Ten minutes until departure I could feel my heart beating harder and harder. I was sweating, running, and trying to find the gate. There it was! I ran the last fifty feet to hand my boarding pass to the ramp agent. Thank God. I arrived three minutes before departure time and I was on my way to El Paso, Texas.

The previous year, my brother had left home to study abroad. Perhaps seeing my desire for even more freedom, my parents suggested I apply to the exchange student program. I agreed and applied, thinking it would be a really good experience. Learning different cultures and knowing people from many different countries would surely help to understand both myself and others. Therefore, the spring and summer of 2005 were especially busy. Only a few days before my departure date, I received notification of my school and my host family’s information. I was curious and excited, but nervous at the same time.

While packing my suitcase the night before my departure, I suddenly realized my fear of the new challenge I was about to face. The next morning at the airport, my mom and I both tried not to cry. In a bittersweet gesture, she held my hand and said, “This time next year I want you to be stronger and to have a brighter future in front of you.” I smiled and took my step towards the gate; I did not look back. I was sure I would miss my past, but my future was more inspiring to me. It was the first time I would travel by myself; it was also my first time on a plane. After sixteen long hours in flight, I landed in El Paso, Texas.
        
While living with the host family, there were many barriers I had to overcome. Nevertheless, with each obstacle I overcame came increased appreciation for my family’s love and care and with that appreciation came a restless homesickness. The first two months were like an unending, dark night. At that time, I was not fluent in English, which essentially struck me deaf and dumb for the first month. It was very hard for a girl who loves to talk and listen to others! To make matters worse, I could not completely understand the lectures given in my classes. During these troubled times, the dictionary became my best friend. At night before a test, I would have to study until the early morning.

Seeing the diversity of people at school was both exciting and thrilling; everything I saw was strange and new. For the first few months, I was not familiar with cultural practices, but as I became accustomed to the school and people, I began to notice that during lunch, certain people would sit at a certain tables. White people would sit at the tables near the east entrance, and black people would sit on the other side. Nowadays, people say that segregation has ended; people are equal and they think of each other as companions. However, an invisible wall seems to exist between races.

These walls not only apply to different races, but also to religion, gender, age, and social and political groups. People still have prejudices towards one another. In my opinion, with the exception of an ignorant few who are still prejudice at heart, most of the groups separate themselves and affiliate themselves with those similar to them due to a “comfort factor.” People of the same race, religion, or age may have more things in common and may simply feel more comfortable with people of the same group. However, this comfort seems to be a result of underlying prejudices that still exist today. Clearly, everything cannot be perfect or the way I wanted to be. The best I could do was trying to understand others and overcome the prejudice.  

My favorite things were learning new cultures and getting to know people from different countries. My friends were from all around the world: Germany, Brazil, Taiwan, Mexico, China, Vietnam, and the United States. Getting to know such a range of people was one of the most valuable experiences I have ever had. It contributed to deciding my college major, international relations. This also inspired me to think what I could do for world peace among nations in the future.

I was absorbed by the freedom and diversity of my friends at school. I even found myself making many friends and extracurricular activities. During my sophomore year, every month I went to a homeless shelter, Missionary of Charity, located in downtown Memphis. The shelter was established by Mother Theresa many years ago. It is a shelter for homeless women and children. Kathy Poston, my host mom, was the person who suggested I go to the shelter with her. On the last Saturday of every month, we go there to serve dinner. Preparing large amounts of food is not an easy process; it requires time and effort. However, when children asked me what was on the menu and when people told me how much they appreciated and how thankful they were for my efforts, I would easily forget the work and time I had spent in preparation.

Participating in my high school’s newspaper also has been a great experience. Through writing articles for the school newspaper, I not only improved my writing skills, but learned about responsibility, turning articles in on time, and trying my best to write flawlessly. I had to turn in my articles before the deadline, revising them beforehand so they would not contain even the smallest error. The responsibility that stemmed from participating in my school’s newspaper has helped me to prepare for classes at school and to perform my duties at home. Moreover, it has taught me how to cooperate with others while having conflicting ideas. Whenever our ideas differ, I try not to argue, but rather find solutions to the problem. I became a more mature individual through this endeavor.

After I inducted into math honor society, in my junior year, my math teacher suggested I tutor elementary school students. I was happy to oblige. A few weeks later I met a fifth grader whom I would tutor. We would meet once a week for one or two hours. Even though it was only once a week, I still had to put in effort to prepare the lessons. Previously, I had not known how hard it was to teach. Sometimes she had a difficult time understanding basic problems or gave up out of frustration, but I would urge her to consider why she had come and make sure she completely understood problems. As time passed, I started to notice that she had developed an interest in math when she received an A on her math test for division; I could not describe my happiness. As a tutor, I found that both learning and teaching can bring jubilance.
I also was very fortunate to have an opportunity to be a helper in a Special Olympic. Special Olympic is the Olympic for people who are mentally or physically challenge. At the Olympic, last spring, I met just such a person, Michael who was suffered from Down syndrome, who taught me important life lessons and unforgettable memories that will affect me for the rest of my life. Michael taught me something I was not able to learn from schools or books. Before I met him, I had never known how fortunate I was. I had everything: a normal body, speaking skills, the ability to think, a family, and friends. However, I complained all the time and was never satisfied by what I had. Nevertheless, now I know things do not have to be perfect for me to be happy, without perfection, happiness still can be found anywhere.  
        
This year is my fourth year in the United States. I became a woman from a little girl three years ago; I am independent, courageous and responsible. Throughout the years I have spent here, I have learned more than I had ever learned in Korea. If I had decided to finish my education in Korea, my experience would not be diverse. After a long but short four years, I believe that I acculturated, but I did not lose my identity in the process. I share my culture to others whenever I get the chance and encourage people to go to other countries and experience new cultures. I want other people to experience and learn what I have in past few years. I want them to know how important it is to be part of the world and explore their interests and gift.