Last weekend, a group of interns in my program took a trip to Jeonju. We had Friday off for Constitution Day, so it was perfect for a long weekend! The weather forecast looked pretty terrible all week, with rain expected the entire weekend, but we got lucky. It stayed dry through most of Saturday before finally pouring later in the afternoon. It was still unbelievably humid, but I’ll take the humidity over getting rained on all day. Lesser of two evils.

Our first stop was Jeonju Hanok Village, where we changed into traditional hanboks for the morning. I saw that they had a navy blue hanbok and immediately picked it out for myself. Favorite color! Before walking around, we learned a few basics of traditional Korean etiquette, including how to bow, how to stand, and the proper hand placement for men and women. The girls also had their hair braided in a traditional style, which looked really nice and was super practical for the heat. After that, we walked over to a nearby temple to take pictures while we were all dressed up.

For lunch, we made our own bibimbap, which was especially fitting since Jeonju is known as the birthplace of the dish. We finished with choco pies for dessert, another Jeonju specialty that I used to have as a kid. Our afternoon was left open for exploring. We walked into a small art museum (free admission so obviously), browsed a bunch of local shops, and rented one of the little electric golf carts that you can drive around parts of the Hanok Village. I also got a caricature drawn before escaping from the heat with my first bingsu since arriving in Korea. I can’t believe it took me this long to try it.

Not long after, the rain finally showed up. It absolutely poured, so we found shelter under the covered area on a bridge facing the mountains and waited it out. We just sat there listening to the rain, one of us even taking a nap. Afterwards, we checked out the Jeonju Night Market, where I tried a mystery street food that even my Korean coworkers couldn’t identify when I asked them about it later. I also had creme brulee pancakes, which were amazing.

Before heading back to Seoul on Sunday, we stopped at a filming location in Yeonmu that has been featured in several K-dramas. It was a fun way to wrap up another weekend trip, and I’m really glad I got to see another side of South Korea before my internship comes to an end.

Communication in my workplace is a little different from what I’m used to in the United States. Conversations are more formal in general and there isn’t much small talk during the workday. Our meetings are organized, everyone takes turns speaking, and people are really respectful of each other’s time. So I’ve found communication to be very clear. My mentors explain projects well, and if I have questions, they’re always willing to answer them.

I haven’t experienced any major miscommunication while working in the lab. The biggest challenge has been translating text for some of the projects I’m helping with. Since I only know beginner-level Korean, I sometimes use translation apps to understand or draft text for my designs. While it’s a helpful starting point, the translations aren’t always natural or accurate enough for a final version. Because of that, any Korean text I add is usually meant to be a placeholder. Once I’ve finished the design, my teammates review the wording, make changes, and adjust it based on the user and the purpose of the project. That process has shown me that translating a language is only part of the job. The wording also has to make sense culturally and feel natural to the people who will actually be using the product.

Working with my team has made this process straightforward. Instead of always worrying about getting every translation perfect, I focus on creating a clear design and communicating my intention. My coworkers handle the language details and explain any changes they make, which has helped me learn along the way.

This experience has also reminded me how important collaboration is when working across cultures. Everyone brings different knowledge to a project so relying on each other’s strengths can lead to a better final product than trying to do everything on your own.