My journey to South Korea (the land of the morning calm) was a fantastic one. I was filled with uncertainty during my preparations until I finally found myself there that was when I realized I wasn’t dreaming and everything was for real.
It was raining on that day. My friend, Ama Asare and I were very excited. We were looking forward to having a “blast” and more adventures in Seoul (the capital city of South Korea).
We met other international students from all walks of life and surprisingly we were the only Africans and the first Africans to study in Sookmyung women’s University (SMU) (솜영 여자 대 학요). Honestly speaking, it was a great feeling and we were ready to tell our international friends and the Korean students about Ghana.
We had our orientation and welcome party in time. We registered for our courses in English. Out of curiosity, we took a Korean language for Foreigners Level 1 in other to learn the Korean language, read, write, and understand their culture and to help us know our way around. I will confess it was a wise decision because I personally realized that language and communication is the key to survive when you find yourself in a foreign land.
Lectures started as scheduled. Most of the Korean students were happy to have us in their class. I realized they were a little shy and timid because they were not fluent in English. It made communication a bit difficult. Fortunately for me, body language, gestures and having some of my Korean friends who could speak English interpret from English –Korean and from Korean -English helped me a lot until my Korean language started getting better. The professors were also happy to have us in their class even though their English had the Korean accent; it made teaching and participating in class very interesting and understandable.
In SMU, our classes had 50% practical and theory which made me understand and appreciate the classes I took. There’s also a student attendance mechanism which got me not miss a class. The total number of students in my class on the average was about 25. This helped us a lot because the professors always maintained a close contact with us to ensure we understood everything. The professors maintained a cordial relationship with the students which gave us the chance to be very close to them. We were also given lots of assignments and homework which resulted in me having sleepless nights because I had very close due dates to submit my assignments. It was very challenging for me because I realized that I didn’t have a strong foundation to study computer science in SMU due to the different course structure. It took time for me to adjust and fit myself in. It was worth the stress and hard times I faced academically because I’ve learnt a lot. Honestly, I was praying to have my stay extended in other to finish up there but it wasn’t possible.
On the other hand, in terms of extra-curricular activities, the Korean government did very well by organizing programs for all international students free of charge which helped us to socialize with international students including other Africans studying in other universities in South Korea. It was a great experience for me. I made a lot of friends and I learnt a lot from them. Example of such programs were Leadership Conference for International Students 2010 (LCIS), Sori (소리) music festival, Korail trip, Kimchi(김지) making etc.
In SMU, we had Chungpa (중바) Universaide (sporting activities for international students), I joined the Cultural Ambassador Club and I took part in making Taekwondo(댁워도) video which will be published on YouTube. I also joined and English singing club by name Black Soul Ladies (BSL), I helped in the English lounge by having English conversation with Korean students who wanted to be fluent in English.
We had interviews with various clubs and magazine publishers telling them about Africa, Ghana, our home university (University of Ghana) and they were also concerned about how we were adjusting to things and handling the cultural shocks we were experiencing in their country. We tried to satisfy their curiosity since most of them still think of Africa to be a country instead of a continent, others thought of Africa to be filled with poor and hungry children suffering from diseases, people wearing primitive clothes like tiger skins haunting for wild animals with bows and arrows and many unbelievable perceptions they had about Ghana and Africa as a whole.
We were taught the Korean history, history of SMU and Korean etiquettes which includes eating Korean food, using chop sticks, sitting, bowing, wearing of the Hanbok (한복)Korean traditional dress, how to talk to the elderly, Korean dance etc.
The weather was great. I experienced my first snow and it was amazing. I learnt how to read maps to help me find my way around using the transport system i.e. subway, train, bus and taxi. We visited the traditional palace and lots of places in Korea like the Namsan (남산)Tower from which you can see the whole of Korea and other parts of the world.
The Koreans are very friendly and hospitable. I was very comfortable, safe and sound to the extent of not wanting to come back to Ghana. I consider myself as a Black Korean and South Korea is my second home now. I have gained so many experiences and I will say it has been an eye-opener for me having seen other parts of the world.
I am forever grateful to the sponsors of this program and I hope other students will get this opportunity to experience better things.
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