Baimagambetova Z.M / Zhanat Zh.
Nyssanbekova L.B / Zhassulan D.M
Kookmin Review Guest Reporter

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University is one of the leading universities of Kazakhstan, which is located in Almaty, the country's largest city. It was found in 1934 and offers 82 bachelor degree programs. The program of Academic Mobility based on cooperation between Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and Kookmin University, has allowed many students of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University to study in Seoul. Let's listen to two students, Dana and Saltanat, who have studied at Kookmin University for 4 months in the spring semester of 2017: 

Dana: The thing I love the most about Korea, is the food. You can go any average restaurant in Seoul, and you can have Korean comfort foods like 'kimchi jjigae’ and ‘seolleongtang’ to make you feel like you grew up with your very own Korean grandma. It is also affordable for everyone; you can get lunches and dinners for 6,000 won. Plus, Korean food is very wellbalanced with a good amount of vegetables and meat in every meal. Living in Korea will change your diet for the better.
In terms of transportation in Seoul, it is very affordable. The 1,050 won (approximately 300 tenge) base fare is the envy of commuters in other major cities with more expensive public transportation systems. Plus, public transportation in Seoul is super convenient. You can get around pretty much every corner of Seoul by relying only on subways and buses. Public transportation is also very safe in Korea. 
Frankly, living in Korea, I became spoiled by super fast internet speeds. And in practical terms, that equals downloading large music albums, movies and programs in minutes and sometimes even less (when downloading from Korea-based servers). But more than speed, you will love the fact that you are always connected. Busses, subways and high speed trains all have wifi. You can also go to the many cafes that offer their wifi for free, or even latch on to the plethora of unprotected free public wifi spots. 
Definitely, I can say that the time in Korea, especially in Seoul at Kookmin University was great! I have made so many friends with whom I still keep in touch with. I liked everything there, beginning with Korean culture and culminating in Korean food. And if I have a chance to visit this country again, I would be sure to take advantage of it. I would like to thank my university for the given opportunity and Kookmin University for such a priceless experience. 

Saltanat: Thanks to my alma mater, I studied in the 2nd year through the Academic Mobility program in South Korea, at Kookmin University. Here in Korea, education, the techniques of teaching and the relationship of students to the process of training differ greatly from our university. I have been surprised and of course, all of this was quite pleasant for me. 
First, curriculums are not strictly regulated, and students are allowed to independently choose those subjects which they consider necessary for studying. With pleasure, I chose subjects which I would like to study, and it was even possible to choose subjects that were not in my specialty or major. 
Second, the majority of subjects do not have seminars. Only lectures are given; for example: The professor's conversation with students in which one acts as the moderator; offers a discussion for the necessary course, asks questions, explains the difficult moments with very simple words or give command projects. 
Besides intellectual development, the university provides a set of other ways to realize oneself. During the first week before classes, throughout the whole campus, there were booths where representatives of various student's clubs were located. Fishing, rock-climbing, martial arts, playing various musical instruments, excursions, foot walks to mountains, soccer, basketball, and tennis were only a small part of those activities in which you were offered to try. 

In conclusion, it is important to say thanks to the Academic Mobility program, where as students, we can broaden our experience by living and studying abroad for a period of time in order to widen our academic horizons and thereby lead us to reappraise our goals to include postgraduate study. We view Academic Mobility today as an educational exchange, as a prerequisite for sharing knowledge, where we can build intellectual capital and the ability to remain competitive in a globalized world.