Xia’s Headed to South Korea!

There were TEARS. Happy tears. Nervous tears. Lots and lots of tears babes! Honestly, I didn’t expect to be so emotional at our airport drop off but as soon as I saw Xia’s eyes well up I lost it too. In case you missed it, Xia will be studying abroad in Seoul, South Korea for the next four months and this mommy could not be more proud. Xia is currently a junior at LMU and I’ve watched her work her butt off to earn her spot- I’m talking straight A student while interning at her dream job. I couldn’t be happier to watch her thrive and pursue her passions. As a single mom, I’ve worked twice as hard to give my girls every opportunity. To see all the sacrifice and hard work pay off with being able to bring this moment to life is so fulfilling. In honor of this momentous occasion, we asked Xia to write a monthly blog to keep us updated on her travel adventures. To kick things off, she’s sharing her first blog below as she prepared for her big trip. 

Guest Blog x Xia

So I’m leaving for South Korea tomorrow which still doesn’t feel real, but in about 24 hours it will definitely start to sink in. I’m going to Korea for 4 months to study abroad as a requirement for my degree. I have always loved traveling and have always wanted to study abroad which is why I chose to pursue an International Relations degree. As part of my degree, my institution requires IR majors to gain world experience with at least one international semester abroad. Initially I was planning to study in Japan, which had been my dream ever since I did a school trip back in 2018. Unfortunately, my plans to study in Japan fell through last year due to Japan’s COVID-19 restrictions. I felt it was too risky to try Japan again so I switched to Korea. It actually worked out for the best because it allowed me to go somewhere new and I have always wanted to visit Korea, so why not now? In less than 24 hours, I will begin my journey to Korea, and start this next chapter of my life! 

In preparation for my trip I have been accumulating a lot of necessities, from makeup to medications to winter clothing, which has been very good for my peace of mind, but very bad for my bank account lol. You might be wondering, if I’m going to the “Skincare Capitol of the world” then why not just buy products there? While I definitely plan to buy some products while I’m there, I also have some products that I know work for me and that I can’t live without. Fortunately, my mom is an influencer (wink) and has the ultimate hook up. TTL was able to connect with a few of my favorite brands to request some of my holy grail products. I would like to say THANK YOU to all these brands for doing so. I appreciate their generosity and I’m so grateful to have a piece of home with me while I’m gone. With this in mind, here is a list of products I requested from the brands:

Beauty Products I’m Packing for South Korea

Thanks for all the well wishes. I can’t wait to share all of my South Korean adventures with you!