The Best 4 Months of My Life

Living and studying abroad in South Korea at Yonsei University has been an experience that I will never forget. In these 4 months I have made life-long friends, memories, and skills that I will cherish forever. I was able to try so many new foods that I now enjoy, learn a new language and watch my skills progress overtime, and travel to other parts of Asia while being here.

Firstly, Yonsei University is in the perfect spot in Seoul. It is in Sinchon which is a lively city that offers everything you could want from all types of restaurants, cafes, karaoke rooms, arcades, shops, and more. Right next to Sinchon is Hongdae which is another lively city that is known for great shopping, street food, and night life. So, right away, I was immediately presented with endless things to do all within walking or bus distance.

Secondly, I come from the countryside of Maine and am very unfamiliar with public transportation. I was worried about coming here just because I knew it was a big city where I would be dependent on public transit but it took me, someone with no experience, maybe a week or so to be able to use the buses, subway, taxi, etc with no issues. The public transit in Seoul is extremely easy to follow, very clean, and very foreigner-friendly.

Lastly, after my time here in South Korea, I truly believe that it is the perfect location for a traveling student. It is very foreigner-friendly friendly and most Koreans I met spoke enough English to be able to help me if I needed it and they were always kind. There is English on all of the signs in the subway, buses, and menus in restaurants. Seoul alone has endless things to do but South Korea is also so much more than just Seoul. Most people like to also travel to Busan or Jeju Island which are great beach spots. Also, since South Korea is in a great location, I was able to travel to Tokyo for five days and I have friends who also went to China, Bali, Thailand, and more.

Overall, I have so much to say about my trip that I could write forever but the best advice that I can give is to just make a bucket list of all the things you want to do, visit, and eat before coming. Once you get to South Korea, you will immediately have so much more to add to the list but it was very helpful to have some outlined ideas. Also, friends here come easily since you all chose to come to the same country because the odds you have something in common are very high, so do not worry about that! I hope you choose to come to South Korea with CIEE and have the best experience like I did and I wish you the best!