Kelly's time in USA

Kelly's time in USA

During my stays in USA, i got so many chances to travel around. I feel so blesses to see different parts of USA!!! And i cannot wait to visit places where i haven't been yet!!

Visiting Museum in Chicago, Illinois

Celebrating Hannah's birthday at Panera near Foothill mall

2015 Science Fair at Maryville College

In front of One of our dorms in Maryville!

While driving in Smoky Mt. Found out i was at N. Carolina border.

Smoky Mountain with my family

Visited Washington DC with my family

In front of Lincoln Museum

 Visited NYC with my family

Maybe my 99th time visiting NYC but still take pictures from same place with same pose

No one visits Niagara fall during winter except our family!!

Amazing Snow and Everything is frozen

Don't expect to see water during summer, what you can see is ICE!!

Returning to a Familiar Culture

Readjusting my life in Korea would take time, there are many similarities between Korea and the United states but still there are many differences. My main concern is about different culture. Very easy example is saying “Hi” to someone I don’t know. Last winter, I was in Korea. I was doing grocery shopping with my old friend. I was deciding which vegetables to buy, and then I asked the lady who was also doing grocery shopping. I asked her that I was going to cook that night but I had no idea what to buy. She kindly explained from the seasonal food to her own recipes of cooking. When I finally put carrots and cucumbers in my cart my friend asked me if I know that lady. Of course, I answered that I don’t know her. My friend then said “You sure lived in the United States, no doubt”. It took time for me to understand what she meant but she meant that people don’t start conversation with unknown or strangers. Not only talking to strangers, but also like holding doors for next person, tips, and asking their conditions (how are you?), and privacy problems are cultural differences.

I want to learn history of Korea. I studied a lot about American history and European history but I have never got chances to learn about Korea history. Taking Korean history may help me too but also visiting historical places and museums would remain in my head longer. To my future Korean friends, I want to teach them slang. Most students in Korea start to lean English since third grade in elementary school. Most of Koreans would know grammar and vocabulary better than I know so I want to teach them what they can’t learn in school.

My greatest challenges and obstacles while living in the USA is definitely English! Still, learning and speaking English is challenge to me all the time and every day. Whenever I am struggling with English I always think that there is no end of studying English. Unlike other my Korean friends in USA, what I most miss in Korea is not food but it is SUBWAYS! In Seoul, you can travel end of Seoul to another end of Seoul by riding subways and cost less than 2 dollar in one and a half hour (Seoul is small city but I mean the subways are fast!!). My least missing about Korea is parking spaces and traffic jams. Americans would be impossible to park in Seoul. If you are planning to drive in Seoul with your car I recommend do valeting without trying, remembering just do the valet!!

My Goals in South Korea

“What? South Korea? You are from South Korea” that was my friends’ reaction when I told them I am planning to study abroad in South Korea. As the sentence says, I am from South Korea. While I will be in South Korea, I want to spend my semester just as like normal Korean students. Since I was 15, I spent my life in U.S. and I felt I lost the chance to experience Korean college. But when I heard Maryville College offers study abroad opportunities to student, I was really excited. I want to experience Korean College life and tell my American friends how it was and recommend them.

Since my first choice Yonsei University is not that far from my grandparents’ house. I am expecting to visit them at least once every two weeks. My heart broke down when my aunt called my mom last week telling her that my grandmother will have a surgery on this coming Monday. So my second goal is to have some time with my grandparent. And my main goal is learning more deeply about Management and Economics under amazing professors from Yonsei with Korea life experiences.

To maximize my learning, I will join clubs. I am expecting to join English writing club. Also I will take some English lecture courses and some Korean lecture courses too. If I get a chance, I would love to visit other Korean cities too. I had lived in Seoul for 15 years and didn’t get many chances to visit other cities. Traveling always gives me something that I didn’t expect like great views, great feelings and great understanding of that area.

I have lots of fears about leaving U.S. and living in South Korea. I had amazing memories in MC and this made me worry about “What if life in Seoul is not what I thought it would be” but I know everyone at least think of this before they leave. And this is healthy-worries that would make my journey even more fantastic and make me totally prepared for the journey.