Perhaps the most pressing concern I had on my mind before I left for South Korea was the need to make friends while on the trip. Prior to leaving New Zealand, I was already incredibly close with many of the other UoA students on the trip as we were in the same 2022 Korean classes…Continue Reading Making friends
Classes started on the 13th of December. After our zoom placement tests, we found out on the school portal which level we would take. The level structure for Korean classes at KU’s Korean language centre is different to the University of Auckland’s. Having completed only Korean 110 and 111 at UoA, I was confident I…Continue Reading First week of classes
Walk in this 미로 다 아는 건 아니어도 바라던 대로 말해줘 say it back /Walk in this maze Not that I know everything but Just as I want it Say it say it back/ -NewJeans, <Ditto> Firstly, happy new year! I can’t say I was 100% looking forward to it, but like most things in…Continue Reading Middle-Ditto
As our first week of freedom drew to a close and our impending classes loomed on the horizon, I began to settle into a more regular routine. The reality of classes beginning daily at 9am and my insistence on receiving a nightly eight hours of sleep meant I began to closely watch my bedtime in…Continue Reading Dorm life and settling into a daily routine
It is 11 pm, and I am sitting in a cafe in my neighbourhood in Seoul, writing this blog. Yes, you read that right – cafes here are open till 11 pm (some 24 hours). This is one of many moments I have had to pinch myself to ensure I am not dreaming. I am…Continue Reading I Am Here
I took on the advice we received at the Prime Minister’s Scholars orientation day and journaled almost every single day since we arrived, so here is a little wrap-up of the first week in Seoul, presented through excerpts from my journal: Tuesday 6 December It’s 10:56 pm here at Frontier House on the Korea University…Continue Reading First week in Seoul
Tuesday 11 December First day of classes today. I didn’t get enough sleep, but I woke up surprisingly easily. Felt like I was five years old again, walking off by myself to my classroom. When I walked in, it was dead silent, and people were on their phones, faces down. Our homeroom teacher is super…Continue Reading First day of classes
Through the amazing opportunity offered by the Prime Minister Scholarship Award, I was able to go to South Korea to study for three months, here is how it is going so far! 5th December Our flight was delayed, but we finally arrived in Seoul, South Korea! We collected our belongings and headed to our dorms…Continue Reading WEEK 1
It’s strange doing mundane things in a place entirely different from your norm. We just finished our first week of classes. When I’m in the classroom, it feels like I’m just in another Korean lesson in Auckland. However, as soon as classes end and I walk out onto the beautiful Korea University campus, I remember…Continue Reading Snow, School, and other things
As I write this, I’ve been in South Korea for almost two weeks! Before my arrival, I had anticipated that it might take some time to settle in, but funnily, I already have a vague feeling that I’ve been living here for months. Suddenly moving countries and plunging headfirst into a new environment has the…Continue Reading The first week, first impressions (and my first proper snow!)