A Lehman Student’s First Day in Seoul
By Yara Palin
Some of the treats that can be found on the streets near Sungshin Women’s University. All photos by Yara Palin.
On the cold, wet evening of Feb. 22, after a 14-hour non-stop flight, I arrived in Seoul, South Korea, where I am spending the semester through the Lehman-Sungshin Exchange Program. The local time was around 6 p.m., but in New York it was 3 a.m., and after a one- hour bus ride to my dorm I was ready to turn in. I would soon find out that while some things here work just like in New York City, others are a world apart.
My adventure began the next morning, when I woke refreshed and energized to explore the city. More populous than New York City, Seoul is home to 10 million people, compared to New York’s 8 million, and the main streets are always bustling. While there are many businesses known to Americans such as Subway, McDonald’s, and KFC, you cannot come to Korea and not try the street food.
However, if you’re craving a taste of home you still can’t go wrong with going into a more familiar establishment. Most of the food tastes the same, and there are even additions made to the menu that feel more Korean. A lot of people may understand what you’re saying but not all employees will speak English so keep that in mind while ordering and be prepared to point A LOT.
The nightlife in Seoul is “can’t miss.” First stop was Hongdae, and of course, I would have to take the Seoul Metro to get there. Seoul’s equivalent to New York City’s MetroCard is the T-money card which works the same way but is way cooler. If you purchase a T-money card at a convenience store, you can ask the clerk to give you a card with your favorite K-pop idol. Or if you’re like me, you can purchase your card at a kiosk at any train station. This option does not offer customization.
Costing about $3, the card can be reloaded with any amount that you choose, and can also be used to pay for some taxis and in certain convenience stores. Thankfully, the vending machines that sell these cards have English language capabilities.
Once my T-Money card was loaded I was ready to board the train. The main difference between the train stations in Seoul and New York City is how much cleaner they are here. Although trash cans are practically nonexistent in the train stations---and pretty much everywhere else---there is zero garbage on the floor. At the edge of the platform is a sliding door that only opens when the train arrives, to prevent people from falling onto the tracks.
An entire platter of chicken comes out to 10,000 Korean won, which is less than $10 and a pint of draft beer was only $2.
Once you’re on the train, show time is over. That’s right, you won’t find any performers or anyone asking for money on the trains in Seoul because it’s considered impolite to be loud on all forms of public transportation. Anything louder than a whisper can draw stares and side eye. There are also seats on each end of the car for pregnant women, the elderly, or the disabled. Do not even think of sitting there. Hongdae is a college town near Hongik University known for its urban arts and indie music culture, clubs and entertainment scene. The one thing everyone kept recommending was Chimaek (치맥). This is a compound word formed from chicken and maekju, the Korean word for beer. An entire platter of chicken comes out to 10,000 Korean won, which is less than $10 and a pint of draft beer was only $2.
My friends and I had one more surprise lesson about the train system. We were shocked to be ejected from the train exactly one stop before the Sungshin Women’s University Station. It turns out that the trains in Seoul stop running at midnight sharp, so we were forced to hail a cab home. After a good twenty minutes of waving our arms helplessly into the night, we caught the attention of a cab driver willing to drive us back to our dorm for the reasonable fee of around $3!
So ended my first day and night on the town in Seoul. As I looked out my window and saw the famous Namsan Tower, I went to sleep excited for what the next day had in store for me.
Sungshin Women’s University Station.
Hungry Students Put Price First, Health and Taste Second
By Keidy Gómez
Carman Hall Café, where friends are made. Jerlisa Ware, Daisy DeJesus, Courtne Comrie. Photo by Keidy Gomez.
When the food we’re eating is good, we want to continue savoring the moment. Unfortunately for many Lehman students on tight budgets, that happens only once in a blue moon. Even with a new program to cut food costs, most students we talked to said that they choose food that is convenient and affordable over what they actually want to eat, which means they don’t always make healthy choices when it comes to eating on campus.
“I like to go for healthier foods, I don’t like to eat junk food, but, sometimes I go for a pizza,” said Courtne Comrie, a 24-year-old Lehman sophomore who’s majoring in creative writing.
“When I feel naughty, I eat greasy pizza,” said Jerlisa Ware, a 25-year- old Lehman senior, also majoring in creative writing and minoring in education. “When I’m hungry, I eat whatever is available.” Ware often goes to the taco truck on Goulden Avenue outside campus, when she wants something quick to eat and is on the go, but when she feels like having a food adventure she eats halal.
“When I feel naughty, I eat greasy pizza.”
- Jerlisa Ware, Lehman Senior and creative writing major
Students like Ware and Comrie don’t usually savor their food experiences as much on campus, where food is relatively expensive. A soda from Carman Hall Café costs $1.91, while in a bodega it costs only $1.25. Plain pizza costs $2, and a full meal can cost $8 to 10 including a drink and tax. So rather than splurging for taste, more often than not, students on a budget just eat for sustenance.
To help students cut costs a bit, last semester Lehman began offering Dining Dollars, a program that lets students use their student ID card to pay for food. Students can put $25 dollars on their student ID card and they don’t pay tax. If they add $50 dollars they get $2.50 back. The funds, however, expire at the end of every spring semester. Daisy DeJesus, the cashier at the Carman Hall Café, explains it as “a debit card that you can add money [to] and have savings.”
DeJesus herself goes above and beyond to help out students who are trying to make ends meet. “Some students leave their money in the classroom and forget to bring it. I take their name and number and let them pay me later,” she said. “If a friend of mine is hungry and can’t pay, I pay out of pocket for them. I know how hard it is when you are hungry and broke.”
Lehman Students Don’t Get a Break this Spring
By Shivani Boodhoo
Tana Cambrelen gets ready for spring break 2017.
Mariah Dwyer enjoys break at Wave Hill Gardens.
In movies like “Spring Breakers,” “National Lampoon’s Spring Break,” and “22 Jump Street,” spring break is portrayed as a wild time when college students go on drinking binges and do lots of thrilling, and illegal, activities. However, in real life, many Lehman students have a much tamer experience due to a backlog of school work and lack of funds.
Edgenis Abreu, 22, an environmental science major, laments, “Having time to yourself without having to think about school is always great, but every year it seems like I have either a project or a final to worry about after the break is over.”
Mariah Dwyer, 21-year-old English major focusing on creative writing and minoring in professional communication, is also tied down by academic obligations. This year, she doesn’t have concrete plans, but said, “Normally if I’m not given an essay or reading to do for spring break, I try to do future assignments.” So, she keeps her break local, and plans to hang out with friends picnicking in Central Park. “If I’m not doing any of those things,” she added, “I’d be binge watching a TV show on Netflix.”
Tana Cambrelen, 20, another creative writing major and Netflix addict, agrees that “Spring break is a tease.” She isn’t that excited about it because she is not going on vacation---she too will be doing schoolwork. “I don’t get assigned any spring break homework, but I always end up getting ahead on work that’s due because I feel guilty just sitting around.” She appreciates the time off, but having to go back to school “is always the hardest because I got a little taste of freedom.” However, she decided not to pick up more shifts at her job during the break because she wanted time to relax.
Since she can’t legally drink, Cambrelen adds “I’ve never been on a spring break vacation since I’m not 21 yet. Next year should be exciting.”
For other students keeping their breaks local, the Bronx Zoo offers free admission for CUNY students. The New York Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Show is ongoing as well, and the Tribeca Film Festival will run from April 19-30 in Manhattan. Whatever you choose to do, you’d better enjoy it, because once April is over, finals seem to hit worse than a hurricane.