I traveled to South Korea with EF in the summer of 2023. I had started learning Korean beforehand and therefore absolutely wanted to go to South Korea. So I came up with the idea of making a language trip. When I searched for it on the Internet, I finally came across EF.
Then I had already booked the language trip. Before I started, I created a packing list and wrote down what I wanted to see. The list was far too long and I was worried not to do everything in 5 weeks because there is so much to see!
I was very excited before the trip. I thought about whether I can do everything with the flight and whether my host family is nice. I was also afraid of finding friends. I had just turned 18 and had never died without my parents. In addition, I only flew once before. When I arrive, my worries all gone. When I arrived, I was brought to my host family in a shuttle. My host family waited for me in front of the house and welcomed me warmly. I also had a roommate – she came from Poland and we got on really well. We were real friends. My host family was also very nice and we explored the surrounding area immediately after my arrival and ate together in a restaurant.
The next day was the first day of school. My guest nurse brought me and my roommate to school. The school was about 45 minutes from the accommodation. There we only had an introductory event where the teachers and the headmaster briefly introduced themselves. After that we were walking, and I could get to know a few people, including many Germans. Everyone was very nice. The lessons started the next day. There I immediately found a friend who also came from Germany. It was very easy to find friends because most traveled alone. There were many Germans and French and the people were almost all my age – most of them between 17 and 26. I still have contact with my roommate and we plan to fly to South Korea together again. I still keep in touch with my girlfriend, whom I met in class.
My language skills have also improved a lot, especially my speaking in everyday situations and my understanding of hearing. The teachers talked almost only Korean and I only spoke to my family Korean. Since you are surrounded by the language, you can learn very quickly.
On my first weekend, EF offered a weekend trip to Busan. Busan lies by the sea and it was very cool to explore another city. I also took part in a day trip to Suwon!
My absolute highlight was when I went to a palace and wore a Hanbok. A Hanbok is traditional Korean clothing. It was really cool and I felt like a princess. Another highlight was also when I followed a day off “”Lotte World “went. “”Lotte World “is a amusement park in the middle of Seoul. There you could borrow school uniforms and then in “”Lotte World “run around with the school uniform. It was really fun!
