by: THOMASINA DINEHDEAL NAVAJO (Photo courtesy of Thomasina Dinehdeal.) (Standing in front of gate) Gwanghwamun Gate
Major: Elementary Education
‘Take the good memories back with you’:
E N G A G E G L O B A L LY
I scheduled a meeting with a study abroad coordinator to find the best South Korea program for me. After submitting my application, I was accepted into the Exchange Program at Yonsei University. In a few months, I had to gather my passport, visa and plane ticket and then, I was set to go. Upon landing in South Korea during the fall of 2017, I thought, “What did you get yourself into Thomasina?” As a Navajo raised in Tuba City (a rural reservation town located on the Navajo Nation), I immediately felt culture shock. I was lost and afraid because
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everything and mostly everyone was Korean. I was so overwhelmed that I almost forgot about my bus ride to the university. Luckily, the lady who I sat next to on the airplane stopped to ask me in Korean, “Where are you going?” With a limited proficiency in the Korean language, I answered, “Yonsei University.” She told me to study hard and to have fun in Korea. My anxiety slowly subsided and I was able to find the bus. The first few months, I struggled adjusting to the culture. My biggest insecurity and challenge was my Korean
