Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, one of the Honorary Ambassadors for Studying in Korea

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"Give It A Try" to adapt yourself to Korean Life
Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, Honorary Ambassadors for Studying in Korea


By Jeon Joo-hee, Tribune Reporter

 

 

 

 On March 22nd, Mai (Senior, Dept. of Economics) became one of the Honorary Ambassadors for Studying in Korea selected by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, which chose only 25 students from foreign students all over the country for the first time this year in order to attract international students and support them. 
  

 When I first met her on May 3rd, I was surprised at how beautiful she was. She wore her hair in a bob-type style and had a big, pretty smile. Her full name in Vietnamese is ‘Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai’ but her friends just call her Mai.

 Five years have passed since she came from Vietnam to Chonnam National University (CNU) under the international program provided by Hanoi University. She majored in Korean language at Hanoi University. So, she could become accustomed more easily to new circumstance in Korea than other foreign students. During that time, she met many friends and experienced many things that she had never experienced in Vietnam. She seemed to adapt herself perfectly to Korean life. She said, “I could have diverse experiences every day because Korea and CNU always give new things to me.”

 However, her life in Korea was not always easy. She said, “Although I studied Korean before, I could not understand lectures fully because classes were given only in Korean.” How did she solve the problem? She answered, “I solved the problem by taking classes that had same contents but were offered in English. I could understand the classes better by listening to the same contents in two languages. In addition, she had trouble getting along with people. It is difficult for her to make new friends. Unlike Vietnam where people have respect for others’ privacy, Korean people think it important to share their lives with each other. This problem has been solved as time goes by. Having lived in Korea for so long, she has felt Koreans’ affection. She advises other foreign students to, “Give it a try.” This attitude made her comfortable with all things such as cultural differences, human relationships, her major and so on.  

 

 

 CNU recognized her ability as an honorary ambassador of CNU and recommended her to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology as an Honorary Ambassadors for Studying in Korea. As an honorary ambassador for studying in Korea, she should make an effort to improve foreign students’ life in Korea by having continuous meetings and making suggestions with other ambassadors for one year. She might not become an honorary ambassador for studying in Korea without having many lessons from international students at CNU and domestic students who want to study in a foreign country. She said, “This program is the first attempt, so I will face many difficult situations. But, I want to give back as much as I received from Korea. I want to help promote international exchanges in Korea.” During the interview, I was impressed by her advice not to avoid problems but to try to confront them, and to take your chances. And I discovered a good way to study abroad and how to adapt myself to new situations successfully.

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