Sometimes watching a video of a city or school can give you insight that photos can’t! Tour AmeriSpan’s Seoul Korean school in the following video blog!

For details about studying Korean, see Korean School in Seoul

See all of Melissa’s blogs from Seoul

See Korea's Royal Court Procession for yourself! 

For details about studying Korean, see Korean School in Seoul

See all of Melissa's blogs from Seoul

Getting around in unfamiliar territory is a challenge, so this how-to guide for public transportation in Seoul is a must-watch!

For details about studying Korean, see Korean School in Seoul

See all of Melissa's blogs from Seoul

Getting around in unfamiliar territory is a challenge, so this how-to guide for public transportation in Seoul is a must-watch!

For details about studying Korean, see Korean School in Seoul

See all of Melissa's blogs from Seoul

A couple weeks ago, blogger Josephine K. described her experiences museum-hopping in Seoul.  This week, Melissa E. takes us on a video tour of a museum in Seoul!

For details about studying Korean, see Korean School in Seoul

See all of Melissa's blogs from Seoul

By Josephine K., guest blogger studying Korean in Seoul

Nothing to do in Seoul?  Check out a museum!

Seoul is such a busy city that it's hard to find yourself with nothing to do.  However, if you are ever stuck I recommend spending the day at one of the MANY museums.  There are museums dedicated to anything and everything, including art, history, the olympics, and even the popular Korean food kimchi.

The great thing about going out to these museums is not only do you get to learn more about the culture, but you also get to practice what you've been learning in class.  After learning one of the sets of numbers I found it great fun to go to the museum shops and ask what the price was for different objects.  Not only did this build my confidence with what I had been learning in class, but I also got to practice my pronunciation.  Many of the shop clerks were happy to help correct me and were very patient with my slow speech.

Even though it was great to practice the language, there was still plenty to learn in each of the museums.  So far I have visited three museums: National Museum of Seoul, Seoul Museum of Art, and the Kimchi Museum.  All of these museums had explanations of the exhibits in both Korean and English so I was able to learn about the history without having to know the language.  Also, before entering the exhibits most of the museums offer audio tours for less that 5,000 won.  All you do is give the museum employee a form of ID (it does not have to be your passport) and they will give you a MP3 player for you to use during your visit.  The audio will start automatically as soon as you stand in front of the different exhibits.

One of the things I did not expect was to be followed around in every museum I went to.  No matter which museum I toured I was closely followed by a group of young children.  With my blonde hair, freckles, and blue eyes I stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd of locals.  The reactions I received varied in each museum but I always received some form of attention. 

In the National Museum of Seoul (6th largest museum in the world) a group of 7 year old girls followed me around for most of the first floor (which is a pretty large space) saying, "Hi," "It's nice to meet you," and then running away giggling.  They even dragged their teacher and a male chaperone and forced us to have a very awkward introduction.  However, after I said "annyeong haseyo" – a polite way to say hello) the girls froze and ran away surprised I spoke Korean.  Luckily for me they did not continue the conversation, because at the time that's about all the Korean I knew.

After visiting the national museum I then went to the kimchi museum.  In this museum they explain the process of making kimchi and the history behind one of Korea's most famous foods.  At the end, there is a place for you to try all different types of kimchi, and this was yet another spot for me to become some sort of spectacle.  I was trying a piece of kimchi when a mother and her young daughter came up to try some too.  However, the mom wanted to take a picture of her daughter trying the kimchi.  I politely backed out of the photo, but after many gestures the mother insisted I be in the picture with her daughter.  They got a kick out of "migook salam"  American trying kimchi and I enjoyed being able to interact with a Korean family.

So, if you ever want to practice your Korean, be stalked by kids, or most importantly learn a little more about the culture, I highly recommend visiting one of the many Seoul museums.  I only wish I was here longer so that that I could visit them all!!!

Here I am trying kimchi at the Kimchi Museum in the Coex Mall National
Museum of Korean – the 6th largest museum in the world!

See AmeriSpan's Korean School in Seoul

Read all of Josephine's blogs from Seoul, Korea.

For details about studying Korean, see Korean School in Seoul

See all of Melissa's blogs from Seoul

 Having no prior knowledge of the Korean language I was a bit
scared about how the class would be structured and the pacing.  I wasn’t sure if they would explain things
in only Korean or if they would even start me off at the beginning.  Classes are also only held on Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10A.M. – 1P.M so I was a bit skeptical about
how much I would be able to learn in a short period of time and only being here
for 4 weeks.  However, I am quickly
adapting to the fast pace and the amount of information being given during each
class.

The first couple of classes we spent on the Korean alphabet,
learning how to write the letters and all the different pronunciation
rules.  This pace was normal and we
spent plenty of time on how to read and write the alphabet.  However, as soon as we hit chapter one the
pacing changed!  Now that we are past
the alphabet we do one chapter per day. 
A lot of information is given, but we have plenty of opportunities to
practice both inside and outside of class. Homework is given regularly and every morning we have a dictation test
of the previous chapter.

Class is normally set up like this:

1st hour – Dictation test and review of previous chapter

2nd hour – Grammar of new chapter and practice (including LOTS of
flash-cards)

3rd hour – Continue practicing through partner work and games.

 The book is really easy to follow and while a lot of the class is
spoken in Korean, English and Japanese is also used to explain the material. My teacher is very patient with our class
yet is able to get through the material very quickly. I definitely did not expect the class to move at such a fast
pace, but I am happy that I am able to keep up and learn so much in such a
short amount of time.

Go to AmeriSpan’s Korean school in Seoul

Read all of Josephine’s blogs from Seoul Korea.

When booking your ticket most people just want the quickest flight to their final destination.  However, a layover can be tons of fun if you don’t mind the wait.  This was my first time traveling abroad and I couldn’t wait to start my AmeriSpan program in South Korea.  Originally I thought that a layover would be a bad idea, let alone one that lasted 8 hours.  However, it was a great beginning to my time in Seoul.

My flight took me from the United States to Amsterdam (where I had the layover) and then from Amsterdam to Seoul, South Korea.  When I first got there I thought I would probably just spend my time looking at a few shops inside the airport and then just go on my laptop for the remaining time.  Lucky for me I when I was trying to find where my gate would be for my connecting flight (so I wouldn’t get lost later after exploring the airport) I found a booth for Amsterdam excursions.

For less than 40 euro I could go on a guided tour of Amsterdam, and not just one of those bus tours, but a canal tour.  They took me out of the airport and onto a bus, where they drove into the city where I would then go on the canal tour.  The nice thing about this was that not only did they take me from the airport, but back as well.  This really saved me from getting lost and insured that I was able to catch my connecting flight.  The tour only took 2 hours including the commute.  For a first time traveler this was a lot of fun! 

I got to enjoy the sights of a city I’d never seen, and still had plenty of time to catch my flight.  I was even able to come back and do a little shopping in the airport.  Unfortunately, Schiphol (Amsterdam airport) was undergoing a lot of construction so a few shops were closed as well as the museum that is located inside the airport.  However, I still had a blast looking through all the other shops (it is pretty much a giant mall) and yeah, I’ll admit, I was still able to spend plenty of time online with my laptop.

Go to AmeriSpan’s Korean school in Seoul

Read all of Josephine’s blogs from Seoul Korea.

By Victoria C., Guest Blogger from Seoul, Korea

Today I am going to discuss the lodging options at AmeriSpan's Korean Language School in Seoul, Korea. The Korean school assists with housing. Students can choose from private apartments, shared apartments or host families. The homestays and apartments are very close to the school. The apartments that I visited are only one subway stop away from the school. 

Seoul apartments are very small. Students share a bathroom or can choose to have a bathroom in their rooms for an additional cost. The apartments have shared common areas and kitchens. If a student would like to save on the cost of food, they can choose a meal plan with their housing for an additional monthly cost. The meal plan provides two meals a day; breakfast and dinner.

 
Kitchen & Common Area of Shared Apartment 

Laundry service is also available for additional cost. If you choose not to use the laundry service, you have access to a washer and they provide a drying rack for your clothes. There are also private apartments for students who only want to share living space and kitchens with less people. These apartments are higher costs then the other student apartment buildings.

Kitchen in Private Apartment (kitchen shared with 2 – 4 people max) 

AmeriSpan note: Homestay in Korea is no longer available. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions or updates regarding your options.

Click for more information about AmeriSpan's Korean School in Seoul.