AS WE enter the 2021 fall semester, we must yet again interact with our peers through computer screens. The pandemic has brought on a myriad of obstacles to the lives of university students, but perhaps the biggest one is fostering meaningful connections. Our reporters recounted on the times that they met their first friend at Yonsei University, and how these relationships helped them navigate through college life.   

Senior Primo Laura (Reporter, Culture Div.): The Story of an Adaptor

   My first few weeks at Yonsei were rocky—the virus had just hit, and my roommate and I did not hit it off. In one of my routine escapades to avoid my roommate, I met Iman. Even though I was a stranger, Iman agreed to go with me to Homeplus. As I stood there, silently debating between two identical adaptors, I grew anxious that she might find me irritating. But when I looked back, she was also searching. “What about this one?” She said as she pointed at a third identical one. Thus, the first of many trips to Homeplus ended. She has become the bearer of my secrets, and one of the only ever to see me cry. Iman has always greeted me with the warmest smile, even when she bore the grimmest of news. We are each other’s rock, adapting together as our lives shift. 

Jung So-jin (Reporter, Campus Reporting Div.): Taking Advantage of Zoom Chats

   I am a “COVID generation” freshman, which means I had significantly less opportunities to make friends compared to students who entered Yonsei before the pandemic. So, I had to get creative. During one of my online lectures held on Zoom, I noticed that one of my classmates, Eglantine, was wearing a shirt emblazoned with the logo of my favorite band. I mustered up the courage to send her a personal message in the Zoom chatbox and continued the conversation via Kakaotalk, even after the class ended. We happened to have many of the same interests, so we hung out in-person multiple times, and look forward to making more memories this semester. 

Swanson Georgia (Reporter, Photo Div.): Laundry Room Best Friends

   I made my very first Yonsei friends in the laundry room of the International Campus dorm. During the first week of school, I went to do my laundry for the first time. I was very confused by the process of buying a laundry payment card and selecting the settings on the machines. A group of girls, Minyu, Tricia, and Norbu, were sitting in the laundry room and noticed that I was struggling. They immediately showed me how to work the different machines and invited me to join them in waiting for their laundry. We ended up talking for two hours, eating dinner together, then watching the sunset while eating ice cream—all in the same evening. Since then, we have become very good friends who help each other navigate college life.

Lee Chae-young (Reporter, Photo Div.): Killing two Birds with one Stone

   As a student who does not live in Seoul, my first semester lacked many experiences related to university life due to the pandemic—including making friends. Stuck starting at a computer screen, the only chance I had to meet other students was during group projects. Luckily, joining The Yonsei Annals completely changed my nearly-dull freshmen year. I was not only able to keep pursue my passions for writing, but was also able to make friends like So-jin and Yu-jin. I also got the chance to meet other members in person at the university campus. Never did I expect that participating in a university club would endow me with such an opportunity.

Park Ji-hun (Reporter, Campus Reporting Div.): A Friend for all Seasons

   Freshman year was a chaotic time in my life—it was a constant whirlpool of making new acquaintances, pulling all-nighters, drinking at Hae-boo-dae, and suffering from hangovers. Park Min-ho, my roommate, was my steadfast anchor during these turbulent times. From the same college and a year older, he made sure that I woke up in time for classes, brought me snacks during midterms, and even was my wingman for blind dates. We did everything together and eventually shared an apartment when we moved to the Sinchon Campus. Unsurprisingly, our time in the army was not enough to keep us apart, as we now live in the same neighborhood. I look forward to being the best man at his wedding.

Kim Na-yoon (Reporter, Culture Div.): Our Friendship was Meant to Be

   Kang Seo-rin and I first met in an IB Chemistry summer course in Korea as high-school students. At the time, she lived in Thailand and I lived in Brazil, so our only connection then was that we both took chemistry. We maintained a friendship through Instagram and saw each other during my first semester at Hong Kong University whenever I traveled back to Korea. We spent hours talking about movies, ranting about our IB experiences, and updating each other about our post-high school life. Due to the political situation in Hong Kong, however, I decided to accept my offer from Yonsei, only to discover that Seo-rin was a student here as well. I was thrilled that she was my first Yonsei friend. Seo-rin still is my best friend in Yonsei and our friendship continues to grow. It is comforting to know that we will always have each other’s back.