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Chapter 13

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FRESHMAN

by Chang Jae—Hyuk

Chang Jae—Hyuk wrote this story when he was a university student -in Seoul, Korea. Approximately 10.3 -million people live in and around Seoul.

Wednesday

7:00 a.m.: I get up about seven o’clock in the morning. Since my friends and I have a group blind date with students from a women’s university tonight, I take extra time to look my best. My mom calls me to eat breakfast, but I don’t think I can. It’s already 7:30 and I don’t Want to be late for my 9:00 class. It takes me about an hour and a half to get to my university, so I hurry out.

8:00-9:00 a.m.: I take the bus to the subway station. There are so many people in the bus that I can’t breathe. There is so much traffic that the bus can only crawl along Finally, the bus arrives at the subway station. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people on the train and the air is stuffy. We finally arrive at Shinchon station and my university is now about a ten-minute walk away. I run to my philosophy class so I won’t be late again. I have already missed this class four times.

9:00-11:00 a.m.: Thank goodness, I’m safe. The professor comes in just after me.5 But now I’m so tired from running that I can’t concentrate. Then the person next to me asks what the homework is for our English class. That’s right, there was English homework, but I forgot to do it! So I spend philosophy class doing my English homework.

English class is next. It seems like English is one big mountain that we all have to get over in our university days. If we want to get a decent job, we have to be really good in English.

11:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m.: After two classes it’s now 11:00, and I decide to go to my club room. Our club members spend their free time hanging out in that room. I chit chat with my friends for a while and then go to one of our school cafeterias for lunch.

2:00-5:30 p.m.: Now its 2:00 and I have one more class at 3:00. My friends and I decide not to go to our 3:00 class. I shouldn’t do this, but we don’t want to hurry to the women’s university after class. Instead, we go to play some billiards until its time to go.

5:30-10:30 p.m.: It’s 5:30 in a coffee shop in front of the university. All four of us are excited and wondering What the girls will be like. About ten minutes later, four girls come in. Then the awkward time begins. We ask some questions and so do they. I find my dream girl sitting in the corner, but I don’t have the guts to speak to her.

After twenty minutes, it’s time to choose our partners. We decide, at the count of three,9 to point at the partner we would like to have. If a boy and a girl are pointing at each other, they become partners. One, two, three! My dream girl is also pointing at me!

I spend the evening with my partner having a wonderful time. Right before we part, I ask for her phone number. If she gives me her number, that means she also likes me. And she does! I get home about 10:30. I’m very tired but really happy, hoping that things go well with her.