Nursing junior Viviana Juarez said the emotion of traveling to South Korea did not process in her mind until she walked off of the plane in Seoul, the nation’s capital.

After her 15-hour flight, the experience of landing in South Korea was surreal, she said.

“I spent months filling out paperwork, going to interviews, filling out scholarships and doing all these things to get my trip in order,” she said. “But, I always felt like something would come up and I wouldn’t be able to go.”

Study abroad adviser Kelsi Cavazos said eight students typically travel abroad to South Korea each year with the UTA Study Abroad program.

Traveling abroad is not new for Juarez. She participated in two foreign exchange programs in high school, visiting countries in Europe. However, going to South Korea always felt like an idea she was just flirting with.

As a nursing student, she said there wasn’t a reason to take classes abroad, and she wound up in South Korea by chance.

Her best friend, nursing sophomore Mayra Guardiola, who Juarez said is obsessed with Korean culture, invited her.

“Having a friend has impacted my study abroad experience because I believe things are better shared,” Guardiola said.

She said the best part of traveling abroad with a friend is experiencing the new culture together. Sharing food has been one of her fondest memories.

Guardiola said, in South Korea it is not uncommon to share food directly from one pot, “I actually prefer this style of eating because I feel like it promotes strong bonds and ties between friends.”

Juarez and Guardiola are taking classes at Yonsei University, a local college, in “Korean Cinema” and “Beginning Korean.”

Juarez said, although the courses do not directly go with her degree plan, she still plans to apply them to her life.

“These classes have really opened my eyes to a new culture, and in ‘Korean Cinema,’ I’ve actually learned a lot about Korea’s tumultuous political past,” she said. “I have a lot more respect for the country and it’s people because of it. They’ve gone through tough times to get to where they are today.”

The Korean language has been the biggest challenge for her.

“I may not be fluent when I get back,” she said. “But, I’d like to keep up with it and be fluent one day, because as a nurse, it won’t hurt to know more than one language.”

Juarez said she wants to immerse herself in the culture.

The “K-Pop” culture, a lifestyle inspired by Korean pop music, has been one of the most interesting things Juarez said she has experienced so far.

The Hello Kitty Cafe and animal cafes, coffee shops full of kittens and puppies to play with, are something she will never forget, but, she said, it’s not the sights that have surprised her the most.

Despite a 14-hour time difference from home, Juarez said what surprised her the most is how comfortable she is there.

“I feel very safe here,” she said. “Even when I have to walk alone at night.”

She said it was mostly the small things, such as it being the law to recycle and how everyone is extremely respectful.

“Even though I’m a foreigner, when I ask people for help, they’re very open to trying to help me,” she said.

Juarez said traveling abroad this semester has opened her eyes to a culture she knew little about, and has inspired her to continue visiting as many countries as she can.