If I could give one piece of advice to my past self, waiting to board a plane to South Korea, it would be two words:
“Let go.”
I’m a creature of routine. I write my daily tasks in a planner; add my class, work, and meeting schedules to my calendar; and wake up and go to bed at around the same time each day. Before landing in Incheon, I saw my participation in the Korean Intensive Summer Language Program (KISLP) as another step in my journey towards advanced Korean proficiency that I could use in my future career. I resolved to do my absolute best in my language class, to study hard, and to apply everything I learned during the program to my Korean minor classes at my home university.
It took less than a week to realize that my resolutions were too rigid.
Studying abroad through the KISLP is a whirlwind in the best way. Between jet lag, orientation, and getting adjusted to life in Korea, my first week passed by in the blink of an eye. At first, I berated myself for not adhering to my goals, for not taking my studies seriously enough. Then I realized that I was fulfilling my resolutions, just in a different way than I originally envisioned.
Taking my studies seriously didn’t need to entail spending hours in the library, poring over my language textbooks and making meticulous review notes. It meant sitting around a cafe table with my classmates, spending as much time asking each other questions or laughing as we did completing workbook problems. Doing my absolute best in class didn’t mean writing down every word our teachers wrote on the board or coming up with the most complex sentences possible. It meant asking clarifying questions when I didn’t understand without shame or getting up to stretch during our breaks.
KISLP is already well-structured enough that attempting to stick to my own routine would be too much. I know how long class lasts every weekday. I know which days we have language partner meetings, residential director check-ins, or cultural excursions after lunch. I know which weekends are for solo travel and which are for homestay visits or longer program trips. Everything else is open to the joy of the unknown.
My list of study spots grows daily. I order a different kind of tea almost each time I go to a cafe. Sometimes I spontaneously decide to nap after class, succumbing to the toll of the heat and humidity of South Korean summers, instead of pushing through and dragging myself to the library to do homework. Once, my roommate and I decided to take a break from writing our essays to get ice cream from the convenience store and sit outside for a while.
Relaxing my routine to what used to feel like the “bare minimum” has given me more room to enjoy the experience of studying abroad. Spending more time with a language partner on an excursion downtown is a perfect opportunity to use vocabulary I learned in class during an everyday conversation. Riding the bus to a restaurant is good listening practice. Eating bingsu with my classmates is the perfect way to unwind after a long, hot day. By letting go of a strict routine, I’ve opened myself up to serendipitous discoveries—a beautiful sunset on the walk home, a delicious cup of tea, a new book recommendation—that I would have never made otherwise. Every day contains new opportunities for growth through spontaneity.
But the only way to grow is to let go.
Avia Solomon
Judith Ehm Fellowship Recipient
Korean Intensive Summer and Semester Language Program
Chungbuk National University (CBNU)
Cheongju, South Korea, Summer 2025