Hello, 3rd Grade! 🎒📚

The summer break is officially over, and it’s time for 3rd grade for our son!

Well… technically, Adrian was supposed to start a few days earlier. 😂

There was a school day on August 28th, but we completely missed it. Oops.

Apparently, it was just a little meeting to prepare the kids for the new school year, but somehow the teacher even called us asking why Adrian wasn’t there.

Well… by the time we realized what was happening, it was already 9 a.m. The school hours were from 7:30 to 10:00, so at that point I thought, yeah, we’re probably not going anymore. 😂

Taiwanese schools are funny sometimes.

Why do they organize school meetings during summer break?!

There was actually one while we were in Poland too. And I keep wondering… how many kids actually show up to these things?

Maybe more for the one right before school starts, but in the middle of summer? I imagine not that many.

I’ve even seen posts from people I know who simply went travelling because, once school starts, there is so little time to do anything.

So… August 31st was officially Adrian’s first day of 3rd grade.

And speaking of school… let’s talk about homework

Thankfully, Adrian finished most of it before we went to Poland. After he came back, he still had one 250-word essay to write.

That was on top of one other essay and 64 pages of homework.

And this was just the end of 2nd grade.

Yeah… I can imagine it will probably only get worse from here. 😂

Adrian was pretty lazy about doing the homework after coming back from Poland. And honestly, I can understand him.

He had just spent his summer in Poland where, as far as he could see, none of the kids had piles of homework waiting for them.

Sorry, Adrian, but… you live in Taiwan. 

At the same time, I do sometimes feel that all this studying will mean he knows a lot more than children in Poland. I could already see quite a difference in what the kids knew.

Poland has also gone in the direction of reducing or banning homework in primary schools, which, personally, I think is a pretty stupid idea.

But maybe that’s just the Polish mom in me talking. 

And then came the school supplies…

On the first day, Adrian had SO. MANY. THINGS. to carry. 

And it seems there still a few missing, that wasn't mentioned before or some that need 24 colours now, but we have those in less shades... 

Taiwanese schools really do love asking parents to buy all kinds of supplies right when the school started.

I remember when I was a kid in Poland, we obviously had school supplies, but I don’t remember bringing an entire mini household to school on the first day.

Unless something was needed for a specific class, we didn’t just keep everything at school from day one.

And definitely not things like jump ropes, toothbrushes, bowls, lunch bags and all sorts of other “essential” items.

So yeah…The pile of stuff just keeps growing. 😂

Wait… the classmates changed too?!

Another new thing for me this year - apart from the teacher changing, which is completely normal as the kids get older - is that the classmates changed too.

Yes, you read that correctly.

They mixed the kids into different classes again.

So from Adrian’s previous class, there are only four kids in total in his new class, including Adrian.

Everyone else has been mixed together from the other four classes. And honestly… I find it both funny and annoying.

From the kids’ perspective, they make friends, they enjoy spending time together, they get comfortable with their classmates…

And then: NOPE. TIME TO SEPARATE YOU AGAIN. 😂

I mentioned before that there was a large group of kids who went to the same kindergarten and then continued to the same elementary school.

When they first started elementary school, the kids were mixed so much that Adrian ended up being the only one from his kindergarten group in his class. He literally knew nobody.

Now, finally, there are three other kids from that original group with him.

And then they mix everyone again!

Can someone please explain the logic behind this to me?

Because I honestly don’t get it.

Is there some educational reason for constantly changing the classes? Is it to make the kids socialize with more people?

Or do Taiwanese schools just enjoy making parents and children adjust to new classmates every year?

I’m genuinely curious.

The first day is LONG

Adrian started at 7:30 in the morning and finished at 5:10 p.m.

So yeah… A whole LONG day.

And of course, there was more paperwork.

Every year we have to fill out basically the same forms again and again. Sometimes I feel like I’ve already filled out the exact same information two or three times. 😂

And, as always, there were already some payments to make. Apart from the books and materials that are actually required, there always seem to be extra things that need to be purchased.

Because apparently children cannot have even five minutes of rest from studying and homework.

And then… I discovered we need a FLUTE

Yes.

A flute.

Apparently, Adrian needs to learn to play the flute at school, and we have to purchase one.

This is completely normal in Taiwan, apparently.

For me? Not normal at all!

I don’t remember anyone in Poland having to buy an instrument and bring it to school.

So the next day, I had to run around town looking for a flute. And apparently, every stationery shop sells them?! Is a flute basically a stationery item in Taiwan?! 😂

Anyway, I finally found one. I thought: Great! Done! Mission accomplished!

I went to pay and the clerk suddenly asked me: “Are you sure this is the one you need?”

Excuse me?! Apparently, there are German-style and English-style recorders.

I stood there completely confused. I had NO idea there were different types. Apparently, it was written in the school book...

My husband had obviously read it and decided that this was not important information to pass on to me.

Or maybe he didn’t know there were different types either. 😂 The only thing he told me was which colours were NOT allowed. Because apparently, even the colour matters when you play.

So I saw a white one, thought it was the right one, grabbed it and thought: Finally! I’m done!

But no. Of course not. 😂

In the end, I took photos of the flute and sent them to the teacher to make absolutely sure I was buying the correct one. The answer came later… After I had already gone home. 

So now I have to go back again. Flute shopping: Round 2. 🎶😂

And this is only the beginning of 3rd grade.

If the first few days are already like this, I’m slightly scared to see what the rest of the school year has in store for us.

Welcome back to school, Adrian!

Hello, 3rd grade.

We are ready…well, mostly ready. 😂

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Korea Trip – Day 6: Time to Go Home

Our last day started the same way as the others - with breakfast at the hotel.

I didn't take any photos of the buffet, but there was an impressive selection of food. There were smoked salmon, several types of ham and cheese, different kinds of kimchi, cooked dishes such as sausages, eggs, noodles, and fried rice, as well as a station where you could make your own ramen or soup with various ingredients. There were also breads and buns, several kinds of yogurt, fresh fruit, and plenty of other options.

I especially enjoyed being able to eat foods that I normally wouldn't buy very often in Taiwan because they're quite expensive. It was definitely a great way to start the day.

After going back to our room, I heard some noise outside around 10 a.m. It turned out there was a ceremony taking place at Sungnyemun (Namdaemun Gate), right outside our hotel. From our room on the 18th floor, I could only catch a glimpse of it, but it was still interesting to watch. I'm not sure how often these ceremonies take place, but seeing it in person would have been much more fun.

Soon it was time to check out. The hotel kindly helped us call a taxi to the airport.

This ride was much cheaper than when we arrived - around 50,000 won, only about half the price of the taxi from the airport. Our arrival taxi had been a larger vehicle, but paying double still felt quite expensive.

Even though our flight wasn't until around 2 p.m., we arrived at Incheon Airport at about 11:30 a.m., giving ourselves plenty of time.

Checking in turned out to be more confusing than expected. My husband and son had been able to check in online without any problems, but I kept getting an error message. Because of that, they were able to choose their seats while I couldn't, meaning we were separated once again.

It turned out the airline simply needed to verify my APRC before issuing my boarding pass.

I really wish the website had just said that instead of showing a generic error message. It would have saved a lot of confusion.

One thing that left me a little frustrated was the check-in process at the airline counter. Since I was the one having trouble checking in online, I expected the staff to explain the issue directly to me. Instead, they mostly spoke to my husband, even though it was my boarding pass that needed to be sorted out.

After saying one sentence in English, the staff member switched to Mandarin instead of continuing in English. It was difficult to understand China accent and not really a good Chinese.... She literaly struggled to speak, yet wouldn't use English... In the end, everything was resolved, but the experience left me disappointed. 

One thing Adrian absolutely loved at the airport was a guide robot. It offered to lead us to our departure gate, and of course we had to follow it. It wasn't exactly fast, we would have reached the gate sooner by walking ourselves, but it was a fun little experience, especially for kids.

Before boarding, we also discovered a small hidden garden inside Incheon Airport. It was a peaceful place to sit for a while and a surprisingly nice way to end our trip.

On board, Adrian received another activity pack with colouring pages and puzzles, which kept him busy for quite a while. And me too, as I had to read the instructions. 

Unfortunately, I still wasn't very impressed with the airline itself. The aircraft felt quite old, with small entertainment screens that weren't very responsive. I often had to tap the screen several times just to select something, and although there was a remote control, it lagged even more. Watching a movie was manageable, but trying to play any of the games was almost impossible.

I think Taiwanese airlines have simply spoiled me over the years, it's hard not to compare the experience.

The flight back to Taiwan was smooth, and before long we had landed.

We took the shuttle bus back to the parking lot, picked up our car, and drove home. Although there's a train station near our house, taking the train would double the travel time compared to driving. Leaving the car parked outside in Taiwan's summer heat isn't ideal, but it was still the most convenient option.

As we pulled into the driveway, it felt strange that the trip was already over. Six days had flown by so quickly.

From beautiful palaces and delicious food to impossibly difficult claw machines, kind strangers, and countless kilometres of walking, our first trip to Korea gave us plenty of wonderful memories.

One thing I realized after this trip is that Seoul and my part of Taiwan feel very different. My husband was never very excited about visiting Korea in the first place, and after the flight he liked it even less 😆 For me, though, Seoul was a place I had dreamed of visiting for a long time, and I ended up loving almost everything about it, except the airport and airline experience.

I loved how easy it was to walk around. There were sidewalks everywhere, almost no scooters, the city felt very clean, and I generally felt safe walking around. People were also surprisingly friendly and many could speak English.

That said, I don’t think it’s fair to say all of Korea is amazing or all of Taiwan is a certain way. We only visited Seoul, and my experience there was great. I also don’t live in Taipei, and life in other parts of Taiwan can feel VERY different from what many tourists see during a short visit. I don't meet people that speak English, we don't have many sidewalks around, also there are usually scooters and cars parked on them... 

Every place has its easier and harder sides, and language barriers can happen anywhere, especially outside the big tourist areas. In the end, this was simply our experience in Seoul, and I’m really happy I finally got to see the city I had wanted to visit for so long. 

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Korea Trip – Day 5: Deoksugung, Gyeonghuigung & Final Day in Seoul

Day 5 → 14 km walked 🚶‍♀️

Today we stayed within walking distance only - no subway, just exploring on foot since our hotel was quite close to everything.

We also finished the last palace on our Seoul list: Deoksugung Palace.

Deoksugung Palace

Deoksugung feels quite different from the other palaces in Seoul. It is actually the newest of the royal palaces, and that shows clearly in its architecture. Unlike the strictly traditional wooden buildings of Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung, Deoksugung has a unique mix of Korean and Western-style buildings.

Some parts honestly made me feel like I had suddenly walked back into Europe 😄 Columns, stone buildings, and symmetrical Western architecture sit right next to traditional Korean halls, a very unusual but interesting combination.

It was also noticeably less crowded than the other palaces, which made the whole visit feel more relaxed.

From the back exit, we walked out onto Gojong’s Road, passing a small park, before continuing to our next stop.

Gyeonghuigung Palace

Nearby, we visited Gyeonghuigung Palace, the final palace left on our list and probably the quietest of them all.

It’s a smaller and much less visited palace, often overlooked compared to the major ones. Historically, it served as a secondary palace during the Joseon Dynasty, but today it feels more like a peaceful hidden corner in the middle of the city.

Almost no crowds, lots of open space, and a very calm atmosphere - completely different from the busy energy of Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung.

Afternoon break & claw machines

After the palace walk, we stopped at a café to rest. Somehow all the ice cream was sold out, so we ended up with drinks and cake instead 😅

The afternoon… well, you can probably guess it already.

Yes — claw machines again 😆

My husband still cannot accept losing, so we gave it another try. It definitely cost us some money, but in the end we somehow walked away with 6–7 Pokémon plushies (one was a gift from a kind stranger again!). Honestly, people here are incredibly kind - maybe they just understand how impossible these machines are 😂

Dear Koreans… you should come try claw machines in Taiwan 😆 Even beginners can win something there. I’ve won prizes with just NT$10 before, and Adrian once got cookies on his first try. In Korea, it feels like you need a millionaire budget just to stand a chance 😜

And if you don’t win - don’t worry. There’s usually a guaranteed catch option, which I really miss in Korea. We saw those super cute Ditto Pikachu plushies again, spent quite a bit, and still walked away with nothing 😅

Final dinner in Korea

For our last dinner, we couldn’t skip Korean BBQ - and it absolutely delivered.

So many side dishes kept arriving that I couldn’t stop smiling. Everything was refillable, and it honestly felt like a feast. Even after all the walking every day, I’m pretty sure I still gained weight on this trip 😂

After dinner, we walked to Seoul Station one last time to look around the shops and slowly say goodbye to the city.

We also passed by a larger protest, with many participants and a heavy police presence - something unexpected, but part of the reality of the city.

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