The past few years have been incredibly hard for me. Since I came home from Korea I’ve been dealing with vision loss. Apparently due to overuse of contacts and the preservatives in drops and solutions, both of my corneas are scarred, and I have limbal stem cell deficiency. It took a long time to come to that conclusion and even longer to find solutions. In my last days in Korea and first few months back home, my eyes were bloodshot, dry, extremely sensitive to sunlight, and painful. My left eye was hazy, like a dirty lens I couldn’t clean, while my right eye had doubled vision. It got so bad to the point where I couldn’t read near or far.
I spent months going to different doctors and trying different treatments all while unemployed and living with my parents. I couldn’t watch TV, read books, play games, or do really anything other than listen to audiobooks and podcasts. I avoided daylight like the plague. Driving was impossible. I quickly ran out of money and started to lose faith that I would ever have my vision restored.
After two years, I finally found multi-step treatments that have helped me have overall better vision. I use eyelid scrubs, drops, overnight ointments, and eye masks. Now my eyes aren’t as dry, and I’ve been able to wear soft contacts. My left eye can barely be corrected, but my right eye can see beautifully pretty often. I still get the doubling, but keeping my eyes moisturized reduces it drastically.
The doubling, which was first thought to be astigmatism, is most likely from the limbal stem cell deficiency and the scarring on my eyes. My doctor believes this can be mostly corrected with sclera lenses, large hard lenses used for smoothing out the cornea and moisturizing the eyes. The lenses may also reduce the hazy vision of my left eye. While scleras are expensive, the soft contacts have made me functional enough to get a job and save up.
Being able to see clearly again gives me my life back. Now I can plan for the future. My motivation and determination are sky high. I’ve spent most days researching, studying, and preparing myself for the next chapter of my life. My plan includes working two jobs, saving money, getting scleras, and moving back to Korea. And now I finally have a date: August 2025.
My plan is to apply for the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) and complete a master’s degree in Korea. The GKS is an incredible scholarship. It includes full tuition, a one year Korean language program, flights, and a monthly stipend. This scholarship would give me the resources I need to return to Korea, change career paths, learn the language, and live long term in the country. I plan to pursue International Studies, with my sights set on one school in particular. For the scholarship I need to pass through multiple rounds of interviews, applying through my embassy to three schools in Korea. I have to provide a personal essay and study plan to discuss why they should accept me and what my plans are with my degree. I also have to submit an application form, transcripts, my diploma, my birth certificate, a letter of recommendation, and any other certificates or supporting documents I may have. Applications open in February with multiple rounds leading into June.
I have already started planning. I have made lists and read the syllabi of courses I want to take, started looking into my potential professors and their research, watched YouTube videos of past GKS scholars, and started studying Korean more consistently. I am trying to keep up with Korean news, get familiar with the field of international studies, and put in the work to make my application perfect. Mentally I’ve already started packing, sorting through my room in my head. I have a savings goal to supplement my monthly stipend so I can focus fully on my studies. I want this bad, and I want to do it right.
The scholarship is competitive, only accepting twenty one students from the U.S. per year. Yet somehow I have never felt more confident that I can do this. I will be documenting my whole journey through the application process and continuing on once I make it to Korea. I plan to make videos on YouTube as well. Since I can’t work or make money while on the scholarship unless it is approved by the school, I will be closing my shop and not monetizing my blog, socials, or YouTube channel. However, I will do my best to keep up with content and hopefully remonetize in the future on a different visa. Having the extra income once I graduate would give me so much more security as I navigate the Korean job market.
If you are interested in the scholarship or in my journey, stick around for much more to come. Since I landed in the U.S., all I wanted was to go back to Korea. I knew that my time there was not over and that this was only temporary. Now the countdown has started. One more year.
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