2012 EISC Session I Participant:

Julia Han Rhode Island School of Design, USA

"망설이지 마요" do not hesitate says a song by one of my favorite Korean bands Monni. I have never fully been able to understand the meaning of 망설이다 (to hesitate) until I experienced Korea through the Ewha International Summer College Session I program. Ever since immigrating from Korea to the United States at the age of six, I had many hesitations when it came to accepting my Korean heritage. For as long as I can remember I had always experienced Korea with a distant attitude, never caring that I could not understand a portion of what my relatives said nor comprehend the flashing Korean words on the street signs. But this visit was different from the rest. I came to Korea with a hunger to absorb what I had neglected in the past, and Ewha provided me with a gateway to reconnect with my long-lost self through total immersion in Korean language, culture, and the art scene.

I did not know what to expect when I walked in to take my Korean language placement exam the day after I arrived at Ewha. What if I had forgotten how to spell everything? Would I be able to understand what I was reading? Speaking of course was no problem to me since I had constantly conversed in Korean with my parents, but my heart still pounded as I faced my examiner for the speaking portion of the exam. My first day of Korean class was no different. I was still nervous about the same things and anxious to meet my new classmates and teachers. But as time progressed, all my anxieties were put to rest and I began to enjoy every moment I was in class. With the course taught entirely in Korean by enthusiastic teachers I quickly began to comprehend new words and grew more confident about writing even though I still made many spelling errors. I also learned a great deal from my avid classmates who came from all over the world but were united by their interest in the language and culture of Korea. We conversed as much as we could in Korean and shared many laughs when recounting our weekend adventures during Monday＇s classes.

My second academic course, "Art In Seoul", helped me put the modern culture of Korea and the city of Seoul into context with the art scene. As an art student, I was especially excited to see that the EISC program offered art history and theory classes that allowed students to get an on-site experience of the works while learning to write about them. Since half of the class was comprised of Ewha students, I had the chance to work with and befriend many native Korean students along with several international students. The class was crazy and demanding but we all had an extremely enjoyable time running around Seoul to visit many of the art exhibitions that were showing during the month. I specifically remember the day when we all traveled an hour by subway to see Nam Jun Paik＇s 80th anniversary exhibit at the Seoul Olympic Museum of Art. After viewing the exhibit, our class had lunch together before we had to run back to Ewha to get to our next class on time. I had never felt so tired yet satisfied at the same time.

For me the entire city was my classroom. As I learned to navigate through Seoul with its amazing public transportation, I was able to practice my Korean and gain insight into the art of the city. I will dearly miss the promenades around different parts of Seoul with my new Ewha friends to shop, eat, and just explore. Everything was best late at night when the city would come alive with its flashing lights, cool summer breezes, and the bustle of the multitudes of people navigating the same streets as I was. I had recently begun to believe that the best things in li