Benefits of the study-abroad (SA) experience have been reported in many studies. However, most prior studies on EFL students’ SA experiences track students in relatively short ESL programs during school vacation months. In addition, EFL learners’ SA experiences in non-English-speaking countries, where English is not the L1, remain underexplored. Applying case study methodology and gathering data from monthly reports during SA, and pre- and post-SA interviews, this study aimed to investigate SA experiences of two South Korean undergraduate students in two different SA environments with respect to the impact of the participants’ choice of SA destination on the SA experience and the participants’ interactions with the SA environment. The SA destination had a significant impact on the students in Finland. Dealing with a third language and failing the language course, the student in Finland had to leave the program earlier than planned. The student in Australia took great advantage of social networks she established through diverse venues, which enriched her SA experience and facilitated her learning. It is particularly meaningful that the present study broadened the scope of SA research, as it extended the context to “other” regions.
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