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| Home, as of August 2012! |
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| 신세계 백화점 (Shinsegae Department Store) |
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| Busan during fireworks festival :) |
Why Korea?
South Korea may be a little country (smaller than PA), but it is a country rich in culture, history, and innovation. I've been interested in Korea more or less since I was nine. To have the opportunity to live in a foreign country, especially Korea, is an immense blessing!
The Korean hanbok (한복, traditional clothing) is one of Korea's most beautiful traditions.
Koreans wore hanbok daily for centuries, and now it is worn for special occasions. A few people (especially elders) wear hanbok as everyday clothing. I'm lucky enough to have been given one of my own :)
The Korean hanbok (한복, traditional clothing) is one of Korea's most beautiful traditions.
Koreans wore hanbok daily for centuries, and now it is worn for special occasions. A few people (especially elders) wear hanbok as everyday clothing. I'm lucky enough to have been given one of my own :)
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| 한복 (hanbok) |
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| 김치....yum! |
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| 자갈치 Fish Market |
Korea is the home of some very common brands in our everyday lives in America. Do you recognize these companies? They're from Korea!
Internationally, Korea is becoming increasingly well-known for its popular culture, namely dramas and "K-Pop" music. It's surprising how many people around the world know about K-Pop or have seen a Korean drama. For those of us who are learning Korean, they're an invaluable resource. For many who find them, they actually become the reason to learn Korean. The extreme K-Pop fan base, though, is like no other. Search "kpop" in Google Images and you'll see what I mean. If you want to learn more about this particular topic, please see the corresponding websites listed on the "Links" page or wait for future posts... it's pretty inevitable that I'll write about this at some point.
So that's a bit about Korea for you! I hope you will visit here again soon and I promise to do my best to keep you all posted on what happens! I know that this upcoming year is going to be very exciting, so hopefully that will show through in what I post here. Please feel free to leave comments and follow the blog by email! See you :) 안녕!!
Hey!!! I REALLYY want to be a study abroad student in South Korea and I was thinking about going with Rotary (yayyy! lol) anyway, I was wondering what the main locations of students are(for rotary)? From what I've read on blogs and whatnot, most of the students are in Busan or in the middle of nowhere countryside. Is this true? If so, how many students are in a city, or suburb like setting? Like I said I REALLY want to do it, I just don't know if I could spend a year in the countryside lol :3
ReplyDeleteAlso I REALLY like your blog! I hope you post more soon!!! HOPE YOUR HAVING AN AMAZING TIME IN KOREA!!!! <33 ^.^
-Natalie
Hi Natalie,
DeleteI'm so excited for you that you have an interest in studying in Korea! As long as you are within the age bracket (15-18.5 I believe, as of departure day), I strongly encourage you to try to come through Rotary. I am in Busan and have had the most wonderful experience, both with our Rotary district and life in the city itself. Other exchange students here are living in Ansan, Seocheon..more in the north of S. Korea. I don't know much about their Rotary, but the students seem to be enjoying life there. As long as you sincerely want to come to Korea, I wouldn't worry too much about where you are placed. A huge part of being an exchange student is adapting to and benefitting from your experiences. With the right attitude, you can have a successful exchange almost anywhere. Honestly, I was initially a bit disappointed to be placed in Busan because I was worried about learning dialect Korean, but Busan's dialect has turned out to be a really fascinating thing for me. Like anything else, exchange is what you make it. Invest in your goals and friendships here and tell yourself from the very beginning that it's going to be a fabulous year. Also, I recommend that you learn as much Korean as you can before you come. It makes an enormous difference being at least basically conversational from the beginning. Best of luck to you~ Ask if you've got any more questions :)
Grace