DUO-KOREA STUDENT FELLOW ESSAY FORM 1. DUO-Korea Identification Number: [DO NOT WRITE HERE.] 2. Originating Institution (Country): the Netherlands 3. Destination Institution (Country): South Korea 4. Exchange Period: Fall 2018 5. Major: Urban Sociology 6. Name: Stef Braam 7. Language used for Lectures in Destination Institution: English (If it was mixed with English and Vernacular, please specify percentage of each language.) Topics to include but not limited to the following in minimum A4 3 pages (font size 12, single spaced); 1. Classes taken in host institution, progress and accomplishment (result) Korean History in English (B+) Politics and Diplomacy of the two Koreas (A0) Urban Planning (C0) Mass Media and Popular Culture in Korea (A0) Korean Tradition and Culture (B+) 2. Off-Campus Activities (e.g. extracurricular or community activities) 3. Things learned from exchange experience (with anecdote) I stepped out of my comfort zone, experienced a whole new world and made lots of new friends around the world. 4. Advice to future exchange student fellows Just do it, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and you’re not gonna regret it! ACCEPTANCE OF RELEASE OF INFORMATION I authorize ASEM-DUO Fellowship Programme to publish my name and all persons or entities acting pursuant to ASEM-DUO Fellowship Programme’s permission or authority, all rights to use my name. I understand that my name may be used for educational, advertising, and promotional purposes in all conventional and electronic media, and any future media. I also authorize the use of any printed material in connection therewith. Signature: Stef Braam Date: 2019/01/17 I always wanted to study abroad and when the opportunity came by to study in Korea, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. After all the paperwork and procedures, I finally went to Korea in the end of august. I went to the University of Seoul (UOS), located in the Dongdaemun district. It was really close to metro line 1 (Hoegi or Cheongnyangni station). It was very exciting for me to study on a real campus. We don’t really have that in the Netherlands, so it was a whole new world for me. I really liked it. The courses I took were very interesting and I learned a lot. The professors spoke English very well and the level of the courses was comparable with my home university in Amsterdam. I had most classes with international students and two courses (Urban Planning and Korean History in English) were mixed with Korean students. Therefore I would totally recommend the University of Seoul. It is a nice university and the facilities are good. The courses all took about three hours per lecture. It had breaks in between so it was good to do. There was lot of interaction with the class, so it was not just 3 hours of listening. It was also very interesting to hear stories from students from other countries. Because of this, you hear lots of different perspectives around the world. Most courses I took were related to Korea, so I learned a lot about the history of the country and how Korea developed during the years. As I speak for myself, I didn’t know that much about Korea, so I got lots of new information. The homework for the courses was similar as in The Netherlands. There were a few bigger assignments that took more work. I think it was average to have one hour of homework per course per week. Some of the courses had field trips. I liked that a lot. For example, we went to the Korean War Memorial and some KBS studios. These field trips gave me a better impression of Korea and it was fun to see! I took the courses Korean History in English, Urban Planning, Politics and Diplomacy of the two Koreas, Mass Media and Popular Culture in Korea and Korean Tradition and History. In the course Korean History in English, we learned the most important things in the Korean history. Things that made Korea as it is today. This course was mixed with Korean students, so we discussed some of the topics in class with some different perspectives around the world. This was very interesting. In the course Urban Planning, we learned how Seoul developed during the years with housing, infrastructure etc. We compared this to the American way. I did not know anything about this subject, so I learned a lot from this course. In the course Politics and diplomacy of the two Koreas, we learned how South and North Korea dealt with each other since the Korean War. Also the influence of the USA and Russia were discussed. In the course Mass Media and Popular Culture in Korea we learned what the influence of culture, music and television is in Korea and how it developed during the years. Also the K-wave was a big topic in this course. The course Korean Tradition and Culture was a bit similar to the course Korean History in English. Most topics were about the Korean history and how it affects Korea today. I am very happy with the courses I took. It learnt me a lot about the history of Korea and the development since the Korean War. I wanted to go to Korea, because that was far from home and it was a country I didn’t know much about. I like to travel and experience new cultures. That’s why Seoul was such a big opportunity for me. This was the first time I went away from home for several months, so it was both exciting for me as for my family. When I arrived in Seoul, it was very hot! I was told that the summers in Seoul were hot, but the winters can be very cold. That’s why I had all different kind of clothes with me. The city looked very nice with the weather, even though it was not that nice to be on the streets because it was too hot. The traffic was in my opinion not that busy for such a big city in comparison by Bangkok. The traffic in Seoul was way more organized and the roads were very smooth. I lived in an apartment in the Dongdaemun-gu district, close to my university and next to Hoegi Station. From this metro line (number 1) it was very easy to go to other parts of Seoul. The second day I was in Seoul, we had an introduction on the university. That’s where I met all the international students for the fall semester. In the evening we had a welcoming party, so we could talk with each other. It was really nice to meet new people from all over the world. I made lots of new friends and together we discovered Seoul. I can say some of the people I met are friends for life! I also discovered a nice new drink: Soju! I only heard some stories about Soju back home but I really liked it! You can get it in every grocery store and it’s really cheap! It was also really nice to meet Korean people. Apparently they like the Dutch people because of the manager of the national football team in 2002, Guus Hiddink. He managed the team to the semi finals of the World Cup in 2002, held in Korea and Japan. So whenever I told I was from The Netherlands, people smiled and liked me immediately. At first, I thought the Korean people were a bit shy and not so open, but later I recognized that they are very helpful and fun to talk with! I got lots of questions because of my height (I’m 1.92m) and that was fun because Korean people a usually smaller than I am. The biggest problem in Korea that I experienced is the language barrier. A lot of Korean people didn’t speak English and I simply didn’t understand the Korean language besides saying thank you and hello. I had the time of my life in Korea. So much fun things to do, met awesome people and also important, I got good grades. I would definitely recommend students to go to Korea. If you’re doubting if you should do it, I can only say one thing: just do it. It will be a little bit terrifying, in the beginning sometimes lonely but in the end it will be worth it. You make lots of new friends around the world and you’ll experience some lovely memories that will last forever. I also liked the Korean Barbeque a lot. I would totally recommend that to everybody. My advice to students that go to Korea is that you start looking for a residence as soon as you know that you’re going to Korea. I was very late with finding a residence and paid way too much for a small room. I think the best opportunity is to find an apartment that you can share with other students. Also, keep in mind that Korea is quite expensive. Daily products in the grocery store are more expensive than here in the Netherlands. I made a big mistake with planning about my expenses, so therefore I’d like to warn you about your financial planning. There are multiple scholarships that you can sign up for. It is really worth it to sign up for that. It can make your exchange period a lot more valuable. .