First Time Living in a Foreign Country...

I'll be completely honest, this was the most terrifying experience I have ever experienced... And I mean that in a completely positive way. I never had the fortune of traveling often or outside the United States. The longest I have spent outside the country was the month I vacationed in Haiti with my family. However, moving almost 7,000 miles away from all that I know for 6 months was something I didn't know I was prepared for. Don't get me, I was excited to travel and to finally live out my dream of coming to Korea, but everything about traveling was unknown territory. If not for the help of CIEE and my sister who lives in Korea, I wouldn't have had a single clue of what I was doing. I arrived two weeks earlier to get myself accustomed to everything I didn't know, but I was scared to even set a foot outside my Airbnb. However, I couldn't let my uncertainty stop me.

I think those two weeks prior to the semester was the perfect amount of time to get myself together. With planning my days out to do activities and exploring, I no longer feared being here! If anything, I felt like I have been living here for months! I've even surprised people with my confident navigation and knowledge about what there is to do around Seoul. I have never even been this comfortable or this excited about being out and about back at home, and I believe it is because of my determination to feel fulfilled by the time I return home. While I do miss home, there is no other place I'd rather be right now.