This is it! Getting ready for my dream to set sail

These few months have been crazy. Preparing for my external professional exam alongside with taking up part time job at SPAO really worn me out but one thing kept me strong! Finally, my precious document arrived, making it all the way from Yonsei University in Korea. After a few weeks of preparing documents for screening and getting passports and application forms ready, they approved my application and confirmed my registration for the programme!

Fell in love with SPAO since 2 years ago. Hence, while waiting for my convocation in November, I've taken up my first part time job in retail at SPAO, Pavilion. Never regretted a moment of it, it taught me so much! 

*psst* SPAO is getting bigger and bigger now! SPAO will be opening at Sunway Velocity Mall. Interested in building a retail career with SPAO or just simply want to earn some extra bucks while still meet friends who are also Kpop lovers? JOIN SPAO!

OK so back to my story...
The acceptance email came in few days ago and within a week, I received this hardcopy which included the official receipt of my payment, the certification of admission, a general introduction of Yonsei University, schedule of my semester and also map of Yonsei University.

I'm not going to disclose the contents inside as it is private and confidential, but hey! they give some useful tip and information with all the documents you need so don't worry!

As for the accommodation, I have decided not to stay in the hostel for Yonsei University, not only it was hard to get, provided I am only going to be staying for a short period, I would like to enjoy a more private and personal space outside of the campus. I'm not sure if many of you have heard about Goshiwon, which basically means "exam area/room".

It is not uncommon for student in Korea to stay focus studying during their annual exam period by moving out from their house, leaving all the entertainment distractions behind and solely focus on their revision. Hence, the exam room is for them to move out and live for a month or two, to focus and study. It is practically a very small room, with a single bed, a wardrobe, a study table, a small refrigerator, a TV and private/shared bathroom. The owners who run the building will provide wifi and other necessities such as food.

It is a rather cheap accommodation to stay in especially you are still a student and do not have much money to rent a one room by paying a huge sum of deposit. Goshiwon requires no deposit fee, the most, just a small amount for the key deposit which will be returned when you leave the room and return the keys. You can stay as long and as short as you want, no contracts. So, it is a really convenient place to stay for students like me. Goshiwon ranges from 330,000won to 500,000 per month, depending on the size of the room and the location.

I have done bookings for my Goshiwon, which is located 10mins away from Yonsei University by foot. I preferred to stay nearer to the university without having to take public transport to reach so that i don't have to go through the hassle to wake up earlier and wait for public transport every morning when I travel to school.

The place I live in is called Sinchon. It is quite of a busy place as it is always crowded with students, teenagers, young adults and working adults looking to have a good time and have good food.

As I will be going to Korea during winter time, winter clothes are also a must. I have been going around, looking for winter clothing but I have not bought much. I've decided to save some money and buy it in Korea, after I have settled down. There will be more choices for me and cheaper compared to Malaysia.

My preparation is on the way though I am not 100% done with all. I am already so excited and I can't wait to see what God has planned for me. Anybody who are visiting Korea, you are most welcome to contact me!

p/s: Many of you have contacted me through my personal Facebook's inbox, expressing interest to apply for the universities in Korea. I will be updating a post on that subject matter once I've got everything settled. In the meanwhile, you can always get updates on my blog and my journey through my Facebook page HYORIYA 효리야 스토리

Update:
Here is an article on Yonsei University's Korean Language Institute receiving the 2018 Korea Educational Industrial Award!

The Korean Language Institute (KLI) at Yonsei University received the 2018 Korea Education Industrial Award under the “Korean Language Education for Foreigners” category. Jointly presented by The Korea Herald and The Herald Business, the award was given in recognition of KLI’s excellent educational services and significant contribution to the development of Korean language education for non-native speakers.

https://medium.com/@yonsei/korean-language-institute-receives-2018-korea-education-industrial-award-e4ce6a12a4e1

[HRKRTRAVEL] Seoul - Day 5

Woke up really late today around 11am. By the time i am done cleaning up, make up and dress up, it was already 1pm! I had an appointment with one of the 고시원 이모 which I have found through Facebook and I have planned to stay there if I were to successfully apply to study there in this coming December. I went and look the room and to make sure it was okay to stay! 

The appointment was around 5pm so I went to Ewha again, this time, to take beautiful photos in the Ewha Women's university! It is a famous landmark in Ewha as the university is one of the top 10 university in Korea and the university building itself is a masterpiece! 

Well, look at the pictures and you will know! Many tourist came with friends and took photos here. The weather was bright and sunny, it was a good day to take pictures in the open air.

There are a lot of people walking around, especially students of Ewha and also tourist. If you are a shy person, I think it would be hard to take pictures here because as soon as you start to pose, the eyes beside you will just start to peek or just stare, because they want to learn new poses too haha. My pictures might look like there are not many people but trust me, there are like a flock of tourist constantly walking pass you and photo-bombing your beautiful ootd shots.

For lunch, I stopped by a random restaurant at Ewha called 김네. I had ice cold noodle and one donkatsu kimbap (pork cutlet rice roll). It costed 6000won and 4000won. This is the first time I has cold noodles, the noodles are so so so chewy and slippery. You can just swallow without chewing. Chewing was hard because it was too chewy. On the other hand, the kimbap was delicious! There were pickled radish, cucumber, carrots, eggs, vegetables and pork cutlet in it. It was so big. The cold noodles came with side dishes like kimchi and yellow picked radish.

After lunch, I went to meet up with the 이모님. The 고시원 is located at 신촌. I went there around 5pm and went in to look for 이모님. She was already there, waiting for me! 이모님 couldn't speak any English, it was a bit hard to communicate at first but the more I talk to her in Korean, the more she can understand me.

Random street photos at Sinchon

She showed me around the room, and explained all the stuffs in the room. She showed me the toilet, the bathroom and also the kitchen. 이모님 said that eggs, rice, ramen and kimchi stew is always provided in the kitchen and you can take it for free. There are also some stove, pots, microwave and toaster to make your own food.
I told her I am planning to go in December and she said normally they will have rooms available. And although it is winter that time, the room will be working warm because it is located in the heart of the building. And during summer, there is air conditioning too!

이모님 asked me to drop her a message when I am about to come so that I could secure a room. She handed me her phone so that I could add her kakaotalk and also add mine into her phone. But her kakaotalk was a bit different than mine, I didn't know how to search for her ID and how to use her phone to search my ID. She then asked her son to help. She said her son is a university student.

After a few bumps here and there, I finally added her. 이모님 praised and said my Korean was good (I'm sure it was just a nice gesture of her to say that haha), and asked me how did I learn. Well, obviously through dramas. She asked me what is my name, i said 효리 because i don't think she can pronounce my English name, then she said oh not 이효리? We have 이효리 in Korea! Yeah, that sexy goddess 여신. She then waved me goodbye and and took her business card.

After that, I went to a nearby coffee shop called Holly's coffee for some drinks. The weather was kinda hot so I decided to buy some ice beverage. I ordered the cold brew and sat down to relax. It was so nice to be able to spend time sitting in a cafe, sipping coffee, watching people walking around, and just look at everything moving on its own. it was a nice feeling.

I went to back the guesthouse and asked the receptionist to order me some black bean noodle 짜장면 for dinner. It tasted okay, not really delicious as I have had better ones. It costed 5000won, no delivery fee and it came within 5 mins. Talk about punctuality!

Ending my post with more selfies. *alert*

*feel free to share the photos but please CREDIT, thank you :)*