2018 KNAPS SEP Incoming _ Research Program
Emanuela Senjor(ŠSSFD_Slovenia)
Internship Site: Duksung Women's University, Seoul, College of Pharmacy, Immunology lab
My SEP journey started back in 2013 when I was Student Exchange Officer at the Students' Section of Slovenian Pharmaceutical Society (ŠSSFD). I was only in my 2nd year at the Faculty of Pharmacy and I was in charge of organizing SEP in Slovenia. It was very hard but at the same time I was so happy to meet pharmacy students from all over the world. From that moment on, I was sure I wanted to experience SEP also from the other side.
So, fast forward to 2018, I got a research placement in Korea!
I was very excited to start my journey in Seoul in July. The day before my departure I defended my master thesis and officially became a pharmacist. 24 hours later I landed in Seoul, where Seung Yeon, KNAPS arrival coordinator, was waiting for me to show me where I will be staying for the next 3 weeks. Next day, I started my internship at Duksung Women's University, College of Pharmacy at Immunology lab, run by prof. Hyosun Cho. I met my colleagues at the lab, PhD student Hwanhee and master’s student Eugene. With their help, I was able to assist them with their experiments in the lab. They were analyzing the effect of natural substances to the immune response. I practiced doing electrophoresis and western blot. I was even able to observe an in vivo experiment! I have learned a lot in the lab and I have also learned a lot about Korean food and culture. I had dinner together with my new friends from the lab almost every day.
Eugene, Hwanhee and me posing in hanbok.
So, I got to experience the amazing bibimbap, haemul pajeon, korean barbecue, shabu shabu, naengmyeon, samgyetang, kimchi, jjajangmyeon, gimbap, sundae, sushi and many other thing that I forgot the name of. In case you didn’t notice, I am quite a foodie, but I was still amazed to see how much can Koreans eat :D. I even went on a cooking class to learn how to cook some of the typical Korean dishes.
Learning to cook bibimbap
My three weeks in Seoul passed by really quickly. After that I visited Sokcho and the Seoraksan National Park. After that I went to see the ancient capital Gyeongju. I still remember the spectacular Donggung palace and Wolji pond at night.
Donggung palace and Wolji pond.
Next stop was Busan, where I bought some souvenirs to take back home and enjoyed the seaside. Then I returned back to Seoul for a few more days. It was hard to say goodbye to my new friends, but I am sure that we will meet again.
I am grateful to Minjun, Seung Yeon and everyone on the KNAPS SEP committee for the great time I had in Korea!
Emanuela Senjor
ŠSSFD Slovenia