I cannot believe how fast these past four months have gone by! Now, I will board my flight home in a few hours. I have already said goodbye to some of my fellow exchange students and now it is my turn. I am really grateful for this opportunity and it feels odd to think that I might not see the wonderful friends that I made here for a long time. I got to experience many things in Korea, but I still have many more things to see.
There are many things that I will miss about Korea:
- Food–I love everything
- Easy and convenient subway–you can get almost anywhere with the numerous lines and transfer stations…the fare is also cheap and it is free to transfer to the bus within Seoul
- T money–a convenient way to pay for things and transportation…unlike Philly subway tokens
- Clean and Neat–there are no trash cans on the streets but it is still really clean, the cleaners really work hard, and the people really take care of their city…the trees and bushes are always trimmed too
- Fashionable people–they always look good
- Beautiful parks–there are so many parks and you can always relax and watch the beautiful scenery
- Bargaining in the markets–nice clothes, street food, and souvenirs!
- Safe–Seoul is a really safe place. I even walked back to my dorm alone after a late night movie… I can never do that in Philly
- Walking everywhere–there are many sidewalks and it is easy to take some time and enjoy the scenery
- Historical sites–there are many historical things to see right in the middle of the city…a blend of the past and future in the city of Seoul
- Wifi is everywhere–it is always easy to access wifi and is available almost everywhere
- Coffee shops–there are so many coffee shops available to have a chat with friends and some have unique themes such as Charlie Brown
- Waffle shops–yum! delicious…waffles with cream or ice cream or Belgian waffles….waffles are big hit in Korea
- Quiet–people are quiet in public areas such as the subway and they try to speak quietly if they have to talk on the phone
- Respect–the younger people must always speak politely to the elders and greet their seniors in school with formal speaking and bowing
- English–most young Koreans in Seoul know some English, so it is easy to communicate
- Night Life–the city is lit up at night and does not seem to sleep…people stay out to drink and club or karaoke until the subways start running again which is around 5:30am
- Public Bathhouses–a nice way to relax and they are a cheaper place to stay then hotels
- Pretty Oceans–the sea is so nice and clean and blue!
- Close Friendships–You can see girls hold hands with each other and even guys are really close as well
There are so many other things I will miss too! I hope to come back soon and see my friends again. I am sure I will be back some time in the future, so to all my friends–it’s not goodbye but see you later! 안녕 (Annyeong) Korea! It was an amazing semester and I will never forget it.