I just bought my plane ticket to Seoul! I leave from Detroit on August 20th and I arrive in Seoul on the 21st. It's a 13-hour direct flight, definitely the longest flight I will have ever taken (the second longest was coming from Istanbul last summer, which was 11 hours). I'm so glad I found a direct flight because I won't have to worry about my baggage getting lost during layovers at other airports. Plus longer flights have nicer airplanes which is a bonus as well.
I'm also working on my visa application. I just need to get a money order from my bank and take passport photos. Thank goodness I can mail everything in instead of having to go in person to the Korean consulate. Finding a way to get to Chicago would have been really annoying. The only thing I'm worried about is my passport getting lost but I'm mitigating the problem by buying mail that has insurance and express mailing.
I'm slowly checking off the items on my to-do list. This week I also have a doctor's appointment so I can get the medical letter needed for Boren. Whenever I become stressed when thinking about all the things I need to accomplish, I keep reminding myself that in two months I will be in the country that I've wanted to be in for the past two years. The wait will be worth it!
Monday, June 16, 2014
Friday, June 13, 2014
Encouraging students to study abroad
I want to take this opportunity to let others know about two MSU students who are also studying abroad for a year. They are writing blogs too and I encourage you to read them because they provide another side to studying abroad.
The first blog comes from Marisa Reynolds, who is also studying abroad at Yonsei University. Here's the link to her blog: http://studiesin-seoul.blogspot.com/
Marisa and I have been in the same Korean class for the past two years and I'm so pumped to represent MSU with her in Seoul.
The second blog comes from Chris Murphy, who is studying abroad in China. He's currently in Harbin for a two-month summer program and then he heads to China again for a year-long program. Chris also received the Boren scholarship. Here's the link to his blog: http://spartansabroad.wordpress.com/
I'm hoping that with all three blogs, Marisa, Chris, and I can encourage Spartans and future MSU students to study abroad. The journey may seem intimidating (and I would lie if I said it wasn't), but adding personal voices allows students to see that the process really is doable and also extremely rewarding in the short and long run.
The first blog comes from Marisa Reynolds, who is also studying abroad at Yonsei University. Here's the link to her blog: http://studiesin-seoul.blogspot.com/
Marisa and I have been in the same Korean class for the past two years and I'm so pumped to represent MSU with her in Seoul.
The second blog comes from Chris Murphy, who is studying abroad in China. He's currently in Harbin for a two-month summer program and then he heads to China again for a year-long program. Chris also received the Boren scholarship. Here's the link to his blog: http://spartansabroad.wordpress.com/
I'm hoping that with all three blogs, Marisa, Chris, and I can encourage Spartans and future MSU students to study abroad. The journey may seem intimidating (and I would lie if I said it wasn't), but adding personal voices allows students to see that the process really is doable and also extremely rewarding in the short and long run.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Back from the Boren orientation
Last night I arrived back in East Lansing from the two-day Boren orientation and convocation in Washington, D.C. It was the shortest yet busiest trip I think I've ever been on; the only down time I had was at the airport!
At the orientation I was able to meet other Boren scholars and fellows, meet Boren alumni, and have all my questions answered about the scholarship and the one-year congressionally mandated service requirement in the federal government. I also had the opportunity to meet with Sen. Debbie Stabenow and several staffers!
I received a lot of great, solid advice from several leaders and alumni. If you want to work in the federal government, there are three things you have to do: get an internship, pass your security clearance, and network. The advice is simple but judging from the current careers of the Boren alumni, following that advice will make you successful. The orientation also served as a great networking opportunity; I received contact information from several people working in government and I plan on keeping in touch with them.
I was heavily spoiled during the event! NSEP paid for my hotel (which was two blocks away from the Capitol!), flight, meals, and even gave me a $100 stipend for additional meals and costs for public transportation.
Furthermore, I met a lot of very influential people. If anything the orientation taught me, is that I really do have a passion for public service. I am now even more excited to pursue a career in the federal government. The journey will be long and very stressful, and I will fail several times, but my life experiences have already taught me that the journey is more important and memorable than the goal.
Everything's so official!
At the orientation I was able to meet other Boren scholars and fellows, meet Boren alumni, and have all my questions answered about the scholarship and the one-year congressionally mandated service requirement in the federal government. I also had the opportunity to meet with Sen. Debbie Stabenow and several staffers!
This is me with Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
I received a lot of great, solid advice from several leaders and alumni. If you want to work in the federal government, there are three things you have to do: get an internship, pass your security clearance, and network. The advice is simple but judging from the current careers of the Boren alumni, following that advice will make you successful. The orientation also served as a great networking opportunity; I received contact information from several people working in government and I plan on keeping in touch with them.
It was nice having the opportunity to visit the Capitol again!
I was heavily spoiled during the event! NSEP paid for my hotel (which was two blocks away from the Capitol!), flight, meals, and even gave me a $100 stipend for additional meals and costs for public transportation.
Furthermore, I met a lot of very influential people. If anything the orientation taught me, is that I really do have a passion for public service. I am now even more excited to pursue a career in the federal government. The journey will be long and very stressful, and I will fail several times, but my life experiences have already taught me that the journey is more important and memorable than the goal.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
It's official!
I found out yesterday that I have been officially accepted into Yonsei University as an international exchange student! Now that I finally received acceptance, I can now move forward with a lot of things I need to do for my year-long study abroad. I need to buy my plane ticket, apply for my visa, finalize my homestay, enroll for courses, get all my health stuff done, notify my bank, apply for my 21st birthday driver's license, etc. and of course, pack. Luckily I have two and a half months to get everything done so I'm not too worried about time.
I also head to my Boren orientation soon! I leave Sunday, June 8 and I come back Tuesday, June 10. I'll be in Washington, D.C. meeting other Boren scholars and even having the chance to meet U.S. Congressmen and Senators!
Even though I haven't bought my plane ticket yet, I plan on leaving the U.S. on August 20th. So until then everyone will have a chance to say their good-byes. I will most likely stay in Korea until next August because I want to do a summer study abroad there as well. It's weird to think that when I come back a lot of my friends will have graduated and I will only have a year left of school.
Anyways, everything is going to plan which is really, really good. I'm hoping all the items on my list go smoothly as well!
My acceptance letter.
I also head to my Boren orientation soon! I leave Sunday, June 8 and I come back Tuesday, June 10. I'll be in Washington, D.C. meeting other Boren scholars and even having the chance to meet U.S. Congressmen and Senators!
Even though I haven't bought my plane ticket yet, I plan on leaving the U.S. on August 20th. So until then everyone will have a chance to say their good-byes. I will most likely stay in Korea until next August because I want to do a summer study abroad there as well. It's weird to think that when I come back a lot of my friends will have graduated and I will only have a year left of school.
Anyways, everything is going to plan which is really, really good. I'm hoping all the items on my list go smoothly as well!
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Great news all around!
After months and months of waiting, I have finally been notified about the five scholarships I applied for to cover my study abroad costs (2014 NSEP Boren Scholarship, Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, S.C. Lee Scholarship, James Madison College Dean's Award for Study Abroad, and Office of Study Abroad Academic Excellence Award). I am so excited to say that I have received all five of them! I'm still in shock, especially with my selection to receive the Boren Scholarship. With all five scholarships I not only cover my entire study abroad costs but I will also have money to do extensive traveling outside of South Korea! I'm already planning on visiting at least Japan and China and then hopefully Russia and Mongolia as well.
Lesson learned: hard work truly pays off. I remember the stress of re-writing my application essays over and over again, bugging my professors to write letters of recommendation, and just figuring out the overall logistics of my program. All that stress was worth it! All I can I say is I'm pumped to see where my life takes me, especially after graduation. So far the future looks very bright!
Lesson learned: hard work truly pays off. I remember the stress of re-writing my application essays over and over again, bugging my professors to write letters of recommendation, and just figuring out the overall logistics of my program. All that stress was worth it! All I can I say is I'm pumped to see where my life takes me, especially after graduation. So far the future looks very bright!
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Five more months!
I just finished applying directly to Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. I was already accepted to the exchange program on MSU's end, and now I just have to wait to hear back from Yonsei. If everything goes to plan, I'll be in Korea in 5 months! I feel like this whole year has been a long wait to go abroad again. Ever since I got back from my summer study abroad in Turkey, I've been excited to board a plane again and experience new adventures.
I'm also waiting to hear back from the numerous scholarships I applied for. The big one, the Boren scholarship, will notify me by the end of April. The wait is driving me crazy!
Anyways, I will hopefully be using this blog to periodically chronicle my year-long adventure in Seoul. Sometimes it's hard to believe that such a life-changing event is fast approaching.
I'm also waiting to hear back from the numerous scholarships I applied for. The big one, the Boren scholarship, will notify me by the end of April. The wait is driving me crazy!
Anyways, I will hopefully be using this blog to periodically chronicle my year-long adventure in Seoul. Sometimes it's hard to believe that such a life-changing event is fast approaching.
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