International College

For this series, there will be around 10 interviews which give us a chance to get to know our 10 freshmen this semester

 Part 1: Kodirov Khasanboy and Nizomiddinov

There seems to be nothing that they felt dissatisfied with this place; absolutely no grain of doubt with their choice to be where they are now, if not beyond their expectation. Before arriving here, Kodirov had thought that DSU campus was situated on a flat surface but much to his surprise, it was actually on the hill, which made things even better. “We go hiking every weekend, on the mountain behind our school”- he shared, “It’s good for our health”- added by Nizomiddinov as he grows to appreciate this feature of our campus. But that’s not the only thing they’re proud of DSU. In a very excited and merry tone, they described Miseok library as the biggest library in Busan - something that most of us might not notice at first.

                  When asked about life in Busan in general, “friendly” is the word they used most often. It’s Korean friendliness and helpfulness that make them, even just freshly arrived here a month ago, fall in love with this country already. To them, people here are friendly, helpful and really kind. They have learned a lot since moving here to Korea. By emerging themselves in an international environment, in their own word, they have “broadened their horizons”, learned to be “independent in both living and thinking” but of course “I miss my family”- said Kodirove.

Both of them decided to come to Korea because, out of their respect and admiration, it’s one of the leading countries in information technology. Surprisingly, though their major is computer-engineer, they have a deep interest in history and said, half teasing, half serious “A lot of people are surprised that we knew a lot about Korean history” when being asked what they wanted people to know about them. Their favorite show that they used to watch back in their hometown is Jumong (a Korean epic about the titular character- the founder of the Kingdom of Goguryeo.). It’s quite popular among Uzbekistani. They admire the main character’s independence, strength and most importantly, his leadership.

Kimchi- the most regional food, perhaps too regional for foreigners to love turns out to be Kodirov’s favorite food here. He metioned it as one of the reason why he loves Korean cuisine. For Nizomiddinov, he seemed to be more into the nature of Busan, especially the beach because in Uzbekistan doesn’t have any seaside. He also enjoyed travelling to different places, first to Daegu, Jeonju and then, if there’s any chance, to Japan, China and Taiwan.

With only as few as 6 questions prepared for this interview, no one would expect too much being “gotten out” of them. Yet, it’s their humble attitude, their politeness and profound admiration for Korea, that stays with us still

Khasanboy Kodirov