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they say the first day adjusting to living alone is the hardest. 

     i stare into the tiny room, little more than a box, which i'm supposed to be spending the next six months in. there's barely enough room to lie down in, never mind haul the luggage i've brought all the way from london. i grip the handle of my carry-on a little tighter. 

    it's when someone comes down the narrow corridor, looking at me strangely, that i muster up the courage to squeeze myself and my beloved belongings into the literal cupboard under the stairs. i look around again once i've fit inside, and realise it's not all that bad. at least there's a window. 

     i instinctively reach over the narrow bed post over to the blinds, pulling them open to see a slightly murky yet endearing sight of seoul's less appealing side of town in all its glory from five floors up. white shafts of early winter sunlight cast shadows across the neatly made up sheets of the small single bed pushed up against the corner.

     so this is what moving countries to study feels like.

     "it's going to be just fine," i say aloud to myself, and for once i believe it. butterflies nestle gently onto my stomach lining. 

     then i start unpacking my silver wheelie carry on, as the rest of seoul begins to wake up and the birds start to chirp.