Penn State students and alumni are traveling around the world to conduct research, teach English, attend masters degree programs and more as part of the Fulbright Program, a highly sought-after nine-month international educational exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State. This is the fifth story in a series of essays written by Penn State student Fulbright winners who have returned from or have just embarked on their trips.
While the official total won’t be released until November, at least 15 students have been offered the scholarship this year, according to Penn State’s University Fellowships Office. Last year, 11 Penn State students received the prestigious scholarship. For more information about applying for the program, visit the University Fellowships Office’s website. Click here to read more Fulbright Features.
Penn State graduate Emily Sabo is a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in South Korea. She teaches about 500 students and sees each class only once a week. “It's a lot, but you quickly start remembering names and faces,” she said. The following are excerpts from a blog she’s keeping during her time abroad.
Field trip with the fourth-gradersI got to go along with the fourth-grade class to a famous folk village in Asan, a city adjacent to Cheonan (where I live). Its primary function is to provide Koreans as well as foreigners understand what life was like during the Joesan dynasty era. It’s considered a “living museum” because although it has preserved housing and depictions of what life was like back them (with informational plaques all over the place), Korean families actually still live in the village. It’s really neat. And families all over the country often go there for different festivals, some of which include making things out of hay or making traditional rice cakes. Interestingly, many Korean TV dramas are filmed here, as a lot of them are set in the Joesan dynasty era.
On the trip, we made taffy. We got the hot taffy in liquid form and covered it in sweet bean powder. Then we had to keep massaging it until it was relatively solid. It’s a traditional activity, and you get candy at the end so the kids were happy. I thought I hated taffy. But unfortunately for my waistline it turns out I like it. … Things I wish I didn't know.