Center for International Studies | Tag

HMoob (Hmong) around the World Part 2: Testing Boundaries

Date September 28, 2021

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By: Larsa Yang (Class of 2016 & 2019) and James Yang (Class of 2020)

**Korea University, South Korea, Fall 2019 (James Yang – Left) and Akita International University, Japan, Fall 2017 (Larsa Yang – right)**

Larsa’s Story:

Hey, my name is Larsa and I studied abroad in Japan for a full year and participated on the short-term program to Laos, Thailand and Malaysia. I wanted to study abroad because I was really tired of the everyday life in Minnesota. Minnesota is cool, but I think there are so many other things you can learn by learning from others outside of Minnesota and even the US. Study abroad encouraged me to think culturally about a lot of things that would’ve never occurred to me if I never traveled abroad. I purposefully took a leave of absence from my graduate program to study in Japan as an undergrad. Do I regret it? Not at all, I loved my experience. If anything I wanted to push myself to become a better person, and that’s exactly what happened. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Check out some of Larsa’s education abroad photos:

A Guide to Asian Street Vendors

Date October 31, 2020

Posted by Stephanie Trottier

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By Lucas Clasen

When studying abroad, I always find street vendors and street markets to be a highlight of the trip. Street stores are a great way to eat and buy authentic local foods and products and are a fun way to entertain yourself for several hours. Since my study abroad experiences have been exclusive to Asia, I am sure that street vendors would be different in Africa or Europe, but my suggestions will hopefully help you navigate and enjoy street markets while studying abroad.

I would first recommend that anyone travelling abroad take a day or two to explore local street markets, as they are usually cheap and can give a sense of how locals live day to day. Many street vendors will sell unique food items, like bugs and odd meats. I recommend getting out of your comfort zone and trying as many oddities as possible, as these will create good stories to share with family and friends and will give you new experiences that would have otherwise never been possible. For some good examples, in South Korea I recommend trying tteobokki (spicy rice cake), kimchi-pang (kimchi pork bun), San-nakji (live octopus), and Mandu (dumplings). In Thailand or Southeast Asia, try pad Thai, Guay Tiew Reua (noodle meat soup), Moo Ping (skewers), and of course Ma Laeng Tod (fried insects), a personal favorite of mine.

Making it Work

Date October 13, 2020

Posted by Stephanie Trottier

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Making it Work

Written by: Pa Zong Moua

“No, I don’t have the money. No, it’s not time yet.” All I heard was excuses I made for myself to stay where I am comfortable. I knew that graduation is around the corner and a long-term study abroad experience had been on my mind since the first year I entered Saint Cloud State University.

I chose South Korea because of the budget that I have. I have two other siblings that are also studying at SCSU, in total 4 kids in the family that are still depending on my parents’ help. My parents are by no means rich, they are minimum wage workers. They made it clear that I would need to save up for myself. South Korea was the final choice because of the Global Village Program. I get to study in a different country, mentor students learning English, receive a stipend and a free room. How sweet and awesome is that!

Getting around in South Korea

Date January 27, 2020

Posted by Stephanie Trottier

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Lucas Clasen

All photos courtesy of Lucas Clasen

When I was in Korea and Japan, figuring out how to use public transport was a real challenge. Seoul, Korea had a pretty straight forward system, with the ticket machine and the location names being in English. In Wonju, where the university is located, the transit system is very different, and was very confusing to me. Nothing was in English, and there were no maps or guides to traversing the trains or buses around the city. Osaka and Kyoto were similar stories to Wonju, with hardly anything in English, especially with the ticket machines or transit maps, which very rarely used any English at all. As such, they needed to be translated.