I feel like I am certain where I am going to go. I think it would be beneficial to my language skills to do a program in South Korea. Taking what I’ve learned both this semester in this course, and what I’ve learned in past semesters, especially my language skills, I feel confident in my ability to grow even more culturally aware in that space when I choose to go. Though while there, I do hope to really enhance my language skills while there, I also do wish to fully emerge myself in the culture. I’m looking into programs that not only are strong on language development but also ones that offer hands-on experience with the culture. Some of those experiences may include learning traditional arts such as p’ungmul, or even having traditional meals and celebrating Korean holidays. But not only doing all of these things, but understanding the history and importance behind each practice, holiday, meal. And on that same note, understanding my positionality in a space like that. I don’t want to go into this thinking about what they can get from me, but rather what I can learn while there. The only thing that scares me is that I don’t have a backup plan in case things don’t work out and I am unable to go to South Korea. In that case, I really would have to reconsider and rethink the definition of cultural emergence. A lot of the time people think it has to be going abroad, but maybe there is a way for me to achieve the same goals, while staying here in the United States. I’m not completely sure what that would look like, but I do believe that I can figure something out.
