05/01/2019
저는 현아이에요
Learning Korean with new Japanese friends on college break
Cortados and non-soy alternative milks are hard to find in Seoul. Anthracite Coffee quickly became my favorite coffee shop; they serve well-made cortados and these adorable pound cakes.
My time in Seoul quickly became defined by daily Korean classes at Yonsei University. Through the program, I befriended mainly Japanese students around my age, all of whom were on spring break from their respective universities. They had all chosen to spend their vacations learning and immersing themselves in Korean culture, primarily spurred by an obsession with K-pop music.
홍대
We celebrated the end of the first week of classes with some clubbing in Hongdae.
Though communication was limited with my new Japanese friends—neither of us spoke the other’s language, and our Korean was not good enough to bridge the gap, we made fond memories together over many delicious meals.
한강
Our most memorable outing was cycling along the Han River as the sun set. We played a lot of music and laughed a lot.
“Graduation”
Before we knew it, the Korean language program at Yonsei had ended, and it was time for all of my Japanese friends to go back home.
北海道
Before heading back to the States, I visited Japan for the second time. This trip was very exciting, because I’ve been wanting to go to Hokkaido for the longest time. I hope to visit again when the lavender fields are in full bloom, and it’s not quite so cold.
地獄谷
Walking through Hell Valley, a “dramatic crater with boiling sulfuric hot springs, volcanic steam plumes and hiking paths,” made me recall the Great Gatsby.
This is a valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.
小樽市
東京
Two of the Japanese friends I had made while learning Korean in Seoul were from Tokyo, so they took me out for my first okonomiyaki. I already miss all my Japanese friends dearly—they are some of the kindest, most fun-loving people I have ever met.
