Soli (Eva) Park

 

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

 

Major: International Studies

 

Languages: Korean, English

 

Hobbies: Interior decorating, reading about my favorite painters, trying foreign food

 

Biography: My name is Eva and I am studying International Studies at PSU, with a concentration on the Middle East and North African region. I was born just outside of Seoul, but grew up in Seoul my whole life. I don’t come from a big family, and I think that’s one of the reasons why I love people so much and like to keep them close.

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Initially, I came to the U.S. thinking that I wanted to be a writer. But shortly after I moved, it was clear to me that I wanted to study the world and the politics more. I was especially fascinated by the region of the Middle East, which had been an uncharted territory of mine.  And I’m very satisfied with my decision to major in International Studies. 

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I have travelled extensively over the years and I cherish every place I visited. Denmark is easily my favorite country I travelled to. I have high respect for countries that treat tourists well, and the respect and kindness the Danish people showed me were truly remarkable. Anyone who has travelled to several foreign countries will know not all countries’ local populations are very kind to tourists. 

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I was drawn to ICSP because the goal of the program reminded me of a very memorable experience I had when I was about 11. Back in Korea, our teacher had us pick our favorite foreign countries and send letters to said countries’ embassies in Korea, explaining why we like them. I sent my letter to the Dutch embassy and they were nice enough to send me the thank you letter with a pair of the Netherlands’ traditional wooden shoes in return. I remember this as clear as day since it was my first experience in culture sharing. I feel as though I had the best culture sharing experience any young students could have at that age. It was also overwhelming just how diverse my classmates’ likings were. Greece, Egypt and Turkey were very popular among the classmates and some others sent their letters to rather, more obscure countries’ embassies. With ICSP, I want to actualize my ideas and leave lasting memories for the students we visit, just like the experience I had or even better.