Study Abroad and Domestic Study Away

Hi! I’m Nika and I’m a junior majoring in psychology with a minor in Chinese at Lake Forest College. I’m currently studying abroad at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea.

The moment I stepped into South Korea, it felt like a fever dream. Before my flight took off, I felt the endless excitement at the thought of immersing myself in a completely new environment; I was surprised at myself that I was not as nervous as I had initially expected. My first memory of South Korea was my move-in day when I went out with my roommate to have gukbap (soup with rice) and Korean BBQ to celebrate our first day as roommates.

All the classes I’m having are taught in English, and they have been broadening my knowledge of South Korea’s history and culture. Apart from the lectures, students have the opportunities to go on field trips such as the National Museum of Korea and Seoul Museum of Craft Arts. Among my classes, Contemporary Issues in Korean Culture stands out to me; through this class I have learned so much about both North and South Korea’s popular culture. We once watched a movie in class about a population group of North Koreans in their 20s to mid-30s called the Jangmadang generation which had challenged my past perspectives about North Korean society.

Other than that, I am also taking a Korean language course, which meets about 6 hours per week. Prior to the program, I had a fundamental understanding of the Korean language, with some reading and writing skills. Truthfully speaking, I did not have a hard time at all when it came to adjusting to the language upon my arrival. However, I saw a huge improvement in Korean and gained more confidence in speaking Korean with the locals thanks to this class. Additionally, I’m also able to practice Korean with the buddies I had met through the Ewha Peace Buddy system. Together we have group lunches every week, and we sometimes hang out during the weekends in different neighborhoods of Seoul! My buddies have made my time in Seoul so much more memorable and they’ve helped me a lot in adjusting to Ewha’s environment.

I’ve had an amazing opportunity to see the cherry blossoms at Seokchon Lake, and although the cherry blossom period only lasted for about 2 weeks, we still got to enjoy its beauty. Having afternoon picnics by Han River with my buddy group is also one of my most memorable activities; sharing our ramyeon and fried chicken while having long conversations was one of the highlights for me. In addition, I also got the chance to attend a concert of my favorite artist with my friends and we had so much fun together.

Being in Seoul has allowed me to learn more about myself both as a scholar and as an individual, and the city will always have my heart. My studying abroad journey has been nothing but full of joy and fulfillment, and I will always be grateful for this opportunity.

Roathnika in the COEX Starfield Library