Third impression

I just got back to my room from a very interesting afternoon. Seoul's weather has been quite nice up till now and this week Wunderground is giving a nice +20°C without rain...
We had our first test today in the morning. We have test on every Monday morning about the things we have seen in the previous week. It wasn't very hard, but it's good to have a test, at least you get to study for it during the weekend. Although I also like to revise some things during the week. That's what I am here for, to study, but at the same time finding a balance with meeting new and interesting people.

Our class has changed since last week : two students have left for another level - a Chinese guy and a Japanse girl, and two new students joined our class at the end of last week - a Mongolian guy and a Japanese guy. I am quite glad there were some movements in our class composition, because the teacher asked us last week who wants to be the 'class representative or president' and she asked me if I was interested, but I can't speak Korean that well to be the contact between the school's secretary and the class for announcing new things. I actually don't even know why the teacher asked me anyway, maybe because she thinks that I look assertive, which in certain circumstances I am not at all. So eventually, the Mongolian guy who can speak Korean very well, volunteered to be our class president. Pfeeew, I was quite relieved :-). But anyway, I volunteered to help him with emailing around our class mates' contact information after we asked everybody to sign up a paper.

And so today, after class we went out with a few people to have lunch together at the uni's student restaurant. I should have done it earlier, they provide very good basic meals there at really low student prices and most of it is vegetarian anyway. I am quite sure I am going back there a few times. Joining us were : the Ukrainian guy, 4 Japanese ladies, the Mongolian guy and a Mongolian female friend of his. Because the Mongolian guy can't speak English so well, he talks in Korean all the time, which is interesting so that we can learn communicating in Korean anyway. But still it's hard to follow sometimes, but I like it :). And of course I try to do my best to speak Korean too. But still there's a lot to learn.

After the meal and the interesting conversations, 4 of the group went out for a coffee together. I just discovered that two of the Japanese ladies were the same age as me, which made me really happy and feeling some kind of bond together. At least, some people are the same stage of life and age as I am. Not that age really matters anyway, but still... It's always nice to meet people who are born in the same year. The two ladies are Scorpios like my husband. I get along well with Scorpios :).
We had some interesting conversations about languages, culture, movies, and lots of other things you talk about when people of different background and culture meet each other. For me it was especially interesting, because I would like to improve my Japanese a little bit, even though it's just refreshing some words that I have forgotten because I haven't used Japanese for a long time. Anyway, I really enjoy speaking. I really do. Especially in other languages. I always feel so alive when I am somewhere else and meeting people of different countries. I feel alive and happy. Of course, I know, people come and go, but still I hope to keep a few of them as friends, especially if you feel that it 'clicks'. Okay, still have to put my both feet on the ground, because I tend to be over enthusiastic every time I meet nice people. But generally, I like to discover the good side about them, how annoying they at first seem to be. Yeah, I am glad, I got to know a few people of my class better. I discovered I opened up more to people than my time being in the USA. I just don't really know why... Maybe because of a different environment and having to go out everyday for class and having to interact with people all the time. It's good for me.

And tomorrow, we are meeting up with our 'buddies' of Korea University. Still don't know which Korean volunteer student is going to help us out during those coming weeks, but I hope it will turn out fine, like things today. Try to keep up the good spirit here. It gives me strength and courage to study and learn more :).