By riakkim
For me, there's always a certain magic about being home. The towering mountains, a reassuring presence in the west, and the laid back people, a community that thrives a little differently than those back in DC. I realize here my time in Denver is short, and to treasure the little time I have with my family. And being back home gives me the environment to think and be introspective, because this is the place that has largely shaped who I am, and sent me off to be more finely detailed and polished in DC.
In preparation for study abroad, one of the most important things for me was to come home and reevaluate myself- my values, my relationships, and my goals. The process of self-realization has been a little painful, just as growing pains are in nature, but being sure in myself and having confidence in my person is something that I see as essential to making the most of my study abroad- to push myself and learn, change and improve for the better, but also never forgetting where I come from. Even now, I feel that back home I am a bit of a different person than who I am at GW, but embracing those realities and understanding why is important for me to also learn and prepare myself for how I may change in Korea.
Honestly, I still find it hard to believe that I will be in Korea in a little less than a month. It's somewhere I've dreamed of going since middle school, and I know that going back to the place my parents and grandparents immigrated from will be eye-opening, an experience that will allow me to reconnect with my heritage in the most profound way. Yet in all my anticipation, I'm still afraid, since being a Korean-American and straddling these two cultures and lifestyles doesn't quite make me Korean, and I don't see myself as only American. Nor am I fluent in Korean, and while I doubt I'll have any major language issues, I think there still will be an expectation to be more fluent than I actually am. There's this derogatory slang Koreans use- 교포, or "Gyopo," which refers to Korean-Americans, and they say Koreans can recognize them immediately, and I'm uncertain about how I will cope with these kinds of situations, but I hope for the best, and to show that Korean-Americans aren't all the things that we are stereotyped to be. But all in all, I know that it'll be unforgettable, and that I'll grow more than I have ever before, but to make the most of it, I'll be continually preparing myself, particularly mentally.
In terms of logistics, I honestly feel like I'm always missing something, but if you plan on studying abroad, work closely with your advisor(s), then they've got you covered and are only an email away. I move into Crimson House (a hotel-style dorm affiliated with Korea University) on February 20, and begin classes March 2 (which seems pretty late, but the academic calendar in Korea is March-December, unlike in the US, which is August-May). It's nice because I'll have a single room, and they're considerably cheaper than GW dorms (it's less than half the price of FSK, which I stayed in for my fall semester). Flights to Korea can get pretty expensive, so I'm flying directly to Tokyo from Denver, spending a couple days, and then flying to Seoul. My program is the Korea University Exchange, which is one of GW SEAS' core study abroad programs, and I'll luckily be able to take all of my Engineering courses, and the alumni network just from this program is very close-knit and a supportive community- Simon and Anna Lee, who gave the endowment for this program, also support graduate study abroad and promote research collaborations between the two universities, making this program more comprehensive and rounded than just undergraduate study abroad. If you're in SEAS, I hope you guys in particular continue to follow my study abroad blog, and follow me along this journey of growth.
xoxo,
