Country information- South Korea
Surfing on the hallyu the Korean wave means to experience a patchwork of western and Asian culture. In the land of electronic giants like Samsung and LG, you can find ancient pagodas right next to McDonald’s.
Korea is also one among the Asian Tigers, so a high level education is prevalent. Don’t be surprised by fierce competition and long lectures during your studies. The government is very eager to increase the number of foreign students. Because of this, scholarships are available especially to foreigners.
The school year is divided into two semesters, the first of which begins in the beginning of March and ends in mid-July, the second of which begins in late August and ends in mid-February.
If you stay for more than 90 days, you’ll need a visa. A Working-Holiday-Visa’ enables you to earn your living and study at the same time moreover life is not expensive in Korea. About 700 Won (500 $) a month get you a simple room and enough money to spend on leisure activities and food. By the way, Korean cuisine is very spicy like the fermented kimchi sauce and pretty fishy for it includes lots of squid.
Even though a European driving license is accepted in South Korea, you won’t need it. Public transportation is well developed and very cheap. This must be the reason for the exodus of Korea’s population out of the cities towards the countryside. The other reasons are beautiful rice and paddy fields, picturesque mountains and unspoiled fishing villages scattered in the rocky landscape.
If you are rather up to partying, you can’t get around noraebang, Korean karaoke. But mind, whatever you do with Koreans, they will expect you to drink a lot. Males should have good reasons to reject a round while females are expected to stay mostly sober. After hiking all day or singing all night, you can relax in a jinjibong, a traditional sauna. Or if you are into sports you will find a people who are crazy about baseball, having one of the best teams in the world.
Never mind what you decide on, you’ll find Korean people extremely friendly and very eager to talk to foreigners. But don’t expect English speaking people everywhere. Although courses in English language are available, you better use the opportunity to learn Korean while you are there. The country’s rich culture and its people are really worth exploring.