It's that time of the year again! Kicking off World Reporter's new chapter with fresh faces & new ideas. Meet the brains behind the screen of Create Your Korea's content. The members were 'interviewed' in a very simple & brief manner with quite personal & informative questions. Keep reading to get to know them more!Q1: How did you first come to Korea?
Yousra: Studying in Korea has been my dream since I was 17~ years old! This past August, I finally got the chance to come here through the GKS scholarship program provided by NIIED.
Rukesh: I was intended to arrive in Korea in August 2020 after receiving the GKS scholarship. Due to the pandemic, I came six months later. Flying to Korea was difficult since the direct flight from my country [Nepal] was halted. But, I finally arrived at Incheon Intl. Airport on March 11th.
Margarita: I came to Korea as a Master’s degree student in 2017.
Q2: Do you have any hobbies?
Yousra: My hobbies are differ depending on my mood! Sometimes, riding a bicycle through a park while listening to music is enough. Other times it's baking homemade bread from scratch or learning a new language! [although currently, I'm too busy struggling with Korean aha..]
Rukesh: Regarding my hobbies, literature, writing, and reading are my main ones. I write poems and stories in Nepalese and English. I tried to write in Korean after learning it, too. Nonetheless, I am still unable to create satisfactory works. Another hobby of mine is traveling. I used to travel a lot when I was in
Nepal. I trekked up to the Himalayas thrice, Annapurna Base camp, Gosaikunda, and Kalinchowk,
all above 4000 meters high!
Margarita: I enjoy traveling a lot and I am grateful that I had the chance to explore most of Korea while studying.
Q3: What motivated you to join the World Reporters program? What do you hope to get from this
experience?
Yousra: I initially heard of the WR program when I was in Algeria but did not sign up until after receiving an email via NIIED for the winter semester recruitment. As someone who enjoys new experiences, I decided to hop on this new adventure, polish my skills and learn new things!
Rukesh: World Reporters allows you to express your experiences and feelings regarding Korea, education,
and culture, which I believe is helpful for future students and others who wish to
come to Korea. Personally speaking, I also get to polish my skills through this program.
Margarita: As the interest in Korea is increasing, I believe that people like me who have been living here for quite some time now can contribute to a better understanding of the country on an international level. In this regard, I hope the info we share through the platform reaches as many people as possible.
Q4: What's your best tip for students coming to Korea for the first time? What was your biggest lesson from living in Korea?
Yousra: Since it hasn't been that long since I arrived in Korea. My best tips [for the moment] include; learning how to read Korean, daily social etiquette, and the Apps you'll need most here! [i.e: Naver map]
Rukesh: The tips that I'd like to share with students are as follows:
Learn the Korean language before coming to Korea. [at least essential Korean].
Check and compare the climate & temperature differences between Korea and your country.
Consider your food habits.
Margarita: My tip would be: don’t be intimidated by cultural differences or language barriers, but dare to dive into your Korean adventure. The most valuable lesson I learned from living in Korea is patience.
Q5: What's your number one fun activity during the weekend?
Yousra: Ouuuh, this is a tough question, but I found it
most fun to visit new places, cities, and attraction sites! [Occassional dinner & Noraebang with friends is also a must to relieve stress!]
Rukesh: There are many activities that can be considered fun.
Karaoke or Norebang along with friends. [Singing songs is the best way to release stress and have fun for me.]
Going to a Korean restaurant and enjoying authentic Korean meals. Especially 삼겹살 [Grilled Pork Belly] for me!
You can enjoy playing sports at your university! I play volleyball at mine, which was helpful for me to make Korean friends.
Margarita: As I mentioned above, I truly enjoy traveling, so during the first year and a half of my studies I spent every weekend in a different Korean city.
Q6: What's your favorite Korean food?
Yousra: My favorite Korean food is 파전 and 호떡! I love fried & crispy food, and these two are the perfect sweet and salty options for my taste palette!
Rukesh: The best Korean Food for me is 삼겹살!. You can cook it yourself and choose the type
of food to accompany it. That time spent with friends is precious as you'll be
talking while cooking.
Fun fact: In Korea, there are many unlimited 삼겹살 refills.
Margarita: As a vegetarian, my choice of Korean foods is rather limited, so I mostly resort to bibimbap.
Q7: What kind of content are you looking forward to sharing with other international students?
Yousra: I am mostly looking forward to sharing personal experiences that are somewhat unique for international students, Halal options for Muslims, and experiences only available in Korea!
Rukesh: The contents I would l would like to share with foreign students are about culture, etiquette, language, universities, education, and traveling!
Margarita: Mostly tips regarding life in Korea as a foreign student.
Q8: Why do you think it's important to build a well-informed foreign students community in Korea?
Yousra: Before coming to Korea, I made a lot of research based on various topics. Had it not been for the content provided by foreigners living here, I wouldn't be able to understand and learn many concepts about living in this society. I found it easier to adapt to day-to-day life here because of my prior research. I'm hoping to give back the same type of guidance I got!
Rukesh: Without this type of information, students would have difficulty here. As I was not well informed about Korea and its system, it was difficult for me. I did not know about anything! Through the well-informed foreign students' community, you can learn more before coming and while living in Korea. The provided information will minimize misunderstandings mainly due to the language barrier.
Margarita: Most often than not, adequate information crucial for successfully living in Korea is limited on official websites of seemingly relevant institutions and foreigners in Korea heavily rely on word of mouth. That is why building a well-informed foreign students community in Korea is vital for everyone involved.
Q9: What are some of the struggles you faced while studying in Korea? How do you hope to help change that for upcoming students?
Yousra: So far, my main struggles with studying in Korea are; the language [especially as a scholarship student, having a time limit to reach a certain level in the TOPIK exam is quite stressful]. Following that, housing in Korea has become a recent struggle of mine [dorms are your safest options as foreigners, but having a roommate can become a nightmare at some point].
Rukesh: The main struggle for me in Korea was the language barrier as I did not learn the language before coming.
The transportation system; I am from a country where we drive oppositely to Korea. So I always get confused. Sometimes I ride on buses going in the opposite direction of my destination! There is also no metro system in my country, making it difficult to adjust to taking it here.
The Food culture; we generally eat vegetables and rice in Nepal. After coming to Korea, I found vegetables and fruits are more expensive than meat! Moreover, we don’t eat beef and pork in my country, so it made it hard to survive... Later, I learned about local markets and shops with less expensive vegetables! Oh, using chopsticks was another struggle here in Korea. However, I'm a chopsticks master now!
Margarita: The time I spent as a student in Korea went pretty smoothly but I was faced with a lot of challenges such as work culture later on. So, I hope to prepare our audience for how to successfully adapt to life h
Q10: Anything else you want to add?
Yousra: Look forward to all the content we're going to be sharing! 열심히 하겠습니다~
Rukesh: I hope my struggle stories will be funny as well as educative to the students reading them~
