Before Korea, I had zero idea what bingsu even was. Shaved ice? A slushie? Some sad snow cone with neon syrup? Yeah…no. Turns out bingsu is the love of my life.

We started the morning with a walk from the dorms to Korea University. Our program coordinator led the way, giving us our first real look at the Anam neighborhood. Even in the rain, everything felt new and absolutely beautiful. The KU campus was massive with stone buildings that looked straight out of a fairytale. I was a little worried about getting lost, but mostly just excited to explore.

First night in Korea.It was quite the drive from Incheon Airport to Seoul, or more specifically, to Anam. Once we arrived at the dorms, we were dropped off and had to lug all our bags uphill in the dark. Looking back, it’s hilarious: ten of us rolling giant suitcases in both hands, heavy backpacks digging into our shoulders, trailing behind one another like lost ducklings trying not to trip on one another. And, none of us really knew where we were going.

Seventeen hours, a few movies, and 7,000 miles later… I was in Korea. But let’s rewind a bit. It’s 2 a.m. and I’m wide awake, not from jet lag (yet), but from nerves. It’s my first time leaving the country. My first time being way more than two hours away from home. For four months.