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- Maiyia Y. •
- ISEP South Korea Program
• - Individual Studies (BIS) Degree in Linguistics, Global Studies, and Cultural Studies
“It’s
not just learning, it’s not just reading the books anymore,
it’s experiencing it.”
—Maiyia Y. | |
Maiyia is pursuing a Bachelor of Individual Studies (BIS) degree in Linguistics, Global Studies, and Cultural Studies. She spent a semester in Daegu, South Korea, with the ISEP program. While she was there, she learned about the culture of Korea, and felt that she grew personally.
Maiyia chose the ISEP program to South Korea because she wanted the opportunity to learn about a country that she wasn’t studying at the University of Minnesota. She chose to study in Daegu, a smaller city in South Korea, and took coursework on East Asian relations, politics in developing nations, and gender issues, as well as Korean language. Maiyia's coursework fit with the Global Studies and Cultural Studies areas of her major. She enjoyed her professors, and thought that being taught by someone from South Korea helped her understand the culture as well. "It’s not just learning, it’s not just reading the books anymore, it’s experiencing it."
Maiyia is interested in a career in human relations or human rights. She felt that her experience in South Korea gave her confidence in her abilities to communicate with people. She feels that now she has gained independence, while also being able to network with others to solve problems.
Maiyia was able to spend time both with other international students, and with Koreans, as her roommate was Korean. She found that both groups were interesting, but in different ways. The international students had the experience of being abroad in common, so they were able to talk about the kinds of things they were learning about South Korea. On the other hand, spending time with Koreans, she learned about cultural values. She found that the Korean students were very group-oriented, which contrasted with the individual feeling she had in a group of international students. Spending time with South Koreans was a good experience, one which was important to her time there.
Last modified on November 21, 2008 |