1

FRESHMAN YEAR consistent

most foodoff
WINTER QUARTER inconsistent
and think

using jello
Dear Reader,

of
,

acametaph

I
The only way I can imagine how to describe how this quarter went is imaging finally

I
Mimakes

wa
getting jello after wanting it for several weeks. You pick up the cup of jello, clearly, the

une
consistency is right because it’s jiggly but the moment you dip your spoon in, everything
goes wrong. It does not want to stay on the spoon and keeps slipping off. After several
it's tries, it finally stays on the spoon. One might think this is a victory, wrong. You take the S

werea
irmI was
bite of the jello and it just dissolves. There is no taste, it just melts immediately, leaving Cr
my
wayalready
you underwhelmed and upset. ↳ hesitation/ no confidence" a
was
Z fear
snaung/
While I did enjoy all my courses this quarter, there were several moments that left me
will stay... deeping
his /learning about the process of the first paper,
more frustrated than anything. I loved
r- would'veseen
still blows my mind , if it
we hadn'tbeen onling rw's
-
ohise
which was made from animal skin (like cows, goats, and sheep!) and how a small bug the
b
Frustrating
wasn't
told to
I
wild ! 2
-
->
- special collections -

I the text= bite can become a huge almond-shaped hole in the paper. But it was frustrating when it
read
wasn't productiv
&
was assumed that everyone had read the whole text and understood it prior to the
-> I still want to read ittwo
enaren class, this text being Dante’s Inferno. I managed to understand what was going on when
the text was referenced, or when a certain part of the text was given as homework to
a
reacorr- read. I loved learning about the Making of the 21st Century, the Golden Standard, and
will beTheme
... -> doesn't mean I like living through !
it

ind how capitalism came to be. I knew there would be a lot of reading involved but it was
myroman
& frustrating on the amount and when students reached out, it would take almost a empire
-
business week to get back to. We are in the middle of a pandemic, so I understand how
frustrating it can be but still. Not only was a chapter assigned, others readings would be
assigned. Averaging over 400 pages of 12-14 point font to read while also having two I diday
10)

other courses to worry about, was a daunting weekly task. Perhaps it is because it is my
do !
Micro- ↳> Senior yr ,
ideearg . The same again
still is in first year in college and have not found what works for me, but even as an avid reader,
economicsbut I only when reading comment is it drics -> productive
-

dant abt now I am

-

prestingexams this is too much. While I did take AP Microeconomics, and not getting the best grade, I
~

hate despite
&still enjoyed ECON 200. But my goodness was it frustrating. I had almost forgotten how
&
frustrating it was finding the elasticity of goods with formulas that seemed to tangle into
-

impossible knots as you solved them. The group chats on Discord were my saving
them
students , but who
...
↳ bless the
 2

grace, there would be channels for each quiz section and people would help each other.
There would even be a massive study session before each big exam. When everyone
had the same concerns, the professor took a long time to answer and would sometimes
do so through the TA’s. Which proved difficult, at least in my case because my TA was
an international student that was in a different time zone. I felt bad sending emails
during PST while they would be SST. It seemed unfair to both the TA and my peers. I do
not even want to think about the grade I receive for this class, it seemed that what
occurred during high school repeated itself in college.
But despite these setbacks and frustrations, I still enjoyed learning. I went to some
online events and worked on assignments that I can look back at with a sense of pride.
My goal stays the same, I want to meet more people and get to know them better. I’ve
taken some walks around campus, still can’t believe I got to be on campus this year and
gotten semi-familiar with it. Mostly the quad and Red Square, it’s been really cold this
year. I’m sure spring brings warmer weather so that I can read outside. Maybe the jello
will be better next quarter.

Best,
Lucia
 3

SPRING QUARTER
Dear Reader,
The jello is better this time, but not what I expected it to be. Maybe I should stop
trying to make jello and make something else, or just let it be.
It has been an interesting last 10 weeks, I write this during week 11 as I am
procrastinating doing my last two finals. I still can not believe that my first year in college
- even if it is online - is almost over. One major change this quarter was my roommates
moving out, both of them. Leaving me alone in the 4-room apartment on West campus,
on the bright side, I was gifted all the kitchen utensils. I now have plates, silverware,
pots, spices (a whole drawer full of spices, from garlic powder to saffron), cups, knives,
everything. When they told me that they were leaving at the end of Winter quarter, I was
confused. The school year is almost over, why leave? Nevertheless, I thanked them for
the generous gift and said goodbye. I cooked a lot more during Spring quarter. More
than Winter and Autumn since my roommates would usually cook more often, from
chicken curry to stir fry. I learn a lot more about my eating habits compared to Autumn. I
started to make more banana smoothies despite the fact that I did not like regular
bananas. My study habits also changed.
Previously, I would push through all my homework and any leftover classwork in
one sitting. Only taking breaks to go to the bathroom or get water but never taking a
proper break. I figured towards the end of Winter quarter and during spring break that I
needed to change my study habits. I was not happy with how I felt during the week, both
mentally and physically.
I started using the 25-5-25 repeat, or better known as the Pomodoro Technique. I had
actually used it a couple of times during Autumn quarter but because I could power
through all my homework, sometimes 45 minutes to 2 hours, I stopped using that
method of studying. But it proved helpful when, during this quarter, I had to read an
average of 110-170+ pgs a week for all my courses. I applied the Socratic reading
method that I learned from my H232D class, and it made reading the texts for classes
 4

so much easier. This combined with the Pomodoro Technique allowed me to do better,
study-wise, during this quarter.
Though I did not accomplish my goal of getting to know a lot of people, I did manage
to get close to the people I worked on a project with for my H232D class. While there
was a lot of reading, a presentation based on those readings, I still enjoyed my time in
that class. I even embarrassed myself when it was my group’s turn to present, when we
went to take a break, I did not mute and promptly muttered that “I want to throw up.”
Lucky for me, my teammate messaged me and told me I was not muted. Horrified, I
quickly muted and went to make a cup of tea before our presentation resumed.
I even went to see the cherry blossoms on campus as part of my effort to try to get to
know the campus. I tried to walk more often but I was extremely hesitant since there
was no one to walk with. Everyone I knew, was either overseas or not on campus. I am
excited for the upcoming school year, I cross my fingers in the hope of in-person
classes with a combination of online classes, preferably the larger lectures.
I learned so much about myself that I could go on, but if there is one major take
away is that I enjoy learning new subjects so much. Learning in college is much more
enjoyable compared to high school. I just hope there are spots for the classes I want to
take next year.

Best,
Lucia
 5

SOPHOMORE YEAR

AUTUMN QUARTER
Dear Reader,
Actually going to in-person classes and the experience of in-person could not be any
weirder. Despite the fact that I went the entirety of K-12 in person, it was nothing
compared to college. I was on campus last year, but I wasn't going anywhere, there
were no in person events, and I had accepted the fact that my second year could be
completely virtual. Perhaps it is because this is truly my "first real" quarter on campus
that I feel weird. I took my first in-person 8:30 am class and it went terribly. Though I
really enjoyed that class -- Criminology-- I was not a fan of how early it started. I learned
the hard way that I was definitely not a morning person for in-person classes. I also
learned how early I had to leave from my apartment and how to pack so that I wasn't
carrying everything and tiring myself before reaching class.
However, one of my most favorite things of this quarter was finding different study spots
in the buildings I seen during tours when I was in middle school. 12-year old me could
have never imagined just how cozy studying in Suzzallo- any part of it - is. Halfway
through the quarter though, Nothing could have prepared me for how mentally
exhausted I would become. Even as I write this after all my finals and in the comfort of
my childhood room, I am still exhausted. Was it naïve of me to assume that the rest of
college would be like my first year? Absolutely, but I had to learn it one way or another. I
had been so sure of myself, that I even tried to HOC for a class, but I couldn't do it. If
there's one thing that I could've changed, it would've been the size down of the project
that I tried to take. It was far to ambitious, which isn't bad, but had I know how busy one
can become during in-person classes, I wouldn't have tried to undertake a large project.
The projected consisted of 6 mini vlog like diaries each 3-5 minutes long that was meant
to inform and educate the pubic. That would be about 18-30 minutes of filming, not
including: script making, fact-checking with my TA and professor to make sure what I
was inform/educating was correct, and the 30 minutes of editing each vlog would take
 6

(a total of 3 hours in total if I ever to do it in one sitting and not be distracted). It was to
large of a project and I feel that I deeply disappointed in myself and for failing to
communicate with my TA and professor that it was too big of a project for myself.
But am I hopeful that I will be able to take on a project that big soon, one were I can
redeem myself. While I finally experienced what campus and learning is like in-person, I
do not know yet if I prefer it over virtual learning. It feels like I still had control then, as of
now, I don't know if that's still true. I also went to my first football game! It was both
exciting and nostalgic. The Huskies unfortunately didn't win which reminded me of my
high school football team. It was very fun!
I also, finally declared my major, after a little road bump, I am now a Global and
Regional Studies major! Hopefully, if I have time, I will be able to minor in a foreign
language, though I'm not sure if I should chose Japanese or Korean yet.

Best,
Lucia
 7

WINTER QUARTER
Dear Reader,
I might've committed the most stupidest mistake of this quarter. The one day I miss
class for LING 212, which should be fine because all lectures are recorded, because I
wasn't feeling good, I miss the self-graded participation paper. I couldn't find it on
Canvas and didn't even think to email the professor about where to get it, dropping my
grade from 3.4 to 2.7. I stupidly didn't ask if I could met the professor at a later date and
fix my grade, which drop immensely. However, this class made me love learning about
brains and even made me question if I wanted to switch my major to linguistics. I've
always been interested in it. Learning that learning two languages while growing up was
good, learning about neurons and its components, why the first five years for brain
growth is critical, I enjoyed learning about it all, even when we got to the medical portion
of the course. I even talked with the Professor about a potential research opportunity for
this next autumn quarter. I am excited for this, and I don't have to switch my major for it!
I am excited for this opportunity!
This was the first quarter I hadn't taken an honors course, it most definitely felt weird.
Most of my classes this quarter were a minimum of 40 people and above. I was so used
to having at least one class that was 25 or less people. I look forward to taking more
honors course, especially since I get to talk to the professor more often.
A good portion of this quarter was online, at least the beginning of it. I myself even
caught COVID-19, so for the beginning part of Winter quarter, I was at home, not feeling
sick but quarantining for the sake of my family and roommates back on campus. After
two years of avoiding and wearing a face mask, I got it. I was asymptomatic, so while I
didn't seem sick, I knew I was. Even after I tested negative after 3ish weeks, I still wore
a mask when I got back to my apartment. I did everything alone, cooking, studying, and
cleaning. For the first time, after living practically by myself for a quarter last spring
quarter, I didn't like doing things alone. I had a routine with my roommates and it made
me realize what I missed during my first year in college. Of course, even though I didn't
talk to my roommates often during freshman year, we still knew how to keep clean and
 8

respect each other. This year however, was a slap to the face when it came to the
cleanness of the apartment. I found myself constantly cleaning and doing chores that
were supposed to be done between four people. Thankfully though, I was able to get
along better with one roommate than the other two, who would help me and help signal
out the others when they weren't doing their part. Hopefully, I'll be able to learn how to
confront better.
I've started to plan for next quarter and potentially summer quarter, and I've notice that I
need to fit study abroad somehow into my last two years. Hopefully, I can study abroad
in the language I'll study that's part of my major and what I'll potentially minor in. A bit
stressed but I am excited.

Best,
Lucia
 9

SPRING QUARTER
Dear Reader,
Too many things happened this quarter. Both good and bad. To begin with, the
roommate I got more along with and actually did chores, went to study abroad in Spain
for the quarter. That left me with the roommates that I'm not that close to and who don't
do their chores. I had to learn how to be confrontational, which is something I've been
needing to do anyways. Learning how to be confrontational is scary and frustrating. It
was frustrating trying to explain why I wasn't going to help throw away the trash that my
other two roommates accumulated once when I was gone for the entire week. Me from
last year would've have helped but not present me. Before I left for the week, I cleared
out the bins, did my chores, and told them that I would be gone for said time. However,
when I got back, the bins were full to the brim, and I was expected to help, despite none
of that trash being mine. I said no, and that started the small bumps that would make
me dread going back to my own apartment for the quarter.
This lead to me staying on campus more, usually to study in the different places I found
over the year, and to talk to my professors more. One professor in particular and her
class, sparked my interest in a new career path that I never considered and now want to
pursue. The Fundamentals of Global Cybersecurity with Professor Jessica Beyer. I can
with confidence, say that this course solidified my reasoning for choosing the correct
major. It also solidified that I would take an intensive summer course for a language. I
just do not know what language to chose, Japanese or Korean.
As for how I did in my other classes? I had so much fun. My honors class for this
quarter was basically a seminar, the lectures are a retired neurosurgeon and an
epidemiologist that was going to retired before COVID-19 but didn't, for obvious reasons
didn't. This class made me realize that my relationship with pain was skewed. I learned
so much, especially about the placebo effect. Which ended up being the subject of my
20 page paper. I even enjoyed lecture, which was 2 hours long. I never missed a class
nor a reflection, even though I knew the reflection was homework I wish I could've done
longer than 2 pages of reflections on the daily readings. As for the ASTR 150 class, I
 10

loved learn about science, even though I am not the best in STEM classes. But it again
came full circle because as a kid, I would often watch space documentaries and want to
be an astronomer.
Overall, it was a good quarter and I feel more fulfilled than other quarters. I don't know if
that's because I finally figured out what I want to do after college or because I am
excited for learn my 4th language. Can't wait for summer quarter.

Best,
Lucia
 11

JUNIOR YEAR

SUMMER QUARTER
Dear Reader,
I knew that the intensive summer course would be intensive but I may have
underestimated just how intense it was. It's been about a week since Summer quarter
ended and I have never felt so bored before. From mid-June until mid-August, Monday
through Friday, from 8:30 am to 1:30pm, I was learning Korean. So you can imagine
that no longer having that schedule feels odd. Everyone else around me either had
some previous experience (self-taught, have family that speak the language, or more
overall exposure), while me and just on other person started from scratch.

I learned a years worth of information in nine weeks.

Which was about a unit every day or so. I naively believed that I would be able to keep
up, While I was able to, it still felt like I was not grasping the concepts well enough or
fast enough. It truly felt like everyone was swimming fine and I could barely float. Many
times throughout the quarter I felt that I should give up and just sign up for first year. I
did not believe in myself to pass and ended up, for the first time in college, S/NS'ing the
class. Being paired up with the most proficient individual, who all I can remember is that
they would finish exams (that we were given an hour for) in 15 minutes; only dropped
further increase my insecurity in language learning. I had also given up going to my
mothers homeland to visit my grandma in Guatemala in order to attend K134. It was a
rough decision. But I knew that if I even wanted to study abroad, I wanted to at least
have some basic language knowledge before studying abroad. Hopefully, if all goes
well, in about a year, I will be studying abroad in South Korea.

Of course, this all depends on if I pass the course, which I did but barely. If I hadn't
S/NS'ed the course, I would've wanted to retake first year. Thankfully though and I am
 12

eternally grateful, the professor reassured me. Stating that I would do fine if I were to go
into K201 in the fall. My parents also soothed my concerns. They related to struggling to
learn a new language when they immigrated to the U.S. And they were right, I couldn't
expect myself to absorb the language or learn the same way compared to other's that
already had some base in it.

In addition to summer course, I applied for a research opportunity for the early
fall/autumn quarter and I got in! It is such an immense privilege and experience that I
am excited for. The best part, is that it is a paid position. I will be able to start saving for
my study abroad program! I can't wait for this autumn quarter!

Best regards,
Lucia
 13

AUTUMN QUARTER

Dear Reader,
I can not believe that this quarter is already over. It seems that junior year is

a[
always the busiest one. Even four years ago, junior year consisted of hours upon hours
of studying and keeping up with more than one extra curricular. Junior in college though
makes high school junior year look like a walk in the park. Not just because of the
classes but what I was doing outside of them.
Around august, I applied for a research assistant position at the Center for an
Informed Public, and I got it! It was super exciting to be able to have that experience,
learning how to do quantifying coding and how to gather data. Not only this, but I was
->> still think As cool !
also doing research as a fellow with my favorite professor. In this position, I worked with
a
was
my peers to collect, summarize, and explain various countries' policies surrounding
social media. The best part of these research experiences is that I got to use my first
!
too -
language, Spanish, as part of the research. For the fellowship, it helped me understand
policies from Spanish-speaking countries, though the jargon used was on a more
technical level, it taught me how these documents are written and the best way to
summarize them as well. When working for the CIP, I was able to collect and code, and
fingers crossed for working on research exclusively in non-English languages for next
↓

next year !
quarter, social media posts in Spanish. *

fearwouldn't Classes were extremely fun, I do not know if that is because I am now solely
Biggest
that anyone
I

was to be focused on taking major required classes, but I enjoy everything that I am learning. It
summer
get the also seems that some classmates from the intensive course (from the summer) are also
fo
in my second year Korean class! I am excited to get to know my other peers as well. So
t
-> I was
far, the second year has been a bit difficult but it is much less intense. Classes are
used to this
about an hour long and not four hours long like the summer. Which is nice, but reduced to
being
sometimes I feel that I would’ve preferred longer class time. Though I have started to Ihr

&
- -

learn how to properly study a language. I can’t wait for winter quarter.

best for learning alang. in my opinion

 14

I am looking for next quarter's courses and classes and hopefully I will be able to
continue my research next quarter as well!

Best regards,
Lucia
 15

WINTER QUARTER

Dear Reader,
Research can be a bit difficult when you are creating the project from the bottom
up. It is completely different compared to when you are told to do a set of actions and
just repeat them until something comes up or your shift is over. Though it has been
difficult making the project/coming up with the scope, it has been immensely
eye-opening. But it does make me want to reconsider my plan about what to do after
finishing my undergrad career. I may want to go to graduate school, pursue something
in research, especially since I get to look at non-English data. We (as in the other
person I am working with on the non-english rapid response plan) have been in contact
with various organizations. Things are moving a bit slow, but it is only the beginning of
this project. I wonder what it will look like in a couple of months.
Classes have been fun as well. Taking Geopolitics of nuclear energy challenges
a lot of preconceived notions that I had, as well as make me question why I had those
preconceived notions as well. Taking the Korean 202 is also a bit difficult, while I
understand everything that is going on, I do not know if I am studying correctly for a
language. I want to figure out what I am doing wrong, for now I will just be going over
the same activities in class on my own but with different answers.
Lastly, I have applied and was accepted into a partnered study abroad program! I
will be studying abroad at Yonsei University for 6 weeks in South Korea this summer. I
am excited. Studying abroad has been something I have always wanted to do since
entering college and even planned it from freshman year. What I can not believe is that
it hasn’t even been a year since I started learning Korean. Despite being in second year,
first year being squished into 9 weeks definitely did not give me a solid foundation. If
anything, my foundation of basics resembles that of the board game Don’t Break the
Ice. Where I am the penguin trying not to be knocked down and the hammers are
grammar points or other language basics I have not mastered or have some confidence
 16

in. Even if I am placed at a lower level when I study abroad, though I hope I can be
placed into a high level, it will serve as good practice.
However, there are a lot of pre-departure things I have to take care of. It stresses
me a bit that the program says I should hold off on buying a ticket. Excited for the next
quarter and the summer!

Best regards,
Lucia
 17

SPRING QUARTER

Dear Reader,
One of my most proud accomplishments this quarter was receiving 22/26 on my
speaking exam in Korean. Ever since last summer quarter, I have only received as high
as 18/26 (embarrassing, I know). I have also had many things change, multiple times a
week, but in a positive way. My classes this quarter have set me up to have a better life
mindset. First, Korean is going well! I have started to put dramas in the background
instead of music (without subtitles), so I can practice hearing it. I think it has helped,
especially since my professor says I have improved a lot since last quarter! Though my
listening and speaking skills have improved, I feel that my written skills have weakened
a bit. I will figure out how to improve this.
I have never loved a class more than my love class, Lovework: an unfinished
syllabus, has changed my perspective on love more times than I can count on my
fingers. I learned about boundaries not just in love, but for myself and within a
community. Each week, we had to pick a word, talk about how it related to class and
how it related to the readings in class, give a definition and what it meant. I know that
may seem silly, define a word and what it means? It may seem like the same thing but it
is not. It is hard to put into words without seeming like I am simply copying and pasting
the same things over and over again, but words can not describe a change within
oneself. One of the artifacts will be this assignment, the word learning, has love within it.
There are so many things that I wish I could share about this class, how lovely it was to
leave class and see the sun shine a bit brighter, seeing how the grass was greener, how
I started to see life differently, bit by bit. I love my love class, it should be something
everyone gets to attend experience. It is not about romance and sex, it is so much
more. Even as I type this out, it seems that cliches are being written, but I can assure
you that it is not.
In the first week of class, I got to share what love is to me, I shared something
simple. At least I thought it was simple, love is sharing a clementine. Some context,
 18

n
when I was younger, my mom would buy a bunch of clementines or in school on the
rare occasion that my teachers had clementines, I would save mine and bring it to my
brother. I would carefully peel the small fruit, I would split it in half, and share the
clementine with my younger brother. Even now, when there are clearly more than
enough for each of us to have our own, we still share the clementine. Something so
-

&
small, meant to be for a single person. Unlike an orange, which is larger and obviously
shareable, clementines are small. You don’t have to share it but in my 5 year old mind, I
still wanted to share that moment, even if it was tiny. Thus, I shared that in class. Every
time I saw someone from class, they would exclaim to me that they got to share a
clementine with their friends, family, or partner. Sharing a clementine became
synonymous for “I loved today” or “I was loved today.” im
not when
g oing t
say i
his s a
actual
I have grown a lot this quarter. I think about many things differently. Ranging from cry .

can't
social media to the way the clouds cover the sun. For some reason, I can
- seem to

remember what it was like before this quarter, but I do remember leaving my love class
more than once with “I want to change the course of my life.” (literally after every class !
Regardless, I know that this was meant to happen before I leave to study abroad.
- ye s !
I think this change in mindset will set me up to have an even better time while in South
Korea. I can’t wait! As for the research, we have finally started to code! It is a bit slow
-Andstill now!
right now, especially since I will be leaving soon but I think I will still be able to do some
work while abroad!

Best regards,
Lucia
 19

SENIOR YEAR

SUMMER QUARTER
Dear reader,
The study abroad was off to a fantastic start. I lost my apple pencil at the airport,
no big deal, right? I can buy another once I get home, or I can buy one here, right?
Wrong, later that week, it rained super heavy. I had a small umbrella and a small
opening in my backpack. I’ve been describing this small tragedy as the following; my
backpack became a swimming pool and my laptop did not know how to swim. It is okay
to laugh. At first, I noticed my backpack got heavy, but thought nothing of it since I was
carrying my laptop, planner, and metal water bottle. However, once I got to class, I
pulled out my laptop case and I noticed the corner was very wet. I opened it and pulled
out my laptop, it quite literally was dripping with water. The bottom of my backpack had
a mini puddle inside. Luckily, I had my small planner (it was wet) where I could write my
notes that day. Thus I was forced to buy the apple pencil. But this also meant I couldn’t
contribute to the research as I had been previously.
For a week, I anxiously waited for my appointment at Apple where I had to use
my best Korean language skills and my trusted Papago translator, to explain what
happened. I was told to leave it with them and decided to spend the day in the area,
Myeong-dong, a well known shopping district known for its delicious foods. Two hours
after my appointment with Apple, I was told that it may need two separate repairs and
that I would be called again. By the time I was called again, I was told my laptop had
water damaged (I figured this would be the case), and would need to either have the
repair done or get a new laptop. The repair was going to cost around 2.5 million won
(this I had not accounted for), which is about 2 thousand usd, more than a new laptop.
Unfortunately, I really wanted to still work on research and working on a group project
with an Ipad proved too slow for how fast it had to be turned in and completed. So I had
to buy a new laptop.
 20

You’d think that my bad luck would end there, right? I got caught in the rain
multiple times (without any electronics thankfully), resulting in having a nasty running
nose and a small persistent cough that lasted the first 3 weeks. No biggie right? Wrong,
with how hot and humid it was outside and then walking into a cooler place and then
back out to the hot made it even worse. But apart from my bad luck, classes at Yonsei
were amazing. I enjoyed waking up early, going downstairs to the 24/7 convenience
store, grabbing a snack for class, walking to class, coming back to the same
convenience store and grabbing coffee and lunch before my next class, and I enjoyed
that routine so much.
The excursions planned by the program I am on, CIEE, were also so much fun.
Got to visit the DMZ, the tour guides being veterans, who were exceptionally informative
and the change from urban to suburban scenery was nice as well. There was even an
excursion to a small adventure park, it had a massive conservatory, a whole section
dedicated to christmas -that was still open and sold ice cream- was also fun. For
someone that loves coffee, there was no shortage of cafes. There were multiple themed
cafes, from animal cafes to minimalist. The coffee and pastries offered were also good
as well. If I didn’t have a coffee addition before I definitely developed one while in Seoul.
I think I’d want to live abroad again. Six weeks, although feeling short, were
actually long enough to become accustomed with the transportation. Especially with its
subway transportation, which is definitely better than Seattle’s light rail system, though
it's only downside is the lack of elevators and infinite stairways. Despite this small
defect, the subway in Seoul was so effective that I didn't have to account for delays or
late arrivals. It was easy to navigate where to go, even with 10 lines, with each day it
was easier and easier to remember the lines. It is one of the things that I will definitely
miss. Despite the language barrier, it was easy to navigate the city. At least in my
experience as the navigator of my friend group, Naver maps is a helpful guide. I only
had to look a couple of times, that’s how much trust I had in the maps.
But the thing I will miss the most are the friends I made while studying abroad. I
never got a chance to live in the dorms back at UW, I was lucky enough to have an
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apartment on campus, and have my own room. So, it was an odd experience having a
roommate and sharing the same room. Luckily though, the roommate I had at Yonsei
was also a UW student; we found out we applied to the same program during Winter
quarter. But the other friends I made I will miss dearly. I think that is the only part of
studying abroad that sucks, I won’t know when I will see them again after the program is
over. I made friends that live around the globe, people that live in New York City, New
Haven, St. Louis, London, Sydney, and other global cities. It’s odd knowing that we
shared a space for six weeks, got to know each other through shared curiosity, and will
only (hopefully only for a couple of months) update each other through social media.
The entirety of the experience felt like what freshman year should’ve felt like. Everyone
wanted to explore the city, no cliques had formed, everyone wanted to meet as many
people as possible and go to as many places as possible. I believe everything happens
for a reason, perhaps the freshman year of being completely online is what allowed for
my life to experience six weeks of pure curiosity.
It was also my first time completely alone from my family. I would only call them
during my lunch, even then, the time zones meant that it would be too late for them or
we simply didn’t have time. Perhaps it was an extreme way of finally becoming
dependent, in another time zone, across an ocean, a day way. I wouldn’t trade it for
anything, if anything I am glad I started saving in high school for this experience. I
always knew I’d study abroad, now that I have, I only want to travel more.

Best regards,
Lucia
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AUTUMN QUARTER 23’

Dear Reader,
For the first time since spring quarter 21’, I am living alone again. But this time it
is different, at least back then I had roommates for a majority of the year, this time
around, it’s just me from the beginning. It’s a weird experience, my eating habits have
once more changed. The location is also different, I am living off campus, in an
unfurnished apartment, near the Ave. It’s perfect, despite the old smell the hallways emit
and the elevator that creaks when used; it has big windows, a big living room, lots of
storage space, and best of all, I can decorate it the way I like it. I get to control how
warm I want my space to be, how loud it is, if I want the curtains open or closed. There
are a lot of little things that come with living alone that you only notice once you visit
family. Setting healthy boundaries, gaining an even deeper appreciation for home
cooked meals, and something that I wasn’t expecting to miss, my space. I've always
lived in a household of five people or more, even when I lived on campus. I still had
roommates plus their friends that were visiting constantly, so there was no real “alone”
time or space. It’s not to say that I hate it, if anything I miss it.
Silence is odd, thus my little speaker is constantly being charged and battery
drained, if there is no music there is silence. Trying to get used to it throughout this
quarter was a bizarre experience. Navigating this while coming to terms with my last
autumn quarter and the fact that I am graduating in two quarters is weird. Every
assignment finished would be the last for this quarter. However, having my own space
also means being able to choose where to do my homework. The whole purpose of
getting my own place was due to the fact that commuting every single day from Federal
Way to Seattle would leave no space to do school work/homework until after 6 pm. But
another part of it is that I am a campus ambassador for the study abroad program I
used this summer, CIEE. This meant being involved in information sessions, going to
events, and advising sessions on campus, this would push me returning home until after
8 pm.
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On October 14, College Gameday came to UW, setting up in red square and I
had to be there from 3 am until 12 pm. It was one of the many exciting and unnatural (I
only call it this since I don’t usually go to any sport events) events I’ve ever gone to
during college. I only went because as a CIEE ambassador, I had to, otherwise I
would’ve been in my cozy bed. Had I been a commuter, I wouldn’t have gone; simply
because I live too far, have no license, and no buses run at that time. Being a campus
ambassador fills in the gaps of my schedule perfectly, though the biweekly meetings are
not PST friendly. It also has allowed me to practice talking to big groups of people,
presenting to many students, I’ve connected with others that have either gone or want
to study abroad. While it may be nerve wrecking, my communications skills have
definitely gotten better, both in person and via emails.
When it comes to academics, not much has changed. My listening and reading
skills, while I may think didn’t get better, have. The best exam score in my Korean class
was 35/38. I finally declared my Korean minor, took a class in order to satisfy the
non-language requirement of it. Analyzing speculative fiction webtoons, which are
similar to comics but rely on the scroll format phones have, was not something I was
expecting to enjoy so much. It also made me realize how reflectant media is of social or
political aspects of a society, in this class, of Korean society.
However, I had my hardest honors class this quarter, International Human rights
advocacy. The readings were denser than history of social sciences (another honors
class), where I had to read over 200+ pages a week. Perhaps it is the fact that I had no
knowledge of how human rights, ICCPR, UDHR, etc worked. Or how the jargon was
vastly different from what I use in my daily life. While English is my second language
that I’ve spoken for the majority of my life, this English was unfamiliar. It was also quite
frustrating learning about how these mechanisms worked, how the structures were
created, and the outcomes of cases. It was an honor being able to meet the guest
speakers, although virtually, people who work in this sphere. I found myself dedicating
more time to this class than I would’ve preferred, even with the extra studying, I felt that
I was falling behind in the understanding. I won’t beat myself over it, but at that moment
 24

I felt incredibly frustrated. Now that the quarter is over, I think taking that class was the
best decision I could’ve done. While it may be upsetting seeing the HR security council,
ICCPR reports, I at least understand it now. Even now, I have a better understanding
than before, it’s still better than nothing.
Lastly, I am still doing research! Things are moving slightly faster, I’ve been
coding more and although I have to squeeze it in, I enjoy every bit of it. I am not sure of
how much I can say, but it is a possibility that this can become a full year position for the
upcoming elections.

Best regards,
Lucia