Rochelle Coloma
Blog Post # 4
During the summer before my senior year of high school, I was one of
the lucky fifty students to be chosen in the country and receive a travel
scholarship to visit South Korea. There I was able
to try a new Korean dish everyday, see the lights in Gangnam, wait in long
lines for an orange or white taxi (apparently they’re the cheapest of all
taxis), visit a Korean supermarket, and bargain for clothes at Myeong-dong. It was not until the part of the trip
where I participated in a home-stay that I truly got to experience cultural life
in South Korea. The family were very willing to even teach me how to make traditional Korean dishes and take part in a painting lesson.
On the days we do not have excursions, we had the option of
going anywhere we wanted to. One day, I was so exhausted from all the traveling
and bus rides, I wanted to go back to my hotel and rest. Unfortunately, I was
at a shopping district and the group I was with had plans to visit different sites. Knowing I would have to travel back alone
to the hotel, I decided to break apart from the group anyways. With
only a few bills at hand, my only option was to take the metro. At that moment,
I just remember panicking. I could actually feel the palpitations from my heart
as a coat of sweat was starting to form on my face. I eventually walked down the stairs to
the subway and felt like it was becoming such a long journey to the ticketing
station when in reality it was only a few meters away. With my map on one hand
and ticket in another, I went on a little adventure in what would be my first
ever subway ride. Getting into the right
side of the station was becoming much more of a challenge, however when I
finally got on the correct train, the journey did not stop there. Just like
Coates and his memorable train ride, I began to reflect on all of my adventures
since my first day in South Korea and me personally. During this trip, I was 17
and thought I knew a lot about myself and in the ways I deal with certain
events. However, given the circumstances, I felt an overwhelming amount of freedom
and responsibility. I was able to learn how to travel alone,
become more open-minded, and exposed myself to the values and practices of a
different culture. In the end, the trip became so much more than a learning experience but a greater appreciation and understanding for the culture, language, and the city of Seoul.
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