Fighting My Anxiety: A Solo Journey to South Korea
The time I moved to South Korea, alone, during a pandemic.
Back in 2020, as I prepared to graduate college, my future felt like a big question mark. I was dead set against the idea of diving straight into a boring 9–5 office job — I knew that wasn’t for me (still isn’t to this day). I had this itch to travel, but figuring out how to make it happen was yet another big question mark. At the time, I was juggling my studies with a part-time job as a beauty advisor at Ulta Beauty, but it wasn’t exactly funding my dreams of exploration.
Then, out of the blue, I stumbled upon the chance to teach English abroad. The thought of living in a completely unfamiliar country without any familiar faces was terrifying, to say the least. But my determination wouldn’t let me back down. I hustled to get my TEFL certification and applied for EPIK (English Program in Korea), and before I could blink, I found myself on a plane bound for South Korea.
But let me tell you, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Especially not for someone like me, who has grappled with an anxiety disorder for as long as I can remember. This adventure was so far beyond my comfort zone that, at certain points, just packing my luggage to go seemed like an unconquerable feat. After receiving that acceptance letter from EPIK, I rode a rollercoaster of emotions. One moment, I was patting myself on the back for making the cut; the next, I was overwhelmed with the fear of the unknown.
Excitement surged through me, only to be swiftly followed by waves of dread. I’ll be honest — I shed more than a few tears, had countless panic attacks, and came dangerously close to backing out at least a dozen times. The night before my departure, I was still entertaining the crazy idea of making it to the airport in the morning and asking my best friend to turn the car around and take me back home. My anxiety was putting up the fight of a lifetime, screaming at me that I couldn’t do it, that everything would go wrong, and that I’d regret my decision.
Yet, in a moment of sheer determination and perhaps a touch of divine intervention, I found the strength to look my anxiety in the eye and say, “F*** off!” With tears filling my eyes and my legs trembling, I made my way onto the plane and I firmly planted myself into the seat, ready to face whatever South Korea had in store for me.
Surprise, surprise, my time in Korea was nothing short of amazing! I found myself teaching at an incredible school, surrounded by the sweetest students. My cozy, tiny apartment in a good neighborhood in Daegu, South Korea, became my sanctuary, and the people I met along the way were some of the most incredible souls I’ve ever encountered. Throughout my stay, I never once regretted my decision to make that leap.
It was undeniably the scariest yet most fulfilling experience of my life. Korea pushed me far beyond my comfort zone, forcing me to confront situations head-on that I would typically run away from due to my anxiety. Taking that leap turned out to be one of the most transformative steps I’ve ever taken in managing my anxiety. I fought tooth and nail and emerged victorious *Alexa, play the Victorious theme song*.
Now, I won’t lie and say that I didn’t deal with anxiety during my time there, or that I don’t still battle it now (because I do). But I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’ll get through it. I know that I am capable. I know that when stress and anxiety rear their ugly heads, I am still the woman who boarded that plane.
I am still the woman who ventured to a country where the language was foreign, and the faces were unfamiliar. I am still the woman who carved out a life on the opposite side of the world from everyone she held dear. And if I could brave all of that, I can take on anything that life throws my way.
Thank you for reading my story! If you liked it, check out my other posts here.
