Student Exchange to Myongji University, Korea
Going to Seoul, South Korea as an exchange student truly is the best decision I ever make.
Making the decision to leave to another country really is a big decision. Learning the language, adapting to the new culture, making new friends, those are difficult things I have to prepare. Not to mention the legal process that I had to go through before leaving Taiwan. I have to prepare so many documents to hand in to Ming Chuan and the Korean office in Taiwan. I nearly gave up after the office requires me to prepare 300,000 NTD in a Taiwanese bank account under my name. However, my determination to go to South Korea is even bigger, therefore it doesn’t stop me from finding solutions (which is to borrow from my family and friends). After going through so many legal process, finally I got accepted to Myongji University, and my visa got issued. It was the most thrilling moments ever.
The moment I landed in Seoul, I was greeted by the beautiful weather and sky, it was not too hot at the time, I would say it was the transition time between summer to autumn. Before leaving to Seoul I asked my friend who is studying in Pohang, South Korea to give me some tips, so I wasn’t too confused when I arrived. I decided to take the airport limousine bus that was provided for a way cheaper price than taking a taxi. However, I had to drag 1 big luggage and 1 small luggage for 7 minutes! I would say it was a little embarrassing for me to be seen by the locals (they definitely knew I am a foreigner). But, it was still worth it because I got to witness the real life of Koreans after 6 years of just seeing it on screen.
One of the main reason on why I wanted to go to South Korea is because my interest in the entertainment industry which lead me to learn more about their culture and language. Lucky for me, I knew some of their culture and habit which helped me a lot in adjusting my life there. Of course I had language barriers, after all it’s a new language that I am not fluent in despite the fact that I have been watching Korean TV shows for so long. However, I would say I did pretty well for someone who never had a proper Korean language training. I managed to talk to the locals when buying foods or other stuff, and when I had minor problems, for example looking for the nearest restroom, and so on. Those 6 years of Korean TV shows paid off really well.
As for my college life I wouldn’t say it’s hard because in fact it is not hard at all. Since this is an exchange program, I was surrounded by other exchange students from around the world. It seems to me that Myongji University has connection with a lot of universities in France and China because most of the students are French and Chinese. However Myongji University has 2 campuses, 1 in Seoul, and another one in Yongin, where most of the Chinese students went. This lead me to be having so many new French friends, as well as other European countries like Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and many others. By having friends from all kinds of background, I get to learn so much more about countries around the world, their languages, as well as their cultures. And of course I made some really great Korean friends who always helped me whenever I needed. One of them even helped me a lot in learning new Korean words (and bought me good food).
I am also very lucky to be paired with 2 best roommates during my stay in the dorm. One of them is another exchange students from Belgium, and the other is a master’s degree student from Ethiopia. They truly made my stay so much more lively and interesting.
I mentioned before that one of my reasons of choosing South Korea is because of the entertainment industry. With that being said, there is no way I didn’t took my time to enjoy the life of a fan going to events and meeting celebrities. One thing I am always thankful of is the fact that by being a fan is the fact that I get to meet so many new people who became one of the best people I ever met. My Iraqi best friend in Myongji University is one of them. We became friends through our love for BTS and Korean TV shows, and we spent most of our time together going around Seoul. Before going to Seoul, I thought that I will spend most of my time fangirling by myself, however turns out I got myself a great pair. And I also got to meet several other great Indonesian Kpop fans whom became my friends as well.
(Did I also mention that I did 2 auditions while being there? Obviously none accepted me but it was a great experience).
I truly will never forget all these amazing experience. Although it only last for 4 months, but the memories will last forever. The money surely will come again, but that exact moment with those exact people will never come again. I hope in the future I get to meet all of these great people again.