Sofie to Korea

As we know, there’s not a happy ending to that sentence. No matter how busy you are it’s so incredibly important that you allow yourself some time to relax by doing things that you thoroughly enjoy. I find that whenever I’m stressed out by work or upcoming tests (which certainly is the case at the moment), I find great joy and relaxation in taking a long walk, watching an interesting tv series, having a beer with friends, listening to relaxing music, or treating myself to a DIY facial. In fact, today in Korean class we were discussing just how to relieve stress. Stress in Korean is the same word as in English but with Korean pronounciation and written like this: 스트레스. Related expressions are 스트레스 지수 높아지다/낮아지다 (stress levels are increased/lowered), 스트레스를 풀다/스트레스가 풀리다 (to relieve stress).

Anyway, being busy with preparing for next semester’s teaching and studying for my upcoming Sogang Korean finals (I have four coming up within the next week, yikes) and just being busy in general, now is a time where I have to take extra care of my own wellbeing. Setting aside time for phone dates, coffee dates, and romantic dinners with my husband is especially important.

Moreover, this time of year always seems to take an extra toll on my energy levels. These days I’ve been hit by a serious cold, and all I wanted this (Monday) morning was to stay at home under the covers and rest all day. However, since I’m studying at the super strict Sogang language school, missing just one more class means a certain F since I already missed several classes while I was in Denmark. I’m therefore determinedly dragging my weak and lazy butt to school every day and meticulously studying for my finals in the afternoon and evenings. But I should probably stop whining and be thankful that I actually enjoy the privilege of studying at such an awesome institution. I realize that many people are dreaming of just getting a shot at studying here, and I should count myself among the lucky ones for having this amazing opportunity.

Last week also marked my debut as a volunteer at the langugage exchange café Playground in Hongdae. (Link to their Facebook here.) From now on, I’ll be working as a volunteer every Thursday from 7-10pm mingling with the participants, kickstarting conversation, and just engaging in multilingual language exchanges. It’s really so much fun, and I encourage all of my readers in the Seoul area to stop by and see for yourselves. For an entrance fee of 10,000 won you get two free drinks and the chance to meet with a lot of interesting people from Korea and abroad. If you stop by on a Thursday, you may just run in to me 🙂

Now I need to get back to my cramming for this week’s finals. Luckily BTS just released a new album. This song is making my studying go a bit smoother. I wish you all a lovely week!