To preface this, I just wanted to say that the Ewha-Harvard HCAP program was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life. I chose Ewha over our other partner schools because I knew that Ewha was going to be amazing no matter what. I wanted to go to Seoul once I met all the Korean delegates who came to Harvard. I was able to connect with them the best and thought that they were some of the most interesting delegates who participated in the conference.
Lectures, case studies, and the trip to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and JSA (Joint Security Area) really showed everyone, Americans and Koreans alike, how grave the status quo was and how intense the current situation actually is. It was really interesting to see the Koreans react to what was literally in their backyard and for everyone to realize how close Seoul and Ewha are to North Korea.
In addition, it was really amazing to see the difference in life between those who lived in Seoul and those who lived in Gyeongju. I thought that it was really interesting to see how underdeveloped a lot of South Korea was as we traveled south compared to Seoul.
I think the most memorable event that I experienced with Ewha students was actually the five hour bus ride back to Seoul from Gyeongju. It was a time where we could learn about each other on a deeper level. Riding a bus obviously is not the most interesting you can do while in Seoul, but the result of it came to mean much more to me and was a start to life-long friendships and plans to see each other once again in the future.

 

* Cynthia Wu (Harvard University, 3) is the Executive Director at HCAP.