student experiencestudent experience
Tentative Itinerary
August 8th – Departure Day
- Meet with chaperones at U.S. Gateway city airports for pre-departure orientation. (Location TBA depending on city)
- Depart U.S. from Gateway cities (Expected to depart on mid-afternoon flights)
August 9th – Arrive in Seoul, South Korea (Presumably around 15:00-18:00)
- Group transportation will be provided from Incheon International Airport to Yonsei University
- Students will be familiarized with their dormitory for the evening
August 10th – Orientation: Overview of the Program at Yonsei University
- Lecture: Survival Korean Language
- Welcoming Luncheon
Hosted by Korea Foundation
- Yonsei University Campus Tour
Guided by Yonsei University Student Ambassadors - Excursion: Shinchon Tour
Shinchon refers to the area around Yonsei University as well as Ewha Woman’s University and Sogang University. Here you will find numerous coffee lounges, restaurants, snack bars, beauty salons, clothing and accessory shops, cinemas, theaters, jazz cafes, department stores, and shopping centers all catering to students. This will be lead by Yonsei students along with CIEE Chaperones.
August 11th – All-Day City Tour
- All-Day City Tour: students will tour sites of historic and cultural importance by bus and on foot.
Tour may include, but is subject to change: - Gyeongbokgung Palace: A massive complex, Gyeongbokgung Palace is the grandest of Seoul’s palaces. Highlights include the ornate, two-story Geunjeongjeon, the main palace where kings were crowned, met foreign envoys and conducted affairs of state and the Gyeunghoeru Pavilion. Also within its grounds is the National Folk Museum of Korea.
- Insadong: Insadong is the place in Seoul for visitors wanting to experience traditional aspects of Korean culture such as art galleries, traditional craft stores, antique art dealers, traditional tea houses, and restaurants. In 1999, Queen Elizabeth II visited the area and heaped praise upon the old artworks she saw.
- Cheonggyecheon Stream: A walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream features many interesting sights. You’ll get to see nature in the city and experience the vivid history and culture of Korea.
- National Museum of Korea: A window to the history of Korea, the National Museum of Korea displays 16,000 relics (as of June 2008). It is the largest museum in Korea, proudly exhibiting not only Korean cultural properties but also works of art from across Asia.
Aug 12th
- Historical Overview Lecture: Past, Present, and Future of Korea
- Lunch break
- Excursion: Samsung D’light Company Visit
This excursion will introduce you to one of Seoul’s cutting edge businesses. Samsung D’light is the fulfillment of Samsung Electronic’s promise to share the joys of digital technology with their customers. The name of Samsung D’light combines the words digital and light, indicating a guiding light to the digital world, as well as delight and excitement. The company has built is business plan around the mission to become the “light” that will lead consumers to a whole new lifestyle through digital technology. - Extra-curricular Activity: Taekwondo class
Students who are interested will sign up prior to departure to participate
Aug. 13th
- Lecture: Korea-U.S. Relationship
- Lunch Break
- Excursion: Haja Center Visit
The Haja Center is a youth workshop for work, play, and freedom run by Yonsei University on behalf of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. It opened on December 18, 1999, with the official name Seoul Metropolitan Youth Vocational Experience Center, and nicknamed the Haja Center (“Let’s do it” in Korean) to reflect its mission “upgrading your own life”, “living while doing the work you want to do”, and “freedom and coexistence.” Haja emphasizes active learning and learning by doing. - Extracurricular Activity: Choose prior to departure to attend:
- NanTa (a non-verbal artistic performance integrating the traditional Korean “Samulnori’ rhythm to create a comical performance)
- Ballerina Who Loves B-Boy (a modern ballet dance performance)
August 14th – August 16th
- Lecture: Korean Society as seen by Americanfollowed by discussion on the topic
Activity: Interactive Day with Korean High School Students making Kim Chi and KimbobHome stay introduction: Meet and greet with home-stay families.
A highlight of the program, allowing students to immerse yourself in themselves further into the Korean culture, students will participate in a home-stay with a Korean family. Arrangements will be made by the Korea Foundation and Yonsei University to place students in houses for the weekend and return to Yonsei Sunday night. From this experience, students will learn about customs and traditions in Korean houses and experience modern day living in Korea – home stays are one of the best ways to truly experience a culture and its customs.
Prior to arrival with their homestay, students will have met their host siblings during interactive activities at two local foreign language high schools in Seoul. This will ensure the students will feel comfortable with their home stay host sibling. Korean homes are traditionally very compact, so in most instances, a one-to-one match will be made for the homestay.
- Return to Yonsei campus and dormitory Sunday night before dinner
August 17th
- Excursion: DMZ Tour
One of the quintessential things for all people visiting Korea to see, this excursion typically includes visits to: Imjingak, Freedom Village, The 3rd tunnel, The Bridge of No Return, Panmujeon and more. Arrangements will be made by the Korea Foundation with assistance from the U.S. Army so details are subject to change.
There is a dress code for this trip. The below items are not permitted.
- Ripped/faded jeans
- Sleeveless tops, mini -skirts, sportswear, short pants and slippers
- Military-style look
- Tight knit tops or pants
- Leather clothes
Aug. 18th – 20th: Three Day Excursion Outside of Seoul: (tentative/proposed itinerary)
Throughout the excursion there will be lectures on Korean culture.
August 18th
- Travel to Jeonju
- Activity: Mask Dance Class
- Activity: Korean Traditional Wedding Class & Janggu Class
- Excursion: Korean Traditional Village (Hanok) Tour
August 19th
- Activity: Hanji(Korean Traditional Paper) Craft Class
- Excursion: Keumsansa temple Tour
- Travel to Namwon
- Excursion: Visit Chunhyang park ( Kwanhanru won )
- Travel to Onyang
August 20th
- Travel to Asan
- Excursion: Hyundai Asan Factory Tour
- Excursion: Visit Everland Amusement Park
- Travel back to Seoul
August 21st – Program Wrap-up
- Farewell Lunch hosted by Korea Foundation & Yonsei University
Based upon student interest generated during the program, additional activities will be planned and chaperoned at this time that may include (but are not limited to): shopping for souvenirs at Insadong, touring a palace not already visited, seeing a show, etc.
Aug 22nd – Depart Seoul for U.S. at various departure times with Chaperones
