South Korea: teen language course in Gangnam

The activities

The activity programme offered by the Lexis language school in Gangnam is very complete. Students can take part in a host of activities organised from Monday to Friday, such as visits to the aquarium, Tae Kwon Do workshops, city tours, K-Pop dance classes and introductions to Korean cooking. To round off their experience, students can also take part in excursions at the weekend at extra cost. Destinations include the Korean Folk Village in Yongin, the fascinating Korean demilitarised zone and Seoul Grand Park.

Host family accommodation

Students taking part in the language course are accommodated with host families carefully selected by the school management to ensure their wellbeing and safety. Students are accommodated in single or double rooms and receive breakfast and dinner from their host family, while lunch is bought from restaurants near the school. This full immersion option with a host family is ideal for learning Korean more quickly and becoming familiar with the local culture. Conversations with host family members during organised evenings also help to build ties and improve their learning of the Korean language. House rules, such as a curfew, are set in advance and must be respected.

Visiting Gangnam

Gangnam is a commercial district south of the Han river. Students have the chance to explore the neighbourhood, which is full of shops offering a wide variety of goods, from luxury designer items to vintage clothes not found anywhere else. The Starfield COEX Mall is home to a remarkable aquarium, as well as a design museum and a theatre. About ten minutes from the centre of Samseong-dong, the Bongeunsa Buddhist temple, dating from the eighth century, is also worth a visit.