Category: Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia

Week 1: Xin chào Việt Nam!

It’s not often that you get to say you had a perfect day, let alone a perfect week. However, every day that we’ve lived in Vietnam since our arrival has been nothing short of amazing. The hustle and bustle of the city is astounding. Walking around the streets of Ho Chi Minh City is fascinating…Continue Reading Week 1: Xin chào Việt Nam!

Week One in Bangkok

Kiharoa Iversen New Years Hello and happy New Year’s from Thailand! This first week in Bangkok was definitely a new experience for me. Getting the opportunity to be immersed in a new culture and environment was somewhat surreal, especially in a continent I have never been to. We arrived here on the 30th of December,…Continue Reading Week One in Bangkok

Happy New Year! 🎊

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season wherever you are. By the time this blog post goes up, it will have officially been 4 weeks in Korea! Out of 12 weeks, that’s already one-third! Time is going by so fast. For us in Korea, there were no breaks over…Continue Reading Happy New Year! 🎊

Gosh! Hasn’t time flown?

It’s been a while since I’ve written, and that is because while I have had many incredible experiences, I have also had a lot of homework! Something which made a Taiwanese friend of mine chuckle and tell me I finally understood what it was like to be a student here. I’ve also had the wonderful…Continue Reading Gosh! Hasn’t time flown?

Welcome to Bangkok! ยินดีต้อนรับ!

Celebrating New Years’ eve, visiting crazy local markets, eating delicious food, and exploring the city by MRT, are just some of the many things that made my first visit to Bangkok as memorable as ever. It’s hard to talk about the past week in Bangkok without mentioning the hustle and bustle of the city itself….Continue Reading Welcome to Bangkok! ยินดีต้อนรับ!

Contrasts and Commonalities: A New Zealander’s Perspective on Bangkok

Introduction Four days into an overseas experience in Bangkok, Thailand, and already, I’ve been struck by some of the stark differences and similarities between here and my home country, New Zealand. Here are a few from first impressions. Differences An Overflow of Information One of the first things I noticed upon arriving in Thailand was…Continue Reading Contrasts and Commonalities: A New Zealander’s Perspective on Bangkok

Making friends

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

First week of classes

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

Middle-Ditto

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