An interview with a kunsan university exchange student

Q. Please introduce yourself.

Hello. My name is Yeoshim(廖如心) and I am a sophomore majoring in Korean literature.

Q. What made you become an exchange student?

I visited Korea when I was 4th grade in elementary school, and I began to have interest in Korea. And I spent my school days listening K-POP and watching Korean dramas.

As such, my interest in Korea grew, I entered the Korean language department of a University in China. Chinese universities focus on spending more time in school than Korean universities and I decided to study abroad because I wanted to relax. And among many schools, I choosed Gunsan University on the recommendation of my teacher.

Q. I'm curious about the daily routine of exchange students.

It's not much different from other students. In today's case, I got up at 8:20 and took classes from 9:00 to 12:00. If you have free time after eating lunch, take a rest while watching Korean entertainment and dramas in the dormitory. And in the evening, we talk with other exchange students and sometimes visit Eunpa Lake Park and Wolmyung Mountain parks. On weekends, I go to a Korean tourist site such as Jeonju Hanok Village and play with my friends.

Q. How is your school life in Korea?

It's better because I can take classes more comfortably than in China! I could adapt quickly because there were many similarities with the university dormitory in China. Once more there is also my favorite class, which is called 'Modern Chinese Understanding' with Korean students. It's so fun to communicate with Korean people and do group assignments. Also I meet with Korean students regularly and build friendships with them because many of my friends at Gunsan University have interest in them. I am satisfied with my school life because there are many people who help me kindly

Q. I wonder the difference between universities in Korea and universities in China.

College life in China: I first wake up at 6:30 and study from 7:00 to 8:00 after breakfast. I have classes right after the study and have lunch at 1:00. There are classes after one o'clock and sometimes there aren't. And we have another evening study from 6:30 to 8:00. It's free time after eight! But i am not able to leave the dormitory at the late hour. So i do not have enough time alone and my curfew is 10 p.m. Compared to that, Korean college life are so good for me.

Also there's a difference in how we teach. In China, teachers point out students throughout the class to keep them from falling behind. But in Korea, they don't have much of it, and we have a lot of group work to discuss and work together. For me, I prefer Korean university classes to Chinese ones. It was because we were able to get to know a lot of people and I was impressed that we were working with each other and doing our homework.

Q. You have one month being the exchange student, are there any changes?

Since I spend time with Korean people every day, I am getting better at speaking Korean. Also, as I have many Korean friends, I was able to learn more about Korean culture and the personality of Koreans.

Q. Then, can you give me an example of the difference between Korean and Chinese university students?

Koreans are independent. In China, a large number of college students live in dormitories. But Koreans are great at finding a home and living alone at a young age.

Q. What's your plan if you go back to your country?

First, I hope do what I want to do and get some rest. I want to work part-time to help elementary school students study and plan on taking a trip to Hong Kong with a friend I haven't seen for a long time. And when I will go back to school, I want to study Korean harder because i wnat to be

a teacher who teaches Korean in elementary school later.

Q. Is there anything you want to say last?

I wish I could have a friend who can contact me back in China. So I want to be friends with Korean people a lot. I'd be so happy if you could come first. Let's get along with while drinking together!