Lessons from South Korea

Being in a military family can have its ups and downs. Moving to other countries, meeting new people and eating new foods are common to families in the military. Charles Maxwell, 21, senior business major from Rochester, N.Y., has stories to tell about his family's experience in South Korea.
"Moving to South Korea when I was 8 was a big change for me," he said.
"My father was in the Navy for 25 years. Before moving to South Korea I was living in California," Maxwell said. "It was a culture shock moving from the American lifestyle to the Korean lifestyle".
It took time to adjust to the way the Koreans lived, according to Maxwell. "It's a much more traditional and oriented culture then the American culture."
"Intergrading yourself into a different culture is very hard, there's so many things you don't understand right away," he said. "The most difficult part is the language."
Maxwell saw firsthand people suffering constantly throughout their lives. "But they never stopped fighting for what they were doing," Maxwell said. It was something that would stay with him forever.
He remembers seeing a Korean War veteran who lived under a table in the middle of the street. "He had lost both legs and part of his left hand, but he would make origami figurines from paper he found off the street. He sold them for whatever he could get for them, just so he could get something to eat," Maxwell said.
Seeing this one man suffering like changed how Maxwell viewed life. He said, "It doesn't matter how bad I have it, it always could be worse."
"Ever since I lived in Korea I've adopted a life lesson, always thinking on the positive side of things and seeing the good in something," Maxwell said. "If you can't live your life stress free and happy, you will never be happy."
Maxwell's three and a half year stay in Korea was very memorable to him. "It's a different feeling being in a country like Korea, where they fear everyday that North Korea could invade them," Maxwell said. "You defiantly grow up fast when you're living in a country that has to deal with that everyday."