Earlier this year, I made a life-changing decision to take an international co-op in South Korea as a visiting researcher in a research institute of grad students and older. It has been one month, and 25 days since I left the city and my loved ones for this new chapter in my life. Being alone in a foreign country has made me realize the power of language, or more so the lack thereof. The language barrier has actually further enhanced my deeper understanding of the people rather than distance myself away from it. It has made me realize that despite languages, we all still come together as one to help each other no matter what.
Living solo and adjusting to a country with a completely different language and culture was far from easy. Behind all the picturesque photos were me struggling to carry my two luggage bags alone from the train station, stopping in the middle of a crowd to look at an old-school map because I didn’t have access to wi-fi, me scrambling from page to page trying to translate words from Korean to English or vice versa, me staring blankly at my research proposal project not understanding a word, me constantly surrounded my students and scientists years beyond my age, and me looking at all the crowds of families and friends, with me longing to have the ones I love by my side.
However, there were also the two women who helped me carry my luggage and showed me the way to campus. There was that young Singaporean traveler I met at Gyeongbokgung who I explored Seoul for the first time with. There was the Egyptian community in the international dorm who welcomed me and let me use their kitchenware. There was that worker at the train station who sprinted up the escalator to make sure I didn’t miss my train to Daejeon. There was that couple who offered me homemade dessert at a cafe despite the language barrier. There was that group of hikers who fed me and made me feel a part of their family. There were my lab members who taught me everything I needed to know and not once made me feel like “just an intern.” There was my professor who challenged me to my full potential and kept pushing me to do things I never imagined I could.
Because of all of these people I’ve met along the ride, friends I’ve only met with a simple exchange of hello or friends who became my travel companions from this past month, I can already feel myself developing into a better professional and individual than I was when I stepped on that plane May 1st.
Living solo and adjusting to a country with a completely different language and culture was far from easy. Behind all the picturesque photos were me struggling to carry my two luggage bags alone from the train station, stopping in the middle of a crowd to look at an old-school map because I didn’t have access to wi-fi, me scrambling from page to page trying to translate words from Korean to English or vice versa, me staring blankly at my research proposal project not understanding a word, me constantly surrounded my students and scientists years beyond my age, and me looking at all the crowds of families and friends, with me longing to have the ones I love by my side.
However, there were also the two women who helped me carry my luggage and showed me the way to campus. There was that young Singaporean traveler I met at Gyeongbokgung who I explored Seoul for the first time with. There was the Egyptian community in the international dorm who welcomed me and let me use their kitchenware. There was that worker at the train station who sprinted up the escalator to make sure I didn’t miss my train to Daejeon. There was that couple who offered me homemade dessert at a cafe despite the language barrier. There was that group of hikers who fed me and made me feel a part of their family. There were my lab members who taught me everything I needed to know and not once made me feel like “just an intern.” There was my professor who challenged me to my full potential and kept pushing me to do things I never imagined I could.
Because of all of these people I’ve met along the ride, friends I’ve only met with a simple exchange of hello or friends who became my travel companions from this past month, I can already feel myself developing into a better professional and individual than I was when I stepped on that plane May 1st.
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