When I came back to Boston from Spring Break, I had to stay at my friend’s dorm for a while before my dorm reopened. During the weekend that I was staying there, I had a chance to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with my friend and her American friends.

St. Patrick’s Day is actually a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but it is also widely celebrated around the world by people of Irish decent. It is officially celebrated on the 17th of March, which is the death date of the most commonly recognized patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. Boston is known as a city with a large Irish population, so it is quite a big deal to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Boston. People wear green on this day and enjoy music, Irish food, drinks, etc. It’s like a big festival. An interesting fact is that most people actually start celebrating St. Patrick’s Day during the weekend before March 17th. What they usually do during the weekend is ‘bar-crawling’, in other words, a bar-tour – going to multiple pubs or bars to drink. It sounded fun to me, so I immediately joined my friend and her American friends to go bar-crawling and headed to an Irish pub nearby. We wore green shirts and put on some green makeup to fully experience St. Patrick’s Day.

There were so many people in green lined up in front of every Irish pub we went to. It was really fun to watch people wearing all kinds of green clothes, hats, and makeups. Inside, the bar was full of excited people holding beers in their hands. We enjoyed our days talking and drinking together over loud music. It was my first time celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in my life because we don’t celebrate it in Korea. It was a pretty fun experience for me to be part of such an excited crowd.

On the actual St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, I went to an Irish pub again with my exchange friends after class ended around 9pm to celebrate the day together. There were lots of people inside wearing green shirts as well. We didn’t order any Irish food or drinks, but the fact that we were having our late dinner together was a key part of our celebration in it of itself.

Everyone seems to be really excited about these nine days of ‘Spring Break’ and so am I. Although we call it as “Spring” Break, it was still cold like winter in Boston. That’s why everyone seemed to be planning to go to warmer places for their vacations such as Florida or Cancun. I planned to go to Miami, which is the most popular Spring-Break-destination among college students. I rented an apartment in Miami with four other friends - my roommate who is from Japan, one Korean girl and two French girls. I was so excited to be at a warm place where I could wear shorts and enjoy the sun while lying down on the beach.

As soon as we arrived in Miami, we were so excited for the sunny warm weather! It was already evening when we got in the apartment, so we just walked along the North beach nearby our apartment and chilled while having a nice dinner at a restaurant.

Day 2: Enjoying the Beach

The next morning, we couldn’t wait to go outside and head to the beach to enjoy the sun in the daytime! We went to South Beach, the most popular beach in Miami. The sky was blue and the weather was perfect for sunbathing and swimming in the ocean. The beach was so pretty and we really enjoyed swimming in the ocean together. We also took a nap on the beach while listening to music. It was such a relaxing time for all of us to get away from all our schoolwork.  

Day 3: Exploring Miami on Bike!

In the following day, we decided to rent a bicycle to explore Miami more. It was so fun to ride bicycles together along the ocean and explore new streets and new restaurants that we haven’t been to. Like always, it was a sunny day, not cold at all and yet also not too hot –just the perfect weather for going on a bike ride. We rode our bicycles for quite a long time along Miami Beach, enjoying the beautiful view of the ocean and the beach. As we rode for several hours, we sometimes stopped in the middle of the street or bridge to enjoy the scenery and to take some pictures. We also stopped by a restaurant along Ocean Drive to have lunch. The risotto I ordered was so delicious and full of fresh seafood. On the way home, we enjoyed the sunset over the ocean and the palm trees; it was gorgeous.

Day 4: Meeting Friends

On the fourth day, I met with two other friends from BU who had also come to Miami for Spring Break. It was such a coincidence that they saw me riding my bicycle while they were waiting for their bus at the station. That’s how we eventually got to see each other in Miami. We met on Lincoln Road, one of my favorite spots in Miami, and had a nice lunch together. Lincoln Road is full of shopping malls, restaurants, and an energetic atmosphere. Later, we met other friends who arrived in Miami from Boston just the day before. One of them was my BUddy, Joshua (the BUddy program links BU students with MET International visiting students to help international students get to know Boston and BU). I was so excited to see him at a place other than Boston! I felt like so many people I knew had come to Miami, hoping to enjoy a real “Spring Break” at warm place. That evening, we planned to go to a rooftop bar together with some other French friends that I knew from MET. I have never been to a rooftop bar before, so I was really looking forward to being on top of a roof where I can see the night view of Miami with nice music and a martini in hand. The weather was perfect to enjoy the night with lots of great people.

Day 5: The Last Day in MIA

The days in Miami seemed to have passed so quickly, and eventually the last day in Miami came. I wanted to try at least one water sport before I left, so I planned to ride a jet ski. It was my first time ever riding jet ski. I was extremely excited to ride it in the Miami waters! My friends and I jumped on the jet ski and we enjoyed the speed, riding in every direction. In the beginning, I was scared to go further away from the shore, but slowly I went into deeper waters while enjoying the wind and the waves. Surprisingly, I happened to spot a big yellowish sea turtle swimming by. I was so surprised that I just stopped the jet ski and watched the turtle for a while until it dived down again and swam away from my sight. Our thirty minutes went by so quickly, but it was indeed a fun and unique experience for me. I would love to try it again if I go to a beach in the near future!!

Anyway, I really enjoyed my first spring break in Miami with my friends, and it was one of the greatest vacations of my life. I was so sad to say goodbye to Miami and to go back to Boston to face the cold again, but the good thing is that I came back with lots of great new memories with my friends.

Hi - My name is Sohyun, and I am really excited to share my experience as an exchange student in Boston University.  

To introduce a little bit about myself - I came from South Korea, and I am studying Advertising and Public Relations in Sookmyung Women’s University located in Seoul. I am an exchange student at BU for two semesters, and sadly this is my second and last semester.

When I first came to Boston, everything seemed new to me – from having a roommate, to classes, to the dining hall, and to meeting new friends from all over the world. At first, it wasn’t comfortable for me to face such unfamiliarity; however, as I made new friends and got used to new cultures, I started to really enjoy the excitement that comes from facing new things every day in Boston. And time flew!!! Looking back on my previous semester, I met so many good friends and made lots of great, great memories in Boston.

And, I am really enjoying this semester as well. So far, it’s been much more than I expected!!