My experience here in South Korea has truly been one that I would never have imagined in a million years. It has been a journey that has shaped, changed, broken and fixed, and made me stronger. I am a new person because of my time here and coming from a person who fears and despises change, this is a very big step.
The friends I have made along the way will always have a place in my heart. I wish I could say that I will be friends with them for a lifetime, but nobody really knows the future. One thing I do know for sure: Throughout your lifetime you will cross paths with many different people, however, there are very few who will truly make an impact on your life. I am grateful towards all the people who have impacted my life and helped me grow as a person. I am very grateful to my friends here in Seoul who have made this place feel like home.
Seoul has been my home for the past 5 months and I have loved being here, but it also made me realize something very important... Utah is also my home. And while I have spent the past 20 years longing for something bigger, better, and more, Utah is a part of me that I could never forget nor do I want to. It has helped my to become who I am right now and quite frankly, I am very proud of the person I am today.
There is a thing my grandma always tells me. She says: if you want to do great things, you must go to big cities, meet big people and have big dreams. My grandma and I don't always see eye to eye, but she is a wise woman. I have met so many people here from New York, Germany, Vienna, Australia, China etc. Meeting these incredible people from all around the world and interacting with them on a daily basis has made be see the sense in my grandma's words. The world is a huge place and in order to make my mark, I must open my eyes to it.
So, while I love Utah and will always be a place I call home, I must spread my wings and ascend from it. This is something I have wanted my whole life, however, Utah is no longer a chain strapped to my legs stopping me from my dreams. Instead, it is a stepping stone on my path to achieve greatness.
I never would have come to this revelation had I not done my study abroad here in Korea. I cannot say that I will no longer worry or doubt myself, but I have become more confident in the fact that everything happens for a reason so you needn't worry too much about the small things.
One last thing I would like to say. Be brave and courageous. Take some risks and a leap of faith once in a while. You can spend a lifetime worrying about the "what ifs" or you can just make some mistakes and move forward. There is nothing wrong with falling down sometimes or even a lot of times because life can be tough. The important thing is to get back up and learn from the mistakes. We have heard this all before, but now is the time to act upon it. Korea has taught me that you can't always wait around for something good to happen. If you want happiness, go out and find it. We all have that strength and power in us to do anything we want.
