EF Stories: Lea-Marie from Germany in EF Seoul

Hello, I'm Lea-Marie, and I'm going to Seoul with EF for four weeks soon.

I first learned about EF through an acquaintance who had already booked her approximately 3-month trip to Korea with EF. I cautiously approached and gathered information from the website and the catalog. The experiences shared by other EF language students gave me a good initial insight and really excited me. Now, here are my reasons for why I wanted to do a language trip and why EF convinced me.

Learning a Language 🎌

Naturally, the main reason was to learn the language. My focus was on Asian languages, and EF offers Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. I had started learning Japanese and Korean early. I really want to master both languages, so I began self-teaching them alongside my school and part-time job.

I initially learned the Japanese writing system and grammar. Then, I switched to Korean since it seemed easier, not requiring learning 2,000 Kanji characters as in Japanese. After I reached an A1 level in Korean, knowing the Korean alphabet (한글) and grammar, I started teaching it on social media. Although I can handle the basics and explain them clearly, I felt stuck and wanted to make progress.

While browsing the EF catalog, I became aware of the EF teaching method. The key here is to learn the language in the country where it's spoken, so you're constantly surrounded by it and can immediately apply it, which significantly improves your language skills. After lessons, you can put what you've learned into practice. It's all about learning by doing!

I want to use a language trip to assess whether I'm on the right track. I want to gauge how successful I've been so far, identify my strengths and weaknesses in each language. My expectations are quite high, but I'm optimistic. I did a language trip to Ireland during my school years and know what to expect, but I also hope that it will be even better with EF!

Travel, Experience, and Collect Memories 🗻

Another reason for a language trip is the opportunity to travel. I've never been to Korea or Japan, and I'd love to explore these countries to see what they have to offer.

The EF schools are in the capital cities, all of which are major metropolises with numerous attractions and efficient transportation networks. Besides classes, I want to see as much as possible and visit other cities, and EF's activities make that possible. The school even offers leisure activities to immerse oneself further in the culture of the country.

Culture, Culture, and More Culture 🐉

In addition to travel and language learning, culture is crucial for me. You can experience and acquire local knowledge best by traveling to a country. Language trips with classes and accommodation in a host family, as offered by EF, provide a cultural experience that you don't get as a conventional tourist. I'm looking forward to living with a host family in Seoul to experience the culture and lifestyle up close.

Making Friends & Having Fun 💞

I was particularly impressed by my acquaintance's stories about the lifelong friendships she made thanks to EF. I want to experience that too. With so many international students coming together, I hope to make many international contacts and find new friends.

Of course, having fun is another reason for the language trip. I hope to grow as a person and discover the world. The world offers so many amazing things! The most important thing in this process is to enjoy it.

My Booking

All these reasons have fueled my wanderlust. The desire to travel far and learn a language that I enjoy immensely, and that I already consider a part of me, has been growing steadily. I had to wait a long time until an opportunity arose for me to do the language trip with EF.

I booked my trip to Seoul about 9 months in advance. Unfortunately, I only have exactly 4 weeks there. My plan is to spend 3 weeks at the EF language school and use the remaining days to travel around Korea. I got all the information and good advice from my nearby EF office. And I managed everything on my own without help or support from my parents. I can't wait to get started and fly to Seoul.

Do you also want to go on a language trip? Learn all about Seoul and our EF school. For more opportunities abroad for every age and interest, you can find here. If you're looking for more inspiration, visit us on Instagram!