Paul Sadofsky, GE3 KAIST Fall 2024
Before coming to South Korea, I wish I had been told to take things one day at a time. During your first couple of weeks, you are in this honeymoon period where everything is so new, it’s hard to process it all. You will be experiencing so many emotions and feelings at once that it’s impossible to make sense of all of it, but that quickly settles. The fear can then start to encroach. It’s that moment where you realize that this is not just a vacation, but rather your home for the next several months. Out of pure survival, I immediately became homesick and desperately wanted each day to pass as fast as possible. But I had to constantly remind myself that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and that I need to capitalize on every opportunity I get. Each second that I spent focusing on what life would have been like had I’d stayed back home or thinking about the day I board the plane for my flight back to the U.S., I am actively losing precious time that could be spent on making lifelong memories. You truly do need to take things day-by-day. Focus on what matters today for today, as tomorrow’s troubles is something that you will address tomorrow. Don’t focus on what you don’t have, but what you do have. Because oftentimes you won’t realize what you do have until you don’t have it anymore.
I find the most surprising thing about my global experience was the time difference between South Korea and the U.S. While I knew this was going to be significant, I’ve truly learned to appreciate the time I’m able to spend with my loved ones given how small my window usually is. There may be only an hour every week or two that I even have the opportunity to call my mom, due to classes or traveling. Now, I’ve realized that those moments and special and precious. Having that limited contact can make you truly feel isolated, which only makes you look at the end date of your program more and more. Yet again, you must remind yourself that you need to take things day-by-day, and that your family and friends will still be there when you return. Just take the time you have now to appreciate what you’ve got. Being abroad is one of the most rewarding and yet simultaneously difficult things I’ve ever experienced, and I don’t regret any of it.
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