What I Have Learned: Tips for Your First Time Abroad

For myself and many others, studying abroad with CIEE has been the first time living in a foreign country. While this experience has been absolutely filled with fun, exciting, new experiences, I would be amiss to not mention the hardships that have come up. If this is your first time studying abroad, or you have worries about living in a new country, here are some things I learned that may help put your mind at ease.

Mental, Physical, and Emotional Health

• While exploring Korea is important, and you should sight-see to your heart’s content, there is no need to stress yourself about seeing everything. I know for myself and my friends, we felt a sense of urgency upon arrival to do and see something new everyday. However, in reality that is not possible when adjusting to a totally new environment. Especially when adjusting to the time change and culture, traveling to a new city or neighborhood every day can be exhausting. I was recently having a hard time getting over this anxiety I had about doing as much as possible with the time that I have. My friend said something that helped a lot: “Try reframing it like this- you’re not visiting Seoul. You’re living your everyday life, but in Korea!”. Him saying this really changed my perspective on how I should approach my time abroad. This extends into the zone of personal well-being and emotional and mental health. It’s ok to feel sad or homesick, or have FOMO over what your friends are doing at your home university. It is equally important to spend a day exploring the fortress in Suwon as it is to spend the day in bed recharging your personal battery. Rest is key to living your life to the fullest, and skipping out on it can make exploring less enjoyable.
• While I hope you do not get sick, it is very common to get sick or deal with health issues while studying abroad. Unfortunately almost everyone I know who has gone abroad (in and outside of South Korea) has gotten pretty sick at some point. Your body is adjusting to a completely new environment, so be easy on yourself, and don’t be afraid to go to a health clinic or pharmacy. 
• For me, studying abroad has been a great time to figure out who I am, and to get closer to myself. Take some time to go on a solo date, take a nice nature walk by yourself, discover new places and foods you may like, etc. 

Practical Tips

• Bring Cash!!! There will be people telling you Seoul is a cashless city, and while this is very true, there are some things that surprisingly require you to carry cash. One of the things I find myself using cash on most often is refilling my T-money transit card. Before receiving your ARC (Alien Registration Card) you will need to use cash to top off your T-Money card. The other thing I find myself needing cash for is filling up my laundry card. The laundry rooms at the Yonsei University dorms use a card or an app to reserve and use the machines. However, like the T-money card, the app only really works once you have your ARC, so cash is essential if you want to get your laundry done. Additionally, some restaurants (especially outside of Seoul) may not take foreign cards, or are cash only. 
• If you ever need to use the bathroom while out exploring, go to any train station! The convenience stores don;t have public restrooms and a lot of times the cafes will give out a bathroom code only upon purchase.
• Taxis are much cheaper when you book through an app! This is because a booking is pre-paid whereas a metered fare can become expensive very quickly. 
• In terms of shopping: some clothing stores, especially in Hongdae and Sinchon tend to carry the same trendy wholesale clothing. Just be aware that if you find an item for a higher or mid range price, waiting or looking around more may lead you to finding the exact same item for 15,000 KRW less at the store next door. 
• Looking for restaurants/ eateries: be aware that many restaurants will have review promotions through Naver and Google Maps where you can receive a discount in exchange for a review. This means that reviews on these apps are not always genuine. While many of them are still pretty trust worthy, Kakao Maps is a bit more local and honest.

Hopefully some of these tips are a helpful insight into what your time abroad in Korea may look like! Being abroad has been such a valuable experience for me, and I have learned so much not only about South Korean life and culture, but also about myself. I would definitely recommend taking the leap and studying abroad with CIEE if you're thinking about it.