Mira Ivanova (University of Greenwich) 

For the past 5 years I have always dreamed about coming to South Korea to experience the culture, try the local cuisine and make friends. Thanks to this programme I was able to achieve all these dreams and it was completely different to what I had imagined. Now that it is time to reflect on my experience, I realise I learnt a lot not only about Korean culture, history, and politics but about myself. In my dream of travelling to South Korea was a close friend, who sadly was not able to join HISS 2023. Because of this in the beginning of the programme I felt lonely and extremely homesick. I had a difficult time in the programme as this is the first occasion I am this far from home, and without my closest friend who was meant to share this dream with me. However, I am so extremely grateful for the support I got from David, Sandy and Lora who were always there for me and all of us, ensured we had fun during the activities regardless of if we were melting because of the Seoul heat or soaking wet from the monsoon rainstorms. All of the buddies who spent time with us and sang on top of their lungs at 노래방 made my experience feel less lonely and filled my mind with countless heart-warming memories.

My favourite memory that I will take with me from this programme is when David thought of “한성대! 여러분, 안녕하세요!” for the first time. I felt embarrassed doing it in front of everyone around us but now at the end it has become somewhat of a greeting to all of us! Passing by other classmates and we shout “한성대!“ They, of course, reply with “안녕하세요!”. It somehow became our slogan. It does not feel embarrassing anymore, it feels unique to us and it is part of us.

Starting off the programme, the trip to Pyeongchang and Gangneung was my favourite activity during that week. Mostly, I enjoyed the bus ride as I was able to admire the surroundings and spot interesting places and buildings. In Pyeongchang I enjoyed all activities but especially lunch because we had my favourite Korean dish - 된장찌개. In the hotel rooms we played the mafia game, and I was able to get close to some of the other participants. I loved visiting the sheep ranch and feeding the animals. Exploring the ranch in the rain gave me a feeling of nostalgia and reminded me of the times I was younger and playing with the sheep at my grandmother’s farm. During that activity I was able to take in the beauty of the surrounding area and I was enjoying my own company, and fresh air.

During the second week, I challenged myself to do the In-wangsan hiking. Even though, I was one of the last to climb to the top, everyone cheered and encouraged me, which made me feel as if I was with all my lifelong friends and gave me a sense of belonging. It is a memory that I will treasure forever. However, my favourite part during that week was the dancing class. It was the first time I could let go and just have fun. Our instructors were extremely talented and taught us well. I enjoyed the music and the costumes. Taekwondo was also extremely fun, and the instructor had an entertaining way of explaining important facts about the martial art.

In the third week, I wore hanbok for the first time and even though the weather was extremely hot I had a lot of fun taking photos and walking around the royal palace. Many older, native Koreans complemented my look and smiled at me as they were passing by, and this was nice as at that point, Koreans seemed cold and never approached us first. At the end of the programme, I realise that Korean people love sharing their culture and seeing others admire it makes them warm up to you quicker.

My favourite activity during the whole trip must be the NANTA show. It was super interactive, fun and the performance gave me goosebumps throughout the whole 90 minutes. Overall, the fourth week is my favourite. I think it is because I became friends with everyone, adapted to the new atmosphere and I was much more familiar with Seoul. I still miss home but now I will also miss Seoul and everyone here.

I learned a lot about myself during the programme. I saw myself as an extroverted, outgoing, and approachable person, however during the programme it was hard for me to make friends. With a lot of big and extroverted personalities, I found myself overshadowed and became introverted. Because of this I was afraid I will give the impression of a cold, unfriendly and unapproachable person; I was having a hard time approaching people and making friends. I am so grateful to everyone here who approached me first and made me feel extremely welcomed and never left out. Every single participant, buddies and organisers were patient with me and waited for me to get out of my shell, for which I will forever appreciate and thank them for. With a little help and patience, I could be myself and enjoy the programme.

This experience showed me that I need to put myself out of my comfort zone and learn to adapt to personalities I am not familiar with. Additionally, it showed me I do not need to be perfect, and people are nicer than what it may seem.

In the end this programme has become one of the most challenging and difficult but most rewarding and best experiences that I have ever been a part of. HISS 2023 allowed me to better understand Korean culture, mindset, and history. It enabled me to study myself and find areas of improvement to help me become a better person in the future. It is a memory I will carry with me forever.

Forever thankful to everyone who shared this experience with me. Thank you!