South Korea - Sophie
Student: Sophie
Course: Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Arts
Program: Trimester Exchange 2023
Seoul City: landscape, weather, etc.
I lived in the middle of Seoul in a tiny room in a shared dorm for international students, mostly attending Hanyang University. It was right across the road from campus and was a 5 minute walk to campus. My room was next to the beautiful Han River, which runs through the entire city. Behind the university was a mountainous area, with mountain ranges visible from the classroom windows on one side, and views of the massive Seoul skyline with the huge river running through the city on the other.
When I arrived in late August, it was hot, but not like Australia. It was super humid and sticky. Luckily, everywhere had air conditioning blasting at all times, but walking to and from buildings was harsh! Blue skies continued with comfortable temperatures until November, when it started to get cold quickly. By the time final exams arrived in December, it had begun to snow and the city was covered in white. If you are going to South Korea definitely make sure to pack your very best hot and cold weather clothes because you will need both!
A day in my life at Hanyang…
No day at Hanyang was the same. Some days there would be free pop-ups for Monster Energy or Pocari Sweat during exam season. There were even days when random celebrities were filming on campus. And of course there was the school festival, which lasts three days and has a massive turnout for celebrity performers, in the past including artists such as BLACKPINK and this year hosting FROMIS-9, Woodz, Heize, Jay Park and more.
A normal day would start with an early wake up and a quick coffee while hiking up the huge hill to my classes at the top of campus. After three hours of class, I would make a quick stop to get a super cheap lunch from the on-campus convenience store which was normally a cream cheese bagel and coffee for my next class, which cost at most $5 AUD.
Then there would be another two classes. Thursday was my longest day, and attendance was very strict for classes in Korea, so it was important to attend every class and arrive on time because they did not mark you present if you were late.
After class, I would quite literally run back down the hill to my dorm, dump my school stuff, change, and run back to campus for a club meeting. HECC, which is the Hanyang English Communication Club, had a meeting every Thursday which involved a sit down language exchange followed by bar hopping to two or three venues in Wangsimni, right next to my dorm.
After a few hours of chatting, drinking, and teaching each other new slang and games, we would go back to the FamilyMart next to my dorm for a late-night snack, go straight to bed, and wake up the next morning bright and early for my 7 am lecture.
I studied whenever I had spare time and tried to do it straight away so I could enjoy fun things without stress.
What's your one piece of advice for a student who is preparing to study abroad? How should they prepare?
Be okay with being alone. Be willing to do anything at any time. You will be tired and everything will feel new, but you will settle in faster than you expect. You only have a limited amount of time, so make sure to say yes to everything you want to do.
Some moments will be strange or hard or new but do not forget you are brave and young and doing something massive. Do not pressure yourself because you are already doing enough just by taking this opportunity. It is huge and something you should be proud of.
Just make sure to prepare by learning the language as much as you can and make sure to keep an open mind about new places, food, people, culture, lifestyle etc..
What is the one big thing you will always remember from your experience? Or one big lesson that you learnt?
Humans are all the same. No matter where you go in this day and age, you can communicate, spend money, and access what you need. You are safe, and you should just do everything you want to do. You only live once. Try to learn new things whenever you can. This trip only made me want to do more, see more, and travel more. I am so glad I chose to study abroad. It motivates me to continue studying when I see what I can do with the opportunities available to me after graduation.