A New Start on Life. My adventures in Korea. Cherry( 巧茹 ) Hung National Taiwan University

Transcription

1 A New Start on Life My adventures in Korea Study Abroad at Seoul National University from Sep, 2011 to June, 2012 Cherry( 巧茹 ) Hung National Taiwan University

2 My Wonderful Two Semesters in Seoul National University Cherry Hung This is a story about my many different experiences during my time at Seoul National University. It was my second time studying abroad but compared to my first exchange in US, the life in Korea is unequalled. This is because the friends I met at SNU are more diverse. I therefore got more opportunitiess to understand different cultures from each friend and also got to know the mentality of the people growing up in these cultures. Understanding the differences among them is not only a great pleasure but also an unique inspiration for life. I could not image how much experience I would have missed if I did not choose to go to Korea. I met so many talented students and professors. They are very dedicated as well! I have learned a lot from them throughout the past year. More than that, I am proud of myself becoming more mature in understanding Koreans special mentality and culture. At first glance you may think that Asians have the same culture. After all, it is hard to make the difference since we all share the same appearance and often similar historic background. So it is quite natural to think we are quite alike but the truth is we are all quite different. Let me share with you what I have discovered during my stay in Korea. I also believe you want to know what I have learned, right? This is why I am sharing one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life with all of you who might desire to be an exchange student now or in the near future. Please read the following sections I wrote so that you can get a better feel for what it might be like.

3 Why be an exchange student again? I had no hesitation to go abroad one more time when I was applying to be an exchange student again. Why? During my stay in the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2009, I had thought it would be a both meaningful and interesting experience. I could really reflect upon it after I came back from the US. Now I can say with sincerity that it really was! I had so much fun in Madison. For example, I learned how to walk on slippery icy roads, how to ice-fish (the lake on campus froze over and was beautiful), and even went played a drinking game called beer-pong with a group of friends. Thus, I decided to explore a new country again. But this time I really wanted to stay in a country for an entire year instead of a semester. Last but not least, I thought it would be great to learn another language as well, so I could become more competitive in the job market. Why Korea? I was first reluctant to go to Korea instead of Europe. I thought I could see more countries during my exchange like everyone does if I decided to go to Europe but the choice to go to Seoul National University was a very tempting opportunity for me as well. Korea is closer to home. I could see my friends and family anytime I wanted. It is also a very competitive and international country, and it shares many characteristics in many industries with Taiwan. There is no doubt that this country s economy has dramatically improved in the past ten years. As a student and a future engineer, I want to make a difference in our Taiwanese firms by understanding their mentality and culture in order to make different strategies to promote our business under this kind of competition. Hence Taiwan may become a better country. Not too long ago Korea became one of ten largest trade countries in the world. I knew we can learn something about it. So being a student at SNU will benefit more not only on academic studies but also could find out their methods of success. This made going to Korea a good match for my goals.

4 Was there a language barrier? I could not speak any Korean when I first arrived in Korea. It was very challenging to commute with local people and taxi drivers without knowing any Korean. For example, I had a serious problem asking for directions to find a supermarket around us. The supermarket was just one minute away from where I was located. However, this kind of situation got better once I improved my Korean. How I started the first semester? Activities I was involved in during September: - Intensive Korean Course has stated (20 hours classes per week) - Joining Swimming club (Meet up with them every Saturday) - Joining Salsa club (Meet up with them twice a week) - Two engineering courses - Explored the new city with various international friends - Went out with many Koreans I met in other countries - Went to Busan City for a holiday - Met many officers from oversea in one of my classes - Went to Namsangol Hanok Village - Joined Mannam Volunteer Association What I have accomplished in October? - Language course ( 20 hours per week) - Visited Namisun Island - Joined International Fireworks - Took part in a Halloween Party Festival in Seoul - Regular courses ( 6 hours per week) - Joined International Food Festival on - Tried Bungee Jumping twice campus - Had dinner with Koreans met in - Hiked the Gwanak Mountain Taiwan Two weeks from now I will officially finish my ten weeks intensive Korean language course. I had been very busy but still enjoyed my time in October. Learning a new language like Korean is not that easy but fun! I finally could use what I have been learning in class by talking with locals.

5 What about cultural differences? When you don t really understand the culture, you may think we are quite alike. In the way we have same ski color, hair color, and also we share a similar historical background. But once you understand them more, it is not too hard to find out we are actually very different. Let me share with you what I have discovered during my stay in Korea - First of all Koreans are very concerned about the age. Being asked how old I am every time meeting new Korean friend is not a strange question for me anymore. Knowing the age is a way to help them understand how to talk to each other especially when both of them speak Korean. Their language shows their social culture, a rigid social hierarchy. It is so easy to guess who the oldest person among Koreans is during their conversation. - You can also find out who is the youngest and oldest among a group of Koreans just by looking at their acting when they are drinking. Youngers always need to bow to older people to show their respect. They also cannot drink directly in front of the people who are older than them because they need to turn their back to drink in order to show the politeness. - Never pour alcohol into your own glass. You friends will always do that for you. If you do, you may have bad luck soon. - Blind date is so popular in Korea even for students. Going out for a dinner and have a drink afterward with a girl/guy individually is very common even if they do not know each other at all. Friends introduce their friends to a single opposite gender is a very good way for Koreans to find their future girlfriend/boyfriend. Guys usually need to buy dinner for girls and girls buy drinks after dinner. The most important thing for guys is to never take a Korean girl to a Korean restaurant. Girls won t date them if they do this. - Most Koreans do not like to eat fruits and fresh vegetable but kimchi. They eat kimchi in each meal as a side dish. I love their free side dishes, which I happen to enjoy the most.

6 How were classes? I have gotten 18 credits excluding a three months intensive Korean course. To get a good grade in Korea is not hard compare to our university. I enjoyed most of my classes. I especially loved and enjoyed my classes in the second semester. I went to four departments to take four different classes. It was very nice to meet and understand the difference among students from different background. The coolest class I ever had was the ski class during the winter section. I stayed in a ski resort for six days with300 students from SNU only learning to ski. I am happy I took this course because there is no way to learn skiing in Taiwan. What about the housing situation? They had three types of housing to choose from. One was a school dormitory, one was a suite and the other one was an apartment. If you choose an apartment, they have one bedroom, two bedroom, or three bedroom apartments from which to choose. You need to find someone to live with you or you can find someone to sublease a room, but most of them do not have furniture. If you choose a suite, the room mostly are very tiny but more experience. The rent included everything. You will absolutely have your own person space but you won t be able to meet your neighbors most of time. If you live in a dorm you can meet many students there; moreover, it is located on SNU campus. Therefore, I chose to live in a dorm in which furniture was included and the rent was the cheapest. The rent for the dorm included everything, such as heat, water, electric, internet, and so on. There is also a large share space like kitchen and study room for everyone in the dorm house to enjoy. I was happy to live there during my stay. I lived with a girl from Ghana for a semester and a girl from Korea for another semester. I love staying with students from different background, so I can get to know their culture such as understanding the food and dress they like. It was a very interesting experience to see my Ghana friend cooked all the time and got the chance to taste it. I was lucky to live in a new dorm and only shared a room with one girl at a time.

7 What did I miss from home? I almost did not feel home sick at all. I had visitors from home every month. Many thanks to them came visited me in Korea. As for food, the food I missed the most was our bubble milk tea and some vegetables. It was not too hard to find the bubble milk tea in Korea but the price was six times more expensive. So I preferred not to buy it every time I wanted it. I also missed various Taiwanese vegetables a lot because it was hard to find most of Taiwanese grown vegetables in Korea and it was also hard to have fresh fried vegetable as a dish in school s dining room. Other than that, Asian food is not too diverse, I love Korean food and I like food which is spicy. So I had no problems eating in any of the restaurants unlike many of my African friends. Where else was I able to go? I managed to travel a lot throughout the year. It was hard to be bored seeing the same places in all four seasons. The changing of the seasons makes the colors of the trees change so the view is very diverse. I went to the same places multiple times to see the different scenery. I always felt satisfied visiting the same places in different seasons. I have visited most of popular tourist spots in Korea. Korea has much a longer history than Taiwan and was very formidable and prestigious 1500 years ago. It was very amazing to see many of the exquisite gold relics from the era when I visited the museum. I love traveling in Korea. My travel tips are given here: - Free shuttle buses are available for foreigners to visit two of most of the popular places in Korea from Seoul every day besides Monday. - The Taiwanese international driver license can be used in Korea but only in JeJuDo. - There are ferries that go to Japan from Busan. If you are a college student you get a great discount. - Hotels and motels in Korea are very easy to come by, once you see one there are sure to be more around the corner. - Korea is a very safe place. Hitchhiking is a good way to explore the countryside. It s also a great way to meet local people who may surprise you with their hospitality.

8 What advice can I give to other students? If you re not confident speaking English, trust yourself and work hard, be the first one to ask questions in class. When I first studied abroad, the language barrier came up every time I tried to raise my hand to express my point in the class. I feared they may not understand what I tried to say and feared their on-looking eyes of doubt. It made me very nervous. However, after a friend told me he believed the professors really want all the students to understand and contribute their opinions to the class. This is just like us wanting to know what the foreigners are saying and thinking when they use Chinese in Taiwan. I really connected with this point and recovered my confidence. Then I started to raise my hand and say whatever it was I wanted to say. Do not be afraid to go abroad and explore the world by yourself even if you are scared go to be away from your family and friends. I would say this is one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. You are not alone because you will meet so many new friends worldwide. They will make you think differently because you always can get inspiration for life from different culture. Even if you do not have the chance going abroad during your study but you should try to meet more foreign friends in school. The world is getting smaller. In Taiwan, you can easily meet friends from oversea. So do not be afraid to talk to them. You will have a great chance to see them again in other countries in the future. Be brave to show your point in class. We should not shrink from saying something with our professors, team members, classmates, or even our friends. I know our traditional education has taught us to be humble, so we may be too shy to convey our true talents in some cases. What I have learned in classes is to show exactly what you know and to ask questions if you do not understand. I still feel more than happy the decision I made going to Korea. It was really a wonderful experience and will never be forgot. I strongly advise you to think about studying abroad because you may make your life so different but beautiful! Catching your dream will make unforgettable memories of a lifetime. I have accomplished what I set out to do. What about you?