South Korea – 1st Blog

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Thanh Lam

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> ์•ˆ๋…•ํ•˜์„ธ์š”! (Annyeonghaseyo) <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> San Francisco State University <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2023 <i>Destination city & country:</i> Seoul, South Korea <i>Program provider:</i> SF Exchange Programs <i>Major/minor:</i> Business Administration / Marketing <i>Demographics:</i> First-Generation <i>Future career aspirations:</i> Obtaining skills and knowledge regarding marketing, and the business industry as a whole Get hired by Cheil Worldwide <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> Networking, creating a long-lasting relationship with other Korean/Exchange students. Take Korean language classes, and communicate with native Koreans to improve language proficiency. Explore the city and learn more about Korea's culture and traditions.

์•ˆ๏ฟฝ

๏ฟฝํ•˜์„ธ์š” ์—ฌ๋Ÿฌ๋ถ„.

Hello everyone!

Sorry, it took so long for me to post my first blog. After the two-week quarantine, I had to adjust to the new way of life, so it took me a while to cope with the unique culture and living environment. It is currently my 4th week of school, and I’ve been in Seoul for almost two months now. I was very nervous about coming here as I was going by myself. As someone who has always been reserved, I was afraid that I would have difficulty making friends. Especially with classes being online, making it more challenging to meet people. It was actually one of the reasons I wanted to study abroad in the first place, to meet people and step out of my comfort zone. This opportunity would put me in the position to HAVE to spark conservation with people, build up my confidence and be independent.

I spent ์ถ”์„ (Chuseok – Korean Thanksgiving 9/21) with a few friends at their house having Korean BBQ potluck style. It was a great experience to know that we have each other when we’re all away from home and family.

So far, I would say that I’ve made a decent amount of friends from all over the world, and it amazes me how everyone has their own stories to tell, and they’re all interesting. I love it here so far; I was able to work out a schedule to focus on schoolwork during the weekdays and explore the city during the weekends. Cafes are a big part of the culture here in Korea; they have different styles of cafes. The attached photo is of when I went to a dog cafe called ๊ฒจ์šธ์ด ๋จธ๋ฌด๋Š” ์ง‘ last weekend.

I will continue to blog more consistently now that I have a better schedule. Stay tuned!