Tinabeth Piña: Coming up on Globe Scholars, students from Brooklyn College’s Study Abroad and South Korea program travel all the way to Seoul and Busan to experience a vibrant culture, offering amazing museums, delicious food, K-pop, and so much more.

Stay tuned.

By day, I'm a TV reporter.

But at night, I write a travel blog because I love to travel.

It brings people and cultures together.

And when a student travels abroad, not only do they become a global citizen, the subjects they learn in school come to life.

This is Global Scholars.

Welcome to Globe Scholars.

I'm Tinabeth Piña from TinaBethTravels.com and today I'm in Seoul with students from Brooklyn College’s Study Abroad in South Korea program.

While here, we’ll not only learn about Korea's rich history and culture, but they also have to create short video projects comparing something in the US to something here in Korea.

How awesome is that?

So let's get started.

♪ [upbeat music playing] ♪ The travel adventure begins in New York City at CUNY's Brooklyn College where 16 students signed up and got accepted into Professor Young Chong's Media Production program, which provides students of any major the opportunity to learn production techniques like shooting, lighting, and audio, and put those new found skills into use state side and in Korea.

Dell Tangente: When they said South Korea, I was like, yes.

Check.

Film?

Check.K-pop?

Check, check, check.

Mathew Reed: Yeah, I just can't wait to see everything and experience everything and just be in the country.

Mariama Parsons: I am part of the Korean Culture Club and a lot of the older students went on the program and they told me about it and to go and experience it firsthand is something I'm really interested in doing.

Alyvia Juarbe: Yeah, I'm pretty new to the film but what got me interested in South Korea was actually BTS, the K-pop group, and that's, and I started actually learning Korean because of them.

Menahil Amjad: I chose South Korea mainly because of her.

[laughing] So, yeah, like I'm being dragged along.

Like at first I was like, Oh no, it's like, eh.

But like now I'm like, I want to go.

Faryal Amjad: You should add another fact in there.

We're sisters.

Menahil Amjad: Yeah.

Oh yeah.

We’re sisters so I’m being dragged along.

Tinabeth Piña: Who's older.

Menahil Amjad: Her.

Faryal Amjad: Me.

Menahil Amjad: I'm the more responsible one though.

[laughing] Just putting it out there.

Faryal Amjad: So actually I've been wanting to go to South Korea since high school.

I have been into like Korean dramas, like they said pop, but I'm actually more into like Korean R&B and hip hop.

Katrielle Pambid: I was like, I have to go.

I need to go see this.

And it was just perfect that it’s film, so not only can I learn about my major there, but like it's Korea so it's just a really great combination for me.

And then on top of that, I want to work abroad there.

So it's going to be a good way for me to see and test the waters to see how that works.

Tinabeth Piña: On the Brooklyn campus, the students are broken into four production groups and each group was asked to compare something in the US to something in Korea.

The first group decided to compare halal food in both the countries, the next group worked on comparing delis, a third group compared superstitions in both countries, while the final group looked at skincare routines.

All of these projects were very exciting for Professor Young Chong.

Professor Chong: I'm very excited this year's program because I have so many students compared to every year’s and then they will work with the Korean students for three weeks in Korea.

So they need to understand different culture.

You know, the international experience, also global engagement is very important these days.

Raven Wilson: I think that’s cute and I think -- Tinabeth Piña: Professor Young Chong's teaching assistant Raven Wilson, who also participated in the study abroad in South Korea program in the past, agrees.

Raven Wilson: When you have to work with somebody that may not necessarily speak the same language as you or come from the same culture as you, it forces you to learn how to adapt and to learn how to work through circumstances that may not be the best to bring together a product that you are proud to present to people.

And it's different than working in groups like for all Brooklyn College students.

We all go to Brooklyn College.

We all live in New York or New York Metro area.

There's a lot of similarities there, but working with somebody from a completely different culture, a completely different country halfway across the world, it changes that.

You need to work just that much harder to, you know, being unified with the group.

Tinabeth Piña: Raven's experience with the program is something that Professor Young appreciates, since he feels that Raven can communicate with the students in a way he can not.

Professor Chong: She has so many experience.

So it's very different than the way I explained to student also the way she explain to students, because she is still like a student but also she learned out of student level.

She was in Korea more than three times and then also she studied in one semester in Dongguk University after she finished my program during the summer.

So, she has so many experience and also she has a next level.

So she in between professor and student level, so she can explain so many good things to students.

Raven Wilson: I get asked the question a lot of, because I've done the trip already as a student and as a TA, why do I keep going back?

And it's because, you know, I want to see other students enjoy it as much as I do, which happens a lot.

And, you know, initially there may, they may be nervous about going and I like being there to be like, I've been in your position.

My mom has been in your position.

Don't worry.

It'll be okay.

We'll bring them back and they'll have fun.

And I love seeing that.

And I love seeing, you know, people returning to the trip.

Like, you know, students coming back for a second time, taking the grad level course, because they loved it so much.

Tinabeth Piña: Once they're stateside shooting and midterm exams were completed and graded, the students were ready to study abroad.

Faryal Amjad: It's like the first time on a plane.

Menahil Amjad: In a long time.

Faryal Amjad: I'm like, Oh, this is exciting.

Nizar Alvarez: This will actually be my second stamp on my passport.

Others: Wow.

Nizar Alvarez: Yeah.

So, I thought it was pretty cool.

Jason Bravo: I’m actually ready for everything.

I'm ready for the unexpected.

And getting comfortable with the discomfort.

Tinabeth Piña: Ready or not, away they go.

Students: South Korea!

♪ [upbeat music playing] ♪ Tinabeth Piña: 15 hours later, the students landed in Incheon Airport in Seoul to not only begin the second half of the course and finish up their video projects, but unbeknownst to them start the trip of a lifetime.

[students talking] Jason Bravo: We're in Korea now.

We're actually seeing things, learning about the culture.

I wish there were more things like this in New York or at least ah, -- but this is awesome.

Arielle Guiteau: I’ve never seen nothing like it so it's very -- everything's like a culture shock to me.

Mariama Parsons: It's cool to see just certain things just universal.

Faryal Amjad: It's not as you expect it to be, but then it can be better in some cases as well.

Nizar Alvarez: Being in a whole different environment, a different culture, but still sort of being similar to New York actually makes it so that I don't feel like I'm that far away from home.

Tinabeth Piña: With a population of over 10 million, Seoul is both the largest city and capital of South Korea.

It's also considered a global city because of how it integrates traditional culture and contemporary life.

Students' introduction to Korea was on their first night when they arrived on a rain soaked campus and got to see their dorm rooms for the first time, which for some was a bit of a culture shock.

Jason Bravo: The shower surprised me.

Edwin Contreras: It's so small.

Jason Bravo: The toilet and the shower, then you have like a hose.

I guess that's cool.

I'm not sure.

I've never seen that, but like, why not?

You know?

But I'm excited.

We're here now.

Alyvia Juarbe: The room is beautiful: It feels like I’m really staying at a dorm.

I've never, I never really went away to school so, this is great.

Mathew Reed: Oh, it was really cute.

I like it a lot.

There's like a closet and a bed and like a really big desk.

So I think it’s going to be really comfortable.

Tinabeth Piña: After a long day and night, the jet lagged students got up for their first language class at Dongguk University, one of the few Buddhist affiliated schools in the world.

Raven Wilson: For somebody just learning it is very difficult.

It is very difficult.

So having a teacher there is great.

Nizar Alvarez: So first we started out with the first letter, right?

I have never, ever been exposed to language ever.

I've seen it.

And I've also seen that the sounds kind of connect with each other because even when we were walking around, I was trying to read the streets based off of what we were learning so far.

So the pronunciation is still a, still a thing I'm trying to figure out but I can kind of like, guess what something says now?

Students: Aaa Ooo.

Teacher: Aaa Ooo.

Teacher: Ooo Eee.

Students: Ooo Eee.

Mathew Reed: Korean has always been a language I wanted to learn, I've just been lazy and never really started.

And today was like my first taste.

And our professor, the teacher, she's so cute.

Dell Tangente: So cute.

Mathew Reed: Adorable.

Dell Tangente: The cutest person ever.

Mathew Reed: Like she would like, she would like teach us how to say it, but also like show us with her mouth and her facial expressions.

Both: Ooo.

Eee.

Dell Tangente: Like, she's so cute.

Mathew Reed: It was great.

Dell Tangente: I think, yeah, she made the class better too.

I feel like if we had a different professor, it would have been a different taste, but she made it a lot more fun and nice.

Both: Aaa.

Alyvia Juarbe: I started learning Korean before coming on this trip.

So I kind of already knew the alphabet.

So I just was kind of learning how to say it correctly.

‘Cause I know how to read it and write it, I just don't know what it means in English.

But I know sitting in that class was a lot of fun because I love learning new languages.

That was probably my, that's like my all-time favorite.

Katrielle Pambid: The language classes were actually really great because personally, I've been self-teaching Korean for two years now.

I've never been in a classroom setting.

So having it actually brought to me on like papers with an actual teacher and one-on-one sessions, that made it feel so much more concrete to me.

And even though I knew everything that we covered in the class today, having the teacher actually go through it helped refresh my mind.

Arielle Guiteau: Growing up, I've always watched Korean dramas and I always was interested in the culture.

So now being able to kind of learn a little bit and understand what's happening around my environment, it's always good.

Tinabeth Piña: It should be noted that the student's language teacher did not speak English so the students were forced to only communicate with her in Korean, which was integral in them learning the language fully.

Tinabeth Piña: Next on the agenda was meeting their Korean classmates from Dongguk University who would not only help them produce their video projects, but also show them around town.

Minjun Kim: I have more fun with the foreign students to go to Hongdae, like some hot place for young people and we also film together.

So, both parts are good for me.

So, I’m happy.

[laughing] Tinabeth Piña: His American classmates are also happy with the cultural exchange.

Mariama Parson: Cultural exchange has been really good.

They told me about a lot of things here.

Like if I was interested in something and they didn't know it, they automatically pulled up their phone and searched it so like, I can, so they can help me figure out something that I was interested in that maybe they didn't know so it was really cool.

Mathew Reed: Like, I felt like I've made lifelong friends at this point.

Just went to places out of the program, just to hang out and just to get to know each other more.

So it's been great.

It's a great way to really get to know Korean locals.

Faryal Amjad: I really hope that the Korean students come to New York so I can show them around and we can have fun without college stress.

Tinabeth Piña: The student’s video project started coming along as well with the Korean student’s help.

Raven Wilson: Both the American students and the Korean students have to figure out a middle ground to sort of communicate with each other to get this project done and through that, for both sides, it kind of opens your eyes to an understanding of something you may not be used to.

And it teaches you, you know, teamwork skills, you know, and especially since it's a production course, you're learning as you go, things change as you go, it learns, it keeps you on your toes.

You learn how to adapt as you're going along, because you may not necessarily, even though you have a plan, you could arrive at a place and it changes completely.

Tinabeth Piña: Thankfully the projects seem to be coming along just fine.

Minjun Kim: We already got the topic for the video.

So I just helped them and I liked the theme.

Katrielle Pambid: He's a great translator.

He can understand both parts of the group.

And he always brings us together, which heightens the mood.

If the American group is out doing something and I'm on my own editing, most of the time they'll come and they'll ask me if I need any help and that's great.

Jason Bravo: Having the Korean students take over and like, refilming certain things just so it's more cinematic, they have been more than happy to accommodate my group, myself, and like, whenever we don't understand something, they like break it down for us and like, we do the same for them.

So it's been really great.

Mathew Reed: Meeting the Korean students, hearing their input and their ideas, just forming it together, just seeing it slowly grow into what it has become, has been really, really, like really heartwarming.

Nizar Alvarez: They were able to like negotiate with like other people to work with us.

So it was great.

I mean, they were a huge help.

Tinabeth Piña: After settling into their daily language and production class routine, the students finally had a chance to go out about town and learn about Seoul.

When you visit any city you're bound to learn about its history and the students quickly realize that Seoul has a very rich history that starts right here in Gyeongbok Palace.

This palace in particular was the main royal home of the Joseon dynasty and is the largest of the five grand palaces built by them in 1395.

It's located in Northern Seoul and also served as a Joseon government headquarters.

Professor Chong: This is a symbolic place for Koreans.

And they're also, this is the place the kind used to leave.

So you can see all the decoration and the design for the king, which means the best of best design.

Raven Wilson: This was the main palace in South Korea at one point and when Japan invaded, they burdened this castle to the ground.

So this castle itself is a recreation and it's only maybe 20% of what the actual palace fully was at one point.

Mathew Reed: It's really, it's bigger than I expected.

Like from here, I thought this was it, but then the more you go in, there's like so many like alleyways and tunnels and stuff.

Like, there's a lot to explore.

Jason Bravo: I see this in TV shows.

I see this in like photos, but like never, not once I've seen it in actual, like in person.

It was cool, you know?

Faryal Amjad: Honestly, the palace was really, really nice and like, super beautiful.

Katrielle Pambid: I saw so many different hanboks and seeing them all dressed up for the tradition and going around the whole palace and scenery, it was very nice to see that everyone is still keeping up with the tradition.

And it's a lot of the younger generation actually.

So it made me feel like there's a lot of restoration within tradition and history.

Tinabeth Piña: The students even got a chance to see the changing of the guard at the palace.

[drums pounding] Dell Tangente: I was imagining what was happening during that time.

When you hear the drums and you see the guards walking, it sounds like, am I in trouble or is anyone in trouble?

Are they looking for someone, you know?

It's like that feeling.

So weird to think that they have this whole thing just to change the guards.

And like, now we just, we're just like, Oh, end of shift.

Let's switch.

And that's it.

But they have a whole program and all that.

So it's cool.

[drums pounding] Tinabeth Piña: Seoul has a long history stretching far back into Korea's dynastic past, which the students also learned about at the National Museum, the largest museum in Korea with over 200,000 items in its collection.

While at the museum, the students learned that Seoul was originally named Hanseong and was the capital of the Joseon dynasty from 1392 to 1910 and remained the capital of Korea during the period of Japanese colonial rule.

The Joseon dynasty built most of Seoul’s most recognizable landmarks and after the Japanese surrender in 1945, the city was renamed to its current name of Seoul.

The global city continues to maintain a dual identity between the modern and the historical and that is seen in many of the city's landmarks.

No landmark in Seoul is as iconic as Namsan Tower located right here at the very top of Mount Namsan.

It offers some of the most panoramic and incredible views of Seoul.

Professor Chong: Namsan Tower historically is a very important like location for Seoul because whenever we have an enemy attack Seoul this area can look over anyone.

So, that’s the view from whole Seoul area.

Raven Wilson: I love Namsan Tower.

It's one of my favorite trips simply because like, it kind of puts the world in perspective for you because you are literally at the top of a mountain looking down and it's just like, everything seems so small when you're at that point.

Also, you can see all of Seoul.

Like that's amazing.

Arielle Guiteau: You get a taste of not only just seeing Seoul, you get a taste of culture too, as they had like little side performances and you see everybody just embracing everything that's around.

The locks were cute.

All of that.

So I feel like it's very, a cultural place that everyone has to go to.

Katrielle Pambid: I've always seen videos on YouTube or like in TV shows of people going to Namsan Tower, but me actually being in that moment, it felt so surreal to me that I was like, Oh, I'm in this beautiful environment.

We actually got to see a performance while we were there as well.

And that was actually phenomenal.

We got to see people with spears and knives doing traditional dancing as well as music and that was amazing.

Like, that's something that I'm really going to take back to New York with me and remember.

[shouting] [rhythmic drumming] Tinabeth Piña: Seoul is also a shopper's paradise.

There's so much to buy, from all types of street food to beauty products, to clothing and K-pop souvenirs and the list goes on.

There's no shortage of it in this bustling city.

Even the subway stations are like mini shopping malls.

The traditional area of Insa-dong was one place we visited to shop for antique and traditional items.

But -- if you're looking to shop and eat, the Myeong-dong district is the place to be.

It is Seoul’s most famous shopping and fashion area and the place the students just had to check out.

Mathew Reed: A lot of people would like to compare it to Times Square because it's very bustling.

A lot of people, food carts and all that.

But the two are very, very different.

There's just a different feeling to it and I really enjoyed it a lot.

I just liked the atmosphere and how it was just, everything was quick paced and, you know, you can go shopping, you can eat, there's a lot of things to do there.

And I'm definitely gonna be going back during the program to relieve some stress.

Raven Wilson: You can find everything you need there.

Like, from makeup to like, groceries, to like, shoes, everything.

It's really insane.

There are a lot of, you know, foreigners and tourists there.

So yeah, no, it's a lot of fun.

It's just, it's definitely insanity.

You're definitely brushing shoulders with everyone because there's so many people there all the time.

Faryal Amjad: Myeong-dong is really nice and it has different types of places.

A lot of halal places too.

I was surprised.

So I'm probably going to be going back there pretty soon.

Menahil Amjad: There were so many shops there and I want to go back just to shop more and more.

Nizar Alvarez: There’s some pretty cool stuff in there.

Like, there’s a lot of merchandise for sale.

And plus the fact that I can actually buy merchandise for some of my favorite groups, just, I mean, it made me happy.

Katrielle Pambid: Oh, my goodness.

That place is a landmine full of different things that you can buy.

We actually spent our time in the subway portion and there's a lot of underground shops that sell things for really cheap and like really off brand but they're -- Friend: I got a lot of socks.

Katrielle Pambid: Their socks were like $1 each and they're really cheap and cute.

Professor Chong: I like them a little bit excited.

I like to show them the shopping area like other foreigner, which means that they’re not only foreigner here.

There's also a bunch of foreigners in this country so they feel like this very comfortable area to go around.

Raven Wilson: We realized that it's a school program, but, you know, we still want to have fun, you know?

We're all young.

We’re in Korea.

We don't want to sit there and do work the whole time.

But, you know, we also, like sometimes when they first come here a lot of them have never been to Korea before, so they don't know what they can do.

So we give them a little taste of random little fun things that they can go back to.

Nizar Alvarez: I've enjoyed it.

You know being in a whole different environment, a different culture, but still sort of being similar to New York.

It actually makes it so that I don't feel like I'm that far away from home.

Professor Chong: This is my culture.

This is something I want to show people, I mean, to the Americans.

Every year, you see the students’ face.

They understand each other much better after I show the culture I belong.

And also they understand what's the real Korean culture and then also they can go back to America and then now they will miss the real Korean culture because this is only here.

Tinabeth Piña: We've only begun to scratch the surface of what Korea is all about.

On the next two episodes of Globe Scholars, watch these study abroaders explore a Buddhist monk temple stay, [ringing gong] meet K-pop stars and learn their dance moves, eat Korean cuisine, go to the beach and have some fun.

Plus you'll finally get to watch all of their video projects.

Join us next time as the students continue their journey throughout Seoul.

Jal gala!

Nizar Alvarez: I’ve noticed that Seoul is a lot, is kind of like New York City in the way.

It’s like, it was very crowded and there's a lot of people all over the place.

And plus it's a tourist area so it made sense.

Dell Tangente: Namsan Tower is like on the hill so you see the city more.

You see like a wholesome view, whereas in the Empire State, it's just the buildings around it so it's much more wholesome, like the feeling.

And it makes you feel like you're on top of the world.

Mathew Reed: Yeah.

And another thing I could add on with that, it's like, what also is really cool is like, you see like the city, but you also see like the mountains and the river and the forest so it was a good mixture of both.

Tinabeth Piña: For more information about studying abroad in South Korea, or in any part of the world, check out GlobeScholarsTV.com for useful information, web only education abroad videos, scholarship information, travel reviews, and helpful travel minute videos specifically about South Korea.

Make sure you check it out.