Orientation & The Misadventure

This morning was a misadventure. I woke up earlier so I can go to the Olleh global store in Gwanghwamun to apply for a prepaid mobile line. As luck would have it, Olleh is caught in a period of suspension and is unable to activate new subscriptions until 13 March. I was like 'Whyyyyyyy? Why now?!'

:(

I checked if there are other alternatives around and the staff (English-speaking yes!), was kind enough to recommend me to try at SK (Olleh and SK is like Digi to Maxis in KL). However, olleh is famous with the expats/foreigners as they are very foreigner-friendly- consultation can be done in 17 different languages, or so they say.

The Olleh guys directed me to SK, which I had troubles finding. I stumbled upon a Tourist Info Centre and asked them for the direction again. From where I was standing, it was supposed to take 17 minutes to reach by foot. 30minutes later, I was cold and freezing, confused and surely lost in the city. Simply said, it was an unfruitful trip. I gave up looking as I didn't want to miss the Orientation which was supposed to start at 1pm. What can go wrong will go wrong.

Lost in the city

An endless walk

I took the subway back to Sinchon and headed up a hill to Sogang for the first time. There were so many students walking together along the way and it hit me, I am indeed carrying on life as a student. It felt... funny! Haha.

I arrived 90 minutes earlier and took the opportunity to explore the university. As the campus is not that big, it wasn't too difficult to find my way within the campus, which is great, because you know how I hate walking. Here are some shots I took of the Univ:

The way out to Main Gate

A statue at the administration building. I'll find out who he is.

Still cold - hardened ice on plant

Through orientation, I got to know Grace, a fellow Malaysian. (hello Grace if you're reading! :)) It feels good to meet a fellow countrymen while living abroad. Orientation was simple- we were briefed on all things relevant to us as student. Class lessons aside, I'm also looking forward to the out-of-the-class activities like culture lecture and field trip.

The brief

Had lunch at Sinchon before Grace and I headed to Myeongdong. Fashion labels like H&M, Zara, Uniqlo, F21 (I haven't seen the outlet yet, but I was told they're there) and an umpteen number of cosmetic brands are there. Very nice place to hang out at. Eating places are aplenty too! (Gong Cha, i see youuuu) Hehe.

My leg is sore from all the walking today, so we (or rather I, selfishly) decided to head home earlier to rest.

p/s: Subway stations in Seoul make you climb an enormous flight of stairs! Every. station. without. fail. Hmpphhh! Subway station, I hate youuuuu