When I arrived at Incheon International Airport, I felt two feelings simultaneously. One was the excitement of going to Europe, and the other was fear because the list of exchange students, sent by Siauliai University (SA) in Lithuania, was full of European names. I was shocked by the fact that I was the only one going from Korea. However, looking back, I am grateful to have an improbable experience in my life which is worth more than anything else in the world while being an exchange student.

Two-weeks of Quarantine and Memorable Class

All exchange students had to get tested for COVID-19 three days before taking off in their countries. Besides, we had to spend two weeks in quarantine at the dormitory. During quarantine, we made tasty cuisine of various countries as well as studying different languages. Night after night we were able to get to know each other rapidly by playing the party game “Werewolf”, the European version of the Mafia game. Through various activities, I realized that living a new way of life with friends from diverse countries was amazing. That is to say, I had a much more exciting isolation life than I thought.

Throughout many classes, I had plenty of experiences that went beyond my imagination. For example, I learned how to conduct an orchestra and even became a member of the university choir. Above all, the art education class was the most memorable for me. In that class, the professor was emphatic on the reason why students painted a picture and said, “It is not important whether you drew it well or poorly. The thing is that you have to try to convey your thoughts to others without restraint.” It was difficult to show my feeling at first, however, I could get used to presenting my thoughts confidently as time went on. After the class, I cherished all the moments I learned from the professor.

Unforgettable Memories with Friends

During my time as an international student at SA, we played fierce beach volleyball, and also held a fashion show with dresses which we bought for one euro at secondhand shops. Moreover, we fortuitously met one Lithuanian student, working as a server, and we had a chance to visit her house. Particularly, the karaoke party was the best one which represented us. Thanks to the karaoke owner who opened the karaoke room just for us, we could go there whenever we wanted. Especially on Halloween, we all dressed up as a variety of ghosts and picked the best costume. Besides, we enjoyed birthday parties with special cakes made by Klara, who has an extraordinary talent for baking sweet things. My birthday was the last birthday of all. To put it another way, I enjoyed the most unforgettable birthday party.

Among many trips, Kaunas was one of the best trips. The city was already full of twinkling Christmas decorations. European friends called cinnamon candied almond, panettone, and warm wine “the scent of Christmas.” I was immersed in that atmosphere. After the trip, we not only opened the last home party, but we exchanged words of kindness. "We are sure that we will meet again very soon.” When I took my roommate to the airport, we exchanged letters saying that I was overjoyed to promise to be a life-long friend. Everything was a magical experience for hundreds of reasons. The exchange student life in a foreign country is not just a trip abroad, it is memories that cannot be priced. If you are thinking about going abroad, I would like to tell you to go and see something magical.

By Song Min-ji, Junior, Dept. of Japanese Language And Literature