“‘Symphony’ was the best place to hang out with my friends during my free periods. It was a quiet classic music café in front of Ewha that sold different kinds of coffee. The reason why my friends and I liked this place was because we didn’t have to mind how to spend time there. Sometimes, we spent hours chatting,” said Byun Mi-suk (’85, Economics).

 

Twenty years ago, the places that students headed to during their free periods were not that different from now. Just like students these days, students back then also went to coffee and tea houses nearby school. “There were many different cafes—classic music cafes and teahouses with DJs. There was a teahouse called, ‘Americana’ where students frequently visited to see the handsome DJ,” said Byun.

 

The image of the charming DJs at “Americana” also stays in the memory of Lee Eun-joo (’84, French). “We often visited this place not just to drink coffee but also to request our favorite songs, and to see the young, handsome DJ. My friend even went out with the DJ,” said Lee.

 

When meal time approached, restaurants around the school were also full of hungry students. “Two popular restaurants that had many visitors were ‘Gami’ and ‘StrawberryValley,’ which still exist to this day, due to their reasonable menu prices,” said Lee.

 

If Byun and Lee spent their times at cafes and restaurants, some students took advantage of the school facilities during their free periods. “Our campus used to have many places like groves and grassplots, where students could sit and chat under the sun. If the weather allowed, friends and I went outside to study, escaping the stifling atmosphere of the library,” said Shim Soon-jung (’91, Science Education). According to Shim, students of the Education department often hesitated traveling off campus during their free periods since it took too much time to go out and return.

 

Nho Young-oak (’85, French) was also one of the nature-loving students who spent her free time reading books in the open air. “The place where ECC is located used to be a small grove with trees. I often liked to read and enjoy the beautiful nature of our school. I miss the resting place that gave me spiritual comfort,” said Nho.

 

              While nature-loving students enjoyed walking around the campus, there were students who spent free periods studying in empty lecture rooms. “The student cafeteria was also always full with students having study groups. Since we did not have much space for group discussions at that time, students gathered at the school cafeteria to talk about group projects while enjoying a meal,” said Byun. Lee also says, “I made a French translation study group with my friends and met regularly to study together at the cafeteria during our free periods.”

 

 

 

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