I Left My Soul in Seoul

Yeejkim Yang is a student at University of Wisconsin – Whitewater and an ISA Featured Blogger. Yeejkim studied abroad with ISA in Seoul, South Korea.

The semester has ended and I am no longer writing this in the comfort of my dorm room of Konkuk University. I had to say one of the hardest goodbyes to the friends I’ve met here. I’ve met so many good and unforgettable friends around the globe whom I’m going to miss dearly. The only way to see them again is if I visit them. Why not? Now I have another excuse to travel. I’m going to miss so much about this country. The list is never-ending, but here are a few things that I’ll miss most:

Kondae

I am going to miss the Kondae area so much. Kondae is just a 10 minute walk from campus and there you can do whatever you desire with your group of friends. I’m going to miss spending 95% of my nights there and the wonderful night life of Kondae. No more hearing K-Pop being played everywhere in this area. There is no area like this at home that will remind me of this beautiful area. These past few days I’ve just been sitting at home at night, wishing I can just take a 10 minute walk to a lively area like Kondae.

Walking

This is a big surprise to me that I actually miss walking! Once I got home, my brother picked me up from the airport and dropped me off at church. From church, my parents drove me home. It didn’t feel natural to be driven everywhere again. I just wanted to get out of the car and walk! But of course that was not doable considering the public transportation isn’t as great as the Seoul Metro.

Transportation

I love the Seoul Metro. I love how easy it is to get anywhere in Seoul. No car needed. I’m going to miss how cheap it is to get to one side of the city to the other.

Scenery

The many skyscrapers with the mountains way in the back is a sight I can never get sick of. Views from tall rooftops where you can see the whole area under you will only be in my pictures and mind now. I will also miss the rooftop gardens seen on most skyscrapers and tall buildings.

Heated Floors

I didn’t know how effective this was until I stepped back into my room and my feet were freezing. Also, my heat only comes in the room from one direction. With the floors being heated, the heat can rise altogether and can even out the temperature of the room. Now I must find a way to engineer this into my room back at home.

Friends

I’ve met a great amount of people, all around the world, whom I now consider very close to me. I will cherish every memory that I’ve made with these people. It’s just saddening to me that I had to say my goodbyes. But like I said, saying bye to them just motivates me to meet them in their country. This is definitely not the last goodbye to any of them. I will see them all again in the future.

Food

Of course I’ll miss the food, no brainer. I’m going to miss the tasty and spicy Korean food so much. I’m going to miss sharing food amongst everyone on the table. I’m going to miss pressing that button in the middle of the table that gets the waiter’s/waitress’s attention. But what I will miss the most is how cheap the food is! Food does taste a lot better when it’s cheaper! Just thinking about having to pay tax and tip again brings me to an uncomfortable state. Eating out will be such a pain now.

Noraebongs

I wish I could bring home at least one of the thousands of noraebongs in Seoul. Each room decked out with loud speaker systems and the disco ball with comfortable couches and big screen TV’s where you can just sing your heart out. It would be lovely to have one of the thousands of noraebongs in Seoul around my hometown.

Random Celebrity Spotting

Traveling Seoul on your free time with a lot of luck on your side can land you a visit from a Korean celebrity. Oh how great it felt to see random celebrities just walking around like regular people.

Shopping

I don’t even like shopping but for the price that the clothes, I’m a shop-aholic here. From underground shopping, street shopping, Dongdaemun (and the haggling that comes with it), I’m going to miss it all.

I’m sure I’m missing a lot of things that I will also miss. This experience has taught me so much. It was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.  I’ve had the best experiences ever these past 4 months. Until we meet again Seoul.

---

Tired of the status quo and ready to try something new? Yeah, we’ve definitely been there too. Here you go.