Hello, my name is Eddy Gallegos. This past semester I studied in Seoul, South Korea at the University of Seoul. I am currently a junior majoring in Cybersecurity with a global theme focused on technology and society. Prior to my study abroad trip, I had never traveled far from home, especially not to a city of millions of people who have a different culture and language from my own. I originally came to Korea to observe how a society with such high technological standards interacts with its population, but I left with a better understanding of technology and my own personal growth.

Before starting my journey, I really didn’t know much about South Korea at all. Most of what I associated with it came from popular music and shows. Two days before my departure I started to overthink, I started questioning if I should really go. I worried about going through my daily life without being able to read,write, or speak Korean. I was nervous about being alone in an unfamiliar place. These worries were simply just worries. Once I arrived I met people from a wide range of backgrounds, many of whom I still text to this day. With these connections I found myself stepping away from my introverted nature and by the time the program came to an end. I was reluctant to return home.

My challenge was to see how a society with high technological standards operates. I personally have experienced the opposite during my time in Mexico where the same infrastructure is not present. One of these technologies was the subway system. This technology was completely new to me as I have never experienced it before. The Trains arrived exactly on time, the stations were well maintained and clean. It was easy to go from one place to another without any worry about how to get there. There were many other technical systems that took some time getting used to, but the overall benefits far outweighed any inconvenience. I’d go as far as to say that transportation was my least worry.

As the program went on, I found myself trying new things and becoming more social. It felt like I was living a different life, one that I find myself missing in a meaningful way. I spent a lot of my time going out with friends, exploring different parts of the city, walking through nearby districts, or riding the train or bus for hours just to see where I would end up. I also traveled outside of South Korea and visited Jeju Island, where I hiked the Hallasan mountain, the tallest mountain in Korea. I never realized I could be so outgoing and I discovered what I liked through my experiences with my friends. I always thought of myself as being very introverted and in my own lane so to speak. However in Korea that was just not the case, I would even go out alone at times just to explore new places and monuments.

My time spent in Korea also educated me on dealing with South Korean culture. Many Korean people were very nice and they mostly kept to themselves. Sometimes during my commute on a train some elderly people, Ahjussi or Ajumma would talk to me as best they could in English and I was more than happy to start a conversation with them. I never felt like I was alienated nor felt out of place while I was on the study abroad program. I also met a few Koreans who I became friends with and there I learned more about the culture and why they act how they act.

Looking back on my time in South Korea was an amazing experience, I never expected to do any of the things I did there and I would gladly do something similar like this again. This entire experience changed how I view myself inter-personally as well as how society operates over in the Asia region, something I was unfamiliar with before.