My Personal Interests in Korea and Study Abroad Experience
During the Fall 2021 semester, I had the opportunity to study abroad at Yonsei University in South Korea. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Growing up as Chinese, I’ve had the privilege of being raised in a multicultural home and visiting my home country Shanghai in China often. My parents were Chinese immigrants, which gave me the chance to explore the complex layers of my Asian-American identity. The thing that captivated me the most was the duality of being able to coexist within different cultures and experiences. From universal ideas like our bond over family and food, there is nothing more important than accepting and understanding not only what brings us together, but what makes us unique as well. Since an early age, I have always been curious to see and experience Asian culture beyond my home country, but never had the chance to. And growing up with many Korean friends, I’ve become exposed to many of their cultural practices and traditions.
I gained first-hand experience of the important traits that lead to success in the business world. Being immersed in Korean culture, learning Korean, having access to historical resources, and overcoming the challenges of living in another country will all help me be successful in my future career. An aspect of South Korea’s culture that intrigues me is the music and entertainment industry. The growing popularity of Korean pop culture, such as K-pop groups like BTS and movies such as Parasite, the first non-English film to win a main Oscar, has made them a global phenomenon and success. My strategy for engagement is to integrate myself into the culture as much as I can. In the classroom, I took cultural elective classes such as Popular Culture and Korean Wave, Contemporary Korean Cinema and Society, and Korean Food and Culture and learned more about how Korean pop culture and the Korean wave contributed to the increase in worldwide popularity. Outside the classroom, I explored the city during my free time and visited historical landmarks relevant to my interests, like Dongdaemun and Deoksugung Palace.
My experience returning home was like the opposite of going to Korea, reverse culture shock. I felt fatigued and exhilarated in many ways, just as I did when arriving at Korea a few months earlier. It felt good to be home, enjoying home cooking, phone calls from old friends, and sharing adventures with my family. However, just as I felt my initial excitement at being back in a familiar place, I began to also feel discomfort. Things that I thought were familiar may now appear strange. Hearing English spoken all around sounded strange, I was hesitant to spend $50 on lunch when I considered that I would have subsisted on that amount for a week. I think that I never felt more American when I was in Korea and never felt more alien when I returned to the United States. However, I know that this feeling is normal and is an opportunity to learn not only about myself and how I've developed while in Korea, but also about home from a much more objective viewpoint.
To reflect on my experience, I learned to not take anything for granted. As cliche as it sounds, this means to meet as new people as possible, go to all the places, take on new experiences, and go into the uncomfortable. Whether that means exploring a place by yourself or learning new things, you push yourself to learn how to navigate and assimilate with the way things function. When confronted with severe and demanding conditions, you learn to rely only on yourself. You may learn something new every day and gain confidence in your talents. I learned the importance of spending time by myself and self care. At Richmond, we often get caught up with our friends or roommates, so we barely have any time to spend with ourselves. In Korea, I could say I was alone for most of the time. Also living in a single room, I often felt lonely and homesick at times. Especially during the first few weeks, I did not have many close friends or people I could turn to. But after some time, I realized that I’ve experienced some of the best things in Korea by myself. I learned how to be truly comfortable with the uncomfortable and independent. But I do regret not doing many things, such as not meeting as much people as possible or traveling to more places. I only realized the things I am going to miss after I leave them. For me, this was Korea, the culture, and the people. But now, my mindset in what I accomplish has changed because if I can live in a nation for six months knowing barely any of their language, then I can accomplish anything.
Comments
Aliya,
I completely resonated with you when you talked about how you felt like an alien when you returned back to the States. It's so crazy how 5 months can change the way you view the world and the people around you. Thanks for sharing your experience!