My time in South Korea is one I wouldn’t change for anything, and one I would do all over again if I could. Although there were certainly challenges along the way, the once-in-a-lifetime memories and growth far outweigh them. I never thought I would ever be so lucky to have such an experience.  

My First Time “Adulting” 

Whilst preparing to go to South Korea, this was the first time I had to prepare travel and accommodation arrangements myself, including my student visa, flights, and dormitory. I had to take initiative in contacting the relevant government and school representatives to ensure that my applications were complete and sent to the right places on time. It was frustrating at first as finding the relevant information was complicated, but I’ve realised that I gained independence and management skills from this process. As a result of successfully moving myself across the world on a student visa, I’ve gained more confidence to travel to numerous other countries since then. 

Life in Korea 

As someone who was already familiar with Korean culture through my personal interest the Korean music industry, I found it easy to adjust. I made friends with the other exchange students quickly and was able to immerse myself in the rich and incredible culture. Simple life skills such as learning how to use the subway and buses, ordering in restaurants, or how to play games at the computer café were fun and interesting. Learning how to live independently in a foreign country is something I am immensely proud of for myself! It was also interesting to actively implement Korean culture and mannerisms into my everyday life, such as bowing to elders and giving/receiving things with two hands. Even after almost a year of leaving Korea, I still do some of these things in my everyday life. Koreans are kind towards foreigners and are always willing to help you explore their country and culture.  

My Time as a Korea University Student  

Learning how to be a student in a foreign country was a bit of a challenge. I had to learn how the Korean education system works, how Korean students typically conduct their studies and implement this into my own routine. South Korea is famous for its intense educational standards; whilst I didn’t take any major classes, I witnessed the competition and dedication that students demonstrated towards their studies first-hand. However – the classes themselves? SO FUN! I met so many different students, many of whom have continued to be my good friends even after leaving Korea. For most of my classes, I was one of the only exchange students, so I made it a goal of mine to make friends with other international and Korean students. Interacting with other students from all over the world created such a dynamic and fun learning environment in which I was able to learn about a variety of topics from my peers and professors in an engaging way.  

My Time as a Tourist 

I very quickly became an eager tourist, wanting to explore as much of the country as I possibly could. Throughout the year, I explored many areas of Seoul with my friends by shopping in different districts, clubbing and enjoying the nightlife, eating at different restaurants, and trying different activities such as perfume making and animal cafes. I also took advantage of the opportunity to travel outside of Seoul, including many different provinces and cities such as Busan, Incheon, Gangneung, and Jeju Island. Each city has its own atmosphere that is different to the others so there was constantly the opportunity to explore new streets and culture. The beautiful city and countryside sceneries are ones you cannot experience in the UK, so I would highly encourage everyone to take the opportunity to explore every country as much as possible when travelling.  

My Future Ambitions

How has my experience in Korea shaped my idea of my future? I think most notably it’s made me realise that I want to travel more, and it would be even better if I can find a way to incorporate travelling into my career. I’ve realised how much I love visiting new places and experiencing things I haven’t before. Travelling to and in Korea has helped me discover and realise how capable I am of travelling independently and adapting to unfamiliar places. I was able to immerse myself in new cultures and interact with the locals there. I think this is an important and beneficial skill to have in a world where you will come across people from vastly different cultures and backgrounds to yourself in a multitude of different contexts, especially as someone who wants to enter the field of Human Resources after graduating.