Let's get started!

Hey y'all! 你好！
This is my first official blog post! The IB department asked me to represent them and keep a blog while I'm studying abroad this spring semester in Seoul, South Korea at Yonsei University. Turns out I had already planned to write a blog  while abroad which is perfect because now I have someone to keep me accountable with posting. First off I'll tell you a little bit about myself. I am born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. I'm a junior International Business and Management major and a Chinese Studies minor at the University of South Carolina (aka the real USC). I love reading, being outdoors, exercising, volunteering, and trying new foods and activities. I also absolutely love traveling and experiencing new things like hiking and sight-seeing. This is actually not my first rodeo when it comes to studying abroad. Back in my sophomore year of high school I participated in a Rotary Youth Exchange Program, where I studied abroad full immersion style for a year in Fribourg, Switzerland. Its been almost 5 years since then, hence I am more than ready and excited to tackle my new study abroad adventure in Seoul!
A lot of people ask why I wanted to go to Seoul, South Korea, especially if I'm a Chinese minor. (Why not go to China right?) Honestly, my original plan was to go to China, but in April during the IB application process of choosing potential schools I discovered Yonsei University. As I did more research, I felt this magnetic pull towards the school and city. I wasn't sure how competitive selection would be for certain schools, so on a confident whim I put down Yonsei as my first choice school. When I was notified of my placement in August, I was thrilled and knew it was meant to be! I found out later that I am actually the only IB student studying at Yonsei University and in South Korea for that matter. Must not have been as competitive as I originally thought. Almost all of my fellow IB Chinese minor classmates are studying abroad at different schools across China, so hopefully we will get to visit each other!
To me it seems like almost everyone studying abroad has left already, but Yonsei's spring semester classes don't start until March 2nd. Therefore I won't be leaving till around February 20th, which means I still have at least another 5 weeks in the states! I've been taking this time to work, apply for my student visa, and get everything organized to go. In my next post I'm going to tell y'all all about the application requirements and visa process.
Till next time! 再见！