It’s been three weeks since I arrived back home from Seoul, and I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on my experience. Although being back in my childhood bedroom can feel like no time has passed since I was packing for my fateful departure five months ago, I know I have come back a different person than when I left.
Before embarking on my adventure, I was truthfully uneasy. The reality of being alone, without any community to fall back on, was daunting. Even when I moved to Pittsburgh as a freshman, since my sister and high school friends were already at Pitt, I had a community to help me ease into my new university life. At Korea University, I had to build this community on my own. From the first week, I made meaningful connections with other exchange students that lasted until our final week. I forged these friendships and built my own community all by myself. This made our goodbyes all the more heartfelt and teary-eyed, but I am comforted by the thought that since we are all Americans, we’re only an Amtrak ride away.
Since being back, I notice that I have a new sense of confidence and independence. When thinking about the uncertainty of post-grad, I feel reassured that I will carve my path somehow, just as I did abroad. I also feel less nervous when entering new spaces. This summer, I started a program on machine learning—a topic I had little experience in before, but I feel less doubt knowing I could handle a computer science course at a foreign university.
My time abroad has ignited a new eagerness to explore. I realized there are so many places in my hometown and nearby Philadelphia that I have never been to before. Before studying abroad, I often just stuck to my usual places, spending time doing the same activities. After feeling like a tourist for so long, I started to see my hometown as another exciting place to explore and try new things. I look forward to bringing this spirit back to Pittsburgh for this upcoming fall semester.
In the last month of study abroad, at the forefront of my mind was to leave with no regrets. I decided to hit all my travel goals. I traveled beyond Seoul to Taipei, spending four days eating delicious food and exploring the island’s natural scenery. The next weekend, I took the short flight to Jeju Island, where I celebrated my 20th birthday strolling on white sand beaches and dipping my feet in cool turquoise green waters. On the next and final weekend abroad, I took the high-speed rail for a day trip to Busan, fulfilling a jam-packed itinerary starting at Gamcheon Culture Village and ending the night atop an observatory tower. I traveled more in this final month abroad than perhaps in the last five years.
My life after arriving back home in late June has slowed, but I feel truly grateful for the adventure I took abroad. To live life through the lens of a Korea University student has been eye-opening, and what a blessing it is to say I experienced it.
