Author: Yehyun Lee, Email: leey93@unlv.nevada.edu
Date Last Modified: 04/13/2025

Looking back, this week was filled with moments spent with many of the people I’ve gotten to know here in the U.S. One thing that made me a bit sad after coming here was how many connections felt one-time or temporary. But lately, I’ve started to feel a real bond growing with some of the friends I see more often. At first, our conversations were just simple small talk, but now we’re starting to ask each other deeper questions and have more meaningful conversations. It really feels like these friendships are becoming something more. It’s a bit bittersweet though—just as we’re getting closer, I’m reminded that I only have about a month left here. I want to make the most of the time I have left and create as many good memories as I can with them.

On Thursday, I went bowling with my ABP (American Buddy Program) friends, along with other buddy teams. That’s where I met a new person named Jose. He was pretty quiet at first, so it was hard to talk to him, but once we started bowling, he slowly opened up. I hadn’t bowled in a while and thought I’d be terrible, but surprisingly, I got a few strikes. Jose gave me high-fives and cheered me on, which helped break the ice. By the end of the game, we exchanged a few words and he complimented my bowling. It reminded me how sports can be a great way to connect with new people.

This week, I was invited to a house party at my friend Ayden’s place. In Korea, most people live in high-rise apartments with limited space, so it’s hard to imagine throwing a party at home. But here in the U.S., especially with single-story houses being more common, it seems like house parties are a pretty normal thing. At first, it felt a bit unfamiliar to be drinking and playing loud music at someone’s house, but I ended up meeting not just Ayden’s friends, but also their friends too. It was interesting to see how a house party can lead to so many new connections.

I used to think that physical distance didn’t really affect me, but I realized this week that it actually does. There’s a saying in Korea that “when the body grows distant, so does the heart,” and I always thought that just depended on how much effort you put into staying connected. So I assumed I’d still feel really close to my family and friends in Korea even while I was here. But as time goes on, I’ve found myself talking to them less often, and when we do talk, it feels a little harder to connect like before. I think it’s partly because we’re all busy and don’t have much time to catch up, but still, it surprised me to see how much distance really does play a role.

This week, I put together a tutorial on the quadcopter simulation I’ve been working on using MATLAB and uploaded it to the DASL wiki. It was a good chance to look back on everything I’ve done so far and think about what parts were tricky or didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped. Going through it all again helped me see how much I’ve actually learned, and it also made me more aware of how to explain things in a clearer way for others.