GRIP, Internships Abroad (Not So) Shocking

International Development in Seoul

Going abroad is a unique experience that can only be fully understood when one does it themselves. Everyone hears details about going abroad, whether it be to make sure to bring an outlet converter (definitely remember to do this one!), to pack lightly or to pack for every eventuality, and, perhaps most often told and heard, is to expect culture shock. Traveling to a country as different as Korea is from the United States, I was told that I might feel lonely, misunderstood, and more. So, when I arrived in Korea, I was expecting to feel different. I’ve been here for about a week at this point, and I keep expecting to experience some precise moment where I have the sudden realization that I really am in Korea. A country six thousand miles from home, a country where, despite studying the culture and language for two years, I’m not even close to understanding it fully. Of course, I know I’m in Korea, but I’ve yet to have that striking moment. I’ve yet to feel shocked. And as I explore more and more of Seoul, I’m starting to wonder if I will. There are different aspects, of course, those are clear. And yet I was expecting the city to feel different. But it doesn’t. It’s just a city.

This isn’t a bad thing, however. Not to get all deep, but I think it’s given me a better understanding of what it is to be human. People are just people, they’re the same all over the world. They may have different cultures and languages, but they are still human beings. And it’s heartwarming to see it. The kids who almost ran into me today on their way home from school, the lady who just helped me find the laundromat where I sit typing this blog, the convenience store employee who laughed at how happy I was when I finally found the food waste disposal bags. They and so many more have made me feel welcome, and in a weird way, at home in a place that couldn’t be more different (on the surface) from what I’m used to.

Travelers always have a lot of expectations. You may expect wherever you are to be more or less different, more or less clean, you may expect the Korean subways to not have an ungodly number of stairs (you’ll definitely be wrong here). You may expect to be shocked. You may expect not to be. Korea is different than my expectations in some ways and not in others. Some may have the strong realization they’re in Korea their first day, others their first week, and still others not at all. Regardless of what you may feel if you look at the little things - the smiles on people’s faces, the everyday emotions, and the goings-on of wherever you are – I don’t think you’ll feel shocked at all. All you can really expect is that you’ll have an amazing time.