From a Brave Goodbye to a Bold Beginning: How a Teen’s Journey to Korea Sparked a Life of Language, Culture, and Global Impact
My Story - as told by my mother
“Mum!” My daughter burst through the front door, eyes wide with excitement. “School is offering a year long exchange to South Korea!”
I froze. My fourteen year old, Krystal, had always dreamt big, but this was different. This was bold. And in that instant, even as doubts buzzed in my head and family concerns loomed, I knew she was getting on that plane.
Krystal had always been fiercely independent, a reflection of the belief I instilled in both my daughters. There was no dream too big, and no goal too far. We were a low-income family that prioritized private education over luxuries, so financial limitations were nothing new to Krystal. Still, when my husband left for the travel agency, shaking his head, I knew it wasn't resistance. It was resignation. We understood our daughter. We knew she would never forgive herself or us if she missed this.
Her passion for language and culture had started young. At ten, she was already mapping out her path to a life of global travel as she worked tirelessly delivering newspapers to self-fund a school trip to Japan at age 13. It was there, surrounded by unfamiliar customs and foreign sounds, that the travel bug bit her hard.
So, when the opportunity for a full-year exchange to Korea arose, Krystal didn’t hesitate even when we discovered she'd be traveling alone, not speaking a word of Korean. “Don’t worry, Mum,” she reassured me. “I’ll be fine.”
As we checked in at the airport, a concerned airline assistant repeated, “Oh dear! This is big, honey.” She wasn’t wrong. But Krystal, full of grit and gratitude, smiled through it all. “Look after Mum,” she said to her dad as the staff escorting her downstairs, and then she was gone.
A Seed Planted by Kindness
Daily MSN chats soon filled our lives, peppered with teen-speak and wide-eyed wonder. It wasn’t just the neon lights of Seoul or the flavour of kimchi that moved her, it was a story.
The school Krystal attended had been founded by a Korean War orphan. Rescued by an American soldier, he grew up in the U.S. and returned to Korea to establish a school built on gratitude and purpose. A monument stood on its grounds, honouring all 21 nations that aided Korea during the war.
Krystal was the first student from one of those countries to walk through its gates.
She lived with host families, rode the Seoul subway with millions, and attended school camps as far as Jeju Island. When she was invited to stay another year, she hesitated. But another dream called her home: to finish her education and return to Korea on her own terms.
From Student to Specialist
Back in Australia, Krystal set her sights on Korean language and culture with laser focus. She enrolled at Griffith University, majoring in Korean as a foreign language. In 2008, she returned to Korea. This time as a university exchange student at KyungHee University where she completed an intensive language program. While others opted for English-taught lectures, Krystal dove headfirst into advanced Korean and even added Japanese and translation to her course load.
Post-graduation, her thirst for mastery continued. She pursued an honors degree in Korean linguistics at the University of Queensland. There was no formal program at the time, so the university built one around her. She translated academic literature, dissected Korean grammar, and began to feel she truly owned the language.
By 2009, Krystal was already doing paid translation work, localizing government educational materials, interpreting for heritage camps, and bridging cultural gaps that others didn’t even know existed.
In 2014, she completed her Master’s in Korean linguistics. A government scholarship had taken her once again to Korea, this time to study alongside native speakers and future educators. She wasn't just learning Korean, she was living it.
Full Circle: Giving Back Through Language
Today, Krystal is a seasoned translator, interpreter, and educator. But perhaps her most exciting project yet is The Workbook: An English Learning App, a self-paced digital learning platform designed to empower non-native speakers with the real-world English skills they need to thrive.
What began as a personal journey of cultural discovery has evolved into a mission to give back particularly to the Korean community that played such a pivotal role in shaping Krystal’s life. She’s paying forward the kindness that once changed her life, using language as a tool for inclusion, transformation, and shared understanding, united by a desire to grow, communicate, and thrive in an increasingly globalized world.
The Workbook offers tiered courses, real-life tasks, and optional teacher feedback. From beginners to advanced speakers, learners engage with content designed to reflect real situations, making English more accessible, useful, and empowering. With The Workbook, Krystal isn’t just building a business. She’s building bridges between cultures, between people, between dreams and realities.
And it all started with a door slamming shut behind a teenager, eyes wide and heart open.
A Legacy of Language and Compassion
Krystal’s journey is more than a success story—it’s a tribute to how empathy, curiosity, and courage can shape a life. “Founder Kim was offered the help of a stranger all those years ago,” Krystal once told me. “And in return, he offered help to young strangers like me. His kindness redirected my life’s purpose.”
Now, Krystal is doing the same. One student, one app, one conversation at a time.