I remember the moment my mom broke the news to me that we were moving to Seoul, Korea. She had been hinting at it for days, asking unusual questions.

“Have you ever wanted to see the Asian coast on vacation?” she said one day.

“Uh, yeah. I guess so,” I replied nonchalantly.

“Well, guess what? We’re moving there!” she said, trying to make it sound as exciting as possible. I burst into tears.

My story is common amongst family members of those who serve in the military. As a military brat who’s never lived in the same place for more than two years, I was looking forward to not moving away for once and enjoying the fragile relationships I had built at my high school in Texas. And now, in “the most important year of my young life,” I would have to make a new life all over again.

I thought Korea would be unbearable when I first got off the plane. I thought it smelled funny, and I couldn’t understand what anyone was saying. How could I live like this for one year? As the weeks went by, however, I began to get used to the culture shock. I grew to love Korean food (how could I have lived this long without kimchi?) and I found the people friendly and bighearted.

What has made my transition here the easiest is the student life at this campus. The Student 2 Student program helped me quickly make friends, and I was welcomed into many of the clubs and activities that I was apart of in Texas, such as the JROTC color guard and the National Honor Society.

What I like best about this school is the close camaraderie of the students. Korean and American students exchange culture and form close friendships. For example, while Koreans learn to speak English while still improving their first language, Americans learn Korean phrases and cultural traditions in the Seoul community. This symbolizes the peaceful bond between South Korea and the United States. I thought making a new life in Korea would be hard, but now I find our move to Seoul has been the easiest transition yet. I look forward to an exciting senior year here; I’m sure it will be my best year yet. Go Falcons!