A Recollection of My Abroad Experiences

This week is a quick rundown of everything I have done so far with CIEE, my study abroad program, who helps me understand how to fill out the paperwork needed to come to Korea and who offers the support needed when studying abroad in a new country. CIEE organizes many fun activities for international students, so that I can better immerse myself and understand the Korean culture.

August 28 – The first week out of quarantine. I began with the Navigating Seoul activity. I am given a t-money card, a card used for transportation, and a mission to find specific places with my group. My first stop is Insa-dong, home to traditional Korean crafts, eateries, and goods. We can find homemade candies and teas, beautiful hanbok shops, and traditional paintbrushes among many others. Walking through this district, I felt inspired to learn more about Korean culture from the restaurants that serve delicious, homemade kimchi to the shops which show many traditional fans with beautiful designs.

After exploring Insadong, my group and I rode the train to the next destination. The train is quiet which is quite different compared to the United States, where subways are filled with conversations among young and old. After a couple of stops, though, we arrived at Coex, a mall which houses a beautiful library with numerous books to explore. Take a peek behind me…

September 4 –I am in Yecco, a club designed for international students where local Koreans volunteer to partake in cultural exchanges with abroad students. Alice is my YECCO friend, a local Korean who goes to Ajou. She took another CIEE student and me the palace. This means our next stop is the Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Before heading to the palace, we went to a hanbok shop filled with many beautiful colors, designs, and styles. The options were limitless from the different jeogiri and chimas. Once we all wore our hanboks with our hair dolled up, we walked to the palace. There, Alice was our tour guide for the day. She explained the history behind the walls where tents stood up to protect some knights from the sun. Walking through that area, we saw where the king slumbered. There is a specific part of the building where the king will sleep in different rooms each night. This place has very limited furniture to avoid any weapons that can kill or cause harm to the king. Touring the palace in my hanbok, I felt I was teleported back in time, back to when the kings lived. I felt something magical as I looked at the traditional architecture, learned about what went in to build Korea, and heard about how life was like back before the modern ages all while wearing a hanbok.

September 12 ­– My mark made in a red stamp. Stamps (or dojang in Korean) are important in Korean culture. This personal seal is almost like your own fingerprint which is a unique way to define who you are and is used as a replacement of a signature. 

It was a wonderful experience to make a stamp, where I truly did something meaningful to me. I made my own mark in Korea with my own hands. I first identified which signature I wanted, my English name or my English name written in Korean characters. After, I traced the signature I wanted on a paper and eventually on the dojang (which is made out of stone). I then carved the stone which had an imprint of the signature I wanted. It took a while and eventually, I made my own stamp. 

I read in my CIEE Cultural course about the importance to integrate into Korea culture and to understand the different cultures. It is important to partake in cultural Korean activities and these activities added to my time in Korea. From these experiences, I am left with gratitude thus far. I am grateful to have a whole program supporting me during my time abroad as studying abroad is something I have never done before!