1 More month before I finally go to Japan!

So Here I am posting for the first time on a blog! Feels weird to be posting on a blog since I have never done something like this before! Lol. Anyway I'm sorry if this is gonna be sloppy on my first post, but here are my feeling about how I am feeling with one month away from now.

My feelings when it comes to everything I have done when I first dreamed of going to Japan to where I am at now with me going to Japan in a month has been one rollercoaster ride for sure. I always loved the Japanese culture as a kid, and I would take Japanese language classes all through out high school to learn how to speak and write in Japanese which is amazing. Honestly I felt a sense of anxiety when it came in believing that I can actually go to Japan, and finally travel away from my home island Oahu for once in my life. All my life I always wished to travel away from this island, but never was able to. Honestly there were roughly three different scenarios where I was close to traveling for once.

The first time I was close to traveling was back in 7th grade where I was a part of robotics club. It was pretty much, where our team won the local championships here on Oahu, and we were chosen to go to California and Compete with other robotic teams throughout the U.S. Pretty amazing right? Well, there was a problem, I was the only person on my team who couldn't go because of budget issues. Of course I took it with a grain of salt and understand why. Fast forward to my 8th grade year, we were qualified again to compete in world finals in California, and I thought I could finally go and travel, but of course I was the ONLY ONE that couldn't go. This time it was "budget issues" and they needed more "important" team members to participate, this hurt me so much I can never forget how depressed I was for that moment.

The Final "Nail in the Coffin" where I pretty much gave up on traveling was 9th grade in high school, where I was, of course, part of the robotics team. As you already get at this point we pretty much won the local tournament here and blah blah, but guess what? I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD NOT GO! Why? Well now it was simply where I was told in my face that I was not important to the team at all and it hurt me so much. At that point I gave up on my dreams of traveling and decided it would be best to give up trying to travel to Japan altogether.

However, as I started going to HPU and hearing about there study abroad program here, I felt a sense of hope that I can actually go to Japan someday, and after 3 years of asking for info and how there program worked, I felt a sense of relief and joy that I finally was able to do something, that I have dreamed about for so long, and for once I feel like everything I was told in the past has just disappeared. Its been a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and all I can say when I was told that my University in Japan and the study abroad advisors accepted me I finally let out tears of joy knowing that I waited so long for this to happen and its finally happening, no games, no gimmicks!

Anyway I'm sorry if this is a long and emotional first blog, but I just want to leave this by saying, that if you keep on believing and waiting, your time will come. I hope my story Inspires some people who are unsure about traveling or feel like they can't do it, because let me tell you, YOU CAN DO IT. Don't give up. And keep your head up.(^-^)

Concerts in South Korea

Since I was about nine-years-old, I had been listening to kpop. However, ten years later, my interest dwindled. However, I still listen to my fair share and care enough about two groups (one currently inactive atm) to stay updated.

About three weeks before I arrived in Korea, I had purchased a concert ticket to watch one of my (only) favorite kpop groups: Seventeen! In fact, a week before I had arrived in South Korea, I had actually seen Seventeen as they were performing in Los Angeles. It felt only right for me to buy yet ANOTHER ticket to see them less than two weeks later. I won't bore you with the details of the concert but in short words, it was an incredible experience.

With that being said, one of my biggest takeaways is the difference between concerts in America vs. concerts in Korea.

First things first, you are not allowed to be filming during concerts!

This was came as a sad surprise to me. One of the best parts of a concert is leaving your snapchat story an hour long for all your friends to enjoy, right? I actually thought I could get away with it towards the end of the concert but one of the staff took my phone and deleted all the videos I had taken (even ones that did not even have the artist in it).

Second, the artists feel INCREDIBLY genuine towards their fans.

I had seen this group three times in Los Angeles performing alongside other kpop groups before finally seeing them in their own concert in Korea. It is quite unexplainable but seeing the way the artists interacted with their fans is something I had never seen or felt in any concert I had been to, whether it be a Bruno Mars concert or any other kpop concert.

Third, the connection between the fans and the artist.

This relates to the previous one, but focuses more on the fans. Whenever I would go to concerts in the states, I feel as if fans are so caught up with being noticed by their favorite artist. I didn't feel that here. I truly felt the fans were there to support the artists and enjoy the music in the most wholesome way.

Despite being to a wide range of concerts and music festivals, I can say that the concert-going experience in Korea is like nothing I have ever experienced. In fact, I enjoy it more.

Preparing for Soonchunhyang University

Soonchunhyang University

So you want to go to South Korea and of all the schools you choose to go to Soonchunhyang University, well there are a handful of things that you need to know before getting there to start your semester adventures.

Arriving in the Country

I didn't have to worry about getting from the airport to the school because I had my own form of transportation.... family.  I was also there several days before I needed to even be there.  I did though get information about the experience from the people I made friends with during the semester.  

Everyone was told to meet up at the A gate, but depending on when your flight arrives, it could be a very long wait.  Incheon has a baggage holder that you could use to store your luggage.  Incheon International Airport also has things to do such as a museum and even a movie theater.  Personally, I would have just gone and seem multiple movies.  When meting up with others, be ready to wait a while, but use this to your advantage.  Make friends with the people around you, they will be everywhere with you for the next 4 months.  

Campus

GV - Global Villiage

One of the study lounges in GV

When you arrive at Soonchunhyang University, they will immediately be taking you right up to Global Village.  This will be the dorms you are staying in for the next 4+ months.  They are not the greatest dorms in the world, but they are functional.  In all honesty that was enough for even me.  The suites are set with 6 rooms and 2 bathrooms.  There are going to be a total of 12 people in a suite and 2 people per room.  The rooms were small, but the living spaces was functional.  It sounds like a lot and most people did not like the idea at first.  Even I was very skeptical, but it turned out to be great and a lot of fun.  About half way though the semester I learned my room was not functional to like in anymore.  The heater was not working and I spend more time freezing than actually enjoying my quite space.  The head RA ended up moving me and my roommate to another room.

My second room of the semester

As a warning though, PLEASE CLEAN EVERYTHING BEFORE USING!!!  I was the first to arrive in my suite and it was disgusting.  The bathrooms were gross and I didn't feel comfortable until I cleaned everything.  Don't just wait for others to arrive.  Go do it already.
There are also things that you will need to buy before the semester starts.  Toilet paper and cleaning supplies is a must.  There are also smaller things that you may want.  Items like hangers, hairdryers, and even metal wall hooks.  There is a store right at the bottom of the hill is where you can get food and all the house hold supplies.
There is also a Daiso down the street where you can get everything very cheap.  This is the best place to get small makeup products, school supplies and anything else you might want.  In the first week of being at Soonchunhyang I am positive I was there everyday.  Love that store.  

Death Stairs #1

 Also, on the way to the dorms on the bus, you will notice driving up a pretty decent sized hill.  Four words, GET USE TO IT!  The campus is built on a mountain and there are a lot of hills and stairs.  I am not joking..... who needs a workout routine when you have to walk up and down the hills and stairs all the time.  The stairs are absolutely everywhere and they are huge!  I'm surprised I never fell down them.  Thank goodness it didn't snow or ice over while I was there or else I might have slipped.  

Now, based on what I just said about falling, do yourself a favor and just purchase the medical coverage from the school.  It is only $50 at the beginning of the semester.  I didn't do that and kept mine from home and it turned out to be a very bad situation for me.  Only when I wasn't prepared, I was getting hurt.  I had multiple injuries while I was here from falling off a skateboard to spraining my foot in taekwondo right before finals.  That was the worst one, I am still recovering from my sprain as I write this blog.  So do yourself a favor and just buy it.  It will save a lot of time later on if needed...... please trust me on this.

University Festival

Start of the night

End of the night

Every September and May is university festival season.  This is called 대동제 (Daedongjae).  It is a 3 day event that has a concert every night.  I think this was the most fun event that the whole school actually attended.  The crowds were amazing, I don't think I have ever seen that many students at an HPU event ever.  It was cool to see all the Korean students with all their different Major jackets.  I even have a major jacket now and it is my favorite thing that I got from Soonchunhyang University.  At the festival there are games and singing competitions.  They were fun to watch and I could have joined in, but let's be honest...... I'm a wuss.  I couldn't do that even if I wanted too.  I went to day one and we got to see BOL4 as the concert.  It was super exciting.  Day 2 I did not go to because I had homework.  Everyone wanted to go to day 3 because Zico was going to be there, but the whole event was cancelled due to rain.  Everyone was devastated.  The joke for the rest of the semester was "R.I.P. ZICO".

Coffee Hour

Coffee Hours are one of the mandatory events that you have to go to, but they are fun and entertaining.  Plus they give you free food.  Don't think of them as the end of the world.  It is a great excuse to go hang out with people and make friends.  There are 2 throughout the semester.  They are fun, trust me.

Global Day

HAWAII BOOTH

I made the frame with the help of my group; Nelly and Nami(UH)

Global day was another event we had.  It is where we all choose to represent out country or state.  There were stands for Mongolia, China, Uzbekistan, California and Canada.  There were many more, but that would be a long list.  I ran the Hawaii booth with the help of my team members Nami (left, UH Manoa) and Nelly (center, University of Texas).  We played games and even made food that represented where we were from.  For Hawaii, we made musubi. We also had a photo booth where everyone could take photos and it was fun.  Making the frame was the hardest thing.  It took 12 hours to make.... probably should have made it more in advance, but who has time for that.  Personally, I think that Hawaii had the best booth.  

Netherlands- Markthal

The Markthal in Rotterdam is amazing! It's a huge building with a ton of food vendors inside. If you go down a floor, there are stores for shopping. What's even cooler: the outside are apartments! If you look at the third picture I've posted, you can see the balconies of the apartments. You could go to Markthal every week and never get tired of it. The food is absolutely amazing, and it's pretty easy to order there as there will always be at least one person who speaks English at the vendors. Many people I know didn't have problems finding English servers/menus in the Netherlands, but if you live in a smaller town like I did (Schiedam, in case you'd like to check it out), I ran into this problem a lot, so it was a relief to be able to go somewhere to eat and know there won't be trouble being understood. Another SUPER cool attraction in this same area is the cube houses. You can see them in the last picture I've posted. There is even someone who has rented one out specifically for the purpose of letting people tour the inside (how nice!), and I definitely recommend taking the time to peek through! The architecture is incredible.
If you're interested in checking out this area, you can get there by taking a train or metro to the Blaak station. Another helpful tip that I should've included in my first post, is that while you can get public transit directions on the regular Maps app on your phone, one option that is a bit more accurate on timing, and is especially helpful to figure out directions for longer trips, is to go online to 9292.nl. I also think there is an app for it as well!

Netherlands- Madurodam

Madurodam!!! This was one of the things I was most excited about seeing. Madurodam is an amusement park in The Hague/Den Haag that is a miniature version of Holland! I love tiny things, so it was super duper cool to see the whole country in a tiny version! They even miniature trains, boats, cars, and planes moving around. I spent HOURS there and took hundreds of photos. The first two pictures are an overview of the whole park. The last two I included to show that they also have interactive pieces. Not only is everything fun to look at, they also have a few attractions that teach you some history about the Netherlands! I don't want to go too much into detail and spoil the fun of being there in person, so all I have left to say is 10/10 recommend!

Cierra Wall

Netherlands

Erasmus University Rotterdam

NL First Impressions

Before I start typing out details on my first impressions during my study abroad, I'd like this post to be educational/helpful to anyone going to a different country for the first time! I was a bit lost figuring everything out at first, and I feel like a little more research on my part definitely could've helped.
The first day was pretty hard, I'm not going to lie. Right off the bat, before I even left the airport, I was unable to read my address correctly so that I could call an uber to take me there. One helpful tip: the addresses in the Netherlands (probably also in the rest of Europe as well) are formatted a bit differently than they are in the United States. For example, the address of my apartment was:

Stationsplein 6
3112 HJ Schiedam

I had no clue how to decipher this. If you find yourself in the same predicament, Stationsplein 6 is the street address. 3112 HJ is their "zip code" and Schiedam is the name of the city/town.
P.S. This apartment building is one that mostly houses international students for a good price! It is also right next to Schiedam Centraal, which made it very easy to catch a ride somewhere. It is called "The Campus" in case you are interested in taking a look.

Another problem I ran into is that I had no clue that the outlets would be different. I hope that I don't come off as incredibly stupid for not knowing this, but different outlets are not particularly something I had on my mind when preparing for this trip. So, I had gotten to my apartment pretty late in the afternoon, and most stores in the Netherlands close very early (around 5pm). Now, of course, this depends on what city you live in, but I lived in a smaller town, so most businesses were not open late. I had to rush out so that I'd have a way of charging my phone and laptop.

**Here's one super important piece of advice: They do not have all-inclusive stores like Walmart/Target! You have to go to a separate grocery/electronics/hygiene store. Because I had no clue what stores I should be looking for, it took me about 2 weeks to find my hair products (although I do have curly hair, so I'm a bit pickier about my shampoo/conditioner brands).

Here are some stores you can look for if you decide to visit the Netherlands!

• Kruidvat (hair/body wash/over-the-counter medicine)
• Albert Heijn (groceries)
• Dirk van den Broek (groceries)
• MediaMarkt (electronics)
• HEMA (decor/home/some options for hair/skin needs)
• SPAR (grocery/convenient store-- usually stays open later than other stores)
• ALDI (groceries-- They also have these in the U.S.!)

Now that we've gotten that rough start out of the way, here are a few things I liked about the Netherlands:

The public transportation system is so amazing!! If you've ever taken the bus in Hawaii, you know how frustrating it can be having to use public transportation, but I promise it is a completely different system in the Netherlands. My step dad worked there for a while, so he had already given me a visitor's transit card that I could fill up at any metro/train station. I have heard that it's a bit cheaper if you apply to have a personalized transit card, but I didn't think it was necessary with all the paper work. The public transportation that you can use with your card includes bus, metro, train, and tram. For school, I rode the metro because it was the fastest option. If you're traveling to other cities, you'll most likely be taking the train, which is nice because you will most likely have a view of the beautiful country. For future reference, if you plan on taking the train somewhere, you have to have at least 15 Euros on your transit card before it will let you through the gates. I can't tell you how many trains I almost missed because I was short a few cents. Also, with the public transportation, you will always have some way of getting home (usually bus or train in the later hours) without spending a ton of money on an Uber. It was so easy for me to figure out their public transportation system and travel around to different cities on my own! Another popular option, which I'm sure you know, is biking! (Fun fact: There are more bikes than people in the Netherlands!)

The social/night life is also really great! There is almost always some event going on, especially in Rotterdam. You'll never run out of clubs/bars to go to. I recommend joining Facebook groups/joining a group message with other international students to stay updated on all the fun things to do!

I hope this was helpful to anyone looking at the Netherlands!

Cierra Wall

Netherlands

Erasmus University Rotterdam

A Travelers Paradise - South Korea

Traveling!!

Let me be completely honest, we as students choose to go abroad to study, that is a given.  There are also experiences that we can have while abroad at a different location that are just not the same at our home university.  We also chose to study abroad just because we wanted to travel.  There is just something amazing and fun about going off and exploring a place we didn't know much about and gaining first hand experiences.  In my opinion South Korea has some of the best ways of transportation to get all over the country.  It is amazing and very well planned out.

Modes of Transportation

Korea has many modes of transportation to get from one place to another.  It can be confusing and intimidating, but trust me.... it is a lot simpler than it seems.  There are Subway and bus apps that you can get on your phone that will be of the best use.  Two of the best I have seen are Kakao Bus and Kakao Metro.  These are the best apps because they also tell you what is around and what time the trains actually arrive.  This has been a huge help all semester.  Before coming to school in Korea, it would be best to download the apps and then check what stations you need to go to and from.  

The express buses are great way to travel on a budget.  The can connect you will cities all over the country.  They have places such as the big cities like Busan, Deagu, and even smaller places such as Gongju.  Pricing depends on where you are going.  

Obviously, the further away; the more expensive the ticket is.  Don't let that discourage you though.  A bus from Seoul to Busan takes around 5 hours but only costs around 23,000 won ($20).  That is super cheap.  They are definitely much cheaper and if you have a Korean student ID, then you could easily gain an 2,000 won discount on your ticket.  To buy these tickets you can either go to the machines or even to the desk.  In my experience, going to the desk is much simpler and less of a hassle.

Seoul KTX Station

The KTX train is one of many different kinds of express trains that go throughout the South Korean peninsula.  It is one of the fastest trains in the country.  The ticket costs can vary depending on what kinds of seat you get.  To stand it can from Sinchang to Seoul it is 7,000 won ($6).  Getting a sitting seat costs around 13,000 wont to 14,000 won ($12-$13).  These trains are extremely fast and very convenient for getting from one place to the next.  A trip from my school to Seoul only takes around 30 minutes by KTX.  These trains are also very punctual, very rarely are they late, maybe on a big holiday they could run a few minutes late.  

To buy the tickets, there are 3 ways.  You could buy the tickets online (ask a Korean student for help),  use the machines at the station to buy the tickets, or you can also go up to the counter and purchase the tickets.  When buying in person you can use English because most of the staff speak enough to understand what you want.  

T-card used to Pay for subways and city buses

The most basic mode of transportation is the subway system and inner city bus routes.  These trains are fast and can go a very far, but there is of course a limit as to where they can go.  Each of the major cities in South Korea.  Seoul has the largest and most intricate subway system in the country.  There are over 100 stations that can go from my University at Soonchunhyang (Sinchang Station) all the way to Soyosan Station which is 32 km from the DMZ.  Here at Sinchang I am 87.2 km from Seoul Station.  That is over 150 km distance wise. 

The subways are a very good way to travel especially if you are on a budget.  I can go from Sinchang to Seoul Station on less that $3.  The trip can easily take around 3 hours that.  It is a long ride, but it is worth it for saving money.  

All you would need is a card known as a T-Card.  Almost all convenient stores sell them and are very easy to get.  Prices can vary depending on the design.  Mine was around 5,000 won ($4).  Then all you have to do if charge the card with money.  There are machines in all of the subways to add money to your balance and they are very easy to use.  The machines can be translate in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese.  These cards can be used on the subway, bus, and even taxis.  

Places to Go!

Gangnam Stule Statue by the Gangnam COEX
Easiest way to get here is by subway.

Gong-ju Fortress
Easiest way to get here is by the express bus or car

Gong-ju Hanok Villiage
Easiest way to get here is by express bus or car

Hanbok in Gong-ju

Another part of the Haonok Villiage

Gwanghwamun, Seoul Chirstmas lights
Easiest way to get here is by subway

Line Friends shop in Myeongdong, Seoul
Easiest way to get here is by subway

Namsan Tower, Seoul
Easiest way to get here by subway and bus

Namdaemun Gate, Seoul
Easiest to get here by subway

Onyang Lake, Asan
Easiest to get here by city bus.

HAPPY TRAVELS!