What should I do?
I was born and raised in Mongolia in a small family. My father was not around; I was raised by my mother, grandmother, and grandfather. I have a younger sister, but her father also left the family.
At school, I didn’t study very well. I often got C’s and was never the top student. After finishing 12th grade, I began thinking about my future. My mother suggested I try going to study in South Korea, because my cousin lived there.
To be honest, the culture of Korea was unfamiliar to me back then. I didn’t really like the country that much. But I understood that in Mongolia it was hard to live and grow, so I decided to take a risk and try to start a new life. In 2026, I went to study in Korea.
The first day was strange and difficult. My cousin met me at the airport and took me to the college in Hongseong. Then there was an apartment, a roommate, and a completely new life. Before enrolling, I had to take language courses, but I had barely studied Korean before. I thought, “I’ll learn it once I get there.” But it turned out to be much harder than I expected.
I failed my first exam and had to repeat the course. The second time was also difficult. I got 68 on one exam, and on the other I missed only a few points. At that time, I needed money for food and rent, so I started working at construction sites. It was brutal. I barely understood the language, people yelled at me, and sometimes treated me harshly.
But time passed. I’m still taking language courses. Recently, I managed to get 82 points on one test. For some people that might not mean much, but for me it felt like proof that I’m still moving forward.
Still, life is very hard right now. I barely have money, and I still need to pay for one more semester. I entered the second language level, and honestly it’s even harder. Sometimes I want to give up and go back home to Mongolia. But staying is hard, and going back feels just as hard.
I feel like too much money has already been spent on my education and life here. Sometimes I think this dream has also become a burden for my family. That’s one reason I’m afraid to go back. I’m afraid my relatives will judge me or think that I failed.
The person who keeps me going the most is probably my mother. She works as a kindergarten teacher and always supports me. I’m scared of disappointing her and everyone who still believes in me.
I still don’t know if I’ll make it. But for now, I’m still here. And I haven’t completely given up yet.