Going to Korea has genuinely been a such an insane experience for the last two weeks and having to fit this trip in now right after getting out of finally really made it just so much more surreal. I don’t think that I truly mentally prepared myself for this trip until just a few days before I had to leave and I think that it really effected mt first few days of my trip. For the beginning it was almost as if I hadn’t been able to get it through my head that we actually were in Korea because everything around us was so similar to cities back in the United States. Many times, when I have traveled abroad it was ben to more rural areas of those countries where there weren’t buildings towering over me and where I wasn’t surrounded by friends that I had beck at home, so everything was different and new. But because I felt in a more similar environment and with people that I had been talking to for weeks prior it was almost like I was just in New York with a group of people.
This feeling slowly faded though, as the trip progressed and I took in more of the Korean culture it became very apparent that I wasn’t in Pittsburgh anymore. The respect that people have for one another and the efficiency build into their culture really began to show me that there is so much different from this country than back in the United States. Everyday going out for food and walking through the market reminded me a little bit of the Southern American countries I was used to but with a much more city like approach. The silence on the metro and the ease of using public transportation really showed me how much efficiency is prioritized among Korean citizens.
I like it here I think that it is so different from the United States in a number of ways and there is a lot to take away from Koreans ways of living. I find it so interesting how everything here is “cute” the way that the cities mascot is a cute little animal and that almost every company had a cute little logo or mascot is so much different than that of the Unites States. The ways that I saw grown men dancing at the baseball game as they followed the cheerleaders was so wholesome and really made me question why the United States has such a problem with these issues such as toxic masculinity.
Besides aspects of the culture, I also learned about some technology and some businesses. I thought that the Samsung Museum was so cool the way that it explained how technology evolved from being so basic to eventually becoming smart tech which changes on its own to help users. I think that Samsung did a good job of showing the evolution of technology and where it has the chance to go in the future.
I also thought that the Arisu Water plant was super cool, with so much innovative design and such a well-integrated system they really are able to make the tap water within Seoul be some of the cleanest that I have heard of. I think that it really is inspiring to states around the US and could be a good example of how to handle water purification for other areas in the world.
The visit to Postech University had to be one of my favorite visits. Being able to meet two students Young-yu and James was such a great experience, and I learned so much more about how Koreans our age viewed university and what they have to go through that is different from us. Not only was it great to meet these people but their campus was beautiful and this visit allowed us the chance to see two things that I had only ever heard of in forms of media. Firstly, visiting that labs where Quantum computers were being developed was absolutely insane. These computers really are the future of tech, and it made me so excited to be able to see them in person that I could barely believe that I was there. Secondly being able to visit the particle accelerators there was genuinely surreal. These huge machines that are dedicated to breakthrough discovery were absolutely stunning and being able to actually get a tour of them is something I think I will probably never be able to do again. We saw a section where research and been done that provided a cure for Covid nineteen and i just thought that that was insane that we were able to see something so powerful up close.
Not only was Postech stunning but also so was their founding company Posco. Their start of the steel industry to their eventual powerhouse and modern brand just show how innovative and create these companies within Korea really are. This powerhouse of a company allowed us to get a look within one of their steel mills and it is an experience I will never forget. Watching the piping hot metal as it is sprayed with water and squeezed into thin sheets was mind blowing. The heat that radiated off of them as they moved past you was something I wasn’t prepared for at it really surprised me how much I really found interest in it.
I think that one of my favorite experiences was actually the stay at the Buddhist temple. I know that for many this is a uncommon opinion but i thought it was an experience to treasure as i truly don’t know the next time that I will be able to do something like that. I had actually gone through a really hard day leading up to the temple stay and I think that moving away from the city and to a place literally dedicated to clearing your mind was almost a perfect switch of settings for me. I thought the area was beautiful and I loved the martial arts/ meditation lessons that we had and I think that it really did help give me another perspective as to how others live. I am personally not someone who is super interested in organized religion, but my grandfather actually stayed at a monetary for a bit of his life and I thought that it was so interesting for him to do that after being able to see what it was like for a night. the separation from the outside world with no phone and the dedication to working on one’s mind and body really did make me so much more interested in how Monks live.
I also would have to say that an experience I thought was insane was our visit to the DMZ. being able to actually see North Korea with my own eyes was really unreal to me. Seeing this place that I have heard of so much about, with my own eyes and being able to learn about it made me wonder about how it is that this side of the world is cut from so much. I think that Doctor Yun speaking about how the people in North Korea still being South Koreas brothers and sisters also really stuck with me. I find this whole concept so interesting, and I feel so lucky to be able to visit this unique place in the world.
I really think that overall, my trip to Korea has been full of so much every day that even now it is hard to process how much it is that happened and all that I did. I think that with the number of different companies we visited a few patterns stuck with me throughout the lessons we were being taught. South Korea is a country that is built on pride for their nation and hard work. With companies such as Posco and Samsung their success became started after the Korean war in a time of reconstruction for the country.
I think that many of the company visits helped me to get an actual look into manufacturing and design of products. Examples being able to look into a Posco’s steel manufacturing plant and Hyundais car manufacturing and transportation port. This was my first ever look into an actual company and I really hope to get more visits like these in the future.
I think that these experiences will really help to benefit me in the future when I am looking for work opportunities. These experiences will help me share stories with possible future employers and show that I am willing to go out and experience new things to benefit my future. I am also interested in pursuing options abroad now as well if I were able to go to Postec for a semester I think it would be a super beneficial experience especially since I am researching electrical engineering which is one of their main focusses.
Something I am really interested in is Haptic technology which is being researched on in certain companies within Korea. There are also many companies looking into this in the United States so being able to say that I did research in Korea will help me hopefully get a foot in. This experience showed me a lot about professional industries and impact that these companies can have on an entire nation.