My eyes were wide with anticipation as I looked out on the mountainous terrain surrounding Seoul. I was about to land at Incheon International Airport and I was beyond excited. As the plane touched down on the tarmac, I silently promised myself that I was going to do my best to make my first trip to Korea a memorable one.
  Korea has always been a place of interest for me since I was in high school. The language and culture captivated me because it is so vastly different from the American culture in which I was raised. Watching dramas and listening to KPOP further peaked my interest to come study and live in Korea. When I entered my university in America, I knew that I was going to make it my goal to study abroad at a good Korean university. I worked day and night preparing essays and applications and taking as many Korean language classes that I could. When I got the confirmation that I would be coming to Seoul to study at Gachon University, I was so excited that my mom took me out to a bookstore to buy all of the travel books on Seoul that we could find. I would spend hours in my room with those books and on my computer mapping out exactly what I wanted to do and see when I got here.
  The months of planning and anticipation finally paid off when I felt that plane touchdown. I was finally on Korean soil! After getting settled into the dorm here on campus, after a few days of typhoon weather, I was finally able to go out and explore before classes started. I met my friend, Ji Hye, who helped me get adjusted to life here on campus, and we went to the Korean Traditional Folk Village south of campus. It was so amazing to see the traditional houses and customs of Korea. We acted really touristy and took a lot of pictures. I even tried on a traditional Hanbok! The village was very different from the big city so I was quite surprised.
  My favorite part of the city though has to be the Han River. In Banpo there is a nice park where I relaxed with some friends and watched a beautiful water show. I think it was that day, looking over the Han River towards Namsan Tower and the city skyline, that made me fall in love with the city of Seoul.
  Coming to Korea was nothing that I expected it to be. I have been surprised by how much this city has captivated me like no other city in the world has. This may be my first trip to Korea and my list of things that I want to do may be extremely long, but I think that no matter how long I stay in Korea, I will always be entranced by its beauty and find new ways to fall in love with it every day.

Courtney Strickland