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December 16, 2022

A New Home in Korea


Sondria Lacewell '23

Sondria Lacewell '23 shares about visiting Seoul, South Korea, her first time traveling outside of the United States.

This was my first time traveling out of the U.S., but during this adventure I was able to make a new home!

Hello, my name is Sondria Lacewell '23. I am a Sport Management major with a minor in Sport Marketing. This fall, I interned abroad in Seoul, South Korea. Thanks to resources, I was able to experience a lot of eye-opening things I can't see anywhere else.   

I have never been on a plane before, and my friends were all surprised when I told them that! They couldn't believe that my first flight was going to be 13 hours long, and honestly neither could I. Still, I knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity I could not miss out on. After some discussion with my parents, I completed my internship application. After a couple of weeks I was accepted and so it became official.

After flying for about a day, I landed at Incheon airport.The city was truly breathtaking. There was art displayed on storefronts, fresh desserts baked in cafes, kind people, and some of the best food I have ever had. I used my days off from work to sightsee and visit other provinces within Seoul. The city is surrounded by beautiful historical sites. They are a reminder of what the country had to go through in order to become the monumental place it is now. 

Korean culture has a lot of instances where you just sit down and talk. "커피숍 가자" — or coffee shop, let's go — was the first phrase my boss taught me. That's because I always came into work with coffee, and later in the day when work was dragging on we would take a break at a coffee shop and just talk about how life is going. Something I thoroughly enjoyed about Seoul and Korea in general is its harmony and respect, and I am so glad I got to experience such a beautiful country!

Check out more exciting international experiences on our student authored study abroad blog, Beyond Friendly.