Hello! 안녕하세요! It has already been a week since the program started and I am amazed at the experiences I have already had. Coming to South Korea by myself was definitely nerve-wracking because I have never travelled this far without my parents. I had always relied on my parents to act as my translators while we navigated through Korea, but this time I had no one except for myself to rely on. I stayed at my aunt’s house for a week before I moved into my Airbnb before school started. I was very anxious about making friends because I knew no one at the program, but luckily the students in my class are very friendly! They are very energetic and outgoing and are always proposing new places to go. I honestly though everyone in my Korean class would be Korean American because I as enrolled at a semi-high level, but there are a good amount of foreigners too. I was amazed that these students, some who have never even taken a formal Korean course, were so good at Korean.
The class is definitely expanding my knowledge in Korean vocabulary and sentence structure. As someone who grew up listening to Korean, I tend to write words as they are heard, which is not always correct. As English speakers would know, we do not speak the way we write. I am also more familiar with daily conversation language, and not reading newspapers or articles, which is what we are learning in class. I hope I can see my improvement in the language in the upcoming weeks.
On the second day of class, we went to Han River (한강), one of Korea’s most beloved attractions, together. We ordered chicken and pizza and got to know each other. The sunset was beautiful and the weather was perfect, not too hot with a slight breeze.
I am hoping to make a lot more memories for the rest of the time I am here!