Hi! My name is Aki, and I’m a third-year BA (Hons) Acting for Film student who studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea, during the summer between my first and second years!
I saw the opportunity pop up in my emails, and I’ve always been interested in visiting Korea and potentially studying there, so it felt like the perfect time. I spent one month at Dongguk University doing 2 two-week courses in Korean language and cinema.
I started the first 2 weeks with the ‘Revenge, Remakes and Rebellion’ course based on films in these genres. As an acting student, it was very enlightening to watch and discuss the themes of these movies. I discovered so many great movies that most likely wouldn’t have been covered in my university course. It was also interesting to discuss what inspired those movies and to learn about the directors themselves.
The next 2 weeks were spent learning the language. The classes were very enjoyable, they were different each lesson, and we always had a fun activity or craft to help us learn. It was always engaging and generally a very fun and welcoming environment to be in – I miss it a lot.
When I first arrived in South Korea, I was really nervous that I would get homesick or sad, because it was my first time flying out so far without my family. However, there were so many wonderful people that I met out there, and there were so many activities and opportunities, it was hard to think about anything else (in a good way). I was so engaged and excited to do everything, I forgot about my worries. It was truly fun the whole time, and I hope I get the chance to go back and visit again.
