1. Learn Korean

I know absolutely zero Korean as of right now. I’m working on learning hangul, the Korean alphabet, and practicing my listening skills by watching K-dramas and listening to K-pop. In the time that I am living in Korea, however, I want to challenge myself to not only learn enough to survive but to also be able to fearlessly start conversations with locals. For Orientation, we’ve been told that even beginner classes will my taught entirely in Korean, so I guess I’ll really get to see if immersion is really the best way to learn a new language!

2. Teach English well

Although I’ve never had any formal training on being an educator or teaching a foreign language, the idea of teaching and having fun in my classroom is extremely exciting to me. I wrote in my Statement of Grant Purpose that I wanted to make learning fun and engaging for the kids using creative media, and I guess they liked that idea enough to give me this gig! I’m sure I’ll make plenty of mistakes along the way and have a lot of adjusting to do, but I’m going to give it my best effort.

3. Cultivate relationships with my students

We were told that we may have as many as 500 students in total, which makes me slightly nervous. I’ve only ever been taught in small classrooms with small student-teacher ratios, so this will also be a new experience for me. That being said, I want to form relationships and encourage my students on a personal level. I’m hoping that my talents and random skills can be used for club activities and aid in accomplishing this goal.

4. Get to know my host family // Live like a local

One of the most prominent aspects of this experience that I haven’t thought about much is the homestay. I have not talked to anyone who has had this arrangement during his or her Fulbright grant period, but I imagine it can make or break the Fulbright experience. The homestay is arranged by our host schools, and, from the blogs of previous Fulbrighters, the families seem to vary greatly.

I want to make a positive first impression and continue to be a good representation of America while learning how to authentically engage with and participate in Korean culture from my host family.

5. Explore South Korea

While we are only allowed to leaving the country for a certain number of days, I still plan on doing plenty of traveling within South Korea. I want to visit Busan, Daegu, Jeju Island, Seoul, Gwangju, and the other many places I’ve yet to learn about. I want to try all of the different foods and visit all of the major tourist attractions. I don’t know when I will ever be in South Korea again, so I want to soak it in while I can.

6. Make lifelong friends in my cohort

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, but six weeks for Orientation is actually a long time! I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone in my cohort and making friends (travel partners?) that I will keep long after Fulbright Korea ends. I have a feeling that they will be the support system I need when I’m struggling to adjust at home or in the classroom.

7. Marry a K-pop star

Okay, this one is a joke (kind of). It would be a major plus if I could go to some concerts and meet some of my favorite K-pop groups though.

The best advice I’ve received going into this experience is to have no expectations. Don’t expect things to be a certain way, they said, and enjoy the ride for what it is and not what you want it to be. That’s the mentality I’m going to try to walk into this experience with. Clearly, there’s a lot I don’t know and have yet to learn, but I’ve always been the “just jump in” kind of gal.

Here’s to setting goals but having zero expectations! Let the fun begin!