Being an international student is a wonderful opportunity. It offers you the chance to experience a new culture and broaden your outlook on life. If you are in Korea to experience something genuine, the festival culture of Korean universities may be one of those exciting new cultural opportunities. Putting up big tents around campus and selling food and alcohol and playing games is a scene rather unique to Korean campuses, and you can get a good glimpse of typical Korean gusto from it.

There are, however, challenges to being an international student. When you are new to a campus, the festive atmosphere enjoyed by the local students may seem distant and make you feel even more alone. That is why international students need events that are especially for them. “I Love SNU” was a party for international and Korean students at SNU, designed to offer an opportunity for international and local students to meet each other and enjoy the summer breeze together. It was an outdoor party with drinks, food, games, and picture taking, organized by SNU Student Ambassadors, a group of students who work to make SNU a more global and friendly university.

On the scene, we interviewed Kim Jung-Min (Dept. of International Relations ‘06) and Phillip Park (exchange student from the University of Bonn, Germany), who told us that they met at the party. “I wanted to meet exchange students at SNU but didn’t really know where to turn to,” said Jung-Min. “It’s neat that there is a party like this where you can meet international students casually. I was in Canada as an exchange student last year, and I know that exchange students need parties like this.” Phillip agreed, saying “That is for sure. I have been telling her about all the ordeals I’ve had in Korea and now I feel much better (laughs).”

Whereas there were students like Phillip who were making the most of the party by making new friends, there were also students who seemed already quite comfortable on campus and were enjoying the party as one of the numerous casual events at SNU at which you can drop by and have fun. “You can take a break from your studies through times like these,” said Samuel Strand from Uppsala University, Sweden, who studies computer science. “It’s a lovely campus. You can enjoy a getaway almost whenever you feel like it,” added Samuel. Nathan Johnson from the U.S., meanwhile, was trying on traditional wedding garments. Although he was unsure how he would look in the photo, he seemed quite content just trying on the special clothes.

The party ended a couple of hours later, around 7 in the evening. Many people had dropped by the party and enjoyed the summer’s day, and hopefully it made SNU feel more like home to everybody. It’s true that being an international student at SNU may be a challenge. But there are also events such as this one that are especially for you, to make SNU even more lovable to you.

By CHOI Na Eun, LEE Ye Ha, and SUNG Yun Ju, SNU English Editors
June 5, 2009