After a long 19+ hours of travel and a 14-hour time difference, we are finally in Seoul. My arrival in South Korea was surreal as it really is halfway around the world and truly a different experience from the US. My first impressions of the country were that the airport and facilities around Seoul were all extremely tidy and well maintained, there are little trash cans as well around the downtown area yet its residents are respectful and keep the place they live in pristine condition. Along with that, I noticed some other key differences between Seoul and America. First I noticed that the Korean people are very respectful even to foreign tourists such as myself and treat the environment around them and nature with great respect too which is something I greatly appreciated. Another difference noticed is that cars appear to be newer and better looking in my opinion as on the 90-minute bus ride to the hotel I was astounded at how many nice-looking cars there were. The last major difference I have noticed so far as well is that Korean people are very quite mannered in comparison to Americans and it has been a welcome difference to me as I am an introvert myself.
This trip has already had my eyes widened and we are only a few hours in. I’m very excited to get visits and activities started to further my personal and professional enrichment. I believe this trip will help me get a wider view of different cultures as this is my first time out of the United States. In addition, this trip will help me further my knowledge of smart systems in today’s world and the inner workings of business and marketing internationally. The opportunity to go on this trip will not only make me a better student but a better professional and person. Now it’s time to hopefully sleep off some jet lag and begin this opportunity of a lifetime.
