Korean Category

Diogene is from Brooklyn, New York and participated in the 2017 Korean Summer Program in South Korea.  He is also a member of the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity and Equality Abroad) Committee. Over the summer, I was boarding a plane to a continent unknown to me. Although I spoke some of the language, I was not yet fluent, and my intention for the coming weeks was to practice it, while immersing myself in the culture. I made playlists with songs I knew I was going to listen to as I walkedRead More

Tobi is from Houston, Texas and participated in the 2017 Korean Summer Program in South Korea.  She is also a member of the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity and Equality Abroad) Committee. After my time in Seoul two years ago, I made it a goal to keep in touch with my host family. They cheered me on throughout junior year and celebrated with me when I got accepted into Yale as well. I received many cute pictures of my younger host siblings. We would constantly send messages and pictures back and forthRead More

Treasure is from Washington D.C. and participated in the 2019 Korean Summer Program in South Korea.  To 황금빛, Study abroad is a challenge in and of itself. From the language barrier to navigating public transportation, every day comes with a new challenge. However, it’s in interactions with locals that you can find a support system while learning about the country on an intimate level. Studying abroad in Jeonju with NSLI-Y taught me about many principles of Korean society: hard work, perseverance, and unselfish giving. Although I had learned about theseRead More

Claire is from Atlanta, GA and participated in the 2019 Korean Summer Program in South Korea. 안녕하세요! 저는 클레어 입니다! 작년 여름에 전주시에서 한국어를 공부했어요. The day I received the notification from NSLI-Y about my acceptance to study Korean in Jeonju, I distinctly remember the wave of emotions that overwhelmed me as I sat, stunned, at my kitchen table. Not only was it a mixture of shock, excitement, and accomplishment, there was also a very distinguishable feeling that I had not expected: fear. Indeed, I was fearful of the experience.Read More

Gilda is from Mastic, NY and participated in the 2018 Korean summer program in South Korea.  Having the opportunity to study abroad is a real blessing for anyone who loves to learn foreign languages and cultures. I studied in China as an exchange student when I was in elementary school, and the experience was so positive that I wanted to study abroad again. I found out about the NSLI-Y program when I was 13 and was immediately attracted to the idea of a program offering full immersion. NSLI-Y was a longRead More

Are you curious about what a NSLI-Y program looks like? Check out some of the highlights from the NSLI-Y AY Korean program 2018-2019! NSLI-Y Korea Celebrates Chuseok Chuseok is a three day holiday in the mid-fall and one of the two main important holidays in Korean culture along with Lunar New Year. During Chuseok, family members gather together, prepare and eat food, visit their ancestor’s graves and perform memorial services for their ancestors. NSLI-Y students celebrated this major holiday with their host families. “This last Chuseok, I learned much moreRead More

David is from Furlong, PA and participated in the Korean Summer 2018 program.  The first day of Korean class was almost here. Most students were excited because Korean classes were going to start, but I was very worried. In reality, I did not previously learn Korean through classes or self-study. Because I had learned Korean by conversing with my Korean parents, I did not formally learn basic grammar. Therefore, I thought that I would not be able to follow along with the class. Will my Korean really improve? What willRead More

Lauren is from Charlottsville, VA and participated in the Korea AY 2015-2016 program. 안녕하세요 nsliy장학금을 타서 2015년부터 2016년까지 유학했던 로렌이라고 합니다^^ 한국어를 배우면서 배운 가장 중요한것은 바로 사람들이 같은 언어로 말하지 않더라도 그 사람과 친구가 될수 있다는 것이죠. 한국에 처음 왔을 때 한국어를 몰랐음에도 불구하고 홈스테이 가족, 고등학교 반 친구들이랑 빨리 친해졌어요. 그렇지만 언어를 배우는 것은 아주 중요한 일이라고 생각했습니다. 왜냐하면 외국어를 배울 때 언어만 배우는 게 아니고, 외국 문화도 배우는 것이니깐요. 가끔 한국어 표현을 묘사할 영어 표현이 부족하다고 느낍니다. 예를 들면 한국어로 정이라는 말이 있는데요. 한마디로 설명하긴 좀 어려운데Read More

Ellie is from Spokane Valley, WA and participated in the Korea Summer 2018 program. My host mother stands firmly by the principle that food, like all other good things, should be served with generous portions of love. Among the first questions she asked me were “잘 먹는 게 뭐 있어? (What do you like to eat?)” and “보통 미국에서 뭐 먹지? (What do you usually eat at home?)” As I am not a very picky eater, I initially replied that I would eat whatever she made (and everything she madeRead More

Ashley is from Baltimore, MD and participated in the Korea Summer 2018 program. During my time in Seoul, South Korea, in the summer of 2018, it was in my wildest dreams to go and eat my culture’s food with my host family. When my roommate and I first moved in with my host family, my host mother and father bashfully told me, “Ashley…we didn’t know was Persian was. We had to look it up!” As an Iranian-American, this was culture shock to me. Everyone in the United States knew whatRead More