Postcard Abroad
Seoul, Korea
5 Weeks in the Bustling Heart of Asia Miki Prochazka
I
t had always been a dream of mine to go on exchange. However, the obstacle of finding courses in a semester exchange that would count as academic credit at Macquarie University had me at the thought of just about giving up. Out of interest, I attended an exchange information session and found short-term study abroad options open solely to students for preapproved courses. Before I knew it, I boarded a plane headed to Seoul, South Korea for a 5-week adventure. My short-term study abroad was at the famous Hanyang University in Seoul. With a beautiful campus filled with an international student cohort, it was a surreal experience. The release of unit schedules lowered my expectation of venturing out into the unknown when I realised that I would be in classes most days a week until 7pm. However, upon reflection, my short-term exchange was far richer and condensed with experiences due to Hanyang University’s hospitality and open-minded culture. University Life On my first day of a global marketing course, my professor, who usually taught at the University of California, Los Angeles, scanned the international classroom with a stern face. After asking about our nationalities, the whole room was buzzing as we shared different slangs and interesting cultural points from each of our home cities and countries. Professor Kim introduced the first lesson of summer school by explaining the importance of coming out of our shell, venturing to unknown places and noticing the small differences that arise in our daily lives whilst studying abroad. It was the conversation in this first class that set the tone for the rest of my exchange. The administrators and teachers at Hanyang University that I had the pleasure of interacting with shared the same opinion as Professor Kim. Students were given a list of activities organised by the university that catered to a range of personal interests. From K-pop experiences and amusement parks to cultural dance and cooking classes. Not only did such a wide range of activities take the ease off the stress of
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