For my First-Year Seminar Abroad I visited South Korea through Michigan State University. I went with 13 other students from the university, and we got to explore Seoul along with many neighbors around the city. It was an amazing experience I would recommend to anyone whether or not they like big cities.

For my educational goals I love to learn as much as I can about each new culture I experience. That is exactly what I did with Korea. I visited a local shop with Sam Choo who is a Korean American from Michigan State. He helped translate the menu for my friends and me. We were served ginseng tea which is very common around the city. Ginseng is an herb and to me smells like fresh made waffle cones as you walk into an ice cream parlor. The tea itself is very earthy and simple but has an uplifting taste. As we looked around the restaurant there were many tables of older gentlemen out for lunch with their friends. There were a couple of huge vaults of Ginseng plants soaked in Soju. This mixture is supposed to promote wellness and give a boost of energy. My friends and I got the same dish called Samgyetang. This food is eaten on the hottest day of summer and consists of a pot of ginseng soup with a whole chicken stuffed with rice.

I ventured to another local shop that spoke no English. Kara, a Korean studying at Michigan State, took a group from our program. We tried Gamjatang which is pork bone broth soup with potatoes. The soup smelled very salty and is a very hearty dish. Many of the locals in the shop were curious and watched us as we ate the dish. I found this to be uncomfortable as many of them would often stare and look away only to look back and watch us. However, one man came up to our table and asked what we were in Korea for. Kara answered that we were studying abroad from the United States. The man seemed very pleased and smiled at us as we got up to leave. I learned from this experience that people no matter the location or age are curious creatures wanting answers to their questions.

As for my career, I would like to pursue counseling with psychology. Traveling abroad allowed me to experience how culture shapes people. These differences from culture to culture grant me the ability to become more open-minded to how people’s upbringings and way of life affect their mental states. Traveling to new places allows me to see how people as a whole are the same. We may all wear different clothes and speak multiple beautiful contrasting languages, but we all hurt and love the same way. Education abroad pushed me closer to my goals of understanding the human mind.

Ultimately, studying abroad is a great experience to learn more about people of different cultures from your own. Learning new cultures enabled me to explore the study of psychology outside the classroom.

• Name: Keara Prins
• Status: Freshman
• Major: Psychology
• Hometown: Sand Lake, Michigan
• Program: FSA South Korea - Track 1 - K Cultures