“Western Carolina University student in South Korea felt 'better to go home'” |
| Western Carolina University student in South Korea felt 'better to go home' Posted: 06 Dec 2010 12:05 PM PST Editor's note: Rachel Reich is a senior communication and international studies student at Western Carolina University. After visiting Hannam University in Daejeon, South Korea, last summer, she accepted a scholarship to study at the university this fall. Reich arrived Aug. 25 in Daejeon and returned home to Waynesville on Saturday, 17 days before her planned return, because of the recent conflict between North and South Korea. The universities arranged for her to receive full credit for her coursework despite her early departure. The following are excerpts from an e-mail she wrote to the Citizen-Times from her dorm room in Daejeon on Saturday morning before her departure. "When the attack happened last week, initially I knew nothing about it. Around 5 p.m. (the day of the attack), my good friend Valeria from Ecuador came into my room to chat when my Korean friend texted my phone, 'Did you see the news?' The weird thing was, the first thing out of Valeria's mouth was, 'North Korea better not have done something stupid.' I just sort of laughed at her comment and jeered in agreement, although truthfully it was the last thing that I expected to be going on. So I quickly typed into Google 'South Korean News' and all I saw were pictures of the bombing and large bold print that said things like 'Korea attacked,' 'Massive Artillery Fire,' '200 missiles from North Korea,' 'Is it War?' etc. My first reaction was fear, then confusion. It was so strange almost like a dream. Then the preparations began. I called my father even though it was around 3am back in Waynesville, N.C. I told him what was going on and his first response was that I should change my flight ticket to leave as soon as possible. "As we waited and watched throughout the next day it was impossible for me to decide if leaving immediately was the best decision. The general consensus among Koreans is that they are used to everything that North Korea throws at them. Nothing is a surprise anymore… Many Koreans that I spoke to did acknowledge that this was the worst attack that had happened to them since the Korean War ended, but they still weren't that shaken up about it. They all understand that North Korea randomly does these acts of violence to: 1) gain world attention because that is what the leaders thrive on since they have nothing else to show for themselves; 2) to scare the right countries into giving them more money to keep their mouths shut for another six to eight months until the aid runs out. (2 of 2) "Many Koreans practice the 'wait and see' mentality. It is the idea where they just wait and see if the North will do anything more and if the South will do anything to defend itself. That was the biggest reason why I didn't leave immediately. Although my parents were pressuring me to come home, they weren't living here surrounded by people who barely batted an eye at what happened. In the States, our media tends to sensationalize certain things that happen to the point of nearly creating a panic. Here in Korea, the media is very level-headed (as are the people) and they try to keep things in perspective. "As I listened and asked question after question to various Koreans in a desperate attempt to decide what to do, I realized that the decision was really going to be up to me. My parents wanted me to return home and 95 percent of the Koreans around me were constantly saying that it was very safe. About six days ago, I finally decided that even if Korea is safe and nothing else will happen, in their opinions, the future is never guaranteed. North Korea is such a loose cannon that it is nearly impossible to know what they will do next. Instead of risking my return, I felt it better to go home while the window was open. The North is constantly making threats of bombing Incheon Airport (which is the main airport in Korea and the one in which I am due to fly out of) and of course they constantly threaten to attack Seoul, which is the home of Incheon Airport. "Having our soldiers doing a show of force is quite comforting after the attack. Actually, when the attack first happened I kept typing 'Obama's statement on Korean attack' into Google and hitting refresh on the web page all day just waiting for his response to the situation even though I knew he was asleep on the other side of the world. It was in that moment that I cared more than ever what my president had to say and what he was planning on doing. The boat was a welcome reprieve. When I found out it was going to be leaving this past Wednesday, I decided that leaving within a few days of the boat would be the smartest move. There is no telling what North Korea will do with it gone, and as usual, the two sides are still spitting rhetoric and making threats. "I am leaving because I would rather be safe than sorry. Watching an island burn that is three hours away from me and hearing a steady stream of military aircraft constantly in the air every day since the attack has made me realize the vulnerability and fragility of life and people. "I will pray everyday that God looks after this small but amazing country. These people are some of the greatest that I have ever met or am likely to meet … Korea is one of those overlooked countries that is truly a hidden gem … I am looking forward to return home tomorrow and seeing my family, but the feelings are bittersweet." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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