Final Entry

For my final blog post of the semester, I wasn’t sure what to write. So, I’ve decided to take a page from my CIEE course this semester, and write about my feelings after my intercultural experience. 

For almost the entirety of this semester, I have had nothing but a good time. I have loved Korea. I had a bit of a struggle with my roommate, and financially, but overall, things were great and problems were handled with mutual respect and maturity. This has always been my view about life: if people are kind to one another, life is easy.

However, this is an obvious simplification. The world loves to prove me wrong. So just as I was settling in to my nostalgia over the last few month, the last week has been one of the worst of my life, and it has nothing to do with how kind people are. 

My friends and family and teachers and instructors have been wonderful supports for me, but things outside of my control have been just spiralling out of control. I lost my wallet, I thought I had Covid, I lost my airpods, and now I have to pick up the pieces. These things separately might not seem like all that much, but throw in finals week, and I find myself at a loss.

I’ve decided to look at the silver linings, however. I found my airpods, I do not have COVID, and everyone has been super helpful in getting me the things I need after my wallet was lost. I’ve decided to look at this last bump as a parting gift from the universe, to counteract any overdramatics or last minute romanticization of Korea I might have had. This semester has been maybe the best months of my life, but it is ending, for better or worse. The rest of my life is ahead of me, whether or not that’s in Korea, and I need to get to it.

I love you, Korea, and I will miss you.