pre-departure & important tips
Here is everything that I think is useful for a student studying abroad, both pre-departure and during your stay in Korea.
I just want to preface this article by saying that I am extremely grateful for my study abroad experience and the opportunity to experience the Korean culture during a pandemic. I want my blog to be 100% honest and as informative and helpful as possible to future students studying abroad. That being said, there are also negatives that come with experiencing a new culture. I do not mean to be offensive in any way, but rather share the experiences I've had recently that can help other students prepare for their study abroad. Yes, I've been enjoying my time here, and the people I've met have been extremely nice. At the same time, when I'm in public, I feel there is a lack of respect and consideration.
Prior to coming to Korea in August, I spent the first half of my summer primarily in the sleepy town of Hilo on the Big Island. The second half of my summer was spent on Oahu, with my time split between the residential town of Mililani, as well as the bustling Kakaako neighborhood. I am used to a relatively quieter, slow paced life back in Hawaii. Maybe spending most of my life in the two most laid back towns in Hawaii was not the best way to prepare me for Korea. I also did two weeks of quarantine before actually going out in the city. When I first got out of quarantine in Korea, I was surprised by the constant honking, especially during rush hour. I honestly cannot even go for walks without getting a headache. The crosswalks literally have arrows painted on the ground indicating which side to walk on, yet people will spread across the entire sidewalk. Not everyone walks on the right side of the sidewalk, nor will people move out of your way if they see you coming towards them. Motorcycles ride on the sidewalk (even though this is technically illegal) and come inches away from you. Cars don't stop for you in the crosswalk. When I'm waiting at a red light to cross the street, people stand unnecessarily close to me. I've recently been having the worst experiences on the subway. First off, the seats on the subway are extremely small for the average human. I'm relatively small, but my shoulders are wide and take up the width of the subway seat. Most males are larger than the entire seat. The puffy winter jackets also do not help. The past few times I've rode the subway, the males sitting next to me man spread their legs, making it extremely uncomfortable for me to sit nicely in my seat. I've also had times where people have been sleeping next to me and have no control of their movement. One person fell on me while sleeping. When I got up from my seat during rush hour, someone nudged me aside to take my seat before the train stopped at the station. I've seen friends who have been bumped into by older ladies, even when there was more than enough room for them to walk around. This was definitely not something that I was expecting while in Korea. I know that the culture here is very intense, and people really want to succeed, which translates into their daily actions. The Korean students and most shop owners are really nice, but it's just when I'm out in public that I feel there is so much aggression and lack of respect and personal space. Maybe people in Hawaii are just too friendly and laid back, and this would be normal anywhere else in the world. Maybe locals do not appreciate foreigners being here even with COVID. Maybe I just got unlucky with the people I've encountered in public. There are so many "maybes," but this is all part of learning and immersing myself in the Korean culture.
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AuthorStudying abroad at Seoul National University! Archives
January 2022
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