#studyabroadblog

[mymelaninseoul]

What am I doing here...?!? {Introduction and Summary}

I’m gonna try to get my stuff together!

I originally started this blog to as record of my travel through Korea. There are a lot of reasons why I didn’t successfully get it off the ground, but the biggest was honestly that I spent every hour abroad living it to the fullest! So selfish of me... ㅜㅜ  But on a more selfless note, I did cover a blog for elementary age kids that allowed them to follow me on a few adventures! I’ll talk more on that later.

Now that I’ve gotten back, I keep finding myself rambling on about my adventures in Korea to my friends all the time. I realized after telling some of my stories that I had a really unique experience! People study abroad every semester, meet people from all over the world, and then go home. Unfortunately not enough people write about it! My friend convinced me that she would love to read my stories online and she thinks others would too.

Korea was not all Kpop and Kdrama like everyone assumes!

You have to travel with an open mind ladies and gentlemen. Drop the romantics and enjoy yourself in the present time! Korea was a very homogenous country - mean there were often times when my friend and I were the only diversity in the room! That’s ok, but there were times when I faced language barriers or a bit of racial prejudice. That’s still ok! It really wasn’t that deep and I took it as a learning experience and a chance for me to introduce myself and my culture to a new group of people!

In saying all this...

I still had THE TIME OF MY LIFE!  I ate so much good food, I met some lifelong friends, I stepped out of my comfort zones.. I MET AOMG - quite a few times! I was LIVING. *BUT* every experience isn’t the same. Everyone doesn’t do all this.. but I did! ....And I’m gonna tell you about it! ~~

The blog will go a little something like this...

I will aim for weekly updates [maybe more] with pictures and videos. Sometimes I will feature cute cafes and tasty restaurants! Sometimes I tell you cool stories or cover events like concerts or visiting Lotte World. I may also touch on some trends, my thoughts, or maybe some challenges I faced while abroad.

My goal here is to educate and to entertain. I want tell you some cool stories, but I also want people to maybe see how Seoul looked through my eyes. I can also help with everyday tasks like buying concert tickets or sending mail back home! Just let me know and I can add content. Please also keep in mind too that this is my memoir. Its a collection of my personal memories and thoughts while abroad. Ask any questions you like and...

Welcome to My Melanin Seoul!

[studybuddy26]

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[reynaoverseas]

Reyna Overseas study abroad blog: Your Source for Study Abroad, Visa Tips, Career Advice IELTS, Education Fair & Success Stories.

[just-a-catcher-in-the-rye]

Which Program?!?!?

The process of applying for the Rotary Youth Exchange program was hectic. I must admit that I spent some time overwhelmed with a tear-soaked face that I was afraid would prune up like fingers after a bath. The process was intense, and full of hoops to jump through. My biggest fear was being told I wasn’t good enough because of a diagnosis. I know I’m strong and I didn’t want anybody to say I wasn’t strong enough. First, I talked to my mom's friend, Jakie, about her experience studying abroad with Rotary. She had nothing but good things to say. She answered lots of my questions. I was very grateful that she took time out of her day to talk to me. While I was talking with Jackie at a local coffee shop, something weird happened. A barista at the coffee shop over heard us, and she had also studied abroad through Rotary. She went to Turkey (at the time it was at the top of my list). She was super enthusiastic. She told me to just do it, and that I wouldn't regret it. Seeing all the different connections I could make though Rotary got me even more excited! Next, I talked to a very kind person named Bill. He gave me the first paper to fill out and answered all my questions about studying abroad. Next, I went through the local Rotary interview. I looked up questions online to prepare myself. I was glad I did. I did an online application that took forever, and I had to put a lot of thought into it.  I was thankful to be told that I would have my district interview next.  That went super well. Everyone I met was so amazing. My mom asked one of the other people interviewing to study abroad what they thought was scarier, stepping on the plane or the interviews.  The other person interviewing for a spot said stepping on the plane, but I said the interviews. There’s not much I can do to screw up stepping on a plane. My interviewer, Roger, was super helpful and kind. Although I was a little annoyed that he didn’t ask me any of the questions I prepared for. He later told me that I had one of the best interviews that he had ever had. I was so proud of myself. That was the point that I realized my growing process wasn’t going to start when I went abroad. It started as soon as I decided to apply for Rotary. I know that most may not understand why the application process was such a big deal, but you’ll just have to trust me on this one. I still don’t have it in writing if I’m in Rotary or not, but they pretty much told me after the interview. I haven’t been able to think of anything else since then. I got so worried about not having enough packing room that yesterday I packed an entire suitcase and carry on of everything I was planning on bringing. My mom thought I was crazy, but that’s one less thing to worry about. Something crazy happened today! When applying for Rotary, I also applied for NSLI-Y. Well… I got an email today saying that I got into the semi-finals. I was so proud and grateful. Only a third of the applicants make it to the semi-finals. About half of the semi-finalist are accepted into the NSLI-Y program. For Rotary my top choices were Denmark, Brazil, and Spain. For NSLI-Y my top choices were India and Russia. NSLI-Y is a free government program. Both have so many pros and cons. It makes it so confusing to figure out what I want. Tomorrow is the Rotary Christmas Party. I’m going to get more answers there. Until then, goddag og farvel.

[windisfengisviento]

Pictures of the Casa Rosada, a site dedicated to those who died fighting in the Falkland Islands, and of the demonstration against the changes in pensions.

[windisfengisviento]

Pictures from day 1 on the plane and at the doors of my host family’s house!

[kevinscollectionoftravels-blog]

About me and Plans

ASo, what exactly am I doing in Buenos Aires? That’s a long answer, so let’s categorize what I’m trying to do here.

1. Academically

Academically, I’m trying to improve my level of Spanish. I placed into the B2 class for those familiar with CEFR levels or Advanced Mid in ACTFL levels. For those unfamiliar, that’s about 4 semesters of college-level Spanish, so I generally can understand most things, just I make subtle mistakes still, and people can still tell I’m not a native speaker (although there are other reasons for this, too). The program on which I’m on will grant me 6 credits towards my possible minor in Spanish, and this will leave me only 12 more credits in the minor! Exciting, no?

2. Personally

Personally, I want to meet a lot of different people from different Spanish-speaking countries who live in Buenos Aires. For this, I’m really lucky that I’m in Buenos Aires, with a Venezuelan family, and I’m excited to meet people from different walks of life and visit different neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. 

So why did I choose Buenos Aires for these?

First, I wanted restore a bit more of my confidence in speaking Spanish. In Spain, not many people believed I could speak Spanish until I spoke it to them. I “pass” a bit better here, and I want to meet members of the Korean diaspora here. I’ve heard of a lot of Korean and Chinese Argentinians, so I wasn’t too afraid to come here. Plus, even if my friend told me not to come back to the US speaking like a citizen of Buenos Aires, I wanted to go to South America for the first time and experience what a big city was like. Plus, the ability to get 6 credits in 4 weeks, coupled with a big city with a mix of cultures? Pretty amazing.

[kevinscollectionoftravels-blog]

My first time in Buenos Aires!

Currently, I'm sitting in the airport while waiting for my flight to Newark. I may have flown alone before, but this is my first time going completely alone.  I'm pretty nervous, but my day could be worse. I heard a man talking over the speaker (in Spanish) talking about how he wanted this girl to forgive him, and that she needed to go to the airport's information center. I'm not quite sure that would stop a determined person, yet he did sound very earnest.

It's weird; I feel like I'm finally in the situation every high school Spanish textbook describes: you're a student going to a Spanish-speaking country where you're going to study the language. However, this time it's for real, and I've studied Spanish for years, but I still feel my stomach and body shaking a little. I don't know many people in Buenos Aires, but I am looking forward to speaking Spanish every day, learning a new culture, and hopefully, improving my Spanish.

Now, the flight attendants and pilots are offering a voucher to anyone willing to give up their seat. They haven't found the 2 people they need yet, and all I can think about is what a fool I was to choose United when I knew of David Dao. I'm jokingly wondering what will happen. 

I'm on the plane to Newark; I'm just waiting for it to depart now.  Surrounded by Japanese, Spanish, and French speakers, at least it seems good for some language practice.

Getting off of the flight took a while, but thankfully, the flight to Buenos Aires was delayed, too. Once I got on the plane, I felt much more comfortable. The flight went well although there was some turbulence, and the man I sat next to turned out to be Argentine. He was kind enough to warn me that if I were to go to Uruguay, I should realize that it might take several hours to go from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento. It was really kind of him. 

Well, I got here! I came a bit later than the others, but I still found the sign that designated my program for going abroad! I took a rest, but then, after that, the niece (or at least I think; host family relations are usually a bit fuzzy) of my host mom took me and my roommate to an international fair. But really, I think it was a Venezuelan fair. They played a bunch of traditional Venezuelan music, some about the holiday season, others, about the country's African roots, but they were all beautiful. I got to try some Chilean food, too, and I was really grateful at being able to stay with such a welcoming family and being able to meet all these other people, too.