For the first text blog this week, I thought it'd be a good idea to give people a bit more of an idea of what it's like to be on the Soonchunhyang campus. All I'd known about the school before I came was that it was a newer instutition (founded 1978) and that it was in a slightly more rural part of Korea. What I hadn't known was that the campus is located in lower mountainous land. This means that the university amounts to something like a hill or very small mountain on its own.

To get from the Global Village dormitory building, you're going to do a little bit of hiking. Either by one of the myriad sets of stairs here, or the long way around (no stairs, but still a hike). Today I'll be providing a photo tour of how one gets from the Global Village to the School of Global Education and Exchange. This is the building where your Cultural Internship, Korean language and some history classes are held; this makes it important to know your way around. First you'll need to get down to the 'second' (or ground) floor of the dorm building you live in, and go out through the main lobby. Above you can see the pathway leading from my dorm building to the central lobby, with a nice water mural painted on either side.

After exiting through the Global Village lobby, you'll need to head straight across this turnaround to the Haemaji building. This building serves as a dorm for regular SCH students, i.e. Koreans. Also of note here is that a Buy the Way convenience store is located inside Haemaji as well - snacks and drinks mostly, with a few varities of microwable meals and top ramen. Once you've passed the fountain at the center of the above image (a gathering spot for hanging out at night), and reached Haemaji, you'll need to go up the stairs.

These stairs, to be precise. As I mentioned in my video blog and earlier here, Soonchunhyang University is home to many flights of stairs across its campus. You'll get a lot of exercise just going to and from class, let alone any actual working out you do. If it's humid and hot like it was until recently here, even more so. Of note for these stairs is that a small wind can form at the center, under the overhanging building. This has led to their unofficial nickname, 'the wind tunnel'. There's often a nice amount of shade here as well, so they can be a good place to just sit back and relax out of the sun.

After reaching the top of the Haemaji stairs, it's an almost straight shot to the Unitopia building which will serve as your next waypoint. There's a parking area between the buildings, so be careful to watch for any cars. They have the right of way in Korea, so it's more dangerous than in the USA. The Unitopia building is used, as far as I can tell, for classes attended by SCH's Korean students. Its name refers to SCH's goal of having several top programs by 2020, en route to being a top national institution by its centennial. To the right of the entrance above is another flight of stairs, which you'll need to make use of.

These are the Unitopia building stairs, mostly wooden planks, and sized well enough that you won't find yourself nearly tripping (as will be the case with the next set of stairs). Note the two garbage cans at the center of the stairs, since such recepticles are nowhere near as common as in Western countries. At least if you're outside. Once you've reached the bottom of these stairs, hang left of the building across the roadway (being mindful of traffic) and you'll find the last stairs en route to class.

These stairs wind around a little bit, and have both positives and negatives worth mentioning here. On the plus side they're surrounded by trees and plant life, making for a scenic and beautiful view as you descend towards your classroom. It can be pretty peaceful to take in the greenery, and near the top of these stairs are picnic tables to sit at and do just that. Maybe while enjoying a meal or a waffle from the nearby SCH cafe stand.

Be cautious, though, as the wooden steps are fairly narrow and thus harder to traverse. Ropes on either side provide something of a handrail, but they are attached to wooden posts with rusting nails. Some of these will pull right out when you try to use the ropes to balance yourself, so keep your eyes open. As long as you're careful, these stairs can be a nice way to get to the School of Global Education and Exchange. It's also the most direct route. After you've reached the end of the stairs, as pictured above, the building we're looking for is almost directly in front of you.

Conveniently, the school bookstore is located in the building right next to the School of Global Education and Exchange. If you need regular supplies, or forgot to buy a textbook, it's a quick jaunt over to get whatever's needed. The staff speaks varying degrees of English, so be prepared to use charades or have the title of your textbook written down for them. This will make the process more expedient for everyone involved.

Here it is, the School of Global Education and Exchange! This is the front entrance, which you'll have to go around the building from the stairs to find. There's a rear entrance as well that's much closer to the foot of the stairway, if you want a more direct route. Cultural Internship and my Intro to Korean History course are on the second floor, with Korean language courses held on the third floor. When you have exchanges with Korean students, they'll be in the Global Lounge on the first floor. It's right next to the head office, where you can head if you have any questions about.. well, pretty much anything here. They've been incredibly helpful so far, for which I'm extremely grateful. So there you have it, the tour of your most direct route from the Global Village to the School of Global Education and Exchange!

Interaction with my project is always encouraged and invited! You can reach me with comments, questions, etc. at HangukMartyn@yahoo.com.