Hi everyone! I can't believe it's already been nearly a month since I scrambled to get my suitcases' under 50 lbs the night before my flight to South Korea.
I think I have been having an abroad experience slightly different to those around me, as I have all of my extended family here in South Korea and as a result, have visited Korea several times in the past. Because of this, I believe the difficulties I have faced are unique to my experience as well, as they are for everyone's unique experiences.
Having been born and raised in the US but having spoken mostly Korean with my family my entire life, I've come to be accustomed to the traditional Korean culture and mannerisms. Therefore, an aspect I've come to notice is in general, I am treated as someone from Korea, for example when I enter a store or a cafe. However, this makes things slightly awkward when I order something and my slight American accent makes an appearance, or when the cashier asks me something that I've never heard of since I've never checked out of a store using Korean. In cases like these, my first reaction was to just nod or shake my head and pretend like I understand what's going on. However, after the first few weeks, I've come to understand what they were asking and answer appropriately.
Thinking that I only have a few months left has already reminiscing on my past couple weeks here already. I've taken advantage of being in Asia and travelled to Singapore and Hong Kong over the weekends, but I'm excited to meet more people and get closer with the people I've met. I'm looking forward to getting to know Korea better and travel within Korea more.