Aichurok Ybyraimova: “I wanted see the world from a different perspective”

May 23, 2016

Aichurok Ybyraimova, a junior in the Sociology department at AUCA, is now finishing her exchange semester at Hannam University, South Korea. Here, she shares with us a few of her experiences living in Korea, tidbits about Korean culture, and reasons to apply for an exchange program.

“Annyeonghaseyo from South Korea!

Right now, I am in South Korea spending my spring semester at Hannam University in Daejeon – a two hour drive from Seoul. It’s already been a month-and-a-half since I arrived in South Korea. In a relatively short time, I have been lucky enough to explore Daejeon, a city of advanced science and the fifth largest metropolis in South Korea. I was also able to explore Busan, the cultural, educational and economic center of the southeast and the largest port city in South Korea. South Korea is a big country, so I am still planning on traveling to Tongyeong city, another beautiful and historical port city, and Geoje Island, famous for its gorgeous coasts. Of course, I’ll also be making my way to Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and Kwangju-Si, the hometown of the famous Seungri, a member of the Korean boy band Bigbang.

I decided to study abroad in Korea for a couple of reasons. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and experience something new. I spend most of my time with my family in Bishkek and so I haven’t devoted a lot of my brainspace to keeping up the household or managing money. However, living abroad, far from my family, I have had to step out of my comfort zone and take some responsibility.

Another reason I traveled to Korea was to experience East Asian culture and to learn more about one of the fastest growing developed countries. South Korea has been referred to as Miracle on the river Han because, while having almost no natural resources and experiencing poverty during the Korean War, it has quickly developed in the past few decades.

Due to the increasing popularity of Korean culture – the “Korean wave” – I was already familiar with a few Korean cultural texts. For my class on social deviance at AUCA last semester, I wrote a research paper on plastic surgery among young Kyrgyz girls and society’s perception of it. One perspective on the study noted the influence of materials from Korean pop culture in which celebrities who underwent plastic surgery were positively accepted by society. The social construction beauty is one of the most interesting topics for me. I think South Korea is a good example of how ideas of beauty shape people’s behavior, actions and attitudes toward plastic surgery. I have always had an interest in Korean culture, especially because of their reputation of being a culture of respect. Right now, I am learning Korean, and I find its different levels of formality and honorifics very interesting. I have Korean friends who help me learn Korean, and I help them with their English. There is an exchange of language and knowledge that accompanies our good times out at Korean restaurants and traditional bars!

Korean food is delicious, especially my favorite, Tteokbokki, made from sweet and spicy sauce and rice cakes. One of the most shocking things about South Korean culture, is the very open attitude people have towards alcohol. During a party with professors and students from Hannam University, the Korean students would bluntly introduced themselves, “Hello! My name is so and so. If you want to drink with me, you can Kakao me anytime.” (Kakao is a popular Korean messaging app.) As a matter of fact, I like this attitude towards drinking; drinking is associated with being “okay”--totally different from Kyrgyz culture.

Another reason I applied for this exchange program was to see the world from a different perspective. One of the courses I am taking now is “Multicultural Perspectives.” We talk in particular about how Asian Americans’ identities are socially constructed and shaped by both Whites and Asians. I find this course very interesting and something that we can apply to the peoples of Central Asia.

I think it would be great if Hannam University offered scholarships for exchange students from Kyrgyzstan like they do for students from other countries. At the end of the day, I want to thank AUCA for giving me the opportunity to study in South Korea. I also want to thank my professors from the Sociology department, Aykokul Arzieva and Mehrigiul Ablezova, for their support and encouragement. A special thanks is also due to Jae Chang Lee who provided me with a scholarship to do the exchange program.”

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