Voices from Abroad: Alberto Riato

Alberto with friends

Seoul (South Korea), Exchange Program, KIAST

Before leaving for Seoul I had a lot of expectations concerning my study abroad experience. In the end I learned new things on the field, I discovered a new culture and different ways of thinking and I met a lot of new people. Based on my experience, the major suggestions that I can give to future exchange students are the following:

The first bit of advice is that if you really want to learn from the culture, from the country, I would really suggest not to plan your exchange with your friends and instead go somewhere alone. It is the best way to meet millions of new friends and learn a lot from the people, the culture and the language.

Cooking class

Sometimes the culture in Korea is quite different from Western culture, especially in the social context and the classroom, but do not hesitate to ask questions if you are not sure of something as it is the quickest way to learn new things. Korean people are very nice and helpful, professors always welcome questions and expect students prepare well before lesson and actively participate in class. Don't be shy! You don't pay $1,100 for air ticket to be shy. So be open-minded!

I think the whole idea of going on an exchange should not only be to study. If you are really thinking of just going abroad to study for the exchange program, you are definitely wasting your time and also missing a valuable part of the exchange program. During my experience, I did different off-campus experiences like visits and dinners. Thanks to these experiences I understood a lot about Korea and its population. One of the two most impressive experience were the Korean Cooking Class which gave me the opportunity to learn something that a normal tourist can not. I made 2 different typical Korean dishes: Kimchi and sea soup.

Outside the Kia plant

The other experience was the visit to the Kia plant. I went into the assembly section with a guide, and it was incredible to see how robots did some operations or added some parts in a sequential manner. It was like going to a future world where the machines seem to live.

Travel is another kind of learning! You will have many chances to travel around Korea, especially during the holidays of the break. I am sure you will be interested in appreciating the beautiful scenery. The most convenient way is to rent a car and drive around the country and it's the most economical way to see new places!

The last suggestion: live every day to the fullest and have fun!