During October I got the chance to reunite with my friends from Mizzou! Last fall semester at Mizzou, I became friends with many Korean exchange students. We spent a lot of time hanging out together, and they are part of the reason I decided to study abroad in Korea. When their exchange program at Mizzou ended in December, I was lucky to be able to say, “see you soon” instead of “goodbye”, and since I arrived in Korea, we have made plans to meetup. I met my friends Somin and Seokjin in Seoul, and we spent the day visiting a museum, the Hang river, and eating dinner and dessert.

One day I took a train to Jochiweon and met up with my friends Jinwoo, Wooyong, and Seokjin from Mizzou. There we rented a camping house to stay at over-night. When I arrived we explored the town and ate at a local street market. Then we bought ingredients for our dinner at a grocery store. Jinwoo is a great cook, and he would always make meals for us at Mizzou, so that day at the house he cooked barbeque for us on the outdoor grill.

The week after, I flew to Jeju to meet with my other Mizzou friend Joonhyeok. Wooyong also joined us, and Joonhyeok showed us around Jeju Island for the weekend. We visited several beaches, which was the first time I’ve been to the ocean since I was a child. We also ate some really good Jeju style barbeque pork, and toured around Jeju city.

This weekend, I’m going to travel to Incheon for the first time to meet my Mizzou friends Somin and Gahyun. Being able to meet my friends who I haven’t seen in six months, and on the other side of the world is such a surreal feeling that I can’t really explain. I’m so happy that I’ve gotten to reunite with them, and to know that when they left Mizzou it wasn’t a final goodbye, and I look forward to meeting with the rest of them soon!

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Korea University: Exchange