I spent the summer of 2019 for two months in Korea with great experiences. I had an opportunity to attend a public school in Korea, and was also able to experience what it is to be a student in Korea. During the evenings, I participated in regional a Artistic swimming (synchronized swimming) team in Busan, which was a great deal for me,

as I had always done Artistic swimming(synchronized swimming) since I was a child.
Both of these experiences have left me great memories that I will hold onto.

While swimming in the team, I was given the opportunity to be part of the 2019 Gala show in Korea. This meant that I participated in the first Gala show held in Gwangju, Korea!

The Gala show was an ending show after all the competitions of different Artistic swimming(synchronized swimming) teams from all over the world. Though I was in this team for a short amount of time, I was able to be part of this honorable experience, and my family was very excited as well. To prepare and practice for the show, the training was definitely rigorous.

It required daily practices for weeks from morning until late at night, it was very exhausting at some moments too. However on the day of the show, all the participants were allowed to watch the Artistic swimming ( synchronized swimming )competitions, and it got everyone very excited. I was also very nervous, and I’ m pretty sure everyone else was too.

I kept practicing my routine in my head because once I mess up, then the whole team
could look messed up, since we are all supposed to be synchronized. Though my part
was very small, it played a very crucial role to make the whole routine complete. With a grand entrance of the team, we ended the show with a fantastic performance. Everyone put all their efforts into it, and no mistake was shown. After the Gala show, I had mixed feelings. I was relieved at the fact that it had ended, but also sad that I couldn’ t be part of it again.

The rigorous training, great friendships I made, and the exciting feelings of the Gala
show will be in my heart as I think about my trip to Korea in 2019, and I’ m hoping that I can participate again when the opportunity comes.

<Roanne Jubee Lee / Science Academy STEM Megnet 7th>