Mrs. Sara Monson
Asheville City Schools

“Whenever one embarks on a journey for business, pleasure or educational purposes the person becomes a tourist. Traveling includes four main parts. Planning the journey, the anticipation of the event, the actual event itself and reflection on the event. As I was in the planning process for this event, I chose to complete my blog for the first day of the program in the hopes that it would be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The first day of the professional education opportunity to travel to South Korea with the Go Global NC Global Teacher- South Korea 2024 program did not disappoint. This was a very memorable day of travel.

I woke up way too early on the 15th to get to Charlotte for departure. I understand the CLT airport is a hub; I’m just not used to seeing that many people so early in the morning trying to make things happen. Thankfully, our group leaders did in fact make things happen by expediting our check in process. Step one: check. Get to CLT to board the plane to the connecting flight in Dallas, TX, which was to take us to Seoul.

This is when things get kicked up a notch and get crazy. The preface of the 15th will help explain more about the 16th. We were notified that the flight to South Korea was to be delayed by six hours. OK, no big deal, right? Wrong. Hanging out in an airport for six hours on three hours of sleep the night before while waiting for a 14 hour-flight does not sound appealing. Things happened and this was our new agenda. 

I feel as though I was at a slight disadvantage in this experience because I had to miss the in-person orientation that was held in April. I’m coming in without having had the opportunity to have met anyone! I bring this up because I am a shy person and trying to initiate conversation with folks I had only met online is quite difficult for me. I wasn’t too successful. I read some of Pachinko, which had been recommended from our Zoom sessions and tried to stay awake. Unfortunately for me, reading is the antithesis of me trying to stay awake. Move forward to boarding the plane and getting ready for a 14-hour flight. I tried to be optimistic and had hopes of getting some sleep on the flight. Nope. I was too anxious and tried to wrap my brain around a flight that long by telling myself that ‘I work 14-hour days, I can do this’. Only upon landing did it occur to me how exhausted I was after aforementioned 14-hour days. 

So how did this affect what the group did on the 16 of June? Well, we didn’t do anything! We had over 24 hours of travel that resulted in lots of emotions. So were there any advantages? Absolutely. I FINALLY got to see Alaska! Granted it was at 34,000 feet, but it was absolutely stunning. When we embarked on the road to the hotel I wanted nothing more than some sleep, but I found I could not do it. Riding on the bus and seeing the city at night was beautiful as I took in the big city vibes. Looking around the entire time made the one hour route from the airport to the Fraser Place, Namdaemun, Seoul, seem to fly by. Once at the hotel, I again was looking forward to some desperately needed sleep, but found myself wide awake, because my body was (and maybe still is!) on Eastern Standard Time! After checking in with my family I knew I had better get some rest, as June 17, was a day with a full agenda.

In retrospect, it was a memorable day despite the hiccups associated with travel. It didn’t really occur to me that I was actually in South Korea until I was on the bus to the hotel looking around and trying to take it all in. The first thing I noticed was how clean the airport was. So clean, in fact, it smelled like a hospital. The efficiency of the airport could not go unnoticed either. So. Many. People. Through lines and customs and immigration declaring reasons for being here and it moved so quickly. On the bus we learned we would be getting hanbok rentals for the palace visit the following day. This made me smile, as I had watched a video beforehand talking about how fun this was.

Despite our welcome dinner getting postponed, I would say this was still a learning day. I had a great bento box for dinner and look forward to using this experience with my students to illustrate the importance of flexibility. There is no point in letting circumstances beyond your control get in the way of incredible opportunities. It is important to understand that things change, and you must be adaptable. Yes, the journey is part of the destination, but it is also part of the experience. It is also important to keep an open mind when things change. I learned this from the fable, Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. This book was the best graduation gift I ever received, and I gave it to my seniors this year in hopes they will understand how important it is to have an open mind and be adaptable.

I sincerely thank The Beattie Foundation and Mr. Joel Adams, Jr., for the opportunity to have this amazing experience from which I can learn and share with my students in hopes of educating them on different experiences and how to be adaptable when things don’t go as planned.”

Mrs. Carie Fugle
Cabarrus County

“Eager anticipation. That is the overall emotion leading up to June for this immersive experience to South Korea. As I did my research, participated in lessons provided by Go Global NC, and increased my knowledge and taste for K-pop, there was always the countdown to when it would be time to travel to Korea. And finally the day arrived that we would take flight to travel halfway around the world to learn and grow! 

With an unanticipated six hour delay at the airport, it just made the eagerness to get to South Korea continue to mount. And with the 14-hour flight coming closer and closer, I kept reminding myself that this experience will unfold and present itself to me as the opportunity of a lifetime for professional development. So when we boarded our flight, I just wanted to start soaking up every moment. Even though our arrival time and first experiences in Korea were impacted by the very late night arrival, it was still very much surreal to be standing in front of the customs agent awaiting my passport to be stamped. Once she opened the door to allow me to officially enter South Korea, I knew this learning adventure was formally beginning. 

As we boarded the bus to be transported to our hotel in Seoul, I could feel the immense amount of care that was put into this trip from the Go Global NC organization and their travel partners in the country. The tour guides were kind and welcoming, sharing with us bits of history and customs as we made our way to the hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel, they had arranged dinner, in-a-box style, so that we could immediately settle into our rooms and get some much needed rest before beginning our experiences in the morning. 

As I laid my head down after unpacking and organizing our bedroom space, I closed my eyes with such gratitude for this moment. Never in my imagination did I ever believe that being an educator would find a way to bring me to another country, to learn and grow and push me into a new understanding of our great big world. The eager anticipation eventually allows me to fall into a much needed deep sleep that I will need to keep my energy up as we begin our journey of learning!”