Helen is one of my friends back in UC Santa Barbara. She actually was supposed to come to Yonsei around the same time I was in the program but decided to postpone until she was done with all her undergraduate requirements. Still, it was good to see her able to come and experience the study abroad program for herself.
I recently came back to California and I am already missing every bit of Seoul. I am having withdrawals from the best experience of my life; Studying abroad at Yonsei University felt like a dream that’s too good for it to last forever. I’ve met some of the greatest people that are now my closest friends, been inspired by one of the professors to possibly change my career goals, and got in touch with my roots as a Korean immigrant who moved to the US at a young age.
As a naturalized American citizen who was raised in a very traditional Korean family, I was confused about my identity. I felt like neither side (American or Korean) accepted me as one or the other. I was always in the middle and I wanted to know for myself what it was like to live in Korea as a naturalized Korean-American.
I flew to Korea a month before the study abroad program started just to settle down and pay my visits to my relatives. I also wanted to travel a little bit and tour around Korea before I got busy with schoolwork. I wore Hanbok (Korean traditional dress) and walked around the Gyungbok Palace to explore Korea from hundreds of years ago. I went to Busan, Jinju, and Jeonju (countryside) in order to re-live my memories as a child because I primarily grew up in the countryside.
On the day of Yonsei University’s orientation, I was fortunate enough to meet 6 girls that ultimately became my group of friends. We somehow got along extremely well and within a week, we felt like true sisters that knew almost everything about each other. We all shared similar experiences as Korean-Americans although our background stories were different. We ate together, studied together, and we even traveled to Japan together.
I got to experience Yon-Ko games (Yonsei University vs Korea University), which is the biggest rivalry game between Korean universities. This was probably the highlight of my study abroad experience. The school spirit was way beyond my expectations and the friendly competition was a way to meet other people from Korea University.
Another big lesson that studying abroad has taught me was to go out of my comfort zone and to live in the moment. I always struggled with overthinking and always living for the future. In a way, studying abroad was a fresh start and a complete independence as a student. Of course there were difficult times, but the positives outweigh the negatives.
Studying abroad also broadened my cultural awareness- not only about Korea. My classmates came from all over the world: Singapore, Germany, Indonesia, Switzerland, France, Mexico, etc. Because I was a study abroad student, I was able to interact and learn about different cultures- something I couldn’t do back in UCSB.
Overall, studying abroad was such an unforgettable experience. I would do anything to go back. If I can give one advice to current college students, GO STUDY ABROAD. It doesn’t have to be Korea, but JUST STUDY ABROAD because your perspective of life will be expanded and it is a life-changing experience. I cannot emphasize it enough: GO STUDY ABROAD.