Now that my program has officially come to an end, I can’t help but feel a little sad. I’ve made so many memories and I’ve met many amazing people. I can confidently say that I’ve grown as a person and as a student.
I quickly adapted to the new culture and I realized that, at some point, I could even see myself living in Seoul. The massive comfort that I felt is partly due to the amazing friends I’ve made. Emmy, Cherry, Passang, and Bianka made this program even more special than it already was. We encouraged, protected, and deeply cared for one another. We became close pretty fast and now it feels as if we’ve known each other for years.
They have helped me grow more confident in myself and to not let my positivity be affected by others. I used to be extremely wary of doing seemingly hard or new things, but my friends, and the circumstances that I’ve found myself in, have allowed me to make quick decisions and be more independent.
For example, I’ve seen my friends successfully use the bit of Korean that they know, so I stopped being scared to speak Korean. I’ve used it while shopping, at the pharmacy, catching a cab, and more!
My friends taught me that regardless of what happens, they’re there for me, and that I can’t let some setbacks stop me from doing what I need to do. When we were filming our interviews and editing we ran into a few problems, including faulty equipment, unsuitable set locations, unreliable people, and last minute shooting reschedules. As the director for my group I felt like it was my responsibility to fix all of these problems and there were times when I was really stressed out.
For instance, we had to shoot in 100 degree weather two days before the final project was due. It was tough finding suitable shooting locations but after it was done I felt extremely proud of our group.
My directing, cinematography, and editing skills have improved significantly. Now I hope to obtain a media internship either for this Fall or next Spring, and I will want continue taking Media Production courses.
When we finally exported the final version of our project I was overjoyed. In the past I’ve had group film projects that were problematic, which caused me to dislike our end product. This time however, I was there for each step of the process, and I had a supportive and talented team. This project turned out to be what I had envisioned. It was great seeing how an idea of mine could take shape and evolve into this wonderful and quality video project.
It was an amazing experience! Thank you to the Gilman International Scholarship for supporting my future!
