Suk Kyun Park

Korea University, South Korea
Exchange to Queensland University of Technology, Australia

Being an exchange student in Australia was a difficult challenge and a new chance for me. Before I came in here, I was wondering what I should do after graduation, but now I have been in Brisbane for three months and am learning many things about life.

When I arrived in Brisbane, I was afraid of crashing other cars because people drive cars the left side, while in South Korea, cars move on the right side. In Brisbane, people are very casual. In my hometown, everybody moves quickly, are too busy, and don’t like to wait for anything in their daily life. So when I experienced Brisbane’s casual lifestyle, I couldn’t understand it. Now I can understand it and I regret that I was busy before. The food in Brisbane is very abundant and various. There are all kinds of food in Australia, such as Australian, Italian, Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Korean food, so I am never worried about meals. The weather in Brisbane is so beautiful because the sky is always clear – I am often sunbaking under the sun and it feels good.

When people arrive somewhere strange, they feel nervous and find it difficult to do things, like I did. However, the international student service centre at the University always explained my questions and kindly helped me. What is more, they held a party for me to meet other international students and during the semester, they kindly answered all my trifling questions. Although I am not good at English, the professor, co-ordinator, and students all understood and helped me.

If I go to another university as an exchange student, I think I will do many trips. Although studying abroad is very exciting, I think going on trips make it easier to understand the culture, society, and characteristics of the other nation, so I traveled around Brisbane. The Gold Coast is so fantastic with wide beaches, blue seawater, and good weather. I saw happy people with great natures and was quite impressed.

It is not yet three months that I have lived and studied in Brisbane. But I feel many valuable things in my life, including comfort, developed culture, and a reasonable society. I also met many nice friends from other countries. I will develop these friendships when I return to South Korea. In the end, I believe the student exchange system gives you a very precious and memorable experience. Don’t miss a good opportunity!

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