This past weekend I managed to complete my assignments for coming week while still making time for a night of fun with Sarah, my roommate! We worked ALL morning and ALL afternoon before leaving for a fun Friday night in Meyong dong and Hongdae. :)

First, we shopped around Meyong dong for clothes and cosmetics. I bought a really cute summer shirt from H&M, and I loved buying new products from my favorite Korean cosmetics store, Nature Republic! I bought a Jeju clay sparkling mud cleansing cream and the Jeju mask foam cleanser, along with the Hawaiian fresh clay pack. (Maybe I will start writing a review of my FAVORITE products from Nature Republic, since I have tried so many!) We also went to the CD shop on the 3rd floor of the Nature Republic store near the Meyong dong subway exit #6.

After all the shopping, we got tired and decided to go get dinner in Hongdae, but before leaving I bought a few strawberry mochi on the street, and IT WAS SO GOOD. For those of you who enjoy red bean and strawberries, I highly recommend this street food treat! Basically, it is rice mochi with red bean paste wrapped around a strawberry...so so so so so good.

After shopping, we went to the Ugly Stove in Hongdae, and we had a great time drinking our Coronas and enjoying our steak dinners. We even splurged and had some cake for dessert: carrot cake for me, and a tiramisu for Sarah. I can't speak on the deliciousness of the tiramisu, but I can say that the carrot cake was just OK. It was missing that luscious taste...missing the delicious creamy taste somehow, and the cake was a little dry (so THAT'S why it had a scoop of ice cream on top...).

It was a great night of fun, and I'm so glad that my roommate is such a fun, nice, and all around great person and activity partner. Sometimes it's hard to find time to go out and do things during the end of the semester, but I think it's really important to work hard and take a break for fun!

Girls on the Town: Friday Night with Sarah!

So, with finals around the corner, I thought I'd blog about another one of my favorite study spots. Baskin Robbins is right outside of the Ewha Main Gate (walk straight out of the main gate for about 4 minutes), and I like to go there to study with friends in the afternoons.

I like getting the Regular Single ice cream (only 2,800 won!) and relaxing in the cool 2nd floor area. I enjoy studying with a lot of natural light in the day, and so the large windows in Baskin Robbins are really nice for this. I love the view!

Henry and I are good students :)

Cotton Candy Wonderland is delicious! (Regular Single serving size, or one scoop)

With finals approaching, one of the only ways for me to stay sane is by leaving my room and studying in some kind of cafe or lounge area. I seem to procrastinate more when I stay in my room for hours and hours and hours...this is bad with so many papers due by the end of the month!

Study Spot: Baskin Robbins!

I had a lot of fun with Henry and Carley in Hongdae over the weekend! First, we enjoyed a beer and delicious pork tacos at Gusto Taco located in Hongdae. I was pleasantly surprised! The atmosphere was so relaxed, and there was a lot of English being spoken (a lot of foreigners were there). The Mexican beer was such a treat! I hadn't had it in so long, and it really enhanced the flavors of my Pork Chipotle Tacos. :) See Gusto Taco's website for directions and menu!

After the delicious dinner, we  had fun petting doggies and having hot chocolate at the Sang Sang Puppy Cafe! It was hard to find at first because it had switched locations. Instead of it being near the Hongik Unversity main gate past the Edyia coffee shop, it had moved to a location nearer to the Hongdae playground (on a street with many bars). It was really nice to play with the puppies to unwind after a stressful week. The cafe was really clean, and all of the dogs seemed very clean and taken care of as well.

We left the puppy cafe around 10:00pm, and we enjoyed some casual street shopping in the busy Hongdae Saturday. Then Carley and I got some things from Paris Baguette before returning to the Ewha dorms. It was a very fun outing, and I highly recommend Gusto Taco and Sang Sang Puppy Cafe. It is a great way to spend an weekend evening outside of Edae!

Gusto Taco Hongdae + Sang Sang Puppy Cafe!

I usually work out in the Ewha Graduate Student Dormitory gym in the evenings. Though it is small, it still has quite a few treadmills, cycling machines, yoga mats, water tank, scales (only measuring weight in kg) barbell, and other various weight training machines. There is also a couple sets of 3lb hand weights to use. The gym is open 24/7, though it is closed during the times the yoga classes take place twice a week (from 6pm-7pm?).

I usually do my INSANITY workout DVDs in a small space in the middle of the room. I really like that there is a mirror along one side of the gym. I like being able to watch myself at times to make sure I am executing movements safely and healthily. This mirror also comes in handy when using the barbell for various barbell squats. The only issue I have with this gym is the fact that international male students sometimes come in and hog dumbbells and the barbell. Uggg!!! 

The ECC (Ewha Campus Complex building) has a gym with more running and cycling machines, but you have to pay about 40,000 won per month for membership. I just made this free gym work for me. But if you are more into machines for your exercise time, maybe consider the gym in the ECC, especially if you are really dedicated. I've seen the machines fill up so fast, especially beginning around 9pm every night excluding Friday and Saturday.

Ewha Graduate Dorm Gym

I really love the CNN cafe on the Ewha campus right by the international student dormitories (in the international education building). I just wanted to write a quick blog about this nice study spot, because I feel like it's affordable, it has nice wifi, and it is a comfy cafe for group presentation meetings because of the many tables and comfy chairs available on both the ground and 2nd floor.

Of course, it is expected that one will buy food or a beverage if they will be staying in the cafe to study. At the CNN cafe, the coffee is a bit cheaper than most cafes outside of Edae, and they have a large drink menu so that everyone can find a drink they like. They also serve warm food items such as french toast, hot dogs, and other sandwiches and pastries.

Last semester, they used to have the most delicious sandwiches, but something happened and they are gone now! I was sad to find out that those sandwiches aren't sold anymore! :0 But I recently tried the hot dog, and I have to say, it's the best hot dog I've had in Edae.

It's easy to procrastinate when trying to study alone in your dorm room. If you don't mind the friendly background noise of cafes during study, then definitely try this cafe to help you study for the fast-approaching finals!

Study Spot: CNN Cafe

Yesterday, my sweet boyfriend sent me a package! I knew he was sending it, and I even knew the items being shipped, but it just felt so good to receive something in the mail from him from over 7,000 miles away! He even included the most heart-warming hand-written letters. :3

The Ewha Graduate Dorm office called my dorm phone and told me my package was waiting for me. I took my student ID, and I was so happy to pick up my parcel because I was feeling quite homesick yesterday evening. It was perfect timing, because the package made me feel instantly closer to home and to my boyfriend.

A present from my boyfriend...my favorite character, Pusheen the Cat, on a shirt! He also sent the most romantic letters!

If you are about to begin a long distance relationship due to study abroad plans, then I highly suggest you and your significant other write letters to each other and also send items in the mail. Also, leave a favorite plushie or t-shirt for your loved one while you are away, and get them to give you something special of theirs as well. Having something of theirs to hold (something with sentimental value) when you are far away from them can help you remember the amazing times you spent together. 

I will be writing more about my long distance relationship later on! Keep on the lookout for more love posts! :D :D :D  

The Best Boyfriend: PACKAGE FROM THE US!

Since I've been trying to continue my healthy eating in Korea, I've been staying away from pizza, fried foods, alcohol, and sugar. Sometimes this makes it hard to eat out with friends and colleagues. But recently, I discovered a delicious and pretty healthy restaurant called Ugly Stove. The food is so good. There is something for everyone here! I have eaten dinner here on multiple occasions, and I always have consistently good service and food. 

There are many items in the long menu including delicious brunches, pastas, salads, steaks (pork, beef, and chicken steaks), desserts, and many beverage choices (alcohol, coffees, teas, smoothies...). They even have Starbucks coffee! Ugly Stove is really proud of the homemade ricotta, and you know what? IT IS SO GOOD! 

I liked the ricotta salad I ordered once, but I will warn you, it is REALLY sweet. The loved my last two beef steaks I ordered, though they were quite small and thin...a little tough sometimes. In general, for 15,000 won, I feel like the steak was worth it along with the potatoes, salad, ricotta, and sunny-side up egg, pineapple wedge, and mushrooms that come with the no. 6 steak. My friends who joined me always enjoyed their plates, and they mentioned that they would definitely recommend Ugly Stove to their friends.

 

Your Next Hongdae Brunch Destination: Ugly Stove!

Recently, my friend Henry introduced me to a  wonderful Thai and Vietnamese restaurant in Sinchon! It is hidden in a little side street near the main road, and it is becoming a really really popular eating spot. The wait can be long during peak dining hours, but the wait is usually worth it if you really desire the Thai flavors.

Carley's Pho

Henry, Carley, and I went not too long ago and feasted! We tried pad Thai (6,500 won for one order), Carley got some pho (6,500 won), and I ordered the tom yum soup (8,000 won). The flavors really surprised me. I have tried some not-so-good Thai and Vietnamese food in Korea previously, and so I really enjoyed the flavors tasting less Korean.


I liked that the pad Thai wasn't overly sweet, and that it came with egg, peanut, bean sprouts, and a lemon wedge (though I usually get lime wedges in the US). The tom yum soup was also quite tasty and spicy, and it came with a good number of shrimp in it. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that the soup had a lot of inedible lemon grass and bay leaves in it. I didn't taste Carley's pho, but she really enjoyed it. It was HUGE and had tons of beef!

My Tom Yum soup

Pad Thai

Delicious Thai food in Sinchon: Bangkok Express!

My second trip to a cat cafe was so much fun. Henry, my friend from Taiwan, and I went to Hongdae and had a great time petting all the sweet cats at Hello Cat Cafe. I really enjoyed it because there was a cute naked cat there! For those who don't know, I LOVE NAKED CATS. My choco milk drink was also so adorably cat-themed (drinks were in the 6,000-8,000 won range), and in general, the atmosphere was really laid back and fun.

We had to take our shoes off upon entrance, and we also had to disinfect our hands. The cafe's policies regarding treatment of the cats was offered in both English and Korean, so that was nice. The facility seemed to be clean, and the employees were kind. The kitties seemed happy and healthy, and that made have a more enjoyable experience.

The cats were very friendly for the most part. Maybe it was because we went a little later in the day, around...8? I really had fun relaxing and getting a some oxytocin flowin'. :)

Hongdae Cat Cafe with Henry-shii!

This semester has been full of so many emotions, adventures, and friends (some old, and some new!). I have finally returned to my blog since taking a blogging hiatus for...pretty much all of Winter break...and even during most of this Spring semester....oops! I've never been very good at blogging consistently. :( But I thought I'd try to start up Seoul Kissed again in order to share my final days at Ewha! I also would like to look back on these blog posts in the future to remember how my study abroad here in Korea really changed my life.

So much of my life has changed since the end of last semester. I fell in love with an amazing man back home during the Winter break, and I started living a much more healthy lifestyle (taking care of my body, getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, drinking more water, etc). I am preparing for my senior year at my home university, and I am already thinking about what I'll be doing after graduation (work, graduate school, something else?!). This semester is really making me realize how close I am to finishing my undergraduate career. This is a scary thought. 4 years goes by so so quickly! Definitely make the most of your college career by studying abroad. :)

So, I just felt compelled to write this short blog post as the beginning of my blogging for my second, and last, semester here at Ewha. I'll continue to blog about my experiences until the end of this semester....June 17th, 2015! Looking forward to sharing my many experiences on Seoul Kissed!

Until next time,
Chloe

I'm back!

This past semester at Ewha has been such an incredible experience. I learned so much about Korean and Chinese history and politics in my classes, and I am so happy with my progress in the Korean language after completing the Ewha Language Center's Korean 1a and 1b program. Now I am back in Atlanta enjoying the Christmas holidays with my family...a well-deserved break!

My grades this semester were good, though I was scared about a couple of classes, Korean being one of them. I was put into an accelerated Korean I class...but things turned out OK! By the end of the course, my beginning Korean knowledge increased by 100%! My Chinese politics class was quite difficult because of the subject. So much dry reading that went on and on and on! But by the end of the semester, I was able to finish a final research paper, presentation, and written final exam on the topics covered in class. I feel much more aware of contemporary issues in East Asia after this course with Dr. Sei Jeong Chin. Religions in Modern Korea was an interesting class, but I don't recommend this course because the exams were fill-in-the-blank...a.k.a., an easy class to fail if you're not studious. My favorite course was called "Everyday Cultures in Modern Korea" with Dr. Sang Ho Ro. His lectures were quite interesting and he was a funny professor.



Aside from my coursework, I learned a great deal about myself and my wonderful country through experiencing life in fabulous Seoul! I also never imagined I could meet so many genuinely kind, brilliant, and amazing individuals - both Korean citizens and fellow international students - through studying abroad in Asia. This very special opportunity to spend time abroad has changed me as a person: it has allowed me to participate in a different culture than my own, it has enabled me to expand and strengthen my views on social and political issues, and it has given me an opportunity to live life as a global citizen.

I'll Be Home for Christmas: Home for Winter Break!

Today was a chill Saturday. I got lunch with a friend in Edae, and then we tried a new cafe, Café D'ate, that opened just recently near Sinchon.

The cafe had really nice decor, and the open window design is a great study spot with natural lighting. The coffee was really good (as always, I try the Americano) and the coffee was reasonably priced. The large Americano was only 3,000 won! I think that the Americano definitely beats Cafe Bene's large Americano!

After chatting in the cafe for a while, we decided to go by Eclair Hair so my friend could get a cut and style. Eclair Hair is close to Ewha - it's actually right down the street from the Ewha main gate. It was really fancy...TV's, fake leather comfy chairs, plush pillows, and the staff were extremely polite (bowing, asking if I wanted a drink, thanking us). There were also mirrors everywhere...too many mirrors!

It seemed like the hairdressers really loved hair. They cut and cut and cut. They made sure every single hair was in the right position.  They even had hair assistants who were on stand by with a rolling cart of extra tools, products, and supplies. My friend was kind if disappointed in the hairstyle, but it looked good anyway. It was a very Korean look! And it was pretty cheap - only 18,000 won after student discount!

Inside of Eclair Hair...note the comfy chairs :)

Café D'ate & Eclair Hair

This post is way over due! Last month, I biked along the Han River with friends...it was way more fun than I expected! We went to the Ewha Subway Station and took line 2 to Hapjeong Station. I used this blog post to decide how to get to the Han River, but when we got out of Hapjeong Station, we still had to walk a few miles before even getting to the Han. Then there was even more walking trying to find the bike rental place...next time, I will try another method of getting to the Han River. I don't suggest taking line 2 to Hapjeong if you can't handle very much walking.

When we finally got our bikes, it was such a great feeling. After all the walking, riding with the cool wind in your face felt great.The day we rode, the sun was overcast, so it felt very nice and cool. It is hard for me to believe that I have not ridden a bike in nearly 7 years. Time really, really flies!

The bike trails at the Han River were nice, but there was not much to see along certain paths. As expected, everyone biked on the right side of the road, and people would pass by in the opposite direction on the left. There is a nice view of the Han River while riding along the main path, though, and there are places to stop biking to walk along the river. There are also rest stops along the biking roads where you can stop and take a rest.

After riding on my bike for a long time, we stopped, and I was able to try riding on a tandem! The tandem is so much fun when you get used to it. I have a picture on the tandem with my tall friend, Juha, but I had to switch partners so I could ride in the front (he was too tall for me to sit in the front because his handlebars were too low because of my height). Thankfully, there was another friend who rode with me on the tandem. We were probably going way too fast, but it was so cool to pedal in sync with another person.

After biking for a little over an hour, we decided to get lunch in Sinchon. We took the subway back, and we ate at an all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurant. Biking the Han River with friends is definitely a must-do experience for anyone who visits South Korea! That day was definitely a day I'll remember long after leaving Seoul...

Biking Along The Han River

This past weekend has been so much fun. We did not have school on Friday because of a Korean holiday, National Foundation Day, so I hung out with friends, ate good food, shopped in Edae, Hongdae, and Sinchon, and enjoyed the beautiful changing weather. It is beginning to feel like Autumn in Seoul!

I met with my Ewha PEACE buddy, Minji, and two other international friends for lunch. Ken is from Brazil, and Ha is from Vietnam. I am so happy to be able to meet and get to know such interesting, smart, and kind people. Living in the Samsung International House has been a great experience for me, as I was able to make friends from all over the world, like Ken and Ha!

We ate at a small restaurant that made "steaks" close to Ewha called Popo Tree. The food was actually pretty good, and the menu consisted of mostly affordable meals. I would definitely go back again. (Read a review of Popo Tree here)

After lunch, we did a little bit of shopping around Edae, and then we decided to head back to campus. Ha left, as she was going shopping with another friend. But last minute, we decided to stop and get churros! The cafe was in a side alley walking away from Ewha's main gate on the right, but I forgot its name. The ice cream and churros really hit the spot! And I really enjoyed sitting outside under the bright blue sky of Autumn. It was a good day. :)

Friday Fun in Edae