The Chonnam Tribune has published this page to share the voices of foreign students at Chonnam National University. For this issue, we interviewed new international students about starting fresh to study abroad and what they look forward to during their university lives. We could listen to voices of students from various nations and majoring in diverse fields. -Ed.

Q: How do you accommodate yourself to a new environment?
A: It is easy to get homesick when you go to a new environment away from your home. Connecting with the Vietnamese community at Chonnam National University and in Gwangju helped me get good advice on living in this city. Learning Korean was another important part of adapting. The Korean language is an essential part of everyday life like going to the convenience store or eating at a restaurant. I think it is easy to adapt to the new environment after learning the local language and culture.

Q: What were some troubles you had after coming to Korea?
A: It took me a lot of time to adapt to the cold weather in Korea which is very different from Vietnam. Thus, at first, I got sick quite often. To solve this problem, I visited the Healthcare Center in the Student Union 1 Building to get medical treatment. However, now I am used to the cold weather and rarely get sick.

Q: What do you want to achieve while you study at CNU?
A: Primarily, I want to master the Korean language and fully understand Korean culture. I also want to get intense knowledge about business and economics. With this knowledge, I hope that I can find a good internship program in Korea. Most importantly, I want to enjoy my university life with friends while doing many student club activities.

By Han Seung-hwan, Editor