Lee Beom-yong(School of Electronics Engineering' 06)

 I went to Bulacan State University(BSU) in the Philippines as an exchange student in 2010. Although the period was short, it was an invaluable time to me. I want to tell you about my experience there.
 My life was always ordinary and not special. One day I heard the news about my friend, who is a Soongsil University student. He told me that he was going to visit Finland as an exchange student for 6 months in 2009. On his own website, I could see his pictures where he was photographed with lots of foreign friends and he seemed to experience diverse cultures. I felt so envious and impressed that I decided to become an exchange student. I began studying TOEIC because the CBNU exchange student program required TOEIC scores. After a few months, CBNU recruited applicants for exchange students. However, I could not help but give up the chance because I didn't have a TOEIC score. Fortunately, CBNU collected additional exchange students when I had a TOEIC score, so I applied as soon as I saw the notice. After completing a required course, I became an exchange student. At that time, I was very excited and a little bit nervous because I had never been to foreign countries. Furthermore, a hostage situation happened in Manila a week before I was supposed to leave for the Philippines, so I had to redetermine whether I would go to the Philippines or not. Eventually, I decided to go to the Philippines.
 I arrived at BSU on September 1st, and I took a level test. I was assigned to a class based on the results of the test. The school hours of BSU were 8 per day. There are three kinds of classes: one-on-one classes, one-on-five classes, and one-on-ten classes. One-on-one classes were very helpful to me because I could practice speaking English for a long time. Thanks to the classes, my ability in English  was improved. Students take weekly tests every Friday and  take a vocabulary test every Monday. These tests are easy tests. The big tests of importance are mid-term exams and final exams. After the mid-term exams, classes are rearranged. In a one-on-five class, visiting a cultural area was an assignment. The aim for the assignment was to understand Philippine culture. I visited Baiyan, which is a market, with my classmates and teachers. We ate traditional Philippine food, and the teachers told us the history of the Philippines.
 The Philippines also have national holidays, so students could reduce stress by traveling here and there during the holidays. I took a trip to Intramuros, Palawan, and La Union. Intramuros, which is a Philippine historic site, was conquered by Spain, so there are Spanish style buildings. I was momentarily under the illusion that I was in Europe. In Palawan, which has wonderful scenery, I went snorkeling and scuba diving, and I had an opportunity to made friends with a South African and a Swede. I drank with them, and we talked about each other's cultures. When I traveled to La Union, I went surfing. It was very exciting because of the great waves, which I had never seen in Korea. Every place I visited was awesome beyond description.
 The Philippines have SM malls, which are a kind of department store. SM North is the biggest shopping mall in Asia. I could find everything in SM North, even Korean goods. In addition, I saw Korean Companies’ logos easily there. Then, I was proud of my country, Korea, and I wanted to become a famous person and represent Korea.
 BSU’s festival, called 'Foundation Week' was held, so I could watch the festival. There are differences from Korean university festivals. In Korea, almost all universities invite famous singers. In the Philippines, however, almost all programs consist of students. Students prepare the stage, and they also dance and sing. The festival ran all day and night.
 I graduated from BSU 4 months after I got to the Philippines. At first, 4 months seemed very long. Now, however, it seems very short. If I have a chance, I will apply for the CBNU exchange student program once again. This time, I want to be an exchange student of Washington State University. The university requests TOEFL scores, so I have studied TOEFL and taken TOEFL exams. Thanks to the CBNU exchange student program, I could get not only good command of English but also precious experiences. Of course, I can communicate with foreigners in English. I really recommend the program to CBNU students. If you graduate from university, you can never become an exchange student. Try It!