This week I was finally starting school. After almost 1 and a half months of relaxing and having fun in Korea, I was refreshed and rejuvenated and prepared to start school. Everything was going well until Thursday I played basketball and just so happened to injure my leg. Unable to walk, I had to ask my friend to take me to the hospital to see what the problem was. I first went to the Korea University Hospital and they took an x-ray and told me that there is a small chance of having a torn ligament. My coordinator for the flagship program then recommended me to check out a different hospital that specializes in bones and ligaments just to be safe. Sure enough, after an MRI examination, I had torn my ACL and had to get surgery. This was my first time getting surgery and being away from home at the same time made me even more anxious. Thankfully I had many caring friends who helped me get through this process and I was able to have a successful surgery. Hopefully my leg will heal quickly so that I can get back to focusing on school and enjoying my time in Korea.
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This week I got to go to Everland with my Flagship program for free. We went together with our teachers and the staff of the program and rode a bus to the amusement park. It was about an hour and a half ride and since it was early in the morning, I decided to take a short nap. On arrival, the first thing that everyone wanted to do was ride the biggest roller coaster there which was T-express. This roller coaster is made entirely of wood and I had ridden it before and it was really fun. However, today I was not feeling good and decided to sit out. So, instead of riding rides, me and a few other friends decided to go to an exhibition in the park. At the exhibition, we got to learn more about Korean history and also use VR (Virtual Reality) headsets which were really cool. After that, we spent some time exploring and finally it was time to go.
This week was also the week of orientation for school and when i would be meeting my KUBA group and buddy. KUBA, which is a club solely created for exchange students was made to allow Koreans and foreigners to be able to exchange and interact with each other. It was also made to help foreigners that are unfamiliar with Korea to get adjusted to the country more quickly with the help of the Korean members. Since KUBA is an active group with many events, I am looking forward to meeting a lot of new people and also participating in many events. This week, my friend brought me to a dance competition where many renowned dancers battled against each other to compete in the finals of this competition. In this competition, there were 3 different styles of dancing and they were popping, locking, and break dancing. It was very fun to watch, even though I didn't really enjoy dancing myself and had no real interest in dancing. The performers were amazing and had skill sets that I had never seen before. My friend also told me that Koreans were known for break dancing and told me how most of these guys were world famous dancers (my friend has an interest in dancing and does popping and break dancing). Below are some videos of some of these amazing dancers: Even though I practically knew nothing about dancing, I knew that these guys were very skilled. I was glad I could watch these professionals show off their skills and hopefully I will be able to attend another event like this in the near future.
Known for holding the world's largest department store in the world and many beaches, Busan is a great place to visit and feels like an entirely different place compared to Seoul. Home to more than 3 million people, the people in Busan speak with an accent that is slightly different from the standardized Korean. It is very similar to comparing a person from England and a person from USA. While in Busan, I was able to eat lots and lots of delicious food. I was even able to visit the famous department store which currently holds the record for being the largest in the world. Carrying over 10 floors, this department store has a golfing range, and ice rink, and a sauna, which is pretty amazing for any department store to be holding. That's not all, they even have a movie theater located on the 9th floor. One of the best parts about this trip was being able to visit the beach and just hang out with friends. Hearing the ocean waves and the smell of salt water really reminded me of home and about the journey I took to get here. As a boy from Hawaii, the beach was nowhere nice as the beaches that I was used to but it was still a great place with a beautiful view of the city. I am definitely planning to try to visit this place one more time before I leave.
This week I was able to partake in the 3rd annual Sinchon Water Gun Festival (신촌 물총 축제). Located close to Yonsei University, the entire road of Sinchon is closed off for this event and many people (mainly college students) come to participate and just have fun in this event. Unfortunately for me, I did not own a water gun nor was I wearing the right attire for this event so all I could do was watch and try my best to not get wet. Overall, it was a fun event even though I was just a spectator. If given the opportunity again, next time I would definitely come prepared.
After returning back to Seoul, it hit me just how hot and humid that it got during the summer. In Hawaii, the temperatures were a lot hotter but standing under a tree or a building with shade would give you temporary relief from the blazing sun. However, here in Korea, there is almost no escape from the heat because the humidity here is almost always over 60%. Luckily, pretty much every store or restaurant that you enter has an air conditioner to give you that much needed relief from the sauna- like conditions outside. This first week, I found myself eating frequently the desserts shown above which is known as Bingsoo (빙수) or shaved ice. However, the shave ice in Hawaii does not compare to this deliciousness that is known as bingsoo in Korea. First off, at a lot of shave ice places in Korea, instead of using just ice, Koreans had the brilliant idea to use frozen milk and turn it into shave ice. Secondly, instead of putting syrup like they do in Hawaii, Koreans put a lot of different kinds of toppings on their shave ice like fruits such as mango, strawberry, watermelon, etc. The only problem i found myself facing was that bingsoo is usually served for 2 people (2인분) and thus the pricing is more pricey than when ordering for just yourself.
My name is Troy Chong and I am currently a Finance and Korean major at UH Manoa. For the Academic Year of 2015-2016, I have been given the opportunity to be able to study abroad for a year in Korea. In Korea, I will be attending Korea University, one of the prestigious and top colleges of Korea and I hope to gain many new experiences and network with many people during my stay.
First off, I would like to thank Mr. Freeman and the Freeman foundation for giving me the wonderful opportunity to study abroad as a Freeman Scholar. This generous contribution will help support and further my studies and also give me chances to explore and travel to new places. I would also like to thank Rikki for her diligence and the hard work that she puts in to make this scholarship an ongoing and successful tradition. Without the effort that she makes for every individual student, this would not have been possible for me or any of the other students. Finally, I would also like to thank Darrell Kicker and Sara Otis from the MIX program for helping me through the process of applying for the MIX study abroad program. I am expecting this experience to be one of a kind and look forward to sharing my awesome journey with fellow students! |
Troy Chong
Freeman Scholar -Spring 2016 Archives
May 2016
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