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The top set of questions I am asked about studying abroad are related to classes, so this is a write up on my experiences as a student at Konkuk from an academic standpoint compared to my home university. I hope it helps!  L: The Liberal Arts building, where most of my classes at Konkuk were. R: Center of campus at my home university.   I should preface this by saying that classes were a slight disappointment in studying abroad, but I didn’t place high priority on academics. My priorities in studying abroad were to travel and experience a new culture, etc. I also couldn’t take any classes in my major, because the credits could not be transferred back to my home school.

Yes, today's post is a little silly. But, I was thinking about it in class today and remembered how nice having a proper desk is. I think most American college students can relate to how insanely small our college desks are. My notebook is larger than the table-space. The "desk" is, in reality, a wing on one side of the chair. Ninety percent of them are created for the right-handed too, which is a spot of bad luck for me (I'm a lefty).   My desk in Korea had a full table attached to the bottom of the chair. I would say it's the middle school size in this chart . On either side of the desk, there were hooks to hang your bag. The bag hook was definitely a nice perk, I still feel a bit squeamish about placing my handbag on the floor. I do have a more in-depth post coming about the differences I experienced between college here and in Seoul. I'm not sure if it will be one post or more, but I will go into actual classes, student life, etc.

Ahhhh~ I've wanted to write this post for a while now. Before you leave those that have lived/studied abroad will tell you it will change you. If you are like me, you nod and agree... filled with doubt. At 정방폭포 (Jeongbang Falls) during our 제주 (Jeju) trip My one professor told me I would come back a different person. The very idea at the time seemed, quite frankly, ridiculous. How can four months change me to that degree? The interesting thing is, he wasn't wrong. It's can be an experience that not only changes how you view the world, but also yourself. For this post, I'm going to focus more on personal changes. World view changes sounds a bit more academic, no? ^^;; (although I can do a post on it...)

Returning from living abroad is hard , far worse than leaving. It probably sounds slightly insane, how can going home be harder than leaving? Downtown Denville To be honest, I'm sure not everyone feels that way. I know a couple of friends who were ready to leave Seoul a month or more before the program ended. But, for my friends and I, adjusting to being back "home" is worse. ISA and even Konkuk tried to warn us of reverse culture shock and why it might not be that easy. Living abroad is a life-changing experience and you come back...different (not in a bad way). I truly thought that wasn't true when I was leaving, but now I see and feel it. I'll write a separate post on how, but for now let's return to reverse culture shock.

Hello there! Sadly, I'm in the midst of my last week here at Konkuk and it's finals week. Currently, we're at the Caffe Bene in Star City studying. I'll never forget one of the first times I came here. Ryeowook from Super Junior was here, my friends who had gone to Super Show were freaking out. I might not have been fan-girling quite so much, but it was still so exciting! (수원) Climbing at Suwon Fortress. One of my favourite trips out of Seoul I'm not sure how to describe the way I'm feeling right now, so I won't for now. I still have plenty of photos, stories and more to share. I have a feeling they will have to wait until after I return to the States. As much as I want to just forget all my finals and not care, I actually do have to pass. If there is one MAJOR complaint I have about ISA's Seoul program, it's the end date. I literally have my last two finals on Friday and must leave Saturday morning. This past weekend I said goodbye to my ...

Well, it's finally my last night in NJ before I leave to study abroad in Seoul. It's VERY exciting, but also a little terrifying. I found out I was accepted back in October, so it's felt a little unreal since then. Now that I am staring at fully packed bags it definitely feels real. I've checked in for my flight, set out my clothes (airport fashion :P ), and have only a couple things left out. My airport style is pretty much always the same: leggings, a loose comfy top, cardigan, and scarf. With Ugg boots because they are basically slippers you can wear out, though I always change into fuzzy socks for the flight :) Speaking of airports and style, airport fashion is a total guilty pleasure. I'm not sure how it all started, but Korean celebrities have some of the best fashion... at the airport. This will be my last post from the States for a while, so I will see you soon from Seoul :)

Time seems to be flying by all of the sudden. In only 5 days I will be on my way to start my semester in Seoul. That also means that this week I've been doing much more packing than I think I've ever had to. For many years now my longest trips have been 2 weeks and the difference is noticeable. It's exciting to be getting everything together and being so close to my departure date! (Well, a little stressful too...) Anyway, if you live in the USA you will know that TSA has a 3-1-1 rule in place for liquids in carry-on bags. Basically you can bring: - 3 oz (90ml) containers or less that fit into a - 1 quart clear bag. - 1 is allowed per person, not bag. Hopefully, this post can help you decide what to liquids to bring in your carry-on. I have packed mine with skincare essentials and a few others just in case my bag was lost. I have a total of 12 things in mine. 1. Yes to Blueberries facial cleansing wipes. These are excellent for the plane, they can help you fee...

In an effort to prevent myself from being in the situation of doing laundry for the next 18 days, I decided to start putting things in the suitcase. My ideal is to be fully (or close to) packed a week before I leave. That way I can weigh my suitcase and see if I need to make any adjustments.   Packing for four months (kinda) is proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be. I've decided to go with one large checked bag, a carry-on suitcase, and a tote. In the past week I've suddenly thought of tons of items I hadn't before. Or found out about new things I didn't even know about. Some from both are: -sheets -deodorant -those "just in case" meds that are always recommended -minis of just about everything I use daily -coat (I already had a jacket, but then realized it will still be winter when I get there, dang it) -snacks for the flight... 14 1/2 hrs is a LONG time It's so soon! I stopped by my home uni this week and it was definitely w...

This past week I was finally able to go into NYC in order to obtain my visa for South Korea. I found certain parts of the process a bit confusing, but in the end it all came together. I now have my visa and am all set to leave! (Except I don't for another 24 days...). If you are studying abroad in South Korea from the United States you are required to get a D-2 student visa if you will be there for more than 90 days.

I am the sort that needs to study a little everyday when learning a language. These are a couple awesome online sources that can help you practice and expand your vocabulary a bit. Memrise This site offers tons of languages, including Korean. The idea is that you have a 'garden' of words. You plant each word, harvest and water it. There are several courses to choose from at different levels. This site also requires you to type in Korean, so make sure you add the language to your computer. It's great for learning and memorizing new words rather than phrases or grammar. It is free. Here is a link to the Korean courses . The Korea Times Hangeul Flashcards These were created by the newspaper to help foreigners moving to Korea learn the language. They feature tons of everyday phrases, occupations, numbers, etc. There are also some relating to customs and food! Extremely handy, there are now over 600 of them. This tumblr is a good database of 1-632.

창덕궁과 후완 Changdeokgoong Palace and Huwon was built as a secondary palace in 1405 as a place for Kings to rest. The palace was burned down during the Japanese invasion after the royal family fled. In 1611 the palace was restored and as of 1997 is now a Unesco World Heritage site. Photo credit: KTO    What most caught my attention was the garden: The garden had formerly been called ‘Bukwon’ and ‘Geumwon,’ but was renamed ‘Biwon’ after King Kojong came into power. The garden was kept as natural as possible and was touched by human hands only when absolutely necessary. Buyongjeong, Buyongji, Juhabru, Eosumun, Yeonghwadang, Bullomun, Aeryeonjeong, and Yeongyeongdang are some of the many pavilions and fountains that occupy the garden. (KTO) The 300-year-old tree in the one garden also sounds pretty. Palaces are amongst my favourite places to go when traveling. As a former history major I can’t help but get excited at walking the same halls so...

I am the sort that loves cute things and places, so I cannot explain how excited I was when I realized that the 서울 어린이대공원 Seoul Children's Grand Park is only one stop away from 건국 . According to Google maps, it is entirely possible to walk there, should only take about 15 minutes. I'm always up for walking, so that sounds feasible to me! Image Credit: Seoul Children's Grand Park website From the Frommer's day by day guidebook: A huge complex, this family park includes hiking trails, a botanical garden, a zoo, a small amusement park with rides good for smaller children, and an outdoor stage. Over half of the area is green space, perfect for kids to run around. Obviously, I am not traveling with kids, nor am I a kid (debatable to some), but I love places like this. The trails, botanical garden, music fountain and zoo are what I most want to see. I love zoos, the last time I went to one was the Austin Zoo down in Texas around last Christmastime, I kinda want ...

With an official departure date and less than three months to go I decided to buy a couple of guidebooks for Seoul and South Korea. I have to admit my local Barnes & Noble had a very limited selection of guide books for South Korea. I was disappointed that my favourite DK Eyewitness Travel doesn't have one for either. I had their Paris guide when I went this summer, was amazing and extremely helpful. Seoul day by day - Frommer's South Korea - Insight Guides Living Abroad in South Korea - Jonathan Hopfner (Moon) Native Speaker by Chang-Rae This is a fictional novel that was recommended by the program I am going with. I figure I love to read and the summary captured me, so why not? One of their other recommendations was an amazing book (non-fiction), Still Life with Rice by Helie Lee. Description from the back of the book: Korean American Henry Park is "surreptitious, B+ student of life, illegal alien, emotional alien, Yellow peril: neo-American, st...

There are a few questions I recently noticed I hear a lot since applying and getting accepted to study abroad in Seoul next semester. By now I can give an automatic response to all 5, which can make me feel like a robot. Photo Credit: Heimo Aga ( National Geographic ) Question #1: “Why would you go there?” Why wouldn’t I? To be honest, I have a LONG list of places I want to go, but South Korea came out as number one when I was looking at where I wanted to study abroad for a couple of reasons. My interest in South Korea developed partially from a modern Asian history class I took a few years ago (back when I was a history major). The history , culture and language were interesting to me and the book we read, “Still Life with Rice” by Helie Lee, left a strong impression on me. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend you do . I started studying Korean around a year ago now and my goal is to become fluent. I am a believer that the best way to do so (for any languag...