Bittersweet

When I had about a month left, I was unsure if I was excited or sad to be going back home. During the middle of the semester, I didn't mind going home, but now it's definitely a bittersweet feeling knowing that my time here is ending.

Jimjilbang (Sauna)

With the weather so cold, my friends and I thought it was a good opportunity to go to a jimjilbang, which is a Korean bath house consisting of saunas, showers, and other amenities. There were not many saunas that were nearby, so we went to Aquafield in Starfield Goyang, which looked more modernized than the ones I was thinking of. I guess I didn't have enough knowledge of jimjilbangs, but I was not aware that people go all-nude in the locker rooms. Anyways, there were different areas for different things, such as a foot bath, an arcade, massage chairs, a relaxation rooms, hot and cool rooms. as well as snack shops. Assuming the showers and baths were all-nude, I was too scared to go, so I didn't really immerse myself into the hot rooms. All in all, it was an experience!

Manhwa & Board Game Cafe

A few times during the semester, I went to Beoltoon, which is a well-known manhwa (comic) cafe chain, where you can just read comics, play games, eat, sleep, and watch shows all in one. There's little, cozy rooms that is quite comfortable, so my friends and I would occasionally go there for an hour or two to just rest for about $5-8. There are also a few board games, which I found to be extemely fun to play; there are well-known games like Clue, Jenga, Monopoly, and Uno, except all the instructions and information are in Korean, but translating it always works. My friends and I were a bit loud while playing Clue, so if you are planning to play games, I would recommend going to a board game cafe like Red Button since it's more open for loudness.

KBS Song Festival

KBS Gayo Daechukje, or KBS Song Festival, is an annual music show that showcases a variety of Korean artists and groups. Prior to this, I was fortunate to win the opportunity to go to Enhypen's pre-recording that occurred the day before. Whenever an artist or a group makes a comeback or if there are events going on, there are music shows that you can enter on Weverse when you have the membership and when you purchase albums and a lightstick; some of them are picked on a first-come, first-serve basis, while others are raffles. Enhypen had a few applications for their music shows, but I had no luck in winning until this one (probably because it had 1500 winners!). My specific winning number had a call time for the morning, despite the show not starting till hours later, so the waiting felt endless. They also gave out some bakery items and photocards! I was lucky enough to be barricade, but the stage was extremely tall, so besides the times where they're at the front, it was difficult to see their performance without standing on my toes. Because it was a pre-recording, I basically got to see the behind-the-scenes as Enhypen did a few takes of the same exact song to get the right one and it was a lot of back and forth between staff adjusting the stage and the actual performance. Additionally, pre-recordings and music shows are a lot stricter with filming and taking photos, so not even phones were allowed. Unlike their concerts, I got to see all of the members extremely, scarily, unimaginably, up close, so I actually can't believe it.

For the actual KBS Song Festival, I purchased my ticket through KoreaTravelEasy and we weren't able to select seats, so we were surprised with standing seats. Compared to when I was standing for the TXT concert, there were a lot more pushing and squeezing, as well as A LOT of humongous cameras and tripods everywhere. I was actually appalled of how many big cameras I saw that day; I found out that people even brought stools to stand and take pictures. Like my other concert experiences in Korea, people are more focused on taking pictures and videos, so there were little to no cheering. I had an extremely difficult time seeing anything at all, and whenever I was able to see a sliver, it was because I was standing on the very tip of my toes like a ballerina or I was seeing it through my phone with my arms raised. Moreover, I was not aware that many of the performances are actually pre-recorded. Even when I went to Enhypen's pre-recording, I thought it was only for their online broadcasts, but it was unfortunately not. Many of the artists just stood there for a short amount of time and left the stage while the pre-recording was playing, so I was really sad and disappointed by how this show worked. I would never go to this specific show again, but I am grateful and fortunate to be able to get the experience.

Packing

Packing was an absolute nightmare. I didn't think I would suffer as much as I did while packing, but I did buy a bunch of sweaters during the winter, which was probably the reason why. I came with an empty large suitcase, medium suitcase, and a carry-on, and it was still so difficult to fit everything I purchased into them. I ultimately had to take out the packaging of all of my skincare and makeup products and sacrifice a couple of sweaters, used hygiene products, and stuffed animals. I wore 5 sweaters and a puffer onto the plane to save space and because of the cold. It was extremely hot on the flight back and when I landed in Hawai'i, but it's okay.