P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way...

You should have been able to see where I was going with that. I'm sure I'll make more Finding Nemo references, because when in Sydney, right?

I made the flight to Sydney, and despite the wonderfully confusing nature of the airport, met Chrissie who I was staying with. She lives up in Hornsby Heights, which is pretty much the last stop on one of the train lines before the actual bush... something Chrissie gave me fair warning about. Don't fall asleep on the train alone. With that in mind, I can understand how easily distracted I could get on the trains, purely for the fact I was fascinated by the fact they were double decker. Simple things entertain simple minds.

The next day Chrissie had a speech to give, so I managed to go to (in the loosest way) my fifth university in a just over a year. First it was Colorado, then Keele and Kyoto, and I just managed to push my way into attending a class in both University of South Australia with Leni, and then Macquarie Uni with Chrissie. Needless to say, film and business lectures are definitely not my thing, but it was pretty cool to the differences and similarities the Australian uni's had to Keele.
Across from Macquarie there's a quirky little milkshake place that I'd seen many a time from Chrissie's instagram, so after going there we headed to Manley Beach for lunch. I will admit, on the ferry I saw a dark shadow and did think it was a great white briefly (obviously Bruce giving the whole "fish are friends, not food speech" to his gang), but it was a dolphin. Although part of me was a little disappointed in wasn't a humpback whale like had been in the harbour a few days earlier.
We reverted back to being little children when we got to Manley, deciding to get fish and chip for lunch and sit at the beach. Great idea until we realised how stealthy the seagulls were, stealing a fair few things off Chrissie's fork, much to her disappointment, Karma definitely played a part too, since after all my laughing at her incompetency, the same thing happened to me. We took a nice leisurely stroll along the beach, attempting to take photos of our names in the sand, but true to form that failed too

SATURDAY WAS ZOO DAY. I went with Chrissie, Katy and Chrissie's friend Emma, and it was safe to say that we were all a little bit more excited than we should have been, especially all over the age of 20. We actually parked in the Sydney Harbour national park so we could walk along the boardwalk on the way to Taronga, and we got some pretty good views of the city from there! It was a shame, because both ways the weather wasn't exactly cooperating in terms of us getting a good photo, but we tried at least, and it turned out super cute. We saw lots of different animals, but the highlight for me was definitely the elusive pygmy hippo.

I was so happy that despite Chrissie having work on Sunday morning, we managed to visit so many places. We started in Darling Harbour, a place that somewhat reminded me of the Albert Dock back home. From there we stumbled upon the Chinese garden of friendship, hidden in the middle of all the hustle and bustle Sydney has to offer. I was honestly surprised I'd never even heard of these places before, but I guess when you have the bridge and Opera House to drag tourists in, you don't really need to mention much else. After a really brief walk around Paddy's market (with Chrissie pulling me away from all the cute backpacks, it was like Asia all over again), we headed to Chinatown. We actually ended up in some Korean restaurant since we both loved the fact the other wasn't fussy with food, and it was pretty good. Not a patch on Seoul, but it was pretty close. The fact we got a pitcher of pomegranate soju and stumbled home almost sealed the deal.

The rest of my days were spend doing the infamous Bondi to Bronte coastal walk, where we took some stereotypical American sorority girl pictures on the beach.Chrissie and I don't really get to embrace that side of us much since we've come home from Colorado, so we decided to go all out and start a global sorority gift exchange with each other, which I'm sure will be great until I have to get crafty. My second to last night was spent at the Opera bar, a small venue located right next to the Opera House and overlooking the harbour. Yet again, our luck with wildlife continued as seagulls were loitering everywhere, but it was super cool to be able to have a few cocktails with Katy and Chrissie, knowing I won't see them for a while, in such an surreal location!
Hands down the best decision I made during my time in Sydney was telling Chrissie to take me to all the local places she goes. I would probably never have discovered half of them, but it gave me such a better perspective on what living in Sydney is like. Needless to say, I could happily see myself living there in the future. Although I may just have to spend Australian summers somewhere I'm less likely to spontaneously combust.

I had a golden gaytime in Radelaide.

It's not what you think. During my time in Melbourne, Chrissie and Leni had insisted I try what you could call a local delicacy, basically a caramel ice cream coated in chocolate and biscuit. I'll have to admit, it was pretty good. It obviously has a huge following too, since that week they introduced it in tub form and it was sold out everywhere I went! I also tried Vegemite which I liked, and was shocked but equally impressed by the amount of chicken schnitzels Will can eat over the course of a day.

I was staying with my family in Adelaide, which was nice considering I missed the majority of their visit to England at Christmas while I was still at CSU. I went a little overboard on cup of tea making, and embraced the home cooked meals involving potatoes with open arms.

Doing a typical touristy thing, I started by going to Gorge Wildlife Park with Will and some of his friends. This was were I got to hold my first koala, who was super cute, along with feeding wallabies, kangaroos and quokka. I'm still plotting ways I can steal all these cute little things and have them as a pet in the flat next year at uni.

We had a busy weekend, with Bec, Will, Terry and I visiting Victor Harbour, Port Elliot and Hahndorf in a whirlwind trip on the Saturday. Although we did sit watching whales and seals from the cliffs for almost an hour. Then on Sunday, we headed to the barossa valley for a quick tour of all the wineries. Guess I'll never be a designated driver either, although I drank the same amount as everyone else, I blew double the reading on the breathalyser. I introduce you to your resident lightweight of the group!

I managed to spend some more time with Leni too, one evening getting treated to a night at some choice pub with cheap drinks, a beer garden and a rather large selection of bogan guys. Although she was the first person to tell me about the Hello Kitty cafe in Adelaide, I didn't get a chance to go with her, but rather bullied Bec and Will into taking me. It was a lot more toned down in comparison to the others I'd been to, but I guess that's just the Asian market for you!

All in all, Adelaide totally wasn't what I imagined it to be like at all! That's not to say I didn't love it, I did, but god is it small! The o-bahn (practically a train track for buses that sounds German) still confuses me...

Despite being pretty sick during my time there, I appreciated finally being in cold weather were I could wrap up and go into hibernation mode. However Australia, I'm definitely not a fan of how bright it always is, especially early in the mornings.

6 airports in 5 days

Yes you read that right. As you can see, I had a mildly crazy week after the exchange programme finished! I made a pretty spontaneous decision to go back to Seoul for a few days, because hey, why not.

I'm so glad I got to go back to Seoul again, because it really is a wonderful city. I spent time with one of my friends and although I was only there a few days, if that, I managed to explore more places. I even got to go to Lotte World, a famous indoor/outdoor amusement park that is huge. I saw some interesting sights there, namely girls wearing plush toy tails, and couples walking matching animal ears. Not to mention, I made sure to get my fill of banana milk and Korean BBQ while I was there.

After leaving Korea and making a brief stop in Tokyo to see Haruka one last time, I headed to Australia!

I only had one day in Adelaide with Eleni until we flew to meet Chrissie in Melbourne for a girly weekend. It was sooooo good to have a reunion again, almost 8 months later, and it honestly felt like we hadn't spent any time apart. True to fashion, Chrissie had wine awaiting us upon our arrival at the hotel.

Melbourne is a such a cool city to walk around, and it kind of reminded me of a larger Lark Lane back home. Saturday was spent walking along the Yarra river and heading to Chinatown for dumplings. That night we had our official reunion in a place called the Croft Institute, a medical themed bar that gives you a syringe with your drinks. Even the girls bathroom had a hospital bed in, but that was the point in which the place got borderline creepy.

Although the weather wasn't the best, on Sunday we headed to St Kilda beach to see the markets. Officially my first Australian beach experience (well, that I remember)! It got pretty awful and stormy in the afternoon, so we packed up and headed home, not before getting a super yummy Thai curry to ease our still present hangovers. 

All in all, it was a super fun weekend in Melbourne, but also bittersweet since it will be the last time all three of us are together for a long while. Next year when Chrissie and Leni both come to England can't come quick enough!

Living & breathing Japanese (literally, I was on a homestay).

I am extremely grateful to have been involved in a homestay during my time in Kyoto, which took place during my third week of the exchange. My family consisted of my host parents, and two daughters, Miki and Asuka. They also had a pet ferret called Ponta, but don't even get me started on my hatred for that thing. I'm not a fan of being targeted, constantly bitten on the ankles, and even having it break into my room and get INSIDE my pillow case.

It was obviously meant to be, as there were numerous Hello Kitty things in the house, and my room (a small guest room downstairs with a futon) came complete with Hello Kitty curtains. 

I'll always remember how the first thing my family asked me was if I got car sick, and with good reason too, I think my host father fancied himself as a bit of a boy racer down the small Kyoto side streets. My family were super cute, as they struggled with pronouncing my name, like most Japanese people do. Instead, I acquired the nickname of "keito". This was my favourite thing because whenever my host mother would run a bath, she'd shout that to get my attention from upstairs.
Somehow, through a lack of me paying proper attention, I even ended up cooking lasagne for the family one evening because they wanted to experience both my cooking, and some western food. Afterwards, Miki was feeling super sleepy so I taught her the phrase "food coma", which she absolutely loved!

Asuka was studying English for her university entrance exams, so we really helped each other develop ways to remember certain things in our other languages. She would always get confused over her left and right, so I taught her the simple trick of looking at her hands to find the “L”. It was so adorable to see how happy she was after I'd taught her such a simple thing, and needless to say, I trusted her directions a lot more from that point on.
Most evenings after dinner seemed to be the time when my host family would socialise. It often ended up with me telling them about random things they wanted to know about England. One evening, I even spent almost two hours trying to teach my host mother how to say "the earth is round" without making her r's sound like w's. It ended up with me making her practically growl to get the noise out, much to Miki and Asuka's amusement. 
Another evening, there was a discussion about my dislike of heated Japanese toilet seats, which they couldn't understand my logic of it feeling like someone has just been sat on it before you. Also note to self, never, ever try to explain the concept of a Yorkshire pudding to anyone in Japanese, it's not going to go well!

My confidence in speaking Japanese has come on leaps and bounds, proven by the fact we had to give a speech about our experiences to fellow classmates at the end of the exchange. On the first day, I was put off by just introducing myself in the language to people I knew had a greater ability, but by the end I was much more confident in my own ability. I know this is definitely down to being involved in a homestay, and even though sometimes I had no clue what my host parents were saying to me, I managed to find ways around this and be able to wing it.

In Kyoto we saw so many people dressed in kimonos and yukata, and one evening we even got a chance to wear yukata ourselves at a festival on campus. There was also a Hawaiian themed DJ night going on, which I can only describe as if the SU was more tame, had a cream carpet and closed at 8:30. What a random experience that was!
Aside from my time with my host family, I made a trip to Osaka to try the famous okonomiyaki and visit Dontonboori, where I took an obligatory photo with the iconic Glico sign. KUFS also organised us to experience a calligraphy session and a tea ceremony, which was a great insight into traditional Japanese life.
Our final day involved a ceremony and leaving party, which consisted of a lot of picture taking, goodbyes and also a nice little certificate saying I'd successfully completed the programme. We ended our final night by visiting Osaka for a firework display along the river during the Tenjin Matsuri.

I don’t think I’ve taken as many photographs as I have during these past three weeks, and yes, I have been that tourist taking pictures of trees. You could live in Kyoto all of your life and still have only just scratched the surface, and I really hope I get the opportunity to go back some day! 

Arashiyama & Fushimi Inari: off the bucket list.

Kyoto was filled with even more hustle and bustle during my second week there, as the Gion Matsuri was fast approaching! Floats began being built on the streets in the weeks leading up to it, and one day we actually got to board one to see what it was like. All of them have different meanings and are very intricate, but sticking to tradition. none of them are actually powered. During the festival parade, the floats are pulled by various men, and when it comes to turning down streets, bamboo is laid on the floor and sprayed with water, before the wheels are slid along.

Sadly for us, by the time the parade came around, a typhoon had also made landfall in Japan. That didn't stop us from going, however I'm pretty sure it really put a dampener (excuse the pun) on the festival as a whole, since not nearly as many people came to watch.

Despite classes being as jam packed as ever, I managed to visit a fair few places that I'd wanted to go! Firstly, we had a day trip organised to Arashiyama, nearing the outskirts of Kyoto. We took the Torokko train one way alongside, then returned on a boat cruise along the Hozugawa river. It was such a relaxing experience, and while we were on the river a food boat even moored up to us that sold dango and fresh squid. Then we finally got to the famous bamboo groves of Arashiyama, and I got to experience something known in Japanese as komorebi. It can only be translated in English as the sunlight that filters through the trees, and to see that through the bamboo groves was pretty beautiful.

That day was super hot, so we decided to go to Fushimi Inari for sunset. It was actually pretty cool when we arrived, because there was a rainbow over the tori gates, then watching the sunset over the mountain was spectacular. The pictures really don't do it justice.

Another place I visited was Kiyomizu-dera, probably another of the most famous places in Kyoto. The views of Kyoto are stunning and when you visit the main hall, you feel in a weird way like you're floating on the mountainside. I went with Misa and Miho, who I was a buddy to when they went on exchange to Keele last year. They were so adorable, as they'd been to Universal Studies in Osaka the day before and bought me some Hello Kitty stuff since they knew I hadn't gone. They even took me to a Hello Kitty restaurant I didn't even know existed, and I have to say it was super adorable. Hello Kitty shaped pasta is my new favourite thing. Later that day I met up with my current buddy Aoi, who took me around the smaller lesser known streets in Gion to get a Kyoto special matcha parfait. 

Finally, we also visited Nijo Castle, which was completely different to all of the other temples and shrines in Kyoto. It was definitely more regal, and considering it was so close to our hotel, I'm surprised it took us so long to finally go there.

That evening, a lot of the exchange kids decided to have a farewell since we left for our homestay the day after. We went to Sakura bar, which served all you can eat izakaya snacks and we all had a ball. I'm really surprised by how well we all get on, and it was nice to finally spend time socially together rather than just in class. It was a little bittersweet to be leaving for our homestay too, since we knew we'd have less freedom and less time to get to know eachother, but let's be honest, the homestay was probably what the exchange was going to be all about!

Geishas, Gion and a Golden Pavilion.

Well Kyoto, you didn't disappoint. Especially since on the first night I arrived the star festival was taking place on the street outside the hotel, so there were kimonos, yukata and street food galore! That first night was a bit of a blur after travelling, and I had to wait for Izzy my roommate to arrive quite late. The next day we had a day to explore before classes started, so we grabbed some custard taiyaki and had a mooch. I'm also convinced I broke my toe that day by kicking my suitcase, since it turned purple within the hour and still hurts now. Either way, I should be doing nursing since my taping skills were on point. That night we headed to get ramen with Xiao, and what was intended to be a quiet night was very much the opposite after we ventured into a basement "cafe". It turned out to be a cocktail bar, that after ordering ramen and tempura, whipped out the karaoke machine for us, while providing wigs and sunglasses for us to wear whilst on the stripper pole. I'm not sure if they were laughing with us or at us, but either way we had a ball, and I'm 99% sure they took some videos of us singing which could be anywhere.

The next few days were filled with classes, which have been great because they're much more conversational speaking based than I'm used to back at home. KUFS is actually pretty strange too! It's much smaller than I imagined, and you can tell a huge divide between boys and girls at lunch, when all the girls are in the cafeteria and the guys are sat outside. Most days we spent the afternoons exploring around the many temples, shrines and castles that Kyoto has to offer. You could live here all your life and not visit them all, I'm not kidding.

One day after class Hitomi, a girl we know from Keele, visited and took Izzy and I to Yasaka Shine and Chionin temple in Gion. We saw so many people dressed in kimonos and yukata since the Gion festival was coming up! I was made up too since we stumbled across some geishas when we were walking around Gion, which was pretty surreal because I felt like I'd gone back in time. Afterwards I had my first izakaya (Japanese pub) experience, and despite the random 60's British rock playing in the background, had a ball trying all sorts of new interesting foods. Cheese mochi balls are my new favourite thing.

KUFS organised a day trip to Nara for us, which is about an hour away from Kyoto. The temples are filled with deer, I have no idea why, and it amused me how there were actually instructions located everywhere on how to deal with a deer attack. One got a little friendly with the cuddly toys on my backpack, but I got a selfie with another so I think that's a pretty good achievement.

We've gotten pretty friendly with some Americans and Costa Ricans so have spend a fair few nights bonding over sake in our rooms. Saturday was fun-filled with it being Xiao's 20th birthday, and we started it by heading to Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavilion. It was weird, because don't get me wrong, it was impressive, but I think the hype was a bit much. Out of the many temples I've visited I could think of so many others that were much more impressive. We then headed to Kyoto Tower, and after resisting all Hello Kitty merchandise as much as possible, we headed up. While we were there a cute little Japanese guy was painting caricatures, so we decided to get one. It was actually pretty good and I appreciated the fact he included my resting bitch face.

To conclude the celebrations, we headed into Gion, found a rowdy bar and befriend some Irish and lots of Japanese before loitering around before getting the first train home at 5am. All in all, we had a great first week. And life lesson, alcohol may not make your Japanese better, but hey, at least you feel like it is.

Hajimemashite, Tokyo!

Tokyo was the final stop on my mini tour of Asia with Haruka, and what a much needed pre-uni break it was! I hadn't realised how much I'd done in both Hong Kong and Seoul until I finally got a chance to chill out at Haruka's house. Although I've met her mum before, this was my first chance to meet her entire family which I was super excited about! Her brother actually lives about 5 minutes away from my accommodation when I'm in Kyoto, so it's nice to know I have someone there incase I need it.

On the evening we arrived, after a traumatic bus ride from the airport (note to self: don't drink coffee, milk, orange juice, water AND tea all before getting on a two hour bus with no toilet), I was treated to what Haruka's dad called a traditional Japanese bbq. I have to say, rice on a bbq was a new one to me! After that I was surprised with a birthday cake, since turning 20 is a big deal in Japan as you're finally deemed an adult. However my highlight had to be meeting Mimi, my favourite little pug. She developed a liking for chewing the plushy toy key rings on my backpack and stealing my socks, but you can't hold a grudge against a pug that lets you hold her like a baby.

The next day we went to Shin Yurigoaka station, the train station Haruka lives near to. It baffled me when I had only known her a few months and she announced she was having a day out at the train station, but now it made more sense. There's a lot of stores, even some cute ones like Kiddyland (the best place on earth for the likes of me, who are too old to really like animated characters but do anyway) so I did treat myself to some Gudetama socks. Great first purchase in Japan, Caitlin...

After practicing my Katakana reading practice in the Mister Donut, we headed to Uobei sushi for dinner with Haruka's mum. This was pretty cool, because you use tablets to order your food, which then gets delivered to your table by a conveyor belt, by a racing car, space shuttle and a shinkansen (bullet train).

Shibuya and Harajuku were on the cards for our next day, and if I'm honest, it wasn't at all what I expected. You get the perception that Tokyo is full of crazy fashion everywhere, especially in Harajuku, when in fact I barely saw that many. Haruka took me to Shibuya crossing first, and I really want to go back there during the rain to try and get some cool pictures of the umbrellas from above. Afterwards, we went to an ichiran restaurant, a ramen place where you order your food from a vending machine, get a ticket to select your ingredient preferences and sit in a booth made for one. You don't even see the people serving you, as they are hiding by a curtain. That was a strange experience, but oh my god, hands down the best ramen I've ever had! 

When we headed to Harajuku, I bullied Haruka into taking purikura with me, those typical photo booths where they make you look super kawaii and Japanese. It was hilarious, because they made my eyes look even bigger and I resembled an alien, and it was more worrying how Haruka actually suited the plastic surgery like things it did to us!

I was shocked that across the road from Harajuku station is Meiji Shrine, which you would have no idea was there. It's so peaceful and is such a contrast to the busy streets that it was probably my favourite "hidden" place I've found in Tokyo so far. Harajuku is famous for its crepes, so of course that had to be eaten before heading home too.

The next few days were more relaxed with me getting myself prepared for Kyoto. We headed to Yokohama in the afternoon just in time to see the ferris wheel lighting up. Yet again, we ended up at another romantic date spot so I think Haruka is trying to suggest something subconsciously... That was a food filled day, with Haruka's mum giving me my first yakisoba, then we got okonomiyaki and monja when we headed to Yokohama. It was a cool experience being able to cook the food in front of us, and it was amazing. Okonomiyaki is sort of a noodle omelette pancake with yummy goodness, and monja looks so wrong but tastes so right and I can't even explain it. You just eat it with tiny little metal spatulas which is a selling point in itself.

Over the next two days Haruka and I went to Shibuya again to smash karaoke which was the funniest experience I've had in a long time. Weird seeing people going into the booths alone though, who obviously take themselves way too seriously! Once Jane arrived we went into Tokyo again to the skytree, although the weather was too cloudy to see the top and we didn't go up. For my last evening, the Hattori's took us for sukiyaki, which was similar to hotpot and was an all you could eat meat place.

I'm still getting used to how most things I expect to be savoury in Japan are sweet, but now I've got myself prepared for my time in Kyoto!

I probably won't blog as much since wifi is harder to get ahold of, plus I'll have classes to attend, but hang on for the next update of my uni experience! 

Oppa Gangnam Style!

By the time we arrived in Seoul it was pretty late, so once we'd found where we were staying we went for a walk around Jongno. To say we fell in love with the place instantly is an understatement! It was so different to Hong Kong, and after getting some super duper not-made-for-foreigners spicy kimchi stew, we discovered how the back streets of Jongno were filled with food stalls with people of different age groups socialising. It was such a welcome change from the craziness of Hong Kong, so with a banana milk in hand (which is very famous over there) we headed back to come up with a plan for our time there.

The next day we headed to Chamdeongung Palace which was right by where we were staying. It was huge! We barely walked through a quarter of the entire place and the architecture was so intricate you could have taken photos all day. After leaving we roamed round a few random streets before realising that despite our early start, Seoul doesn't really open until 10:30am. This was explained on our last day when we left for the airport at 5am and the streets where still full of people at the street restaurants from the night before.

We headed to Insadong first and did some serious damage in Étude House, where I found the holy grail of liquid eyeliners. Yay for Korean makeup! I spotted a jipangyi stall which I was so happy about. It's soft serve ice cream in a corn-puff cone, the difference being its J-shaped and about a foot long. Tasty but the most awkward thing to eat when it's melting from both ends. Later we carried on towards Myeongdong which I loved. Every shop was blasting different kpop songs and it was the cheesy bright Korea I'd expected to begin with. Although I restrained my singing and dancing for Haruka's sake, I did treat myself to a SHINee album (or two) because you're only in Seoul once, right?! On that note, almost everyone under the age of 25 looked like they could be an idol, so Haruka and I were very happy "people watching", even if it was just cute guys.

We both wanted to make the most of the street food too, so when we were there we for some tteokbokki and a very random combination of a hot dog, wrapped in bread and chips that was deep fried. After that we got the cable car up to Namsam Tower, and the views of Seoul were stunning in both daylight and night. It's always shown in Korean dramas as a date place, but I swear Haruka and I were the only people there not on a date. The first of a few romantic locations we accidentally visited together during our travels!

The next day was all about the kpop! I managed to drag Haruka along to Gangnam to see the buildings of two of the biggest entertainment companies there, SM and JYP. Lots of picture taking ensued, we even chilled in a nearby Dunkin' Donuts for a bit in hope of seeing someone famous, but no luck. We ventured into SMTown Atrium which was literally heaven for me, with 5 floors of  SHINee, Girls Generation, f(x) and even a themed cafe.

Afterwards we met Haruka's friend Jay for dinner before he had to go back to the U.S. Military base. It was great having him with us because we could finally go places without English/pictures on their menus, getting to finally try Korean bbq, soju and bingsu. Since we were in Gangnam, I did have to embarrass Haruka when we got a picture at the dance stand, however I didn't dance too much...

Day 3 couldn't have been any more different to the day before. I've been wanting to visit the DMZ (De-Militarised Zone) between North and South Korea for so long, and was super disappointed that the tours weren't running due to MERS. Even though we couldn't go to the Joint Security Area and technically step foot in North Korea, tours were still running to parts of the DMZ. We went to Imjingak which was so surreal, as the barbed wire fences and flags, accompanied with the bad weather made it seem very eerie. Bombs were also being detonated as part of a military exercise in the distance too which made it seem all the more real. Afterwards we went to the unification observatory and got a chance to be within 2km of North Korean land, even seeing some housing through binoculars.

Later that evening we decided to go to the Han River, since I wanted to see the rainbow fountain show at Banpo Bridge. Turns out we majorly misjudged the size of Seoul and the chill timetable of the trains, so totally missed the show. It wasn't all bad though, we fell in love with Seoul all over again when we walked along the river and just spent time watching the world go by, filled with lots of people hanging out and doing the same as us on a Friday night.

On our final day we met up with Dongho, a guy we met at Keele last year who's now doing his military service. That was a surreal experience for all of us since we never thought we'd see eachother again after he left! We went for hotpot and got to try jeon, before Haruka and I headed to Hongdae.

Since this is the university area, there were a lot more international students around, the only thing I didn't really like about it since they were very overpowering. However, I did love the fact as soon as we arrived a group of super cute college boys were dancing kpop group dances on the street, and also playing a song that reminds Haruka, Jane and I sooooo much of first year!

After a failed attempt at finding the Hello Kitty cafe there (I found its old location, but the directions to the new one were awful), we ended up walking the streets after a few drinks rather than going to the clubs like we expected. We stumbled across two buskers who were absolutely adorable, and after dedicating songs to us in broken Englih, we got a picture with them. Sadly forgot to get any of their information, but it was a perfect end to a perfect trip.

Even though I couldn't read any Korean, I've never felt more welcomed in a country. The people were unbelievable helpful, along with even being apologetic that they couldn't speak English, or for assuming I could speak Korean after using a few phrases. Five days wasn't nearly long enough, and I know I've only just scratched the surface. Haruka and I both said the night we arrived how we could move there tomorrow, and I think Seoul will definitely be our meeting point after uni is over, even though it's not exactly in the middle! So thank you South Korea, for being more than I ever expected you to be. Not being just part of my trip to "get it out of my system", but making me want to explore you more.

Turning 20 in Asia's world city!

I'd been pretty excited about spending my birthday in Hong Kong since the day I booked my flights, and the day was finally approaching. On the Friday, I went to an island called Cheng Chau with Corane, which was about an hour ferry away. I'd heard wonderful things from everyone about Cheng Chau and it didn't disappoint. It was a nice chance from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, since nobody on the island owns cars and the place is filled with bikes. Since there was an upcoming dragon boat festival in Hong Kong, we even got to see the teams practicing from the pier. I managed to try some weird foods too! Firstly, mango mochi, which Cheng Chau is famous for, and then an egg that had been boiled in tea. Surprisingly not bad once you get past the brown moulding look.
We then headed back to meet some of the other delegates from my past trip to Hong Kong for dinner in Mong Kok. I was totally surprised by the amount who turned up and made time in their schedules just to see me, so I was able to see a further five people during my trip which was more than I ever expected. We ate some interesting foods, most of which I still don't even know what they were, and then everyone surprised me with a birthday cake. I was so appreciative of the fact that even though I hadn't seen most of them for almost 3 years, and that sometimes our postcards and messages are lacking, they still came together as a family for me to celebrate while I was away from home!

Saturday was quite a chilled day since Haruka was arriving from Japan! This was going to be the start of our little tour of Asia before I head to Kyoto in July, as we're travelling to Seoul and then to her home in Tokyo. Typical, after picking her up our bus from the airport broke down, so by the time we got to Causeway Bay we went straight to a Taiwanese cafe for dinner which was amazing! Later we met Jane for dessert which was so surreal seeing them both in Hong Kong since I only ever see them in England.
Sunday was finally my birthday, a day filled with dim sum to the max. We'd been invited for dim sum with Jane's family in Sheung Wan in the morning, and afterwards the three of us visited Lan Kwai Fong for the first time. We went for "afternoon tea" too, consisting of pineapple buns and milk tea. They're not really pineapple, the top just apparently looks like one. Good timing too since a thunderstorm was brewing, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy. After almost two weeks of constant humidity and heat, my birthday wishes had definitely been answered. We began to head to Kowloon, but the rain was so bad we ended up camping out at an MTR station for 20 minutes singing to keep ourselves occupied.
Haruka and I ended up killing time before dinner in a random shopping mall that was pretty amazing, before heading to Austin to find the Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine restaurant, a place that specialises in dim sum. IT WAS PERFECT. Everything had so much detail and it was the perfect place for me being such a fan, with me also treating myself to a super cute plush toy only sold there. We then headed back and I wanted to show Haruka both central of an evening and the ding ding, but after getting drenched we decided to call it a night. It was a very different birthday than what I'm used to, but I wouldn't have changed it for the world!

For our last day, we went around a few of the sights in central before heading to Aberdeen, where Jane lives, to go to Jumbo Kingdom, the famous floating restaurant. It was nice to spend some more time with her since we hadn't really got a chance too! Then we headed to Mongkok for a final market experience, with me severely restraining myself from buying lots of shoes on sneaker street! However, I can't wait to be somewhere were the heat doesn't kill me every time I walk outside, and on that note, Seoul here I come...

Hong Kong, it's good to back.

After spending a week here now, this has already been an entirely different experience to when I came here almost 3 years ago now. There's been something kinda nice about knowing a city just enough to get by on your own, but also have so many places you're yet to have been .
I've been so lucky in the fact three of the girls I met on the exchange, Corane, Connie and Crystal, have made time in their busy schedules to spend some time with me. My first two days were spent with Corane, exploring some of the lesser known areas of Hong Kong, which I really appreciated. Not only did she take me back to Sai Kung, a village in the New Territories which was hands down my favourite place I visited last time, but she also gave me some first time experiences on the Star Ferry, the ding ding (tram), along with a traditional HK style breakfast. This "local tour" really enhanced my experience from the word go since I'd never be able to go half the places she took me without a Cantonese speaker! Connie also gave me my first proper tour around the markets in Kowloon, before we were treated to a homestyle meal by Crystal. This was yet another side to Hong Kong,  as she lives in Kowloon City, by where the old Kai Tak airport used to be. Although there are still some skyscrapers in the area, it was nice to be able to get an idea what Hong Kong must have looked like back in the day.

Since I can't rely on everyone all the time,  I've made some lone trips to mid-levels, Stanley market, the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical gardens, Chi Lin nunnery and Nai Lan garden during my days. I also took a day trip to Macau, which with its Portuguese influences was totally different than what I had imagined. Very much two worlds: huge casinos and winding streets with bakeries selling egg tarts. I'm glad I went, however I think the ferry traumatised me a little too much.

The heat and humidity is a real killer, so I will admit I do occasionally take refuge in some of the many shopping malls around. I'm also embracing my inner Asian having bought a super cute umbrella to protect myself from the sun. I'm definitely to pale to cope otherwise! My mission to visit as many Hello Kitty themed locations is also going well, as I went to one in Macau and one in Hong Kong. Saving the best until last when it comes to the Hello Kitty dim sum restaurant! That's being saved for this weekend when Haruka, Jane and I are all reunited here.

The study abroad experience may have ended, but that doesn't mean it's not still with me!

In light of my impending travels, I figured I would make amends to my shocking blogging towards the last month of my semester at CSU so I am fully up to date. My trusty camera broke on the train back from San Francisco, so although there's not as many pictures, it's been fun-filled to say the least.

The last month was easily one of the best I had out there, as it was a time when we all grew closer since we knew our time left together was limited. I've mentioned "Team Commonwealth" before now, and a bunch of us from that group really bonded, As a result, we narrowed it down and began referring to ourselves as DELTA SIGMA WINE, or just Delta Sigs for short. This new 'fratority' consisted of myself, Leif, Caragh, Jack, Leni, Chrissie, Megan, Jonny, Robbie, Phil, Katy and Carly. We even took it upon ourselves to get some letters made, and we actually did convince a few Americans it was an International Sorority/Fraternity since there were that many of us with matching hoodies.
I couldn't make it to our original initiation ceremony (candle-lit and super inappropriate I might add), so mine was scheduled to be on the first night of our Winter Park ski-trip. We took the entire thing super serious, and there were "going to be punishments" if we wore our hoodies before that night...

The ski trip was an experience in itself. Day 1 started off with me, Caragh and Megan taking a lesson which seemed to go quite well. I definitely peaked too early, with my first wipe out happening when I was heading towards a ledge by a ski lift, then later in the day I got to the end of a run an had to get rescued by Leif after becoming entangled in a safety net.
Day 2 was even better. I got cocky and did my first huge flip early in the day that resulted me in smacking my head, both skis coming off and my goggles shifting to enclose my nose. At least when I fall, I fall. To top it all off, I managed to take a wrong turn and lose everyone, ended up at a dead end and my only option was to get a ski lift up another 2,000 feet. I wasn't amused since I had to make it to the bottom alone, while getting over taken by 4 year olds and almost having a mental breakdown. Never have I been so happy to see Leif's hat flapping in the breeze and getting myself onto flat ground. I mean I'm happy I went. but let's just say I would have happily had the entire weekend getting drunk in a hot tub and having a rowdy night in the hotel room like we did the night before.

The last few weeks were pretty hectic with finals coming up, but the entirety of Delta Sig spent so much time together revising, making forts and final visits to Sundance and various other food joints. That just made leaving this mad bunch so much harder, because we actually felt like a little family. We even took Christmas pictures because we're just that weird.
I couldn't have been happier to have gained such good friends, in Leif and Caragh especially. Having them back at Keele this semester helped so much with the "re-intergration" into life back at home. Even though the 12 of us have been split up for the past few months, worldwide skype dates are always on the cards, no matter how hard it is to organize. I'm so excited that during my trip this summer, I get to reunite with Chrissie, Leni and Katy when I go to Australia, and once I'm back home for third year, then entire English division of Delta Sig will be back on home soil ready for a tour of hometowns and unis. So with that, I think this proves that it didn't matter who I met or when I did, but the fact we all managed to find people equally as weird as ourselves during our time at CSU, and that made the entire experience all the more amazing. Watch out world, you never know where Delta Sig will make an appearance next!