Hello! My name is Folasade Olawoye, and I am a senior majoring in international studies and minoring in both Korean studies and translation. In fall 2024, I studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea, through the TEAN South Korea: Korea University Program.  

I’m not going to lie, studying abroad in a new country can be scary. The day I arrived in South Korea, I was already freaked out because I had managed to lose both my driver’s license and debit card in another country. I thought to myself, “If this is indicative of how the rest of my study abroad experience will go, how will I make it through the next four months?” Luckily for me, I had been to Seoul once before and had a few friends who I knew would be in Korea at the same time as me. But I wanted more out of my experience than just going to the same places I had been to before, and as it turned out, all my friends were extremely busy, and I could only meet them one or two times over the course of the semester. This meant I was alone for most of my trip.  

I can still remember the first time I visited a city outside of Seoul like it was yesterday. There is a public holiday in Korea called Chuseok, which is equivalent to Thanksgiving in the United States. And just like in the U.S., we had about a week off from class to celebrate this holiday. I decided this would be the perfect time to go on my first solo trip. I chose Sokcho, a coastal town in the northeastern part of Korea known for its delicious food and beautiful beaches. I booked the hotel and nervously paced my dorm room for two hours before heading to the intercity bus station. When I talked with the attendant to get a bus ticket, I was so terrified that I ended up stuttering and messing up basic Korean. I did eventually get my bus ticket, and a week later, I was on my way to Sokcho. I had a blast by myself and visited the ocean every night, took surfing lessons for the first time (all in Korean), talked with locals in their native language, met new friends from Peru, and so much more. By the end of the break, I couldn’t remember what I was so scared of before. This trip completely changed the course of my study abroad experience, and I ended up visiting nine cities in total outside of Seoul and exploring all over Seoul on my own.  

I never thought this would be my own experience. I had a friend who went to Seoul through the same program just a year before me and she had a completely different experience. She made a lot of friends inside the TEAN program, went out a lot, and primarily stayed in Seoul throughout her time there. I figured if she had so much fun doing that, I would just replicate what she did, and obviously, I would have fun too, right? WRONG! I learned pretty quickly that her experience, while great for her, would not be enjoyable for me. 

"For me to have fun, I needed to figure out what was right for me. If I hadn’t learned this lesson, I would have never ended up at a lantern festival in Jinju or watching a drone show in Busan."

I even ended up going to Hong Kong by myself because of the confidence I had gained with solo travel in Korea.  

What I want you to take away from this, prospective study abroad student, is not that you must be exactly like me. You might be reading my letter and thinking that none of what I experienced sounds appealing, and that’s okay. If you do decide to study abroad, which you totally should, do what makes you happy and find what excites you, even if you have to do it alone and even if you are scared. After all, studying is important, but studying abroad is all about what happens outside of school. I hope you find this helpful, and most importantly, have fun!

The Global Access Ambassador Scholarship program provides awards to study abroad for a summer, semester, or academic year. The scholarships are intended to support students who study abroad with the intent to serve as Global Access Ambassadors upon return to the UI campus. Upon completion of the study abroad program and return to UI, award recipients are asked to submit a photo and an open letter to prospective students or suggest an alternate means of sharing with prospective students.

Please note that the opinions and views expressed by ambassadors are solely those of the students and do not reflect or represent the views of International Programs or the University of Iowa.

International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement.  IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.