A customized adventure December 22, 2021
By Benedicta Kwarteng (University of Hartford) - abroad from 12/10/2021 to 12/21/2021 with
CIEE: Seoul - Arts and Sciences
I have been in America throughout the pandemic and getting this opportunity to visit Korea was a relief to me given all the stress and depression that came with the pandemic. Also going halfway across the world and seeing people who are not that different from you with your same concerns and opinions was very eying opening and spoke to the interconnectedness that is shared all over the world.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CIEE program administrators are the best people equipped to help a student study abroad in such a situation. They helped with everything students need and were always a text away. They made sure students are safe and were having the best experience in spite of the pandemic. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Nice rooms and housing security was always around to help. We had on sight access to laundry and very convenient restaurants right in the building where students can eat at without necessarily leaving the dorms. |
| * Food: |
Best food in the whole world |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Very easy to make friends that would |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Having Korean health insurance made healthcare more cheap and very accessible. |
| * Safety: |
Korea is one of the safest countries in the world and that holds true when it comes to the pandemic as well. They are very dedicated to ensuring the safety of everyone living there so very strict guidelines are enforced |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Korea is a small country with so much to offer. The past couple of months I was there I experienced a lot but there is still so much more to do or that I wish I could have done so definitely would go back to Korea. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Food is very cheap in Korea and is often very big portions so its very easy to survive there. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | open a bank account in your host country, then only transfer limited fans from your personal account into this new account so you would be able to only use your new foreign card plus you can also save on international charges. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
We had an introduction orientation session to the language. However, living in Korea and going about your day naturally puts you in a setting to speak Korean at least once a day. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None, I have been a Korean drama fan for about 10 years and I learned through that. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Watch tv, listen to music, and indulge yourself as much with the language. So make it a routine to watch or listen to Korean entertainment content. Also, the best approach to that is to start with children shows because their language skills are not complicated and it's a very easy way to get into the language. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 10+ |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Nothing! I do know a lot now but I do not wish to have known them ahead of time. You can say it's jumping blindingly but it makes the experience much more wholesome and real. I think knowing too much ahead would limit the excitement and frustrations that come with going abroad. Which I fervently believe is all part of the overall experience. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
