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I am a senior majoring in English at Dongseo University and a member of the 4th Dongseo Honor Society. I am pleased that I have this opportunity to talk about my experiences. I hope freshman students at Dongseo may be encouraged after reading about my experience.
Language training in Fort Hays State University in the first semester of 2013
After qualifying for the Dongseo Honor Society, I went to Fort Hays State University in Kansas in January. Before leaving, I was not sure whether I would be able to adapt well, but I later found out I did not have to worry about that. I felt the five months went by too quickly. I met a lot of friends from Europe and South America, and I also made good memories during a short vacation when I traveled around New York and Boston. Academically, I achieved high marks in my ESL course. As a result, I could attend regular university courses before coming back to Korea. My stay at Fort Hays State University was a time for me to overcome my inferiority complex about English. One day, a native English speaker said, “We usually know what you will say while you are talking. Just say anything. If there is anyone who does not understand your words, that is his fault. Not your fault.” After hearing that, the pressure I had felt about speaking English melted away. The famous show host Oprah Winfrey once said, “You look at yourself and you accept yourself for who you are, and once you accept yourself for who you are, you become a better person.” I think I became confident after accepting myself for who I am as someone whose English is not perfect.
Asia Summer Program held at Dongseo University during summer vacation
Last summer vacation, Asia Summer Program (ASP) was held at Dongseo University. It is a program in which students from 11 countries including Korea, Japan, China and Indonesia attend lectures, learn about each other’s cultures, and meet new friends. I was lucky enough to participate in the program. Thanks to my newfound self-confidence and my English skills which had improved considerably in the United States, I made more close friendships with many foreign students and shared many stories and experiences with them. I also realized for the first time why we need to study languages. This program was an opportunity to see Eng-lish as a means of communication amongst people from all over the world.
Student exchange at Szent Istvan University in Hungary
I felt my time in the United States had been too short, so I turned to the student exchange program. There were many universities in Asia, North America, and Europe that I could go to as an exchange student, but I decided to go to Szent Istvan University in Hungary. I could live with students from diverse countries because Szent Istvan University is affiliated with ERASMUS (a nonprofit international student organization for exchange students among the EU countries). They also have affiliations with Brazilian universities and Science Without Borders, which is a scholarship program for students studying natural sciences and engineer-ing. As a student in the English department, and also as a person who will work on the world stage in the future, studying at Szent Istvan University was a very rewarding experience be-cause I was able to hear a lot of different English accents from around the world. Further-more, thanks to the geographical advantage of Hungary, which is located in central Europe, I was able to backpack around on weekends and short vacation times. I believe the backpack-ing trips will be a valuable asset and precious memory in my life.
In 2011, when I returned to the army after a short holiday, I brought a 1200-page travel book on Europe and made itineraries using all my spare time. Although I had to delay my trip to join the Dongseo Honor Society, I finally got the chance to go to the United States, meet a lot of foreign friends, and stay to study in Europe for five months. My long-awaited dreams came true in a different way and at a different time than I had originally plan. Have you ever heard of the word “serendipity”? It means "fortuitous happenstance" or "pleasant surprise.” I believe that when you try your best and refuse to give us you may discover such “pleasant surprises” in your life. In this way you may also soon discover that you are closer to achieving your dreams than you imagined.