An email today boasted that I have not missed my opportunity to study in Australia. Maybe if Yonsei rejects me I can go there. Not because I have this overwhelming desire to go to Australia, but because I know I won't be able to handle the gnawing embarrassment of staying in the US after I have announced to everyone I will be going abroad. I don't know how well I will pull off: "What? Korea? No, I said I was going to Australia all along! Language books? I...um...am studying Australian?" But I will give it my all!
This is not to say there is anything wrong with Australia. It simply does not top my seemingly arbitrary list of places to travel.
I keep getting the question, "Why Korea?" To me this is a strange question. I never got this question while studying Japanese. When my boyfriend mentions that he is starting to study Spanish no one ever asks him why. But last Sunday, at Oregon University System's study abroad orientation, I received this question at least half a dozen times.
Two other students and I had met in Tualatin, twenty or so minutes south of our shared university, Portland State, and carpooled the additional hour and a half down to orientation. My GPS had assured me that it was a two hour drive, but it had not taken into account our determined driver. We sped down the road at 80mph in a 60. I pretended to be cool and not notice how fast we were going, but inside I was a ball of nerves. I may have agreed to pay for half of the gas, but I was not splitting a ticket with anyone!
Early in the car ride the question had come up. I think I was even the one to start it. "So," I began in awkward way that would tell a bystander I didn't know these people at all, "why China?" I was relieved when he responded quickly with, "You know, I don't know," and then continued with his long story of how exactly China had become the place for him to study.
The driver and I both plan to study at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. The difference is that she has already received her acceptance letter and will be leaving for summer term very soon, and I am still waiting (always waiting). The question of "Why Korea?" was posed to me next. After an almost obligatory "I don't know", my answer looked something like this:
Well, I started studying Japanese first. Being a college freshman I was terrified to sit in that Japanese class on my first day of college. This all changed when who would become my favorite teacher to this day walked in. Despite the best efforts of my high school French teacher, I fell in love with language.
I studied Japanese as best as I could, despite the frustration of having nothing in common with my classmates. I didn't like anime, at least not in the way they did. I didn't like Japanese food, in fact I was (and am) vegan and therefore cannot eat approximately 98% of all Japanese food. I didn't read manga. I didn't wear cat ears or a tail at all, let alone in public. I love the United States, and could not handle those classmates who dismissed my and their culture as rude, stupid, and inferior to that of the Japanese culture they loved so much. This was't everyone in my class by any means. But until second year, when our class had been weeded down to a mere seven amazing people, it was difficult to deal with.
These things conspired to diminish my enthusiasm for language study, but with two years behind me of language study, I figured I may as well still apply to teach English in Japan after getting my degree. This is when my friend from South Korea intervened. "Why not teach in Korea?" she asked nonchalantly during only the second time I had ever met her. The next hour or so was spent hearing and seeing all about Korea and I was hooked.
I was excited for every part of Korea by the time that orientation rolled around. The version given in the car ride to my fellow carpoolers was condensed, but my blog does not have that same luxury. Though the amount of words was less, the amount of passion was not. I turned to the driver. "What about you? Why Korea?"
She laughed. "I'm Korean."
And this was enough.
The orientation was an amazing experience. Before and after we went to our separate country rooms, we all mingled together and talked about our excitement about studying abroad and where we would go. Between these times I was in a room of students going to South Korea. Some were going to Ewha Woman's University in Seoul, but most of us were future Yonsei students. We discussed everything we could possibly think of, from Korean nightlife to working abroad, to laws, to food. After this we joined back together for a general safety presentation and then moved to our (surprisingly delicious) lunch.
This time all of the students going to South Korea stuck with one another. Once more the question of "Why Korea?" came up. I gave my answer and asked the girl the same as well.
She laughed. "I'm Korean."
And this was enough.
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