This week, my coworkers invited me to my first Korean baseball game, and it ended up being one of my favorite experiences so far! We watched the Doosan Bears play the SSG Landers, and while I expected the game to be similar to baseball back home, it felt completely different. Sorry Pirates.
From the first inning, the entire stadium was singing organized chants for every player. There were cheerleaders doing Kpop dances, coordinated songs that everyone seemed to know, and a lot of energy throughout the game. Even when nothing was happening on the field, the fans were still cheering. It honestly felt more like a concert than a baseball game.
One thing that really surprised me was that you can order food for delivery directly to your seat. Instead of waiting in concession lines, people were having fried chicken, drinks, and snacks brought right to them during the game. I thought that was such a fun idea and something I wish we had in the US.
More than anything, I appreciated getting to spend time with my coworkers outside of the office. It was nice to get to know them in a more relaxed setting, and it reminded me that building relationships is just as important as the work itself.
On Saturday, our group visited the DMZ (demilitarized zone), and it was a really interesting, kinda eerie, trip. Our first stop was the Third Infiltration Tunnel, one of several tunnels secretly dug by North Korea. The way down into the tunnel was a long and steep walk that definitely counted as leg day. We also visited the old train station and Freedom Bridge, where we learned more about families that were separated during the Korean War.
One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Dora Observatory, where we were able to look across the border into North Korea. It was weird seeing such an isolated country only a few kilometers away, including fake villages, a jamming tower, and the city Gaeseong. Before leaving, I bought a North Korean banknote as a souvenir for my dad, who has a small collection of foreign currency. Not to toot my own horn but I think that’s a pretty good gift. Visiting the DMZ gave me a much better understanding of the history between North and South Korea and the tension they still have today.
One of the biggest things I’ve gained during my time in South Korea has been confidence in myself. Since starting my internship, I’ve become much more comfortable speaking up, asking questions, and sharing my ideas. Every Friday, the interns give presentations on what we’ve been working on throughout the week. At first, presenting to a room full of researchers was a little intimidating, but it’s quickly become part of my routine. Explaining my work and answering questions has made me much more confident in my communication skills. I’ve also gotten better at putting myself out there. Whether it’s asking for clarification on a project, suggesting a new design idea, or joining conversations with coworkers, I’ve learned that people are always willing to help if I ask. That’s something I’ll definitely carry with me into my future career.
On the technical side, I’ve continued building my UI/UX design skills while also learning new technical skills that I hadn’t used much before. One of the biggest has been HTML. Several of my projects have involved editing webpages and making design changes directly in code, which has given me much more confidence working with front-end development. It’s been great to see my designs go from an idea to something people can actually interact with.
Go Bears! (Temporary fan)
