In late February, I arrived in Seoul not knowing what to expect. I was excited to try new foods and nervous about the language barrier, but I knew that my time abroad would nonetheless help me grow as a person.
Over the past three months, I've had the opportunity to do some incredible things. I wore traditional Korean clothing called hanbok in front of the largest palace in Seoul. I ate some of the best Korean food in the world. I got to watch BTS, the most popular music group in the world right now, live in concert. Most importantly, I got to experience and learn about Korean culture with friends that I will remember for the rest of my life.
One of the greatest things that I learned while being in Korea is the power of language. Back when I was in middle school and high school, I used to dread my language classes. I took Mandarin and French for more than four years, however, now I'm realizing that those language classes are really important. After three months of Korean classes here, I was able to learn enough to order food, talk to strangers and find my way around Seoul. Since I was able to learn Korean and many Koreans wanted to practice English, I made Korean friends who showed me what it was really like to live as a regular citizen in South Korea.
