Hi! I’m Jas and I studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea this previous spring quarter. This was my first experience traveling solo, and this meant doing everything by yourself from sitting next to complete strangers in a metal tin for 12 hours to landing in a completely different time zone and having to navigate through Seoul city by yourself. I will admit it all happened so fast I did not even have time to be nervous. On my first night, I went to Daiso for some necessities and then did a convenience store dinner. From there on out, the semester abroad officially started and I began building a routine.
My absolute favorite thing to do in Seoul was go to Yeonnam-dong to study at a new cafe almost everyday. I used to say “If I’m not at my dorm, I’m in Yeonnam,” since it’s pretty close to Yonsei University. Yeonnam-dong is a cute and trendy neighborhood that is filled with lots of popular cafes, fun little boutique shops, and has a nice nature aspect to it as well. Bonus points, Hongdae is right next to the neighborhood so heading over there after for KBBQ and late night shopping was a great way to end the night. Another fun activity I’ll always remember was spontaneously deciding to go to Namsan Tower. My friends and I were trying out an authentic taco spot in Itaewon for dinner (note: best tacos ever, TacoStand), and chose to head up to the iconic spot. We reached there when it was dark out and the view of Seoul was unmatched. Easily one of the prettiest views South Korea has to offer. Also if you are a Kpop stan, visiting the company’s building, attending comeback events, being able to take a picture with your faves using an idol frame at Photoism, seeing their faces everywhere, birthday cafes, hearing their songs in public is such an unreal experience.
A must do while studying abroad is to travel outside of the city. A motto I kept for myself was “I want to go to places in Korea that tourists don’t have time for,” so I backpacked to Sokcho, spent a couple nights in Busan, a night in Daegu and Gyeongju, a day in Pohang, a trip to the North Korea (the DMZ), attended a MT in Incheon, and went to Suwon twice in addition to exploring every inch of Seoul.
I learned a lot of things about myself on this solo adventure and came out with a full camera roll and a heart full of memories. I would do this over and over again if I could. Let this be your sign to fill out your study abroad application to Seoul, South Korea.
