A Review of my Experiences in Korea, as part of an assignment for my professor (after all, this was a class... and for a grade)

The scene in Incheon Airport on July 28, the final day of our exchange, was a perfect depiction of the experiences of the past month. As I waited in line to check in to my flight, I knew that the next few moments were going to be extremely hard. A lump started growing in my throat as I handed my passport to the Korean Airlines employee, in reluctant anticipation of saying goodbye to the eight remaining Korean students, now my close friends, who were standing behind me. After checking my luggage and not being able to postpone the moment anymore, we began saying our goodbyes. Of course, the tears were flowing; but we also had genuine smiles on our faces. A few of us were even able to laugh through our tears. These emotions we had come to see daily for the past month.
Before meeting the Korean students, I was a bit reluctant about many aspects of the trip and about the culture into which we would be living. I am sure I had a lump in my throat and a similair feeling of unwanted change as I said goodbye to my mother and sister in Memphis. However, that first night, with my roommate Yi Soo, I discovered one of the wittiest and kindest persons I will ever know. She immediately made me feel at home, in my own country of all places. The rooming assignments of a Korean student and an American student unquestionably helped the understanding between the two groups.
It is extremely hard to name the best and worst parts of the program. Since being home, I have said that the American students received the “best of both worlds” while on the exchange. In America, we had the privilege of meeting with many business and political leaders whose advice will be beneficial and influential to our futures. We also seemed to bypass a lot of the “tourist-y” things that many had already visited, yet we still seemed to gain a great understanding of the places we visited. I also appreciated the free time we had every few days, which afforded time for the occasional recuperative nap and personal sightseeing. While in Korea, we were able to visit many landmarks, which could be deemed “tourist-y”; yet, they were enthralling to all students. We were taxingly busy, but most of us wanted to optimize our time anyway. I can say now that I was able to visit and see all that I had hoped to witness.
More than anything that I learned on a tour or a museum, I learned so much about the Korean culture and the students’ perspectives from the Korean students individually and as a group. Thankfully, they were not afraid to share or illustrate, to enquire or second guess. I feel that I gained a new picture of their culture, one that I would not have had the privilege of seeing had I been an average tourist in their country. I feel that I have been able to break stereotypes and see past race or skin color.
As they introduced themselves in Memphis, the Koreans’ names baffled me. I said I did not think that I would be able to master them. Yet, in the airport exactly four weeks later, I was able to call each one by name, knowing more than their faces, but their characters and personalities as well. This exchange allowed me the unique opportunity to learn about Korea through its people, and that has made all of the difference in the lessons that I have brought home.