Gen's Going Global: Study Abroad in South Korea Intro
Written By: Gen Nguyen | Read full profile
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If you haven’t studied or just travelled abroad alone, you’re missing out. I highly recommend it. Most places welcome tourism and there are people who speak English.
I studied abroad in S. Korea for a summer, while exploring historical and modern buildings, and eating the best kbbq for cheap. I can’t cram my whole 7 weeks into one blog, so there will be more posts about the best locations I’ve been to and the best foods I had during my short stay abroad.
But before we dive in : What do Koreans say when they take pictures?
During the summer after my freshman year of college, I went to South Korea (the non-communist part of Korea for all you uncultured people). To all the koreaboos who stan BTS and NCT and/or who watch Kdramas religiously, it would be an amazing dream. But, I got over my Korean phase (more specifically Kpop and Kdramas) right before college started, so the only thing I was looking forward to was the food. I’m not claiming to be a foodie enthusiast, I just really enjoy good food at a decent price with great company. But if you invite me to wine and dine, I am all for it 😉.
For the first week, I was completely alone. It was the first time I flew by myself without any family or friends. TSA isn’t as scary as Asian parents make it out to be. You don’t have to arrive 12+ hours before your flight. You’ll end up waiting for the flights before yours. And oh pro tip, if you get stopped to get your luggage checked, put your lingerie on top so that when they open it up, they wouldn’t wanna rummage through it.
For anyone who’s wondering, I flew with Korean Air. They provide great amenities like Jeju island water, Korean Air blanket, slippers, etc. and being it my first time flying solo, I found everything pretty cool. There was even a lavender hydrating mist and lavender lotion in the bathroom, I have never seen airlines provide this before. When it came to the in-flight meal, I had the option of bibimbap or regular rice. In my head, when I heard the attendant say “rice,” I thought she meant rice with bibimbap. It did not. And I ended up getting just the sad looking rice. Note to self, make sure to clarify in the future to get the bibimbap.
So, I was pretty much traveling solo. . . kind of. During the flight I was all by myself but once I landed, I had met up with the other students who were studying abroad in the same program as me. Which was alright because it forced me to get out of my comfort zone to interact with other students from different parts of the states and if I didn’t wanna eat alone, I had them as company. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant by yourself? It’s lonely and awkward. So because of this, I had to really develop my speaking and friend making skills. And if you know me personally, I’m not that great at making friends or talking in general. I’m just an awkward bean. It wasn’t that bad though cause we were all alone together. It’s what you call a paradox.
After I landed in Incheon International airport and had gotten everything settled, I stayed in an area near Insadong for the time being. Throughout the first week, my group and I travelled to Myeongdong, Hongdae, and Sinchon, just to name a few. These are places in Seoul. Kinda like Katy, Tomball, and Spring in Houston.
I was lucky enough to be with a tour group because they showed us around the area, how to use the metro, introduced us to different restaurants, and taught us the history behind some buildings. I’m a huge historical junky. I love learning about that kind of stuff so I can show off what I know.
In the middle of the first week I met up with Nick’s girlfriend, let’s call her okra, who came with another friend, let’s call her potato who later became kong-guksu (we all gave each other food nicknames just because we love food so much). They both were also studying abroad in South Korea that summer as well so I wasn’t completely alone.
Right before the week ended and classes started, my tour guide took us to the countryside of South Korea: Pyeongchang and Gangneung (not Gangnam). I got to see where the 2018 Winter Olympics was going to be held and even got to see the field above the ski jump. I made tofu with the nice ajummas (it’s an arm workout) and experienced a traditional tea ceremony.
Honestly, the first week of just traveling with a tour group, not worrying about studying and classes was fun. If you don’t know what there is to do in a country, go with a tour group. You won’t have that feeling of being study/frozen from being overwhelmed with what to do first and you’ll at least be more exposed to some of its culture and can appreciate it a little more.
Sadly, the week was over and classes were about to start. I wasn’t too upset cause I only took two classes: genetics and English literature. I met up with Okra and we were lucky enough to room together in the dorms and Potato had to go with someone random (sorry Potato, I had dibs). After the first week, I made a few more new friends and we were able to explore more of Seoul every night.
Social life and school is already hard to balance. And you shouldn’t waste your time studying every second of the day while you’re in another country. That’d be a waste! But I’m not saying you shouldn’t put off on studying either. Find the balance between the two. I did.
This is my first post of my 2017 study abroad experience and I finally get the chance to write about it. I am so excited to share this experience with the rest of you! I will be writing more posts talking about all the great places I have been to and hopefully if you ever get to travel to South Korea you can hit up those spots and tell me all about it by tagging me at #nguyeninglifestyles on instagram or hit me up on twitter @nguyeningwithUS! Thanks for reading this far, here’s the answer to today’s joke: Kim-cheeeeeeeeese!
Check out my next blog: Study Abroad (part 1): Sinchon
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