My home university informed me that I would most likely experience something called culture shock. Culture shock happens to people that have just moved out of onearea and move into another place that is unlike the place they lived before. This can happen to everyone, and for many reasons! Culture shock doesn't have to come from moving to another country. Culture shock can happen when moving to a new school or graduating. The cycle of culture shock typically starts with happiness about the change. Then, anxiety or worry about the ability to adjust to a new environment starts. This is soon followed by an adjustment period in which the person is adapting to their new home. Finally, the person accepts their situation and starts to find a new normal.
Back in the US, I was very happy with the way I lived. I lived in an apartment, I cooked and cleaned for myself, I had a job, I went to school and I had a friend group that I saw regularly. Coming to Seoul, South Korea meant that I had to temporarily leave all of those things behind. I started life here with no friends, family and no job. I was expecting to go through the stages of culture shock within the first few weeks here, since I had no connections here. I have been in South Korea for a little over a month now.
