A Life Changing Experience #HogsAbroad in South Korea

Suwon

Everyone always says that study abroad is a life changing experience. I feel like I always hear people say the thing they regret not doing the most in college is studying abroad. I have always been independent, interested in other cultures, and like adventure. I figured studying abroad would be a good choice for me.

Initially, studying abroad is kind of scary. I chose the exchange program at Soonchunhyang University in South Korea. I did not know hardly any Korean before coming here, and I had also never been out of the United States or flown on a plane. This was a whole new experience for me. The culture in South Korea is significantly different than in the U.S. I was faced with many unexpected things when I first came here. People here do not say excuse me, and they don’t hold the door open for each other. Sometimes, people will stare at you if you’re obviously not Korean. Not in a bad way. They’re just curious.

South Korea also has a specific culture around age. If someone is older than you, you are supposed to show them respect. You’re always supposed to greet those you know in public, especially if they’re older. There is also reserved seating for the elderly and disabled on public transport. Confucianism has a large role in Korean society.

All this being said, I have some tips that I feel really helped me when I first came here. Tip #1: have some basic understanding of the culture you will be immersing yourself in on your study abroad adventure. It will help significantly when someone does something unexpected. Tip #2: be able to read the basic alphabet in the primary language of the country. It will help prevent you from getting lost (and help you when ordering food). Tip #3: be flexible, because things often do not go according to plan.

Being at the end of my study abroad experience now, I can definitely say it is life changing. It is not overrated or overhyped. All the societal norms seem like a lot to deal with, but it becomes easy to adjust once you have been in the country for a while. I would recommend a longer study abroad experience. I stayed for a semester, but I wish I would’ve stayed for a year. It takes a while to adjust. I thought I wouldn’t get homesick, but I did. Those graphs that they show you in study abroad seminars that show a typical student’s adjustment phases are actually pretty accurate. I feel like I have grown a lot as a person since coming to South Korea, and I know the things I have experienced here will help me to continue to grow in the future.

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Senior International Studies major Meaghan Neely is spending the fall 2018 semester in South Korea with our U of A Exchange: Soonchunhyang University, Asan Chungnam program with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.

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