So Long Seoul

After living in Seoul for one semester I learned a lot about South Korea’s people and culture. I really enjoyed all South Korea had to offer and I think Korea helped me grow as a person. It gave me a new outlook on life and helped me learn to accept people from all different cultures. One thing that stood out to me in South Korea was the amount of activities it offered and how safe it is.

In South Korea I was able to go anywhere at any time of day and never feel threatened or unsafe. It was nice to not worry about going out after midnight like in America. I never had to worry about anything getting stolen or being at the wrong place at the wrong time. South Korea gave me a chance to feel freer in certain ways. When my friends and I would go to the beach, mountains, or big cities we never had to worry about taking safety measures as seriously like in the U.S. We would just plan it, take the bus or subway, and go. It was easy to find motels or hostels and i was never challenged with the problem of booking ahead.

Another thing that was really chill was being able to camp on most beaches whenever my friends and I wanted to. Most beaches in Korea allow you to set up camp right on the sand. This was such a new experience to us because in America you’re always faced with the challenge of finding a beach that allows camping and then trying to find availability. Korea really opened my mind to the possibilities of camping and allowed me to have some really beautiful views of beaches and mountains. It also made things much more affordable. In America you can spend a large amount of money trying to find somewhere to stay for the night. In South Korea however, anyone can pay for a decent motel or a tent for as cheap as 50$ USD. Not only are these lodging options cheap but they also offer beautiful views. For example, we stayed at the Sokcho beach (which you can read about in my article camping at Sokcho Beach) and we had the amazing view of Seoraksan right behind us.

South Korea has a lot to offer and Hanyang University can definitely help you find those oppurtunites. If you have the chance, go to Hanyang and learn about the people of Korea and their culture. Listen to the people of South Korea and gain as much as you can from them. Give everything you can a chance and learn from each experience you have. If you do I can guarantee you that your time in South Korea will be well spent. So go out and try all these new things camp, explore, and respect the people and everything will be amazing.