Today, on October 24th, 2023 I have finished my last two mid-terms. The classes I am taking at Korea University currently are International Marketing, Marketing Management, Marking Strategy, and a Korean language class.
On Monday, October 23rd, I had International Marketing and then my Korean language class. Now I wouldn’t say I am facing culture shock, from how my International Marketing professor has decided to grade our mid-term. So basically the grades will be determined by who he sees as the best mid-term and then grade everyone else compared to it. Many of my fellow classmates were confused about this grading system. My fellow students and I were confused about the grading criteria because he did not give us one. Our professor said that if we know the material well then we will succeed. For me and how my brain works, I could answer one question in a million different ways, so for the mid-term it was difficult to prepare for an exam I couldn’t follow the directions of. For the most part, the learning in this class is independent, then the professor will facilitate discussions.
My Korean language mid-term was fairly straightforward. The class had the whole class period to take the exam; it was on paper and covered class topics. Most of the people in the class finished in 10 minutes.
For my Marketing Management class, the exam had two parts; 30 multiple choice and two short answer questions. The only issue I had with this exam was the short essay section because due to the exam being on paper, we had to write the answers. I have not hand-written an essay since high school, so not only was it giving me hand cramps, but also the entire page was smudged because I was left-handed.
The Marketing Strategy class was pretty similar to my Marketing Management class. This exam was 4 short essay questions, but we only had to answer 3/4 questions. Again, because I had to handwrite the answers my hands cramped so hard, and the smudging was awful, but I was able to write about 3 pages worth of knowledge.
Overall, while nothing was super different about mid-terms in Korea compared to the US, some of the personal preferences of the professors felt strange to me.
Korea is well known for its cafes; from cute to extraordinary. In Seoul, every major neighborhood has its own neighborhood cafe vibe. For example, Myeongdong is a very popular tourist spot so the cafes are meant to be unique and eye-catching, while also being advertised as a place to rest from shopping. Gangnam is a very wealthy neighborhood in Seoul, therefore the Cafes are more expensive and upscale; blurring the line between bar and cafe. Hongdae is a neighborhood popular among young adults. The cafes here are trendy with a splash of unusual.
Harry Potter Cafe
Hongdae is home to various pop culture cafes like Hello Kitty, Kakao, and anime. In Hongdae, the cafe that is on every tourist bucket list is the Harry Potter cafe called 943 King’s Cross. This building has 5 floors; each with its own Harry Potter theme such as the banquet hall and wizards dorm. The first floor is the cafe, where you can order the popular Butter Beer; with or without alcohol. The non-alcoholic Butter Beer is a butterscotch iced coffee.
While I see why this place is popular, the drinks were pretty expensive. So for me, it is a cool one-time experience.
As I mentioned, Myeongdong is a popular tourist destination. So how is a cafe able to attract the attention of travelers? Easy; the answer is cats. To enter the cat cafe, you must change your shoes into cafe-provided slippers. Then you must put all your belongings in a plastic bag. Don’t worry if you have shopping items, the plastic bag is huge. Lastly, you purchase a drink that acts as an admission fee. Now you can be in Cat Wonderland. All of the cats have certain colored collars on them. This corresponds to what sort of cat it is. yellow represents the cats that love people; so they love to be petted. The blue-collar is for cats that are on the feisty side. While it isn’t safe to thoughtlessly pet them, you can interact with them. Lastly, the red collar is for cats that you should only look at. These cats tend to not like people as much or have certain reasons as to why they should not be touched.
Overall the experience was pretty nice. I wish I didn’t have a cat allergy, but that’s ok. I just took some medicine and looked at the cats, which was still pretty fun. The only true warning about this cafe is that the cats might pee where they shouldn’t. While I was at the cafe, the table across from me got their plastic bag peed on. So that is why the plastic bag is VERY important.
Insa-dong is famous for its old Korean Architecture called Hanok. In the Hanok village area of Insa-dong, there are countless, beautiful cafes. The cafe that stuck out to me the most is the Record Cafe. The entrance fee is the purchase of a drink, which is pretty expensive because it is basically the price of an entrance fee plus the drink. I got a milk tea and it cost 18,000 won, which is about 14 dollars. The experience was super cool. If you are alone or in a group of 4, you can sit and relax while listening to the record player through the connected headphones. The cafe has so many records from both Korea and other countries, mainly American artists. The time period of the music is pretty diverse. I was able to listen to Dolly Parton, Troy Sivan, BTS, and Whitney Houston.
If you were to travel to Korea, I would highly recommend this cafe. It was such a nice way to relax and just sit and listen to the music. While the price was expensive, I believe that it was worth it.
I’m not sure if it is smart or evil that KU has the dorms at the top of the campus, which is also the top of what feels like a mountain. So many KU students, they find it easier to just stay at the bottom of campus until they have to sleep, which is practically the only time they are in their dorm. Since many students don’t study in their rooms, they go to cafes or the library. Honestly, I tried to study at one of the various libraries. It felt super depressing to me, so I see why people prefer cafes.
While the cafe itself is nothing special, what it represents is exceptional. As long as you buy a drink, you can stay at the cafe as long as you need. My favorite item from the cafe is the waffle; it is so delicious.
One day, when I had class canceled, I decided to take a little trip to Itaewon for fun. My plan was to get lunch, and then find a random cafe to do homework. The plan was a big success because I stumbled upon the cutest cafe. This cafe is special because it sells drinks in bear or dog cups. It was such a fun experience to just walk around and find a cafe to study in. Definitely will do this again.
DU Abroad 