It was an incredible six weeks that I was able to spend in Seoul. Every day was a new adventure. The classes definitely kept me busy, but I still was able to invest all of my free time into seeing as much of the city as humanly possible. People often asked me near the end of the trip if I had seen everything that I wanted to see in Seoul. The answer was complicated, yes and no. Seoul is a mind bogglingly large city. I got to see everything I planned on seeing before getting there, but every day that passes you discover something else in the city you want to see, and your list just keeps growing. I could spend a lifetime there and still leave the city thinking I missed something. And that’s what made finally having to leave such a somber moment.

The last day of my trip, I remembered a quote from Edward Higgins White (first American to walk in space) that stuck with me for the rest of the day. As he began his return to Earth, he said “I’m coming back in… and it’s the saddest moment of my life.” My whole life my goal had been to travel to Asia. It was such an odd feeling achieving this dream, and reaching the point in my trip where I realized it had to come to an end. I had to return to my normal life. Never before had I been able to relate so clearly to this sentiment from Mr. White than in that moment.

Regardless of how regretful I was to leave Seoul, I know that it will not be the last time I will have the opportunity to explore another part of the world. And until that day comes, when I can have new exciting adventures, I will always have the memories of the past six weeks I spent in Seoul.