Sachi’s Year in Seoul, South Korea

Sachi Dadaga, Film Studies with English Literature, Third Year, Dongguk University

It is currently my ninth month studying at Dongguk University in Seoul, South Korea. My name is Sachi! At UoS, I study Film Studies with English Literature and, at Dongguk, I’m a film major.

Firstly, a little bit about why I picked Korea. People would often think my decision was related to Hallyu, or the Korean wave of K-dramas, K-pop and K-culture. However, for no specific reason, I didn’t actually have that much interest in this type of culture. Instead, I based my decision on continent and course. I knew I wanted to study in Asia, and the Film Department at UoS has an agreement with Dongguk, so I’d be more likely to get a place there than at another university. The great thing about a Year Abroad is that no matter where you go, you will learn and have a fruitful experience.

I would say that has definitely been the case with my time in Seoul. The most important thing I’ve developed is a sense of world. What I mean is that it’s very easy to only concern yourself with your culture, your language and your ways. From a Year Abroad, you learn about other people, cultures, languages and ways. In an age of globalization, politics are what we hear about other peoples, not so much their language or clothes or any other cultural aspect. Korea was recently in the news for the President enacting martial law: if that was the only thing I knew about Korea, I’d be missing out on so much.

For example, the obsession with Iced Americanos. Even in the winter, in -10 degree weather, people’s drink of choice is an Iced Americano. In general, the café culture here is pretty pervasive, so at any moment of downtime, I often find myself in a café. There’s a Ghibli café, a Harry Potter café, K-drama filming location cafes, pretty much everything. I usually go there to do work as the place where I’m staying, a goshiwon, is pretty small. A goshiwon is comparable to Archers Road Halls! It consists of a small room, with an ensuite bathroom, and a shared kitchen. For me, I don’t mind the small size, especially a mine is slightly bigger than others I’ve seen. However, to be productive, I’ll go to a coffee shop.

On the note of small kitchens, students don’t cook much here. In the UK, it’s pretty much a rite of passage to make your first bowl of pesto pasta as a university student. Here, a lot of students still live with their families, therefore they get “proper” food without having to cook it themselves. There is university accommodation, where kitchens are a bigger size, but mostly people go out to eat as it is affordable and convenient. That was difficult to navigate as I was used to making food for myself and having enough kitchen and storage space to do so. I was kind of at a loss to find what to eat, especially as a vegetarian. On that note, being vegetarian in Korea is possible! Have I accidentally eaten meat? Yes. But there are plenty vegan restaurants and restaurants which have vegan options. In terms of making food, I did make bibimguksu, bibimbap, ramen (of course), and even pasta.

Dongguk University is actually famous for their Film Department. Many famous actors studied there like Choi Min-sik (from Oldboy), Lee Jung-jae (from Squid Game) and Cho Yeo-jeong (from Parasite). I wasn’t aware of this beforehand but it was a pleasant surprise. The two English language film modules were practical: one was Experimental Film and the other was Film Production Workshop. I’m happy to announce I’ve made my first film. Disclaimer: it is not that good.

Dongguk is also a Buddhist affiliated university. This is evident in the huge Buddha statue in the middle of campus. I have taken two Buddhism modules: Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism and Introduction to Himalayan Buddhism. I’ve really enjoyed taking these modules as I wouldn’t have been able to study Buddhism in an academic setting without them.

The most difficult issue I’ve faced academically is assessments. Here, assessments are conducted through exams, the mid-term and final. For my degree at UoS, there are no exams, only assignments. Doing my first mid-term here was the first time I had sat an exam since my A-levels! It is a bit difficult to gauge what is required in a good answer especially since we aren’t told how essays will be marked, but overall, it is not unmanageable. You just have to try as best you can.

Seoul as a city is pretty great. The transport is impeccable, though the bus drivers do sometimes take the speed limit as a recommendation. The streets are clean, despite the lack of bins. It’s almost too perfect, I must say. An inevitable realisation is the tendency for sameness: everyone dresses the same, their hairstyle is the same, the cars are same colours. To be honest, it makes me miss the wackiness of London. That being said, I definitely do not regret coming here, as a student or as a visitor. I will try very hard not to make my time here a personality trait.