Week 2: Settling into the Routine
My second week at PSCORE was largely about settling further into my role and continuing with the different tasks I had started during my first week. I worked on various projects for the social media team, including researching topics, drafting content, editing captions and helping prepare material for upcoming posts.
One of the highlights of the week was definitely food-related. On my supervisor Ben's recommendation, I tried bibim naengmyeon for the first time, which quickly became a favourite, especially during a week when Seoul was experiencing some of its hottest weather. Cold noodles suddenly made a lot of sense!
Week 3: A Three-Day Programme in Namwon
Week 3 brought a change of scenery, as I travelled with the PSCORE team to Namwon for a three-day healing camp organised for North Korean defector teachers.
The programme was designed to give the participants a chance to step away from their usual routines, spend time together and recharge in a more relaxed environment. Over the three days, they took part in a range of group and restorative activities, while also having the opportunity to connect with others who shared similar experiences.
My role was mainly to support the programme and the PSCORE team throughout the trip. It was quite different from my usual social media work in the office and gave me a much better sense of another side of PSCORE’s activities. It was especially interesting to see the amount of organisation and care that goes into creating these programmes and making sure everything runs smoothly for the participants. It was also my first time visiting Namwon, which is located near Mount Jirisan in the south-west of South Korea. The city was beautiful and much quieter than Seoul, so the setting suited the purpose of the programme really well. Namwon is hard to visit without a car, so I am particularly grateful for the opportunity.
On Friday, a couple of days after my return from Namwon, we had a picnic by the Han river to 'celebrate' my team leader's last day, which turned into a really nice bonding experience. It was a hard goodbye, given he had quickly become a friend, but it felt like the perfect way to end his 2 month internship. I am hoping have another one before I leave, if the weather allows of course.
Food was another highlight of the trip. My favourite dish was a vegetarian meal made with... vegetables from the local area. I couldn't tell you more, except that it was excellent and that you can't grow the veggies outside that area. I still haven’t managed to find out exactly what the dish was called, but it was easily one of the best things I ate during my time in South Korea.
Week 4: Taking on More Responsibility
Week 4 was quieter in terms of events, but it gave me the opportunity to take on a little more responsibility within the social media team.
With our team leader leaving, I temporarily took over some of the coordination involved in our work. This included relaying information and updates to my PSCORE supervisor, as well as helping organise the schedule for upcoming posts and deciding which topics we would cover, with his approval. It was a small change from my usual tasks, but a useful opportunity to experience more of the planning and coordination behind our social media work. I have to add that this week Seoul experienced some of its most extreme summer heat on record, so commuting was quite a pain, but I did it! We are allowed to work from home due to the weather, but I've now become good friends with my team and I genuinely enjoy being in the office.
I also led an arts and crafts workshop with children from North Korean defector families. Having already done it once in Week 1, it was nice to return. Even with the language barrier, the students were very involved and did their best to work around the fact that I barely speak any Korean (I've picked up on a tiny bit of the language, but they are miles ahead in English for sure).
This week's food highlight was dakgalbi, with stir-fried chicken and cheese. It was INSANELY delicious!! I am already mourning knowing I won't have this at home (but maybe my flatmates' cooking skills will save the day and they'll help me bring it to life when we're back to uni).
Final Thoughts
Overall, these three weeks have given me a good mix of experiences, from continuing my regular work with the social media team, to supporting a PSCORE programme in another part of Korea, and gradually taking on more responsibility within the team. I am halfway through my internship now, and I'm excited to see what's next!