# Dalen Ferreira, '19, Korea Institute Undergraduate Language Study Grant to Ewha (Tuition Waiver), Summer 2019 September 09, 2019 ![Image of student, Dalen Ferreira, in Korea in 2019](/sites/g/files/omnuum10896/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/koreainstitute/files/ferreira_dalen_photo1_01.jpg?itok=ehA9aW9M) Having graduated this past May, I took this summer in Korea as an opportunity to focus on education for the sake of education, knowing that these courses would have no effect on my GPA or transcript; that made this all the more enjoyable. The Ewha International Summer College offered me the chance to study Korean Language in a new way, different from how I had learned at Harvard. The daily course structure was different, there was hardly ever a word of English spoken, and the textbook was made by Ewha for Ewha, allowing it to use relevant real-life examples to illustrate new concepts. They also held placement exams, both written and spoken, to ensure that everyone in a class would be at about the same level, creating a very comfortable, supportive, and no-pressure class environment. Unlike other times in Korea, I felt this time as though I could enter into society and not only survive but thrive without needing to speak English or use Google Translate. I could shop, ask for directions, and make small talk with anyone I met on the street; and that was a wonderful feeling. I also had the opportunity to study Korean Traditional Music; in this course, I learned how to play the gayageum (가야금), danso (단소), and janggu (장구). In just 4 short weeks, my 5 classmates and I were able to record and perform various pieces ranging from children’s songs to traditional Korean court music. As a musician, this was such an invaluable experience from which I hope to draw significant musical inspiration. Overall, this program, though different from the Harvard-organised program, is extremely enriching. The two classes together managed to provide so much information in so little time, each only being between 2 and 3 hours long and only Monday through Thursday. In my free time, I frequently found myself joining my classmates for meals and to explore Seoul – from night markets to shopping to even a photoshoot at Gyeongbok Palace (경복궁). I also met new Ewha students during this program, including my Peace Buddy, an assigned Ewha student whose job is to be a friend and mentor throughout our time in Korea and beyond as well! This was my third time to Seoul in just over one year, the first time being with the Ewha-Harvard Summer School Program 2018 and the second time as a member of the Harvard College in Asia Program in March 2019. Even though Seoul wasn’t new to me as it was last summer, it did not lose any of its charm and allure which keeps bringing me back. To be honest, I don’t know how to exactly describe this pull to return to Korea. People often ask me why I love Korea so much and why I keep going back; also common is “why don’t you go somewhere else instead this time?” My first response is always “I don’t know”, but that’s only half true. I know what it is, but I can’t put it into words. It’s the friends I’ve made there, both new – my peace buddy! – and old – my EHSSP and HCAP friends!; it’s the experience of walking through the streets and recognising things as new and as old, as tradition meeting modernity; it’s the feeling of visiting the same restaurant owners and sharing life updates with them; it’s feeling as though Seoul is a second home. See also:- [ Undergraduate ](/audience/undergraduate) - [ Student Reflection ](/news-type/student-reflection) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)