Although my time in China was cut short, my experience abroad in a country that seemed so foreign to me just a couple months ago has inspired me to pursue interests in urban planning. From pursuing further studies in urban planning, I hope to gain a more globalized perspective on the idea of community and how it relates to the physical organization of land.
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My overall trip to Thailand this summer [2019] was short but incredibly eye-opening as it gave me a special opportunity to become more in hone my Thai culture. It taught me to think as a global citizen and reminded me to value my unique story and where my family comes from. This experience allowed me to interact with other young minds and engage in a supportive setting that encouraged me to discover and advance my interests at a global level.
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I was able to deeply immerse myself in Chinese culture, recognize the joys of communicating in a language that has taken me over ten years to learn, and form friendships with people from all corners of the world that I know will last a lifetime. I am sincerely thankful for Milken for funding a part of this trip.
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The class taught me to avoid generalizations and monolithic perspectives of Japan, as Tokyo quickly came into stark contrast not only to rural Japan but also to other major cities in the nation. Through living in the city with a host family and having opportunities to explore Tokyo in addition to Hiroshima and Kyoto
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During the summer of 2020, not only did I learn more about China’s left-behind-children situation and music therapy, I also learned more about myself as a person and have also been challenged to find more opportunities to create social impact.
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In Summer 2019, I worked with the Yale International Relations Association and Pegasus-Alpha Partners Education on a cultural exchange program. Through the Model United Nations Education program in the Yale International Relations Association, we partnered with a local organization to teach middle school students from throughout China Model U.N. skills.
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Living in the U.S., I, as well as many of my peers, see other countries, especially those outside of North America and Europe as extremely foreign, cultures that are almost incompatible with our own. Spending two months not simply attending a study abroad program, but working and living as an adult in a country that seemed worlds away from my own made me realize how alike we all are to one another regardless of the thousands of miles and arbitrary borders that separate us from one another.
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After the mid-March breakout of COVID-19 in Spain and my rushed, multi-layover, 23-hour journey back to the United States, I did not know when I would again be on an airplane. And yet, in the beginning of August [2020], I was on my way to South Korea, seated one seat away from the next passenger. While the risks of traveling are significant during these uncertain times, my grandfather was very sick and my family was unsure of the next time we would get to see him, so we made the decision to visit.
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I was thousands of miles from home for the longest period of time I’ve ever been away from my family. Although I struggled at times with this distance, by the end of the program I was glad to have taken on the challenge of actually leaving home (not just going to school one hour away.)
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The first message I saw when I landed at Seoul Incheon International Airport came from a loud, in-your-face billboard. Bubble letters spelling the text “Welcome to Korea!” sprawled across a picture of BLACKPINK, a famous Korean pop (K-pop) girl group.
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Part of traveling means taking an unexpected path. In fact, the root of the word “travel” means “travail” — a sometimes laborious and even painful effort. Traveling shouldn’t just be a prescribed, smooth-sailing itinerary.
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