Sylvia Deppen, '17, Harvard Summer School in Seoul Program-Summer 2014
My Korean experience is best broken down into three parts: the film class excursion, Korean classes, and my individual experiences.
During the excursion week, we were dismissed from Korean class and were able to experience many areas of Korea. On the first day, we explored Korea’s past history through exploring Seodaemun Prison, Namdaemun market, the Seoul Museum of History, and the Changdeok Palace. Between the horrors of the prison only a few decades ago to the changing dynamics of the old market current market, Korea is a very unique country that is still far from being a stable nation. One of the point that was made clear throughout the trip was that although Korea went through an economic boom, a lot of the country was not able to move at the same rapid pace.
On the second day, the class focused on the social aspect of Korea. First, we learned about the adoption crisis through KoRoot, an organization dedicated to helping Korean adoptees as well as supporting single mothers. Then we took a visit to the Soviet Community, Chinatown, and the GeotBae dock in Sorae Pogu. This time we were exposed to the different communities that are often not considered when people think about Korea. For most of the places we visited, we had done some readings on them prior. For the class, we also attended film screenings, which allowed us to create the connection between how a film can capture a community in numerous ways.
Finally, during the rest of the week, we left Seoul and traveled to Seorak National Park and the Naksansa Temple. Both locations were breathtakingly beautiful. we were able to practice our filming techniques as well as learn more about eh Confucianist values of Korea. I particularly enjoyed these few days of fresh air, the clear, blue waves on the beach, and the relaxing atmosphere. We ended our journey with a barbecue at Dean Kim’s house in Yangpyeong. Overall, excursion week was by far one of the most memorable parts of my trip.
It was such a privilege to spend time with professors David Chung and Paul Chang. They were extremely patient and generous, and provided us with so much knowledge to go out and create incredible pieces. The week after the excursion was our turn to show off just what we had learned from them. And through a lot of hard work, filming interviews and other footage, editing, and reviewing, each group spent the next five days forming our final projects. In teams of four, we produced ten-minutes documentaries that focused on difference aspects and issues of Korea.
My team worked on the crisis in the elderly population of Korea. Albeit depressing, we showed the problems of the growing elderly population not being able to keep up with the quickly modernizing Korea. Other group topics included the Sewol Ferry Disaster, the importance of rice, the Han River, and the economic gap. During the program’s closing ceremony, we watched each video and celebrated the success of the program, and said our goodbyes to our Ewha counterparts.
Even though film class was over, Korea classes intensified. For the next week, we buckled down and powered through our textbook. Taking a fourteen week class and learning it in six weeks, was not something I thought I would be capable of, but accomplished regardless. My class dynamic included my friend Kim-Mai, and my Professor. Professor Hong was like a mother to us, and classes were always enjoyable and entertaining, despite being a lot of hard work. I never though I could memorize so many things in so little time. But just as film class came to a closing, Korean class did as well. We celebrated our accomplishments with presentations and skits displaying our new language skills. I particularly had a great time scheming with Kim, making our teachers laugh as we acted out an incredible day off from class full of shenanigans and inside jokes.
In conclusion, this trip was educational to say the least, but in a way classes alone could never teach. I plan to continue learning the language so that I can return again and make a difference in the community. Lastly, I want to take time to thank my donor, David Rockefeller, for providing me the means to participate in the Harvard Summer School Program. Without his generosity, I would never have had the change to fall in love with Korea as I have.
