Looking back at my study abroad experience

I’ve been back in the Netherlands for some weeks now. Looking back at my time in Seoul, I’m so grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to study abroad, despite of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jim and I have seen a lot of South Korea. We’ve had an amazing time and we’ve learned so much. I can’t believe that it’s over now. In case you wonder why I chose to study abroad and what I’ve learned of it… You should read this.

Before I came to Seoul, I imagined how it would be to get out of the bus that first day and stand in the middle of an enormous city. How would I feel? Enthusiastic, adventurous, scary, lost? Well… It met all of my expectations. As soon as we got out of the bus with our way too heavy suitcases, a jetlag and no internet on our phones, we had to wait for our landlord at the bus station in the middle of a big street, surrounded by many cars and high buildings.

The first weeks are fun. I got to see a lot of the city, due to that our semester was postponed for two weeks. We went out to see a different part of the city every day, until I felt so tired that I needed to rest for a day and write about all of these new experiences on my blog. It was amazing!

But… Studying abroad isn’t always perfect and “like a big holiday”. It can also be hard. Everything is new and different. The people and the way in which they behave, the language, the food, the characters of words, the music, we had to find our way through the city (and also our way back home… We got lost on our first day). Why are people holding their forearm/wrist while receiving something? Do I really have to bow when greeting someone and how? How do you use these Korean chopsticks that are flat and made of metal? What is kimchi? Should I also start wearing a mask? And “Can someone pass me the water?”… It was Soju.

So you’ve probably already heard about a culture shock. In the beginning everything is so much fun and exciting. Next comes the culture shock. When you’re experiencing this, you might feel lonely, disorientated and sad about missing things from home. I remember myself walking to four different convenience stores before I finally found Nutella. 🤪 In this phase everything is different and you just don’t know why or how to adapt. Like I’m saying, it’s only a phase and it will pass. You’ll learn how to adjust and eventually you’ll feel comfortable with your adaptation. Maybe at this moment, you might even know why people, their behavior and their values are different. You’ll have a new routine in your daily life and you’re fine with it. You’ll finally feel at home. I remember saying “Let’s go home now” for the first time and I was talking about my apartment in Sinchon, not about the Netherlands.

At Myongji University I followed four courses:

• Global leadership
• Intercultural exchange communication
• Asian history & culture
• Korean history & culture

These have been very helpful to learn more about the culture in Korea, Japan and China and also about the cultural differences with my own country… Because what is our culture in the Netherlands? I hadn’t thought much about that before. If you study culture, you’ll start to learn more and more about your own culture. I’m happy that I’ve followed these courses. They were very interesting and with the Tokyo Olympics coming up, I think knowing about some countries cultures might be very useful.

But from what I’ve written above about a culture shock, you might understand that I’ve learned much more from studying abroad than only from the courses at university. I’ve learned to take care of myself, to be strong and to stay calm in challenging situations.

You might not understand it until you experience it yourself, but going back to your homecountry can be hard too. It's called a reverse culture shock. You've experienced all these new things, you've learned about yourself and you've grown. Your family and friends back home haven't experienced the same and they might not always understand you. You need to accustom to your life again and you might even feel a bit 'homesick' to the country where you lived the past few months.

Another thing is that many people asked me “What was the best experience you’ve had in South-Korea?”. I can’t decide. I liked many things about my life there, from the small to the big things. I liked to go out for coffee in the morning, to run in Gyeongui Line Forest Park, to relax in Han River Park, to walk to Namsan Tower, to go sightseeing in Seoul and to make many, many photos of the beautiful city. I liked to go to Jeju and Busan and I liked the Korean people. They are very helpful and kind. Last but not least, I loved the food. It’s too much to mention, but I can tell you: It was an unforgettable experience and it will forever be in my heart!