First Week at Konkuk University's Summer School Program in South Korea!
안녕하세요 (Hello!) Sharks!
My name is Isabella Garcia, and I am a senior studying Marine Biology with a minor in Pre-Medical Studies at HPU! I had a wonderful opportunity to study abroad at Konkuk University in South Korea for one month. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience, and I would definitely do it again! In this post, I will show you my first week as a Konkuk University student!
Some tips I have before studying abroad in South Korea!
- Apply for scholarships! I applied to and received the International Gilman and the HPU Study Abroad Scholarships! It made my hopes a reality, and I am so grateful to have received the scholarships that helped me pay for the tuition.
- Communicate with the partner school! I did experience some miscommunications with Konkuk University regarding early action requirements, start/end dates, and my class schedules. They do get an overwhelming amount of emails before the program starts, so be sure to check in with Melissa, the HPU Study Abroad Advisor, when your emails are not being answered.
- If you have been prescribed medication, make sure you check with South Korea's guidelines to ensure none of the ingredients are illegal. You might also have to get a permit if the medication is essential! You should submit the permit application at least 10 days before you arrive. For any other prescribed medication, I would recommend getting a written letter from your doctor to take with you and taking the medication in its original container.
- If you are studying abroad longer than 90 days, be sure to obtain a visa. My program was only one month long, so I did not need to get a visa.
- Be sure to purchase an eSIM (you can do this at the airport) or change your phone plan so that you can contact family or friends back home! I switched to a one-month international plan with my carrier, and it worked great!
- If you plan on bringing a lot of souvenirs home, check a large empty suitcase. Or do what I did... I bought an IKEA bag in South Korea, and it was a much better option than buying a brand-new suitcase! Another tip would be to add a tracking device, such as an Apple AirTag, so you can keep track of it while you're traveling. I also bought a TSA-approved lock for extra safety measures.
- Bring deodorant and feminine hygiene products with you; it can be very hard to find them there.
Arrival!
I arrived at Incheon Airport on a Wednesday, one day earlier than my scheduled check-in at the Konkuk University dorms. I booked a room at the capsule hotel inside the airport. It was around $65 for one night. It was very convenient to stay at the airport, as it was my first time traveling abroad to a foreign country. There were many food options, and I was able to exchange currency and purchase and load a T-money card at the CU convenience store! A T-money card is a transportation card that you can easily use for public transportation, such as buses and subways. You can only load the card with cash at the convenience store or inside the subway stations. This card can also be used outside of the city of Seoul (I went to Busan during my trip, and it worked fine!). Also, I heard that you can now use the T-money card on your phone as an app, which makes it even more convenient!
In the morning, to get to Konkuk University, I took the airport limousine outside of Terminal 2. I purchased a ticket that was around 17,000-18,000 won, which is $12.25-$12.97 USD. Buying the ticket was easy and right outside the bus station at the airport. It took an hour and a half to get to the Konkuk University Station with no stops. Once I arrived, I checked into my room at Vision Hall. Each room housed two students. Here's what a dorm room looks like at Konkuk! We received toiletries and bedding from the school that can be rented out (around $25), which I was very thankful for!
Small Tip #1: If you plan to study abroad in South Korea, I would highly recommend you bring a full-length bath towel if you're not comfortable using a hand towel after showering! Also, Korean bathrooms do not have the shower and toilet flooring separated; basically, the whole bathroom is the shower space, so the floor can get entirely wet, a culture shock I had.
First Week!
The next day, Friday, was orientation day! We received information about the classes we were taking. I took Korean Beginner 2 and K-Art: From Museum to Street (I was able to fulfill my Creative Arts gen ed studying abroad). We also went over all the programs and field trips that the Konkuk University interns had planned for us throughout our one-month stay (shoutout to Justin, who is an HPU alumnus!). Students were also able to meet their assigned Korean buddy; my buddy's name was Jayoung, and she's super sweet! We took a tour of campus, and throughout the month, we would hang out during field trips and nights out in the city.
Small Tip #2: If you need any school supplies, toiletries, or any basic needs, go to DAISO! Everything is very affordable, with most items below $5-$10. It's close to campus and was a lifesaver!
Studying during the one-month program at Konkuk, I was able to take up to 2 courses total. My morning class, as I mentioned earlier, was Korean Beginner 2, and in the afternoon, I took K-Art: From Museum to Street. I loved both of my classes. In my Korean class, we went over the Korean alphabet, learned grammar, and basic phrases that we can use outside the classroom. My professor was also very kind, and he made sure that everyone could understand the material. My K-Art class was also very interesting; we focused on Korean contemporary art that highlighted social issues, which was very interesting to learn about. Each week, we also had field trips to art museums to look at and research art pieces that we found interesting. Later on, we also made our own traditional Korean kites and a "Geolgae gurim," which is a large-scale painting associated with the Minjung Art Movement in Korea, used for social and political commentary.
Each class was 3 hours long and the school day lasted from 9:00am to 4:00pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (Wednesdays we had field trips). We got a lunch break from 12:00-1:00pm, where we could eat at the cafeteria or we could purchase lunch at the convenience stores on campus.
After classes, my friends and I would take the time to explore Seoul! We went to Seongsu, Myeongdong, Gyeongbokgung Palace, and so many more places!
We had buddy programs throughout the program, where there were scheduled events we could attend to hang out with our buddies. On Tuesday, we went to a Korean sauna/bathhouse or a jimjilbang! We had the chance to use the hot and cold rooms and massage chairs. There were also public baths that were split based on gender; however, it was required to take all your clothes off, which was a big culture shock (I did not do this)! We also ordered food and a sweet rice drink called sikhye. It was a very fun and relaxing experience. I would definitely recommend it if you ever come to South Korea!
Every Wednesday, we had a scheduled field trip. During the first week, we went to the DMZ, or the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. It was very interesting to learn about the DMZ's history, and we were able to see North Korea from an observatory. We then got lunch together afterwards, bulgogi, which was delicious!
Other than that, I spent the rest of the first week in class and exploring around the city afterwards. Thank you for reading this blog post! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me! My email is igarcia8@my.hpu.edu. Stay tuned for my next blog post!
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