Hitting the Books

After two weeks of fun in Seoul, it was hard to get my mind back into school mode. I signed up for two classes at Yonsei: Introductory Psychology and Genetics. Classes here meet every day Monday-Thursday for 100 minutes each. There's a lot of material to cover in only a month so I was a little surprised by how fast paced the classes are. Luckily, all my classes are taught in English by visiting professors from the States. However, the majority of students in my classes are native Koreans who are currently going to school in the States.

The classes are pretty well organized and structured. I just wish I was able to experience more authentic Korean university life. Since this is the Yonsei International Summer School, it's run more like a Western school than a Korean one. Even though we live on campus, our dorms are located in their own secluded area known as the SK Global Village, separated from the main campus. It's quite nice and peaceful where we live, but the distance makes us feel a bit isolated from the rest of campus. The actual dorm is really nice though. Each room has its own bathroom and shower, along with an outdoor balcony. One big difference between Korean and American dorms is that in Korea, you have to take off your shoes as soon as you enter someone's house. So as soon as you enter your room, there's a little area with a shoe closet for you to take off your shoes before actually step in. I share a room with Lisa, and we both appreciate how this arrangement helps keeps our room clean from outside dirt.

Besides having nice living arrangements, SK Global Village is well-equipped with many facilities such as a 24 hour convenience store, cafes, and restaurants. There are also many local restaurants located just steps away from our dorm, where we can get dinner if we don't feel like going to the school cafeteria.

Yonsei has around 5 different student cafeterias that serve both Korean and Western style food. Instead of swiping your student ID card for a buffet style meal, Korean students have to line up and buy food tickets before entering the cafeteria. The menu of the day is posted on the wall so you can decide what you want to order. Once you tell the cashiers what you want to order, they'll hand you food tickets that you bring up to different stations in the cafeteria. The set up is kind of like a food court in a shopping mall, with different stands serving different style of food. There's usually a Korean food stand, a Western food stand, a noodle stand, and a snack food stand of some sort. First, you go to the side to grab a tray, utensils, and banchan (Korean side dishes). After, you line up at the stand, hand your ticket to the server, and receive your meal.

A typical Korean lunch

Students enjoying their food in the cafeteria

The system is pretty efficient, and I think a similar system in the States would help to ward off the dreaded Freshman 15. The meals are generally pretty healthy, since Koreans tend to eat a lot of vegetables with limited amounts of meat. The only thing that bothers me is getting water. Since a lot of Korean food is quite salty and spicy, I need to drink water while I eat. However, Koreans will just sip on soup or broth with their meals and drink water after they're done eating. In the cafeteria, there's no place to get water with your meal. The water station is located on your way out, after you've put away your tray and utensils. There's also napkins to wipe your mouth and mirrors to check for food in your teeth as you exit.

I'm nearly finished with my second week of classes at YISS, and I'm really enjoying school life in Korea. Time is going by a lot faster than I anticipated so I want to take full advantage of my time here.