Being a BIPOC student studying abroad can be a scary process at first, as you may worry about how race is perceived or if you will have to struggle with racism or discrimination in the country you choose to visit. Working as a WorldStrides blogger this summer, I want to ensure that I’m providing a resource for other BIPOC students to help them along their study abroad endeavors. Therefore, I will be sharing my experience studying abroad in South Korea as a Black woman.
Whether you’re also interested in visiting Korea or not, I feel that my story can be something everyone can learn from. Be mindful, however, that everyone’s experience will differ, so you may not experience what I went through.
Wearing hanbok at Gyeongbokgung Palace
A very common occurrence I faced in Korea was being stared at by locals. Though I knew to expect this beforehand, I don’t think anything could mentally prepare me enough for the amount of staring I received. What I’ve noticed, though, is that most Koreans don’t mean any ill intent when staring. They mostly do it out of curiosity, as they are not used to seeing Black people in Korea regularly. However, it still didn’t make me feel any less self-conscious about myself whenever I went out. Unfortunately, I did experience discrimination a few times during my time abroad:
- My friends and I received poor service and were practically ignored by servers at a Korean barbeque spot just because we were foreigners.
- A random woman touched my hair without asking while I was waiting in line for the bathroom at a train station.
- While on the subway, there was a time I was being looked at and gossiped about by a group of older ladies.
Despite the bad times, visiting Korea was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. It is important to remind yourself that you shouldn’t let a few bad people represent an entire population. There was a time when a friend and I went to a baseball game, and on the subway back home, someone struck up a conversation with us. He said he wanted to practice his English with us, and it was a nice exchange to get to know him and even practice some of our Korean.
It was the little moments like this that made studying abroad worthwhile. Many Koreans here are welcoming to foreigners and admire those who have genuine respect and appreciation for Korean culture. They are also eager to teach more about their culture and history. From the delicious food and beautiful scenes to the rich culture, there was so much to admire about the country.
A delicious kimchi pancake!
Overall, I had a lovely time in Korea! Between the people from the KU program and the locals I conversed with, I met some amazing people throughout my trip and made a lot of great memories. I even made some Korean friends who I hope to see when visiting again in the future. For my fellow BIPOC travelers looking for their next destination, I recommend putting South Korea on your radar, and I hope you have as much of a fun time as I did.
Graduation at Korea University
고마워요 여러분! 난 네가 그리울 거야 한국 ~ ♡︎