Get Up and Go!

By Christina Park, Foster Undergraduate participating in an exchange with Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea.

One of the best things about studying abroad is the opportunity available to travel to nearby countries that you wouldn’t necessarily go to if you were flying directly from the states. Before I went abroad in Korea, I knew I wanted to visit some countries in South East Asia, however, if you look on a map of Asia, Korea is actually further up northeast, and as it is a peninsula, there aren’t many neighboring countries that are a short plane ride away. Because of this, it wasn’t as feasible to travel to more than a couple different countries due to time restrictions.

Fortunately, I was still able to travel to Thailand and Hong Kong. These two Asian countries are definitely a must for any tourist! Thailand was easily one of the highlights of my time abroad. I tried to cover the main parts of the country and went to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Koh Phi Phi Islands. These areas are definitely more touristy, but Thailand in general caters a lot to the tourism industry. As it was not an English speaking country, there were times when communicating was difficult, but it was definitely comfortable enough to get by! The absolute best part about traveling through Thailand was the other travelers you met along the way and the spontaneous lifestyle that comes along with a carefree schedule.

Hong Kong, on the other hand, had less language barriers. The country itself is pretty small too, so I was able to cover a majority of the must see places while I was there for five days. I definitely recommend going to “The Peak” which shows an amazing skyline of the city. In addition, I recommend going to the Ozone bar as it is 118 floors up in the air and is also the highest bar in the world! Another highlight of Hong Kong was the food. They have two of the cheapest Michelin star rated restaurants in the world: Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum and Kam’s Roast Goose. 10/10 would recommend!