안녕하세요 (an-nyeong ha-se-yo)! Hello! My name is Maddie, and I’m moving to South Korea in January. I have lived in a lot of different places, but I was raised in Louisville, Kentucky. You may not know much about Louisville, but I bet you’ve heard of the Kentucky Derby – the most popular horse race in the United States – and Kentucky Fried Chicken. These are my hometown’s two claims to fame.
If you think South Korea is completely different from fried chicken and horse races, you’re correct. However, as a kid, I spent almost all of my free time reading. For me, books were my only way to travel, and the stories I read introduced me to many places that I hoped to visit in real life. As a student at the University of Virginia, I continued to explore the world by studying literature from many different people and countries. That’s around when I learned about 한류 (hall-yu), or the “Korean wave” of music, food, and literature sweeping across the world.
Last April, I was accepted into the Fulbright Program as an English Teaching Assistant. I have always wanted to be an English teacher, and I hope to spend my time in Korea deepening my educational skills, learning about the country’s language and history, and trying all of its unique foods. Until then, 안녕히 계세요 (an-nyeong-hi gye-se-yo)! Goodbye for now!
Want to learn how you could be a Fulbright Scholar like me? The Fulbright Program is the United States government's flagship international exchange program. Fulbrighters foster mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, share knowledge across communities, and improve lives around the world. Learn more by clicking here!
