South Korea

South Korea: Post program: Study Abroad takeaways and post program reflections, by Natalie Dacey

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Have you considered going abroad again or researching international internships and careers?

Before studying abroad, I only briefly thought about working abroad, but it was never serious. The idea of moving, even temporarily, to a place that was foreign to me seemed very stressful and honestly kind of scared me. After taking the plunge and studying abroad for a full year, I feel far more confident in myself. I explored a completely new country on my own and alongside the friends I made, flew for the first time alone (international no less), and lived in a country where the language and culture are far different from the one I came from. Now that I know what it’s like, I would absolutely love to travel abroad again, and if I get the opportunity to work abroad, that would be even better.

If you studied abroad and spent time with other US students who were also studying abroad, were you experiencing anything unanticipated related to your identity/ies?

Several of the other international students at my host university were from the US. There were students from Idaho, California, Missouri, Maine, and Texas. I believe there was one other, but I forgot to ask what state they were from. One thing that was common amongst the international students was referring to groups of students based on where they were from: the French, the Americans, the Europeans. Whenever several students of the same nationality did something, they were immediately grouped together and referred to as one. And if someone was different, they were excluded. I’ll admit that I did this myself. There was an instance where, because most of the French students preferred to keep to other French and not really interact with the other international students, the one who didn’t was referred to separately (i.e. the French were a bit standoffish except for Justine).

For myself, I am mixed ethnicity, and I found that people recognized that more abroad than they do in the US. Here, people may recognize that I am mixed, but just Caucasian and something. In South Korea, more people recognized that I was Caucasian and Asian. I don’t know if that was because I was in an Asian country and the comparison, despite not being the correct ethnicity, helped with that, it was interesting that more people realized.

This may be the first time you lived abroad as a guest in another country—a country for which you may or may not have citizenship. How did it feel to be “the foreigner”?

I don’t really have any particular feelings about being “the foreigner” other than being from the US being part of what people knew me by – I was one of the Americans. There were also instances where we would get looks because we weren’t Korean, especially by older Koreans. We even nicknamed it “the old man stare,” since a lot of the time it was elderly men taking walks that would stare as you walked past. It wasn’t annoyed though, more like staring at someone that you thought was out-of-place or just a little odd to see them there. Most people though didn’t really bat an eye and understood if we had trouble understanding something. I also understood the few who did stare, as the host university wasn’t in Seoul, where foreigners are a more common sight.

Mid-Program: A Day in the Life: Two, By Natalie Dacey

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South Korea

Posted by DACEYN on 

I’ve been studying abroad for just under eight months now and it has been both relatively normal, and a wild ride. I think what has surprised me the most was how comfortable I’ve been being here. Something about going to classes like normal has been a comforting sense of normalcy. Traveling around South Korea is still a sense of anxiety for me, but when exploring with other people, it has been very fun!! There is so much to see and visit here and even though I’ve been here for so long, I almost can’t choose where I want to go because it’s hard to decide.

My two major trips were months apart and were rather different but were both amazing in their own ways. The first was during Chuseok in September where I went to Seoul with a few friends and on a weekend in March, visiting the Boseong Tea Fields and Yulpo Beach.

The trip to Seoul was planned by my roommate and us plus two others went to Seoul together. We took a long bus from Gwangju to Seoul and dropped out things off at the guesthouse before heading back out. We walked around Myeong-dong and went to the top of Namsan Tower the first day, which was beautiful!! The cable car ride was gorgeous; looking out over the city and trees with while the sun was just starting to set made it brilliant.

This is the view that I had while in the cable car as we went up. It was crowded since they put as many people as possible into the car at one time, but it was still fun to look out the sides as we ascended.

The above photos are views of the cable car and ridgeline to Namsan Tower, Seoul from one of the many look-out points, and a room that we walked through before getting to the very top of the tower. Once up there, you can look out over the city, buy little souvenirs, or even buy and have the employees send a postcard to family or friends.

Our second day was a jampacked day of history. We first visited one of the several Hanok villages in Seoul. I can’t remember which one we specifically visited just that it was relatively close to where we were staying in Myeong-dong. It was really interesting seeing the traditional houses and reading about who lived there. You could tell what status the former resident was based on the furniture inside, but because it was Chuseok, there were activities going on in some of the buildings so we couldn’t see much. It was still fun to walk around and explore!! There was a forested area with wide pathways and the occasional seating area behind the houses which was a breath of fresh air. After being in the city for a month at the point, getting to visit a place with more plant life felt really nice. There was also a giant time capsule that won’t be opened until 2394 to celebrate “Seoul 1,000 Years.”

We also went to Gyeongbokgung Palace, one of five palaces in Seoul. The complex was enormous; there was so much to see and explore. There were all kinds of walkways and gates you could go through and little corners to explore. It felt like no matter how far we walked, it just kept going. Every building was blocked off, but some were set up as they would have been when they were in use, and the opulence of them was definitely something to behold.

Gyeongbokgung Palace is a must-see for anyone visiting Seoul!! It’s a nice place to spend a few hours just walking around and enjoying everything. Since it is the main one that tourists and Koreans visit though, one of the other palaces might be better as they are not as crowded and are therefore quieter.

Our last day was far more relaxed as we chose to visit the Lotte Aquarium inside the Lotte Mall. As someone from the US who is used to aquariums being their own separate building, visiting one inside a mall was a bit of an odd experience for me. I wasn’t expecting it to be nearly as big as it was and was repeatedly surprised as we kept on seeing more and more. There was everything from small tanks with jellies to a massive tank that was two-ish stories tall. Which, given this aquarium was inside a mall, was extremely surprising. There was even a tank with a Beluga whale!! It still baffles me months later.

We went back to Gwangju the day after this, tired but happy for having such a fun trip together. It was nice to spend time away from campus and classes, enjoying the extended weekend exploring and having fun.

A Day in the Life: # 1, By Natalie Dacey

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Natalie Dacey

April 10th, 2024

The second major trip I’ve taken so far was in March to the Boseong Tea Fields and nearby Yulpo Beach. I was with my roommate, a couple people from the church she attends, and two new students. The tea fields are particularly famous for being a filming spot for a few K-dramas, and there are some signs that point out specific locations that were used. You can walk around and through the trees freely, and it smelled really nice even though we went before the trees were really blooming. Most of us decided to take the hiking trail that took us to the top and we could see the ocean from up there. It was a gorgeous view!! There is also a small waterfall on the way down which can make the rocky path a bit slippery so be a little careful if you ever visit. I fell and while I was fine, it made all of us walk more carefully until we passed the rockiest part.

There is more to see than just the tea fields though and there was plenty to explore. Some of us tried the famous green tea ice cream and all of the souvenirs were either made from green tea paper or featured green tea motifs. There were more trails that took us through different kinds of trees like the pine forest, but our favorite was the bamboo forest. It was so peaceful and quiet there.

After this, we all piled into a taxi (which was a trip with four people in the back seat!!) to go to Yulpo Beach near sunset. It was low tide when we went so there were plenty of people out even though it was chilly out being early March. There were some people who were hunting for…something in the sand. We couldn’t figure out what it was, though I assume it was clams. We spent a good while just walking around and enjoying the breeze and sunset at the beach, people-watching and digging in the sand ourselves.

It was a peaceful day despite the cold, and we enjoyed exploring our surroundings. It was a relaxing time for all of us and we loved getting out of the city to see more natural parts of the country without all of the city noise. I highly recommend visiting both of these places even if they might be a little out of the way.

PRE-DEPARTURE – South Korea, by Natalie Dacey

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How to Get Around South Korea

Posted by DACEYN on 

There are several methods of traveling throughout the country, however depending on the city you study in or visit, some may be better than others. Please be aware that some options may only be available to foreigners via a website and not an app, so plan wisely.

Cross-country:

  • Taking a train (website)
    • There are several different kinds of trains in Korea that one can take, but the fastest is the KTX. A long-distance train that you can take to travel between major cities, the KTX is the fastest way to get around to different provinces. There are other, slower trains that travel to smaller cities where the KTX does not go, which can also be accessed online. There is luggage storage available for check-in bags, but it is very limited. There is also overhead storage for smaller bags.
    • Regardless of the kind of train, they will arrive at the stated time on your ticket, so DO NOT BE LATE. When you book a train ticket, there will be train car and seat number listed on your ticket – sit in your assigned seat for the duration of your ride even when other people get on and off as this will be your seat until your stop. Just before each station, the name of the stop will be stated in Korean, then in English so don’t worry too much about not knowing what stop is coming since these announcements combined with the stop time listed on your ticket will let you know when to get off.
    • Booking a KTX ticket: simply look up “ktx train” or “railninja” and you will be able to book tickets after setting the city names and date. If you receive no result, then a KTX train does not take that route and you will have to resort to a different kind of train (try looking up “Rome2Rio korea trains”) or a bus.
  • Taking a bus (website or in-person)
    • Long-distance buses are a cheaper, but longer alternative to the trains. There is undercarriage storage that can fit check-in bags, but you must do this on your own. These buses will make a singular stop at a rest stop for 15 minutes during the journey. These stops while have several food vendors, a convenience store, and restrooms. Employees here are unlikely to speak much if any English so you can check if there is an electronic order station at the stand, use a translation app, or learn how to order food. The 15-minute break is strict – they will leave without you.
    • Booking a bus ticket: there are ways to book tickets ahead of time online, but it is best to just look up “city a to city b bus tickets.” An easier, but riskier way to book tickets is to go to the station and buy tickets at one of the kiosks. Another option would be having a Korean friend buy bus tickets via the app (it is not advised to use the app on your own; it requires a Korean phone number and ID, but even if you have this, foreigners usually have trouble with it).

In the city:

  • Taxis (app)
    • Getting a taxi is very simple in Korea as the app, Kakao Taxi, is available to foreigners and is very easy to use. You just set up your pick-up and drop-off locations, pick the kind of taxi you would like to take (with estimated price), and the app will search for nearby taxis. It will show you if/when a driver has chosen your request and how far away they are. It will also display the license plate number and a picture of the driver so you can easily tell if the car approaching is the correct one. There is a caveat though – you must have a KakaoTalk account and a Korean bank card to pay via the app, so you would need to pay the driver directly if you do not have these (you will select how to pay before the app sends out the request).
    • Depending on the city you are in, the drivers may or may not speak English. In Seoul, they are more likely to, but most will not in other cities, including Gwangju. Occasionally, a driver may ask for clarification of the drop-off location, so have a translation of the address ready on your phone or know how to say it in Korean.
  • Buses (in-person)
    • In order to take buses in the city, you will need to buy a T-Money card. These can be bought at any convenience store and are usually around 5,000 to 10,000 won for the card ONLY (price varies depending on the design). You can charge the cards at any convenience store as well – they can only be charged with cash, excluding coins.
    • You can find bus stops and times on Naver Maps – this will show you the bus number, stop number, and when it arrives down to the minute.
    • While the price of a bus ride can vary a little based on the city, rides are usually 1,250 won. You board the bus, scan your T-Money card and find a seat or place to stand. Scan your card as you are getting off as well to avoid potentially paying more.
      • There are different kinds of seats on Korean buses: regular, elderly, pregnant women, and disability seating. These will be indicated by the color of the seat. While it is generally socially acceptable to sit in the specified seating, you must move if someone boards after you that needs that seat.
    • The buses move very quickly, so find a place to sit or stand fast as the bus will move even if you aren’t sitting/holding on. In the same vein, prepare to get off at minimum a stop before by pressing the “stop” button (located on the wall) and getting ready to leave. You will know when your stop is coming via an accouncement as well as a screen that lists the upcoming stop in Korean and English.
  • Subway (in-person)
    • The subway works very similarly to buses: you need a T-Money card to use the subway and you scan your card before and after your ride. Naver Maps also shows directions via the subway so using that for the subway too will be helpful. When on the subway, it is advised that you do not talk, or if you do, make it short and quiet as this is the local etiquette. It is also not advised to sit in the pregnant women seating unless it is super crowded. Even then, you must move if someone else needs it. Stops will be announced in Korean and English and they will tell you what side the platform is on as well.

Personal Goals for Study Abroad in South Korea, By Natalie Dacey

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Posted By Daceyn, March 4th, 2024

What do you hope to gain and how much research have you done on your host country and culture that will better prepare you for this experience?

When I initially thought about studying abroad in terms of what I wanted to gain from it, my mind was solely on academics. I thought about how I would meet my major and minor requirements, how I would need to choose the right number of classes to meet the minimum number of credits, things like that. Later on, however, as the departure date got closer, I thought about how I would be able to experience a completely different culture firsthand and how that would change everything. I would need to learn a new language and new customs that were unfamiliar to me in order to get around and do things.

For research, I had been interested in going to South Korea for a time now, and had watched many videos and read different articles about what it was like to study and live there as a foreigner. I wanted to be informed about differences in how classes worked to how much more fast paced certain things would be.

What are you most excited about? What are you most scared or nervous about?

What I was most excited about was the same thing I was most nervous about: visiting a new country. I had never been outside of the US. before this, and now I was going to be on the other side of the world without any family or longtime friends. I was excited to explore and experience a new culture and language and everything that comes with that, but was also nervous because that those same things could pose challenges for me.

What strategies have you implemented that will allow you to overcome these challenges and take full advantage of your opportunities?

Self-care and indulging in my hobbies. Finding ways to relax and recenter myself after exploring or trying new things has been key overcoming my nervousness about going to and being in a new country. Making friends has also been a good way find new opportunities of going out and visiting places or traveling that I likely would have never done on my own.

Host Country and Cultural Immersion – Study Abroad in South Korea, By Natalie Dacey

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Posted by Daceyn, March 4th, 2024

What are your favorite things about your host location thus far?

It’s hard to say what my favorite things are, but it can be summed up with this: South Korea has been brilliant!!

The natural scenery is beautiful, particularly the bamboo forest that I visited. Coming from Washington, I love views of nature and walking through the trees. Seeing a bamboo forest was on my list of things to do while in the country and I am so glad that I got to see one!! The city views shouldn’t be forgotten since once you get up high enough—like at Namsan Tower or Jeonil Building 245—looking out over the other buildings is very beautiful.

Other things that I’ve quite liked is having the opportunity to try different foods that I probably wouldn’t have been able to try in the US. As a somewhat picky eater, I usually don’t choose meals that I’m unfamiliar with, but being in a country that has such different meals, it forced me to step outside of my comfort zone and I have enjoyed most of what I’ve tried.

Tell us about the university, academic experience, the classes, student life, and clubs or activities you are involved with? How are the locals, are there any differences or similarities that have surprised you based on your expectations?

University is both similar and different than university in the US. There were a lot of little things that I didn’t expect to be different and that I had to adjust to. For example, classes in the US are the same amount of time regardless of what day of the week they are (i.e. a history class that goes from 10:00am to 12:00pm on Mondays will also go from 10:00am to 12:00pm on Wednesdays and Fridays too). At my host university however, the history class may run for two hours on Mondays but be only an hour for Wednesdays and Fridays. The times that classes are held is also rather different. Classes are listed in 50min blocks (MWF) and 75min blocks (TTH) and are numbered for each block. So, the history class would be Mon. 2 and 3, and Wed. + Fri. 2 as classes start at 9:00am. This was very confusing.

The locals are lovely and clearly understand that, as a foreigner, I don’t always understand what someone is saying or that they may need to repeat what they said. Oftentimes, they will know a few words in English relevant to their job and are able to tell you what they are asking. They also have no issue communicating through an app as they are very understanding since my host university has many international students.

Did you experience culture shock when you arrived in your host country? How did your expectations about your experience compare with the reality of your day-to-day life? Is there anything you wish you would have done or researched more to better prepare you for your experience?

Culture shock is given, regardless of the amount of research a person. There were so many little things that surprised me (like the aforementioned class things) that it took some time to get settled in despite what I already knew about. I kept my expectations realistic, especially for a country that is often sensationalized and seen to be as perfect, so my experience so far has mostly been what I expected except for the little things.

South Korea: Internship: Pre-Departure by Tara May

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I write this post as I wait in the airport (SeaTac Airport, that is) – I think it’s funny that everyone recommends showing up three hours before an international flight, just to ultimately wait two and a half hours until you can actually board and leave.

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South Korea: End of Program: “I’m Almost Home” by Allison Ogle

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I’m Almost Home

 I think that in coming home, I might experience a bit of reverse culture shock. I feel that I have grown a lot as a person and as a teacher. One thing that will be interesting to readjust to will be eating all of my meals with a fork instead chopsticks and a spoon. I’m not overly concerned about reverse culture shock as I have maintained connections with my family and friends back home but I will have to wait and see how or if reverse culture shock will really affect me and to what degree. I’m hoping that this blog as well as the reflections that I kept during my teaching will support me in both sharing my experiences and transitioning back into my home culture. I also took many pictures to document my daily life so that I can share this experience with both my family and my friends.

​In order to keep my study abroad experience as a key factor in my life, I hope to continue to foster the relationships that I have developed here both in professional relationships I have made in the school and the more personal relationships that I have maintained with family of my friends in the United States. I also hope that in the next 5-10 years I can return to Korea and teach again. There are many programs to facilitate this within Korea. I think that it would be a great way to continue to grow as both an educator and as a person. I also hope to continue to develop my Korean language skill. I am able to read Hangul (written Korean) and I can understand a small amount of what I read. I can also understand more that is said to me particularly in regards to food but I am not particularly skilled at speaking or writing Korean. My productive skills are lacking but I would hope that by the time that I might return to Korea my skills would improve a bit! I also plan to find ways to incorporate what I have learned particularly about English language learners in my school into my own future classroom and to use that knowledge to better my skill as a teacher.

South Korea: End of Program: “Things I Do and Will Miss” Allison Ogle

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Things I Do and Will Miss

Korea and the United states have several things in common but there are a lot of things that are different. There are things I can get and do in the United States that I cannot get or do here as well, there are things I can get and do here that I cannot get or do easily in the United States.

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South Korea: Mid Program: “My Neighborhood and a Day in My Life” by Allison Ogle

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My Neighborhood and a Day in My Life

4/11/2017

In Korea, there is a large population and very little space. This means that there are many apartment complexes with many floors. I live in a small apartment complex and I am on the third floor in this walk-up. My apartment building is one of many in the neighborhood that are all sandwiched together. The streets are also quite small. They can fit about one car! I’m also quite close to a subway station. I am probably a 1 minute walk away from the subway! Overall, my neighborhood is pretty quiet and very chill, even though we are very close to a busy main street.

 

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South Korea: Post Program: “A Year Later” by Taiya Brown

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A Year Later

 

I often look at my Facebook feed and can’t believe that it’s been over a year since I first arrived in Seoul. It feels like only yesterday that I took hundreds of pictures with my new and adventurous friends. I often feel like it was a dream because the whole experience was surreal, and the only thing that reminds me that it really happened is the fact that I’m still paying for it a year later (that and all the pictures). Thinking about going back makes me feel nervous all over again for the same things I was nervous for in the first place, but then I have to just laugh at myself because nothing was ever as big of a barrier as I expected it to be. I thought the language barrier would be scary, and if anything it’s nice not knowing what everyone is talking about all the time. I miss the experiences I had in Korea and I miss being able to experience something new every day.

 

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South Korea: Arrival: “It’s a New Week!” by Allison Ogle

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It’s a New Week!

3/7/2017

Things here at my school are going really well! I’ve co-taught one English lesson so far and I have taught a lesson about my hometown(s). Because I am in a public Korean elementary school, a lot of the instruction during the day is in Korean. This means that it is really hard for me to be a regular classroom teacher. Instead, I am what the teachers call a “subject teacher” my job is essentially to provide English instruction as a native speaker of English as well as to share lessons about my home culture. I am planning on teaching a 10 week (one lesson per week) unit on America and American culture. The scary thing is I will be teaching these lessons to all of the grades in the school. First grade through sixth grade. That is kind of scary but I’m really excited to take on this role of being a bit of an EFL (English as a foreign language) specialist which is extremely similar to my endorsement that would allow for me to teach ELLs (English language learners) back home. I will essentially be teaching the same lesson to every class but it will be tailored to meet the language and developmental abilities of each grade. I’m supposed to start with some fourth and fifth grade classes on Thursday so I hope it goes well!

Last night, we as a school went out to dinner! It was really great! We ate a lot of traditional Korean foods and we also went out for coffee afterwards. I posted pictures of this in the pictures page here. (Click it, it will take you to the picture page 🙂 ). I had a lovely night and tried several new foods like stingray/skate. It had a good taste but the texture was very different from how it looked.

I had a lovely time after school today with several of the teachers. Every Tuesday, the teachers get together to play badminton and have a good time. I really enjoyed badminton all throughout school but I never really had the opportunity to play it recreationally so it was really nice to be able to go play a fun sport with several of the teachers from the school (even the vice principal!). It was a great time! I really enjoyed how we could all play a sport together and not really need to use our language. We were all simply having fun! I am now glad that I was forced to take some of those PE classes in school 🙂 knowing some of the rules to badminton came in handy!

I know this post was a lot of different things smashed together but a lot has happened in just a few days! Please go look at the pictures page if you want to see some of the pictures that I have taken while I’ve been here! It’s a bit more interesting than just reading all of this :).

South Korea: Arrival: “Personal Space” by Allison Ogle

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Personal Space

3/11/2017

So, I’m learning a bit about personal space in Korean public spaces.

I had read online before I came to Korea that because Korea is such a small country and there are so many people, it is common for people to bump into other people and not really worry about it. People wouldn’t say sorry or excuse me because it was so common and normal. I’m really seeing this now. It’s really weird for me!

When I was walking around and shopping in Myeongdong, I was often in a tight spot with a lot of people around me. I was bumped into several times and I even bumped into other people a few times. It really wasn’t a big deal and even when I said “excuse me” to pardon myself, people didn’t really care. It was an interesting feeling. The same thing happened on my subway ride home. On the last leg of my subway journey, there were so many of us in the car that I couldn’t move. People weren’t being rude or pushing and shoving. It was very civilized and everyone was very chill about it. Again, it was weird for me but I think I could get used to it.

South Korea: Arrival: “It’s Been Two Weeks!” by Allison Ogle

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It’s Been Two Weeks!

3/12/2017

It has been two weeks since I arrived in Seoul. Now that I’m here, I’m really enjoying a lot of things about Seoul! Everything is really close and convenient. I have two convenience stores within 1-5 minutes of walking distance. These convenience stores have EVERYTHING! There is packaged and processed food and there is fresh food like eggs, meat, vegetables, and fruit. There are also household items and cleaning supplies among many other things. I’m also very close to the subway station. This means that I can go basically anywhere quickly for quite cheap. I’m also really close to the school where I’m student teaching. It makes my mornings really easy! There are so many things that I really like about Seoul, it’s hard to name them all!

There are a few things that are challenging. Culturally, Korea stays up very late. Though I like staying up late, I think it’s a bit tough for me to stay up late on a school night. I’m also having to learn a lot about speaking Korean. I wish that I would have studied a bit more Korean but I’m getting by. I can say a few things and get my point across as well as understand the point of the person with whom I’m speaking but it’s still a challenge. There’s also a difference in personal space! Overall, Seoul is living up to my expectations and very often exceeding my expectations which is great!