I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but I have a bad cold since two weeks and rather spend my free time sleeping than being at the computer ε-(´・｀)
But I really need to write about my experiences, otherwise I will forget them....
So, after a horrible first night in Daejeon I left the motel and took a taxi to the campus of Chungnam National University; my new home for the following months. The driver needed some time to find the right dormitory (7-dong), but there were a lot of young men in uniforms guiding the arriving cars. At first, I didn't understand why they needed so many people there. I arrived very early (around 9:30am) and by noon there was a very very very very very long line of cars waiting to bring the students and their luggage to the dorm. So everyone of them did a good job guiding the cars ^^;;
One of the uniform guys talked to the driver and told me how much I had to pay (6.000 Won, that's 4€) and asked me in which dong I will stay. I wasn't out of the car, but another guy already manhandled my two heavy suitcases on a sack barrow. We two (or even me alone) could have easily rolled them on their rolls, but whatever. So this guy took my luggage and brought me to the building 7-dong. We having some smalltalk. I remember that he was a physics student and that he earned money with helping the students move into their rooms. I haven't seen him every since and I don't remember his face. Sorry sack-barrow-guy, you were really friendly to me m(_ _)m
We arrived at 7-dong and I had some registration to do, while the guy waited. The girls couldn't answer all my questions, but I registered my hand, got my room number and the code for the room's lock. Why register my hand? The dormitories are gender separated. The women's dorms are always closed and you don't get a key or a key card. There is a hand scanner at the entrance, which scans the veins on the back of your hand. Someone told me, that the pattern is as unique as your fingerprint.... But you need the hand scan for getting food in the cafeteria, too. The basic dormitory fee covers breakfast and dinner from Monday to Friday. I also paid for six extra meals per weekend. So before going into the cafeteria you have to scan your hand. If this doesn't work properly you have to enter your data into a list every time, which is a pain. After two days the scanner always gave me an error when scanning, so I had to re-register my hand. It's an easy process in the dormitory building 3 (first floor, go to the right after entering the building), but it's best to take someone with you who speaks Korean. Nowadays, I hardly get errors when scanning. Sometime you get used to how you have to place your hand under the scanner (it's very sensitive).
I will make a video about this hand scanner.... If you have never seen it before it's hard to comprehend ^^'
So, the guy took me to my room. There is another code lock, but you just have to enter a four digit code. This is actually very convenient; there is no key to lose ^_~
I opened the door and saw, that there was someone sleeping in one of the beds. My roommate already moved in. I thanked the guy and brought my suitcases inside.
My roommate is a nice French girl. We have a good time together and I like living with her. Before coming here I wasn't sure about living with somebody else in a small room. But now I think I would be pretty lonely, if she wasn't there. It's nice to have someone to talk to and it could have been worse. I now that some people hardly speak with their roommates *---*
I was hoping to have a Korean roommate, but almost every foreigner is in a room with another foreigner. There are just one or two guys who have Korean roommates, but none of the girls.
The room itself is small, but we have our own bathroom. At first I didn't think that all the stuff I brought would fit into the small closet and shelf that I have, but there is a big space underneath the bed. I emptied my suitcases and still had space left ^_~
At 3pm, I met with my lovely supporter Juhyang, who I met for the first time in person on that day. She always helps me when I need things, and on my first day she went shopping with me to a near department store. We took the bus to Home Plus and I bought some necessities, like a blanket, a pillow, coat-hangers, bathroom shoes, a cup, etc. The blankets were expensive, but what to do, I needed one. But this one blanket wasn't enough. I was freezing at night. So I went back to Home Plus the day after, and guess what?!? I found cheaper blankets in the same space inside the store. I think a lot of students moved in on Saturday, so the cheap blankets were probably sold when we came there （￣へ￣）
I met a big group of other exchange students for dinner. My roommate was kind enough to invite me ^^
We went to eat Samgyeopsal, which was sooooooo delicious!!! Afterwards, we went drinking (Makgeolli, alcohol made of fermented rice) and to karaoke. I had a lot of fun <3
The group of exchange students is multicultural, but there is a big group of French (at least 6 people) and Germans (7 people including me).
More about my stay here is (hopefully) coming soon. CU ＼（＾∀＾）メ（＾∀＾）ノ
