Quarantine Stay - Week 1

WOW, so crazy to be studying abroad during a global pandemic in 2021!

UHM Shidler College of Business Students take on South Korea! Here is a picture of us once we landed in Incheon Airpirt at 6:45 pm KST but didn't leave until 2:00 am....

Airplane Ride (HNL --> ICN)

“No matter what. Expect the unexpected. And whenever possible, BE the unexpected.” - Lynda Barry

Once you are confident that the study abroad will happen, make sure you buy flight tickets that best match your budget, duration, and timeline. I had one friend buy a $800-900 ticket with multiple stops, whereas the majority of us, bought a direct flight from Hawaiian Airlines for $1000-1500. When purchasing, I made sure to remember the mandatory 14-day quarantine and when my dormitory check-in was. Lastly, it's optional to buy flight insurance, but I highly recommend it as the COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing crisis in the world.

To my surprise, the aircraft was pretty empty. I had the two-seat row to myself, where I laid down and slept during the ride. Fun fact, the rows in front and back of me were empty, yet an elderly woman sneaked behind and slept in the back O_o. For a 10-hour flight, Hawaiian Airlines provided two meals (chicken+rice and breakfast sandwich) and snacks in between. I usually get motion sickness but I kept busy with pre-downloaded movies and music to listen to (Bruno Mars, Doja Cat, Sza, and Sam Kim helped me survive haha) At last, we arrived a little early at 6:45 pm HST as original plans were 2:05 pm HST to 7:00 pm KST.

*Best Traveling Trip: One should be 2 hours early for interisland/mainland flights and 3 hours early for international flights. You never know if your check-in luggage is overweight, if you have something prohibited, and if you forgot something.

Customs, Immigration, Quarantine App, and Passport Checks

^ Longest Processing of MY LIFE: 08/10/21 6:45 pm KST > 08/11/21 2:00 am KST ^

On the plane ride, the flight attendants gave 4 documents to fill out. We were second to the last flights to land in South Korea, so our processing took a while (almost 6 hours to be exact) as there were only 1-2 workers per station. It's important to have the copies ready to make the interaction quick and efficient. If you are not sure what to put, ask your peers or airport employee to minimize mistakes.

• Station 1: PCR test results

• Station 2: Quarantine App and Stay confirmation

• Station 3: Immigration

• Station 4: Passport Check

FINALLY, we were able to retrieve our luggage at the carousel and proceed to wait for the taxi transportation to the GlobalENS hotel for quarantine. In our group, we had Recenz and Ibis hotels to house us while some did theirs at a Goshiwon or another company.

Quarantine Hotel - Ibis Ambassador Hotel Insadong

^ Quarantine Hotel Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner ^

Since we reached the facility around 2:00 am on August 11, 2021, we were required to wake up at 8:00 am to take our initial PCR test. It was mandatory to take a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of one's arrival and the second one before the end of quarantine. It was quite a hectic couple of hours here but having some UHM buddies experiencing the same events helped! (Shout out to Camrie and Josh)

At the Ibis quarantine hotel, every room was single occupancy with two twin beds, a closet, shower, toilet, desk, refrigerator, kettle, etc. We were fed 3 meals a day (6-8 am Breakfast, 12-2 Lunch, and 4-6 Dinner). Within those times, the staff would ring the doorbell and it would be the only time to go "outside" to retrieve the meal. To note, the meals were often cold, food waste was suggested to be flushed down in the toilet, and cool snacks were given.

To be honest, it was exhausting being stuck in a room for 14-days, which prompted homesickness to happen so quickly. I felt hopeless, bored, and alone at times but I was fortunate to enroll in a Korean Class, converse with family and friends, and watch shows on Netflix. It was funny when my parents would ask what I was doing since I couldn't really do much and my responses were either eating, sleeping, or nothing. Overall, my time spent in quarantine was a learning experience in how well I do alone and what could be done to relieve the boredom.

GlobalEns Korean Class

During my quarantine stay, I participated in the GlobalENS' Online Korean Language class for 150,000 won. The advertisement's catchphrases "it will be a great opportunity for you to learn Korean...When you finish this program, you will no longer be a beginner in Korean, and you can make new Korean friends more easily" caught my attention. In two weeks, I learned the Korean Alphabet and Basic Conversation from 7:00 to 10:00 pm with 13 other exchange students. To reflect, I am glad that I decided to do it because my teacher was willing to go beyond the lessons, I met some peers attending the same university, and made great use of my time.

^ GlobalENS Korean Language Class Flyers ^