"Seoul itself is incredibly big and never sleeps, with almost a fifth of the total population living in the capital alone. No matter what time of day you are out, you will meet other people on the streets, because nightlife really does take place here every day."
The Asian economic and cultural region is considered to be very important now and in the future and is also becoming increasingly interesting for European Studies students. The ASBE programme offers a special opportunity to shape your own CV in an international and targeted way during your studies - Jason Hensel did not miss out on this opportunity and spent his semester abroad in South Korea during the ongoing corona pandemic.
Green and hilly landscapes with Buddhist temples, numerous fishing villages on the coast, islands and ultra-modern cities - for his semester abroad, 24-year-old M. Sc. International Economics and Management (IEM) student Jason Hensel chose a vibrant country in East Asia: South Korea. The semester abroad is part of the "Asian Studies in Business and Economics" (ASBE) specialisation. The partner university in South Korea is the largest women's university in the world, Ewha Womans University in Seoul. It was founded in 1886 and is one of the most important universities in Korea with around 22,000 students. Unlike the exchange students before him, Jason had to submit numerous documents in advance in order to be allowed to enter South Korea this winter semester despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Entry with restrictions
"On 10.08.21 the time had come! We flew from Düsseldorf to Dubai and from there on to South Korea. When we finally arrived in South Korea, we had to hand in various documents that we had previously filled out during the flight, have our body temperature measured and install an app to monitor our health and location during the subsequent two-week quarantine." After this procedure, the IEM student was received by Global Education & Services and taken by taxi to the quarantine hotel assigned to him. Jason then had to stay in his hotel room for the first two weeks. He was only allowed to leave his room for a second PCR test during the entire period. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were brought to his room every day. "During my time in quarantine, I tried to work a little on the project and do strength training so that I wasn't just lying in bed. I also talked to my girlfriend on the phone a lot, brushed up on the basics of the Korean language and watched series, as there were no other activities available." After the quarantine ended, the anticipation of being able to move into the student residence at Ewha Womans University was all the greater.
The culture of the capital
Jason was only able to see Seoul, the capital of South Korea, almost two weeks after arriving in Asia: There, it seemed completely normal to Jason to go out to eat and drink with friends almost every day after work, school or even after university. The culture is very different to Germany in this respect, but this makes everyday life more exciting and fun. "There is something new to see in every neighbourhood in Seoul, which is why sightseeing is worthwhile in every district." Although most Koreans are not always able to speak English, communication is possible with the help of an app or even just a little knowledge of Korean. "South Korea is not overly multicultural if you compare the population with that of Germany, for example. This means that as a non-Asian-looking person, you stand out much more quickly and are often looked at. Everyone should be aware of this before deciding to travel to Asia."
The coronavirus situation in South Korea
Jason was also able to gather numerous experiences regarding the ongoing coronavirus situation, which he experienced in his daily interactions with the locals: "It was quite frightening that even in the underground or on the bus, some of the local Koreans kept their distance from foreign people. For example, they would sit away or go into another carriage if you were standing next to them. This was probably because the government still claims that people travelling from abroad are the main carriers of the virus." Due to the pandemic, Jason was also not allowed to travel. This restriction was imposed on him by the student hall of residence, which was a reason for many students to leave. "I thought about it too, but after a while I came to terms with it, as other flats nearby were much more expensive and I saw the positive aspects of the student residence. For example, the fact that I got in contact with other exchange students more quickly. That also worked out very well and quickly and I made friends right at the beginning, which I kept until the end of the semester." The 24-year-old describes the rules within the hall of residence as strict and reports on online forms in which he had to provide information about his own body temperature every day. Failure to provide this information led to many students collecting penalty points and, in the worst case, being expelled from the hall of residence.
Between course choices, studying and free time
The free time until the lectures started was actively organised by the Paderborn students: "We used the time to explore Seoul, try out different restaurants, familiarise ourselves with using the underground and buses and take lots of photos. The highlight was visiting the old palaces and hiking and climbing on Bukhansan Mountain." After the course options had been activated in the meantime, the focus was initially on the desired course programme, but Jason remembers that he had to hurry to get his desired courses. "It was comparable to buying tickets for coveted concerts or festivals."
Most courses only offered one to three places for exchange students. This made it impossible to fulfil the learning agreement that had to be submitted in advance. Firstly, the course list changed shortly before the start of the trip and secondly, the course registration process at the EWHA made it difficult to get all the courses you had chosen in advance. However, it is quite normal that the course selection abroad or at Paderborn University has to be changed in the course of the semester by means of a Learning Agreement B or Changes Agreement.
Jason found the courses more complicated than at his home university in Paderborn. At Ewha Womans University, there are weekly submissions that are graded as well as oral work and midterm and final exams. Nevertheless, Jason found the content of the modules to be very easy and the level of difficulty significantly lower compared to German university examinations, which is why he and his fellow students received very good grades. Unfortunately, the semester and the exams were almost exclusively online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Travelling was possible again from autumn and Jason took a trip to the port city of Busan with a few friends to enjoy the still warm weather on the beach. "The city is also very big and offers many sights." However, the temperatures dropped very quickly during the autumn, so that it was only just under 6°C during the day. Shortly after the midterm phase, the IEM student then took a trip to Jeju Island to recover from the stress of studying. "As the island is in the south of the country, the weather there was still very warm and we had temperatures of over 20°C every day. The island is really beautiful and there are many great natural sights. The numerous waterfalls and the small neighbouring island of Udo are particularly noteworthy." The final terms were due at the beginning of December, which also marked the end of Jason's semester abroad. Despite some restrictions and peculiarities, he is certain: "I experienced a lot and got to know lots of people from all over the world."
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More information
- about the M. Sc. International Economics and Management programme
- about the Asian Studies in Business and Economics Programme (ASBE)
