#ipesummer 26

Annyeonghaseyo! WE IN SEOULLLLLLLLL! I genuinely can’t believe I’ve already made it through my first week in South Korea. It never ceases to amaze me how fast time truly flies by. 

My first week in Seoul started off very exhausting I’m not gonna lie 😭.  We had to wake up at FOUR IN THE MORNING to catch our early morning flight from Tokyo to Seoul. You would think after having to catch such an early flight we’d have some time to check in to our hotel and decompress or rest up a little bit after landing right? WELL YOU’RE WRONG. After arriving in Seoul, we had to go straight to orientation which took hoursssss. Once orientation was over, we then had to muster up enough energy to make it through a campus tour AND a welcome dinner. Now don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed the tour and the welcome dinner because it provided the opportunity to begin getting to know other students, including our new Korean buddies! (They have a similar buddy program to the one at J.F Oberlin, but instead of keeping one specific buddy, we switch buddies for every activity they plan) However, Savanna was BEYOND exhausted. My social battery was completely drained, and I was ecstatic to finally make it to my hotel room bed. Speaking of hotel room, allow me to give you the run down of my housing situation in Seoul!

Me asleep on the bus ride from the airport to orientation 😂

Orientation photo! HOUSING: Housing is included in this program, so you needn’t worry about finding housing accommodations on your own. In Seoul, myself and my fellow U of M colleagues are staying at the Local Stitch Creator Town Seogyo. It’s a multipurpose space used for housing tourists, as well as providing ample space for people and businesses to get some work done. They have SOOOOOOOO many nice study spaces. It’s quite literally an engineering students’ dream. Inside the Local Stitch there’s also a laundry and dry cleaning station, a community kitchen, a studio kitchen, a gym, three restaurants, a pet washing station (though, I’m sure none of y’all will be bringing your pets on your trip lol), and a recycling room. Each of us was assigned a room that included a single twin-sized bed,  a bathroom, a mini fridge and freezer, a desk, many shelves, and air conditioning! (Praise God.) I will include a video of my room after I finished unpacking below! If you need access to a microwave, you can use one located in the community kitchen! Heads up: South Korea does not use the same outlets as we do in the US! You will need to purchase outlet adaptors in order to charge your various devices. (Japan uses the same outlets we do!) There are many cafes, restaurants, and a 7-eleven near the hotel as well that you can easily access whenever you need! The hotel is approximately a 10 minute walk from the heart of Hongdae as well; so you can access all of the fun and exciting things Hongdae has to offer easily too! Personally, I prefer this hotel over the one we stayed at in Japan. I absolutely adore the space and am excited to spend the remainder of my program here!

My hotel room!

Meet Butter Bob!! Our friend stationed outside the front of the hotel! We came up with his name ourselves 😂

Hotel facilities!!

After I finally conquered the fatigue from the 15 hour shift of doom and despair, aka travel/orientation day, I actually had a lot of fun during my first week in Seoul! Classes are going well thus far, and the day after orientation my friends and I got dinner by the Han River! I had my first taste of Korean fried chicken (which is DELICIOUS btw), and we were able to sit, chat, and overall just have a good time! 

My friends and I at the Han River!

Class photo with THE GOAT himself: Professor Sung!

Korean fried chicken! (This wasn't from the Han River, but was still suuuuper good)

On Monday, our Korean buddies took us on a city bus tour around Seoul! We explored downtown, learned some history about the city, and got to enjoy a beautiful view of the city from Namsan Peak! One thing that stood out to me the most from the tour was that each bridge that spans across the Han River symbolizes something meaningful to South Koreans. They stand to represent the nations’ resilience, economic triumphs, hopes, dreams, and aspirations, and post-war modernization!

Bus tour shotss~

Woahhh look at that view!

Videos from the bus tour! Our buddies also took us to see a baseball game on Wednesday! If I learned nothing else from my first week in Seoul, I learned this: South Koreans do NOT play about baseball. I had so much fun witnessing the crowds’ loud chants and energetic dances; as well as watching the players put their all into the game. I’m so grateful that I had the chance to watch such an exciting game!

LETS GO BASEBALLL!!

Video of cheering fans from the baseball game!

On Friday, we took a field trip to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The DMZ is essentially a strip of land that separates North Korea from South Korea. You can’t actually enter the DMZ because there are still many landmines scattered across the land (scary!); butttt you can explore the tunnels under it, and that’s exactly what we did! The tunnels we explored were dug out by North Korean soldiers during the Korean War! Pictures were not allowed in the tunnel unfortunately, but it was really cool to inhabit this historical site! You could even see white circles on the walls of the tunnel that designated where sticks of dynamite were placed! We also went to an observation deck that overlooked the DMZ AND North Korea! (woah!) Pictures also weren’t allowed, but it was cool to be able to see nearby base camps and small North Korean towns through telescopes on the deck’s balcony! 

DMZ Flics!

Enjoying time with friends at a pit stop!

Cute kittens at a museum we stopped by!

bird.

My friends and I ended the week with a night out in Hongdae! We sang karaoke and danced the night away! I think it’s safe to say that night holds some of my favorite memories from this trip thus far.  

ANNYEONGHASEYO! 😝

Us having fun at karaoke!

And now it’s time for theeee– drumroll please 🥁🥁🥁– FITS OF THE WEEEEEK. I think I did a better job capturing my outfits this week! Although, there is one I really liked that I’m sad I didn’t manage to get a picture of (it’s the one in the picture with my professor).

Week 3 Fits of the Week: Definitely got a bit more stares at the more cropped tops 😂 Will be taking note!

Video of the entire red outfit! (That was my favorite from the week!!)

That’s all from me for week 3! Until next timeeee~ Stay safe and be blessed! 🙏🤍

Savanna Evans

Robotics Engineering

Ok guys, this one is going to be somewhat of a long post so please bear with me. I have a LOT of information and experiences from my first week to share! I’ll do my best to ensure that the read is as entertaining as possible though, don’t worry. 

First thing’s first… JAPAN IS AWESOMEEEEEE!! I absolutely love it here and genuinely wish I could stay for a longer period of time. There’s so much to see, do, and experience; it’s literally impossible to do everything in one visit, especially as a college student on a budget. The ONLY thing I dislike so far is how crowded the trains get during rush hour. It’s genuinely worse than taking the Bursely-Baits bus from north campus to your 9am lecture on central campus. One day, I literally got shoved AT LEAST 2 meters into the train by the wave of people trying to pack themselves into the train car like sardines. I’m sure you can infer that this was far from my favorite week 1 experience; but the good news is that I’ve gathered a plethora of good experiences that far outweigh this singular bad experience. Before I detail some of these experiences, though, allow me to go over some general information about my program. HOUSING: Housing for my time in both Japan and Seoul is included in the program. In Japan, I am staying at a hotel called FLEXSTAY INN- Ekoda. It is a very humble space, with hardly enough room to open a large suitcase fully on the floor. Luckily, I do not have a roommate, so I’m fine with making do with this space until we leave for Seoul.  In my room there was a single twin-sized bed, a desk, tv, microwave, hot plate, fridge, and bathroom. There is a space by the front door for you to drop off your shoes before proceeding into the room (in Japanese culture, it is customary to take off your shoes before fully entering a living space to prohibit ones’ shoes from dirtying the floor). Directly next door to the hotel is a convenience store called Lawson’s. Lawson’s is STACKED with a plethora of foods, drinks, and basic necessities to satisfy anyone’s needs. In fact, I got my breakfast from there for the vast majority of this week. Lawson’s is the goat. Forever live, laugh, love Japanese convenience stores. <3 (no pictures of housing sorry :( definitely recommend looking it up though!)

TRANSPORTATION: As mentioned earlier, I take the train/subway to class. I have a digital Suica card in my Apple Wallet that I use at the station to pay for transportation. I have to take two different trains, three stops each, and the commute takes approximately 30-45 minutes depending on if it’s a busy day or not. Transportation is fairly cheap as well. I believe I spent less than 500 yen, which is equivalent to 3 US dollars, to get to class everyday. Pro tip: Google Maps is your best friend when it comes to navigating trains and Japan as a whole!

Short video navigating Shinjuku Station!

Video of the train passing by! SCHOOL: I am studying at J.F Oberlin University Shinjuku Campus. I am taking a class on Anime and Japanese Pop Culture. I will attach a copy of my schedule below so that you can get a feel for what my days look like. So far, I really enjoy the class! We went on field trips for the first two days which was really fun and engaging. My professor is super kind, and I’m really excited to learn more about a topic I was previously interested in and involved with. (I love anime!) Our final grade is based solely on participation and our final presentations (no homework yay!). 

Class Schedule!

Video around campus!!

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY: As stated previously, I am studying at the Shinjuku campus, not the main campus; so the campus is rather small. I only have to inhabit one out of the two buildings present on campus for class and lunch in the cafeteria. There are two convenience stores nearby that students can easily access to acquire snacks or other necessities between classes. Oberlin is known to host foreign students for various academic programs, so you can often see many foreign students along with the local students on campus. The university set us up with a buddy program in which each foreign student was paired with a Japanese student in an effort to help foster cross-cultural relationships as well. My buddy, along with the other Japanese buddies in the program, were all super kind and excited to engage with foreign students! The buddies have different events planned for us to engage in during our stay too, so I’m excited to see what they have in store!

Lunch with new friends!!

Class Scavenger Hunt!!

OKAY I know that was a LOT of information. Hopefully I haven’t fried your brain too much with everything. Now we can move on to the fun stuff: what I did this week! Since this post is already rather long winded, I’m going to breeze through this bit. During my first week in Japan I… 1. Did scavenger hunts around Shibuya and Shinjuku 2. Shopped (too much… sorry mom) 3. Visited Sensoji Temple and got to try on a type of kimono called a yukata! 4. Visited Tokyo Tower, the Imperial Palace, and the “Your Name” staircase (if you know, you know) 5. Went to Teamlabs Planets Museum (best museum experience EVER) 6. Went to an animation museum 7. Had the best burger of MY LIFE 8. Took the bullet train to Kyoto to begin my weekend excursion in Kyoto & Osaka (more details to come on this in my next post)

School Scavenger Hunt!

Sensoji Temple X Yukata Wearing!

Tokyo Tower!! (The views were amazingggg)

"Your Name" Stairs x Imperial Palace!

The best burger of my life. (I will forever dream about how good it was)

Teamlabs Planets (you MUST go when your here. NO EXCUSES!!)

Not too bad of a list if I do say so myself, and there’s still SO MUCH left to do. I think I forgot to schedule time to sleep on my itinerary… OH WELL! We have more important things to do than sleep. OK I’M ALMOST DONE JUST ONE MORE THING. Something I feel like you all should know about me is that I absolutely LOVE fashion. Japanese fashion is some of the best out there (in my opinion), and I’ve had so much fun pushing myself and experimenting with my clothing choices this week. Since Japan has a more conservative dress culture, it’s been so interesting and inspiring to see how those around me style themselves; and then translate those ideas into my own style. I’d like to include a “Fits of the Week” portion to all my posts capturing the outfits I’m most proud of each week! (Hopefully I remember to take pictures in them all lol) I hope this may help inspire you! As well as help you gauge what may be acceptable to wear in these countries during your visit!

A Visit to Versailles

One of the highlights of this week was visiting the Palace of Versailles. Before coming to France, Versailles was one of those places I had seen countless times in history books, documentaries, and online, but seeing it in person was a completely different experience. What struck me most was the scale of everything. Photos never really capture how large the palace and grounds actually are. Walking through the palace, the Hall of Mirrors, and the gardens made me realize just how much time you could spend there and still not see everything.

The gardens were probably my favorite part of the visit. They seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, and it was easy to spend hours simply walking around and exploring. While Versailles is known for its history, I found myself appreciating the atmosphere just as much as the historical significance

Musée des Arts et Métiers

This week I also visited the Musée des Arts et Métiers as part of a course assignment. For one of my classes, I am required to create a poster and write an essay about a specific invention and the scientist or inventor behind it. The museum turned out to be one of the most interesting places I have visited so far because it showcases the history of innovation across hundreds of years.

What I found most interesting was the range of inventions on display. In one exhibit, you can see some of the earliest aircraft ever built, and in another you can find technologies that feel surprisingly modern. The museum contains everything from early airplanes and scientific instruments to older computers, electronics, and even devices like iPods. Walking through the exhibits felt like watching the timeline of technology unfold in front of you.

As an engineering student, it was fascinating to see how quickly technology has evolved. Seeing inventions separated by only a few decades made it clear how rapidly innovation can transform everyday life.

The Reality of Living Abroad

As my time in Paris continues, I have started to realize that studying abroad is both exciting and exhausting. When people think about studying abroad, they often focus on the travel, famous landmarks, and unique experiences. While those aspects are certainly real, there is another side that receives less attention. Living in a different country means constantly adapting to new customs, transportation systems, schedules, languages, and social norms. Even simple daily tasks can require more mental energy than they would at home.