Movement By Lydia

If you watch Korean TV shows or dramas, I'm sure you have heard of and seen the Han River before. The Han River flows through Seoul and is a popular spot to hang out with friends or go on dates. People enjoy riding bikes along the rivers, grabbing food and hanging out with friends, watching performers, or just walking along the river. It's really pretty during the day and night, and during the summer it's refreshing to splash around in the little parks they have too! I mainly went to the area of the Han River in Yeouido (off of Yeouinaru Station). When we would go during the day, we'd mostly just walk along the river and explore the area (some rode bikes which is popular to do!). When we would go at night, we'd usually grab food first then find a place to sit and just hang out. The first time I went to the Han River was during my first week in Korea and I went with other NSLI-Y students. We were in Hongdae, where we picked up Korean fried chicken from our u...

This is the backpack I carried in Korea In Korea I ALWAYS had either a backpack or purse with me, and there were certain items that I ALWAYS had in those bags. This is just going to be a short post of things I found necessary and/or helpful to have with me while going around Seoul or going to school during NSLI-Y. In My Backpack:   Books: Kind of a given, but I always had my books (on school days). We had four books from Sogang, and I also carried two small notebooks and a folder I used for class and notes!  Pencil Case: Korea has some super cute stationary and pens  Planner: I use this adorable little planner (can be found in Korean stores) to keep track of my daily schedule and week/month/year/etc... Program Phone: You get a program phone, which should be with you at all times Personal Phone: I brought my Galaxy to use off wifi and for a camera (many people did too); it didn't have any data T-Money Card: Subway card. Carried that everywhere and kept ...

For those not familiar with what a supporter is, a supporter is a Korean college student that you meet with two times a week to study Korean and go around Seoul with. Supporter groups are groups of 2-3 NSLI-Y students around the same level of Korean (usually from the same class) paired with a supporter.  Supporters are something unique to the NSLI-Y Korea program, though other programs may have something similar. They act as tutors, tour guides, and friends all in one! Supporters as "Tutors"  As I mentioned above, you meet two times a week with your supporter for a few hours, and it is up to them where you go. One of the supporter's main role is to help you with your Korean, so they have a little book that corresponds with the lessons you learn in class and work out of them. We mainly focused on speaking. We would go over vocabulary and grammar in their little book then do some kind of role play or question and answer to practice what we were learning. After ...

Whenever I told people I was going to South Korea, they were always saying things like "don't die!" or "be careful!" because they immediately thought of the situation with N.Korea. Depending on where you live, reports about North Korea can be really crazy and make the country seem like they're constantly at war with South Korea and that South Korea is super dangerous because of the threat North Korea poses. Well in South Korea, people aren't nearly as frantic and worked up over North Korea because they're used to it. So to be honest, problems with North Korea should NOT be your main  safety concern if you are going to South Korea. What I think is more important to talk about is personal safety in South Korea, specifically Seoul (where I lived). That's what this post is going to be about- personal safety and dangers! I'll talk about what I think is important to know/do to stay safe and my personal experience and thoughts on safety in Seoul,...

Wow, I haven't posted on this blog in months, even though I had intentions of posting more over the summer and during this past winter break. It's hard to believe it has been almost two years since I received that exciting notification telling me I was going to Seoul, South Korea for the summer! When I talk to people about my time in Korea, sometimes I  still say "last summer" before I realize it wasn't just last summer... it was two summers ago! Time flies, I've gotten old. Okay, time to get to the actual blog. This one is geared more towards alumni, but anyone can read it to learn of some of the opportunities you get as NSLI-Y alumni and know how to keep up with language studies even after you come home from being abroad! This blog post ended up being much longer than I expected, so I have split it into two different posts:  Part 1: Keeping Up With Korean  Part 2: Opportunities as a NSLI-Y Alumna They're quite long, but I encourage you to read bo...

I know you are all excited to eat authentic Korean food in Korea, so this post will be all about restaurants I ate at during my time in Korea and loved! It can be kind of overwhelming seeing all the options of restaurants to eat at in Korea, so hopefully this post will help you! Okay, so I wrote this when I thought you'd be going to Sogang University in Sinchon this summer (like the previous years did), but you'll be going to a different school in a different area. You may or may not find yourself in Sinchon, but some of these places can be found all over Seoul anyway! Either way, I hope this post is helpful to y'all ^^  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 토마토김밥 (Tomato Kimbap) This is a restaurant many of us NSLI-Y summer kids found ourselves eating in at least a few times in the summer. It was right on the way to Sogang University (where we had classes) from the subway station, so it was convenient... and che...