What would an exchange semester be without all the friends you make? Aoife is a very important person that I met in Seoul. Actually, we were classmates and saw each other everyday. But still, Aoife was a special class mate. So here’s a love letter to her <3

How I met Aoife

Aoife and I first met at our Korean class. Twelve people sitting in a room, surrounded by awkward silence and almost everyone is American. Except three people. Aoife and I where two of them. But there – sitting at least three people away from each other we didn’t talk.

After we spend hours and hours to stand in line to get our Alien Registration Application done I finally talked to her – and it just clicked! Aoife was so nice, open up and funny that I invited her to join me and my girls for some fruits and juice at Jean’s Fridge: a „coffee shop“ where you enter trough a fridge door. (Yeah, very hip, very cool, very expensive :D) Since that day, Aoife and I became undercover friends – texting in class while everyone else was discussing Connor’s alcohol consume on the weekend ( miss you Connor) !

It was so nice to have a „best friend“ in Korean class. We could meet each other every single day and sometimes just spend the evening together afterwards: buying groceries, shopping at daisy or simply having dinner.

Why Aoife is just GREAT

Writing about Aoife is one of the hardest texts – because I just miss her so much! Her Irish English and dry humor, our conversations based on F.R.I.E.N.D.S. That look she gave me every time I embarrassed her in public. How she picked out her phone every time she saw a cute dog to film it, especially corgis. But most of all, the talks with Aoife. The great talks I could have with her, wherever we were and the way she said: „Wait, what?“ or „No, I get it!“

Aoife is from Dublin and 24 years old – the next „oldest“ friend in our group. Just like me, she’s having a long term but also long-distance relationship, when in Seoul. But of course, that was NOT the only thing we talked about.

Having Aoife in my class, we sometimes helped each other learning vocabulary by making up the most stupidest word jokes and connections like [멀다 – the mall is far away].
Weird, but it helped – and connected us throughout the whole semester. And man, she is hella intelligent! How can someone remember so many words in such a short time?

Also, Aoife taught us some Irish. Not only did I JUST LOVE her Irish English. But she really explained a lot of words and phrases. „Scarleh fer yer Ma fer havin‘ ye“ which can be translated into „I am embarrassed on behalf of your mother for the fact that she gave birth to you“ was one of the sentences and became an insider joke. Or how about a little tongue twister challenge:

Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop. 
Where she sits she shines, where she shines she sits.

And then, we always had food cravings: cheese, scones, mashed potatoes, gravy! (Njaaaaammy!) Luckily there was a cheap pizza place near Aoife’s apartment, so we spend some nights at hers, playing UNO and having loads of pizza. Other than that, we had a couple of Bubble Tea dates before class: One of us would bring a bubble tea for the other to cheer her up!

Seoul would not have been the same without Aoife! And I am just so so happy that we met and spend some great time together. I’ll come visit you in Dublin, for sure! And until then I’ll always think of you when I see a corgi dog 🙂

Big Hugs and sláinte <3