Going to a country like this, learning becomes your favorite part.

A month-long experience in South Korea marked the third college study abroad trip for School of Business and Leadership student Patrice Edwards ’20.

• Supported by a Nazareth SPARK Grant, Patrice traveled to China the summer after her sophomore year.
• During the first semester of her junior year, she studied in Germany and participated in trips to Poland, Italy, France, and Austria. 
• Her senior year trip to South Korea gave her an ever-greater understanding of global history, economics, culture, and communication. 

The Nazareth senior is majoring in business management and minors in legal studies and German studies. She is certain that her Trinidadian roots are behind her eagerness to travel and help her assimilate quickly in new places. Patrice enjoys learning about different cultures and knows that her experiences abroad and the knowledge she has gained from them make her more marketable to future employers and better able to connect with people across the globe.

Why Korea?

This study abroad trip combined travel with classes where the language was learned and practiced and Korean economy, culture, and historical lessons were taught. In Korea, Patrice realized there is always something to be learned, and whether the learning takes place in the classroom or through planned trips, such as the ones to the Samsung d’light global promotion and exhibition center or the Lotte Tower or by personal adventures to the market or on hiking journeys with new friends, the opportunities are endless. She encountered new adventures every day. Patrice left South Korea with more knowledge about the business world, greater appreciation for the country and its people, and a little bit of an obsession for Korean skin care products.

Culture Change

Cultural shift was bound to surround a journey between Rochester, New York, and Seoul, South Korea. Given that her Korean study abroad experience was not Patrice’s first, she handled the changes well, suggesting that her prior experiences and personal background, have developed within her a quick ability to adapt and assimilate to her environment. She thinks that success in managing cultural changes comes from a willingness to feel uncomfortable in a foreign country. Patrice was met with questions about being from Trinidad and not America. People wondered if she spoke African. She welcomed all of these opportunities to speak and and teach about differences and celebrate diversity. The most challenging shift for Patrice was learning the Korean language; the spoken and written languages are different, and as a result, it took her longer than she anticipated to master anything but the basics. 

When asked for advice to share with students considering a study abroad experience, Patrice recommended, “Try not to push American views on the people where you are visiting. Don’t think our way is the only way. Be open to new experiences, and learn from the people in the country you are visiting. You might learn a new way of doing something.” 

At the DMZ

While in South Korea, Patrice had a life changing “experience like no other,” a visit to the DMZ. The DMZ, “Demilitarized Zone,” is a strip of land that goes across Korea, acting as a buffer zone between the North and South. Patrice and her classmates started in the 3rd tunnel built by North Koreans to be found, and they went all the way down to the bottom where they were able to see North Korea on the opposite side. “We were so far across in the tunnel, we couldn't see the top where we came in anymore.” Also on this excursion, she paid special attention to the dedication memorial for disconnected families and the train station she learned was used to join businesses with employees across the border. Patrice felt heartbroken after recognizing that people just across the line of safety needed so much help but she could do nothing about it.

Food was a big part of the experience.

Patrice found the most satisfaction when she stopped looking for American food to eat and made local selections a priority instead. Korean BBQ and unlimited side dishes, along with a dessert called poop cake, were her favorites. She found similarities (and some comfort) between the curry used in many Korean dishes and that used in foods from her home country, Trinidad. 

One day at Hansung University, she found herself eating cold Korean chicken soup that she didn’t really like. She kept eating it, though, because newspaper journalists were there to generate a story about the food tasting event that was surrounding her. She was positioned front row center! A photo of Patrice was featured in the newspaper, and she was able to send a copy to all her family and friends back home.

International friendships

While in South Korea, Patrice made a friend, Priscilla, from the United Kingdom. They looked out for one another during their stay. Patrice sometimes found herself lost while exploring the country, and despite being lost, she always felt safe with Priscilla. At one point, Patrice and Priscilla planned to visit an Internet café, and while they wrote down the directions to their destination, they did not write them in reverse to get them back to their starting point. A young Korean girl identified that they were lost and asked if they needed help. With her mother’s assistance, the girl was able to walk Patrice and Priscilla to a point where they were able to secure a ride back to familiar territory. Patrice’s heart was full, and she felt so welcome. “I was surprised by the kindness of Korean people.”

Impactful takeaways

“I gained a new appreciation for South Korean culture. I gained an even more adventurous mind. I will continue to travel when I graduate and learn about even more places as time passes by… Each day I went to bed more educated than I was before and that to me is the best part about this trip. I think this was due to the fact that everyday we had a trip to someplace new, whether it was a museum or palace or even an amusement park. I never felt bored on this trip cause there was always something to do. Always someplace to see. We even hiked up a mountain that was painful, but I saw a breathtaking view that will remain with me forever.”