Where did you go and during which period were you there?
I visited Busan, South Korea, from September 2025 to January 2026; a period during which I studied at the Pusan Nationality University for a semester. Though I study Psychology in Nijmegen, I took courses in international business and marketing.
Why did you want to go to South Korea?
During COVID, I couldn’t take any dance classes. Online, I got fascinated by K-pop: every song in Korean music comes with its own dance. Via K-pop, I ended up delving further into Korean culture and I also started learning Korean. At first, I did this with online programmes, but later I also used textbooks. When the opportunity for a semester abroad was presented to me, I immediately knew I wanted to go to South Korea.
How did you prepare?
Once I knew I would be going to South Korea, I picked up learning Korean again and I further researched the culture. Maybe a bit too much, in hindsight. Many other Dutch students really experienced a culture shock, but, for me, it wasn’t as bad as I had expected. I had seen most things online already, so I wasn’t continuously surprised by what I saw. I thought it was great to be able to experience the culture and its traditions myself.
What was it like to study in Busan?
In Nijmegen, I spent a lot of time with international students, so I expected that I would be able to mingle with the Koreans fairly easily as well. When we went to a club, we noticed that the Koreans were also really interested in connecting with international students. However, they were a lot more introverted than I had expected, which made it a bit difficult to get into contact with them. I ended up signing up for two sports clubs. At the football club, I was in a Korean girls team together with two other exchange students. The Korean girls made a really great effort to talk to us in English. The coach only spoke Korean, so that was a challenge at times. It is custom to have dinner with everyone after every training. We would order random things off the menu to share, which is very different from going out for dinner in the Netherlands. Every day, we got a Korean meal in our dorm, which was very different from the popular dishes you can find in restaurants. This way, I got to experience the Korean cuisine.
How do you look back on your time in South-Korea?
It felt like I was on a field trip every day. When I left my dorm, I could learn something new simply by doing everyday tasks. You can learn the South-Koreans’ customs and you continue to learn new words. Busan has a very relaxed atmosphere. I also thought the environment was very beautiful: on the one side, you have the beach and the fishers on their boats, and on the other, you see the skyscrapers and the mountains. During my stay, I also visited Seoul a few times to experience this enormous city. Compared to the Netherlands, South-Korea is very dynamic. I noticed that they have a gadget for everything. Though I did miss sitting on the terraces, I could go outside any moment of the day in South-Korea; there is always some supermarket, karaoke bar or game café open.
What aspect of this adventure will you never forget?
This was my first big trip. I travelled a lot inside of Korea, but I also visited China and Japan. I will never forget how much there is to see outside of the Netherlands. Next, I want to explore more of Europe, but I got to know a lot of people from all over the world and I look forward to visiting them in the future!