Students who are fresh in Korea

 The blooming spring has already passed and we are approaching the fresh summer season. Two months have already passed since the starting of a new semester, but there are still strangers to the school. Especially, there is great concern for foreign students studying in this unfamiliar country, so we examine what difficulties some foreign students at Kunsan University have while they are experiencing their school life.

 Daoghungjiang (Trade Department·19): School life is generally all right. However, the professor's progress in class is so fast that I have difficulty understanding the contents of the lecture. I also feel like I have a hard time to make Korean friends, and Koreans are afraid to be close to us, too. Sometimes I want to ask Koreans a lot of issues, but I can't bring up questions because I'm not close to them yet. And I hope the program for foreign students will be more active.

 Kaoyukun (Trade Department·18) : When I first came to the city of Kunsan, I was very excited. But I found that the outside world was much more complex than I had imagined. At first, I felt as if I had lost my mind, and I realized other people's thoughts. I was a stranger to Koreans, so everything felt sad despite the festival season. The semester began, and everything around me felt strange to me. The language, schedule, and diet were very different from mine. The hardest part was that I didn't even have anyone to talk to because Koreans felt uncomfortable communicating with me. So I was very lonely and missed my friends from my country.

 What is common in these reports is that it is difficult to adapt in a strange environment. People feel alienated in the aspects of language and culture, and have difficulty in relationships in unfamiliar surroundings. The pain of students who are unfamiliar with everything in a foreign country can’t be easily understood. There are many other things they need to adapt to, such as lectures that are too fast for students studying abroad and assignments. I think that consideration for students studying abroad is needed to solve these problems. Also, programs involving students studying abroad and Korean students should be expanded to help them become more familiar with Korean culture, language and school life.

 Of course, there are some good things they felt while studying abroad at Kunsan University.

 Kaoyukun (Trade Department·18) : When people leave home, they can grow very fast. Having a lot of friends means relying on a friend, but when there is no familiar person around, I become very independent. I learned a way to think independently while I was studying abroad, and learned a method to plan my life. Through this experience, I back to the bright and confident me again. Now I cherish everything I have experienced and met, and I can deal with it calmly when I'm in trouble.

 Everything is difficult at first. Even if you are in a difficult situation now, everything will be okay once it becomes familiar. As after a storm comes a calm, these experiences will strengthen you in the future. Kunsan University is always open to foreign students, so please don't hesitate to tell us if you need help. We hope you remember your life at Kunsan University for a long time.