2014 EICSC: Helena Hilding, Stockholm University, Sweden

I was born in South Korea thirty years ago but have spent my past 29 years in Sweden. In 2013 I decided to go back for the first time. South Korea and I got along really well. I was particularly fascinated by Seoul and the blend of the traditional, the old and the brand new. I remember visiting Ewha, strolling around campus, thinking I would like to spend some more time there.

Back in Sweden, on an Internet forum for adopted Koreans, I read about something called Ewha International Co-ed Summer College. Not only did they offer Korean language classes, but also a wide range of interesting courses. There was a special scholarship aimed for overseas adopted Koreans to learn more about their country of origin. I applied, and a couple of months later I received an email welcoming me to Ewha Womans University.

My boyfriend and I were both very pleased to buy flight tickets to Seoul again. Before leaving Sweden I was contacted by Ayoung, a girl who was going to be my PEACE buddy at Ewha. She seemed kind and asked me if she could help in any way, and if I had any questions about the upcoming summer semester, she was happy to answer them.

We landed in Seoul in June. I knew it was going to be hot and humid, and I knew most people would be about ten years younger than me. At the day of the opening ceremony I was surprised by the big number of students and in a few hours I had already met a lot of nice people. My PEACE buddy turned out to be a really fun person and she took us to the first buddy gathering the same evening. I immediately got a good feeling about the whole program. Classes started the day after and I took Korean language class and Gender relations in Korea.

The following weeks were filled with both interesting lectures and fun social activities. I learnt a lot about women’s role in Korean society and I struggled to put together sentences in Korean, not to mention pronouncing them. I had tuna kimbab for lunch almost every day and I found myself drinking iced chocolate milk again for the first time since I was ten. In the evenings I practiced holding my chopsticks the right Korean way, ordering meals with no meat and examining bars, clubs and norebangs. I made a lot of new friends and being with Korean speaking people in Seoul enabled me to understand more about Korean culture as they explained and introduced me to interesting new things.

When people back home ask me what I liked the most I usually answer everything, because I had such an amazing time at Ewha. Classes, professors and students were great. Seoul was beautiful and food was delicious. I would strongly recommend everybody interested in South Korea and meeting new people to apply for the International Co-ed Summer College. The KAFE scholarship is also such an excellent opportunity for adopted Koreans to learn Korean, spend time in Seoul, and to learn more about the country where they were born.