Chonnam Tribune will offer the story of a global internship experience as a series through a guest reporter who is participating in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s internship program in Washington D.C. this semester, with stories of the exchange students’ activities from this issue.


Girls, Be Strong!


By Jung Su-kyung, Foreign Correspondent


“Su-kyung, I am taking one class. It’s so much fun! We learn how to fight back and defend ourselves in dangerous situations. We share our stories. The class is only for women!” “Oh, the class sounds so interesting!” I registered for the class. My teacher, Renata was such an energetic woman who kept a smile on her face and was full of confidence. “Hi, girls. Today, we are learning some skills such as kicking, grasping, falling and a hip-thrust throw.” Oh my god! It looks so difficult.

I am afraid of getting hurt ,but everybody tried hard to learn. At the end, we were really enjoying it. I felt like I could fight any strong man. In addition, we learned the importance of setting plans and goals, and following them. At the end of the class, we shared our stories and gave presentations about what we learned in this class. One girl confessed her experience when she was raped and some cried by talking about how they have got over hardships and gained confidence through this class. It was a special class for every woman, giving them important lessons: Confidence and Dreams for Women.

 

 


Show Your Own Best in My Class at Least


By Kim Hyeon-ji, Foreign Correspondent
 
 

I had the opportunity to take the greatest class, ‘General Business 4 (GB4)’ at the University of Winnipeg (UW) in Canada. While living there, I used to think about how I wanted to contribute to a global society. Therefore, I chose the business class so that I could see where we were in the world. In the first class, the professor of GB4 said, “I want that all my students show their own best in my class, at least.” Her saying made me completely inspired. She explained how her lectures would be conducted.

All of the students in the GB4 class should make several groups to have a group discussion. One day, my professor gave us a take-home examination. Its subject was how a foreign enterprise is successful in foreign countries. All of my classmates discussed the topic. As we knew it would count in our own grade, all of us tried to exchange our thoughts about the topic. I did not have a clear answer about the exam topic at all. However, I could make my view about it not only through professor’s explanation, but also through our interaction in the discussion.
 



Interesting Classes at Osaka National University


By Rhee Eun-jeong, Foreign Correspondent


Osaka National University (ONU) has many English speaking exchange programs for foreign students, such as Regular Exchange Program OUSSEP and OUSSEP-Maple. In the OUSSEP programs, foreign students from all over the world learn Japanese and about Japan in English. In addition, I would like to introduce two very interesting classes: 'Joy of Doing Math' and 'Media and Communication in Japan'. When you hear the name of the class, 'Joy of Doing Math', some would imagine complicated formulas and math signs.

However, students get an assignment with quizzes that are not complicated but rather tricky and fun to solve. In the classroom we are allowed to share our own ways to solve the quizzes and when we cannot figure it out, the professor gives us some hints. 'Media and Communication in Japan' is the class about Japanese media and its history. It is very interesting to learn about changes in the media environment after World War II, for there are some similarities between Korean and Japanese media. If you get the chance to participate in the OUSSEP programs, I strongly recommend you to take these classes.

 


**Global Internship Experience

 

First Step toward a Global Society

 

By Na Chan-ho, Guest Reporter

Getting a job is already very competitive and learning English is very important for this reason. As a person who likes studying English and challenging things that people feel reluctant to give a shot, I had always dreamed of working in the U.S. to brush up on my English skills and to experience the American working atmosphere in person. In order to have an internship opportunity in Washington D.C. which is the city where I can live my dreams, I applied for the Global Internship Program in Washington D.C., which is supported by CNU.


The first procedure was to pass the interview test hosted by the International Center at CNU. Passing the first interview was just the beginning of the procedure. I had to prepare for the second interview with American companies that were interested in me as an intern. Some companies required an essay, a resume and letters of recommendations from professors. It was very complicated to prepare these documents.

Because of my interest in the financial sector, I got job offers from Merrill Lynch, Financial Service Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Among them, I decided to intern with the fundraising team at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. When I arrived at Reagan National Airport, I could not understand what Americans were sayings. I decided to make friends with Americans rather than being a stranger in this new world.
 

The first day, when I started to work in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, I could not adjust myself to the new working atmosphere. For me, wearing a suit made me feel heavily burdened. It was difficult to feel that I should communicate with people only in English all the time. However, I reestablished my resolution and decided to be a crucial member regardless of my nationality.
 

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