Concluding my abroad trip in Seoul, South Korea, I have returned home and everything feels different back in America. After being abroad in such a different location for an entire month, I feel strange. Four weeks seems short, but when surrounded by so many other cultures and backgrounds besides your own, it is easy to accept and embrace that difference. For example, my classes had many students from different countries…
On Wednesday, July 5th, my new friends and I went cafe hopping in Hongdae using a list of places I made! We took the subway from Hanyang University and walked to the Pink Pool Cafe Stylenanda Seoul, where we took the escalators to the 4th floor and tried their vanilla latte, green tea latte, and peach ade. They were all delicious!! We got to look around the rest of the…
Finishing my first week of classes at Hanyang University , I’ve noticed that most experiences are the same in terms of lecture design and assignments. But I think what makes this academic experience stand out from my experiences at the College of Charleston is that in classes in Seoul, I am an American student, which is one of the lesser majorities of ethnicity on this campus. In my Global Business…
As a South Carolina native, I thought the South had the warmest culture of hospitality in the world. A major aspect of my culture is Southern hospitality as it reflects throughout the way I treat others and within my outlook of life. This summer I have had the opportunity to travel to Bangkok, Thailand for a semester abroad. Thailand is the first place I have ever visited outside of the…
Hello everyone, my name is Johanna E. Clark. I am so excited to share my journey throughout my study abroad with you. Currently, I am studying abroad in Bangkok, Thailand at Mahidol International University. Due to my love of culture and travel, I am studying Hospitality and Tourism Management with a minor in environmental studies. I aspire to work in the ecotourism industry to utilize the tourism industry as a…
After having spent a semester studying at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan, I can confidently say that everyone should search out the opportunity for a study abroad. Studying abroad in Japan allowed me to experience different cultures, different food, and make different friends. I spent a lot of my time in Japan simply studying, working hard at my classes and achieving the best grades that I could, but I…
Hello, my name is Tessa Wells, and I am currently studying abroad at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. My stay here has already been very exciting, but a day that stands out to me was my trip to Osaka Castle and the city of Osaka. I visited the Castle with two RA’s and other students who live on my same dorm floor. At first glance, I was stunned by…
Even though I am studying abroad and probably wouldn’t have known about this event, visiting Japan during the month of February offers a unique opportunity to witness the Plum Blossom Festival, held every year on February 25th. Although cherry blossoms are more well-known, plum blossoms are equally beautiful and offer their own unique charm. I had the opportunity to experience the festival at the Kitano Tenmangū shrine, which is a…
Hello! My name is Keith Silver, I am a CITA major with a concentration in studio art. I am currently a senior at the College of Charleston! My current program is an Asian Studies exchange with Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. The university is about an hour away from downtown Osaka, and Kyoto. It is in a little college town, Hirakata. It is surrounded by mountains and beautiful architecture.…
*Written previously* Aboard the MV World Odyssey, we are taught from day one that we must learn to be flexible. Flexible with ourselves, the staff, the seas, but most importantly, the journey. This got put to the test pretty early into our voyage, as we learned that due to the Coronavirus, our itinerary was shifting. Rather than traveling from Japan to China like originally planned, there was a quick detour…
