SNU Buddy, a non-profit organization first established in 2005, is a student-run organization overseen by the SNU Office of International Affairs (OIA). SNU Buddy began as an organization of volunteers aimed at assisting exchange students in adjusting to life in Korea, but its vision expanded further in 2009 when it began organizing social events.

Although activities were temporarily suspended due to COVID-19, SNU Buddy has undergone a full revival since the Fall 2022 semester, reintroducing face-to-face events. The program is now well-known for helping exchange students adapt to Korean culture, and for creating a community that meets frequently to promote friendships. This is reflected in the SNU Buddy varsity jacket, which has the Chinese character for friendship (友) on its sleeve.

Fall 2022 International Food Festival (Source: SNU Buddy operations team)

One of the most anticipated events of the SNU Buddy program is the International Food Festival, the only event open to the entire SNU student body. Exchange students and local Korean buddies work together in teams to prepare and sell mouthwatering cultural foods from around the world at stalls themed by country, with all proceeds going back into the SNU Buddy program budget. Reminiscent of school fetes, visitors can buy vouchers to trade for food items at the stalls. Countries represented at the festival in Fall 2022 included Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, and Thailand. The event was a great success, with large crowds and stalls completely selling out.

To see the behind-the-scenes, watch this vlog on the SNU Buddy Official YouTube channel covering last semester’s event: https://youtu.be/dee2efiASDA

Fall 2022 International Food Festival France stall selling croque-monsieur and pain perdu (Source: SNU Buddy operations team)

Fall 2022 International Food Festival Menu (Source: Sneha Karri)

Similar to the previous iteration, the SNU Buddy program for Spring 2023 will include an Amazing Race which involves playing mini-games in various places on campus, a calligraphy session, and Pre-Food Festival in March. The International Food Festival will be held in April, alongside an introductory Taekwondo session and temple stay. This will be followed by a talent show entitled Superstar SNU, the SNU Buddy Olympics, a camp, and group photo shoots in May. Finally, a farewell party will take place in June.

SNU Buddy Olympics (Source: SNU Buddy operations team)

Calligraphy event (Source: SNU Buddy operations team)

Temple Stay (Source: SNU Buddy operations team)

SNU Buddy hosts the above official events for all its members, dividing them into large groups of approximately 50 students each to conduct events more smoothly. Within these large groups, there are smaller groups of three to four exchange students each, providing opportunities for more close-knit friendships through unofficial events decided upon by the group itself. The current student organizers of SNU Buddy hope to have more of these unofficial mini-group events, especially since the lifting of the indoor mask restriction from January 30.

In the Fall 2022 semester iteration of SNU Buddy, student organizers also hosted weekly pub meetups, frequent group lunches and dinners, visits to iconic locations such as the Han River, Lotte World, Gyeongbokgung, Oido Island, Namiseom Island, Insadong, and Cheongwadae (the Blue House). Student organizers added fun events such as climbing, escape rooms, a baseball game, a Halloween party, board game cafe event, and a stamp-making session.

Australian exchange student Cindy Mititelu (The University of Sydney) participated in last semester’s program, speaking highly of it.

“The SNU Buddy program was an absolute highlight of my exchange. Through it, I got to meet so many lovely students both from SNU and from around the world. I felt so welcomed in Korea and was so sad to leave because SNU Buddy helped me feel at home. Thank you for all the sweet memories!”

Cindy Mititelu (second from left) and other SNU Buddy members (Source: Cindy Mititelu)

Norwegian exchange student Markus, another participant, similarly enjoyed the program.

“My experience of the SNU buddy program was very positive. There were a lot of activities taking place every week which made it easy to experience Korean culture, meet and make new friends and overall made the semester a lot more fun. The Korean buddies were also eager to help with any potential questions which made getting accommodated to life in Korea easier. Shoutout to group 5 Fall ‘22 for being the best group!”

Exchange students can sign up for SNU Buddy via http://www.snubuddy.com/. Registration usually opens a month prior to the start of each semester.

Written by Sneha Karri, SNU English Editor, sneha@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Professor Travis Smith, Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations, tlsmith@snu.ac.kr