Jessica Banna: Chung Ang International Summer Program, South Korea

Jessica Banna, Computer Science
Chung Ang International Summer Program, South Korea (August 2014)

I joined the program offered by International Office because I wanted to find out how it felt studying abroad and to be far from family since I was planning to take my Master Degree abroad. Therefore, I hoped to gain some international experience by joining this program. I took the summer course in Korea because I had been interested in Korean culture for a long time and learning their language from the native speakers. Furthermore, I had always dreamed to share about Indonesia to the world.

The summer program was fantastic and it ran well and smoothly. People were still very nice even though we could not communicate well because of the language barrier. I also made a lot of international friends whom I still keep in touch with until now. I learned many things inside and outside the class. In class, I learned about Korean language, culture, history, and food. But the most important lesson I got came from outside the class. Many times after class, I hung out with students from other countries including Korea, which gave me a chance to learn many different cultures. Living there for three weeks made me brave enough to speak Korean and English although my Korean was so poor.

I think students who have the opportunities should try to join the programs offered by the International Office because it will give them some unforgettable international experience and a chance to make international friends.