Author: Riley Rama

Hello! For my last blog entry, I wanted to take this time to reflect and share some photos my friends and I that I met throughout this semester.

Going into South Korea, I didn’t know what to expect. I was the only one in my school studying abroad, going to Korea, so I didn’t know anyone at all. I only knew a little bit of the language and was not sure how I would communicate if I was by myself. Overall, I just didn’t know how it would turn out.

But, I believe that God placed everything and everyone in front of me that He wanted to, and I am grateful for everything I experienced.

It was such a great time, and I believe that everyone should study abroad if they have the opportunity to do so.

Getting to meet many different people from different backgrounds, schools, and cultures really helped me expand my view of the world and make connections that will last a lifetime.

Although my study abroad time in Korea is finished, I will continue to cherish all the people and memories that I have made through my time there.

South Korea, thank you for everything. I will see you along with everyone else soon!!!

Riley Rama

In Korea, the concert culture for K-pop is huge. That also means there are concerts almost every week, some of which are also free!

My friends and I were able to catch one that was near where we stayed. It was at SKKU, which is about 40 minutes away from the Yonsei Sinchon campus. I had a class at 9 am and went straight to line up for the event after.

We stayed in line for a couple of hours because we wanted to get tickets for the event. The festival started at 8, and we got there at noon. After getting our tickets, we found out that we didn’t have to get there that early. It was pouring down rain and our legs painful, but we were happy we made it inside.

It took about 2 more hours until the actual performers came out, but it was very worth it!

Just like I mentioned for previous concerts, it was crazy to see the performers that close. I would always see videos online and couldn’t believe they were real when I saw them in real life for the first time.

IVE was the first group to perform, and they took about 25 minutes in total. I enjoy their music, so it was good to see them.

The second group to perform was a 2 person band, JANNABI.

I only knew one of their songs going into the festival, but my friend is a really big fan of them. They were probably the best performers of the night and their live performance was amazing. I definitely added more songs to my playlist after…

Lastly, the icon himself, PSY…

Hearing all his hits live was amazing!  We all grew up on Gangnam Style, and I felt like I was dreaming hearing it live and seeing him perform it.

Overall, it was an amazing time. The rain was pouring, our legs were hurting from standing in line all day, but it was a great experience with friends and to see a concert for free, too!

Riley Rama

Just last month, I was blessed to see so many concerts. The dates to see these concerts were so close to each other that I was able to see 2 in a span of 4 days!

The first concert I saw in this span was for a group called Le Sserafim. They are a very popular girl group in Korea and consist of 5 members. The concert took place in the INSPIRE ARENA, about an hour 30 away from where I stay in Korea.

As expected, there were many people, and we got there just in time before the concert started. The concert started at 4 p.m., which is quite an early start, but I found out that they do that on purpose because people either have work or school the next day.

It was a great concert, and I was sitting in the same section as another girl group in Le Sserafim’s label called ILLIT. They made a very popular song called “Magnetic” that caught a lot of attention online. Another notable person there was JIHYO from TWICE. TWICE is my favorite girl group, so it was really cool to see that she was there.

About 4 days later, I went to the Coldplay Concert! My main reason of going to this concert was to see TWICE, who I got to see perform live!

It was so cool to actually see them in person for the first time, since all I saw previously were videos online.

There wasn’t much reaction from the fans, because they were just opening acts, but I was very happy that I saw them.

The next part after they finished, was the main event, Coldplay. I didn’t realize how popular they were in Korea until they came out of the tunnel and started to perform their songs.

I already liked Coldplay, but after this concert, I enjoyed their songs even more. I would say this is probably one of the best concerts I have been to so far. They are very good live performers and I hope that you would get to see them live one day as well!

-Riley Rama

Busan, a city in South Korea outside of Seoul, is a large port city known for its beaches, mountains, and temples. I was able to travel there with some of my friends!

Our travel time from Seoul was about 2 hours and 30 miunutes on a train. We made the trip at night and arrived at our Airbnb to settle in for the night.

The first place the group wanted to visit was the Miffy Cafe. I didn’t know much about Miffy, but apparently, she is very popular in Korea and around the world.

There were a ton of souvenirs and collectibles that were Busan exclusive, as well. I left the cafe with some gifts for my family and an understanding of who Miffy is.

Later that day, we went to the Haeundae Beach.

Being born and raised on an island with many beaches, it was nice to see this sight again. The weather this day was great and made it very enjoyable for the experience.

Right next to the beach was the BUSAN X The Sky tower. It is a very nice tourist attraction to where you can see the beach and city of Busan at a high elevation.

It was cool to see how big the city was. They also had locations of other places of the world on the glass to show how far it is from Korea!

As the night started to close in, we went back to the beach and saw the city lights at night!

A day later, we went to visit the famous Gamcheon cultural village.

It was nice to see all the houses and how they all fit perfectly into this one space.

Though our trip was only 3 days, I had a very memorable experience and would love to travel there again!

-Riley Rama

In Korea, concert culture is very popular, especially K-pop concerts. Fortunately, I am studying abroad during concert season! Many groups are on tour at the moment, and I am trying my best to see the ones I can.

My first and very unexpected K-pop concert in Korea was Aespa. They are very big worldwide, and they are currently the top girl group and won the Best Female Group Award at the MAMA Awards in late 2024.

My friend told me they were selling tickets the night before, which made it very unexpected for me to attend.

The atmosphere of the concert was very visible. Everyone in the stadium showed so much energy, and the cheering did not stop until the concert was over.

Their stage presence was also felt around the stadium, and you could tell just how much they cared for their performances. It was a night full of great music and great interactions with fans as well.

A few days later, I was able to see another concert! However, this one was quite small in size and a smaller venue as well.

The artist I went to see was Olivia Marsh. She is a South Korean-Australian artists who is currently a rising artist. I started listening to her music at the beginning of this year and I was able to get a ticket to her live performance (which was about 38 USD!)

Another cool thing to note is that she is the sister of Danielle Marsh, who is a member of the former group NewJeans.

The concert had a small crowd but a very good vibe around it. It made it easier to interact with her fans and to be in a chill environment.

I am having a great time enjoying different artists that I don’t usually get to see in the states and I can’t wait to see more!

Riley Rama

Every year, Yonsei and Korea University hold a cheering event that brings both schools together, despite the rivalry. This year, it was held at Korea University, which is located in the Seongbuk district of Seoul.

For Yonsei students, it was about an hour and 30-minute commute to the Korea University campus. I went with my own group, but ended up following the hundreds of other Yonsei students making the commute.

We arrived a few minutes late. Before entering the field, you can hear the loud cheering from both schools.

The whole night was filled with lots of music (mostly both schools cheering songs for sporting events). This event is supposed to help you meet new people and learn the cheering songs for  sporting events later on in the school year!

The entire event lasted about 2 hours with non-stop cheering and head banging to the cheers. It felt like a huge workout after the event ended, but I had a great time!  Now, I’ll be able to join in the cheers for the next sporting event that Yonsei and Korea University hold!

Seeing videos online of this event really does not compare to seeing it live in real life. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to engage in activities like this and I can’t wait to make more memories!

– Riley Rama

Hello everyone! My name is Riley Rama and I will be studying at Yonsei University in South Korea this Spring! I am from Guam and I came to Linfield to play soccer.

It has been a long wait since I applied to study abroad, and I am very excited. My love for the country first started when I visited the Incheon airport for a layover. The small experience I had there inspired me to learn the language and come back to study abroad.

I am excited to be sharing my experiences and I hope that I can make many great connections while I am there!