Fariya Baja, BA Comparative Literature, Film and Linguistics student at Queen Mary, spent an academic year at Yonsei University in South Korea and came to realise that trust is what got her through one of biggest experiences of her life.

A year is a long time. A lot of things about myself and my life have changed, but the most important thing has always stayed the same. My ability to trust. If I were to recommend a survival kit for anyone uprooting their life and moving halfway across the world, then I would put trust at the top of the list.  

It’s essential to trust yourself, trust the process, and trust your decisions. To trust that everything happens for a reason, even if the things happening are uncomfortable and unfamiliar. Often, the ‘reason’ is things happen so you can learn more about yourself. Stepping out of your comfort zone means leaving behind the parts of you that are stagnant and coming into a whole new version of yourself that I hope you can fall in love. 

I also fell in love with South Korea. I knew that I would, from the moment I applied for the year abroad on the night of my birthday (the day of the deadline) after trying to convince myself that the experience wasn’t meant for me. I felt held back financially and mentally tried to shut myself out of this adventure.  

Another piece to add to the survival kit; belief that you deserve this opportunity. Coming from my background, Muslim, Black, working-class – the idea of living alone abroad was similar to watching a movie about a main character that I could never be. It seemed too good to be true. But as soon I started to believe I deserved more out of life, I was on a rollercoaster ride that still isn’t over. 

Don’t get me wrong, the application process can be intensely stressful, especially when you want to succeed. Getting accepted is only the beginning, but if a stress-prone over thinker like me can do it, then anyone can.  

Another element to your survival kit – a positive, grateful mindset. This opportunity is a blessing, and a mindset like that can pull you back from any fear or stress. I definitely felt fear, that moment I stepped away from my family at airport security, and later when I visited my first café in Seoul and had to breathe through a panic attack. But more than fear, I trusted that this city was going to love me and I was going to love it, and it really did.  

I have had countless mind-blowing experiences and have become the main character that often felt trapped in a screen, far away from me. I had an interest in the Korean language even before coming to university and loved to be able to put into practice my years of learning. I also enjoyed getting closer to the world of Korean film and TV by actively searching for chances to.  

The experience of living abroad is truly what you make of it, and so another thing I would suggest for the survival kit is finding a reason. Even if that reason is just getting out of your bedroom, or like me, meeting as many actors as possible, hold onto that reason and never hesitate to go for it the whole time you’re abroad.  

Despite these reasons, and moments of beauty, I had to trust that even loneliness had its reason. My personality changed to fit around it, and I learned who I was and what the people in my life meant to me. I genuinely hope that everyone brave enough to take this step can come away knowing who they are, and what they want and deserve from life. Korea taught me how to grab opportunities from life, filled my days with good food, taught me how to have fun with my sense of style, showed me how to find the beauty in rivers and random cafes, and pushed me to confront my crippling social anxiety (it still exists, I just know how to live in spite of it!) 

I know not everyone who reads this may end up in South Korea, but as long as you have respect and appreciation for yourself, the country you are in, and pack your survival kit with all the things I have mentioned, I truly believe that your time abroad can become the best time of your life so far, and set you up for an amazing future. And if not, at least you were brave enough to try. No-one can take that away from you. 

Thank you for reading, 

(Written from an apartment in Seoul) 

Fariyah Baja