Week 5: Spring Vibes & Study Mode

Week 5 in Korea and just like that… we’ve transitioned into April, aka cherry blossom season 🌸

The weather was a bit chilly this week, but we had a few sunny days, and it was SO nice to soak up some of the warmth during the day. I can feel the Spring energy in the air - people are spending more time outside on the sunny days.

This was a fun week of connecting—meeting other students from different Korean classes, getting in to my workout routine with Bin, and catching up with my first Korean friend, Jacob.

What We Learned in School

This week was heavy on the grammar (again):

• We reviewed object markers

• Learned how to use past tense

• And started prepping for our writing test (coming up next week 😬)

Like I said last week—learning Korean is challenging. But my classmates make it so worth it. We’ve got such a positive, supportive group, and I genuinely look forward to going to class every day.

We took a few group photos with our teacher and another class one afternoon to celebrate the nice weather.

Even got a few other students from another class to join us!

And a few of us grabbed lunch together later in the week—we had pho at a Vietnamese restaurant. (Yes, not Korean food… but it hit the spot!)

Outside of School

Most of my afternoons are spent reviewing material from class. Our teacher gave us a one-page handout with all the key topics we need to know for the upcoming test—which has been super helpful for narrowing down what to focus on.

This was also week two of training with Bin at MN Fitness, and it’s honestly been such a highlight of my time here. Our sessions are a mix of fitness, laughter, and language exchange—he helps me with Korean, I help him with English. It’s been fun getting to know him and the other trainers there—it’s such a great atmosphere.

On Saturday, I got to catch up with Jacob—the first friend I made in Korea. We hit the gym 💪, grabbed lunch 🍔, and had some coffee ☕️ together.

First off, the burger was DELICIOUS! Jacob, awesome recommendation - it hit the spot!

Jacob was my guide on the best night market food tour with Goodmate Travel back when I first visited Korea in 2023. We’ve kept in touch ever since, and last fall, my family and I had the honor of coming back to celebrate his wedding. It just reminded me of the power of human connection through travel—how one moment can turn into a lasting friendship.

That’s a wrap on Week 5. Between the cherry blossoms, grammar drills, workouts, and catching up with old friends.

Writing test is just around the corner… wish me luck! 🤞