Thu Le, '27, Economics, Harvard Summer School in Korea Program, Summer 2024
The eight weeks that I spent in South Korea this summer with the Ewha Harvard Summer School Program were some of the most fun, vibrant, and educational times of my life!
For the first four weeks, I took the pre-advanced Korean class that is the equivalent of Korean 130A at Harvard. My favorite part of the class was the fact that my classmates and I were taught by two Ewha professors who we got to connect with and know so much better by the end of our class. Beyond the normal course content, they taught us fun lingo and slang that are used by Koreans in daily life, gave us recommendations for their favorite things to do and places to eat, and thoroughly explained cultural differences that we couldn’t initially wrap our minds around. Even though there were only 5 of us students, the atmosphere was never anything but fun, lively, and inclusive. By the end of the 4 weeks, my Korean had improved to a level I could’ve never even imagined before–so much so that I could write a whole research paper as my final project!
The second half of the program was also just as exciting, if not more. Each of the students in our program were paired with a current Ewha student and got to room with them! My Ewha roommate and I became super close and were practically sisters by the end of the program. We ate together, went to cafes together, and talked each other’s ears off every single night. Her presence, character, and energy were some of the biggest highlights of my entire time spent in Korea. I could not be more grateful for the time that we were able to spend together and am endlessly hoping I’ll get to see her soon, whether it might be in Cambridge or Korea again!
The anthropology course called “Global Korea” that the other students in the program and I took during the second half of the program was also nothing short of interesting and enlightening. We were able to learn so much not only about South Korea’s history and culture, but also its growth as a nation and the leading principles and values that continue to guide it and its people in the modern world. Additionally, the Ewha students that we were paired with also took the class with us, and it was immensely helpful to have their first-hand experiences and perspectives guide the thoughtful conversations we were able to have in class, as many of them were Korean citizens who spent either their whole lives, or many years of their lives in Korea.
Outside the classroom, the excursions and field trips the program took us on were also fun and educational. My personal favorite was the time we spent on Jeju Island–we were able to both learn about its poignant and rich history through our guided tours and museum visits while also visiting fun sites such as the beach and Korea’s biggest green tea farm/museum!
Beyond program activities, I was able to dabble in a little bit of everything Korea has tooffer–everyday was a new adventure! I ate so much delicious food, went to a variety of the med cafes, sang my heart out at karaoke (노래방), shopped till I dropped, made late-nightconvenience store runs with friends, visited sites I’d only ever seen through my computer screen on Kdramas, and so so much more!
Words alone could never be enough to express the depth of my time spent in Korea this summer, but I’m glad that I can share at least a small portion of my experience with others through this. I want to sincerely thank the Harvard Korean Program, Harvard Summer School, Ewha Womans University, Korea Institute and its donors, as well as all of the professors,program directors and coordinators, and teaching fellows that made this experience possible.