Students here may dedicate a lot of time to their studies, but their efficiency is questionable at times. I take three courses at KAIST. It feels like being back at high school: homework, quizzes, obligatory presence and actual classrooms. Since investing time in your courses is a big deal at university here, doing so makes you pass the course, usually. The remainder of the time I have left is spent on both fun and cultural activities, of course.

Being an interesting mix between Eastern and Western culture, South Korea has a lot to offer. Fish is gutted on the street and monks bow for Buddha in beautiful temples that are surpassed in beauty only by the fall colors in the mountains where they are situated.

By contrast, most average Koreans live in indistinguishable high-rises. Most students, including myself, live in either male or female dorms. The absence of a kitchen forces you to eat in a restaurant and taste new meals every day, but that’s not an issue at all. Pigs skin, the fourth stomach of a cow, chicken heart – I can recommend them all. Still, the idea of savoring the flavor of bitterballen at the TU/e New Year’s reception on January 6 once again is appealing as well.