Preparing to say "goodbye" to Korea

Hello, again! It's been awhile. I've never been so stressed about preparing for exams as I did for KLI, but they're over now and I'm beyond relieved. I received my results today and I'm happy to say that I passed! I received the exact same score on my final as I did on the midterm, 79%, but I was very pleased with my speaking (which I got a 85% on) and writing portion (which I got a 91% on) of the exam. While I'm very, very happy I'll never have to go to a KLI class again, I'll miss my classmates, especially the ones I became close to throughout the semester.

Saying goodbye to my KLI class.

My last school lunch at Yonsei. I'll miss getting these 5,000 won dosirak meals.

I also finished up my internship at PSCORE. I had a great time meeting such passionate individuals and I'll definitely miss my co-workers. I'll also miss being in an environment where people are familiar with and have an interest in the same events I am, such as Korean reunification and the situation with North Korean refugees in South Korea. In sum, I'm happy I chose to complete an internship this semester and it has been fulfilling in numerous ways.

The certificate I received from PSCORE.

I'm 2 days away from traveling to Vietnam and Cambodia, and I'll be writing a post about those when I get back. For now, I want to reflect on my time in Korea, and how being here has changed me as a person. I thought I was independent before coming to Korea, but engaging with a foreign country by yourself gives a whole new sense of the word. Traveling by myself no longer bothers me, finding a place to live by myself no longer bothers me, going grocery shopping and cooking food in a foreign country by myself no longer bothers me, and the list goes on.

I've also become to know myself a lot better than I did before. I've come to know the type of people I thoroughly enjoy hanging out with, things that make me truly happy in life, and what kind of future I want to have. My strengths have been challenged and my weaknesses have surfaced, but I'm glad this awareness has increased because it has prepared me for a post-graduation adult life.

Lastly, Korea, like other countries I've been in, has reminded me that the world is a small place. Humans are humans, and despite cultural contextual differences, we ultimately share core values, desires, and needs. The more people I meet, the smaller my world gets, and I come to realize how I'm really not that unique from other people.

To sum up my mixed feelings about leaving Korea, I've written a list of the items I will miss about Korea and things I look forward to being reunited with once I get back to the U.S.

Things I will miss about Korea:

• FOOD. Seriously can't emphasize this one enough.
• Public transportation
• The convenience of living in a mega-city
• Being able to practice my Korean by not even really realizing I'm doing it
• My one-room apartment. It has served me well throughout the year.
• My Korean friends
• Pretty much unlimited access to shopping EVERYWHERE
• Artbox (maybe it's a good thing I'm saying goodbye to Artbox because I've spent way too much money there, haha)
• Korean ATMs

Things that I look forward to in the U.S.:

• Friends, family, boyfriend
• Comfy bed
• Dryers
• Polite people (people that hold open doors, say "Sorry" when they accidentally bump into you, etc.)
• Nature. Allll the nature.
• My job at the Asian Studies Center. I never realized how much I would miss working.
• Breakfast food
• Craft beer (yay for finally being 21!)
• James Madison College and being challenged in content classes again
• Not being stared at all the time

Like I said, this isn't my final post of my blog, but this post does mark the wrap-up of my classes at Yonsei and saying goodbye to the student life there. I've been taking these last couple of days to say goodbye to the friends I've made here and buy any last minute goods I want to bring back to the U.S. Just the other day I went to Artbox again to buy some goodies. 

Some of the sticky notes I bought from Artbox.

Last night I also said goodbye to my friends from India, Hisu and Ji Young. I met them in Itaewon where we ate at Vatos and then Hisu and I ended the night in Shiva Pub, a hookah bar in Sinchon. I know I won't see them again for a long time but we'll make a future meeting possible. I'm just very grateful I was able to reconnect with them in the first place since I've been here. Never underestimate the friends you made growing up because they may end up being an important part of your life in the future. 

Saying goodbye to Hisu and Seo Ha. 

Well, when I see you again I will have marked off two more countries from my travel-to list. I also wanted to say that I'm actually quite proud of myself for keeping up a blog consistently this year. I didn't think I would have the motivation to do it, but I'm really glad I did end up writing it because I'll have it to look back on and reminisce in the future. Anyways, I will see you in roughly a week!