Most of high school student in Korea go to university but entering the university was quite different experience to me. I should consider what I want to do in the future, whether I should stay my hometown or not and what university should I register.
When I was in middle school and high school, my dream was becoming an interpreter. I thought it is nice job for being able to make a lot of money, travel around the world and become English expert. So I decided to go HUFS when Korean's SAT was finished. However, it was really challenging. Since I was born in Jeju-do, I've never leaved and stayed in another place, except staying in Seoul about one month, for almost 20 years. My parents also worried about leaving hometown; my father wanted me to stay Jeju. I persuaded him so many times, and finally he let me enter HUFS. I really clearly remember when I leaved Jeju International Airport and the airplane takes me and my mother to Seoul. The airplane departs at 7:00a.m so it was too early to ride an airplane, few people were in there.
When I arrived Gimpo National Airport, first I should go to dormitory and put my stuff there. It was really exciting because I never lived apart from my own family nor stayed in dormitory. When I entered assigned room, my roommate was there and he greeted me. He became my first friend here but actually, later I know that, after staying with him, he wasn't such a nice person. He played a game late at night so I couldn't sleep well, smoking inside of room and even stole my coat. The memory of my first living in dormitory was exciting but my first roommate was terrible.
Attending to lecture which allows student to use only English was really made me feel both nervous and excited. Nervous feeling came first that I didn't have enough confidence in speaking and writing in English. I felt like I can't speak well, write well and even get fine grade. After being present at class many times however, I realize that I can improve myself with effort; studying hard. Soon I enjoyed my class and had fun with it.
Most of all, loneliness was the hardest thing I should get over. No friends and families in Seoul, no places I know and terrible roommate. There is so many hard time I wanted to go back to Jeju; especially my 21th birthday. My emotion was the worst and even no one called me for birthday celebration. I really wanted to give up everything and go my hometown.
Although many years have passed since I entered University, I still have difficulty leaving apart from my own family but many things are quite different from before getting into it. Through my stay in dormitory, I learned about a group life, including consideration and become selfless. Above all, I realized how much my family is important.
Adding your backgrounds details helps other readers and I be easier to understand why your experience in choosing university is different from other candidates and why it is so difficult for you to stay in Seoul. For instance, you mentioned you are form Jeju Island and you have only left Jeju once for 20 years. Moreover, it is good that you did not just write under your point of view only but also included how your parents felt and thought in the paragraph of decision-making of whether you should leave or not.
ReplyDeleteI have the similar feeling with you. As I am not a korean,I understand the unfamiliar school life without friends is very very hard. I think the beginning is nice that it gives me a general concept of what the following content is about. And the tense use is also appropriate, simple past for the past memory and in last paragraph use present tense for decribing the feelings now. I would like to know little bit more about the experience in dormitory or in lecture so as to make the readers feel more real about the difficulty you have had, such as giving one example of a event.
ReplyDeletePangWingPui