Connecting with Korea

My name is Ji Yeon Kim, a New Zealand based graphic designer and media creator going by Julia Kim here for everyone's convenience!

I am a Korean girl who left her country at two years old with her parents and sister after having nowhere left to go.

23 years later, I have been given a great opportunity to learn the Korean language and stay in Korea for three months! It's a strange feeling, knowing that I am one way, and feeling like another. I would like to bring back a sense of unison in my identity through this opportunity and merge two cultures of my life together.

I will be studying at Seoul University, arguably the best university in Korea. Accommodation is also available on campus. Unfortunately, this is not a scholarship so I will have to pay for everything which includes flight, tuition, accommodation, food, travel and other miscellaneous costs such as laundry.

Since they are only giving me a month to prepare the payment for tuition and accommodation, I am in a tight situation. I have exhausted all my other available options and am now looking to you for help!

With this education, I plan to create designs, apparel, video, comics and other media incorporating Korean culture with Western/New Zealand. I feel that Korea is severely under-represented outside the K-Pop, which is hugely Western-inspired. Not only will it benefit my creative work; this education will further my current job in tourism, hospitality and entertainment.

More exposure means more acceptance of differences. I want to help New Zealand and the rest of the world be more culturally diverse so that people can evolve together, not segregated.

I'm scheduled to leave on the 27th of August, and due back on the 20th of November. This trip means a lot to me and would appreciate any amount of help! Thank you for checking out my page and hope you all have a fantastic day!