In the third year of my graduate school, I joined the student exchange program to Ewha Womans University. Founded in 1886 by Mary F. Scranton under Emperor Gojong, Ewha Womans University is the first female university in South Korea, and it has a pretty campus which is also a historically famous location for sightseeing. Ewha Womans University is located in downtown Seoul, which makes it very convenient for transportation and everyday life. There are many stores around the school, such as restaurants, cosmetics stores, clothing shops, markets, and so on. I don’t need to worry about what to eat whenever I am hungry because there are always food stands nearby. Exchange students are offered dormitories. The facilities of the dorms are very complete. For example, there are a computer room, a study room, a kitchen, a laundry room and even a gym. The rooms are fully equipped with heaters, ACs and with independent bathrooms, and balconies.

I have stayed in Korea for a while. I’m getting used to life here. There is not much difference when compared to life in Taiwan, but the prices are much higher and this is the most difficult for me to adapt. Most of Korean food has strongly flavors. My favorite is bulgogi, a kind of beef cuisine. The subway system in Seoul is very complicated because it has many lines and branches. But don’t worry about that, the signs in the subway are very clear for passengers. The signs are in four languages: Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese. That’s why I seldom get lost in the subway.

Ewah Womans University offers many courses taught in English especially for international students. As for Korean classes, which are divided into two sessions, Academic Korean and Practice Korean, I take Academic Korean. There are about 15 people from different countries in the Korean class. It’s such a small class that everyone can practice Korean a lot with other classmates during the class, which is a good method to learn a new language. I also take General Chemistry with the local students of the Department of Chemistry. The students in Ewha pay attention to the professor very carefully in class. Almost none of them plays cell phones, takes naps or does something else in class. When they have problems, they ask questions immediately. Sometimes if the professor accidentally writes something wrong on the board, they correct it right away. The professor of General Chemistry is conscientious and friendly to exchange students. The lecture is abundant.  I’m glad to take his course.

        Before I came to Korea, I was really nervous about entering the lab of Ewha. I was afraid I couldn’t get along well with the members in the lab. I was afraid that I wasn’t understood by the classmates. But now in the lab, everyone is very friendly and easy-going. When I run into some questions, they explain to me very patiently. Even if I’m not familiar with this field, I found that they do experiments rigorously and waste nothing. After they finish their own experiments, they always clean up the environment for the next users. That’s why their lab is always clean.

        This is my first time being abroad for such a long time. It’s also the first time I am abroad by myself. I have a great time and really enjoy the life in Ewha. Except for the high prices and dry air, I accommodated myself to life in Korea. I’m very grateful to my advisors, Prof. Chang, and Prof. Kim, the professor of Ewha Womans University, for allowing me to have the chance to be in Ewha. It will be the best memory of my student life.