Justin Bieber, Charades & AK-47s: How UCLA Student Chris Jeon Spent His Libyan Summer

After a month of Libyan revolution life, UCLA math major Chris Jeon has returned home. Gripping videos and stories are not the only items Jeon brought back to the States. He also carries a new found respect for the cost of freedom.

Although Jeon, who made the 7,000-mile trek to witness first-hand "one of the only real revolutions" in the world, he spoke no Arabic. “For the first week, it was all charades,” said Jeon, reports CBS LA. “I became so good at charades,” he said. Scrambling to identify a common ground with the Libyans, Jeon soon discovered that his conversation-starter would center around the young, the coveted, The Biebs. “Their taste in music was interesting,” he said. "They're in love with Justin Bieber, and when they said that I was like, 'Oh are you serious?'" They were.

But the rebels were slightly more serious about fighting against Libya's overthrown leader Moammar Gadhafi. Bonding with Lakers jersey-clad Jeon, the rebels allowed their brave addition to bunk in their barracks and taught him how to fire an AK-47, reports CBS. Jeon captured footage of the battle of Nofaliya, immortalizing, per CBS, "an amazing first person account of history."

Whether or not Jeon already assumed a nickname, he was given one while abroad - Braveheart.

"The first day there,' Jeon continued, "was actually a desert skirmish. Artillery would hit the ground, and they would come up to me and feel my heartbeat to see if I was scared. And of course, it was pounding; they would laugh at me, but I didn't run away. They called me 'Braveheart,' and I think after that, they realized that I was there seriously, and I wouldn't back down or anything; they actually took me into the barracks after the first day and I slept with them."

CBS asked Jeon to explain his assimilation back into L.A., to which he replied, "It's surreal. It's like a dream. Even though I'm back in Los Angeles, I'm still very much in Libya." His inspiration from his experiences in Libya beckon his return, but he has refrained from planning round two just yet.

"Living with these guys, hearing the stories that they told me ... they've gone through so much suffering and yet, they were able to wake up every day in the morning, and fight for this cause they so believed in. You know, for them, there was no price too high for their own freedom, and their children's freedom. And that was so inspiring to me."