Hello! I’m Katy, an English Language and Linguistics student and I have just come back from my year abroad at Seoul National University in South Korea.
It has been a year of Korean BBQ, matcha lattes, karaoke rooms, bike rides along the Han river, picnics under cherry blossoms, hiking up mountains, visiting palaces, and of course some studying! And while it has all been absolutely amazing, my favourite part about being on exchange in Korea was the Buddy Program at Seoul National University. I simply cannot imagine what my year abroad would’ve been like without it.
The Buddy Program is a club under the Office of International Affairs and is run by a committee of SNU students. The program is made up of over 400 students and each foreign student is assigned to a Korean buddy. Korean buddies organise different events each month for exchange students to make new friends and explore Seoul. I’m talking cute cafes, picnics by the Han river, visiting palaces and museums, study sessions, pub trips, and cultural activities.
It has been such an amazing opportunity to meet local students, explore Seoul with locals, and also meet other exchange students. It means that any free time I have is filled with making memories and enjoying everything that Seoul has to offer.
We have had the opportunity to visit historical palaces in traditional clothing known as Hanbok, to learn some Taekwondo, to make traditional crafts with mother of pearl, to take trips to the countryside together to explore beyond Seoul, and to stay at a buddhist temple. And so much more!
Without Korean buddies to show me the ‘real’ Korea (and help with practical things which only the locals would know how to do), I think my experience would be very different. And as the Buddy Program is limited to only exchange students, they really go above and beyond to fit a lot in so that we can experience as much as possible in our limited time in Korea.
I truly couldn’t ask for a better cultural exchange program to help me get settled in, give me plenty to do in my free time, and let me make lifelong connections.
