Time does fly; my one semester exchange program to South Korea went by as quick as a wink. I still re-member the time my Associate Dean (AD), Ms. Gina V. Lopez, informed me that I had made it to the second round, and later the selected applicant to attend Solbridge International School of Business in Daejeon, South Korea. I was very surprised and excited, as I had hunted this exchange program twice already. How-ever, I did not feel ready, as I had never been abroad let alone for such a long stay.
Life in Korea and Solbridge
As an exchange student in an international school, I have experienced a lot of priceless life experiences. Since my very first day to in Korea, from academics to daily life, most things were incredibly new to me. My very first day in South Korea was during the late winter. It was 2 degrees celsius, and my first time to be in such a cold weather and my first time to see a frozen river, as I was on the bus to Daejeon. Food is very different from home, and most of the locals do not speak English. Fortunately they are friendly and helpful. My first week was very challenging for me because of all the differences in climate and culture.
Studying in an international school, I have experienced a very diverse environment. Students come from various backgrounds from different continents including Asia, Europe and Africa. We share different cultures, norms and tastes of food. Not only students, but also professors, they are also from various backgrounds
with broad views towards lectures which allow students to widely understand with regional and global perspectives. This exceptional learning experience was very challenging, and required careful communication and open-mindedness. This environment allows you to make friends with many international students, and some of them can even become your very close friends and help you to understand various cultures as well as advance your English proficiency to a new level.
Personal View of the Exchange Program
The most significant improvement that I have found in myself after the exchange program is that I am more independent and self-confident. Being away from my family, I had to do almost everything by myself rang-ing from cooking to personal financial management for four months; things I had never been solely responsible for before in my life. I had a great opportunity to practice public speaking and speaking English every day. Moreover, I have also learned to be more flexible and adaptable to new environments as well as new people. It is worth having an experience like this; the difficult times have made me grow stronger, and the joyful moments have given more meaning to my life. I wholeheartedly appreciate the exchange program learning experience.
Conclusion
I would like to thank the University of Cambodia so much for giving me this incredibly awesome opportunity, especially Associate Dean of the College of Management, Ms. Gina V. Lopez, for the encouragement and relentless help, as well as the motivation to pursue this opportunity. I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to my beloved parents and siblings for their endless support. I would also like to give a special thanks to my friends for all their encouragement.
To all my fellow students, never lose hope. There is a saying, “He who has hope has everything.” Once there is hope, there is possibility. Involve yourself in as many competitions and exchange programs as possible, and you will find incredible improvement in yourself. Most importantly, you should never be afraid of giving something new a try; either fail or succeed you will learn something new, and have a better preparation for the next challenge.
