Flight cancellations, travel restrictions, and shutdowns due to the COVID19 pandemic hindered the 8th batch students from starting their studies at the Dream Together Master program in Seoul on time. Here is a story of two students (Andres Guzman and Jose Ramirez) from Colombia, where one of the world’s longest lockdowns of six months was enforced, and their near-impossible journey to Korea.
Jose and I are passionate for sport. We did not know each other before the DTM program, but due to the capacity of sport to connect people, we became friends. Our vision to study sport management allowed us to join our efforts to come to Korea during a pandemic that practically locked us out from the rest of the world. At the end, this is what the program is all about, dreaming together.
Just a few months after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Colombia, we got confirmation of our acceptance into DTM master program. By that time, we were unsure about the possibility of us traveling to Seoul. Lockdowns started all over the country, airports closed, and flights cancelled. Mobility restrictions between cities were also implemented, and carrier services among other basic services were banned. Uncertainty about our trip raised as time went by.
After the acceptance letter, the arduous task for the issuance of our visas and finding out how to get to Korea started. Thanks to our friend Mauricio Hernandez (5th batch DTM alumnus from Colombia) who also introduce us to each other, we started working together on our plan. The embassies were closed until further notice, and we were running out of time. Yet, after multiple calls, emails and help from the Korean Embassy, we managed to get our visas on time. Jose’s family in Bogota, Colombia, helped us to submit the documents since we were not able to do it by ourselves due to various restrictions.
While the visa process continued, we were trying to figure out a way to travel more than 14,000 km that separated us from our destination, Seoul. On a regular basis, a flight with 2 connections with a total of 22 flying hours would have been enough. However, in pandemic times, we knew that the challenge would be greater. After some research, we got a spot for us in a humanitarian flight from Medellin, Colombia, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, which allowed us to take a connecting flights to Korea. Cali, my home city in Colombia, closed its airport, so we knew it would be a little harder for me to catch that flight.
Therefore, we decided that I would take a 12-hour bus ride from Cali to Medellin, and the next day we would meet each other in person for the first time at the airport to take the flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to take the connecting flight to New York City, USA. Then, we would spend the night at a hotel close to the airport, and the next day we would finally catch a 16-hour direct flight to Seoul.
We were apprehensive that something would prevent us from arriving in Korea, but the in the end, we arrived. The whole trip took a total of 4 days of traveling, and when we safely arrived in Incheon International Airport, we were greeted by a mandatory 15-day self-quarantine at Seoul National University and two negative PCR COVID-19 tests.
The quarantine period provided a much needed time of rest, but we were excited to meet our cohorts and actually be in Seoul.
Gratefully, we found a warm welcoming from the 7th batch DTM students who made us feel at home under a supportive environment. We also met our 8th batch classmates who became more than friends as we were new members of the DTM family with the start of this amazing 17-month journey in Seoul, Korea.
We would like to thank the DTM office team, mentors, and supporters.
(contribution by Andres Guzman and Jose Ramirez)
