2013 Ewha ICSC : Courtney Grogan


I held the small baby octopus in my hand and felt its sticky tentacles wriggle through my fingers. Although I had originally been excited to taste traditional Korean 산낙지, or live octopus, I was beginning to question this decision as I stood in the middle of a fish market in Seoul. After selecting some other fish from the tanks of one of the market vendors, my Korean friends and I were ushered into a back room filled with people sitting cross-legged on the floor at tables covered in large plates of fresh sashimi and green soju bottles. At our table I found myself once again facing that little octopus, but this time he was doused in oil and sliced into little pieces still squirming on my plate. I took in a deep breath of the strong seafood scented air, grabbed my chopsticks, said, "잘 먹겠습니다!" ("We shall eat well!") and was surprised to discover the words I had spoken to be true; the octopus was delicious!
This summer I spent in Seoul studying Korean at Ewha Woman's University provided many unexpected opportunities to get out of my comfort zone, improve my language skills, and explore deeper into Korean culture than I ever have before. My Korean skills were first tested at the beginning of the summer when I took a trip with a friend to the rural Cheolla province to stay in a Hanok village and experience traditional Korean culture. Frequently getting lost and several humorous miscommunications with the owner of our hanok, confirmed that I had a lot to learn.
Luckily, living in Seoul provided ample opportunity to practice the new Korean grammar and vocabulary I learned while at Ewha, whether I was singing a favorite Korean ballad at 노래방 (karaoke), learning how to cook kimchi fried rice, watching this summer's hottest Korean drama (노외 목소리가 들려!), saying the Korean prayers and responses at church, or meeting my friend's
Korean grandparents. I also learned just how big Seoul really is when I attempted to bike along the Han river from one end of the city to the other.
One of the unexpected joys of studying in the Ewha Summer Program was befriending classmates from all over Asia. My classes were made up of students from Korea, Japan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Russia, and the United States. Besides bonding over many late nights spent memorizing hundreds of Korean vocabulary words, we often would often play soccer together or go out for Korean BBQ after class where we exchanged not only Korean, but also Japanese, Russian, and "Singlish" phrases. It was so interesting to hear about the experiences that brought each of us to South Korea and enjoy the language and the culture together.
I am so thankful to the Harvard Korea Institute and Ewha Woman's University for the opportunity to study Korean in Seoul this summer. Not only did this experience tremendously improve my language skills, but it also left me with happy memories and personal growth. One of my favorite memories comes from a night spent with friends by the Han river watching the fireworks go off over the city skyline. As I looked out across the Han, I realized that Seoul is beginning to feel like a second home.