUN

So leader Jihun was first this time around~ Actually he was rather quiet today as well; when I met him at a fansign last year, he was rather soft-spoken too. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing. I pointed to the questions I had brought for him on the post-its and told him I was a part of an international KNK fan group on Facebook, and I gathered some questions other Tinkerbells wanted to know about KNK. He was listening and then all of a sudden, said, “Ah. International,” in English. THAT WAS FREAKING CUTE AHH. He was really handsome up-close, though. He looked mature and cool when he was in thinking mode, but then he lapsed into squishy mode when he smiled and it was just adorable.

He really thought deeply about the questions I wrote. I guess he had to think a lot about how to answer them. But another factor was that time was really limited and the staff members were quite strict so they moved our albums to the next member by force, cutting our time short. 

Blue post-it note: Q: Which member is really the closest to Jihun-hyung...? A: I’m close with all but umm... Heejun?! Jihun had some trouble answering this question but dang, I didn’t expect him to think so seriously about it. ㅠㅠ I’m sorry if I had to make you pick a favorite! I know you all love each other LOL. 

Yellow post-it note: Q: Where do you draw the inspiration when you make the choreography (for KNK)? A: There’s just times when suddenly... Ttak!  I forgot what other little things we said after he answered those, but I had to move on. I gave him high-fives as a farewell and moved over to... Inseong!

INSEONG

Next was my second bias, Inseong. I greeted him by saying, “Inseonggie hyung~” hahaha because he’s just a fun, cool guy. He grinned and asked, “Hyung?” I SWEAR THIS WAS SO REMINISCENT WHEN I FIRST MET HIM in person when he asked me, “Am I hyung?” LOL. But he is just killing the visual game nowadays. He looked especially handsome today. He asked me where I’m from and I told him America, more specifically Hawaii. 

Bottom post-it note: Q: Is there a place you really want to visit (vacation-wise)? A: Hawaii That’s probably why he cleverly wrote his answer as “Hawaii” for my question, but I’m not complaining! Inseong is really easy to talk to.  I told him that his hairstyle for this concept suits him very well and that he looks really handsome. He was really happy to hear a compliment and ahhh he was just an excited hamster. I assured him that he was already handsome but now, even more. I basically complimented him a lot because he deserves more love and attention!! Top post-it note: Q: The most difficult point of this promotion...? A: Live...!? He explained that singing live was one of the toughest parts of promotions. I asked why, and he said it’s because he has to sing rather high. I understand him because him singing the chorus in “해달별" while dancing pretty vigorously looked really tiring... But he pulled it off! I told him he was really good and that he’s doing well. I feel like he was insecure a little about his performance as a vocalist and how well he does and I wanted to reassure him. It was time to move on so I told him bye~ Inseong really does have a warm heart and he’s such a nice person please give him lots of affection and reassurance

SEUNGJUN *BIAS ALERT*

*sigh* I really can’t express how great and caring Seungjun is. I can tell he truly loves and adores his fans, and it shows from the way he treats them. He said my name like, “Junior?” in a cute tone and I said cutely too, “Seungjunnie-hyung~” AHAHAHAHA. He immediately looked at my questions and more antics ensued.

Blue post-it note: Q: POKEMON or DIGIMON, you can only choose one A: *marks Pokemon* but went the extra mile to show his UNCONDITIONAL PREFERENCE FOR DIGIMON LIKE WHAT THE NOOOOOOO Yellow post-it note: Q: Is there a member you want to live with for the rest of your life? A: Inseong Jihun At first, he took a look at the blue note and I reiterated, “You can only choose one!” Without hesitation, he answered, “Digimon!” I was like WHAT THE HECK, NO YOU CAN’T CHOOSE DIGIMON OVER POKEMON OMGG. He was so firm, he was like, “Digimon~” in a cute tone and I told him, “Why??” He seemed a bit sympathetic and marked Pokemon, but said, “Digimon~” again and decorated a box around the word Digimon. DANG IT SEUNGJUN. I was like OTL because I came dressed in a Squirtle hoodie because I thought he loved Pokemon more but that happened. I mockingly complained, “I came dressed like this too...” Seungjun chuckled and then proceeded to gently grab my arm and draw a little heart on the Squirtle patch design on my hoodie!!!

SJ: *in a Korean accent* Hearteu~ I internally died at this cute action like I AM NEVER WASHING THIS HOODIE AGAIN LOL I also made sure to give him the letter I worked on. He then looked at my second post-it, which he thought about for a moment. At first, Seungjun wrote Inseong, so I asked him why. He said because Inseong is funny. BUT THEN LAST MINUTE Seungjun scratches out Inseong’s name and writes Jihun AND HE DIDN’T EVEN GIVE A REASON WHY LOL. So that made think like HMMMMM this ship really sails itself huh... Now I had to tell him that this was pretty much my last chance to see them... Me: Actually, on the 22nd, I’m leaving Korea, so this is my last chance to see you guys. I’m really glad I got to see you guys often while I was here. SJ: *in a cute pleading voice* Don’t go~ (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH) Me: I don’t wanna leave either!

And then this happened.

OMG I was so flustered when he asked when I’ll be back with that cheeky smile that I accidentally lapsed into English hahahaha. He probably didn’t understand what I said, but I had to move on ㅠㅠ!! Wait for me Seungjun, I’ll be back!! I really want to cry now... Hahahaha. And it ended cutely because I kept shaking his hand, and then...

Thank goodness. He is the best and he’s always so sweet!!

YOUJIN

Okay I’m going to start off my account of Youjin because right when I got to him, he asked me, “Are you a fan of Seungjun?” BWAHAHAHA he called me out!! I told him that I liked all the members but yeah, Seungjun was my fave... If he noticed that, then wow... 

And then it was like another round of deja vu because I told him I was from Hawaii and that he should come, and he replied, “I want to go too!” LIKE THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR AT THE FIRST FANSIGN LOL.

He looked over my questions and I told him they were from other international fans. He got super excited over the Overwatch question and his inner fanboy came out. 

Yellow post-it note: Q: Which heroes (do you use) when you play Overwatch? A: Roadhog, Reinhardt, and... the last part was a bit illegible but I think he wrote the name of a Korean Overwatch player named 후아유. [If anyone wants to help me out with deciphering that, it’d be much appreciated~] He was so happy when talking about his mains for OW, but I had to tell him that I actually didn’t know the game at all loooool. I wish I could’ve nerded out with him but idk ㅋㅋㅋ He even asked me, “Isn’t Overwatch quite popular in America?” lmaooo which is true but yeah, I’m clueless.

Blue post-it note: Q: What are you most afraid of?? A: Bugs! 1인칭 horror game.

So Youjin seems to be the least fearful in the group so I also wanted to know what scares him. He wrote “bugs” and I couldn’t believe like this guy didn’t flinch for the ghost prank or a VR zombie slashing him but he’s afraid of insects??

I’m not judging tho but dang.AND OKAY I SEARCHED UP THE HORROR GAME HE TALKED ABOUT AND THAT SHIZ IS NO JOKE.

OH HELLLLLL NOOOOO YOU CAN COUNT ME OUT OF THIS GAME CUZ SHIZ I WOULD PISS MYSELF DURING THIS VR EXPERIENCE

But Youjin is a cool chill guy who loves gaming so hit him up yo

HEEJUN

Heejun, Heejun, Heejun. You never know how he’ll be like. I heard from a friend that he’s different every time which is kinda true. The first time I met him, he was comical but on the quiet side, and we were kinda awkward... BUT THIS TIME WAS JUST OMG LOL. He spoke some English to me even though I was talking to him in Korean which was cute. He said things like, “Where are you from?” and “Really?” Soooo silly. I complimented him on his English pronunciation and I DIDN’T NOTICE THIS UNTIL MY FRIEND SHOWED ME THE FOOTAGE SHE TOOK AND-

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. Heejun’s also quite chill but he’s so funny agh.

Hi everyone~ I’m here to share my amazing experience at IMFACT’s Fansign + Fanmeeting Event! If you were looking for reasons to stan IMFACT, I’m here to help you. Simply put, IMFACT treats their fans very well, and especially care for their international fans, as they want to have many opportunities to perform in all the countries around the world. 

I love this concept; it’s so bright, vivid, and screams energetic!

TIME TO START THE FANACCOUNT! Information about this event: - IMFACT has not had an actual fansign event in Korea for a really long time, probably since “Feel So Good” era. They had a CD signing event in Japan not too long ago, but they said it was not the same as a real fansign event. So this was a special event prepared for fans, and doubled as a fanmeeting (involves live performances). - The event participation was carried out first-come first-serve to 120 people. - To apply for this event, the process was different from the traditional fansign process. Instead of buying an album on-site or online, two requirements had to be fulfilled: * We had to send Star Empire Ent. an email with the appropriate information (name, account number, Daum fancafe ID, etc.) before the deadline * We had to send the money (20,000 won) through an account transfer at the appropriate time slot. In this case, when it hit 8pm on the day the payment period started, we could proceed with the account transfer. Because of this, having a Korean bank account was extremely helpful and made the process much easier.  - The staff provided the CD on-site, which made sense because we had to do an account transfer instead of the usual process. The CD had no wrapper and might be a special edition for this event. Nothing seems different about this album than a normal one, except the fact that it seemed like it was opened (plus there was no photocard, idk if the actual album has one or not). I transferred my money right when it struck 8 and played the waiting game. After worrying about getting in, I finally found out that I had gotten in... Thank goodness. I was waiting for a chance to meet them since “In the Club” came out. ON THE DAY OF... Okay. So the event would start at around 2pm according to the post on the fancafe. I woke up at 10ish and left right before noon. The event was held at a Catholic Youth Center (of all places) in Hongdae. I knew Hongdae somewhat but not the exact whereabouts of this site, so I wanted to leave earlier just in case I wandered too much. It turns out, the location was very easy to find, so I grabbed a bite at the convenience store and then went to the Youth Center. I had to say, at first when everyone was lining up, things were a bit confusing. We were told to go down to the lobby floor (accessible by staircase) to check-in. Apparently, the staff were calling us in by numerical order, but on the fancafe post with the official list of participants, there weren’t any numbers by our names. Instead, we had to manually count down the list of people to find our number, and we would tell that to the staff. That must have been a bit annoying for the people who were farther down the list, especially in the 100′s. Luckily, I was only number 40. The order of our names was actually our seat order. That means I was in seat 40. The staff called us in by groups of 5-10. I confirmed my identity with only an ID needed to prove it. Once I was verified, the staff gave me a piece of paper with my seat number and a bottle of sparkling water (how thoughtful!) Then it was waiting time again.

Don’t lose any piece of paper, especially one with your seat number, given to you by staff at the event. They also gave us a complementary sticky note where we write our name. We would stick this on the inside of our albums, opposite of the photo pages for the members’ reference when they sign your album.  I brought extra sticky notes to mark where each member would sign. You should always bring spare notes because you can use this chance to ask the members a question or write a lovely note for them. Note: Some groups do not allow questions, so always follow the rules and read the information carefully on fancafe updates. After a bit more waiting, we could go in! I should probably get started on the actual event and the members. OK! We were waiting when all of a sudden, THE LIGHTS JUST DIMMED AND TURNED OFF. LIKE WHAT THE. The room was silent until “Please Be My First Love” CAME ON AND IMFACT WALKED ONSTAGE, SINGING IT LIVE! My heart died for a little instant, as my brain struggled to comprehend and process what was happening. Everyone seemed to be shook because there was not a single noise from the audience when IMFACT began singing. That was such a nice surprise and ahhhh I just love that song so much. Listen and love it lots.

After that impromptu performance, the boys sat at the table for the start of the fansigning. They greeted us and said a few words, thanking us for coming to this long-awaited event. Jian tried to add some things, but he kinda hesitated and seemed so cutely awkward like awww it’s okay, you’re so precious!!  ONE RANDOM CUTE NOTE: The members commented about how many people came to this event, specially international fans (there was a handful of English-speaking fans there, and a lot of Japanese fans ((yay!))) BUT SANG ACTUALLY ANNOUNCED, “There’s a male fan here too!” AND THAT WAS ME Y’ALL. I WAS THE ONLY MALE FAN THERE AND AHHH I FELT SO SPECIAL. I waved like crazy when Sang said that, and some fans laughed. Taeho and Jian seemed pleasantly amused at this. Soon, the fansigning portion officially began. Let’s move on to individual member interactions I had~ (warning: FEELS AHEAD!!) The order was like this: Jeup→Ungjae(bias!!)→Sang→Taeho→Jian HANDSOME MAIN VOCAL, PARK JEUP ★ Jeup was so friendly and talkative!! Even though my Korean isn’t perfect, we talked the whole time. What really makes me appreciate a group is when they take into consideration your level of Korean if you’re an international fan. Some groups (not going to name names) make the situation awkward for international fans because of the language barrier. I’m not bashing these groups just for that reason, but it still is disappointing when you want to be open and flexible to your diverse fanbase, wherever they may be from. What I mean is, I had an experience with an idol group or two where members did not talk to me much, in English nor Korean, even when I was trying my hardest to speak in Korean. Thankfully, Jeup complimented my Korean skills. Anyway, he asked when I became a fan of them. I told him ever since “Feel So Good” era, and that I especially liked that track. I asked him, what was his favorite song, and he first replied, “Tension Up”, but also added, “In the Club” and “Please Be My First Love”. I agreed, saying that the trio of songs were all great. I commented that I especially think of PBMFL as 강추 (strong recommendation). Jeup burst out in laughter and complimented me again, saying that I even knew slang like “강추".  He also asked where I came from, which is like a customary question we international fans get from idols. I told him America, specifically Hawaii, and pointed at the post-it note for him.

Translation- Q:This isn’t a question, but please come to Hawaii! A: All right. We’ll definitely go. (YAAAAAAAAAAAS PLEASE COME AND VACATION IN HAWAII!!) Jeup looked at the note and actually said he really wants to visit Hawaii. I advertised the islands to him, saying that the weather is nice, the sceneries are great, and he added, “the beaches are good too”. So, he expressed that he wants to take all of the members there to have fun. Please do, we’ll welcome you warmly~ Finally, I told him his hairstyle was really nice today. It was spiked up and it really suited him! He thanked me, and I asked what he personally thought of it. J: I like it. Styling the hair upward is very masculine. Me: Right, I agree. Do you prefer having your hair styled up or bangs down? J: *thinks for a bit* I think both is good, but now, having your hair styled up is rather cool now. So I personally like it this way. Me: Yeah! Especially since nowadays it’s quite hot, right? J: Right! Then I told him I’d continue supporting IMFACT in the future. Such a cool guy~ Gonna hold you to your words, Jeup. See you guys in Hawaii. A hui ho! BOYFRIEND MATERIAL/GENIUS LYRICIST/SHY CUTIE BIAS, NA UNGJAE!! ❤ Okay, I’m already dying of feels again and I haven’t even told you guys my interaction. So I can’t believe I was actually meeting Ungjae. I spazzed about him so much recently before and I had so many feels, but it’s always so different when you meet idols in real life. I told him I’m from Hawaii, like I always do.  U: Hawaii? Wow. Me: Am I the first fan from Hawaii? U: *kind of confused* Sorry? Me: Am I the first fan from Hawaii that you’ve met? U: Ah, yes *laughs* Me: *proud* U: And you’ve come all the way to Korea. Me: Yeah, I’m actually an exchange student. U: Wow, really? *impressed* You’re really good at Korean. Me: Ah, thank you. I still got a long way to go. But I’ve been in Korea for around 9 months.  And, since this was a golden opportunity, thanks to my friend’s suggestion, I decided to just wing it and see what would happen if I wrote my bias a cute joking question.

Translation: Ungjae-yah, I like you the best ㅎㅎ Wanna go shopping together later? (I’m older so I’m using banmal/informal language) Bottom right corner of signature: Thank you!! I WAS SO SHY WHEN HE KEPT LOOKING AT THE NOTE, I WAS LIKE OMG OKAY MAYBE I SHOULDN’T HAVE WRITTEN IT, WHAT IF HE REPLIES NEGATIVELY?! But that was just my panic mode. Most idols with a good heart would play along! But since this was the first time I met my bias face to face, I was slightly worried what he would think. This is how the convo basically went: U:  Ah, shopping? *curious* Me: Yeah *laughs uncomfortably, shy shy shy af* U: *genuinely interested* What kinds of clothes do you want? Me: I like casual clothes U: *smiles* Ah, casual? Ah, I like hip-hop style so... Hongdae has a few places, not a lot. But for casual clothes... *recommends some stuff but I forgot what he said exactly, sorry bb* We talked a bit more about stores and things. It felt more like he was giving me recommendations HAHA but since he wrote, “Cool~!” on my note, then I’ll take that as a yes ❤ Anyway, I got pretty bold at this point and thought, well, might as well just go all out. Me: Actually, you’re my favorite member. You’re really handsome. U: *shyly smiles* *bows head slowly in appreciation* AHHHHHH HE WAS SO ADORABLE WHEN HE WAS SHY, SUCH A QTPIE I SWEAR. SUCH CHARISMA ONSTAGE BUT IN PERSON HE’S JUST A CINNAMON ROLL AHHHH STAN UNGJAE STAN IMFACT EVERYONE. Lastly, I asked him about his work as IMFACT’s lyricist. Me: So, you’re in charge of composing lyrics? U: Of course. Me: When you write lyrics, where do you usually draw your inspiration? U: *thinks* hmm... Well, I just draw inspiration from real life. When I’m thinking about something or when I watch a show or drama, I just get thoughts and write them. It was time to move on, so I gave him one last firm handshake and moved on. Thanks to his sunny smile, I was able to feel accomplished after talking to him. I officially didn’t mess up royally in front of my bias! THE SUNSHINE OF IMFACT, LEE SANG ☀ LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS GUY. HE WAS SO NICE!! He already pointed me out in the beginning but seriously, this guy is awesome. Right when I moved to him, he extended his hand out and gave me a big, friendly handshake. He greeted me, “What’s up?!!” in English. S: Ah, Hawaii~ my sister went to America. (I love that random transition of topics) Me: Really? Where in America? S: *says in English* America. For study. Me: *internally: I know Sang, I’m asking where* Where, in America? *says it again* S: *I think he didn’t specify, or he forgot, but he said she just studied abroad, and came back. I just accepted that answer lol* Me: You should come visit Hawaii!! And then he proceeds to tell me that he really wants to go. He looks at my post-it.

Translation- Q: Do you have a favorite Nine Muses song? (NM and IMFACT are same company) I told him that I really like Namyu and that they’re my favorite group, and since the two groups are the same company, I wanted to ask him what his fave song from them was. He wrote Drama, and ofc I love that song too. Darn, I forgot some other little things I might have talked to him about. But here’s another thing~ (I was just speaking my mind at this point) Me: Since there’s a lot I don’t know, who is the visual in IMFACT? S: Actually, we leave it up to the fans, who see members as visuals in their own viewpoints. Like, if a fan watches us, they’ll think “Ah, I like this one! He’s a visual!” These kinds of thoughts. So it’s an individual’s preference. *how precious is this* Me: Really? Well, honestly, I think you’re the visual. S: Ah, really? *short shy moment, gives me another handshake for the compliment* Me: Yeah, you’re really, really handsome. I can’t stress this enough, THIS GUY IS SO GREAT!! I forget what else we talked about, but at the end, I got flustered lol just.... ahhhhhhh > < NEXT, MAIN DANCER BUT TRYNA SNATCH DAT MAIN VOCAL POSITION, KIM TAEHO ♦ Taeho is really cool and just polite and nice~ I just loved his reaction when I said I was from Hawaii. He was like, “Wa, Hawaii?” like aw. And I had to tell him about how cool it was that he got more lines this comeback. Seriously, seems like all the vocals in this group can be main.  Me: Also, I really like how you got a lot of parts this time around. T: Ah, really? *smiles* You like my vocals? Me: Yeah! Compared to the older songs, you got a lot of parts. Isn’t it nice?  T: Yep~ *high-five* Thank you~ Me: Hm, how are the parts distributed, anyway? T: Actually, we each get together and divide the parts based on who fits the lines the most. We come to an agreement and split the parts that way. Like we say, “Oh, I think you would fit this part well”, and so on. Me: Wow, that’s nice~ What do you honestly think of the title track, “Tension Up”? T: I do like it. It’s really exciting. I also like In the Club and especially Please Be My First Love. That kind of style. *sly self-promo as always* Me; I agree!  T: We have more songs in store, so please anticipate them. Me: Ah, could you give me a little hint about the next track? *COMEBACK SPOILER EXCLUSIVELY FROM TAEHO* T: Compared to “Tension Up”, the next one is a bit... slower tempo. It’s hip-hop, but more... relaxing? Chill? Me: Ah, really? Sounds exciting. I’ll continue supporting IMFACT in the future~

I don’t remember much else that we talked about, but that was still a lot~ Such a sweet guy. Really cares for his fans, like all of them.  THE AWKWARD BUT SWAG RAPPER LEADER, LEE JIAN ♠ Last but definitely not least, I met Jian~ Awkward little greetings ftw. Me: Hi~ Jian-ssi~ Oh, where’d your note go? JA: Hi, it’s right here~ *looks at said note* Me: Oh *flustered af, drops head in embarrassment*

Translation-  Q: Is an IMFACT X Nine Muses collab possible?? A: We’ve done one! On the picture: Nine Muses Noonas are coming back soon, so please give them lots of support, and if a chance for a collab presents itself, we’ll do it for sure! In response to my surprise at his answer, we had a convo. JA: We collaborated before. Me: Oh right, "Dream”, right? (referring to Sang x Keumjo’s duet) JA: Actually, during the Star Empire Family Concert in Japan. Me: Oh, really? JA: Yeah. It was me and Keumjo-noona, we did a collab. Me: Ah, which song? I didn’t know. JA: Taeyang-sunbaenim’s “Eyes, Nose, Lips”. Me: Oh, I’ve never seen it. Do you think it would be on YouTube? JA: I think it’ll come up if you search it there. I told him about Nine Muses being my favorite girl group, and he mentioned that they helped IMFACT a lot, and he really appreciates them. AND HERE’S WHEN I LITERALLY SAID WHAT HAS BEEN BOTHERING ME FOR SOME TIME LOL HEAR ME OUT, OKAY? Me: Okay, this isn’t an insult, but I have something to say... JA: Okay, what is it? Me: When I look at you, Jian, I think of Euaerin. You remind me of her a lot. Like your tone... And I remember when you impersonated her. JA: Ah, really?~ *smiling* Actually, I really look up to her. She’s helped me a lot. *I forgot what he said specifically, but he was really chill and nice about this LOL I hope it didn’t offend him cuz they could be counterparts! Killer rappers and amazing dancers.*

Like look at this goddess

OKAY, so first I want to apologize for disappearing throughout the whole semester after not updating since the very beginning. That was horrible of me. I got caught up in school, work, and also the fact that I was quite lazy and unmotivated. But since it’s officially winter break and I’ll have a lot of free time, I might as well try to start again! I’ve had a lot of adventures and episodes that I tried to share through Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube (my dance covers) but I didn’t write blog posts like these. Well, let’s begin.

 So the adventure began on Christmas Day in Seoul. I spent the day with my good friends and ate a celebratory dinner with some other exchange students for our friend who was leaving for their home country, their semester at CAU being over. It was nice and the parting was quite sad; though, me being me, it didn’t set in when I was saying goodbye to them. It was an emotional time but I felt distanced and unaware mentally. I don’t know why I’m always like that. But it was still sad to say goodbye to a friend. After we saw them off at Gimpo Aiport, my friend and I took the subway train all the way to Incheon Airport- the place I had stepped off the plane in Korea for the first time when I arrived. But this time I would be going to Japan for a short 4 day vacation! Whoooo! It was time to enjoy my vacationing experience in a different country.

We reached Incheon Airport between midnight and 1 am. We passed by some very elegant Christmas decorations near a stage, and it really caught my eye. I didn’t take much photos here because I took so many Christmas decoration pictures elsewhere in Myeongdong (you can see those in an upcoming video).

So, our plan was to find a place to get comfortable at the airport and wait/sleep until 5:30 am to check in and get our tickets. After we ate at the Lotteria in the airport (which was delicious), we wandered around and finally settled on the 3rd floor, where our airline Jin Air had their counter. The seating and benches here were also said to be some of the most comfortable. That took us some time as well, but we finally found seats. My friend slept for roughly 2 hours, but I had things to do on my laptop. I ended up staying awake the whole time. We both went to the check in line at around 5:30 am as we planned, but as we saw, the lines were already long and there were a lot of people bustling in the queues. I was so sleep-deprived and groggy that when the Jin Air employee spoke briefly to me in Korean AND in English, I could barely understand or form a response. I was less competent than usual. He spoke kind of like a whisper and a mumble, but still. We eventually got our shared luggage sent for checkup and we got our tickets. Now we had to wait for the flight time, 7:30 am.

We sat on a nearby bench as the airport was in full swing now. People were forming massive lines and moved about on their business. I needed to get some shuteye, so I grabbed my handy eye mask to keep the light away and napped while sitting, chin resting on my trusty neck pillow. I got only a half-hour’s worth of sleep, but that was good enough at the time. 

After the dreadful lines, check ins, luggage check, security check, and so on, we headed to the departure gate. Time was against us; we had around 5 minutes to board our plane when we were rushing to the gate. Fortunately, we boarded the plane and took our seats. Thankfully, I sat on the outer seat, not the window. I learned a good lesson from when I first arrived in Korea. Since I was flying with Jin Air again, service was standard, the same, but courteous and smooth. The snack to Japan is shown below. The sushi rice was the food I couldn’t handle; it had those tiny fishes scattered within it, and each bite was an explosion of small but potent icky fishy sea flavor. Nope. I devoured the banana and muffin and glugged two, three cups of water. That was fine enough.

I took a miniscule nap on the plane and was awake when I finally landed in... Narita, Japan! It has always been a childhood dream of mine to visit Japan, and it was finally coming true. I felt like I was starting anew again. We got off the plane and went to get the official obligations out of the way, such as passport check, luggage, and you know the biz. The only annoying part is having to fill out those dreadful foreigner visitor cards and whatnot. I also had to fill out the luggage card even though I was sharing a suitcase with my friend and I technically didn’t “bring” a luggage with me. Oh well. You gotta do whatchu gotta do.

We browsed Narita Airport after navigating to the right floor. First things off the list: Yen withdrawn and exchanged from my International Debit Card and purchasing and loading a Transportation card like Korea all over again. After difficulties we got a portable WiFi router for around ~$50 USD for 4 days. That wasn’t a bad price, considering we NEED WiFi to get about, no if’s, and’s, or but’s. The place we got it from was on the main floor for arrivals at Narita Airport. The cashiers were nice, helpful, and one of them even helped us along in English. 

Next, the Passpo Card; Japan’s transportation card for the subways. It was similar to Korea’s T-Money Card but a bit bigger and has a small chipped edge (purposely). To get the card and load it with funds, it took a bit of work for me because it was a different system than Korea’s, obviously. We asked the Help desk for the subways and she told us, “There’s an English option on the machine”. When we first looked at it, there were so many buttons and numbers on there, we must’ve missed the ENGLISH button. After some more struggles, we got our card, put about $20 on the Passpo cards, and used Google maps to find the area for our Air BnB. 

The subway system in Japan is overall more difficult than Korea. We reached our destination and the moment I stepped foot outside of the station and gazed upon the area of Chiba, I was astounded. The sky was silvery but shining, the area was lively yet quaint, and my surroundings owned a sense of comfort, cleanliness, and orderliness. I felt so relieved to see such a sight after some hardships!!

A town square in the Chiba area (I believe). So lovely!

There was a supermarket connecting to the South exit of the station so we went in there to buy some necessities. We had some time before check-in at our Air BnB. I bought stuff such as razors, shaving cream, snacks, a drink, etc. Then we navigated and saw the sight seen in the image above. Using GPS, we kept strolling the area.

Okay, so a LOT happened these past few days... Seriously, I can barely keep up with making posts for all the happenings recently! Even before this post, I went to the 2016 Incheon Sky Festival (Music Core Special) concert... And explored places... Well, since this post will be about my experience with being eligible to attend MASC’s fansigning event and the actual event, I’ll stay on topic. I loved and enjoyed this event, especially since this was my first fanmeet-like event since I arrived in Korea!! On to the good stuff.

Anyway, I happened to stumble upon the event information when I was randomly searching up how to attend fansigning events in Korea 2016. The website I went to had the links to HotTracks and Synnara’s event pages, here and here. HotTracks’ event page seems very up to date, which is how I was able to attend MASC’s fansigning event right in the nick of time. Synnara’s site, I’m unsure if it’s not being updated, because there are no fansigning events listed at all. And I heard Synnara is a popular, common outlet for fansigning event information. I don’t know. But I got to go through HotTracks.

HotTracks is a bookstore in the Dongdaemun area, you can take the train (Line 4 I believe) to Dongdaemun and then go through Exit 8. From there, the mall and area is straight down, just keep going and going until you see the escalators and HotTracks sign! You go down the escalator and the store is right there. 

Since I saw that the event was actually really close (this was a few days ago), I asked my friends to come with me to Dongdaemun by subway so we can all get used to traveling and getting around. Also we could look around the department store and hang out. So me and my two friends went and started looking around HotTracks. The store is really beautiful and neat! They have all sorts of books, magazines, electronic devices, earphones, and stuff like that, including some stationery, pencils and pens, and of course CD’s and albums. We actually browsed the area before purchasing anything. They have a section for Kpop albums, but surprisingly, MASC’s albums were not on the shelves. I was planning to buy a different album but when I went to pay, I asked about the MASC event and found out they have the albums all behind the registers! 

I immediately asked for a MASC album instead of the one I was about to buy. It was all really simple and easy; I think it was mostly because MASC is a rather new boy group and they didn’t use the lottery system to choose fans that can attend the event. All I had to do was buy the album. I was still a fairly early participant because the cashier gave me a receipt for my purchase and then a separate receipt showing some information on the fansigning event and my place number.  I was number 29. Sorry, I had to turn in my receipt with the place number to the person in charge of the event to secure my seat so I don’t have a picture of it. But, the cashier will circle the bottom and write your place number, which is the order you go up for the fansigning.

Keep in mind that you should be at the event location an hour in advance, and in the order according to your place number at least half an hour before the event start time. 

Anyway, fast forward a few days. I head back to HotTracks with my album and my receipts around an hour before the event. I also brought a permanent marker just in case, also I used it to write on the post-it notes that they gave me to after. The event was held right outside the store, in the little plaza area. The booth and everything was all set up, and they were playing MASC’s debut song out loud! I was getting hyped. Already there was quite a cluster of people in the area. 

I walked and showed my receipt with the order number to the guy in charge and he directed me to the row three away from the ground area. Not bad for 29.  MASC wasn’t here yet, so I was just chilling in the area. The guy also gave me like one post-it note. I remember seeing events in the past online, and was a bit disappointed I only got one note. Later on, I asked for more and they obliged, which was a relief. Since my bias is Woosoo, I was thinking of what to ask him first. 

Soon, MASC made their appearance, and the fans went crazy! It was amazing seeing idols again after how long for me, and I was just looking at them with a mystified and giddy expression. Clicks and shutters of cameras erupted as MASC slunk into their seats shown below.

Sorry for the quality of the photo by the way. But as soon as things were ready to go, MASC did their introduction, and the event began. Fans lined up when the event handlers gestured. I was still trying to stick the notes on the pages I wanted the members to sign while thinking of what questions to ask them. I ended up putting the notes on the pages with each member’s large individual cuts. I figured because of the colors of their clothing and the pages, the black pens they would use would be visible here. I began feeling nervous and eager when the fans kept cheering and the line progressed. In this sea of girls, I was one among a very small amount of boys. Literally, there was a guy in front of me, like two in the back rows (one was my friend), and then literally two little boys who got the albums from their father (cute). I must’ve stuck out in a good way, but it was still nerve-wracking! 

My time to go up was approaching, but snapchatting and taking some pictures of MASC beforehand was amusing too. Like in the picture above, ACE took his time to pose and smile for the cameras at certain moments, trying out different poses and gestures. It was funny! Heejae, the maknae, was also being pretty cute and adorable, really pushing that cute maknae image lol. He got a stuffed animal from a fan and he played with it too, even putting it on his head and posing for the cameras. Woosoo and 26 barely looked up for the camera; since they were the first two, they probably wanted to interact and enjoy the fans in front of them. At least the other two had some leeway to pose.

On to my actual experience. It was my turn, finally. AND MY BIAS WOOSOO WAS FIRST. It turns out tomorrow was his birthday, so he had already received some gifts from fans. I didn’t know about this so I didn’t bring anything... Instead I used one post-it note to wish him an early birthday.

(Ahhh, notice that little heart he put by my name. ^_^ And it was funny how he wrote Woosoo-oppa cutely.) 

Woosoo is my bias, and I liked interacting with him the most. It’s probably because I’m a dude, but he was pleasantly surprised to see a fanboy. A foreigner fanboy at that. He asked me what my name was and where I was from. I replied, “Junior” and told him I was from Hawaii (in Korean). Again, he was surprised but genuinely intrigued. He read the note above on his page (he apparently didn’t see the two post it-notes that I stuck to the cover) and laughed, thanking me and offering to clasp my hand. I’m like UGHHHHHHH BAE!!!! He was so nice. We chatted more and I told him I was studying abroad here. I directed him to the first two notes in the front, one being specially for him.

Translation:

Q: If you were to do a girl group dance, which one is your choice?

A: I.O.I!

He read this aloud and gave it some thought before exclaiming, “I.O.I! Whatta Man!” I laughed too and found it hilarious because I literally did a dance cover of this before, and I love I.O.I. I told him, “me too, me too!” It was almost time for me to move on to the next member, so I showed him the other post-it.

Woosoo’s is the first message, while Heejae’s was the second. I might as well translate both now. 

Q: Please leave me some supporting messages because I’m an exchange student!

WS- Contact me about the difficult things! (Ahhhhhh.)

HJ- Though it’s tough, endure it and do the things you want!

As I said, Woosoo was so kind and I’m glad I picked him as my bias hahaha. I SPAZZED SO MUCH IN MY HEAD when he wrote that message. He also said he wants to see me more at events. I’ll try! LOL. I thanked him and it was on to 26 now.

26 seemed to be shyer than the other members. He was a bit more reserved/soft-spoken, but he was polite. He asked me what my name was, and though I said it, he didn’t quite get it, so I spelled out “Jr.” so it would be easier.

Q: Other than MASC songs (even though they’re great), what song do you recommend nowadays? A: Chris Brown’s “Zero”!

I chatted with him a bit and when he answered the question above, he added, “Whenever I listen to it, I feel great” or something like that. After I had to move on, so I thanked him and he also said see you at other events. I was so in the moment, I forgot to ask 26 to write me an encouraging message!!

Next was the maknae, though he was still older than me. He asked me for my name and where I was from, and I told him. He exclaimed more than the others about Hawaii. It’s funny because in the post-it note to him, I just wrote to him to come to Hawaii, because I couldn’t think of a question. I told him at the fansign to come specifically to Oahu, because it was the most popular island hahaha (and where I’m from). He said, “I really want to go to Hawaii” so I hope they do (maybe for next year’s Korean festival?) He was also the one to complement me the most on my Korean skills! He thanked me and gave me cool handshakes so it was all good.

Translation: If you have free time, please come to Hawaii! (The island of Oahu)

Last was Ace. Ace was pretty cool and the one smiling and letting fans capture his photos the most, since he was last in line. Like the others, he was amused and happy to see a male fan.

In my post-it to him, I asked him to draw his favorite animal. While he was drawing that animal above, I asked him, “Is that a bear?” to which he paused for a bit to look at me. “A bear?” He asked. He started adding the finishing touches and I exclaimed, “Oh, it’s a monkey!” He laughed and confirmed, it was a monkey. I felt so embarrassed... I’m sorry LOL. Since there was barely any space for his encouraging note, he signed it on the album cover.

A: Have strength, don’t get sick, and see you often!

All right, man, every day has been eventful for me. I guess that’s how it’s supposed to be in a new environment. Well, the morning was pretty uneventful because I waited until later in the morning to get out and about. I met a friend for brunch. We ate at a Korean Mcdonald’s, since it was on campus. And i was a bit curious on how different a Korean Mcdonald’s was.

We must have come during rush hour, because it was packed! So many people. There were two main methods of placing your order. There was the classic counter payment method, but the thing that intrigued me was the two huge touch screen menus greeting you when you enter. This is where you could just tap, tap, tap your choices. You can even opt for to-go or for here. We ate here. I let my friend go first because he was familiar with it, and I got to watch. It’s pretty simple though, I went with it all in Hangul just to get used to it. I even got something not offered in Hawaii, how cool is that? Oh yeah, the giant DIY touch screens were also not used in Oahu! I went to the counter when the screen printed my order ticket, paid for it, and got it.

It’s called the Shanghai Deluxe and it has a chicken patty with the usual veggies and a nice sauce. Pretty delish, but I don’t expect to eat there often because it is Mcdonald’s, and there are so many places to explore and try around Heukseok and beyond. All right, fast forward to class time. I had two classes today, Study on Foreign Language and Instruction and Intermediate Korean Language B. My first class, omg, getting there was hectic and ugh. It was mostly my fault because I only left my dorm like 15 minutes before class starts. But I didn’t expect the elevator to be so congested and difficult to get onto. 

I was waiting for a car to come down, and when it came after what seemed like an eternity, it was jam packed! Like a can of sardines! There was another girl waiting for a car like me, and when the door opened, she squeezed in first, and I foolishly followed behind. She fit into the last cranny left by the unwavering, desperate unmoving bodies. I couldn’t fit and just backed out, with people staring at me. Well, thanks. I guess I learned to quit while I’m ahead, or know when it’s just not worth it. 

I decided to take another car, but this car only goes on even floors (my class is on the 5th floor). Nonetheless, I got on, got off on the 6th floor, and zoomed down the stairs to the floor below. I rushed into class when my professor was just introducing the syllabus. Great. This was definitely seeming like a 영어A class, as she was speaking entirely in English. I chilled in the back. When students asked her questions, they must’ve been nervous to talk in English so they resorted to Korean (they were native speakers). After class ended, she even called me in the front to talk a bit.

She asked me where I was from, and i said, “Hawaii”. She laughed and said, “I knew it! I saw your dark skin.” Yup, there’s Korean “culture” for you. It’s okay. Anyway, it turns out she actually studied a bit at UH Manoa, and knows some people in my major department. Cool. The main point of her calling me up was to ask if I really wanted to take her class. She explained that her class was mainly to prepare students to take the Korean test to become certified English teachers. I explained that because I’m an exchange student, I’m fine, I just wanted to explore my options and enjoy my semester abroad. This seemed like a cool class too. And it counted for some credits at my home university, the main point. I forgot to explain that bit to her. But it seemed like she was lowkey trying to discourage me from taking the class... Seemed familiar because that’s what happened when I got emailed from that other professor. She said she would sometimes speak Korean in class to help the native speakers, and questioned if this class would align with what I want to learn. She said she was fine if I took another alternative class, but I turned into a bull and kindly (but firmly) told her I would remain in the class. I want to take what I want to take! So, maybe it’ll take a few days more in class to find out if I do want to take her up on that offer.  Next was Intermediate Korean Language. However, it seemed really basic and introductory... I didn’t expect strictness or such rigidity from day one, but i didn’t expect a teacher who sometimes lapsed into Korean when speaking to herself or asking if everyone knew the alphabet well and how to make the past tense in Korean (not everyone knew!) I instantly felt like this class was a step lower than what I would grow from. She even asked I’m gonna take Advanced, and I said I would (since I noticed this). She said, “Take both!” Like, both Advanced and Intermediate? That’s gonna eat up my schedule, honey. I’d think about it, to see if my schedule can bend to that, but hmm. The introductory “placement” worksheet that she handed us seemed like child’s play to me, but I’m not forcing myself to master Korean by the time I leave. So we’ll see.

After classes, I ran into the same friend I ate Mcd’s with, and decided to go with him to Yongsan again to check out the electronics area!! I love Yongsan! It’s such a nice, bustling place that exudes such a peaceful but busy atmosphere. It’s comforting and energizing at the same time. Funny, huh? Anyway, we took the subway, and we took different lines than the one I took with my other friends the other day... Hmm, same place, different ways to get there. The way we took today took us to a different direction of Yongsan though. We walked and met my friend’s Korean friend. And thus I became friends with him too! We walked and walked to the electronics area and talked, in Korean and English. We exchanged language and helped each other learn too. My new 형/hyung, or older brother in Korean, taught me the word 횡단보도/hwengdanbodo, or crosswalk. And my friend and I helped him with English phrases and correcting his utterances in English. It was a nice experience. We also ate at this place in the area, but I forgot to snap a picture of the exterior :C However, the food was really yummy, though I was just a teeny bit tired from eating spicy food *hides because Korea is spicy food central*

This is called 감자탕/gamjatang, or Korean potato stew. It was spicy and had other various ingredients, such as large pieces of beef and bone, enoki mushrooms, tteokbokki/rice cake, and yeah. It was good and we shared it. I was the first one to be full too! 

That was a very nice day. I made two new friends and toured my classes, pretty much. Hopefully in class, I can befriend others or at least get comfortable with them. Until tomorrow~

Night view of I’Park Department Store in Yongsan.

Today was pretty rough but I soldiered through it. I might not write as much this time because I’m tired and there wasn’t much that I could go into descriptive detail about. I’ll supplement this with photos so it’s not as bare.  Anyway, I started off breakfast “international style” as the cafeteria stated. It was pretty simple. We could choose either this black bean drink or milk. I eyed the bowl of cereal later on in the line, and opted for the white milk. There was a piece of banana for added energy in the morning, fishcakes in a sauce, and 죽/juk, or rice porridge. It had bits of chicken and vegetables, so in a way it was like chicken noodle soup bar the noodles. It was pretty good.

A whole chunk of my day basically was devoted to the Fall 2016 International Exchange Student Orientation. It was in this huge auditorium. Me and my roommate walked, being slightly pelted with rain and wind, which was rather chilly. When we reached the area, of course we were early. We went into the “waiting” line for USA (I quoted “waiting” cuz we were pretty much the only ones there at the time). We signed in and then headed to the auditorium, where the seats and sections were divided according to that person’s GLAM. So everyone with the same GLAM would sit in a designated area. Makes sense, right?

We met the important people such as the important figures that we email for inbound queries and when we were applying and going through that process. I was really surprised because one of them was a lot younger than I thought. We also got introduced to all the GLAMs and got a humorous, but informative and simple lecture from another professor about sexual harassment. 

The paperwork was the taxing part. We were given forms for the Woori bank account we needed to make through the school. There were three forms; one for the account, one for the checking account and a “debit card” of sorts. I forgot what the other one was about. We had to fill in some parts of the forms, not all of them, and the whole crowd was thrown into a little frenzy about how to answer and write. Whew. Meeting the GLAMs were pretty cool, and my GLAM greeted us personally after. We made a group Kakao chat room specifically for the people in the group with the same GLAM. 

We had a brief lunch intermission; it was a tasty sandwich provided by the school from a French cafe on campus! There were ham and chicken options, I chose ham. Yum. My pic of the food was blurry so I couldn’t upload it. Sorry.

All right, I NEED TO RANT RIGHT NOW. Seriously, today has been a stressful day due to many different issues, including alien registration card appointment reservation problems on the website and whatnot, but now I got another beast to worry about. And it’s a good one.

So I checked my other email unintentionally, and I see the name of my class in bolded letters as a new email. I open and it turns out... Well, to put it bluntly, my professor refuses to let me take the class because they will explain and give lectures in Korean. Also, the videos in class will be in Korean. And guess what? The class is listed as a 영어A class. In Chung-Ang’s terms, 영어A classes are strictly taught in English. That is why us exchange students can only take these classes, because they’re supposed to be in pure English. We were even given warnings in an orientation that if a class listed as 영어A has a professor who decides to use only Korean as the medium, then we have to report it.  And that’s what I did.

This is beyond ludicrous, because already, a Korean language class I signed up for had to get cancelled due to lack of students. But now, a class that is supposedly certified as an English-only class is showing its true colors by discouraging me from taking it. Because why? IT’S GONNA BE BASED ON KOREAN AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION, when that’s clearly NOT what an English-only class is about.

And it’s even worse. It’s ironic, and sardonic in a way; because I literally JUST bought the textbooks for this exact class TODAY at the local bookstore. And it was expensive. WHAT IN GOD’S NAME. WHY. WHY WOULD THIS EVEN BE ALLOWED? I am pissed. I am appalled. Now I have to sign up for a different Korean language class AND another English course tomorrow. Not to mention return the textbooks I bought right away. Good thing I read that they have a 3 day grace period for returns. I’m gonna need that.

Dang, sorry guys. I always have trouble updating new posts at nighttime because this is the second time in a row that I fell asleep unintentionally with the laptop still on > < Anyway, that should be a tip to not make my posts super long before I lose it all. So yesterday (8/30) it started off well. My roommate and I went downstairs in preparation to finish our dormitory check-in process at 9 am. However, we went down a bit early to eat some breakfast at the cafeteria first. We wanted to try it. There was a huge touch-screen machine near the entrance that was used for the meal ticket purchases. We were a bit confused at first, but then a GLAM came over to help us. There are two options for the meals, Korean (standard) and International (premium). To enrich our Korean student lifestyle experience, we opted for the Korean meal. I ended up paying for both of our meals, but it’s all good because he brought some necessities for our room such as toilet paper! 

The meal was around $2.50 USD, and looked like this:

We stood in line cafeteria-style and took dishes as we progressed. Metal utensils were near the trays (finally I got to handle the chopsticks). So these side dishes (반찬/banchan) included kimchi radish (I think), some sort of other radish dish in a sweeter sauce, green salad, a boiled egg also drenched in a nice sweet shoyu (maybe) based sauce, white rice and a toned-down kimchi jjigae of sorts. It was milder than usual. However, for $2.50, this was a good deal. It was tasty, filling, and easy on the wallet. Next time (today, 8/31), we’ll try the international side! And you’ll see my post on that :)  After finishing our food, we exited the cafeteria and saw a table nearby for the male dormitory check-ins. This is where we finished our check-in process. We signed some release forms, filled out a dormitory evaluation sheet for certain provided items in the room such as phone, internet router, toilet brush/plunger, etc., got a free bed sheet (great since I didn’t bring one), and met some of the dormitory student staff. Funny story, when my roommate and I went back downstairs after examining our dorm items, I gave the floor manager student the paper and asked him, “Supervisor는 누구야?” (who’s the supervisor?) and regretted it instantly because 1) he was older 2) I SPOKE INFORMALLY TO HIM WITHOUT KNOWING. He pointed to himself and said “나” casually. I apologized but he didn’t mind, he said he’s okay with 반말/banmal (informal speaking). Ugh, gotta keep that in mind now. I’m not used to speaking Korean often, so this served as a good lesson.

Anyway, after this, me and my roommate wanted to do some shopping for necessities, but we met up with two other students (now friends), who happen to have the same name as us (weird coincidence!) and we took an excursion to Yongsan!! One of the students, James, acted as our tour guide and knew the way around a bit. He knew how to take the subway as well which HELPED A GREAT DEAL! We could maybe do some shopping there and get a bite to eat. So we walked through Heukseok to get to the subway station. We visited the local bookstore and the Woori bank (where we will soon make our Korean bank account) so I could exchange some USD I had for more Won.

The street view~ Very lively and full of nice vendors and shops that I will definitely explore. We eventually reached the station and bought T-money cards for ease of payment for the shuttle rides. My T-Money card is going to be my new buddy.

When I went into the mart, I conversed in Korean to the worker. I got around pretty well, it’s just when they said the price in Korean, I had trouble processing it in my mind. Money terms and amounts sit in my head a while before I can process them, so hopefully that changes. Anyway, the card is used for a lot of things; all transportation, purchases at participating stores, and discounts too! When we bought our cards, we had to place it on the scanner for the charge, and then we could pass the gates. The shuttle trains are really fast, smooth, and refined! I loved it. We had to stop at Noryangjin, which is known for their fish markets. No wonder when I got off the train, there was a strong scent of fish in the air... 

After taking another train, we got to Yongsan, which is a huge area with lots of stores and shops. We looked all around, passing food places for now, and ventured to the electronics store, department store, and more.

Lots of high-quality stuff, tech, suits, and so on. I was so intrigued by the wideness and greatness of the place. After some window-shopping, we decided to eat at this place called 오쭈/Ojju, which is a 맛집/matjib, a kind of Korean restaurant eatery. There was the grill built into the table like a yakiniku place, but this place was really good!

We ordered a specialty of the place, a mix of spicy octopus and chicken, 계란말이/gyeranmari, fried egg with cheese, a 비빔밥/bibimbap, and... wait for it... MAKGEOLI!! 막걸리 is a sweetened alcohol drink. After the recommendation from the worker, I decided to get the Cream Makgeoli. Drinking culture is something that I will have to acquire as part of my Korea lifestyle. The makgeoli was soooo delicious! It was creamy, sweet, and yummy. Ughhhhh. Loved it so much.

Happy me at 오쭈. I was especially proud because I acted as the spokesperson for our group! My friends weren’t that confident or knowledgable in Korean yet, so I did the talking. I was nervous but I did well!! Not bad. The lady seemed delighted too ^^

After that, we ventured off more and explored. When it was time to head back, we stopped by a convenience mart in Heukseok for the necessities. I bought stuff like a towel, pillowcase, toilet cleaner, air freshener, and a laundry bag. I felt much better :) We rested in the dorms before it was time for the dormitory orientation. That was fine too. We gathered in a lecture hall and watched a simple Powerpoint presentation given to us by the head floor manager (not the student one I met earlier). He was really funny and turns out, his office is close to my dorm room so yup, ease of communication right there. The information was helpful. Dinner time. It was almost 9 pm I believe, so me and my roommate ventured down the roads of Heukseok for food. We walked all around, had our eyes on one place, but continued to look around for more options. We ended up wanting the first option we had our sights on, so we went back to Rice & Potato! 

They have pretty much fried rice, french fries, and alcohol. Simple, right? Me and my roommate opted for the bacon kimchi fried rice, and I got french fries with sweet chili sauce. We ordered separately, but I tried my best to speak in Korean as much as I could. I think it’s going well. When we were getting our food, the worker asked, “Which country are you from?” And I said, “Hawaii.” He said he wanted to visit Hawaii, and I fuddled a bit before saying “Please come” in English. LOL FAIL.  Anyway, the food was good~! The bacon flavor did not overpower the guiding taste of the kimchi fried rice, which was awesome. The fries were fries. It was an enjoyable experience and god, I love eating out in Korea. I will definitely love doing this for the semesters to come.  That was such an eventful day, and in a good way this time! I will make more posts soon, as I have more stuff in my head. Until then! 

OH WAIT! Have photos of cute doggies at a pet store in Yongsan.

I meant to post this yesterday, but in the midst of writing it, I fell asleep and my computer shut off for some reason? I forget > 3 < Anyway, yesterday was very eventful for me. Even after parting with my close friends and family, it didn’t hit me that I would be moving to another country for an academic year. It still didn’t hit me when I was standing in line by myself to get my bag x-rayed and such. I surprisingly felt numb (both mentally and physically in the bum area) when I was on the plane ride to Seoul. But when I landed and started scurrying around, that’s when I felt it. I was on my own for the first time in my life. But before that, let’s talk about the flight for a little! So when I got my boarding pass, the receptionist asked me if I would like a window seat or not. Because I didn’t try to think carefully about this, I jumped at the chance for a window seat. I regretted this when I saw the actual seat on the plane. I got on and the rows of seats came in threes. I went to my row and saw my window seat next to a young Korean couple. I knew it was going to be trouble when I had to squirm between and past them to get to my window seat. This gave me trouble when I wanted to stand freely and walk around/use the bathroom. Next time I’ll opt for the edge seat. Anyway, we were served two “meals” on board. The first was lunch. 

It was some sort of Korean beef stew with onions, carrots and water chestnuts, with a fruit bowl (watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple pieces). That was pretty good. I eat a lot though, but I know airplane food isn’t too big on quantity. The second “meal” was a snack around 2 hours and 45 minutes before we landed.

It was a turkey wrap with lettuce, mayo and jack and cheddar cheese. Or was it swiss? It was... fine, but I needed more sustenance. 

Anyway, when I finally landed! The airport seemed huge to me, and I followed the throngs of people. I got confused when I reached the area for the air bus/shuttle. I even went back upstairs to make sure I was going the right way. I was. I got through everything and got my luggage back in one piece (yay!) and used the map as reference to find the meeting place for the exchange students and GLAMs (the Korean student helper representatives from CAU). I met with them and soon we were lugging our bags onto the CAU bus to campus! The sun set fast. It was interesting because the interior of the bus had colorful assorted lights on the top!

The bus ride felt long as well, and as I gazed outside, I saw the sheer wideness and enormity of the city. Me being from Hawaii, I felt very minimized and small. This was a huge new world for me. Someday I would want to explore that. For now, I wanted to just get acclimated with things and see my dorm. And this is where I started to feel draggy and stressed. We signed in with more GLAMs greeting us at the table. We got notices for the Incoming Exchange Students and a key card for our room. Since it was past 8 pm already, I would have to come in tomorrow (or today, since I’m writing the post the day after) to finish my check-in process, any time from 9am-5pm. I also have the dormitory orientation to attend at 8pm tonight. 

OH, and I had the roughest time figuring out how electricity worked in the dorm room. I was lugging my bag and greeted by darkness upon opening my door because my roommate hadn’t come in yet. I didn’t check the Kakao group for exchange students, where they sent in the tip to use our key card for electricity. So I had to stumble around and ask another student in the hallway, who showed me how it worked. Yay me. At this point, I was done for the day.