▲ Guzalina was invited to the Blue House during the welcoming ceremony of the president of Uzbekistan

In Changwon University, many students are running toward their goals. Have you met any foreign students who came here to fulfill their goal so far from their homes? Today, I would like to introduce the university life of Changwon University international students.

Q : Introduce yourself please.
Guzalina : Hello, I’m Guzalina from Uzbekistan and I’m 28 years old, in the Department of English Language and Literature. I like learning languages, so I meet with a variety of international students and use about five languages ​​a day. After graduating from Changwon University, I would like to become a language professor who teaches English and other languages, so I would like to go to graduate schools in other countries and study more about languages. My goal is to become a language professor and become a translator of all languages ​​and to be able to communicate through language and culture, both at home and abroad.

Q : Why did you come to Changwon University?
Guzalina : Actually, I wanted to go to a university in the US or UK, but my sister got married to a Korean man and lives in Changwon, so I came here because she asked me to babysit. After adjusting for a few months in Korea, I came to Changwon University. The big problem was that I didn’t know Korean. I started to study Korean and I listened to Koreans who walked around campus. I started to take Korean language education courses for 6 months in the Korea Language School, and I entered Changwon University last year after placing in 3rd grade in the Korean Language Proficiency Test.

Q : Do you participate in any on-campus activities since you came to Changwon University?
Guzalina : I like doing various activities because I like to meet people and to have various experiences. Currently, I’m doing a “one-to-one program” in which I can meet and interact directly with Korean students and international students. The one-to-one program is focused on campus missions, cultural activities, and language exchange activities. The advantage for international students is that it will provide a guide for them for their school life. I have also been active in the Phoenix club since last year. I am studying Korean more because I am the only foreigner in this club. I also regularly volunteer at the Welfare Center for the Disabled near Yong-ji Lake, where I teach about the culture of Uzbekistan and my hometown. The most worthwhile activity in Korea for me has been the official reception of the president of Uzbekistan in the Blue House. I was happy to be on the news when I sang the national anthem and shook hands with President Moon Jae-in.

Q : Do you have any difficulties in your school life?
Guzalina : When I first enrolled in the school and chose English as my major, it was difficult to understand the contents of the class because even though I was in the Department of English, the class was taught in Korean rather than English. In addition, it was difficult to follow the class because the method of teaching was different from my previous college (Railway Station College). At the time, I received a lot of help from Ms. Kim Min-jung of International Affairs. In addition, most of my Korean friends whom I met in class leave quickly when the class is over so it’s difficult to get to know them better. I feel sorry about this because I want to be friends with my Korean classmates as well as foreign students. The most difficult thing in school life is being away from my family. If I have a problem, I have to solve it myself, but this also makes me stronger. Sometimes I write poetry with my feelings in Korean because of my loneliness..

Q : Do you have an ideas for improvement at Changwon University?
Guzalina : Through this interview, it’s the first I came to know about this English newspaper. International students like me are passionate about doing anything to communicate with other friends, but I think we have insufficient information, so I hope there is other media from which we can easily get news about clubs or programs. I would also be interested in forming an international student reporters team in CWNU. There are more and more foreign students at Changwon University, but some of them stay in the dormitory because they do not speak Korean well. If I write articles that show the culture and manners of each country including Korea, it will be a great help, not only for international students but also Korean students going to other countries. Finally, I search for activities that international students can do mainly at International Affairs, but if activities for international students are displayed on Waagle’s main page, students will find it easier to participate in activities.

By Lee Yeon-ju, cub-reporter  rosielee@kakao.com

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