What an activity filled day.

This morning was a stress fest as it was our second round of course enrollment. I already had a full course load from the first round of courses, but had wanted to drop a course or two and have a backup in case I don't like a class when the term starts. Unfortunately, I still haven't got internet working in my room as WiFi connection is terrible in my room, but better in the student lounge on my floor or other floors (so annoying). Thus, I had to go to the lounge to access Yonsei Portal (equivalent to Beartracks) to do some class dropping, enrolling, and searching.

After a brief exploration of the Global Lounge at noon, we headed to a short orientation session regarding the Foreigners' Alien Card which every student is required to get in order to stay in Korea to study. We didn't think the sexual harassment talk afterwards was necessary as we assumed it to be common sense, so we left and headed out to Hongdae for some cafe hopping as there are so many there. Hongdae is actually known for its party scene due to the amount of nightlife in this area, but its also quite an artsy area as Hongik University nearby is an art school. We decided to head to the Hello Kitty cafe first. It was a girl's dream come true. Pink walls, bows galore, hello kitty of all shapes and sizes, it was so cute and feminine! I tried the sweet potato latte and it was so a fabulous choice as Ann and I shared a 'rare' hello kitty shaped cheesecake.



Next, we went next door to Cats Living cafe. We paid eight dollars to get in to play with cats and this fee included a free drink. We had to sanitize our hands first before we played and there were also cabinets for us to put our personal items in. There were at least twenty different cats in there-fat, skinny, hairy, short legged, well dressed, and many sleepy ones as well. It was a new experience to just be in a cafe that allowed you to take photos of the cats and play with them or else, just watch them if they were cuddling in their baskets. There were also lint rollers provided when you were ready to leave to rid yourself of cat hair.


We strolled Hongdae a bit and browsed the clothing boutiques as we directed ourselves to our next cafe. This one was quite tricky as many locals weren't very helpful, and it was quite tucked in. After asking more than a few people and walking in circles we found, the Charlie Brown cafe at the east corner of the park across from Hongik University. The 'east' through us off as we didn't know which direction we were facing. It was very well themed, but upon entering, the air smelled like smoke as they had a smoking room in the front end of the cafe. Inside, there were all the CB characters, including Snoopy, Peppermint Patty, Charlie Brown, Sally Brown and Woodstock. By this time, we were quite hungry so we ordered actual food here. One thing about cafes in this area, and cafes in general, is that their food is priced higher than Korean restaurants or street food as cafes are considered more of a sit down, and perhaps you can even say its more 'posh' to hang out here versus other eateries; which explains the three level Starbucks I saw a day or two back (it needs to compete with all the other cafes).


Upon a friend's strong recommendation, we tried this waffle booth nearby the cafe and Hongik Uni. An ajumma ran the place (and apparently there was someone in the booth sleeping on the floor), and basically its a fresh made waffle the size of a 6" plate and it was filled with five different scoops of ice cream: green apple, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and grape. Guess how much it was? Only 1000won, aka $1Cad! We couldn't believe the price and taste of this folded semi circle. Dessert at its best and is it ever accommodating to a student's budget!

We called it a day for cafe hopping and were heading back to the Subway station when we stumbled upon four street performers with a growing crowd surrounding them. They were all wearing custom made varsity jackets with their group name on it. I can't explain how hilarious they are despite the language barrier. They danced, sang (really well!), performed tricks, acted, and were comedic in everything they did. The four of them seem to be college students trying to earn some extra cash through their entertainment skills. The clip below shows a part of the awesome show they put on.

Heading home, we went to look for some garbage bags and groceries at Grand Mart in Sinchon. The prices were alright, but the cost of produce could've been cheaper, so were on the look out for a cheaper market or grocery store to buy our fruits at.

That's a wrap!

P.S. My mysterious Russian roommate still hasn't showed up yet, but I'm not complaining as I do enjoy having a room all to myself at the moment