Week 15 – Exploring Korean History

By:

Katia Yuki Hastings

Published:

Countries

Demographics

, , ,

Majors

,

Regions

Katia Yuki Hastings

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> ์•ˆ๋…•ํ•˜์„ธ์š” <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> University of California, San Diego <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2023 <i>Destination city & country:</i> Seoul, South Korea <i>Program provider:</i> University of California Education Abroad Program <i>Major/minor:</i> International Studies – International Business <i>Demographics:</i> Asian/Asian American, Caucasian/White, Multi-Racial, Transfer Student, Returning Learner <i>Future career aspirations:</i> Student Services Professional (at an institution of higher education) <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> 1. Take part in traditional Korean culture activities 2. Learn about Korean history from the Korean perspective 3. Experience what it is like to be an international student in order to become a better professional

My friend moved in with me this week. It is our first weekend together and because of the limited amount of time we have together we decided to share our top โ€œmust do activities in Seoulโ€ lists together and try to make a plan for every weekend. This week we wanted to visit some historical sites and a traditional craft market we had heard about. On our way to our first location we stumbled upon a museum called the Korean Folk Music Museum. It was housed in what appeared to be a traditional style Korean house called a Hanok which we thought was beautiful and drew us towards wanting to go in. But the final decision was made when we found out it was freeโ€ฆ

I am glad we went inside because I took a Korean Traditional Music and Culture course last semester. Wandering through the museum I recognized many of the songs and explored new styles I hadnโ€™t learned about. The museum itself was creatively built with speakers, headphones, motion activated music, and so many more interactive displays. It did not feel tiring to go through it, it was fun. We only spent about 30 minutes to an hour there before wandering back outside and heading to our actual destination, Changdeokgung. Changdeokgung is one of Seoulโ€™s 5 grand palaces. We decided to visit this palace because of their famous secret garden which can only be visited when attending a guided tour. There were only Korean language tours left for the day, so we didnโ€™t understand everything that was said, but it seems the royal family enjoyed this palace immensely for the garden in the summertime. But what I enjoyed the most was the architecture and the rich colors that the palace was painted.

Overall, it was a great day of exploring Korean traditional culture and history. I have always believed that it is essential to understand a countryโ€™s culture by studying its history. There is so much that can be explained about how people in a country behave, by their shared history. This day was a great way to see that at play. This is also a great thing to learn as someone who wants to work internationally or in a multinational setting!