Dear Emmeline,
How was your summer? Don't answer that—I already know. You see, your summer was my summer...about a year ago. We're different enough that I feel I can write to you as another person, and I just wanted to talk for a bit.
재미있을거야~ You don't know what that means yet, but you will. In fact, you'll know a whole lot more, because this is the year you start learning Korean! I know it's your dream, but honestly, what were you thinking?! Everyone back home is relatively sure you're never coming back. As I write this, it's been over half a year since we've seen our parents in person, but we’re still upset that we have to go home for a month. That's the other thing... You know how you planned to stay for a year and then maybe come back again later at some point? Well, it's a long story because we're super indecisive, but essentially you're staying another semester.
Maybe it’s the place. Seoul is beautiful after all. You’ll have more than enough material to fill up your Instagram and you'll seriously consider becoming a food blogger. You will master the subway system and it will feel like the whole city is just a T-Money card refill away. You are going to make serious improvements with the language. When we got here a year ago you could hardly read (you couldn't actually, you're giving yourself too much credit), but now we're in Intermediate II. Sure, there will be people who will progress faster than you do and your fear of making mistakes will still hold you back from achieving your full conversational potential, but you'll do well enough. You'll feel your dream of becoming a polyglot get nearer and farther at the same time, as your Japanese deteriorates and all your improvements in Korean only seem to draw attention to just how much further you have to go. I know it sounds stressful (and it is) but overcoming your struggles will make you more confident, and your new linguistic knowledge will allow you to be of help to people less familiar with the language than you.
If it's not the place, then it's surely the people. KUBA will become your everything (extra spoiler alert: you'll win “Best Buddy” spring semester). The people you meet in the Korea University Buddy Assistants program will be the best part of your experience. You'll associate everyone, Korean nationals and foreigners alike, with your idea of what Seoul is, and they'll become your new family. If you're still doubting your leadership potential, your involvement with KUBA will solidify it once and for all. You'll come to know Anam better than many of your Korean classmates, and more than one buddy will suggest that you rejoin as an assistant. That's actually the reason you'll want to stay instead of going home for a month: buddy assistant training is in August.
It's all good though. Even if we can't become a buddy assistant we won't let that slow us down. Most people don't stay for three consecutive semesters, so we're already kind of trailblazing. In all honesty, I'm a little worried about next semester. Plenty of people only stayed for one semester and left in the winter, but now that it's been two semesters since we all arrived, everybody that came along with us will be gone. We’re just going to have to deal with it. Not everyone that's important to us can be in the same place at the same time (but remember your graduation party? Everyone was there to see you and so only got to spend a few minutes with each person and that was awful, so maybe it's for the best). We'll just have to remember to take lots of pictures and cherish the time we have with everyone. I'm sure if we do that, we won't have any regrets come the end of next semester. It doesn't hurt that we have a couch to crash on no matter where in the world we travel either.
Graduation is a completely different kind of stress. I know that right now you're planning to be part of the class of 2018, but like I said, a lot has changed this year, and I'm planning to complete our degree a year early. Once I finalize a senior project topic, we'll be well on our way! Since this is all happening a year earlier than we thought, we also need to get to work on preparing for life post-graduation. My short-term goal is passing the Level 4 TOPIK test, which will serve as official recognition of our Korean proficiency and give us an advantage when we apply for teaching programs. There's a lot more studying in our future...
As quickly as the 2015-2016 school year will pass for you, I'm sure this next year will be even faster. I wonder if there's a girl from 2017 writing to me right now. I wonder what she's like. I wonder if she remembers you. I guess I'll find out next summer.
Good luck this year (even though I've done all the hard work for you)~~
Much love,
Your future self
P.S. 재미있을거야—It's going to be fun.
How was your summer? Don't answer that—I already know. You see, your summer was my summer...about a year ago. We're different enough that I feel I can write to you as another person, and I just wanted to talk for a bit.
재미있을거야~ You don't know what that means yet, but you will. In fact, you'll know a whole lot more, because this is the year you start learning Korean! I know it's your dream, but honestly, what were you thinking?! Everyone back home is relatively sure you're never coming back. As I write this, it's been over half a year since we've seen our parents in person, but we’re still upset that we have to go home for a month. That's the other thing... You know how you planned to stay for a year and then maybe come back again later at some point? Well, it's a long story because we're super indecisive, but essentially you're staying another semester.
Maybe it’s the place. Seoul is beautiful after all. You’ll have more than enough material to fill up your Instagram and you'll seriously consider becoming a food blogger. You will master the subway system and it will feel like the whole city is just a T-Money card refill away. You are going to make serious improvements with the language. When we got here a year ago you could hardly read (you couldn't actually, you're giving yourself too much credit), but now we're in Intermediate II. Sure, there will be people who will progress faster than you do and your fear of making mistakes will still hold you back from achieving your full conversational potential, but you'll do well enough. You'll feel your dream of becoming a polyglot get nearer and farther at the same time, as your Japanese deteriorates and all your improvements in Korean only seem to draw attention to just how much further you have to go. I know it sounds stressful (and it is) but overcoming your struggles will make you more confident, and your new linguistic knowledge will allow you to be of help to people less familiar with the language than you.
If it's not the place, then it's surely the people. KUBA will become your everything (extra spoiler alert: you'll win “Best Buddy” spring semester). The people you meet in the Korea University Buddy Assistants program will be the best part of your experience. You'll associate everyone, Korean nationals and foreigners alike, with your idea of what Seoul is, and they'll become your new family. If you're still doubting your leadership potential, your involvement with KUBA will solidify it once and for all. You'll come to know Anam better than many of your Korean classmates, and more than one buddy will suggest that you rejoin as an assistant. That's actually the reason you'll want to stay instead of going home for a month: buddy assistant training is in August.
It's all good though. Even if we can't become a buddy assistant we won't let that slow us down. Most people don't stay for three consecutive semesters, so we're already kind of trailblazing. In all honesty, I'm a little worried about next semester. Plenty of people only stayed for one semester and left in the winter, but now that it's been two semesters since we all arrived, everybody that came along with us will be gone. We’re just going to have to deal with it. Not everyone that's important to us can be in the same place at the same time (but remember your graduation party? Everyone was there to see you and so only got to spend a few minutes with each person and that was awful, so maybe it's for the best). We'll just have to remember to take lots of pictures and cherish the time we have with everyone. I'm sure if we do that, we won't have any regrets come the end of next semester. It doesn't hurt that we have a couch to crash on no matter where in the world we travel either.
Graduation is a completely different kind of stress. I know that right now you're planning to be part of the class of 2018, but like I said, a lot has changed this year, and I'm planning to complete our degree a year early. Once I finalize a senior project topic, we'll be well on our way! Since this is all happening a year earlier than we thought, we also need to get to work on preparing for life post-graduation. My short-term goal is passing the Level 4 TOPIK test, which will serve as official recognition of our Korean proficiency and give us an advantage when we apply for teaching programs. There's a lot more studying in our future...
As quickly as the 2015-2016 school year will pass for you, I'm sure this next year will be even faster. I wonder if there's a girl from 2017 writing to me right now. I wonder what she's like. I wonder if she remembers you. I guess I'll find out next summer.
Good luck this year (even though I've done all the hard work for you)~~
Much love,
Your future self
P.S. 재미있을거야—It's going to be fun.