Ewha International
Summer College
TESTIMONIALS
2014 Ewha ICSC: Janin Alfonso
- 작성일 : 2019-01-07
- 조회수 : 568
- 작성자 :
2014 EICSC: Janin Alfonso, Harvard University, USA
Beyond Any Expectation
During the summer of 2014 I was one of the lucky students given an amazing opportunity to both study and research in Seoul, South Korea. I came to Korea this summer with a primary goal in mind: to interview women about their experiences in the professional world, and thus develop the topic of my Senior thesis. However, I left with much more than data. My journey began at Ewha Womans University, where as part of the International Summer College I was able to polish my language skills, gain knowledge on gender relations from the point of view of a Korean feminist professor, and interact with individuals from every corner of the world. I was able to hold challenging and perspective-shifting conversations with students, professors, and the lovely staff of the Ewha program throughout my stay, all the while reveling in the fun, beauty and variety that South Korea had to offer.
As this summer numbered the third of my visits to Seoul, I came to Korea with just as much enthusiasm but less expectation for discovery and wonder. Gladly, I let Seoul once again surprise me as it opened my mind to a whole dimension of social and cultural intricacies that had previously escaped my star-struck eyes. Although new visitors will be at first be overwhelmed by the at once modern and traditional Korean landscape, I was prepared for the beautiful and immediately apparent. However, my time at a premier educational institution such as Ewha delivered much beyond what the casual tourist could experience. During planned excursions to major sites of political, cultural, and artistic importance I was given intellectually stimulating and at times heart-wrenching insight into the historical and current issues that dominate Korean social discussion and debate. Most memorably, course instruction and real-world experience combined to introduce me to the sexual enslavement of Korean women by Japanese armies during World War II. My learning began in class, where my gender relations professor taught us about the power, class and gender hierarchies that make such atrocities possible. However, most impacting was the opportunity to visit survivors and hear their stories of perseverance and hope. I felt inspired by the continued efforts of the Korean survivors to bring justice to all those affected by such terrible war crimes.
Similarly, I was able to delve beneath the surface of Korean society during my research on Korean professional women’s experiences. My Ewha course on gender relations provided the theory and historical data necessary to better navigate such a complex topic, and the Ewha professors and staff served as not only sources of potential interview contacts, but in many instances the subjects of interviews. Furthermore, being in South Korea facilitated connections with incredible professional women outside of Ewha’s campus. I was able to talk to premier businesswomen, lawyers, professors and government officials about their experiences navigating the gender-nuanced and at times unfriendly waters of white-collar workplaces. With the experiences these men and women so kindly shared I hope to not only bring to light their struggles, but also explore possible changes that could contribute to better working conditions for women everywhere.
The last two months in Seoul passed quickly, yet in their wake they left me a more socially aware and globally attuned person. I will have memories about fun in coffee shops, concerts and singing rooms, as well as treasured moments obtained in classrooms and through eye-opening conversations.
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