Students' Blog: Role Models

Two of the students of Prof. Roger (Class 4-1) share with us who their role models are.

Student's Entry #1 

The role model in my life is Steve Jobs. Even though he passed away a few years ago, he is still alive in the mind of people. When people ask me “who is your role model?” lots of people choose Steve Jobs as their role model. I think this is because he had no fear and did what he wanted to do. 

In his life time he was faced with many adversities. He grew up in foster care, and he voluntary withdrew from university, he was even kicked out of his own company. He also fought a hard battle with pancreatic cancer. However, he never gave up and stayed hungry for success. He tried everything to make his ideas become a reality. I think that his genius ideas came from his experiences. He didn't follow anyone’s route, and forged a path of his own. He kept thinking of new and innovated ways to be successful in the smart phone market. Also He is among the five best presenters in the world. He did his best to reform his company Apple. These factors made me choose Steve jobs as my role model! I still remember what he told to students at Stanford University: "Stay hungry, Stay foolish."

by Seok Jin Wook

Student's Entry #2

Do you have a role model? I do, my friend is my role model. I look to my friend for my guidance. I met my friend at club. Our club is called 'Mountain' club. She was the leader of the club, and she always leads the way when we climb the mountain. Last semester our club went to Mt.Jiri. There were about 20 students. The plan was that we would hike along the ridges of Mt.Jiri for three days. It was a long and dangerous hiking. So, the leader, my friend, had to take care of all of our club members. Even though she had a stomachache, she tried to lead everyone with a smile. That made me really appreciate her for doing her best to keep us motivated. Even though the hiking was really hard and tough, she tried to make us happy while climbing. That's because we can finish the hiking more easily when we laugh. From that time, I thought that I wish I could live my life like my friend. She not only led our direction at the mountain, but also my life direction to live with smile.

by Park Eun Se

FTA's Corner: GM Korea Trip

Last November 9, 2012, my Relationship Marketing Class, through the kindness of our Professor and former GM Korea Director, Sung Sang Lee. We visited the General Motors Korea Company Bupyeong Plant to have an insight on the Korean Automotive Industry. Around the world, South Korea ranks fifth in automobile unit production, following China, US, Japan and Germany. 

General Motors Korea Company (GM Korea Co.) is the country’s third largest automotive corporation. It is one of GM's largest manufacturing, design and technology hubs. It manufactures vehicles for both international and domestic markets. GM Korea currently has three manufacturing plants in SK which are located in Bupyeong, Gunsan and Changwon. 

Our class arrived at the GM Korea Co. office at around 10 o’clock in the morning and we were greered by Mr. Chang-Jin Lee, the Product Planning Manager. He brought us in to meet the Director, Mr. Hyung-gook Chung. Director Chung gave us a brief background of not only the Korean Automotive Industry but also the status of the global auto industry. It was very nice to learn how big the car industry is all over the world and how stiff the competition has always been and will always be between brands, companies and countries. I also got the chance to ask about the Philippine market, and he mentioned about the current hindrances in penetrating the Philippine market but is hopeful that things will be easier in the years to come. 

After Director Chung’s presentation, we went to visit the manufacturing plant (Yay!). Plant Manager Manwoo Lee took us around the plant and explained the different processes going on. Ninety-percent of cars manufactured in the plant are for the global market while ten percent is for the local market. Because of this, several brands are being manufactured inside the facility because some cars have different names per country. For security purposes, taking photos inside the plant is not allowed. It was amazing to see different cars, including Chevys, in the process of production. Some were already in the final stages of production while others were just getting in the process of tire installation. It was fun to imagine that most of those cars will be running around other countries soon.

I left the GM Korea Co. with a renewed inspiration about the future. Being a business administration graduate student, I am hopeful that I will be part of an industry where I can contribute and apply what I have learned from my undergraduate education in the Philippines and moreover, my knowledge and experiences from the Catholic University’s Graduate School of Business. I am looking forward to more trips like this in my remaining year here in Korea. As for now, this GM Korea visit is definitely one of the most meaningful and unforgettable trips I’ve had.



TA Ruth Cruz

Student's Blog: What career do you hope to have?

Hi, my name is Chang-ho Shin. I am a sophomore at Catholic University of Korea. My major is Special Education and I am in GEO 3-5 class. Have you ever been asked the question: “what kind of career do you hope to have?” 

This kind of question is hard to answer for some people, especially, for those who don't have a clue yet. However, I have had my dream since I was a high school student. My dream is to become a Special educational teacher. A special educational teacher is a teacher who helps students with disabilities. They help handicapped people to learn how to live independently in society. Despite the importance of special educational teachers, most people don’t know about it well. 

Actually, it was not my dream to be a special educational teacher because I did not know this job when I was younger. When I was a middle school student, I had a vague dream about becoming a teacher. I thought that being a teacher is a good job. When I was in middle school I wanted to be a mathematics teacher because I dreamed of becoming a teacher and loved math. I entered high school with this dream. 

My high school educated both disabled students and normal students together in the same classes. Of course, a disabled student was in my class. I hated the disabled student and I did not talk with those students at first. My high school had ‘Club Activity’ class once a week and I entered sign-language club. So I learned sign-language once a week. A teacher who was in charge of the sign-language Club was a special educational teacher. 

For the first time, I had a chance to learn about job of a special educational teacher through my club teacher. I learn sign-language with disabled students. As time goes by, I got along with and interacted with the disabled students. And several months later, I felt that the disabled students were cute and I started to like them. I believe that they have the purest mind in the world. 

My sophomore year of high school, I made a new sign-language club and I was the captain of that club. I taught sign-language to both the disabled students and normal students once a week. We entered several sign-language contests and won a prize. As I communicated with the disabled students more and more, I was getting interested in the job of a special educational teacher. I originally liked the job of teacher and I thought that if I were a special educational teacher, I could live worthwhile and happy life. So I decided to be a special educational teacher and I entered the Special Education department in CUK. 

After entering Special Education department, I learned professional special education. I do not regret entering this department. As I learn more about special education, I feel closer to disabled students. I have a deep passion and desire to become a Special educational teacher.

by Chang-Ho, Shin

Class 3-5

Special Education, Sophomore

FTA's Corner: Adventure

Adventure, may it be big like staying for days on a secluded island or small like a spontaneous day trip or night out with friends, all these things fascinate me. Why? Since it is a unique way to discover and try new things. As you know, in adventure, you get to learn things in a very different manner, you get to know your friends and yourself more and some other things that you would not get to realize and experience when you stay in your comfort zone. 

In college, I started to go on adventures with my friends. Usually, we go to little-known places in the Philippines to explore and learn. Most of the time, since we all are avid travelers, we would brainstorm on the places we wanted to visit, think of what kind of transportation we would take in order to reach our destination and list the things we have to bring in our so called little adventure. 

We do not plan our itinerary. We just let things happen. In fact, it is actually more thrilling and fun when you just go with the flow. As a matter of fact, some of our most memorable adventures would be camping on secluded islands, swimming with whale sharks, taking surfing lessons, and staying in a fast food chain overnight just because all hotels were fully booked due to a festival. And those are what I consider the best experiences in my life. 

Going to Korea is one, if not, the biggest adventure in my life. During my first semester, I got lost twice. That was a scary experience for me since I didn’t have any knowledge of the Korean language. Hence, I couldn’t ask any person along the road for directions. 

That experience made me realize that I am indeed alone in a foreign country. At first, it was really scary since I wasn’t used to being independent. At home (The Philippines), I always have my friends with me, my family and I are able to communicate with other people since we all share the same language. But here in Korea, I am by myself. Being alone in a foreign country made me discover and do things on my own. Not until I found friends who share the same fascination with me. 

Last November 3, we planned to try a new café near the University but instead, we ended up going to Myeongdong. We ate dinner, strolled the streets and as to achieve the original plan, we decided to have coffee. Two of my friends are cat lovers, so they decided to try the cat café but since I am allergic to furry stuff, we went to another café. 

Since we were having so much fun, we lost track of time. Given the fact that it was already late, obviously, train stations will be closing soon and our dormitory has a curfew, we had no choice but to run to the nearest station to catch the last train. Thankfully, we were able to catch the last ride because if not, we do not know how to go back to the university. We were so worried and scared during that time but still managed to enjoy the moment. 

That little adventure of ours actually made us closer and made the trip action-packed and worth it. Though the bad part about it is we had to walk from the subway station to the University since we missed the last bus. 

With all the running and worrying, I consider it as one of the most exciting moments of my stay in Korea. Looking back at some of my adventures in this foreign land makes me smile and laugh. As a travel aficionado, I do look forward to my future adventures. 

Our life is our very own big adventure that we have to enjoy, uncover and share. Don’t be afraid to try new things so you could find out what else is there outside your comfort zone. I would like to end this post with a quote by Helen Keller: “Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” So go out, explore, discover and learn new things.

by TA Raizza Tolentino

KTA's Blog: Ga Eun talks about her major

Hello, friends. I’m TA Ga Eun. It’s really great to meet you again here on the GEO blog! Today, I’m going to tell you about Psychology which is my major. I’ve dreamt of studying Psychology since I was a middle school student. I like books and movies, and I spent lots of times with them. I think these hobbies sparked my interest in psychology. And lots of my friends, who are majoring psychology, have similar reasons just like me. Then, what is PSYCHOLOGY? 

Let’s start from here. How much do you know about Psychology? Is it mind reading skills? Do psychology students learn about blood type personality? Or do they know what your boyfriend is thinking now? Actually, these are NOT psychology. Psychology is not mind reading, and it’s not common personality tests we can find on the internet. Psychology is a ‘social science’. 

Isn’t it surprise? Psychology is a science. Let’s have a look at the definition of psychology. Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and the reasons for people’s behavior. The study of human mind and the reasons for people’s behavior; psychologists use scientific ways like survey, experiment, interview, etc. That’s the reason why we, psychology students, also study how to plan experiments without confound variables. And we study statistics too, for interpreting the result of experiments. (Yeah, it sounds like we are a scientist.) 

However, lots of people just think that psychology is something like a mind reading skills. I feel really sad when I hear that. It can be a part of psychology, but that is not a sufficient explanation for psychology. So, please guys. When someone ask you about psychology, don’t answer like “I know psychology. Isn’t it about mind reading things?” Because you know the correct answer: Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and the reasons for people’s behavior. 

Thank you for reading this writing J See you at GEO time and have a great weekends, all my friends!

by TA Ga Eun

KTA's Blog: MISS YOUR FAMILY? HERE THEY ARE!

‘Modern family’ is an American sitcom that plainly shows the daily life of a normal and abnormal family. All the people in this show are tied are part of a ‘family’ and each of them have quite various characteristics.

Jay is the father of Claire and Mitchell. Claire married Phil Dunphy and together they have 3 children named Haley, Alex, and Luke. Mitchell is gay and married to Cameron. Together the two of them adopted their daughter Lily. Jay divorced his wife (the mother of Claire and Mitchell) and remarried Gloria who is from Columbia. They have a son named Manny from Gloria and her ex-husband. All eleven of them make one (straight, gay, multi-cultural, traditional) happy family.

‘Modern family’ shows their real natural story, which we also experience in our daily lives. Some of episodes are ridiculous and characters are very comical in their family troubles or school and company matters. But mostly, the behaviors of characters and patterns of the relationships in the family arouse our sympathy. You might notice many things in common with your family as you watch this show.

Even if there are some family conflicts, they resolve them with consideration from each family member at the end of every episode. At the end of the episode, we can feel the love that this family has for each other. All the problems, different ideas, conflicts, misunderstanding do not matter in the family. The most important thing is that they love each other and that’s the only thing which is left in the end.

At the ‘2011 Emmy Awards’, ‘Modern Family’ won 4 awards: ‘the best comedy series’, ‘the best supporting actress award’, ‘the best supporting actor award’, ‘the best screenplay award’. Time Magazine commented on Modern Family saying that the power of the Modern family is not on the reversal, but on the solidarity of family which seems not to be solved easily, in itself.

by KTA Bonnie

Student's Blog: GEO Clubs

Two of the students of Prof. Tom Kim (Class 3-3) share their insights and experiences on joining GEO clubs and which club they enjoy most.

Student's Entry #1 (Olympic Club)

When I was a high school student, there was an elective class only once a week. Our nation's education system is weighted on college admissions, meaning that students have to study Korean, Mathematics, English, Social Science, and Science; more than extra subjects such as PE, art, music etc. I had focused on my 'major subjects', and because of that my PE score was very low. Last year, I was so weak that I always caught a cold. What was worse was that I got pneumonia.

I have thought that I could enjoy exercising after entering university. However, I do not have a lot of time to work out because I have lots of homework to do.  Also the Health Club is kind of expensive, and I don't have a lot of money. Luckily, for me there is a club called 'Olympic Club' in which I can perform light exercises in the gym for free.

I joined the Olympic Club to help enhance my health. The club helps me to be healthy and is very fun, it also helps me with speaking English too. My team is Ireland, and it is comprised of three members: two girls and one boy. The shot put is the most interesting sports to me. I've never had the experience of doing the shot put, so I was very unfamiliar with that. 

Ji Eun Son

Class 3-3

Student's Entry #2 (Card Club and TV Club)

Many students do not know how to play any card games. So we all had to learn the basics first.  Our TA Dan and our professor were very passionate and patient enough to teach us about it.  They would join us while they teach us the rules of the game and there would be interaction not only towards the students but also with the TA and the professor itself.  As the game progresses on, each of us would write down our score on a piece of paper and by the end of the game, we would find out who the winner was.  In addition, winners are given Choco Pies as their award.

Signing up for Club B was rather exciting.  I was actually the first person to sign up for TV club and with the rest of the clubs.  In my case, I chose to join TV club because if I chose the other ones, I would have time conflict with my other major subjects.  My friend, Eun Ji, who is also my classmate in my GEO class, recommended it to me.

Due to the Korean holiday and mid-terms that has recently passed, I am still yet unable to join and tell you about how TV Club is.  I don’t really know how it goes (TV Club) but I am looking forward to joining it as soon as I can because I am also curious and excited to see how different it could be from the previous club I joined.

Originally, we had only one club in one semester but it was changed.  I think that it is a good way to have various experiences.  I want to participate in more clubs later. 

Ji Hye Park

Class 3-3

Student's Blog: Study Tips

It is my honor to write about how I study. I tried to do my best a week before the mid-term exam. But the decisions that I made were often broken by my laziness and desire to sleep. Although my preparation for exam was not enough, I think there will be many students who can learn from me.

First, whenever I participated in team projects, I worked more than other students. By making power points and English scripts for example. Some people said to me that I don't need to undergo a lot of hardship if I am not a fool. But I think when I do my homework; my creativity and problem-solving skills will develop. The biggest purpose of taking a lot of responsibilities was resulted from my ardor for study! By doing so, I feel relaxed, comfortable and confident on learning.

Second, I recommend you to do study in the morning. In the morning your brain works quickly and you can memorize more information by just reading them. In my case, when I felt sleepy I just slept without worrying about tomorrow. Because I knew that I would wake up in the morning and do my study more efficiently in the given time.

Lastly, just before the exams, I entered a classroom a little late because I wanted to make sure that I am ready to take it. So, what I did was, I just kept on studying even if the exam started and I entered the classroom when I felt I’m ready. You can consider it as a trick but it is not a crime at all.

These are my methods of how to prepare for a team project, how to study, and how to get more time just before an exam. I really hope you can get better grades next time and find your own studying ways. So I want to hear your know-how too. 

By Bak NaYul (2-5)

FTA's Corner: Sri-Lanka “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”

I thought of writing about my motherland, because many of you are not aware what the country is like. Sri-Lanka is widely known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” as it is located below India. Interestingly, on the map, it is shaped like the mango fruit. Sri-Lanka has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times. It boasts of a diverse range of peoples and traditions. There are the Sinhalese people form the majority of the population, but there also the Tamils who are concentrated in the north and east of the island and form the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include Burghers, Malays, Moors and the aboriginal Vedda people.

Sri-Lanka is a republic and a unitary state which is governed by a semi-presidential system with its official seat of government in the capital Colombo, which is also known as the heart of the city. The country is famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, gemstones, coconuts, rubber and cinnamon. The island contains tropical forests, and diverse landscapes with high biodiversity. The country lays claim to a long and varying history of over three thousand years. Sri-Lanka’s rich culture can be attributed to the many different communities on the island. The country is a founding member state of SAARC and a member of United Nations.

Sri-Lanks has its own seven wonders, but since I will be unable to explain all of them, the most important ones will be highlighted. I will briefly name the seven wonders: The Sri Dalada Maligawa known as the Sacred Temple of the Tooth, Cave temple in Dambula, Religious place in Polonaruwa, Sigirya the famous rock, Kandy, Galle Fort and The elephant Orphanage.

Firstly, I would commence explaining about Sri-Dalada Maligawa. This is the famous place for housing one of the most worshipped Buddhist relics, the tooth of Lord Buddha; this temple is located in the fortified city of Kandy which is one of the seven wonders. Thousands of Buddhists from all around the world visit the temple every year, and because of its religious importance, Sri Dalada Maligawa and the whole of Kandy were added to the World Heritage list. Many tourists visit this place and currently Sri-Lanka has been ahead of the curve in the tourism industry.

Secondly, Polonaruwa is the ancient capital of the country and the rulers at that time were wise and organized. It is regarded as one of the best planned archeological sites in Sri-Lanka and the world, and its beauty is acknowledged by everyone.

Another wonder is the Sigirya, the famous rock visited by many tourists. It is known as the Lion rock, the eighth wonder of the world. Inhabited since the 5^th century B.C, it was a mountain monastery, but after King Kasyapa came into power, it was transformed into a fortress and a place of leisure. It was to serve as a safe heven in case the King's exiled brother was ever to return and claim his rightful place on Sri-Lanka’s throne. In the end, however, he ended up killing himself. There are paintings inside the rock. They still exist and remain beautiful after all these years. Also, on top of the rock the beauty of the whole area can be seen.

Next, Galle Fort was also added up to the World Heritage list for its historical and cultural value. 

It is one of the best preserved 17^th century colonial forts in the world, and substantial renovations inside the fort are strictly forbidden.

Another interesting site to talk about is the Elephant Orphanage that we have in Pinnawala, Kandy. The Orphanage was established to feed, nurse ,and house young elephants abandoned by their mothers and displaced from their natural environment by development projects. Most of the orphans cannot be introduced back into the wild, as other elephant family groups will not accept them. They enjoy a good life with their human parents, and many find good foster homes in zoos around the world. It is more interesting to visit an Orphanage during feeding or bathing time. Many tourists visit to see the performances of the baby elephants. Elephant orphanages are rarely built around in countries, which is why this place is really special.

Finally, Kandy, mainly known as the second city of the island, is a beautiful historical city in the citadel of the country. It was independently ruled by great kings for 225 years, but in 1815, the British came and took over it. The Sacred Tooth of the Lord Buddha was laid in a magnificent temple located in the city. The incomparable Perahera celebration, a procession of more than 100 elephants, is held here every August. Kandy is also famous for its tea cultivation.

I would like to conclude by saying that Sri-Lanka has become famous for a few other things. They export a wonderful tea known as “Ceylon Tea. In 1996, the national Cricket team won and brought fame to the countr. Sri-Lanka has its own marvelous beaches where tourists come to admire and see the beauty of nature. There are wide forests and also vast mountain areas.

I am happy to give some facts about my country and share about them with you. Being the only Sri-Lankan at CUK gives me pride and I am always proud to be a Sri-Lankan.

 

by  Siumie Dassanaike 

Cloud 9 Party

'CLOUD 9' was indeed first of its kind. Do you know the meaning of ''Cloud 9''? It is about happiness, the highest level of happiness to be exact. It was a wonderful day filled with so much excitement both on the part of the professors, TA's and the students. Almost everyone dressed in white. The event was well-planned and organized. For my better stay in CUK, I will say that this is the first and best GEO social evening I have attended with all the levels on the same day. It was in a more spacious environment (the gym). 

                               

Everything started with the decoration team headed by Kerwin and the food team headed by Karla and Lia. Both the food and decoration teams did a wonderful job; as all of these were just perfect; the whole place was lighted and the food in abundance. And at 7.30, the main door of the Gym was opened with some of the TA’s like Bella, Raphi, Raizza, Jinu giving out the mission cards to the students. 

Later our host Kerwin gave us a big surprise as some of our TA's performed the Gangnam Style dance. This blew my mind and even that of the students, that our diligent TA;s could even dance even more than PSY and his dancers. Wow! If you are interested in the dance steps just contact, TA’s: Juliette, Dan. Lia, Jinu. Kerwin, Boram . 

Father Justin is already interested as after the party he was asking for the dance steps from Jinu who is willing to teach him. 

I cannot wait for another social evening. 

Another striking activity was when the students were asked to be fashion designers within five minutes and they should dress someone who would be their model and parade in front of everyone with newspapers. It was so amazing that class 2-1 had such a great idea with their model looking like Mickey Mouse. Congrats to class 2-1. Hey guys, for those of you who couldn't make it on that day do not regret a lot for there will be another social evening coming up in November. Be prepared for it is going to be amazing. 

I will also use this opportunity to say a big thank you to ILEC, Prof Nico and Corien, all the professors and guest, all the KTAs and FTA's. And the students without you the even would not have been a success.

                           

by Bella Bessem

Best lessons from your family (Student's Blog)

Five of the students of Prof. Peter (Class 1-3) share their insights and experiences on what are the best lessons you can get from your family.


Student's Entry #1

The best lesson that my parents ever taught me is: "Haste makes waste."

I am very impetuous. So often I ask for impossible request from my parents. For example, even though I have enough money, I ask my mother for more money.

When my mother is working on something, she says "please wait! After I finish my work, I will send money to your bankbook"

But I always don't wait and bother my mother more. Then my mother gets angry and she shouts to me "I will never send any money to you!" After I heard my mother shouting, I also shout back "why?!!!" As a result, we end up fighting and she never gives money to me.

On the other hand, if I respond calmly and say: “Okay mom, I will wait." Then there is no reason for us to fight and she gives me what I want. I realized that not being in haste can lead to happy endings. It means, if I don't haste, I get good result.

Therefore my motto is "Haste makes waste".

by You Seung Eun

Student's Entry #2

I have a near relative who graduated from University. When I entered a University, she told me to enjoy my college life. When I was a freshman, there was no need to study hard. But she said that "You must play little and also study English hard." 

Nowadays, it is important to learn English to get employed; I also need to study English too. My grandmothers used to say she always thinks that my behavior is right. I know that it is because she loves me very much. When I was young, she always praised me about what I am doing. In addition, my mother said, "Whatever you do, do your best." This advice was very impressive to me. Therefore I believe myself and always do my best.

by Park Sung Hee

Student's Entry #3

When I was young, I was on a national taekwondo team. Every day, I practiced taekwondo very hard. But, suddenly my parent said, “Are you still doing taekwondo? You should study instead of doing Taekwondo!”　So I had started to study. But unfortunately, I could not pass university entrance exam. At that time, I was desperate. So I asked my teacher for some advice. “What can I do? I’m not good at studying. I don't know what to do!” Then my teacher said to me. “You can do it. Just don’t give up!” 

Because of what she said to me, I didn't give up studying and kept studying hard.

As a result I could pass the exam successfully.

Now, I realized that ‘don’t give up’ means ‘success!’

by Jeong Hyun Kyo

Student's Entry #4

I was 11 years old, when my homeroom teacher gave me an assignment. The topic of the assignment was to set a motto for ourselves. He wanted all of us students to have our own motto. That was the first time I thought about my motto.

When I went home that day, I thought about it very seriously. But I had no idea what my motto would be, so I asked my father for help. I said “Father, my teacher gave me an assignment but, I don’t know what I should do. It is so difficult for me to understand.” Then, he advised me: “Hun Seong, your grandfather always said to me ‘that you can do things by yourself’.” And he recommended me to remember this motto too. He also, wanted me to do all the things by myself. From that time to now days, my father always encourages me to do everything on my own.

So from now on, my motto is ‘I CAN DO IT’, anything in my life, I know that there is nothing that I cannot do.

by Cho Hon Seung

Student's Entry #5

My father always emphasizes the need of one's effort. So, my family tries very hard to produce good results. If I do my best, it will have a positive influence on me regardless of the results. My father thinks that doing my best is the most important thing. Therefore, I work harder for myself regardless of bad outcomes.

I remember the second lesson in my life. When I was in high school, I talked about my worries with my friend. Then my friend advised to me. She said, "Even though you don't like to do something, you should do it."

As a result, whenever I face some hardships, I do my best to overcome those difficulties.

by Moon Ji Yeon

BILK (Because I Love Korean) Field Trip

For 3 consecutive semesters now, I have been a member of the group called BILK (Because I Love Korean). Basically, it is an exclusive group for foreign students living in South Korea who are studying in the Catholic University and staying in the in-campus dormitory.  BILK is facilitated by the dormitory management. The members are current students from various countries such as: The Philippines, U.S.A. Indonesia, Thailand, France, Nepal, India, Japan, Taiwan and China. The members are divided into groups of 4 or more people and are assigned one Korean mentor. The groups meet on a weekly basis and together we learn useful and basic Korean sentences, phrases and words that we could use on a day to day basis in our 2 year stay here in Korea.

As BILK members, the highlight of the semester is when we go out on a field trip. For this semester we went to Yangpyeong. It is a 2-3 hour bus ride from the school.  Last October 20, Saturday, we assembled at 8:15 in the morning in front of the IH Building and around 8:30 we left for Yangpyeong in 2 chartered buses.

When we finally reached Yangpyeong, our first stop is Yangsuri, the upper region of the Han River. Yangsuri is often used as set for movies because of its picturesque scenery. We went for a 1 hour walk and enjoyed the cool weather. After taking a walk we then went to Sanse Art Gallery to have lunch. There, we saw a traditional Korean house and a small cozy café. The place had a really nice ambiance. They served a delicious home cooked meal consisting of hot sticky rice, grilled pork, salad, some sausages and of course a Korean meal wouldn’t be complete without Kimchi! After eating and resting we then had another bus ride to go to our final destination, the Yongmunsa Temple. The Yongmunsa Temple is somewhat on top of a hill or a small mountain. We hiked for 30 minutes (or so I think it was but it felt longer) before we reached the top. On our way we passed by many streams and took lots of photos. When we reached the top, aside from the temples we saw Asia’s largest ginko tree. The tree is about 200 ft high and about 15 ft in diameter. It is believed to be around 1100 years old!  We were also instructed to drink the water coming from the small fountain because legend has it that drinking it will make you smarter! Of course we didn’t pass up on the chance of becoming smarter. The water was really fresh, cold and sweet. It was definitely a refreshing drink. Afterwards, we hiked back down because we need to leave the area by 4:00 in the afternoon.

Everyone was generally satisfied from the trip. We all took hundreds of photos! What made this trip extra special was because it was fall. It was a nice sight to see the leaves changing colors and falling down from the trees. Living in a tropical country like the Philippines, we do not usually get to see trees filled with red or yellow leaves. That is why fall is my favorite season of all. I am now looking forward for next semester’s (my last T_T) field trip! 

- by Karla Patricia Colmenar

Beginnings

Mid-term exams are finally over.  This means, we have all survived almost 2 months of being away from our loved ones.  For some this might mean as nothing special, but for others, like me, it’s quite the opposite.  For me, I look at it as an accomplishment.  I was able meet and know wonderful friends that I will forever treasure.

Looking back, it was only on the 27^th of August, where all the TAs gathered around and first met along with the professors that we would all be working with at the Global Lounge.  It was rather awkward at first because for some reason, we have yet to know everyone inside.  The newbies, like me and a couple of friends were given the chance to introduce ourselves to the group.  During that night, we were assigned to tasks we would be doing – some of us were assigned to do English Clinic and Clubs, one was assigned to being a CUK reporter while the rest of us would be Class TAs, and given the chance to interact with the group alongside the professor whom we would be working with.  Nobody knew then on how things would go and how friendship would be built towards each and every one of us.

In the middle of the first half of the semester, things have gotten more interesting.  As we see the faces almost every day and somehow in its own little way had the chance to bond with the other FTA’s.  Sometimes, I would be reminded by the saying “it’s not where you are; it’s who you’re with”, and would agree to that quote.  When I think of it, with them, I feel rather warm and happy.  They somehow, however they manage to do it, makes me (or maybe even you) forget the homesickness that a person might rather feel if they are on their own in a foreign country.

Bonding moments with them usually happens when we least expect them.  It usually happens when we don’t plan them.  Most of the time one person would suggest that we go outside our dorms and hang in front of the IH building and talk about whatever things we would want to blab out.  Other times movie moments work.  Sometimes a couple of friends and I would agree on a day (or not even set a day at all) on when to watch a movie.  

Somehow, in that way we bond in our own little way and create a memory worth remembering.  There are also times where we would coordinate on what we’d be wearing – one of my favorites would be this picture of us Filipinos together:

What we have built for some time now is rather an amazing treasure to me.  Like I said, I find it an accomplishment because I know having a friends like them is definitely one of a kind.  They are like precious gems – hard to find yet worth looking for.  

Going back to the fact that mid-terms are over, this also means one thing.  That is, we’ve only got half the semester left before we have a long break again.  For some it would mean going back to their respective countries while for others, it means one semester has been survived.  Birthdays, holidays, and school and work days may have come and gone but at the end of the day, it’s not how you did it that counts.  It’s the what you did and the friends that you made that matters and most of all the memories that you spent together and the magic where fate made us meet them, maybe not in the country where we came from but in Korea.