2011 EISC Session I Participant: Joseph Kim
Yale University, USA

First and foremost, I am extremely grateful that I was chosen as one of the recipients of the scholarship. The experience that I had this past summer would not have been possible without the help, and this experience is something that I would have deeply regretted if I were to have missed it.

To put the previous words in perspective, I should mention that I am not foreign to attending various summer programs. I have gone through a multitude of programs and events in the last couple of years and it would be a lie to say that all of them have been excellent. Some have been good, others not so much so. It is without a doubt in my mind that I place my four weeks at Ewha under the “good” category of my past summer experiences.

However, to lump the four weeks at Ewha with the others would be doing injustice to the program. I had the opportunity to study with Professor Andrei Lankov, one of the premier leaders in the field of North Korean studies. I also had the opportunity to formally learn my native language for the first time. But it was not just the academic program that made the summer college outstanding. It was the flexibility to go out and explore the country that gave this program its unique twist. Located in one of the bustling parts of Seoul, Ewha was a perfect place to visit many of the must-see places.

I have made some incredible friends during my time there and it was with a heavy heart that I returned back home. Though I have tried to relay my time there to others, I have found that trying to capture the essence with just words falls short of experiencing it for oneself. Now rather than babbling about my own adventures, I simply recommend others to try out Ewha International Summer College. I am sure that it will not disappoint.