This was my first time traveling out of the U.S., but during this adventure I was able to make a new home!

Hello, my name is Sondria Lacewell '23. I am a Sport Management major with a minor in Sport Marketing. This fall, I interned abroad in Seoul, South Korea. Thanks to resources, I was able to experience a lot of eye-opening things I can't see anywhere else.   

I have never been on a plane before, and my friends were all surprised when I told them that! They couldn't believe that my first flight was going to be 13 hours long, and honestly neither could I. Still, I knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity I could not miss out on. After some discussion with my parents, I completed my internship application. After a couple of weeks I was accepted and so it became official.

After flying for about a day, I landed at Incheon airport.The city was truly breathtaking. There was art displayed on storefronts, fresh desserts baked in cafes, kind people, and some of the best food I have ever had. I used my days off from work to sightsee and visit other provinces within Seoul. The city is surrounded by beautiful historical sites. They are a reminder of what the country had to go through in order to become the monumental place it is now. 

Korean culture has a lot of instances where you just sit down and talk. "커피숍 가자" — or coffee shop, let's go — was the first phrase my boss taught me. That's because I always came into work with coffee, and later in the day when work was dragging on we would take a break at a coffee shop and just talk about how life is going. Something I thoroughly enjoyed about Seoul and Korea in general is its harmony and respect, and I am so glad I got to experience such a beautiful country!

Check out more exciting international experiences on our student authored study abroad blog, Beyond Friendly.