총 44페이지

Eye of The Argus
Once-in-a-lifetime Experience
ByJeonNu-ri
EditorialConsultant
scratchedonethingoffofmybucketlistayearago.Livinginanothercountryasanexchangestudent
has always been on my list ever since I started to learn foreign languages. The reasons I craved this
experiencewereratherabstractandvague?italljustseemedcoolandnicetospendnormaldaysinan
exoticland,hangoutwithforeignfriendsandtravelallaroundtheworld.AfterIlivedinGermanyforhalfa
year,however,Irealizedthattherewassomuchmore.WhatIgotandlearnedasanexchangestudentgoes
far beyond my superficial expectations. Friends who were exchange students before me always exhausted
all their rhetoric to describe “life’s happiest time.” I could not understand them, but now I am one of the
“exchangestudentexperienceenthusiasts.”
Most importantly, I developed my problem-solving skills. I learned how to behave in an unexpected and
frustratingsituation.IoncemissedmytrainandtheexpressbustoPragueduetoadelayinthesubway.Ihad
thoughtIwouldpanic,butIdidnot.Instead,Iexplainedthesituationwithpoiseandgothelpfromthestation
staff.Ihavebeenthroughalotofotherincidents?Imissedmyplaneandstayedupallnightattheairport,
Iwaspickpocketedonthestreet,butIscreamedandchasedthethievesandeventuallygotmywalletback.
I once even took a little revenge on racists on the street. I could not have acknowledged my inner strength
and hidden boldness if I had not gotten out of my comfort zone. When you live a monotonous routine in a
familiarenvironment,youdonothavemuchopportunitytochallengeyourself.“Stability”hasalwaysbeen
mytoplifemotto,butIbecamea“newme”withaspiritofadventure.
I got to meet all kinds of people and came across varied ways of life. I was deeply impressed, especially
bymyGermanbuddyElizabeth.Sheisnotafraidofchange.ShestudiedinEnglandandFranceandisthus
fluentinbothEnglishandFrench.Asgreatasherpassionforlanguageis,sheisalsoreallyintophotography
and painting. Based on her interests, she is constantly moving toward her dream of becoming a marketing
designer. Besides her, I encountered various people in diverse situations, and every one of them gave me a
refreshingperspectiveontheworld.Byhavingconversationswithforeigners,mylinguisticskillsimproveda
lot,ifnottothelevelofanativespeaker.
Therearevalidreasonsholdingcollegestudentsbackfromleaving.Somemayworryaboutthehighcost,
some are not sure whether they can adapt themselves well to new surroundings, and others are already
juniorsorseniorswhoseheadsarefullofconcernsasjobapplicants.Ilikewisehadmyownworriesbefore
I started off on this journey, but now all I want to say is, “It’s worth it!” Just escape from the deepest of
pressures and take some time only to focus on yourself. If you are lucky, you will discover what you truly
desire. At the very least, you will have joyful memories that will feed your soul for the rest of your life. If
youaresadorboredortired,alittlechangecangoalongway.IhopethisCoronaeracomestoanendas
soonaspossiblesothatstudentscanflytowherevertheywant.
wjssnfl10@hufs.ac.kr
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www.theargus.org

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