free time who?
Can’t believe that I’m already writing about chapter 4 of my journey. Seemed just like yesterday when I struggled to put this site together. In all honesty, I’ve been finding it difficult keeping up with my blog posts as I enter the midterms season of the semester. Slowly but surely, I found myself spending more time in cafes and study rooms rather than new sites, galavanting and enjoying myself. It really is now just a matter of knowing how to balance school and play, and I find myself getting busier and busier, I’ve spent more time enjoying the “cheap thrills” of Korea!
Can’t believe that I’m already writing about chapter 4 of my journey. Seemed just like yesterday when I struggled to put this site together. In all honesty, I’ve been finding it difficult keeping up with my blog posts as I enter the midterms season of the semester. Slowly but surely, I found myself spending more time in cafes and study rooms rather than new sites, galavanting and enjoying myself. It really is now just a matter of knowing how to balance school and play, and I find myself getting busier and busier, I’ve spent more time enjoying the “cheap thrills” of Korea!
becoming a registered alien
Sounds weird huh? Interestingly, this would be considered the right term for me and hundreds of other exchange students as we applied for our Alien Registration Cards (ARC). By mandate of the South Korean government, all foreign students are required to apply for and obtain an ARC. This would allow us to live like a true South Korean citizen all while still honoring our student visa and home nationality. Becoming a registered alien would mean easier contact tracing, the ability to order food online, and many more benefits that only Korean citizens could enjoy.
Applying for the ARC was quite simple. All I had to do was bring the following to my appointment at the Seoul Immigration Office, and I was quick on my way to becoming a registered alien:
I was most impressed by the immigration’s office speedy logistics and efficient processing times. Everyone followed the order of their call numbers which were all scheduled ahead of time online. Witnessing dozens of people process their paperwork quickly and efficiently was something I definitely haven’t seen before! Take notes, Hawaii DMV offices!
Sounds weird huh? Interestingly, this would be considered the right term for me and hundreds of other exchange students as we applied for our Alien Registration Cards (ARC). By mandate of the South Korean government, all foreign students are required to apply for and obtain an ARC. This would allow us to live like a true South Korean citizen all while still honoring our student visa and home nationality. Becoming a registered alien would mean easier contact tracing, the ability to order food online, and many more benefits that only Korean citizens could enjoy.
Applying for the ARC was quite simple. All I had to do was bring the following to my appointment at the Seoul Immigration Office, and I was quick on my way to becoming a registered alien:
- Application Form
- Proof of Korean Residence
- Certificate of Enrollment
- Passport
- Passport photos
- 30,000 KRW (cash)
I was most impressed by the immigration’s office speedy logistics and efficient processing times. Everyone followed the order of their call numbers which were all scheduled ahead of time online. Witnessing dozens of people process their paperwork quickly and efficiently was something I definitely haven’t seen before! Take notes, Hawaii DMV offices!
kuba activities
As I’ve mentioned in my earlier blog posts, every exchange student at KU is part of the KUBA Program, where local KU students mentor and guide international exchange students. This month, the program hosted an interesting scavenger hunt activity for KUBA participants. And while I initially wasn’t interested, I participated with a group of friends and had quite some fun!
The activity was entirely organized through Instagram, with instructions being posted on the program’s official account. Leaders of the program posted several photos of KU students in various (mostly fun) poses all around the different locations of campus. The objective of the activity was to find the location on campus and to recreate the poses. See below to see some of my favorite photos from the activity!
I was pretty amazed at how fun this activity was! I'm not a photogenic person myself, but it definitely was a cheap yet thrilling experience!
As I’ve mentioned in my earlier blog posts, every exchange student at KU is part of the KUBA Program, where local KU students mentor and guide international exchange students. This month, the program hosted an interesting scavenger hunt activity for KUBA participants. And while I initially wasn’t interested, I participated with a group of friends and had quite some fun!
The activity was entirely organized through Instagram, with instructions being posted on the program’s official account. Leaders of the program posted several photos of KU students in various (mostly fun) poses all around the different locations of campus. The objective of the activity was to find the location on campus and to recreate the poses. See below to see some of my favorite photos from the activity!
I was pretty amazed at how fun this activity was! I'm not a photogenic person myself, but it definitely was a cheap yet thrilling experience!
squid game
I’m sure that you’re aware of the popularity of the Korean drama Squid Game that is blowing up literally around the world. It really is interesting to be in South Korea while people from all over the world are watching the drama. For those who haven’t watched it, Squid Game is a short thriller drama where players with massive debt combat in traditional Korean childrens’ games but in a lethal manner. I’ll stop there so I won’t spoil anything else. Inspired by this, a few friends and myself actually played some of the games from the drama (without the goriness, of course.) A KUBA buddy brought me and a few other friends to Yangjae Citizen’s Forest to play ddakji and the now popular mugunghwa kkoci pieot seumnida, both of which are traditional Korean games and have been popularized worldwide by Squid Game. The game of ddakji consists of two paper “plates” folded in an origami-like fashion. One of the “plates” is on the ground, and the player, using another “plate” has to flip the grounded “plate” by simply throwing his/her plate onto the grounded one. Sounds simple right? Don’t be fooled - it was way harder that it seemed, and I only succeeded once out of probably a million attempts. “Mugunghwa kkoci pieot seumnida” is the Korean version of the universal children’s game “Red Light, Green Light.” What I found interesting about this game is that its Korean name holds a different meaning: mugunghwa is the national flower of South Korea, and the remaining phrase speaks of its bloom. So the phrase indirectly translates to “The hibiscus flower has bloomed” which I think is a much cooler and meaningful phrase than the simple “red light, green light.” Who knew that one of things that I’d be doing in Korea would be playing children’s games? Though I thought that it was extremely childish at first, I did find fun in playing! |
da grindz and views pt. 3
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chapter close
Thank goodness for the many cheap thrills that South Korea has to offer. I’m soon entering the height of midterm season. Cafes are filling up with studious students, and I’m spending more time on my computer than usual. Stay tuned for more adventures as I push through midterms!
Thank goodness for the many cheap thrills that South Korea has to offer. I’m soon entering the height of midterm season. Cafes are filling up with studious students, and I’m spending more time on my computer than usual. Stay tuned for more adventures as I push through midterms!