The land of the morning calm… seeing it is one in a life time experience. When they started learning Korean, like a lot of other people, Seolhwa and Teri wanted to see Korea. And who would have thought they will be able to travel to the other side of the planet, not only to see the Korean society, but to also live in it, at least for a short while. If you asked them what it was like, they would tell you countless stories about it. Today, let’s listen to some of their stories from their time in South Korea.

Hi, Seolhwa here! It all started when I was in my second year of university. I found out that my university had a partnership with a South Korean University and was offering scholarships there for a whole 9 month period! I couldn’t pass this opportunity, especially since I have been studying Korean for almost 5 years by then and I have always wanted to experience Korea for real. After a document screening process and an interview, I found out I was going to Korea… my dream was about to come true! I was not only going to Korea, but I was also going to live there for 9 months and study at Dongguk University (see picture below from my first day there)!

The second step was to get the student visa and to prepare all the necessary documents. This step was not easy, but after running after different documents and after a 9 hour trip by train to Romania’s capital, I obtained the visa.

Enough about the documents, you are probably here to hear about my experience there. I left for Korea at the end of February as the first semester started in March. The first days, and even the first two months there weren’t easy to be honest. The start was a bit of a rough one, especially since when I arrived at the dormitory (during the weekend), the thermostat was broken and we didn’t also have Wifi for a few days. I also didn’t get a sim card at the airport so I couldn’t even call my parents to tell them I arrived well. Of course, everything was fixed on Monday when someone from the university came to check.

Choosing classes at the beginning wasn’t the easiest. There were courses in English too, but in order to take the same courses I would have taken at my home university, I also had to take courses in Korean. I had a Topik level 5 by then, but still attending a course in full Korean was a first for me. So were writing academic assignments and doing presentations in Korean. Soon I also learnt that the courses for foreigners I had chosen (which I thought were in English) were actually in 100% Korean.

I wasn’t sure I could pass them and this was quite of a shock for me. I also thought I would have to repeat the year in my home country when I go back. I mean… taking courses like Korean linguistics or World Literature in full Korean isn’t easy (see picture of me studying for my partial exam in linguistics below).

Thankfully, the teachers were quite understanding and nice and knew how hard life was for foreigners and exchange students already so they were doing everything they could to help us.

Making friends was also a feat for me. I already had some Korean friends from when I was in Romania, but I couldn’t see them very often because they were busy with work and studies. So, I tried making new Korean friends and ran into… language barriers. Even foreigners seemed to be able to speak better Korean than I was. I remember when I went to try and join an art club one day, but I was so frustrated because I couldn’t understand what the club members were telling me that I gave up. I did join a photography club and a volunteering club. Unfortunately, both me and my friend were rejected from the photography club because we were foreigners and they thought explaining us photography terms in Korean would be hard. Looking back, I don’t blame them, they were just saving us time that we might have spent struggling to understand terms foreign to us. But don’t worry, I manage to improve my language situation in the second semester.

One experience that I will not forget is the school festival. You could really get a feel of the Korean University experience through the festival. Lots of music and dance clubs performed on a stage and music was heard everywhere for 3 whole days. And we also got to enjoy the music of some famous artists like Punch, G-IDLE, Kyoungseo and others. Another moment that I really enjoyed was the lantern festival in celebration of the birth of Buddha where students, teachers and monks (Donnguk is a buddhist university if you didn’t know) from Dongguk alongside other universities held a parade that went from our University all the way to a temple in the center of the city.

Apart from the University experience, I also got to see in my free time, a myriad of places from Seoul, each more beautiful than the other, and try a lot of delicious food. I also met my online Korean teacher after a long time that we had known each other. I even transformed into a Joseon princess at Gyeongbokgung Palace! haha

This is how the first semester went by. There were moments when I wanted to give up and go home, but now looking back, I am happy I didn’t give up because the second semester was going to be ten times better than the first one. But… more about that one in another post (coming soon!).

Hi, Teri here! I got the chance to visit and experience Korea for a month.

Going to Korea was a dream come true. I could have never imagined it when I first started learning Korean. Every single day was a fun adventure, so here are some of my favorite memories from Korea:

Renting a hanbok and visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) is a must-do experience if you’re in Korea. There are plenty of places to rent a hanbok, and believe me when I say I spent about an hour trying on different ones. They have so many in various colors and designs! The employees were really nice ( even after I tried around one hundred different models and was not able to choose one hahaha). I loved the experience so much that I had to go back and do it one more time before returning to Mexico.

COEX Plaza and Aquarium: COEX Plaza has the famous library where everyone takes photos (haha), and a really cool aquarium. If you go, expect to be surrounded by families with kids. The aquarium is stunning, with a variety of sea animals, and it’s perfect for taking great pictures, they also have a show with mermaids, the show is free and it is really cute, it was really cool and nice to see all the families with their children laughing and having fun. 

Gyeongju (경주) is a beautiful place to visit in Korea. I fell in love not only with the palace, but also with the gorgeous gardens. I was amazed by the beautiful sunflowers, roses, and other flowers. Later, we saw the palace at night, which was an unforgettable experience! I tried to take a picture that actually reflected the beauty of the palace at night but no picture could make justice to it. 

In Pohang, I discovered my fear of heights when we visited the Hwanho Park Space Walk. I couldn’t complete the walk around the roller coaster-like structure because I got too scared thanks to a girl that did not stop screaming “ 아빠 그만, 아빠 제발 그만”,  but it offers a beautiful view of Pohang! It’s also a must to walk along the seaside and enjoy some Korean food. My boyfriend and I also went to Homigot to watch the sunrise, and it was absolutely breathtaking.

Myeongdong: We went there multiple times, not just for the street food but also for shopping. There are so many stores that it’s impossible to explore them all in one day. Koreans are great at store themes and decorations, so you can take cute photos almost anywhere! 

My favorite city was Busan. If I had to choose a city to live in Korea, it would be Busan. The vibe there just suits me! My boyfriend and I went to Blue Line Park and took the capsule train, which gave us amazing views of Busan’s coastline. Eating seafood is a must in Busan! After indulging in sushi, we watched a fireworks show by the seaside at night. The atmosphere was great, with lots of young people hanging out and street performers. I loved it! After the show, we went to a PC room where I realized my singing skills are nonexistent 😂.

We also visited the International Market (국제 시장) and ate really spicy, cheesy tteokbokki. The next day, we went to Gamcheon Culture Village. Going all the way up was quite an adventure 😂. The small buses aren’t always crowded, but the drivers go super fast. I felt as if I was in a Fast and Furious movie hahaha.  I remember wondering if we were going to crash, but once we got there, we were greeted by the colorful houses. Gamcheon’s history goes back to the 1950s when thousands of refugees from the Korean War built homes on the hillside. If you walk almost to the top, you’ll find murals painted by local artists to attract tourists. The paintings are lovely and give the place a cute vibe. One of the famous murals features Jimin and Jungkook from BTS, and there’s also artwork of The Little Prince and his fox. This spot is very popular, and we waited about 20 minutes to take a photo, but it was worth it! My favorite piece of art was a staircase painted to look like the spines of books, each step representing a different book cover.

We hoped you liked our little stories about our time in Korea and stay tuned for a part 2. See you!