Memories and regret in Korea

3:17 AM


It's been almost two weeks since I returned home from my study abroad trip to South Korea! I had so much fun participating in the Ulsan International Program and meeting so many amazing people from around the world. I've been documenting some of my adventures on the blog already and I realize there are so many little moments that I haven't shared with you yet. I only have a few more posts on Korea before I wrap up it and go on with the usual, but I did want to share a few special moments and regrets I experienced while there. Here are my memories and regrets in South Korea.

Memory- Seoul

Everything about Seoul was amazing! Even though some of the circumstance seemed bad at first, I'm glad I everything turned out the way it did. I was able to hand out with new people, try new things, and see some amazing sites. I'd love to go back for a better feel of the city and to actually shop like there is no tomorrow!

Regrets- Under packing

I left all of my hair care products at home! I can already hear the shriek of terror from the other naturals through the screen. I had mistakenly thought that the 6 oz regulations applied to all liquids you were carrying, not just your carry on items. So the products that I did manage to bring ran out in the middle of the second week. And of course there were no items nearby that I could use for my hair at all. I managed to get by with a few Korean products that didn't completely strip me of moisture, but I had the toughest time managing my hair. Lesson learned.



Memory- Celebrity Moment

A group of Chinese tourists bombarded us to take pictures with their families while we visited a temple in Seoul Korea. I do think it was my fault because I had jokingly crashed one man's picture -he didn't mind at all- and taking photos with him and his friend seemed to be an invite for everyone else to take pictures with us. It was fun at first, until we got separated from our friends and spent 15 minutes being photo props.

Regrets- Never Alone

I honestly wish I had spent more time walking around and exploring the city of Ulsan on my own. I was always with at least one friend when I went out and when that happens, it's always hard to go where you want to when other people are involved. I also relied heavily on others to get to places nearby places, because someone always knew where to go. I wish I had just taken a few days for myself to learn how to get around and discover the city and go places I wanted to go. 

Memory- Typhoons

The last night in South Korea, my friends and ended up in the middle of an incoming typhoon. The umbrellas we had ended up tearing apart, and we got soaking wet as the rain  and wind hounded on us while we tried to hail a taxi. This just worsened my already stuffy nose.

Regrets- Wallet Friendly

I had a hefty sum of cash with me for my trip to Korea, thanks to all my fundraising and family contributions. There were a lot of places and things I wanted to return and buy, but my limited time meant I missed out on a lot of these deals. I'll just make up for with my back to school shopping this semester.

Memory- Disney Night

Yes, a group of college women over seas decided to have a Disney movie night. We all were all feeling nostalgic about our childhood after an evening of churros and decided to have a Disney movie night. We decided that Mulan (my favorite Disney movie) was going to be the movie and invited other UIP students to come join. We had a pretty good turnout and had fun singing and watching it together. I was surprised that it was some people's first time seeing the film though. We ended the night watching Frozen and annoying some of the guys with our rendition of "Let It Go".

Regrets- Not branching out

Like any social settings, groups began to form among the UIP students. There wasn't any cliquish behavior, but everyone kind of stuck around the same people from time to time including me. I knew which people I was comfortable with and didn't really feel the need to break out of my comfort zone too much. Then I decided to stay in Seoul and realized that most of my regulars wouldn't be coming. My roommate came, but she would disappear for nights of endless shopping so I had to regroup and branch out. I ended up sticking with UIP students I had either never hung out with or barely spoke to and it was amazing! We went to Namsan tower, hit a few clubs and bars, and ended our time in Seoul with a little church (clubbing and praising within the span of hours. I know). I only regret not hanging out with that group more as they were all very friendly, exciting, and overall good people.

I'll have plenty of memories from my time abroad, and I'll turn these regrets into life lessons I'll use for my next time abroad! There are just a few more posts left to sum up my time in South Korea. You can catch up on my older blog posts here and see other pictures from my trip on our Instagram and Pinterest pages.

Have you traveled recently? What are some of your memories or regrets about the trip? 

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10 comments

  1. This seems like such an amazing experience. Definitely a once in a lifetime kind of thing. Congratulations on doing something so great and creating memories you will always have.

    *I thought the liquid restriction was on everything too - good to know different :)

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    1. I wish I would have known about this before the trip! I would have had fewer bad hair days and more pictures I'd share on the blog, lol!

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  2. Sounds like so much fun! I think we always have a few regrets of things we didn't do. I always carry full size hair products, etc. in my checked baggage when I travel. I never do the tiny bottles in my carry on. It's funny, my daughter was asking me about the same thing about liquid restrictions last night. :)

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    1. Well I hipe everything is cleared up for her now. I just next time, I'll do things differently. These will just be reminders of what not to do next time.

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  3. I've travel quite a bit. My last trip was to London a few weeks ago. My regret is not exploring more of the city but London is my new travel love, so I will return soon.

    Congratulations and thank you for sharing your experience. I love reading about others traveling abroad.

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    1. Thank you, and I wish I explored more as well! London is one of the cities on my must travel to list! And seeing your recent adventures is really inspiring!

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  4. Sounds like an incredible experience. Makes me want to hop on a plane again!

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    1. Yes it was, and I encourage you if you're really thinking about it!

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  5. What a fabulous opportunity! I loved studying and living abroad; I believe that it shaped my current world view, as well as my incessant desire to travel.

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    1. It really does open your eyes to a lot of things, and I am itching to board a plane again!

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