My homestay family!
(My homestay dad was at work lol)
In 2007, before transferring Temple University, I attended a community college majoring in Liberal Studies. During
my years at the college I met many different people from different walks of
life. I had a very diverse group of friends who opened my eyes to a broader
view of life and the world. Because of this, I was introduced to the Korean
language and culture.
Throughout spring semester I became friends with an
international student named, Eunha. One day during badminton class Eunha and I were taking a break and started talking about languages. Which led to us making a bet, the bet was that I had to learn how to read and write in the Korean
language within a month. Without thinking I accepted the bet, and from that point on I began
teaching myself how to read, write, and speaking the Korean language
In 2009, I enrolled myself in a 3-week study abroad program in Seoul, South Korea. Before setting out to go abroad, I began looking into South Korea. I already had some background knowledge of the country, due to friends, however I wanted to know how foreigners were treated. Naturally, as Black-American racism is something that, unfortunately, we deal with almost on a daily bases. Having many questions and thoughts in my mind really had me interested and wanting to learn more. I began searching through personal published blogs online from teachers, students, ex-American military servicemen, business professionals, and others. As I came across many of these blogs it seemed that South Koreans did not take kindly to Black people. As I read more into these blogs I began feeling more and more discouraged, but it didn’t stop my drive to want to go abroad.
In 2009, I enrolled myself in a 3-week study abroad program in Seoul, South Korea. Before setting out to go abroad, I began looking into South Korea. I already had some background knowledge of the country, due to friends, however I wanted to know how foreigners were treated. Naturally, as Black-American racism is something that, unfortunately, we deal with almost on a daily bases. Having many questions and thoughts in my mind really had me interested and wanting to learn more. I began searching through personal published blogs online from teachers, students, ex-American military servicemen, business professionals, and others. As I came across many of these blogs it seemed that South Koreans did not take kindly to Black people. As I read more into these blogs I began feeling more and more discouraged, but it didn’t stop my drive to want to go abroad.
Arriving in Seoul I pushed aside everything I read
in the blogs and wanted to experience Seoul for myself. By the end of my trip,
I was grateful that I decided not to allow the negativity of those blogs hinder
my experience. I realized that as long as you show respect and genuine interest
in the Korean language and culture, ethnicity was not an issue. My short time
in Seoul was one of the best times of my life, from spending time with my
homestay family, exploring the city, and to the many friends that I have made. It's crazy that a simple bet between friends could lead to this point.
Homestay Dad
(For the life of me, I could never get a good picture of him lol)
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