Leaving my Home Country for the First Time

By: Kennedi-Grace

Kennedi-Grace attended Greenheart’s Teen Summer Language Camp South Korea program during the summer of 2024 as a First Time Traveler Scholarship Winner.

Leaving my country for the language camp South Korea program was hard, but leaving my home was difficult. As a frequent flyer, I felt confident about my ability to navigate the booking, check-in, and airport mapping process but was still nervous of all the unknowns of traveling by myself. But as I sit three to four hours early to my flight, I realize that it’s okay to be nervous because at least I was prepared. I’m still unsure what I was anxious about exactly. Whether it was because I was leaving America for a foreign country like South Korea or because I was traveling to it by myself. Maybe it’s a bit of both, but here are some things I did to ease the anxious feelings.

Early? No, prepared.
Living in Hawaii one thing that was a little difficult was finding a flight from this small island to halfway around the world. I eventually found a flight that met the program requirements but it was from another island through a different airline that wasn’t stationed on my island. So I booked my own flight, for the first time, and I booked the earliest flight out. I landed five hours before my direct flight to South Korea and will admit it would seem early for any normal person that has flown frequently but it didn’t feel that way to me. I felt prepared. Having the time in between helped because I no longer felt like I was rushing. I felt like I had time to make a mistake. Obviously, you hope for everything to go smoothly but sometimes you have to prepare for the worst to be grateful for the best.

Two Weeks Ahead of Schedule

Here’s a couple of things I did at least two weeks before my departure:
1. I packed everything
2. I made a to-do list
3. I confirmed all my flight information
4. I looked at the airport maps for the places I was going to

As soon as the language camp South Korea program sent me the packing list I immediately checked the weather forecast and packed it according to the packing list. The packing list helped me pack smart instead of overpacking and helped ease the stress of being unprepared for the trip. Then I created my Morning-Of List this is a list that I check off before I leave the house to ensure I won’t leave anything important at home while “rushing” out the door. I did the exact opposite of rushing out the door the morning of my departure. The morning-of, I got up to my alarm, which was set 45 minutes before I planned to leave the house. Then I got ready and sat down on the kitchen table to have a cup of tea with my grandma before I left home for two weeks. Just before I left the house for the ride to the airport I did a final check through of the Morning-Of List. I felt at ease even though I was about to depart from my home to a whole new world all by myself.

Word of advice

To future first-time travelers – it’s okay to feel nervous and anxious, I would even encourage it because then you’d be able to create your own preparedness routine. Don’t worry about being too early because that gives you time to prepare yourself mentally. And one more thing, the morning of my departure I still somehow forgot to eat breakfast. No one is perfect, but you can be prepared