First Week at Konkuk University's Summer School Program!

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. 

            

On Saturday, our first field trip was the Waterbomb concert! It's basically a K-pop festival with water fights; everyone gets wet! My favorite artists that I saw were Jeon Somi and Lee Young Ji. The festival also had a lot of pop-ups where you could get free skin care and cosmetic products, which was super fun to see and participate in. It was one of my favorite field trips. 

          

Classes!

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! 

The Familiar Foreigner

Xin chào

Welcome to Vietnam ☺️ Strap on your Andes helmet, and allow me to whisk you away to a sea of honking scooters alongside fresh earth, golden rice fields, and copper pod trees to charm you with their beckoning sway.

Scents of savory fried tofu and sweet milk flower will fill your nose once we reach the heart of Hà Nội. Be careful to not burn your calves or kick any passersby as you dismount the scooter parked on the sidewalk in front of Café Giàng. I’ve made both of these mistakes.

We’re at this café to try the famous cà phê trứng. This is a special egg coffee invented in the 40’s during a time of necessity. When there was no cream available, a man named Nguyen Giàng whisked together a combination of eggs and sugar. 

Struggle meals often stick. Not only did this creation suffice for the time being, it also became one of Vietnam’s most beloved delicacies for years to come.

At about 100mg of caffeine per cup, Vietnamese cà phê is much stronger than American coffee. Coffee shops are an impressive social component of Hà Nội’s thriving community, and often stay open until 11 p.m, or just never close. People are happy to gather for coffee well into the late hours of the night.

The most delicious and popular coffees to try are cà phê trứng, along with cà phê sữa, coffee with condensed milk, bạc xỉu, white coffee with lots of condensed milk, cà phê dừa, coconut coffee, and the recent but iconic cà phê muối, which is salted coffee with a hint of caramel.

On my first day in Hà Nội, I checked into a hostel and walked around Hoàn Kiếm lake. A very young Vietnamese girl spotted me out as a foreigner and asked if she could join me on my walk to practice her English through conversation. 

I’m like, child, where is your mother?

This girl spoke perfect English because after school, her mother made the two-hour drive by scooter each day from their village to Hà Nội for “English Lessons”. These lessons involved a hunt for approachable foreigners to speak with, and her mother safely observing from a distance. Her mother did not speak English, since they lived too far away to interact regularly with foreigners. 

Over six generations ago, my family lived northeast of Hà Nội, in the Bắc Ninh Province. While Southern Vietnam only has two seasons, Northern Vietnam is home to all four. Hence, falling leaves and Autumn poetry. 

The middle section of Vietnam is the most difficult place to live because of their monsoons from September to April. Northern Vietnam uses a 6-toned language, while Southern and Central Vietnam have 5 tones and varying dialects.

Vietnamese language is adaptable, and it boasts special meanings and imagination. Over time, it has been influenced by Chinese, French, and English.

The very landscape is full of legends and stories that connect history with symbolism. According to my Grandma, Ba Thuy, Hà Nội is the central city of the North, based between three rivers. Hà means “river”, while Nội is “middle”. It is surrounded by River Đáy River Hồng And River Nhuệ.

During the third dynasty, King Lý Thái Tổ saw a flying dragon and named the capital of Vietnam “Thăng Long”, “Rising Dragon”, for this reason. The dragon flies west from Hà Nội, over Bắc Ninh, and to Hạ Long Bay. For this reason, “Hạ Long” means “landing dragon”. Naturally, I followed the flight of this dragon and found myself in Hạ Long Bay.

I wondered if my ancestors spent their time here. There was not much development so it may have looked the same. I felt glad to experience a natural, undeveloped Vietnam. The biggest cave discovered here is called Son Dong, which is three caves beyond Hạ Long Bay. 

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On my upper right-hand side, I noticed the rocks look like feet dangling off the cliff.

In Hạ Long Bay, I hiked the Đảo Tí Tốp island, kayaked through Tuan Chau, and explored the stalagmites and stalactites of Hang Sửng Sốt cave. When Vietnamese people look at a cave, it’s like cloud watching. You’re supposed to use all of your senses to imagine different symbols and stories that the cave is telling you with its different rock formations.

When I returned to Ha Noi, different family members took me to their favorite restaurants and cafés. My cousin Tanh took me to the Lý Club. I found this restaurant to be the most interesting because it serves as a French Vietnamese cafe in the morning, a Latin American club at night, and the very hospital my Uncle was born in long ago.

Hà Nội has 36 old quarters, and my family lived right next to my hostel on 11th and 12th Hue street, after migrating from the south during the revolution in 1945. 

My Aunt took me to a café that used to be her house. She got me three different drinks: milk bubble tea, chia seed lemonade, and cà phê sữa; I liked them all a lot.

I made my way to the Múa caves by rowing through green fields of baby rice. Since it wasn’t quite rice season yet, the young green stalks were harvested to make cơm, a rare Vietnamese dish, and piled near the crops.

My great-Grandfather was an engineer for the very train you’d take to travel across Vietnam. He is among the first group of Vietnamese engineers. The railroad ran from the North to the South, and Cambodia to Laos. During that time, his wife and family moved with him from North to South, and then Laos and Cambodia all throughout the time spent working on this railroad.

From Hà Nội, I visited the surf in Đà Nẵng and the old village of Hội An.

I ended the trip in Bà Nà (Lady Ponagar) Hills before leaving for Ho Chi Minh City. 

Ho Chi Minh City was once called Saigon. There’s a noticeable political and linguistic difference between terms used by the old and young generations in HCMC. The Northern government named Ho Chi Minh City after the old president, because his strongest desire was to unite the country.

I ate incredible food in Ho Chi Minh City because I made it my mission to find everything that my Grandma would buy from the markets. This included bánh xèo, bánh giò, bún chả, bánh cuốn, xôi đậu phộng, cơm tấm, xôi khúc, nước mía, bánh giầy, giò lụa, and even bánh chưng, which I had on Vietnamese Independence Day.

I ventured out to visit Củ Chi Tunnels, and learned about the strategies that were in place for the Vietnam war. It was common for familes to crowd into their home’s 4 sq meter bunker when they heard bombs dropping. Since the Vietnamese could escape through the Saigon river, Củ Chi was chosen as the prime location between Saigon and Cambodia.

Tunnels were dug by hand with no electricity, and the Ho Chi Minh trail was long, stretching from North to South. There were 16,000 gorilla forces and 5,000 of them were women.

I thought about how babies were born in these tunnels. People tried not to enter the fighting zones or go out at night. War changed the peaceful countryside of Củ Chi. Above these tunnels 60 years ago, my Grandma had become established with her laundry business and prepared to move my family to O`ahu. 

My Grandmother is Thuy Thu-Lam Nguyên, the first Vietnamese concessioner with PX . She wrote a book about her life, “Fallen Leaves”, printed by Yale University a few years ago for the students to study about Vietnam.

Returning to Củ Chi, now that the war is over, I saw that there are still many hazards and death traps in the well preserved tunnel. It is a reminder of the privilege I live in to not witness the war crimes my family did.

I used my privilege to visit Vietnam as an appreciative tourist, while many of my elders who fled during the 40’s are unable to return because of their PTSD.

I didn’t know what to expect in Vietnam. I was afraid that I wouldn’t resonate with any of it because I am only a quarter Vietnamese. But walking in the footprints that my Grandmother left only a few decades ago sparked a deep gratitude in me. 

Returning to the motherland as a familiar foreigner, everything I’ve accomplished shows I’m a result of the sacrifices and prayers I am just beginning to understand.

I hope I’ve given a fair warning that loving Vietnam may become my whole personality for the next 3 years 😋

I plan to get my Bachelor’s degree and some TESOL classes under my belt by spring 2023. The dream is to graduate on my birthday, May 8, and move to Vietnam to teach English for a year before graduate school.

So that’s my future. It’s incredible where study abroad has lead me after saying yes to every opportunity that came my way. 

Presently, I am safe n sound in Colchester, England and spending my Autumn term at the University of Essex. For the first time, I get to watch the leaves change color as I take classes, begin my next blog, participate in clubs, and create my Gilman Scholarship community project. 

Stay tuned to learn more about the University system in England, because this really is a great school and I’m already enjoying my classes and societies so much.

Vanessa Cortes Summer Abroad

My summer abroad has come and gone quicker than I am happy to admit. Words truly can't describe what an incredible experience traveling has been for me. Everyday mundane activities become so significant when you experience them in such a different place. I feel that I have learned so much about myself and other countries while on this journey. One piece of advice I have for those who are preparing for their journey, take advantage of every opportunity presented to you. No matter how bad your jet lag is, if you've never had a certain type of food, or maybe your curious about this new cultures style, just go for it. Each experience will leave you with a few pictures and a good story to tell. I am forever thankful for my own experiences, and would definitely recommend traveling to anyone who is even considering it. I would definitely study abroad again next summer, or at least just visit a few of my new international friends. :)