Although Jeju Island has too many attractions to enjoy in just two full days, we were able to venture around what is Jeju's most arguably best attraction: Udo Island. Located 3.5 km off the east coast of Jeju, teeny-tiny Udo Island with an area of 6 km sq. (approximately 1/95 of the land area of Oahu) is literally translated to "Cow Island" because it looks like a cow lying down.

We left the hostel early in the morning to take an hour-long cab ride (which amazingly barely cost over $21) to the east coast, where we took a 15-minute ferry to Cheonjinhang Port on the southern tip of the island. We originally intended to rent ATVs and ride around the island, but unfortunately, we were required to have international licenses to operate any vehicles on the island. So instead, we rented bicycles for three hours at the price of $7.

The weather was amazingly warm and sunny, which made biking around the island feel spectacular. 

We began to bike clockwise around the island, and like the tourists we were, we decided to stop every three minutes to take pictures:

For lunch we chowed on Hwoe Guksu, which was pretty much Korean noodles mixed with sashimi, vegetables, and gochujang (chili pepper paste). We also had more sashimi (predominantly mackerel) on the side. 

After our fun-filled day cycling around Udo Island, we ferried back to Jeju Island and headed to Bijarim Forest, which is apparently the world's largest nutmeg forest. We enjoyed the greenery and crisp, fresh air as we wandered aimlessly around the forest, while excessively taking pictures.

We then headed back to Jeju City in search of a restaurant that serves horse. After wandering around without a clue to where we should search, we ran into a mini amusement park which had an insanely dangerous but thrilling ride...and I forgot its name. It's basically a rotating platform bordered by seats facing inward with no seat belts or harnesses to hold riders down. It would violently rotate in either direction, and occasionally bump up and down, sending some of its riders flying into the air, only to land back on the platform (or the seats) with a loud and usually painful thud. Only six of us were brave enough to ride it, and we can all agree on one thing: we all thought we were going to die. Here are some random pictures:

As we later continued our journey to find some horse toe eat, to our detriment, we were directed to a restaurant that happened to just recently took horse off its menu. Nonetheless, we enjoyed a traditional Korean meal for dinner which was, of course, delicious. 

The next day, some of us flew back to Seoul as we had classes on Monday. The others who didn't have Monday classes stayed for an extra day and had adventures of their own (you can check their adventures out by sifting through their blogs; the links are on the "Links" page). That's all for my Jeju Vacay...we're planning to have a trip to Busan soon. We'll see if anything interesting happens in between now and then! 

Today we set out early to hike Mount Halla, which would turn out to be one of those how-did-I-survive moments.

At 7:00A.M. sharp, the five ladies and I scarfed down eggs and toast to charge up on energy, as we were told that the hike would be over 4 hours long. One of the hostel guests warned us about the wind and how cold it was, and advised us to wear warmer clothes. We, all dressed nonchalantly in summer P.E. clothes, failed to take the man's advice. This would turn out to be our downfall.

The cab ride to Halla-san took about an hour long, but it seemed endless. As soon as the cab left the city, we were completely surrounded by forests, with the mountain slowly revealing its colossal size as we got closer to it. Luckily for us, the cab driver was a bro and gave us his card to call him after we were done.

As soon as we got out of the cab, we realized that the hostel guest's advice should've been taken seriously. My goodness, it was FREEZING (albeit it was a sunny, beautiful day nonetheless!)

The ladies ended up buying thermal leggings to warm themselves up, whereas I, the man of the pack, deemed it too unmanly to wear women's leggings, despite the fact that my legs were completely numb after being outside for 7 seconds.

We began our hike, which turned out to be relatively easy. We weaved through the forest path and made our way along a ridge, where we were able to get a breathtaking view of the southern side of the island...where we were barraged with gusts of unbelievably cold wind. It got so bad, that once we hit the midway point, we decided that it would be best to head down. Here's some pics:

Once we got to the bottom, we cabbed it back to the hostel to change into beachwear. We then visited Hamyang Beach (black sand) and Hamdeok Beach (white sand). Both were very beautiful and quite reminiscent of Hawaii's beaches, although the water was unbearably cold. We ended up venturing around both beaches and took too many pictures. Here are some of the nice ones:

Two more friends flew in this morning and ended up meeting us at Hamdeok beach (so now, I'm not the only guy). After cruising in a seaside cafe, we headed back to town for dinner where we feasted on Jeju's delicious fish. The fish was as fresh as fresh can be, as we literally witnessed them being killed right before us. Of course, fresh fish is always delicious, but only one item on the assorted sashimi platter was pretty much inedible... It was the sea pineapple, known in Korea as meongge (the reddish thing on the top right side of the platter). It was bitter and had a taste that was quite indescribable (in a bad way). However, I must say, the grilled mackerel was bomb.com: 

Tomorrow, we plan to venture to the easternmost part of the island to take a ferry to Udo Island. Lookin' forward to it!

City life ain't easy. Maybe not as much as Tokyo, but Seoul is dense in population. The city never sleeps. It seems like daily life is so congested with too much action, and as each day progresses by, the need for a breath of fresh air slowly creeps in. But that all gets thwarted by Seoul's poor air quality. 

Thus, to escape this wonderful-but-tiring city, with great company, I booked tickets to Jeju Island.

Jeju Island, lying south of South Korea in the Korean Strait, is a volcanic island currently self-governed by the local government, headquartered in Jeju City, located on the north of the island. Mount Halla, which dominates in the center of the island, is primary volcanic island of Jeju. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a beautiful crater lake at the peak of the mountain.

Jeju has been described as "Seoul's Hawaii." The tropical and laid-back feel of the island was definitely similar to Hawaii; however, unlike Hawaii, Jeju experiences four seasons throughout the year. 

A total of 8 people traveled to Jeju with me to enjoy a weekend of island fun. However, due to class scheduling, we all departed at separate times. For the flight there, I traveled with Mandy and Sylvia via Eastar Jet (a low-cost but pretty reliable airlines).

The first thought that came to my mind after our hour flight was, "IT'S COLD AND WINDY!" Yes, it was cold and windy, with a hint of overcast. Our hostel, a 10-minute drive from the airport, offered airpot pick-up service. 

Rainbow in Jeju, the hostel we stayed at, was amazing. For about $22 per night with comfy beds, towels provided, guitars to jam on, and cook-yourself breakfasts provided, I'd suggest it to anyone headed to Jeju. 

The first night, Mandy, Sylvia, and I headed to Jeju Love Land, an outdoor museum all about "adult matters." Needless to say, it would be bad if I posted photos and talked too much about it... But it was definitely fun, hilarious, and even disturbing at times. A must-go for couples and those who find humor in such odd subjects. Later that night, three other lady friends from SNU arrived at the hostel. Don't worry, another dude is scheduled to arrive tomorrow...of course, with another lady. Nonetheless, a great gender ratio.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's planned Friday adventures at Halla-san and Jeju's famous beaches!

I hate midterms. Midterms are stressful, take up time, and cause a uncanny dissatisfaction in life once completed. Yes, I hate midterms.

I'm one of those students who does adequately on midterms and murders finals. Maybe it's because I set aside studying for midterms because I know that I have the rest of the semester to buffer for that A, or maybe it's because I'm not used to the structuring and format of each professor's exam. Or, maybe it's the pressure to make it or break it during finals that helps me do so well when it's do-or-die.

Either way, midterms aren't fun. Having two in one day isn't fun either. Out of four classes, I have three midterms, as my 4th-year level Chinese Economy class bases its grading on essays and presentations. 

But the two midterms today were for Marketing Management and Financial Management. And boy, they did kick my butt. 

It made me re-realize that I'm attending Korea's most prestigious and coveted school, and that the difficulty of most courses would be much harder than UH Manoa. Nonetheless, I do have confidence in my performance in Marketing, but Finance was a little tricky. We'll see what happens.

According to fellow Freeman Scholar Kayla Nip, Yonsei University had a designated midterm week, just for the sake of taking exams. SNU? Nope, two today, and one right after my planned Jeju trip. 

After recapping on what I need to do in school for the rest of the semester, I realized that 4 presentations, 2 final exams, 3 case studies, and 2 essays are all due within a three week time period. That will be fun...but for now, I'll wait until this Thursday, as I'll be able to get a breather from this city and relax my Seoul in Jeju Island.

Day two in Japan was spent visiting Osaka Castle (大阪城) and Southern Osaka's shopping districts Namba (なんば) and Shinsaibashi (心斎橋) in Osaka Prefecture.

It turned out to be a rainy day, but nonetheless a beautiful, warm day. The gray sky gave the sakura blossoms a different feel and color, and despite slight winds and a constant, light drizzle, I was able to walk around all day and night in nothing but pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Heck yes.

As most of my other friends already visited Osaka Castle the day prior to my arrival, one other bro by the name of Kenny, who hadn't visited the castle yet, joined me to visit one of Japan's most historically rich sites.

During the 15th and 16th century (essentially the Sengoku Period [戦国時代], lit. "Warring States Period"), many castles were built in strategic locations to act as bases and fortresses. Many of these phenomenal structures were destroyed during the Meiji Restoration, as an act to destroy more than 2,000 castles was implemented during the Abolition of the Han System in 1871. As such, very few castles remain in Japan; there are only seven left in the Kansai Region.

Osaka Castle was built in 1583 under Toyotomi Hideyoshi (regarded as Japan's second "great unifier," or simply put, Japan's second version of King Kamehameha) to serve as his base. It was eventually captured by Tokugawa Ieyasu (the eventual Shogun of Japan with a shogunate lineage that lasted until the Meji Restoration in the mid-1800s) in the Seige of Osaka in 1615. Eventually in 1868, the castle was captured by imperial loyalists, who turned the ownership of the castle to the Meiji Government. At this time, much of the castle was sadly burned due to civic conflict. The castle then went through phases of rebuilding and destruction (restoration in 1928, bomb raids during WW2, restoration in 1995-97).

My first thoughts after laying my eyes on it was something like, "B-b-b-b-b-beautiful."

During the 1995-1997 restoration, the interior of the castle was redesigned to function as a museum. Thus, lighting, elevators, TV screens, displays, and bathrooms with those amazing Japanese toilets were built into the castle.

The top floor served as an observatory, where you could experience a 360 degrees skyline of Osaka, albeit not as high as Umeda Sky Building (which we didn't get the chance to visit).

The castle is surrounded by a beautiful park, lined by blossoming Sakura trees. An easy morning stroll around the park is a definite must for those who enjoy clean air, peaceful scenery, and the chance to relax. The photo on the top of the blog page was taken in Osaka Castle Park this very day. Nikon J1, baby.

For lunch, we followed the ladies in the BEST sign picture to an underground mall with many restaurants and shops. We went to an "omu-rice" restaurant. (Omu-rice is essentially fried rice, usually cooked with mushrooms, onions, chicken, ketchup, and auxiliary spices and seasonings, wrapped in scrambled eggs, with more ketchup squeezed on top. It's delicious!) 

After, in attempt to join our group of friends who spent the day shopping, we headed towards Namba and Shinsaibashi, South Osaka's main shopping districts. There were many stores that sold anything and everything including clothing, accessories, make-up, skincare, and much more. There were grocery stores, bookstores, arcades, and many restaurants as well.  

Nearby, there is a place called America-mura (アメリカ村), literally meaning America Town. There were many shops and stores that had the theme of being modeled off of 'America.' Didn't do any shopping, but at least we witnessed a proposal which turned out to be a success.

We eventually gave up on meeting up with our friends and decided to head to the hotel and rest up, as we were planning to go out and experience Osaka's night life. However, one of our friends had accidentally used the wrong contact lens fluid; her eyes hurt so bad that she ended up going to the hospital. In the end, she was given medication, and we all went back to the hotel and enjoyed each others company for the night.

We grabbed a late night bite at an Izakaya that was conveniently right next to the hotel. This was my first time experiencing Kansai's sashimi, and BRAH it was 'ono. We feasted on various sashimis, including salmon, mackerel, white trevally, and hamachi to name a few. We also ate various tempuras and enjoyed a serving of karaage. It was a great meal.

The next day, Sunday (4/7), I woke up early and caught the train back to KIX, where I boarded my early afternoon flight back to ICN, Seoul. My experiences in Kansai was absolutely magnificent; I will definitely go back to re-experience the beautiful temples and sites, and to explore what else Osaka and Kyoto have to offer. It is a must-go destination for anybody and everybody, as they will not be disappointed by the culture, food, and scenery that Osaka and Kyoto have to offer.

This concludes my blogging on my trip to Japan. Stay tuned for future posts on my experiences in Jeju Island!

The thing that I enjoyed the most about Kyoto Gosho was the greenery and plant-life within and outside the palace. Because it's still very cold in Seoul, there aren't that many plants that have blossomed/regrown leaves yet, and the plants that have blossomed/regrown leaves are covered in soot and dirt (due to Seoul's horrible air quality), finally being exposed to "clean green" was refreshing. 

After we finished our visit to Kyoto Gosho, we hopped into taxis and made our way to Kiyomizudera, arguably Kyoto's most famous and beautiful historical attraction.

Kiyomizudera is situated in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. It's fairly close to Kyoto Gosho (approximately a 15-minute train ride). It was first constructed in 778 A.D. during the Heian Period. Many buildings were also constructed in 1633 during the Tokugawa Shogunate. Kiyomizudera was named after a waterfall within the temple, called kiyomizu, literally meaning "pure water." It is said that the temple has wish-granting powers, and that buying omikugji (folded, usually scented paper charms), matching key charms, and drinking water from various waterfalls would grant ones' wish. During the Edo Period, people would "take a leap of faith" and jump off the side of the temple (which was a 13 meter drop); if the jumper survived, his or her wishes would be granted. Of the 234 jumps, 85.4% survived. I guess 200 people got their wishes granted, while the other 34 kicked the bucket... There's also a love test in Jishu Shrine (one of the shrines within Kiyomizudera), where one would close their eyes and walk from one love stone to another. If the person is able to go from one stone to the other successfully, that person would find true love. 

Nonetheless, Kiyomizudera was amazing. The entire structure was constructed without the use of a single nail. Although it didn't make it past the finalist stage for claiming a spot on the 7 New Wonders of the World, Kiyomizudera is a must-go for any traveler visiting the Kansai area of Japan.

One advice that was given at the Manoa International Exchange briefing prior to departure was to, "Say yes to everything." This could be taken many ways (we all giggled at the briefing), but it perfectly applied to me when my friend Kenny, who is on exchange at Yonsei University, asked me if I wanted to go to Japan with him and his friends.

I hesitated at first because I knew the costs would be extremely high in addition to the difficulties of booking hotels/hostels and flights during Osaka/Kyoto's Cherry Blossom season. But in the end, I said yes; price wasn't a big enough opportunity cost to make me refuse. In addition, although I've been to Tokyo/Kanagawa/Shizuoka many times (East Japan), I've never been to Osaka nor Kyoto (West Japan).

I booked with Peach Airlines, a Japanese low-cost airline company. The flight was a bit expensive (around $280; price was high because demand was high due to it being Sakura Season), but the flight and service were great. 

I arrived at Kansai International Airport at around 6:00pm on April 4. The first thing I noticed was how warm it was in comparison to Seoul (15-18 degrees centigrade vs. 7-9 degrees centigrade). It felt great walking around in a T-shirt.

The hotel, New Oriental Hotel, was located in Awaza, Osaka. The commute to the hotel was very simple (but expensive): I took the Nankai Rapi-t Train from KIX to Namba station in Southern Osaka (1100JPY), then the Sennichimae line from Namba to Awaza (200JPY); commute time was about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

The hotel was relatively cheap (4500JPY per night), but had great service. It was conveniently located by the main train/shopping hubs (Shinsaibashi, Namba, and Honmachi), so traveling to different sites was very convenient. Thanks to Hitomi (Osaka native on exchange in Korea) for booking it for us! 

Our first site in Kyoto was Fushimi Inari Shrine, the head shrine of the Shinto deity Inari, in Southern Kyoto. Many Japanese merchants and companies donated torii (traditional Japanese gates into Shinto shrines) to the temple, which was founded in 711 A.D. It is said that there are 1000 of these torii lining the path up the mountain to the shrine. Several statues of kitsune (or foxes, traditionally thought of as messengers) with keys in their mouths are found in the shrine.

There were many gift shops around the area, selling goods ranging from mochi to hand-carved chopsticks with your name carved on it. We decided to eat at a traditional Japanese restaurant. My friends ate Oyakodonburi, Soba, and Tempura-don. I, on the other hand, ate Tempura Udon. So delicious:

We topped our delicious lunch by enjoying tofu-based soft cream. It was soft and fluffy, but was firm enough to hold itself in the cone, even when flipped upside down. We all had the osusume (suggested) flavor: vanilla and green tea. The dessert experience was extra-enjoyable as the temperature was warm, the sun was bright, the atmosphere was relaxing, and the skies were blue as ever.

By the way, this was the first out of three sites that we visited in Kyoto on the first day. So stay tuned for more (Kyoto Imperial Palace and Kiyomizudera), as well as Saturday's adventures (Osaka Castle and South Osaka's primary shopping districts Namba and Shinsaibashi)! 

Yay for Kimono lady:

In other news, I went to this place called Dongdaemun (Heunginjimun)...twice.

Apparently it has the largest shopping district in Jongno-gu, Seoul. It also has many historical attractions, including the Great Eastern Gate, a.k.a. Dongdaemun (동대문) a.k.a. 東大門. Most importantly, it has GREAT street food!

The first time I went to Dongdaemun, I was with my Housetay-mates (and fellow SNU exchange students) Dan and Emily; the second time was with fellow UH Manoa student Julia. The first thing we saw after exiting the subway was a sidewalk full of street vendors, selling everything from cheap shoes to strawberries to rubberbands. Pretty much every non-food good sold on the streets were very cheap. I purchased a pair of running shoes for $10!

After walking straight for about 10 minutes, we encountered this place:

KwangJang Market is one of the many traditional markets within Dongdaemun. The entrance that we took lead us to a food market, saturated with people, vendors, and the smell of Korean street food. Check it out:

The delicious street foods that were being sold include buchimgae, juk, pork rinds, chicken feet (so good!), sundae (ridiculously good), ddukbokki, and gimbap. During my second visit, Julia and I had three rounds of 'ono food: first was ddukbokki, gimbap, and kimchee buchimgae; second round was chicken feet and pork rinds; third round was some meat buchimgae-esque pancake-thing. Great eats.

Different things were sold in different parts of KwangJang Market. Each section had many stands and stores selling the exact same thing. Literally every ajumma in the food section was yelling, "Gimbap, Dukkbokki, Gimbaaaaaaap!"

The other sections of the market include the fabric section (which is right next to the clothing section), and the seafood market. Oh boy, Korean mini-mini-mini-Tsukiji market: 

There were other traditional markets besides KwangJang Market; one of them being Chungbu Market. This market's product of choice is dried seafood. They had every dried seafood conceivably possible for sale, from dried squid to dried octopus to dried seaweed to dried fish (of many species) and dried Loch Ness Monster. Basically, the whole place smelled bad. Good times.

Dongdaemun not only has traditional markets, but also retail stores and department stores. The two I've been to are Maxtyle and Doosan Tower:

Overall, Dongdaemun is a very interesting place. It has both traditional markets and modern stores; both selling cheap products that look good. It also has historical sites, including the Great Eastern Gate. Thus, you would be able to experience Korea's heritage, street food, modern shopping, and street food (yes, I say it twice because it was that good), all in the same district. As service, here are some pictures of horrible Korean-style parking, rooftop view of the department store section, and the day & night view of Chyeonggye Stream in Dongdaemun:

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

It's a quite universal traveling rule; wherever you go, respect the host culture and make an effort to learn their customs.  

Korea is a very, very, VERY, interesting place in terms of cultural aspects. Here is a list of Korean culture trivia facts that you may want to memorize before entering this unforgivingly awesome place:

The Basics
- It smells like Kim Chee. Everywhere. You get used to it.
- They drink a lot.
- Mmmmm plastic surgery mmmmmm
- They don't mind shoving. So feel free to purposefully bump into oncoming people. They won't call you out!
- Drivers are crazy! Pedestrians by law are supposed to have the right of way; Korean drivers nonetheless have no fear in speeding in front of pedestrians to make turns and what not. It's dangerous, so keep an eye out when you're walking besides the road!
- Not much chivalry here...
- They drink a lot.
- Some Ajummas are scary. You're more likely to beat Kobe Bryant in a dunking contest than defeat a mad Ajumma in a mortal combat match on the subway.
- Many people speak English, others speak Engrish, and the rest mime while speaking broken Korengrish. So practice your basic phrases!  시간있어?
- Did I mention they drink a lot?

Food and Such
- Eat out. A good meal costs $4-$6 in Seoul.
- Street food vendors serve ridiculously delicious food (sundae, odeng, ddukbokki, chicken feet, you know, the good stuff); however, beware of being overcharged, especially in tourist places like Itaewon and Dongdaemun.
- Wait for your seniors to pick up their utensils. It's a sign of respect.
- Get used to using flat, metal chopsticks. They're very difficult to wield.
- Don't raise your rice/soup bowl. I've been called out on it a couple times (yet I continue to do it...)
- Ask for more side dishes! They're free!

The Bathroom
- In every bathroom stall, there is a trash can. When you wipe after you're done, don't flush the toilet paper; throw it in the trashcan. Although gross, the reason why you shouldn't flush toilet paper down the toilet in Korea is because most of the pipes are too small for toilet paper; thus, it would clog the sewage.
- In the dorms and around campus, there is a bar of soap attached to a metal rod. To utilize the bar of soap, you literally have to...well...um...how should I say this...errr...jerk it...  The soap isn't detachable, so it's the only way. Cool story, aye?
- Korean dudes, most likely because they've served in the military, have established a new tier of bro-hood, as they have no problem "X-Men-ing." Check it:

Transportation
- Efficient and cheap. Taxi fares are ridiculously cheap.
- The subway system is very easy to use. Foreigner friendly.
- The bus system is a bit odd because the stops aren't in English; just act hopeless and a knight in shining armor (in my case, Hyuna) will come to your aid.

Shopping
- Some retailers are like housewives on Wisteria Lane: Desperate. They creep up behind you and force you to try on their cheaply made clothes. When in doubt, speak Spanish and say, "NO!"
- Haggling is the game. Play it.
- In many places (especially in Dongdaemun), many stores lined up next to each other sell the exact same thing. For example, every store on one side of a block in Dongdaemun sold bags of rubberbands. Could somebody explain this? I actually don't know why...

I probably missed a lot but I'll eventually find out...hopefully not the hard way.

Dad, you weren't lying about how efficient and clean Incheon International Airport is. Although my time there was brief as my flight landed at 22:35, and the last train was at 23:45, so I didn't have much time to look around, I was impressed about how quickly I moved through immigration and baggage claim. 

The train ride to my hostel, Housetay, in Hongdae was also an easy and simple process, as my train (the Airport Subway line) went directly to Hongik University Station (Hongdae).

Now, many people mentioned that Seoul is a nightlife city. I believe that I have experienced the quintessence of Seoul's after-dark liveliness in Hongdae. Restaurants were busy, bars were loud, and clubs reeked of the fragrant aroma of drunk men and women. I mean, look at the next pictures, taken at about 1:30 in the morning:

Many stores were still open, as groups of people hopped from restaurant to bar to restaurant to club to bar to club to cafe before calling it a night. 

I first experienced Korea's chilly weather when I exited the train station. Holy cow it was cold (-7 celcius) and dry (had to keep my chap stick at hand). Not a good place for a local-kine native-aboriginal bruddah like me. 

The website for Housetay had a map and directions to the hostel, which I printed out and used as a reference to guide me. However, because I am a geographically-challenged, failure-at-triangulation type of person (and the fact that the Convenience Store used as a landmark on the map did not exist), I immediately got lost. So, as a resourceful person, I asked two friendly-looking nunas (look it up) to help me find Housetay. 

Unfortunately, they could barely speak English, so it took a while to communicate. After a lot of broken-up Engrish and a lot of miming, we finally began the long, harsh, 5-minute journey to Housetay. 감사합니다  to my nunas from Busan!

Housetay is your authentic youth hostel, in which you pay a dirt-cheap price for a place to sleep. You usually share a room and a bathroom with about 4-5 other people (some rooms offered a 4-person room and a 2-person room for a slightly higher price). For $19 a night in a 6-person room, I think I nailed a sweet deal. 

Not only were the facilities generally clean, they offered free, high-speed wifi! They also offered bread and cereal for breakfast. And most importantly, they had coffee!

I was able to meet many different people from around the world (a bro from the U.K., a girl from Indonesia, a couple from Malaysia, two Japanese girls, a dude from Spain, and a girl from Germany to name a few). In addition, I was able to meet and befriend SNU exchange students from Singapore, Canada, and Spain. Kudos to Emily (one of the exchange students from Canada) for informing us about Housetay!