Gulnaza Khalmanbetova: "It is a great university and great country"

April 9, 2016

Gulnaza Khalmanbetova, from the Business Administration department (BA-113) at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA), is currently studying at Kyung Hee University in South Korea. Gulnaza shares with us her experiences and anecdotes from her South Korean exchange program.

“Right now, I am spending my exchange semester (spring 2016) in the South Korean university of Kyung Hee. I arrived here one month ago. The university is located in Suwon, a forty minute drive from Seoul.

The main reason I applied for the exchange program was to make university life more interesting. I realised, as a junior, and it was my last chance to apply for an exchange program. I wanted to immerse myself in a different community and experience a new culture. Since I have been to the east, I decided to choose an east-asian country. AUCA offered exchange programs to a few South Korean universities. I thought of Korean dramas, PSY, ramen and decided to try to apply to Kyung Hee University. Luckily I made it through the application process and now I am here!

My first few days in South Korea were full of adventure. I arrived at my university in the evening, and before going to sleep I had the chance to meet some girls from different counties and exchange kakao IDs (since most Korean people use “kakao talk,” essentially a Korean What’sApp, I had to create Kakao ID to be able to chat with them). The very next day we went into Seoul. Despite the fact that none of us spoke Korean, we still really wanted to see the city. We googled the route and finally got to Seoul. Then we got lost. Since most Korean people don't speak english, we had to practice our pantomime to explain that we were lost and needed to find a way home. This was a new experience for me. I have never been to a country where people only speak a language I don't know. I would advise students who want to apply to the exchange programs in South Korea to learn at least a few basic Korean words.

Not better, not worse, just different. Korean culture is very remarkable for its patience. The university campus is enormous, which is why I need to take a bus to my building every day. In Kyrgyzstan there are always big crowds at the bus stop and most people do not abide by the queue. Here in Korea, every morning the bus line might be up to 100-150 meters long and still people patiently wait their turn, even if they are late for class.

The other interesting fact about Korean culture is that it is absolutely OK for youth (including students) to get so drunk that they cannot even stand up. It is absolutely different in Kyrgyzstan, isn't it? They say “if you want to become friends with Koreans - drink soju with them”. One more thing that caught my attention: mirrors are everywhere (even in the toilet cabin). I think this is because almost everyone (including some boys) wears make up.

So far, I have noticed only one similarity between Korean and Kyrgyz culture: respect for the elderly. Young people generally give their seat up to older people. Also, there are many young couples in my city and most of them like to hold hands while walking. Out of respect, these couples do not hold each other’s hands in front of elderly people.

Studying here is fun. The system is almost same as in our university. There are many departments at Kyung Hee University, so any AUCA student would be able to find classes in their department. If you want to apply to Kyung Hee University, don't be afraid of not finding your classes. I have heard from graduate students that it is possible to receive a scholarship from the university for a Master’s or PhD. Most of the graduate students I met were on scholarship. If you are planning to apply for the exchange or further education, this is a good university to consider.

Overall it is a great university and great country!

In conclusion, I would like to thank the US Central Asia Education Foundation for supporting me throughout my university career, AUCA for creating these kinds of opportunities for us, and  Jae Chang Lee for the scholarship to study abroad.”

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