It's been almost one year since I returned to Romania from South Korea, but still I have the chance to meet people who ask me the same stereotyped questions: "how is Korea?" "how are the universities there?" "what did you study there?" etc
Sometimes, I feel quite annoyed by hearing the same repetitive questions from people who never even tried to read a few pages about Korea, and they expect me to answer just out of sudden in a way that they could understand easily.
I know that the cultural differences among East Europe and Korea are tremendous, and this is why during the last year I tried my best to inform the Romanian and Hungarian public about the true values of the Korean culture.
These days, I was just browsing the internet when I found an interview that I gave last year for "The Dongguk Post" - Dongguk University's English Magazine.
I knew about the printed version of the magazine, I still have a copy of it... but I was surprised to find the online version.
Although it's an older interview, I post it, hoping that it might answer some questions about Korean universities.
You can also access the magazine at the following link.
Nowadays at DU [Dongguk University] we can see several exchange students walking around campus. So it isn't so surprising to study with foreign students in the class. Most of these new students come from Asia or English speaking countries. However, some of them come from Eastern Europe. Fabian Emanuel, a Romanian student, is from BABES-BOLYAI University and is at Dongguk as an exchange student. He came to DU last semester and will leave this August. His major is Film & Digital Media. The Post interviewed him and, among many other things, asked about his school life.
The Process of Coming to DU
Romania is a country a long way from Korea. So why did he come from such a long distance? He said: "In fact, it was a very hard decision for me. Many Romanians, myself included, have wondered about Korean life and its culture. So I decided to come to Korea and learn and study more deeply about the country." He added that, after deciding to come here, he chose DU because no other university in Korea had an exchange arrangement with his university. So I asked him if he had any regrets about coming to DU. He replied with a smile: "I don't think so. I think that my choice was very good. This is because DU is so highly valued by Korean people. For example, the Department of Film & Digital Media is famous throughout Korea. Additionally, the Campus, with its proximity to Nam Mountain is big and very beautiful."He added that "Buddhism in DU also interested him. When I lived in Romania, Buddhism is hardly known. So many people, including myself, are fascinated by this religion. I really wanted to understand Buddhism, so now I'll get the chance through coming to the DU."
His Life in DU
So what about his life in DU? He answered that he is really happy with campus life. He said: "Before coming to DU, I worried that I wouldn't do well. In fact, I was the first exchange student from Romania. But I already know that DU students are really kind. When I joined in the group assignments, or in any other situation, I felt the kindness of DU students. Thanks to DU students, I can enjoy my life here." He was also satisfied with the lectures, especially the English ones. "In the English lectures, all students must speak English in class. I was really surprised by the students' ability. So when I joined the class, I was able to improve my English skills and study at the same time." He added that he also registered for classes in Buddhism last semester. "This class was especially interesting; it was one of my favorites! I am really happy about getting closer to Buddhism. There are many monks, temples and classes on Buddhism at DU." He said that he was really satisfied with all the other classes, but especially the ones noted above. He stressed that the quality of DU lectures was very high. However, he had one little complaint about DU. He said: "Then I looked up e-class and the DU home page, it was mostly in Korean, not English. This confused me sometimes. For example, when I was downloading presentation files by e-class, I was really confused by a lot of buttons written in Korean. This is not big problem for other people, but I hope the DU staff will solve this problem."
Advice for other exchange students
He said that to be open-minded is really important for exchange students. "I think that many Western exchange students are afraid to come to an Asian country. They are afraid of getting too close to Asian cultures; not physically, but emotionally. This is because emotionally Asians and Europeans are really different. For this reason, they have many problems adjusting to Korean life. For example, there are many misunderstandings about language, food and other things. However, by being open-minded, we can overcome these problems."
After the interview was over, he remarked that he hoped that more and more DU students would come to this university as exchange students. If any DU student had been rude to him, he never mentioned. If DU students continue to show their kindness then many more will follow his example. This, apparently, will help DU? wish to be a player on the global stage. I hope that DU achieves this aim. I also hope that Fabian returns to Romania with happy memories of his time at our university.
By Kim Ji-heon, Post Reporter
The Process of Coming to DU
Romania is a country a long way from Korea. So why did he come from such a long distance? He said: "In fact, it was a very hard decision for me. Many Romanians, myself included, have wondered about Korean life and its culture. So I decided to come to Korea and learn and study more deeply about the country." He added that, after deciding to come here, he chose DU because no other university in Korea had an exchange arrangement with his university. So I asked him if he had any regrets about coming to DU. He replied with a smile: "I don't think so. I think that my choice was very good. This is because DU is so highly valued by Korean people. For example, the Department of Film & Digital Media is famous throughout Korea. Additionally, the Campus, with its proximity to Nam Mountain is big and very beautiful."He added that "Buddhism in DU also interested him. When I lived in Romania, Buddhism is hardly known. So many people, including myself, are fascinated by this religion. I really wanted to understand Buddhism, so now I'll get the chance through coming to the DU."
His Life in DU
So what about his life in DU? He answered that he is really happy with campus life. He said: "Before coming to DU, I worried that I wouldn't do well. In fact, I was the first exchange student from Romania. But I already know that DU students are really kind. When I joined in the group assignments, or in any other situation, I felt the kindness of DU students. Thanks to DU students, I can enjoy my life here." He was also satisfied with the lectures, especially the English ones. "In the English lectures, all students must speak English in class. I was really surprised by the students' ability. So when I joined the class, I was able to improve my English skills and study at the same time." He added that he also registered for classes in Buddhism last semester. "This class was especially interesting; it was one of my favorites! I am really happy about getting closer to Buddhism. There are many monks, temples and classes on Buddhism at DU." He said that he was really satisfied with all the other classes, but especially the ones noted above. He stressed that the quality of DU lectures was very high. However, he had one little complaint about DU. He said: "Then I looked up e-class and the DU home page, it was mostly in Korean, not English. This confused me sometimes. For example, when I was downloading presentation files by e-class, I was really confused by a lot of buttons written in Korean. This is not big problem for other people, but I hope the DU staff will solve this problem."
Advice for other exchange students
He said that to be open-minded is really important for exchange students. "I think that many Western exchange students are afraid to come to an Asian country. They are afraid of getting too close to Asian cultures; not physically, but emotionally. This is because emotionally Asians and Europeans are really different. For this reason, they have many problems adjusting to Korean life. For example, there are many misunderstandings about language, food and other things. However, by being open-minded, we can overcome these problems."
After the interview was over, he remarked that he hoped that more and more DU students would come to this university as exchange students. If any DU student had been rude to him, he never mentioned. If DU students continue to show their kindness then many more will follow his example. This, apparently, will help DU? wish to be a player on the global stage. I hope that DU achieves this aim. I also hope that Fabian returns to Romania with happy memories of his time at our university.
By Kim Ji-heon, Post Reporter
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