Wrapping up week 8 and getting ready for midterms! My studio group has been having meetings it seems every other day, I’m constantly mumbling korean everywhere I go, and I’ve been downloading lots of movies. I’m going a little stir crazy here on campus, so today I spent the day browsing through 10 levels of shops at Lotte Mall after trying to study korean for a bit outside.

In my studio we have been working on concept models and preliminary drawings for the development of an international market in the Jagalchi district. Our goal is to revitalize the area by introducing new programs, while still preserving the traditionalism of the korean market and generating more use of the site. We’ve had to look at the context of the surrounding urban area and determine how we want to work to cultivate activity within the area.

We have a speaking test in my Korean Language Class on Tuesday. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for me, cause I can read but it takes me a hot minute to say what I’m trying to say in korean. In my film class we are giving presentations and mine is within the next week so prepping for that, and I have a midterm coming up in my Global Issues class next week as well.

Looking at the past 8 weeks to today, I can still see some timidness in myself that’s preventing me from I feel really just throwing myself into everything here. I’m still intimidated by the language barrier and not being able to be understood or communicate my needs with korean locals. I know I have translator apps and so many korean people here in Busan are good enough to try and piece together some English for me to help me out, but it’s still intimidating to not recognize or be able to understand anything around me.

I’ve done so much and grown a lot in the past 8 weeks and for the next 8 weeks, I hope to continue to work on finding ways to make myself uncomfortable and challenge myself when I feel intimidated. I want to leave Korea in 8 weeks saying that I pushed myself to experience everything I could.

I have some great people around me here, who encourage me, laugh with me, and support me through my difficulties learning to speak korean. I also have some really great people back home, who continue to support me and encourage me to work on myself from halfway across the world. I’m thankful for all my people, the past 8 weeks here in Korea, and I look forward to the next 8 weeks.

Say a prayer and wish me luck on my speaking test Tuesday! Love, Georgia.