‘Take the good memories back with you’:
Semester at South Korea
By: Thomasina Dinehdeal
Major: Elementary Education
Tribal Affiliation: Navajo
I scheduled a meeting with a study abroad coordinator to find the best South Korea program for me. After submitting my application, I was accepted into the Exchange Program at Yonsei University. In a few months, I had to gather my passport, visa and plane ticket and then, I was set to go.
Upon landing in South Korea during the fall of 2017, I thought, “What did you get yourself into Thomasina?” As a Navajo raised in Tuba City (a rural reservation town located on the Navajo Nation), I immediately felt culture shock. I was lost and afraid because everything and mostly everyone was Korean. I was so overwhelmed that I almost forgot about my bus ride to the university. Luckily, the lady who I sat next to on the airplane stopped to ask me in Korean, “Where are you going?” With a limited proficiency in the Korean language, I answered, “Yonsei University.” She told me to study hard and to have fun in Korea. My anxiety slowly subsided and I was able to find the bus.
The first few months, I struggled adjusting to the culture. My biggest insecurity and challenge was my Korean pronunciation. After joining a few student clubs on campus, I began to meet new people and improve my Korean language skills. I joined the American Forces Korea Network Listener’s Club that helps Koreans improve in the English language, and the Yonsei Global Angel that explores Seoul’s popular places. By participating in these groups, I learned that Korean students were just as nervous about English as I was about Korean. I had a cultural epiphany: we were there to help each other, learn about each other’s cultures and get ourselves out of our comfort zones.
Throughout my experience I was embraced by the people. I will always cherish a moment I had as I was standing at a stoplight. It was freezing outside and I had my coat opened in 30-degree weather. I turned to look at an elder standing beside me. As the light turned green, the elder approached me and began to close my jacket and cover me tightly with my scarf while saying “It’s cold” in Korean. And another experience was when I became ill. I had a small stomach ache and my new Korean friend offered to run to the nearest store for medicine, even after I told him that I was fine. Later, my Korean friends told me that they wanted me to take the good memories of South Korea back with me. Without their support and affection, it would have been a difficult five months.
I will forever miss South Korea as it was my first international journey. I hope to return as an English teacher or as a tourist and relive the memories that the ASU Study Abroad Office helped me create. I recommend that anyone who is considering study abroad to go for it and take advantage of it. When you experience traveling abroad, you’ll be thankful that you did.
