It’s hard to believe I’ve already been in Cheongju, South Korea for three weeks. Time has gone by so quickly, but almost every second has been filled with new and exciting activities.
Pottery from the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties
On our very first weekend at Chungbuk University, we got to go up to Seoul and visit the National Museum of Korea. They had hundreds of pieces from throughout Korean history, including a ten-story pagoda made of stone, pottery and stone pieces from throughout the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, and a two-story tall artwork of Buddha. My favorite part of the museum was a replica of the throne hall from Gyeongbokgung Palace. The image behind the throne depicts 5 mountains and the sun and moon as a representation of the universe.
Replica of the throne hall from Gyeongbokgung Palace
We were also able to visit a traditional classroom, where we got to wear hanbok and learned how to do a traditional Korean tea ceremony.
A traditional Korean tea ceremony
I think my favorite thing about this trip, however, has been the food. Even before I came to Korea, I’ve always loved Korean food. Admittedly, I've had some adjusting to do, like learning to have soup at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But we often go out a couple times a week with our language partners and are able to enjoy even more types of Korean food. From the udon, cold noodles, and soup at the cafeteria, to bibimbap, tteokbokki, pajon (green onion pancake), and donkatsu (pork katsu) at restaurants (and all the bingsu, ramyeon, and hotteok in between), it’s hard to complain about good food.
Donkatsu (pork katsu)
On top of living in the dorms and getting to experience campus life in Korea, we were also able to spend a weekend with a host family. This was definitely a lot of fun for me. My host family took me to go some form of go-karting down a mountain. We also visited a really amazing digital arts center and got to go to a cafe like you’d never see in the US. There was a koi pond, with a bridge over it and trees and plants all around it in the very middle of the cafe. My host family also cooked me Samgyeopsal (pork belly) for dinner. And then we got to go to Baskin Robbins, which needs to be included in the blog as it is my little host brother's “favorite place ever”.
Spending the weekend with my host family
All in all, it has been a really wild couple of weeks for me. Even back at my home university, I never do so many things in such a short amount of time, so it has been really busy. But it has also been a lot of fun. I can feel my Korean improving every day that I am here and it feels really good to finally be able to notice myself getting better after working so hard in the classroom for 3 years. I am so excited to see what else KISLP has to offer and what experiences I will have next!
Judith Ehm Foundation Fellowship Recipient
Korean Intensive Summer Language Program (KISLP)
Cheongju, South Korea, Summer 2023