Being back in the United States
Being abroad has changed me, and it was for the better. I loved every minute of it, even though some parts were hard. I have been back in the United States for about a month now. Sometimes I still finding myself doing things that I was used to in Japan such as taking off my shoes before entering a house or standing to one side of an escalator. I also miss a lot of the food that I had there. American food is great, but I find a lot of...
Transportation in Japan
In America, we usually drive around cars to get from place to place. The same is true for Japan for some people. Except, driving in Japan is extremely expensive. Japanese law mandates people to go to driving school first before they receive their license, which ends up costing thousands of dollars. As either a tourist or as a student, visitors do not have the time and/or resources usually to go through this lengthy process. However,...
I love you France, but the rest of Europe is waiting
I first travelled to Europe in 2012 on a spring break tour, and it was that quick trip zipping through London, Paris, and Rome, that made me crave the experience of studying abroad. So I should have known that actually going to live abroad in France for a semester was only going to increase my need for travel. Tours, France, where I am studying abroad, is probably what I would describe as a picturesque, staple French town, and while I...
Not my plan, but whatever.
Going to a new place always means meeting new people. That probably is the most fluttering, yet terrifying aspect of going to a new place. I did not expect any of this because I did not intend on starting a new relationship. It started with an email I got from my roommate. First, it was my first time living in a dorm so I was not sure if emailing your roommate was a tradition in a dorm-life. Second, it was Korea, my native country. I...
Only One Chance to Get the Treasure
As a citizen of Korea, but as a child who lived in America since first grade, Korea was unfamiliar to me. Just like any K-Pop star fans, Korea was a fantasy. I went to Korea on Fall 2016 for my social work field placement and on Spring 2017 for a study abroad. I decided to extend my experience in Korea because one semester was not enough to fully immerse into the daily lives of normal citizens. In order to see how culture come in play...
Checking off the To-Do or To-EAT list and writing a new life’s goal list
I love green tea. Any green tea-flavored deserts impulse my consumer desire so I decided to start my journey of the holy green tea trail and my love for cafés and bakeries. Korea is not the designated green tea heaven, Japan is; however, there were enough or excessive (to explain it correctly) to please my obsession. Additionally, this journey added my love for red bean paste, bean powder, black sesame (heukimja), sweet potato, and...