Chelseaparis Henry- Traveling to Culturally Significant Locations (6pts)

During my time abroad this winter, I was granted such an unexpected blessing. Initially, my flight back to Atlanta from my China study abroad program had a 2-hour layover in South Korea. Yet, when the layover flight to Atlanta unexpectedly got cancelled, I was afraid of the uncertainty because of this delay. However, my friends and I took this unfortunate event and made it into a wonderful experience by the grace of God! 

Additionally, we traveled from Incheon to Seoul to explore the city. During our time in the heart of South Korea, we visited the Hello Kitty Apple Cafe, a Korean BBQ restaurant, various clothing stores, a tourist merchandise store, and a K-Pop music and media shop. Our activities consisted of trying new foods, buying souvenirs, and shopping for popular Korean fashion trends. To add onto these valuable encounters, we stayed at the Inspire Entertainment Resort, which consisted of multiple attractions and gift shops for our amusement. This experience showed me the beautiful spaces and the kindest people of the country. 

Furthermore, I analyze a weakness of the travel to be the lack of preparation for learning more about South Korea as a country, considering the unexpected predicament that created this opportunity. Yet, a strength of this amazing experience was it pushing me to prioritize traveling to South Korea to learn more about its origins, culture, politics, and economic development. I will one day challenge myself to speak the language, learn their history, explore more significant regions, and ground myself in fellowshipping with their people. After engulfing myself in the ways of the country, I believe that I will consider this place to possibly be a home away from home.