Far From Home

Andrea Cabrera Olivas stared at her phone and at the upcoming stop. The subway located in the city of Seoul, South Korea was jam-packed with business men and women on their early commute to work. Andrea weaved through the shoulder to shoulder sea of strangers as she began her way to the open doors to get off at her stop. Andrea made a mental note to learn the Korean translation for “excuse me” and “my stop” for the next time she was on the subway. She sighed in frustration as she saw the subway doors close and calculated the miles she would now have to walk to Daewon Foreign Language High School.

Andrea was far from home, more than 6,000 miles from her hometown in El Mirage, Arizona on the journey of a lifetime provided by the National Security Language Initiative of Youth scholarship (NSLI-Y). NSLI-Y is a unique educational experience and scholarship program abroad for more than 600 U.S. teens annually that includes an immersive environment allowing participants to experience the local daily life of their host community.

Andrea was one of 11 students in her cohort selected to spend five months in South Korea with a host family. The U.S. Department of State, in cooperation with American Councils for International Education, awards and administers merit-based scholarships to high school students for participation in summer and academic year immersion programs in locations where the eight NSLI-Y languages are spoken. NSLI-Y immerses participants in the cultural life of the host community, giving them formal and informal language practice and sparking a lifetime interest in foreign languages and cultures. Participants receive intensive language instruction, live with a host family for all or part of the program, and participate in a variety of cultural activities.

Andrea became interested in Asian culture and learning Korean as a middle school student.

“Ever since the 7th grade I’ve wanted to learn more about global issues. I’ve enjoyed watching documentaries and reading about cultural studies on YouTube as well as things around the world and specifically Korea,” said Andrea.

She fell upon the Korean YouTube channel ‘Asian Boss’ where information was shared about East Asian history, the impact of Word War I on Korea, the Korean War, United States politics, and on-the-street interviews with the people of Korea. She wanted to learn more about the culture and language of South Korea.

“Hearing the language, wow it is beautiful,” said Andrea. “It piqued my interest. The way it is pronounced reminds me of Spanish.” Andrea is bilingual and her first language was Spanish.

“We like to emphasize a lot of feelings we want to get across. They do the same things in Korean. Both languages put emphasis on syllables. I love how soft the pronunciation is and how expressive someone can be in the Korean language. I noticed that if someone really wants to emphasize a word they elongate the ending which is super endearing to me!”

Andrea had set her sights on learning Korean. “I thought, what if I study abroad? I know it is an option, but I did not know how to pay for it,” Andrea shared.

Worried about the financial cost of a year abroad, Andrea began researching scholarship opportunities to further explore her interest in studying abroad and learning a language. A simple Google search brought up the NSLI-Y option.

“I really want to do this in high school and will do everything in my power to get this scholarship,” she shared.

Andrea submitted her application her sophomore year in 2019 while attending Dysart High School. The application process was extensive. Andrea had to provide transcripts, current hobbies and extracurricular information, a recommendation letter, a self-introduction for the potential host family, and three essay submissions. “I didn’t get in. But it was still a dream of mine.” Andrea focused on school with the hopes of applying again her junior year. She took language classes on her own to learn Korean. At Dysart High School, she participated in Student Council, Varsity Pom, Advanced Placement classes, and National Honor Society. Outside of school, she served as an English language tutor for a Spanish speaker and volunteered at the Dysart Community Center.

“I always try to do my best in school. I think that NSLI-Y was a huge part of my motivation to get good grades and become more involved in clubs and activities and serve my community,” said Andrea.

Andrea and her classmates learn about Korean percussion music called Samul nori.

Andrea submitted her NSLI-Y application a second time in 2020 and included why she wanted to study Korean in her essay submission as well as how the opportunity would help with her future career goals. She made it through the first round of the application process and participated in a digital interview through Zoom. In November of 2021 she learned she was accepted into the program. Andrea competed with thousands of applicants across the United States and was one of 616 who won the scholarship for the program nationwide.

“It is so exciting that I get the opportunity of a lifetime for absolutely free. Personally, coming from El Mirage, I can’t afford it. I am very grateful. I’m excited for it and hope to gain long life friendships and opportunities to connect with people like-minded to me.”

The future of her travel was in question due to COVID. South Korea was currently at a level four for social distancing and the country needed to be at a level three before travel could occur. She began her program virtually in August of 2021 with the hope to travel some time in the new year.

“It was disheartening waiting all that time. I thought I might never go. We were at a pause to learn what the future was for the program.”

Andrea kept busy during her senior year as the travel status of the program was in limbo. She transferred to iSchool to learn online as she was taking Korean five days a week through Seoul National University and it would be difficult to juggle in person classes. On top of a full course load and additional Korean language classes, Andrea got a job working part time at a sandwich shop to save up for her upcoming travel.

“I was a bit overwhelmed and never had free time with school and work life, but if I wanted to learn a language, I needed to practice it.”

Then in December 2021 she learned that travel would take place in February. It was a whirlwind to prepare for her trip to South Korea as she needed to apply for her student Visa with the consulate. She received information about her host family, the Jungs, only two days prior to her departure to orientation in San Francisco.

Navigating a new country, public transit all while learning a new language and customs might be daunting to an eighteen year old, but the program prepared Andrea by going through scenarios at the three-day orientation hosted in San Francisco in February prior to her departure to South Korea.

“We worked in small groups with her fellow cohort members and went through scenarios that we might face in South Korea as well as rules and regulations for the program.”

Andrea and members from the NLSY-I cohort visit Gyeongbokgung Palace wearing traditional Korean dresses called Hanbok.

The scenarios included an issue or problem that the students might face living in a foreign country. The group also met with one of the program assistants who joined the students in their activities and answered questions about the travel ahead and what to expect so the students did not feel nervous. The NSLI-Y program has dedicated staff who are available to participants and their families 24/7.

“I bonded really well with the cohort because really we were all in this together and wanted to lean on each other in Korea if we needed support or advice.”

Andrea got to the airport early on the day they left. She did her best to try and sleep through the long flight from California to South Korea but the excitement prevented her from resting. She went through immigration and then was sent to a hotel to quarantine for seven days in Seoul.

“I was honestly happy to have that time to reboot. I was pretty jet lagged from the 13-hour flight from San Francisco to South Korea.”

As Andrea adjusted to the 16 hour time difference and prepared to meet her host family, she still kept busy with virtual meetings, peer projects and exercise Zoom activities during quarantine with her NSLY-I cohort. After the seven-day quarantine and an additional two-day quarantine at a youth hostel, she was finally on her way to meet her host family.

She was a bit nervous that first meeting but she brought host family gifts in order to share a bit about her life in Arizona and her Mexican culture. The gifts included an Arizona t-shirt, mug from Starbucks, a Mexican doll and Mexican snacks and candies called chucherias. Welcome gifts are a common practice in foreign exchange programs.

Her host family welcomed Andrea into their home and shared the proper names or honorifics that she should address them by including: Oma-Mom, Appa-Dad, Oppa- Brother, Eoni-Sister. They were so surprised by the gifts and how many there were. The family also shared a gift with Andrea.

“They made dumpling soup to welcome me on that first night for dinner. Honestly, it was the best I’ve ever had,” said Andrea.

As Andrea adapted to her new home and the family she was to live with for the next four months, she quickly learned a few things she had to adjust to in her new country, new high school, and when in public in South Korea.

Shoes are never to be worn in the house. There was a special area at the entrance of the home where the family kept their shoes. This is a sign of respect in order tokeep the floor of the house clean and not track in outside dirt. When handing items or accepting items from another person, it is polite to use both hands. During meals, the eldest person at the table eats first and the others follow. Bowing is a respectful gesture to greet another person.

Andrea settled into her new home with the Jung family and hit the ground running. She would be attending two different schools in South Korea. The program included a partial school day at Daeweon Foreign Language High School. Daewon is a private preparatory school located in Seoul, South Korea. She also would be taking level two intensive Korean language classes for twelve hours per week at Hanyang University. After attending classes, Andrea participated in cultural activities in the evenings once a week.

Classes began at 7:50 a.m. and went to 1:00 p.m. at Daewon. Among her core classes at Daewon, she chose a Spanish class. The high school is quite different from Andrea’s classes at Dysart High School back in Arizona. Students in South Korea only attend high school for three years. The condensed high school experience is rigorous with classes all day and an extended day option called Yaja where students can complete their homework, receive additional help from teachers and complete selfstudy. Each floor of the high school was a different grade level with teachers switching classrooms versus students.

The classes were rigorous and Andrea drew similarities between her Advanced Placement classes back at Dysart High School but with added pressure due to the competitive grading structure.

“Students would fight tooth and nail for grades. If one student got a 90%, no one else could get that score,” she shared.

Andrea bonded with her fellow classmates sharing her culture, her experience back in Arizona and sharing her interest in the Korean culture and language. She was shocked at how well the Korean students spoke both English and Spanish. “It was cool to practice Korean with my classmates and then in turn help them with their Spanish.”

In addition to the academic portion of the program, NSLY-I included projects involving learning about the culture on a deeper level. Andrea went on weekly excursions to learn more about South Korea. She explored Jogyesa Temple and had a traditional tea ceremony. She learned Tae Kwon Do during the month of May. “One of the final classes, we were taught how to break blocks, and I was able to succeed.” Andrea donned a traditional Korean dress called a Hanbok and visited Gyeongbokgung Palace with her fellow cohort members. One of her most memorable moments was learning how to play traditional Korean percussion music called Samul nori. “It was amazing to take the class. The music is so interesting and beautiful. The main instrument we learned is the long hourglass-like drum called the Janggu.”

She did not have much free time but she spent the weekends with her host family hiking and visiting temples, eating at restaurants, and playing Lotteria, a game similar to Bingo, with her host brother.

Andrea threw herself into the program and integrated with the community in South Korea during those four months. It was one of the most difficult things she had ever done but she attributes her success and preparedness by being involved at Dysart High School. “I think putting myself out there by joining clubs and meeting new people through them helped me be ready for when I met people who were completely different from me. Being surrounded by diversity made me more open-minded and gained communication and teamwork skills. “NSLI-Y has definitely opened many opportunities for me. I have been able to meet amazing people who are also interested in foreign service like me, so now I have done networking even before I entered college. I also have access to the alumni association where I have resources related to foreign service.”

Andrea was awarded a $30,000 scholarship to attend college at George Mason University in South Korea.

After a brief break at home in Arizona this summer, Andrea is back in South Korea attending George Mason University to pursue her degree in Global Studies and International Relations. She received a $30,000 scholarship towards tuition and will spend the next three years in Korea.

“NSLI-Y has enabled me to contribute to the global economy. Already fluent in English and Spanish, learning Korean will prepare me more for a career in International Relations. I hope to work in a global organization but ideally become a diplomat for the United States Foreign Relations. Through my career, I hope to strengthen the understanding of other countries and cultures so that peace (slowly but surely) can be made in the globalizing World.”