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I’m awfully late, but I am back home in Texas and missing Seoul terribly. Like I mentioned in my video, the reverse culture shock was hardly present for me after coming back, but I guess it’s because I’ve already had to readjust myself before. I knew what to expect, so I was mentally prepared. Leaving, however, was twice as hard as the first time. Seeing all my friends leave before me and saying goodbye to the friends I knew I would see again was so painful. I began to remember how painful it was for me to leave before, so I felt terrible the last couple of days. I would tried my best to suppress those feelings and still enjoyed my last days in Seoul.

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I’m so fortunate to have made such amazing friends and to have the chance to see old friends. I’m fortunate that this experience has affected me in a positive way. Since coming back, my friends and family tell me I’ve become more talkative and confident. I think so, too. I was also able to become more open-minded thanks to all the group projects I was involved in. I even gained some leadership skills thanks to being the oldest out of my group of friends( In Korean culture, the oldest is responsible for the other and, therefore, like a leader of the group of friends.)

Thank you, FEA, for helping me out during this experience of  a lifetime!

 

 

Karen Conde

My name is Karen Conde and I'm a senior studying International Business and French at the University of Texas at Arlington. I spend most of my free time trying out new cooking recipes, walking my dog, and learning about the history of other countries. As a first generation college student and coming from a low-income family, nobody ever believed me when I said I would go study abroad. Well, I proved all those people wrong because this will be my second time studying abroad in South Korea! Next Fall I will be spending the last semester of my undergraduate career at Yonsei University, one of the most prestigious universities in South Korea. It is a goal of mine to work in Seoul someday and studying at Yonsei will get me two steps closer to that goal. I will be studying Korean and International business there, but I also plan to travel to historical sites, try all the delicious cuisine I missed out on last time, and share my experiences with everyone.