When I first came to Seoul, everything felt both completely foreign and somewhat familiar. Constantly researching and planning for my time abroad gave me some leeway, not completely feeling like a fish out of water, but like anyone else, I did experience culture shock. Whether it was different public transportation etiquette (such as almost complete silence on the subway or lining up while waiting for the bus or subway) or sidewalk etiquette (not walking on the designated side when going in certain directions), most of the culture shock I experienced was minimal. However, I did experience some difficulty adjusting to the academic environment and culture, as I previously mentioned in my last post.
Typically, in South Korea, academics are extremely rigorous in middle school and high school in preparation for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) to gain admission to a good university. But in university, it seems a lot more lenient with most grades being dependent on your two exams/projects, participation, and attendance, compared to the US, where there are a lot more aspects of a class that contribute to your grade. For me, more assignments for a course and having to work forces me to manage my time, but in Korea, the amount of free time I had felt wrong. To manage that looming anxiety, I was very strategic about time blocking when planning how much time I was supposed to do an assignment or how long I was allowed to have free time in Seoul. Another issue I had some anxiety about was the lack of information we were given about our progress in the course. I was only aware of my midterm grades for my courses, which were pretty good, but in other courses, I wasn’t told what grades I was given on homework or projects, so after my final exams, I was completely unaware how I was doing in the course until grades were put in after the semester ended. This was shocking to me because, compared to Pitt, we’re very aware of our process in a course, and teachers typically give students ample opportunities to make adjustments to their grades before the end of the semester. My only way to deal with this challenge was to just live with it and know that I was doing well on my coursework and attendance. Knowing I was doing my part relieved some of the anxiety I was experiencing.
Outside of the classes, the adjustment to living in Seoul went pretty smoothly for me. I think that, already being born and raised in a major city, I’m used to operating independently, whether that be using public transportation or exploring the city alone. Though I had experience with learning Korean and using public transportation, I still felt it was very simple to navigate the city. When my mom visited, she was able to do it too, without knowing any Korean. One thing I loved when I was exploring Seoul was the number of public spaces and activities around the city, from beautiful riverside parks to free summer festivals. Though my campus was a little further from the city center, the train that stops on campus made it easy to get all around the city with only one transfer, going across the Han River and visiting a park on an island. I had an amazing time exploring Seoul and other parts of South Korea. I can’t wait to go back!
