From Hawaii to Hanbok: Pt.2 of Study Abroad Prep Guide for South Korea

 Aloha everyone! 다시 조이스예요~

In my first post, I discussed pre-departure considerations, and now I’ll share some thoughts on what to expect upon arrival. You’ll need to make several adjustments to settle in effectively. 

So you made it! You landed in South Korea, collected your luggage, and now… what? Time to get settled in! Here are a few essential aspects to consider:

Transportation Essentials  

Before anything else, get a T-Money card. It functions similarly to a U-Pass or Holo Card (basically Korea’s version), and you’ll use it for buses, subways, and sometimes even convenience stores. The easiest place to grab one? The airport and you don’t have to pay for it! Just get it right after landing and load some cash onto it. 

Must-Have Apps 

A list of mobile applications that will significantly enhance your experience:  

1. Naver Maps – Forget Google Maps hehe, this is the go-to navigation app in Korea. 

2. KakaoMetro – Works with Naver Maps, which is helpful for planning subway routes and subway stops. 

3. Kakao T – The go-to app for booking taxis.  

4. KorailTalk – Necessary for reserving bullet train tickets or KTX (yes, you’ll want to take trips!). If you're considering your travel options, I highly recommend taking the subway. It's not only more affordable, but it also provides a chance to experience the local vibe and energy of the city. You can observe the hustle and bustle of everyday life. 

However, if you're pressed for time and need to get to your destination quickly, KTX would be an excellent alternative. This high-speed train can get you where you need to go in no time. Just be sure to book your tickets in advance, as they can get quite popular during peak travel times.

On the other hand, if you have a more leisurely schedule and enjoy taking in the scenery, consider opting for a regional train or bus. These routes often take you through beautiful landscapes and quaint towns that you might otherwise miss when traveling at high speeds. Whichever option you choose, make sure to enjoy the ride!

5. KakaoTalk – This is the social messaging app in Korea—more popular than Insta, WhatsApp, or Snapchat.   

6. Papago – An effective translation tool for basic conversations especially if you’re still learning Korean.  

7. ChatGPT – Surprisingly useful for translating phrases with contextual accuracy.  

Learning Hangul  

Even if you’re not fluent and even when fluency in Korean is not required, learning how to read Hangul will make your life easier. You don’t need to be a language expert, but knowing how to decode store signs, menus, and directions will save you so much confusion.

SIM Cards & eSIMs  

If you have an eSIM, get one at the airport—it’s super convenient. If you do not require an eSIM, you can obtain a local SIM card from the university or nearby stores. Although my existing phone plan worked, I found that local Korean SIM cards offer better coverage and affordability, particularly for frequent travelers. Even though some international phone plans work in Korea like mine, honestly? Getting a local SIM is way cheaper and more reliable.  

Making Friends & Cultural Etiquette  

The people here are super welcoming. Korean students are generally welcoming and eager to introduce international students to local attractions. However, cultural differences should always be respected. Patience and understanding will go a long way in building meaningful connections.  

Language Exchange & Campus Events 

Participating in language exchange programs is an excellent way to meet local students. In my case, students from America (미국) had between six and eight exchange partners—I personally had eight and enjoyed each experience. So, language is a 10-week program. They'll pay you about 120,000 won, which comes to about 100 bucks—not too bad! It is a solid way to pick up some new skills or experiences. The 10-week commitment feels just right; it’s long enough to really engage with the students but short enough that it doesn’t feel overwhelming. 

Also, don’t skip on-campus events like Global Day, Cafe Hours, and Festivals! Spring festivals here are magical—from small local celebrations to cherry blossom festivals and even huge university concerts featuring K-pop artists. Basically, don't miss out!

From Hawaii to Hanbok: Pt.1 of Study Abroad Prep Guide for South Korea

 안녕하세요 여러분, 만나서 반가워요! If you’ve somehow stumbled onto this blog, you’re probably dreaming about—or already planning—a study abroad semester in South Korea. If so, be ready, because I’m about to give you the lowdown on everything I wish I had known before hopping on that plane.  

I’m Joyce, a sophomore nursing student currently making memories on an exciting study abroad journey in South Korea for the spring 2025 semester. Studying abroad is a wonderful experience, but preparation is key to ensuring a smooth transition. As a Nursing student, before committing to the program, I strongly recommend completing your major coursework first to avoid any complications with credit transfers. Trust me, you don’t want to deal with credit transfers messing up your graduation timeline.  

Now, let’s talk about pre-departure prep—because no one wants to land in a foreign country feeling totally lost.  

Essential Pre-Departure Considerations  

Visa Requirements:

Aside from the usual documents required by the Korean consulate, they also asked for an original copy of my grades and class schedules. Yep—my actual, physical copy. Depending on where you’re from, you might need different documents, so always double-check with the consulate. Pro tip: If your visa process requires an in-person visit (I processed my visa in person, so I advise checking the requirements well in advance to ensure you have everything ready.), book that appointment early to avoid last-minute panic.  

Packing Wisely: 

Listen, do not overpack. I repeat: DO NOT OVERPACK. Just bring what you need. It is important not to overpack.  If you know deep in your heart that you’re going to be hitting the shops (and trust me—you will), then resist the temptation to bring your entire wardrobe (like me). You will likely want to get back many items from Korea. Keeping your luggage light is a strategic decision. South Korea has amazing fashion, beauty products, and quirky souvenirs that you will want to bring home and may tempt you during your stay. Save space for those future hauls! 

Weather Awareness:

If you’re coming for the spring semester, bring a few warm layers for February and March, but don’t go crazy with winter clothes. As someone from Hawaii, I personally found February and March to be way colder than expected. However, the weather gradually became warmer. Bringing a few cold-weather essentials is advisable, but heavy winter clothing may not be necessary (for the spring semester!). Also, I've noticed that my skin gets super dry here. I really recommend bringing your own lotion because we all have different skin types. It's best to have something on hand that works for you to keep your skin moisturized.

Comfortable Footwear:  

Walking is an integral part of daily life in South Korea. Between campus commutes, trips to local markets, and city explorations, a sturdy pair of walking shoes will be invaluable. Personally, I noticed an increase in muscle tone in my legs due to the extensive walking! The stairs? Endless. The hills? Unforgiving. The walking distances? Surprisingly long. Please, do yourself a favor and invest in solid walking shoes before arriving.

Hello (안녕하세요) my name is Ellen Groenvall,  I'm a senior at HPU and I'm currently studying abroad at Konkuk University in  South Korea. As for my first blog post I thought it would be good to talk a bit about the university location and how to get around in Seoul. 

Konkuk University is very conveniently located in central Seoul making it very easy to get around the whole city. There is an extensive metro system in Seoul and fortunately Konkuk has its own station, Konkuk Univ. Station, where two of the metro lines (l 2 & 7) stops. Additionally Line 2 of the metro run as a circle around Seoul and connects to all the other metro lines making it even more convenient to travel around the city from Konkuk. 

There are a few ways to pay for the metro. At every station there are ticket machines where you can buy tickets using cash but if you are staying here for a whole semester that's a bit inconvenient. Most commonly you use a T money card which, as a foreigner without a korean bank account, you can load using cash either at the ticket machines in the stations or at your local convenience stores. Currently they are also trying out a Climate card alternative which you pay around 60 000 krw in advance for a month's use of metro and buses. However, the Climate card works only within Seoul while the T money card can be used all over Korea. Lastly, when and if you open a Korean bank account you can choose either an international card that will work in countries outside of Korea or a domestic card that will also work in the korean metro! 

I hope this was helpful whether you are going to Korea to study abroad or if you wish to go as a tourist, I wish you all the luck!

Mahalo, 

Ellen

Holidays Abroad in South Korea

How was your thanksgiving this year?

I wanted to tell you some of the holiday plans I made this year. Last year, I went
to Seoul Fireworks Festival, bungee jumping, Jinju Lantern Festival, and
sightseeing in Gyeongju [Read more about it in my very first blog post here]. This
year was time to experience the traditions in a Korean Family's home. Before we
continue, check out the amazing view of me hiking in Korea for the first time!

Korean Thanksgiving (Chuseok - 추석) Tradition
This year chuseok is about 5 days compared to 10 days last year. Fortunately, my
Korean friend invited me over to his home to experience “REAL” Korean
Thanksgiving tradition. I took a train to Ansan about 1.5 hours away from my dormitory.
I prepared some gifts as it is customary to show your appreciation when you are invited
to someone’s home. I had Hawaiian coffee and some Filipino mochi I bought at a nearby
market. When I arrived, I was surprised to meet the my friends family and relatives. I met
his parents last year before Christmas, but it was first to see his dad side. His cousins
had some good English and I enjoyed eating with them and we sang at a noraebang
(Karaoke room) after.

When I woke up, there was a strong aroma of food being cooked and prepared. The
family and relatives were setting up the table and the men were dressed in tuxedos. But the
women and the younger girls were just on the side watching. The men take turns
honoring the ancestors by pouring drinks and serving rice to specific ancestors.
Then at each turn, everyone, including myself, bowed down to the ground twice.
Each food and drink placement is important on the table on this ancestral right - 차례.

Also, the mother of the household insisted I take a lot of pictures and videos since

it is my first Korean Thanksgiving, so it was fine to document this experience.
However, I was wearing only a polo shirt and pants and wished I brought a
more formal outfit.

After honoring the ancestors, they cleaned up the area and separated the tables in
the living room. Everyone sat down together and we ate the food we prayed over. We
got to enjoy some soups, fruits, vegetables, fish, and other entrees. Not many
Korean families celebrate this holiday tradition with the formal ancestral rights. In this
picture there is a rice wine (백세주) in a silver cup that is said when you drink it you
will live for a 100 years.

Family Outing

After the ceremony, they allowed me to nap because I was exhausted from the
school’s midterm exams coming up. They took me to a popular shrimp place
where they cooked it fresh and serve it fried as well. Then you can get a
knife cut noodles with seafood. All foods that I had from their house to nearby
cities was amazing.

Finally we ended the trip with going to the nearby sea. This place had a nice
boardwalk where you get to see the ocean and the landscape. They also got
some snacks to feed the sea birds, which was a interesting experience but
you should not always do this hahaha. I am very thankful for their hospitality.  
A few days later I went off to Jeju, so checkout my next blog post!

x

The "Christmas" in Japan

During Christmas in Japan, there are a few customs that Japanese would do. Even though there is only 1% of the population is Christian Japanese still celebrate Christmas in their special way. And Japanese people celebrate Christmas quite different than the west. Unlike the states, people usually have turkey, mashed potatoes, roast beef, ham, and Christmas pudding for Christmas. They would order Kentucky Fried Chicken and well decorated Christmas cake in advance to avoid the long line around the block. Especially for families with children. Because on that day they eat fried chicken to celebrate. For me, this is the weirdest thing I have ever heard of. This Christmas with KFC was a marketing strategy started in the 1970s. KFC used this promotional campaign to boost up the sales in Japan. The result shows that  KFC’s promotion campaign worked out very well and make the Christmas tradition in Japan became KFC.

Ads for Kentucky Christmas 2017

First time seeing Colonel Sanders dress like a Santa

In addition, winter in Japan is a lot of fun not just snow activities. There are quite a few places in Japan to see illuminations every year. The illumination is very popular among youths and young adults also are a great place for couples to go for a date and take plenty of photos. The theme of illumination change every year and usually starts from November.

The illumination near Aoyama Gakuin University at Yoyogi park. Blue Cave(青の洞窟）

Thailand Adventures - What I loved and what I didn't

Keili McEvilly

Mahidol University, Thailand

Thailand Adventures - What I loved and what I didn't

The pictures bellow are from Koh Chang island. This place is quiet, cheap, and beautiful! The first is a giant golden buddha temple ( you have to wear sarongs if you have a revealing top and/ or shorts) that over looked a fishing harbor and a long, sandy white beach. The second is at a beach on the pier side (aka: where you get off your ferry) at low tide with some tide pools during my first sunset on the island. I stayed at this hotel last minute (we bought it that day) called win or winning hotel right on that beach... and it was only like $10 a night! The third is an old fishing ship at low tide further down the beach that same night. There are so many fun beaches on this island! Rent mopeds and try to get to the 4 seasons hammocks for me, because I tried long and hard.

 The picture below was taken at my favorite island of the chain off Krabi. Koh Samui Island. This place was amazing. Mostly because I love to dive and stayed at Big Blue Diving hotel where everyday that I dove (everyday) was a free night stay at the hotel! This beach had the BEST sunsets I have ever seen in my life and the best iced tea I have ever tasted. From this beach you can get a personal boat with a few of your new diving buddies and head over to a smaller island, the second picture bellow. It gets crowded after 9 am so go early or expect a crowd and burn your feet. I forgot shoes and got hella blisters.

These are my crazy friends. It was a super weird dynamic here, maybe you will experience this as well, I never felt so close to so many interesting individuals so quickly. We bonded SO incredibly fast. I mean we all just had no friends and no service to people back home so much that we only had each other to depend on and lean on for support. One of my friends fell in love on the trip, more than one of my friends had a heart break, many were traveling for similar reasons as I and some had anterior motives like discovering themselves, mentally restarting, or using it to escape a bad situation back home. Bottom line, these humans are the best and I hang out with them a lot still or FaceTime weekly at least and the all time best adventures of the trip were solely due to their craziness.

This is those great people again at Songkron: THE WORLDS GREATEST HOLIDAY 

You have to go.

 This was my favorite adventure, Song kao Rai National Park ( I think that is the right name). I camped for one night 💞💞 with my boyfriend and everyone was very upset I did not invite them/ stay longer because it is beautiful and there are at least 6 waterfalls (did them all in one day), a beautiful elf temple forest garden, and hot springs. It is super cold and a dangerous drive. Only ride a moped if you are comfortable and experienced, we saw two accidents while we were driving. It is super cold so layer up and tents are more expensive than at other national parks so bring blankets and your own sleeping bag. And bring food, there is very little up here.

 Hope you enjoyed!

PS: here is my youtube I share more of my adventures around Thailand and beyond! 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdPwGGju5MbvVUvUf-ITCjQ?view_as=subscriber

- Keili McEvilly