My last month in South Korea was filled with so many memories. I cannot believe I was there for four months and the thought of having to leave was bittersweet. Although it was a short-term stay, Seoul began to feel like a second home to me.

Before finals, I had the chance to meet Mizzou graduates I met through an organization on campus called the Missouri International Student Council. This is an organization that bridges the gap between international and domestic students on campus and in the Columbia community. We all held the director of activity position a year apart from each other, which was a unique coincidence. We went to Hongdae together, which is a place many younger people go shopping around and eat. It was amazing to reconnect with fellow Mizzou graduates and discuss about our memories within the organization.

Another event that I went to before finals is getting professional photos taken. It is common in South Korea to get a professional photo with friends, family or an organization you are a part of. The photographer took a ton of photos for us and made us decide on two photos that he would edit. Although this event may seem simple, it is one of my favorite memories because it was one of the last times we would see each other before we would go back to our respective home countries.

The month of December was heavily spent preparing for final exams and papers. The pace starts to pick up at SNU because, unlike Mizzou, there is no Thanksgiving break equivalent. Additionally, there is no reading period before final exams, so you learn new material the week before exams. However, the professors are supportive and cover little material to allow us to prepare thoroughly. Since there are few breaks during the semester, the spring semester at many Korean universities starts much later than American universities and begins around March while we begin mid-January.

With finals being over, I took my last two weeks to enjoy South Korea to the fullest. I would lose a severe amount of sleep, but it was packed with everything that I was not able to do during the semester. An old program that MU’s Asian Affairs Center ran is called the Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow. It is a program for students at universities outside of the U.S. to practice “living English.” I was an ambassador for a group, and we reunited four years later! I traveled all the way down to Daegu, which took about four hours by train. We started off our reunion with a fierce competition of bowling and the losing team would have to pay for everyone’s admission. Afterward, we all had makchang for dinner. Makchang is the part of an animal’s stomach and it has a crispy outside and chewy inside. Although the half-day trip together was short, it was nostalgic to see them again because it gave me the confidence that I would be able to see my study abroad friends again as well.

Although I wanted to stay with them longer, I had to travel back to Seoul right after dinner to prepare a thank-you party for the SNU students who took care of us. We booked a room, ordered food, played games and all watched the World Cup together at 2 a.m. The majority of the room was Team Argentina, but three others and I stuck together for Team France. Even though France lost in the end, the party was truly the last time we would meet as a large group. The world cup game ended around four in the morning in South Korea, but sleep was not possible for a few of us at the party.

We had planned a one-day trip to Gyeongju, which is actually near Daeju. Gyeongju is a city where many high school students go as a field trip and what is unique about this city is that the architecture is based on ancient Korea. We visited Cheomseongdae, which is an astronomical observatory. It was built during the 7th century and is thought to be the oldest surviving observatory in the world. To protect the culture, no one can go inside, but could only take pictures in front of it. After this trip, the rest of my time was seeing all the friends I met one last time. Seeing them one by one was heartbreaking, but it made me happy to create one last memory with them. We had dinners, went to one of the biggest malls in Korea and reminisced about our time together. One of my favorite moments is when my friend invited me to her home to eat and I realized that we had the same plates. It was hilarious to us that in both South Korea and America, it is true that all Koreans have to have this specific plate brand. Unfortunately, the next day would be my time to say goodbye to South Korea.

Studying abroad is one of the best decisions I made during my undergraduate career. I got the opportunity to take classes that challenged me, meet friends around the world, gained new perspectives and grew as a person in so many aspects. I would highly recommend anybody to study abroad. Especially with how well the Mizzou Study Abroad Office prepares you for your study abroad experience. It is expected to face many challenges when you first arrive, but as each week goes by, you slowly get accustomed to the culture and learn about habits that you obtain while you are away from home. When everything starts to feel extremely comfortable, you realize it is time to hop on a plane back again home. It’s bittersweet and you feel like you never want to leave, but you know it is the right decision to do. I am sure I’ll be back in South Korea to see my relatives or on a vacation, but this study abroad adventure will forever be my favorite time in South Korea.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Seoul National University