Despite my previous worries of not being able to get around Seoul with my extremely limited Korean, I was able to make it through the duration of the program just fine. There were a few apps that I constantly used to make the trip smoother. Papago (the Korean version of Google Translate) was extremely helpful…
Tag: South Korea
Surviving Seoul
My first few days in Seoul were a bit more challenging than I expected. When I arrived, I was shocked to discover that SNU was located on a mountain – a fifteen minute bus ride from the nearest subway station. At first, I was a bit scared to venture out. The bus had dropped us…
Summer in Seoul
Hi everyone! My name is Joanne Lee, and I am a rising sophomore intending to pursue a degree in Microbiology with minors in Chemistry and Computer Science. This July, I will be studying in South Korea for a month at Seoul National University! At the beginning of freshman year, I knew I wanted to do…
Small But Mighty Moments
A letter to the girl frantically packing her suitcase last August: I know that at any moment the realization that you are moving across the world tomorrow is going to hit you like a ton of bricks. This is not the first time that you will be living abroad, but this will be the first…
A Long-Term Relationship with Jjimdak
South Korea is a bustling country with a rising importance in the global sphere. It is also a place where there is always something going on: art exhibits, concerts, pop-up shops, exclusive events, new cafes, and new restaurants. It is an incredibly interesting (and fun!) place to live while studying abroad. But what would it…
Banking on Resilience
My roommate and I laugh that our third roommate is the Korean bank where I opened my bank account through my exchange university because I talk about my struggles with my bank account so often. If my roommate comes back from the day and finds me in an especially sour mood she always opens with…
The Weeks are Short
I’m hesitant to begin this blog post with a cliche, but nevertheless I think it is fitting for how my first few weeks in Seoul have passed: the days are long but the weeks are short. In reflecting on my experiences it’s hard for me to believe that it has been almost two months that…
Finding Familiarity
Here in Korea I live in the dorms for international and exchange students at Korea University. Our dorms quite literally are on the top of a mountain and even in the few weeks I have been here my calves have gotten so strong. As a Sutherland Hall veteran, I have to say this hill puts…
Expectations, Quizlet, and Everyday Life in Seoul
I think that I didn’t realize the magnitude of moving abroad for a semester until my plane landed at Incheon in August. I arrived in Korea knowing not a single person and with bright-eyed determination to soak up every experience possible and learn lots of Korean. I unfortunately fell for the trap of watching too…
New Passions in a Big World
My “why Korean” story has never been the most straightforward narrative nor were my goals very specific when I first watched a YouTube video teaching me the basics Hangeul. I grew up listening to K-pop with my brother and would secretly watch Korean dramas in the back of my seventh grade classes when I was…