Catching Up on the Blog

I woke up well rested today and decided to start my morning on the hotel’s rooftop balcony, soaking up some sunlight and fresh air (imagine me holding a cup of coffee—for those who drink coffee). After my dose of vitamin D, I went back to my room to finally catch up on the blog. I had fallen a few days behind, but now I finally had the time to write.

I spent the entire morning updating my daily posts, writing about my sauna visit, finishing the weekly report, and even refreshing the food section. It took a few hours, but it felt great to be back on track. Afterward, I went for a run—busier than usual, with plenty of people to dodge—then showered and spent the rest of the afternoon sorting out administrative things like finances and voting plans.

Hongdae

Just before dinner, I left for a language exchange I had signed up for last week. It was near Hongdae, Seoul’s nightlife hotspot, so I went there first hoping see some busking like last time I was here. Unfortunately, it was drizzling, so the dancers were nowhere to be seen.

I wandered through the area instead, browsing shops and finally buying my first keychain souvenir (they’re surprisingly hard to find here!). Before the event started, I had dinner at a restaurant I stumbled upon—another successful solo meal with a dish for my food section.

Language Exchange

The language exchange was held in a cozy office space with about twenty people—half Koreans and half foreigners. We were divided into small groups of four and rotated tables every twenty minutes. Each table had conversation cards, and the idea was to alternate between English and Korean practice.

In my three groups, I ended up with only two other foreigners—both said their Korean wasn't good enough to form a sentence yet—so I had to make an extra effort to get my speaking practice in. We talked about our ambitions, hobbies, and how our friends perceive us. I also got some laughs for my water bottle sticker that says “Please talk to me in Korean”. I only then found out that I made small typo. Let’s just say it’s there on purpose—to remind people I’m still learning 😉.

It was much more fun than I expected! I had some fun conversations, got helpful corrections on more difficult sentences, and bonded with people over the shared struggle of learning each other’s language (“same problems, different direction”). They host these every friday, so I might visit again if I can find the time.

Even though most of my day was spent behind my laptop, it turned out to be a fulfilling one—caught up on some writing and errands did some reflection of my remain goals while I am here, and ended it all with good company and conversation.