College Life: The Truth Behind the Hype

Hello, I'm Baek Moon-jo.

It feels like just yesterday that I watched the sunrise on January 1st, hoping for a successful college entrance exam.

Now, I've already welcomed May.

Honestly, I didn't want to neglect this blog. Until last year, I was a 'high school student,' so I had to focus a lot on preparing for college.

Now that I've entered college, I thought I could leisurely invest time in hobbies, following the advice of adults.

But it turns out, that's not the case? Hahaha. The idea that college students just drink and party is a total myth.

Well, that's a joke. College life really depends on how you approach it. Unlike before, in this adult phase of school, I must take responsibility for all my choices.

Moreover, things like drinking, smoking, and even driving—many things that were previously off-limits have now become free choices.

Anyway, in this post, I want to briefly share some stories that I've held onto since the beginning of the new year in 2019.

February 12, 2019

I graduated from high school after three years of intense stress and complaints.

Honestly, I wanted to enroll in Busan Automotive High School when I entered high school.

However, I couldn't do that. There was quite a disagreement with my parents when I applied to a humanities high school, and I ended up attending the school they chose.

Since it wasn't my choice, I carried a lot of dissatisfaction while attending.

By my senior year, the stress peaked.

Starting from toxic relationships, I even heard threats of lawsuits twice.

I had abandoned early admissions and put everything on the line for the regular admissions exam, so I was on edge until I took the SAT on November 15.

So, what was the SAT result? Yeah, I definitely messed it up. Hahaha.

This year's SAT was deemed difficult, but I was filled with worries until the day before the exam.

In fact, performing well on the SAT seemed like a distant hope.

Now, I can casually say that, but at that time, when I received my SAT scores, I was completely mentally drained.

I still vividly remember the moment I failed to get into my first-choice university, which only accepted one student.

I can't forget the situation when I got my results and realized I had no chance of getting in.

Anyway, just before I was about to register for a cram school for re-examination,

I applied for an additional regular admission process, and the program I applied for only accepted one student.

Fortunately, I got accepted into the program I wanted.

Anyway, things don’t usually come easy for me, haha.

If any high school seniors or re-examination students read this... please make sure to apply for early admissions.

And take care of your mental health before the SAT! Otherwise, you’ll struggle like I did.

Regardless, I’m attending the university I worked hard to get into, and I’m doing well.

Sometimes, I feel a bit overwhelmed when I see students driving expensive cars around campus.

But I’m grateful to have parents who support my education at a private four-year university without financial worries!

I’ll work hard to earn money for a nice car myself, and for now, I’ll just enjoy looking at them.

Let’s wrap up the boring college talk and move on to cars.

After obtaining my driver’s license,

I thought I would hardly drive, but surprisingly, I’ve been driving a lot in my family car, a Tucson.

Perhaps because it’s an older model, both my parents and I feel less pressure when driving it.

The Tucson, which felt large when I first started driving, now feels smaller.

When I wash the car, it definitely doesn’t feel small at all.

I’m trying to take good care of it, starting with a bucket and various car wash supplies, but washing it takes so much energy.

I can’t do it often, but I manage to wash it about once a month during my free time on weekends.

I’ve definitely seen improvements in the car’s exterior condition since I’ve started investing time and money into its maintenance.

Of course, due to the narrow parking spaces, I can’t avoid minor scratches and dings, but I try to keep it looking new with wax and tire shine.

I just hope people don’t see it and think it’s a 12-year-old car.

This is a photo I took of my car, which I parked and thought looked cute.

My Tucson is smiling next to a big Explorer. Isn’t it adorable? Hahaha. Of course, after parking, my mom scolded me for not parking properly.

But when we all practice good parking manners, it makes me feel good!

When I first got my driver’s license,

I was honestly very scared to drive. I was terrified of drivers who would cut in recklessly and people who would dart into the road without looking.

I still drive cautiously, but the fear has gradually faded.

As time went on, I found myself seriously contemplating what my 'first car' would be.

After careful consideration, the car I want to buy is the Kia K3 Coupe!

Honestly, my criteria for choosing a car have become quite strict over time.

First, I want a manual transmission because I enjoy driving; second, I prefer a two-door coupe that won’t burden me with high insurance costs.

Ideally, it would be a model that isn’t common on the road and should be a used car under $1,000.

And of course, it must have a design that I love.

So, after considering models like the Tuscan, Genesis Coupe, Veloster, Forte Coupe, and Avante Coupe, I found that the K3 Coupe meets all these conditions perfectly.

I’m not planning to buy it right now, but I’m seriously considering it.

As a college student without a steady income, maintaining a car isn’t easy.

I also have to consider the military service that I’ll be facing in the future, and I don’t want to struggle financially while trying to maintain a car.

So, I’ve decided to buy a car only when I have a steady income and can afford it entirely on my own.

Until then, I’ll keep pushing forward! *_*

Oh, by the way!

I have one more die-cast model that I haven’t introduced on my blog. I’ve wanted this model for a long time, so when it appeared in the used market at a low price, I bought it.

I’ll introduce this model in a separate post sometime!

And then there’s the biggest automotive event in South Korea this year, the 2019 Seoul Motor Show!

I thought it would be a waste to pay for the round trip KTX fare of 150,000 KRW (approximately $125 USD) just to see the motor show.

This year, the 2019 Seoul Motor Show didn’t have much to see. Honestly, for young students like me, whether it’s domestic or imported cars, it’s easy to visit the showrooms of these brands to see the cars, but sometimes I feel judged by the dealers.

I think the best way to overcome this disadvantage is to freely experience the cars at the motor show that happens every year.

However, at this year’s Seoul Motor Show, Hyundai and Kia didn’t even showcase popular SUVs like the Palisade, Santa Fe, or Sorento, and the absence of the commercial vehicle exhibit left me disappointed.

I’ll save my thoughts on this event for a future blog post and YouTube video.

And on April 19, there was the BUKA event!

On the day of the event, I finished school in the morning, so I was able to visit right away.

The BUKA event featured tuning car exhibits, tuning-related companies, and used car sales booths. Although it was smaller in scale compared to the motor show, it had many interesting things for tuning enthusiasts.

Most importantly, the event organizers distributed tickets for free through their official website, and anyone could enter for free by simply downloading their app.

If you live near Busan, I think it was an event worth attending.

Additionally, they provided PRESS badges to bloggers, YouTubers, and journalists, allowing us to enter freely during the event.

I went twice to cover both my blog and YouTube, but I’m not sure when I’ll post about it.

In summary, I’ve shared stories from the past four months since the new year in chronological order.

It might seem a bit jumbled, and honestly, since it’s been a while since I wrote a blog post, it feels awkward.

Balancing YouTube and blogging makes me feel like I’m losing time, but each platform has its strengths, making it hard to give up on either.

I have a lot on my mind!