Mariah Kieffer '24 made the most of her summer vacation. Mariah, an English major with a concentration in Teaching English as a Foreign Language TEFL, participated in Ewha Womans University's Summer College program in Seoul, South Korea. She completed three courses–Traditional Korean Music, Korean Language, and Gender Relations in Korea. Mariah shared a few photos with descriptions of her time in South Korea.

"We went to Gyeongbokgung Palace in the center of Seoul wearing traditional Korean Hanbok clothing. It is where the last king lived during the Joseon dynasty."

"One of our field trips for Gender Relations in South Korea was to the Korean War and Women's Rights Museum for Korean Comfort Women."

"Olympic Park was a beautiful place to walk and see artwork scatter through the entire park. Here you can see and feel the Olympic flame and read about the tournaments and history etched into the wall about the first Olympic games South Korea hosted."

"One of my favorite place was Korean biggest Buddhist temple called Jogyesa. We did a tea ceremony and meditation then toured the grounds. The Bell represents the sky and the drum represents the earth. There was a wooden fish as well that represents the sea."

"In Traditional Korean Music we learned to play two traditional instruments the Gayageum (a 12 stringed instrument) and the Jang-gu (traditional drum). We learned to play two kid songs and 4 traditional folk songs."

"I have eaten lots of food, but Samgyeopsal is one of my favorites. It is Korean pork belly that is barbecued in front of you."