As crunchy leaves cover the ground, the crisp fall air becomes a little more sharp and my breath becomes visible with every exhale. December quickly approaches Harrisonburg. With the change of seasons, thoughts of adventure and wandering around in unfamiliar areas skip through my mind. Where in the world is my mind exactly? South Korea.
This past summer I stepped onto a Boeing 757 with a suitcase and a questionably large carry-on bag. Not really knowing what I was getting myself into, excited nerves crept up when we were about to land. I traveled the 14 hours with three fellow students and we all anxiously anticipated the journey that was to come.
When people ask me about my study abroad experience, I could talk for hours and I really do mean hours-with a prepared slideshow presentation and everything-but I’ll give you some highlights. We were heading to South Korea to study international public relations and sports public relations. It just so happened that the 2018 Winter Olympics are being held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. While in the area, we developed public relations campaigns and were able to visit the Olympic venue. But more on that later.
From learning in the classroom to immersing myself in the culture, I learned the most about myself while abroad.
When I first arrived, I anticipated having major culture shock. I surprised myself when I simply chose to sit back and observe the differences between cultures. With this sense of interest and wanting to learn more about the way these people on the other side of the world lived, I went on an exploring frenzy.
Classes were from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and as soon as we were done for the day, I would recruit a buddy or two and we would head toward the metro. Most of the time, we would research places to go on Trip Advisor. However, I found that the most exhilarating days were when we hit the Seoul Metro with no plan. Sure, this poses some risks, but spontaneity is addictive and incredible. Days we planned to visit certain places and got lost, turned out to be some of my most memorable times abroad. With my experience navigating through the other side of the world, I composed a list of advice for those who decide to study abroad.
Don’t worry about what others think about you
Choose adventure over sleep
Go the extra mile
I can’t stress this enough, you can sleep when you’re home. Go explore
Embrace the culture and try new things
Don’t Worry What Others Think
One story I’ll never forget is when my roommate, Erin and I got lost in Seoul. Our group went with our professors to a temple in Gangnam, but we wanted to see something called the Trick Eye Museum we read about on Trip Advisor. I had an international phone plan so I was deemed the reader of maps. Mobile phone service in the particular area we went to was as absent as the legroom on my flight over–it just wasn’t happening. We tried asking around for directions to shop owners, vendors and passersby, but only knowing how to say “hello” and “thank you” in Korean overcame our efforts. Defeated, we decided to walk around the city to see if we could locate it out of sheer luck.
As we wandered through the packed streets, we noticed a crowd of people all gathered in a circle watching something. We ducked and weaved through the crowd until we could see over people’s shoulders and found a street dance crew performing.
The music was intoxicating and the dancers moved to the beat like it was a part of them. Erin and I admired them from the crowd, song after song, loving every second of it. They decided to take an intermission and the crew leader, decked out in a white lab coat with white bleached hair, engaged the crowd in both Korean and English. He pulled three people from the crowd and asked them where they were from. Obviously foreigners, they told the crowd on the microphone they were from Florida and I jumped up and down with excitement that they were fellow Americans and shouted from two rows in the crowd back, “Woo!” I immediately realized what I had done and tried to shrink further into the crowd but I was caught. The dancers and Floridians then chanted along with the crowd for Erin and I to come front and center into the middle of the dance floor.
Here is where I practiced my No. 1 tip for making the most of your study abroad experience: Don’t care what people think about you. So, Erin and I made our way into the dance circle, then the beat dropped and we were commanded to dance. Now don’t get me wrong, I love to dance, but not necessarily in front of a large crowd of strangers. But then, we began to dance. As we twirled around and awkwardly bounced to the beat, my inhibitions went away and I was in the moment. Who cares what these people thought? I’d never see them again and they were cheering us along, every ungraceful step at a time.
Chose Adventure Over Sleep
My next piece of advice makes me tired just thinking about it. While abroad, you want to see everything and do everything possible to maximize your time in a foreign country, but there are just not enough hours in a day. In order to make the most of your trip, sometimes you have to sacrifice sleep.
There were days where I’d stay out all night, only realizing the time by soft sunlight beginning to creep over the city sky. I even had a morning where I had a minor panic attack in the back of a cab that was racing through the city of Seoul trying to make it to my 9 a.m. class on time. (Yes, I made it there right on time and nobody blinked an eye.) Even though I struggled to keep my eyes open during the morning lectures, my sleep deprivation was worth it.
Go the Extra Mile
When it comes to actually getting out and going on adventures, go the extra mile. Study abroad alumni at the pre-departure meeting gave this piece of advice to me. I put these words literally into action on a group-hiking trip. We were in the mountains, so naturally we decided a hike was necessary in Seoraksan National Park. The group trekked a trail that was only about a mile long, but it was the most strenuous hike I’d ever done. The last quarter mile consisted purely of stairs. Now I’m an avid Stairmaster user, but it still didn’t prepare me for this. Out of breath and water, we reached the top of the hike and the view was incredible.
After we descended from that hike, we took a cable car to a nearby peak and this is where I remembered the advice I heard months before. At the top of the peak, there was an indoor café that had several lookout points that the majority of the group went to. I heard the guys in our group talking about taking a short hike to another peak so I jumped up and began the trek with them. When we got to the top, the trees opened up to show that the hike was completely rock form this point forward. It was like we were transported into another world. We scaled different parts of the rocks, using our hands to pull us higher and higher to the top. We decided to each take turns carefully climbing to a point on the side of the cliff to capture our moment on top of the world. As I climbed onto the rock we were taking the photos on, I realized that I was on the edge of a cliff. Shaking, I stood up slowly, threw my hands in the air and fully embraced my vulnerability. I felt alive and I understood why they said to go the extra mile; that’s how memories are made.
Embrace the Culture
My last piece of advice is to leave your comfort zone and try new things. This came in the form of food, which you can read an entire post about here. In the weeks leading up to my departure to Korea, I worried about how I was going to like the food because I was never a huge fan of Asian cuisine. The food in Korea is life changing. From my first taste of Korean Barbecue on the first night there, it was love at first bite.
I know you are probably thinking OK now, trying Asian food isn’t stepping out of your comfort zone. No, it’s not. But the food tour we went on was. We started off with raw beef with a cracked egg on top and ended with wrestling live octopus off a plate with chopsticks while feeling it squirm around in our mouths as we ate it. These dishes seem bizarre to Westerners but the foods are considered casual drinking foods in Korea.
Now What?
As you can probably already tell, the majority of the memories you take home with you from studying abroad are from your experiences outside of the classroom. Now, I’m not saying that working hard and thriving in your classes isn’t important, because it’s the whole reason you’re there, but don’t let your schoolwork hold you back from seeing the world.
If you aren’t planning on studying abroad or if your school doesn’t have a program, this advice also extends to people traveling abroad in general. These are all ways to make your trip go from being memorable to unforgettable. If you’re inspired to look into studying abroad, I highly recommend it. Wherever your next journey takes you, remember this advice and surprise yourself as you take on the world, one step at a time.
