Break Away: Patel’s Lander Journey Takes Her to South Korea

Palak Patel is a senior healthcare management major from Lexington, South Carolina. Her time at Lander so far has been filled with an array of leadership opportunities and experiential learning with the Honors College, as well as serving as the Presidential Ambassador captain for a year. But for Patel, she decided to challenge herself further and go away to another country by herself with a large language barrier. Even though the classes were taught in English, navigating an unfamiliar country who communicates in an unfamiliar language is no small feat.

Language is one of the more complicated aspects of study abroad, but she says it was where she saw the most growth in herself.  She recalls, “The most rewarding experience has been the confusion that can come from navigating around a country where you have a language barrier. But afterwards, the relief was the most rewarding feeling ever.” This is the story of many students who study abroad: oftentimes what they consider the biggest challenge results in the biggest accomplishments.

Although studying abroad can be scary for many, Patel embarked on a new journey and exposed herself to a new culture. For two weeks during her study tour, Patel embraced an array of cultural activities, such as participating in traditional Korean tea ceremonies, taking Taekwon–Do classes, and learning Hangul, the Korean writing system. According to Patel, “Traveling to Asia really stood out to me. I wanted to be able to experience it for myself, and draw similarities or differences based on what I already knew about the country and its culture.” And experience it she did. Patel is an incredible example of the way that Lander University emphasizes learning outside of the classroom.

While Hangul can be added to Patel’s resume, she also gained life lessons she plans to carry with her. Her time abroad changed her worldview and allowed her to reflect on her home country’s culture with a little more appreciation. “Since coming back from the trip, I have acknowledged some parts of American culture that I have come to appreciate more,” she said. “The biggest thing is how social people are here, and how common it is to see local Americans converse with strangers.” She may have missed the South Carolina small talk, but Patel surprisingly found other pieces of her southern hospitality abroad, giving her a sense of home and reminding her that “sometimes a simple act of kindness can go a long way.” In South Korea, Patel found friendlier faces than she expected, many of which reminded her of the faces at Lander.

She also gained practical skills to take to the workforce after graduation. “This trip has forced me to be able to adjust quicker to things that don’t go how I expected,” she remarked. “I think being able to think quickly on your feet, and being calm in a high stress environment will help me adjust to any issue I run into in my career or in life.” Patel plans to put these newfound skills to good use while pursuing a career as a health services manager at a hospital. However, her ambition won’t stop there, as she plans to ultimately work as a healthcare compliance lawyer.

Palak Patel is a perfect representation of Lander University encouraging its students to go away – and, of course, to come back and share what they learn with others. “If you are traveling in the future, embrace the confusion and every challenging part that you might dread or be anxious about,” she said. “You will definitely learn more about your environment and yourself within every part of your travels.”

To learn more about Lander’s study tours and study abroad opportunities, please visit www.lander.edu/studyabroad.