Sabrina Gradolf

Internship period : October 11st, 2021 to April 11st, 2022

My name is Sabrina and I’m from Switzerland. I have been living in South Korea for almost 6 months now and I don't regret taking this step. Of course, I was afraid and doubtful at the beginning to do the right thing but: Nothing ventured, nothing gained! So where should I start... 😊

As a foreigner in South Korea, you are stared at. Sometimes you feel like an animal in a Zoo… The younger generation has become accustomed to the "others", the older generation has a little harder to cope with. Nevertheless, I feel at home here. Reading and writing Korean has turned out to be very easy. Speaking Korean is a different matter and requires a lot of practice. That is why I’m taking Korean lessons at Kyungbok University.

The interesting thing is that you get to know a lot of people from a lot of different countries. In my class there are Russians, French, Turks and Poles. Besides school, I did an internship at the Asia Hope Camp Organization (ACOPIA). Surprisingly, I met one of my classmates there again. We were both very surprised LOL. After a short time Zuzia Sowinska and I got along very well, and a good friendship developed. Since we were both working as reporters, we spent a lot of time together. The work was very interesting, comprehensive and varied. Once a week we could visit an art exhibition or go sightseeing.
Of course, not for fun: We were there as reporters for ACOPIA newspaper, taking pictures and making videos for Youtube. Afterwards we edited the videos, uploaded the photos and wrote an article for the newspaper. Since I love to write, the work was very suitable for me. But not only the work was very interesting, also the cultural exchange that took place was great. Many of the interns come from Japan, but also from Belgium, England and America. Earlier interns were from Mexico, Vietnam and Poland. I really appreciated working here and having this experience. Of course, there were also days that I would have liked to cross off the calendar, but it was precisely from those days that I learned the most. In short, I will always have fond memories of my time here.

But now the journey continues for me. I will stay in Korea for a long time and shape my future here. I’m looking forward to how everything will develop and who knows, maybe I will see you again one day.

I will thank our Boss that it was possible to make an internship here and I would also like to thank Sakamoto for always having an open ear for problems and concerns of all kinds. She was the contact person for us interns and I tell you, you can't ask for a better one. Thank you!