First things first: Due to COVID-19, my study abroad experience faced an abrupt ending. My time in Korea was less than a week and I was awfully disappointed. Down below, I wrote about my short journey in Korea and what I had to do instead of enjoying a semester abroad. It got long as I started writing it so please feel free to skip along since I tried to break it up into sections! DEPARTURE - 2/25/2020: Although anxious about COVID-19 being in its starting stages of a global infiltration, I was excited. I headed to the airport with my mom where I had a cup of Starbucks and some final talks with her before entering the gate. I was departing Hawaii a bit later than most of my peers from UH also studying abroad in Korea because I had changed my flight to a later date. This was because Yonsei postponed their first day of the semester and I had to change my initial plan of staying a few days in Japan before heading to Korea because if not, I would have to be quarantined in the Yonsei dorms for 14 days. Despite the concerns, I departed for Korea. ARRIVAL - 2/26/20: After a long 11 hour flight, my back and neck hurt but I pulled myself out of the airport. I went to the taxi stop right outside of the airport where a kind worker asked me where I was headed for in which I answered "Seoul" (because the other taxis were headed to other cities) and directed me to the section where taxis headed to Seoul were. I quickly got into the taxi since it was already 6PM and it would take a few hours to get to Yonsei University. The driver was kind, although his driving was kind of scary. I asked him to take me to the EAST GATE of Yonsei University where the SK Global House (the dorm) was located but he took me a little bit too far inside the campus. It took me FOREVER to find SK Global House because I wasn't familiar with the campus yet and I was sweating because my suitcase was heavy and nervous because it was getting dark. Once I FINALLY got to the dorm, I had to check in. I gave the guy at the front my: 1. TB test result 2. Flight ticket (which they took a copy of) 3. Passport (which they also take a copy of) I got nervous again because the guy couldn't find my name in their spreadsheet and asked me repeatedly if I was at the right school, the right dorm, and if I even signed up correctly. I was extremely sure that I had the right dorm and went through the right processes. I was tired and it was already dark outside so I wouldn't know what to do if I couldn't get to my dorm room tonight. THANKFULLY, a lady came from the back to help and found my name immediately. She was my savior. The guy then proceeded to give me a paper to sign, checked my temperature, and gave me my room key, a dorm rules packet, and a calendar. I could now rest AT LAST. Here is what my dorm looked like: ADVENTURES IN KOREA: I only had about 4 1/2 days in Korea to explore, but here are some of the things I did and the places I went to! BAD NEWS - 2/28/20:
All UH students studying abroad in Korea received an email "strongly urging" us to return home. There was a sharp increase in the number of cases in Korea due to a church gathering in Daegu, Although I didn't want to have to leave what I had wanted to experience for so long, after talking to my parents and other scholars, I decided to leave. All of us were also unsure if flights were going to stop, so it was in our best interest to book our flight immediately. I booked my flight and now, my time in Korea was very limited. DEPARTURE - 3/2/20: I checked out of my dorm where a lot of other international students were also leaving and headed to the airport via taxi with Haley, another Freeman scholar at Yonsei. The airport seemed very vacant so checking in and going through immigration went by quickly. I ate my final meal with Anne, my friend also from UH. As we got on the plane, we had to go through a fever check. With no problem, we got on the plane and we were on our way home. ARRIVAL AND AFTERMATH - 3/2/20: After another long ride, I was back home. There were a lot more police officers at the airport than I previously remember, but we made it back safely. My mom came to pick me up and as soon as we arrived home, my mom made it a mission to sanitize my whole suitcase. I took a shower immediately and that was when quarantine started. Whilst all this, UH deliberated whether they would offer independent study courses to study abroad students returning home since UH was already halfway through their semester. Unfortunately, UH determined they would NOT be offering independent study courses because UH professors were frantic to prepare for online classes. Therefore, we had to submit a Leave of Absence for the semester. Luckily, all the UH offices I had to contact were understanding of our situation and that made this process easier. REFLECTION: Overall, I have to stay the only word that describes my experience is: disappointing. The fact that this didn't turn out the way that it should have was highly discouraging. However, I guess this makes me someone with a rare study abroad experience and through a long quarantine period, I was provided with closure that helped me accept this result. Although short, I still had a fun time in Korea and got to live through half the experience by going through all the application processes. (Read my Pre-Departure blogs!) Thank you to the Freeman Foundation and Rikki for all the help and thanks Korea for a fun time! Hope to return soon after this pandemic is over!
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