never grow up.

1.wow

(wow- mamamoo)

Birds were chirping happily by my window as I rose out of my bed. It was 7 in the morning according to my little analog clock as it beeped loudly. I turned off my alarm and sauntered into the bathroom. It was my first day at the greenhouse with Yuqi for our botany internship. She was supposed to be picking me up at 8:30. I smoothed my hair back into a ponytail. Being abroad with no one who spoke my language was quite awkward. And the fact that my college sent me to Korea for an internship was something new to me.  And then I met the perky Song Yuqi at my orientation. She was very fluent in English and Korean and got along well with everyone. I wondered how she ever  decided to became friends with someone like me. It was something that often baffled me. She seemed so down-to-earth and easygoing. Then I was the very quiet and shy one because I was not used to the situation.  Adapting to living in a new country was difficult. I was not used to speaking with people in English or Korean (though I was studying it very hard). Now, I'm in a pool with little experience of swimming. 

I put on a large creme-colored top above some cute denim shorts after showering. The sun was shining through my tiny apartment that I rented recently. This internship was paying my way through living here. If I succeeded I would actually get a job there. If I lived in Korea, it would be a change from everything my family expected of me.  Their middle child doing big things. I wouldn't say that being a person who studies plants that exciting. 

There was a light knock on my apartment  door. I opened it to see that it was Yuqi with cups from Starbucks. "I know I came early. But I thought we would read up before we head out." 

I shrug. "It's fine." We sat down on my couch and began to study textbooks. Yuqi placed a hand on the page I was reading. "What?" 

"So...I know it's like our first official week in Korea or whatever." Yuqi laid her head back and held her textbook close to her chest. "But, you know Minnie? She invited me to this party because she became friends with a Korean girl named Miyeon....basically a friend of a friend." I found the way Yuqi made fast friends insane. But, then again, the foreign students were supposedly close by the time we actually disbanded from orientation. That day, I just went with Yuqi for some coffee and then retreated to continue unpacking in my apartment. I wasn't socializing with everyone-yet. "And you haven't gotten to know everyone at the internship." 

"And you want me to go?"

Yuqi flashed a wild grin. "Of course." She crossed her legs atop my coffee table. "But, not all the kids from the internship are going. Minnie just had the connects." She began tapping her fingers rhythmically on her textbook. "It's sort of exclusive." 

It's my first week in Korea and I'm already going to some VIP Party? "You're kidding?" She shook her head. I didn't even think twice. This could be the chance that I can make friends outside my comfort zone. Plus, I haven't actually been to a party before. I was used to casual outings like the movies or an arcade. But a party? No. 

When we decided to wrap up the reading, we went to the lab that was down the street from the foreign student's apartment complex. Yuqi formally introduced me to Minnie. Minnie seemed very friendly and sweet. Her voice was very light and airy when she spoke. But, when we were matched to a certain set of plants, she became very animated. Yuqi shot me a grin before she went to examine some of the plants. I learned that Minnie was from Thailand and that she was a huge fan of Super Junior. Yuqi misheard and jumped into the conversation with us. 

When I entered this career choice, I had no intention of truly enjoying it. It was more of something to get by. Something I could do to get closer to nature. But, I began to fall in love with my major and then scored an internship abroad. I had the grades to cut it. I even poured endless research into what I had to do.

The day kinda crawled on by until it was the end. The instructor had thanked us all for coming out. He wished us all a good time here. Yuqi grabbed my hand. "Let's go shopping before we go to the party." 

"What's wrong with what we're wearing?" I ask. 

"It's not flashy enough for where we're going," Minnie said. "Miyeon said we should wear something not too fancy but not too casual either." 

And then into the whirlwind of going to our first Korean shopping district. It was fast paced and very organized. Customers would be leaving to and fro with bags from high end retailers. Yuqi inspected which store we should go through by the window. "So...have you guys thought about what kind of boys will be at the party?" 

I blush at the sound of the word "boys". I didn't really like them like that, however, it was a good question. What kind of girls would be at the party? Since I'm in a new country, I really want to scope out the dating scene here. I heard that blind dates are very popular here. I wonder if there are any girls that also like girls around. "Um...I don't know." I walk into a store that had a dress in the window. It was a cute red top accompanied with a black skirt. I decided to pick that for the party. 

As soon as the girls and I finally got done shopping, Miyeon had came to Minnie's apartment with make-up cases. She was a slender person and she seemed like a model or one of those famous actresses. I couldn't take my eyes off of her when she came in. "Hello." She said in Korean. 

I fumbled with my words a little before greeting her back as she sets herself up. 

"Our Shuhua has never been to a party," Yuqi says aloud. 

I sink low in embarrassment as the girls gasp. "Was it boring where you're from?" Minnie asked. 

"No," I say. "I just never get around to parties." I cross my legs in a pretzel as I apply moisturizer onto my face. "I'm what people say...a good girl." 

"Good girl?" Miyeon  lifted my face with her chin. "I guess we have to break the good girl out of her shell." 

"I was never in a shell," I say. "Just never saw a point in doing anything wild." 

"Parties aren't wild unless you make them wild," Miyeon says as she applies makeup to my face. "It's like life. They're what you make of them." I close my eyes and I tried to imagine what a party would look like. Would it be the way dramas portray them? Would a fight break out?  Would there be alcohol? Would there be people dancing seductively? 

Miyeon grinned at me. "Done." She showed me my face in the mirror and I could hardly recognize myself. Who was this person? She had flare. I touched my face. 

"Hey! Don't touch! It's already going to be a hot and sticky night in the club!" Miyeon yelled. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail. I looked up at the girls I would be hanging out with tonight. Well-established women about to blossom in our careers in one of the most prestigious paid internships in Asia. I was surprised to even had become friends with them. I must be lucky.