I embarked on a trip to Seoul, South Korea from 22 December 2022 - 7 January 2023 for a winter student exchange at the Hanyang International Winter School (HIWS) in Hanyang University. During which, I had the opportunity to take up the Project Management and Basic Korean courses, on top of forging meaningful friendships with international friends from other universities.
Background
Hanyang International Winter School (HIWS) is one of the leading university winter programs in Seoul, and it was my privilege to enrol in 2022 as HIWS is one of the few International Winter Programmes (i-WP) offered by NUS.
Prior to the undertaking of this, I hesitated on my decision and took some time to think about it as I knew, it would require me to step out of my comfort zone and be independent for close to three weeks. I am glad that with the strong support from my family and friends, I decided to challenge myself and go for it.
Flight and Accomodation
On the wee hours of 22 December 2022, I departed Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 4 via Korean Air and it was a 6 hours and 20 minutes direct flight to Seoul Incheon Airport Terminal 2.
Upon arrival in Seoul, I took the Airport Express (AREX) to Seoul Metro station to transfer to Line 4 for the Myeongdong station, which is where my accomodation was located at. During the entire trip, I stayed at the L7 Myeongdong Hotel by Lotte. It is convenient to stay in Myeongdong as it is a major shopping district in Seoul, known for its high-end department stores, fashion boutiques, as well as its street vendors selling traditional Korean foods. To top it all, the hotel is easily accessible by the metro as one of the subway exits is just outside the hotel’s entrance!
Daily School Life
Located six stations away from Myeongdong Station, Hanyang University can be reached in approximately twenty minutes with a Hanyang University Station dedicated to the university itself. The weather in the morning was quite cooling everyday, with temperatures going to as low as -14°C. Compared to Singapore, travelling to school was a breeze and something that I enjoyed very much.
On the first day of school, we were warmly welcome with a HIWS Welcome Party at SMOB Sports Monster, Starfield Hanam Park. That was where I took my first photo with the HYU’s HY-lion mascot! Although there were many attractions at SMOB, I only played the ICAROS-R motorcycle VR and running as the other attractions were scary for me ;)
Aside, my weekdays in school would start at 10 AM and end at 6 PM since I am taking two courses; i.e. Project Management and Basic Korean. In the Project Management course (10 days x 5 hours) at HYU Engineering Building, I learnt about the various subjects and processes that are involved in the successful delivery of projects such as initiating projects with the adequate preparation of a project plan, stakeholder register, etc. as well as the important steps during project implementation. After a two hours lecture in the morning, we would complete a daily team activity in the afternoon from 1 PM to 3.30 PM before we head for our elective course.
So, what’s for our lunch, you might ask. Below are some of the food that I had with my friends during our daily lunches in/out-side school!
From 4 PM to 6 PM, I would be having my elective Basic Korean course at the HYU International Building. Personally, I felt that it was a steep learning curve for the Basic Korean course as we only had a short amount of lesson time (8 days x 2 hours) to recognize the alphabets and speak in complete sentences. The final examination also required us to be proficient in speaking, reading and writing. Thankfully, I met my expectations despite not being a subscriber of Korean dramas.
After a school day ends, the sky would already be quite dark as the sunsets very early during Winter. Hence, I would have a quick dinner in Myeongdong on my own before I head back to my hotel.
Having Fun in Seoul
Over the weekends, I travelled around Seoul to explore the tourist attractions. After all, on this unique Winter exchange experience, one should “Work Hard, Play Hard”! Below are some of the iconic ones that I have visited.
Gyeongbokgung Palace 경복궁
National Palace Museum of Korea 국립고궁박물관
Namsan Seoul Tower 남산서울타워
Lotte World Mall and Department Store 롯데월드 쇼핑몰
Lotte World Adventure 롯데월드 어드벤처
Seoul Sky 서울스카이
Nami Island 남이섬
Petite France 쁘띠프랑스
Apart from visiting these attractions, I also enjoyed many delicious food in Seoul City. Despite being in South Korea, I bought food belonging to different cuisines as it gotten a bit dry for my tastebuds on a constant Korean diet. Occasionally, I would also head over to McDonald’s and Lotteria to get myself a bulgogi or shrimp burger.
No doubt, the fun times passed by very quickly and in the blink of an eye, the graduation day took place on 6 January 2023.
Graduation Day
The HIWS graduation ceremony was held at the Paiknam Music Hall. It was witnessed by all HIWS students, faculties and the Hanyang Global Lions whom have been helping around the programs in different aspects and answering all our queries during the activities. Thankfully, I managed to catch an individual photo with the HY-lion again!
I am also very glad to have a bunch of very supportive friends during the entire trip, if not for whom I would not have been able to complete the program smoothly while away from home.
Once again, cheers to a successful International Winter Program (i-WP) at the Hanyang University in Seoul. This has been a fun and memorable experience that will be etched in my NUS memories.
