Since arriving in Korea, everything has been going okay. Starting off, I came here thinking aside from making sure to get my classes, I had a lot of the necessary things I needed to do checked off. Whether it was my housing accommodation, other school matters, or even just getting in the right mindset to adapt to living in a new environment. Today I want to highlight a few of the experiences that I've encountered that may or may not make it easier for people reading this in the future. Although I had thought a lot of it was completed, there was actually a lot of things that I still needed to do. For starters, let's talk about how I arrived and where I'm situated at.
Arrival -
With this being my first time officially out of the United States, I was a bit worried of knowing where to go and what to do. Luckily, Incheon International Airport is really English friendly and directions are easy to follow. During the flight they handed out arrival and declaration cards that you need to fill out. You can ask for them in English, but if they don't have any they do have counters near the immigration and clearance areas, so no need to worry. After getting my bags, I needed a bus ticket. If you can understand Korean, there are kiosks that you can get the appropriate ticket from. However, for me I had to find and visit a counter that could help me get to the right destination (Note: To and from the airport, tickets are about $9 and 30+ minute rides to destination). Depending where you are staying, the wait for a bus itself can be up to an hour, also based on your arrival time. I had to wait about 20 minutes after I cleared all the immigration processes and getting my ticket.
Note: I did not get a SIM card at the airport and was waiting to get it on campus.
Housing -
For my housing situation, I am staying in a really small apartment (found it on goshipages.com) that is really close to Yonsei University (5 min. walk; 15-20 min walk to business school) and to the heart of the Sinchon area. It has pretty much any essential that you can think of for a living space, the only possible problem is that it's on the 4th/5th floor with no elevator. But for me that's no problem at all. Monthly rent is about $330 and the owner of the complex is really nice and helpful. Here's a picture of my home for the next few months!
Classes -
With only two classes to my name, it wasn't really stressful knowing there's still the Add/Drop period, but that's not to say I wasn't nervous about not getting classes. I was aiming to leave days off in my schedule, while attempting to take classes that I both need and was interested in. As soon as Add/Drop started I was able to get into classes that I got into all the classes that I wanted and thought I was set. I had only gone based off what information was provided about the class online. Luckily, to my pleasure I had learned about the Laulima of Yonsei University, YSCEC in a class I had the first week. After adding a Finance class I reviewed a Powerpoint of the class I was unable to attend, and while reviewing one of the slides stated if you didn't know partial derivatives you could leave the class now. So with my knowledge I insta-dropped that course, and started panicking a little knowing I had to find another one. In the end, I found another course that I was interested in and matched my schedule. Below is a picture of what it looks like.
I'll be providing updates on my classes as they go along. But, as of right now they all seem alright.
Food -
For the first couple of weeks, all I wanted to eat was food that I was comfortable with. Whether it was American fast food restaurants, instant noodles, or Korean dishes that I already knew. Partially due to my nature where I could eat the same meal for days on end and partially because I didn't want to step too far out of my comfort zone yet. Moving forward I'll be trying to eat different things taking baby steps. Also, I don't really eat fruits and veggies too much so this is tougher than it may sound for me! For now here's a picture of my current favorite instant noodles that I've tried here!
Necessities -
ARC: This card is needed post arrival and needs to be done within 90 days. There was a service on campus that helps to complete the process, but I was unable to attend. As I complete this process I will provide an update on steps I took.
SIM Card: Not a very hard process, I went to the provider in the SK Global dorm on floor B2. If you try doing it during the first week where everyone had just arrived, I think it's easier if you can just wait and survive off of Wi-Fi for the time being, as someone who lives off-campus. The process takes about a couple of hours in total (not needed to be present) when they aren't extremely busy and they asked for cash for the transaction. To my understanding, I paid about $40 for the whole semester, but I could've misunderstood. I'll provide an update as the next month approaches.
Student ID: This card is essential for attendance if your professor utilizes it, getting into the library, and even a debit/checking card if you set up an account at Woori Bank on campus. This takes a bit of time to complete so make sure to set time aside to complete this before school starts.
Converting Money: I had converted some money at the airport to get me through the first day or so. Nothing fancy, give them your currency and get theirs in return. Probably not the best rates, but convenience is a price to pay. There are places you can visit to get better exchange rates, but if you need money in a pinch you can visit the banks on campus or some locations in the area.
T-Money Card: This card is used for public transportation, and other things that I have yet to discover. They are obtainable at most convenience stores and come in many form factors. To add/reload money to the card you have to bring cash and ask the cashier for the appropriate transaction. There are also other alternatives to getting the T-Money card but this was the most convenient for me.
All of these processes under necessities, are things that should improve or are necessary to surviving in Korea from what I've gathered. That about wraps it up for me in this update. Until next time.