Victoria
Junior, Russian Studies Major

My name is Victoria and I am 19 years old. I am an exchange student from Russia. I have been staying in Seoul for more than 7 months. During this period of time I had a chance to get a lot of interesting and useful experiences living abroad without my parents or close friends.
 The first month was very difficult. We didn’t know the city, customs or culture. Our Korean language was very poor and not so many people understood English. It was very hard for us to get around and sometimes hard to order food. Also, it was difficult to eat Korean food, because it was too spicy for us, so we tried to find  places with pictures on the menu or with plastic samples of the food. But anyway, there were more good points than bad points.
 First, one of the best things about Korea is the people. They are very kind and welcoming. Even strangers on the streets are always ready to help with any kind of problem. They are ready not only to show you the place on the map, but also to go there with you, help you buy tickets and so on. Everybody understands your situation, especially people who have been abroad.
 Second, the life here is very interesting. Every day we tried to see as many interesting places as possible. Now I can say that we saw almost all the famous things in Seoul. I liked the places with a panoramic view the most, like Seoul Tower. This place is very impressive, whether you go there in the night or during the day time.

My name is Victoria and I am 19 years old. I am an exchange student from Russia. I have been staying in Seoul for more than 7 months. During this period of time I had a chance to get a lot of interesting and useful experiences living abroad without my parents or close friends.
 The first month was very difficult. We didn’t know the city, customs or culture. Our Korean language was very poor and not so many people understood English. It was very hard for us to get around and sometimes hard to order food. Also, it was difficult to eat Korean food, because it was too spicy for us, so we tried to find  places with pictures on the menu or with plastic samples of the food. But anyway, there were more good points than bad points.
 First, one of the best things about Korea is the people. They are very kind and welcoming. Even strangers on the streets are always ready to help with any kind of problem. They are ready not only to show you the place on the map, but also to go there with you, help you buy tickets and so on. Everybody understands your situation, especially people who have been abroad.
 Second, the life here is very interesting. Every day we tried to see as many interesting places as possible. Now I can say that we saw almost all the famous things in Seoul. I liked the places with a panoramic view the most, like Seoul Tower. This place is very impressive, whether you go there in the night or during the day time.
 During our small trips in Seoul we took a lot of pictures and met new friends from different countries. As we are very young, we were also very interested in Korean night life. We found that there are a lot of different areas for teenagers to have fun. There are many clubs, bars, cafes, movie theaters and so on. You can choose a place according to your mood and plans for the evening, and you can feel very safe and comfortable anywhere, no matter whether it’s a club or a cafe.
 Talking about studying, I think it’s more comfortable than in Russia and not so nervous. We can choose classes according to our interests and hobbies. It’s a very big point that we can make our schedule by ourselves, because we can reserve some free days to do other things. Students are also different. They try to spend a lot of time with their classmates and take breaks all together. I was really surprised when I found out that it’s a very common thing for students to go out to dinner or to drink alcohol with their professors. In my opinion, it’s a very good custom, because you have a chance to become closer with your professor and get some interesting and useful information from him. In Russia we don’t have such an opportunity. Students and professors are always separate. They can only meet in the classroom. I took part in such meetings several times, and the atmosphere was very comfortable. People talked without any stress.
 It’s very sad for me that I have to go back to Russia this summer. I have to study three more years at the university in my native city, but I’m really hopeful that after finishing I will have a chance to continue my education as a post-graduate student here in Seoul.
 
victoriapylova@yandex.ru