Hello, everybody. Bori here with another blog post. I thought I’d keep you all updated on how my 2018 is going, and let me tell you, it’s not that great.
Let me keep it short: all but one of my study abroad friends have finished their program and returned to their respective countries, I almost became homeless for the next semester, and I may lose $400 in the near future.
I had been blessed to have formed some incredible friendships with people from all over the world, many of whom I felt like I’ve been friends with them since childhood due to the closeness of our friendship. It’s still a bit surreal to me that I was able to form friendships where I felt like I could be completely me and not be judged or misunderstood, friendships that I know will continue into my later years even though we are seas apart. Although we still keep in touch quite often, it’s not the same as face-to-face communication as there are now hurdles such as time zone differences among other factors. I still have a great time with the one remaining friend and have met new people, but there remains an emptiness from the sudden stillness.
To make matters worse, I almost became homeless for the next few months. I live in what is known as SK Global House, a dorm for international students. In order to live at SK Global House for multiple semesters, students must apply for an extension ahead of time. The day I remembered about extension applications was the day after the deadline. I frantically emailed the housing office but did not get a response as it was a weekend. To make matters worse, application results would be announced the upcoming Monday so there was no time for me to plead them to make an exception for me. I still went to the housing office on Monday but of course, I was told that all housing arrangements had already been set so there was nothing they could do for me. What they did not tell me is that I could still apply for the regular application (not extension) and be placed on the waitlist. Luckily, my friend who was in the same boat as me was told that and so she passed on the message to me. Yesterday, I received an email saying that I have been approved and so I will no longer be homeless! Praise God! I almost started crying because this was the first good thing that happened to be in such a long time after countless obstacles. I’m not sure whether I will have to change rooms, which means packing up all of my things and finding a place to stay for a few days in between semesters (extension covers the time in between semesters but not regular application). SK Global House also requires TB test papers that prove you are TB negative from the past two months so regular check in would require me to do that again. I still need to talk to housing and ask them if I can just extend now that I have been approved, but I’m just glad the toughest part is done with! Oh, and my friend got approved today, too!
As the cherry on top, my travel visa application for Mainland China was rejected so many times. I already bought my flight ticket for February so it’s quite urgent that I do my application soon. However, every time I went to the service center, they rejected my application due to some minor issue. Even documents that I had no problem with the day before would be rejected the next time I went based solely on the discretion of the employee. Finally, the third time I went, they accepted my application. However, since I am applying as a United States citizen in South Korea, I need at least six months left on my alien registration card. Unfortunately, I only have five months left. That on top of the stress I received from other aspects related to the Chinese tourist visa application made the whole process very frustrating. I have to go back to the service center on Monday to see if I got approved or denied. I’m quite nervous about it since the service center employees were once again iffy about accepting the application and the necessary documents but did so anyways plus the fact that I only have five months left on my ARC. If I get denied, I still have to pay a 20,000 KRW service fee. Plus, I would lose the 370,000 KRW I spent on the plane ticket. It’s all a very frustrating and upsetting process, but I can only wait until Monday to find out. I’m praying for the best!
I also got food poisoning just before the start of the new year so as you can see, 2018 has been quite grand. The situations mentioned above were just some of the major events that have happened all within just the span of a few weeks. You can probably infer that I’ve been depressed lately, but I’m working on trying to stay positive! I pray that things will start to look up!
Here’s to a better 2018!
Cheers,
Hi there!
I’m on the waitlist, and I’m unsure if I should just wait it out or start seriously looking for off-campus housing. Do you know how good my chances are of getting an offer based on your friend’s experience?
Thank you so much!
Hi Tammy! So sorry for the late response! I’m sure you’ve probably already figured everything out and are on your way to start the semester, but I would recommended looking into off-campus housing as a backup. Another friend of mine did not get on-campus housing at first and was on the waitlist but still looked into off-campus housing as a backup. She secured off-campus housing and paid a $600 security deposit but later found out that she made it off the waitlist. She ended up only being able to get $300 back from the security deposit, but I think it did give her (and her family!) peace of mind. It’s ultimately up to you, but I would at least look into it!
Hi! I have some questions about the waitlist if you could answer them (maybe) lol
1. Do they tell you what number you are on the waitlist?
2. How long did it take for you to receive a room offer? Dorm payment for this semester is due July 20th so possible some time after?
Thank you!
Hi Jennifer! I’m sorry I just saw this now! If I remember correctly, I don’t think they tell you what number you are on the waitlist, but you can find out a rough estimate by looking at your application number. I found out about my room on the date they posted on the application portal, which was I think 10 days or so before the payment due date. My friend was waitlisted, and I think she got in after a few weeks. Sorry this response is so late! You probably already started school at Yonsei, but I hope this helped regardless. Hope you have the best time in South Korea!
Hey Lori! Tim here, just letting you know to keep on keeping on! hopefully everything falls into place and you get to go to china! t-sizz out!
Thank you so much, Tim! It means a lot to me that you took the time to leave a comment and send me a private message as well haha! See you in the States soon!