So far in Korea

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Tagalsir Osama

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Annyeonghaseyo! <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> University of Houston <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2023 <i>Destination city & country:</i> Seoul, South Korea <i>Program provider:</i> TEAN <i>Major/minor:</i> Psychology / Biology <i>Demographics:</i> Middle Eastern/North African <i>Future career aspirations:</i> My future career goal is to become a physician that directly serves and advocates for patients within my community. <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> 1. Immerse myself in Korean culture and create lasting relationships with those I meet abroad 2. Tour Seoul and travel cross country to admire Korea's natural beauty 3. Eat good food!

Hello everyone! Iโ€™ve been in Korea for about 14 days now and Iโ€™ve got to say, every day has been a great opportunity to learn new things and open my mind. My dormitory is located in Anam-ro, which is one of the more ethnically homogenous (besides other international students) suburbs of Seoul. Koreans have been very nice and welcoming, and are very well mannered in public/on campus. One of the first things I noticed was the difference in social interaction compared to the states. In the US Iโ€™m accustomed to usually acknowledging others near me when walking in public, but it seems in Korea itโ€™s almost rude to do so. Most walk by each other without saying a word and consciously avoiding eye contact. My hypothesis is that due to the high population density it would be cumbersome to do so, so most walk around as if theyโ€™re alone. Although, this might also be a smaller town vs big city difference that I havenโ€™t experienced before, so Iโ€™m not quite sure yet.

Now the fun stuff, food! My first thoughts on Kimchi were that itโ€™s very salty and sour, and it seems to mostly be used as a side dish with other foods. Thereโ€™s a diverse array of restaurants with many different cuisines and styles. So far in terms of Korean food Iโ€™ve tried bulgogi (thinly sliced marinated beef), tteokbokki (a spongy rice cake served in spicy chili pepper sauce), kalguksu soup (thick noodles with sliced vegetables and mild sauce), and kimchi dumplings. Iโ€™m heading to the beach at Busan next week so Iโ€™m looking forward to trying more Korean seafood dishes.