Studying during COVID in Seoul with CIEE

Studying abroad in South Korea was a dream of mine ever since I started high school. Little did I know that I would have to face the challenges of a worldwide pandemic during my time abroad. After standing in airport lines for hours and bearing the pain of multiple violating COVID tests, I wasn't sure if this experience was worth it anymore. I wondered how drastically my time in Korea would be affected by the government-enforced COVID-19 policies: Would I make any friends? Would I get to experience Korean food, culture, and travel? Although I was feeling incredibly pessimistic during my entire 10-day quarantine, the reality was that I had nothing to worry about! Directly after getting off quarantine, I had CIEE activities and orientation waiting for me. I met my first couple of friends in the program, and my circle grew larger and larger as the semester went by! CIEE held multiple activities each month that I could participate in. Although it seemed competitive to get a spot during the sign-ups, the program gave students multiple opportunities to engage in the excursions they offered. I had really wanted to take a cooking class in South Korea, but the ones I found online were incredibly expensive. CIEE offered two cooking classes, both of which I was unable to attend due to classes and competitive sign-up. I was incredibly disappointed, only to find out that I was given another opportunity to go a month later! This ended up being one of my favorite experiences while studying abroad. CIEE also provided me with volunteer opportunities as well as a course on Intercultural Communication and Leadership. Both greatly helped me understand the differences in my culture as a Korean-American and the native South Korean culture and cultivate myself as a student leader. Studying abroad with CIEE was a reflective experience that helped me have fun and also grow personally and academically. I can confidently say that my experience was positively impacted by the program, and if I were to study abroad again in a different country, I would go out of my way to study with CIEE again.