VALDOSTA — A Valdostan was one of only 36 students in the U.S.  -- and the only one from Georgia -- to win scholarships for a three-week trip to Seoul, Korea, where they studied the language and immersed themselves in the culture. 

Crista Wells, a ninth grade student from Highland Christian Academy, won the trip through her essay about why it is important to learn the Korean language. The competition was sponsored by the Korean Language and Culture Center in Los Angeles, with half of the scholarship recipients coming from L.A.

"I was really shocked," Crista said of her selection. "I was really proud to represent the state and school and our teacher (Mrs. Young Ran Song) who works with us really hard."

Crista took the course in Korean taught by Mrs. Song at Highland this past school year and will take another one when the school opens for the fall on Aug. 8. Highland is the only school in South Georgia which offers courses in Korean for credit, said Crista's mom, Connie Wells, who teaches art history, digital photography, and journalism classes at Highland.

Connie and husband Dan Wells dropped off their 14-year-old daughter at the international airport July 2 at Hartsfield in Atlanta for the 14 1/2 hour trip to the Incheon Airport in Seoul. It was another two-hour ride to the Kyunghee University in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, where they stayed in the dorms. In the group were other students who had paid for the three-week study, for a total of 86 students.

Their time abroad was spent learning about the Korean culture through Taekwondo lessons, native Korean dance studies and Korean language classes. They visited the National Museum of Korea, The War Memorial of Korea, Independence Hall, Kyongbok Palace, Buseoksa Temple and many other sites outside of the city of Seoul.

"I loved it all," Crista said when asked her favorite part of the trip. "I liked getting to know another culture. They really embrace the museums ..."

Both the modern and traditional South Korea are seen there.

"Technology is growing fast," she said, noting South Korea's position as one of the technology leaders in the world.

The students also visited a South Korean version of Georgia's Agrirama showing a traditional village and lifestyle of years ago. Some of the Korean students joined them there as they stayed overnight in the village.

Before she came home, Katie saw Lotte World in Seoul, an amusement park which offers shopping and ice skating on the first level, more kiddie rides on the second and third levels, outside roller coasters and water rides on the fourth, a bookstore "four or five times larger than Books-A-Million."

They also saw a seven-story shopping mall, which offered a grocery store on the first floor, clothes on the second, shoes on the third, sports on the fourth, electronics on the fifth, musical instruments on the sixth and a parking garage on the seventh.

"It's so developed over there," she said. "Wal-mart was a big step for America to get everything in one store, but it's normal in South Korea."

Language isn't a problem for visiting Americans.

"You can get by knowing almost no Korean there because it is very heavily influenced by America," she said. "Most of the Korean students are in awe of America and want to visit here."

Crista said South Korea was both a lot "cleaner" and "safer" than America with "less crime."

Mom Connie Wells said Crista's sister, Katie Wells, "with her drive and determination to open herself to other cultures and languages," provided a great example for her younger sibling.

Perhaps the trip overseas by herself wasn't frightening for the young Valdostan because she had been to Japan in 2009 when Katie was studying abroad there through Valdosta State University. Katie graduated with an international business degree, has landed a job in Tokyo and will be leaving in September.

When Crista came home July 21 excited about South Korea, her dad said not to love it too much because he couldn't stand to have both his daughters across the world. His daughters teased and promised to move back when they had grandchildren for him.