Being fluent in German and English, conversational in French, and knowing some basic Mandarin, it was only natural that Vinzent Wesselmann, wanted to learn to speak Korean.

Wesselmann, a senior clarinetist at ASFA, applied for and was accepted into the National Security Language Initiative for Youth. A six-week language intensive fully sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, students attending NSLI-Y study a language in the country where it is spoken. Below, Wesselmann reflects on his experience in Korea:

I knew no Korean and my host parents knew no English. My host sister spoke English, so she often translated dinner table conversations and jokes. Overcoming the language barrier that separated me from my host parents constantly motivated me to learn all that I could during my daily Korean class.

Every Monday through Friday I would wake up at 6:30 am, eat a breakfast consisting of cereal and leftover Korean food, and greet my host father at his tile shop on my way to the subway station before I would catch the 7:30 am subway train to Sookmyung Women’s University station. After getting off the subway, I would walk through the streets filled with restaurants, stationary shops, and cafés to  my Korean language classes at the university. With no shortage of Korean games and songs, there was rarely a dull moment in the class and it provided me the language skills that I would need outside of the classroom. After class, my friends and I would get lunch at one of the many delicious and inexpensive Korean restaurants near the university. Naengmeon, or iced noodle soup, quickly became my favorite dish in the hot Seoul weather. After lunch, we had the day to ourselves.

I rarely went home right after lunch, often visiting museums, going to free concerts, biking by the Han River, or practicing my Korean negotiating skills at one of the many markets in Seoul.

I think that this is something that truly sets the NSLI-Y program apart from other language learning programs. Learning the language in the morning and using it in the real world during the afternoon helped me see my progress as my Korean became more confident and fluid, whether it was ordering my lunch or asking for directions to the peddle-boat rental.

Every student also chose a culture club to attend on Friday afternoons. I chose Korean cooking class, but taekwondo, fan dancing, and Korean traditional music were also offered. We learned to cook a new Korean meal every week. Our instructor was somewhat of a celebrity chef in Korea, so we enjoyed stories of how she cooked for the president and Korean movie stars.

While the weekdays usually had something planned, the weekends were mostly unscheduled and enabled all of us to spend time with our host families and explore Seoul at our own pace. Some of my favorite weekend activities included hiking Namsan Mountain, going to a Korean baseball game, touring the Samsung headquarters, participating in water festivals, and visiting the many ancient palaces in Seoul.

In addition to receiving a unique language and host family experience, another feature that sets NSLI-Y apart from other language programs is its affordability. Because NSLI-Y is a full scholarship program, students do not have to pay for their flight, accommodation, language courses, food, or any other travel expenses within Seoul, plus we also received a weekly stipend of about $100 USD.

Details and application information can be found at www.nsliforyouth.org