Amy's Travel Diary

(I really should be sleeping.)

So it’s Day 2 of wonderful Seoul and it is lovely here. The weather takes some getting used to but the cold winds (oh, so cold) are manageable and it’s such a thrill seeing everything covered in snow.

Some introductions are in order! Here is my room, in Crimson House.

I realise that I don’t have a photo of me and my fellow travelers together, so that will have to wait until next time. On to the important part of this post:

Our first Korean BBQ in Korea itself! There was an awkward moment in the restaurant where we didn’t know how much the food actually cost. Then we realised it was a buffet and just went for it after that. It was only 9,500 won per person, which is around $11 in sing dollars, which is pretty dang cheap.

We also went to Lotte Mart, and bought a bunch of groceries, but other than that, these past few days have been rather uneventful. Will update soon with more news!

I’m starting to count off all of the Lasts before I go. The last time I see my homebound friends, the last home-cooked meal, the last cup of bubble tea. It seems so sad when I put it like that; I’m just being dramatic, probably. (It’s only 4 months.) Besides, when I step off the plane, there will be a whole host of Firsts that I’ll get to do.

So, I’m feeling slightly less panicky and more excited about Korea, which is good. There are so many things I want to do there, and I’m determined (or at least half-determined) not to be a hermit and hide away in my room all the time, and go out and be adventurous! There’s skiing, which I hope we will get to do before school starts. I also want to go travelling within the country, to Jeju Island, Everland theme park (squee!), and maybe the countryside area as well. And also there’s the Studio Mir that’s in Seoul, which hopefully allows visitors so I can go and see the place where Legend of Korra was animated. And the shoppinggggg.

I just hope now that I will be able to adapt quickly once I reach there. The temperature when I touch down will be around -3 to 6 degrees, which is just… yikes.

It is 7 days before I have to go and it seems just about right that I begin this blog now. Honestly, I am starting to miss things I am not even away from yet. My bed, my mom, the convenience of knowing where everything is and the ease of getting what I need. The idea of suddenly being wrenched apart from comfortable Singapore is so terrifying now, even though I’ve been looking forward to this for so long and I know I’ll love it there.

But I feel so unprepared for this, the way I feel a flash of surprise when I wake up on Christmas morning and realise that it is Christmas morning, like I didn’t see it coming, when the streets have been filled with lights and sponsor-logo-printed decorations since October. Where did all my time go?

In 8 days, I will wake up in the morning and be in a different country, where the people speak a different tongue (hopefully one that I will be fluent in by the end of my 4-month stay). Until then, I shall do my best to rein in my unwarranted anxiety, finish packing, and hopefully find a proper theme for this blog.