I am Wu Jiang, a postgraduate student from school of Art & Design of WTU. In the second semester of my second year of postgraduate period at WTU, I decided to participate in the international exchange program at Hanyang University in Korea for one semester. I was fortunate to gain a position with free tuition. Although the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Korea was not optimistic at that time, I still insisted on my choice since that was a valuable opportunity for me to broaden my horizon. Under the guidance and instructions of the teachers, three fellow students and I embarked on the flight to Korea.

After seven days of quarantine, we became familiar with the transportation system in Korea and set out on our way to the ERICA campus of Hanyang University in Mr. Andreessen, which was about two hours away from Seoul by subway line 4. Although it was a bit far away, the campus was huge and had a nice environment with lovely wild animals.

The dormitory was well-equipped with double rooms and a private bathroom. I was assigned to the dormitory with a junior student from Yantai University in Shandong Province. After a few days, I got familiar with the layout of the dormitory. On the first floor, there was a laundry room, a canteen, a convenience store, and so on. There was also a shared area with a microwave, a water dispenser, as well as tables and chairs for studying on each floor. The meals in the cafeteria were reasonably priced and of decent quality.

There were no fixed schedules for the courses at Hanyang University, so you could choose the one you prefer. However, if the classroom was full, then you could only switch to another course. You could even pick a senior course or a course from a different major, which, to some extent, was tailored to various interests of students. I was a little anxious and concerned about the all-English classes because two of the courses I selected were offline and one was online. For me, it was a big challenge. Professor Sang-Jo Kim was one of the lecturers in charge of my courses. He had a strong interest in China and a basic command of Mandarin. He was also very humorous and gave Chinese students special attention, which helped me feel at ease and motivated me to enroll in challenging courses. After a few weeks, I noticed that there was a significant improvement in my listening ability. At first, I struggled with my major courses, but as time went on, I was able to catch up with the lecturers and answer difficult questions.

In addition to attending lectures, we also participated in an international academic exchange conference at Hanyang University. There, we shared our perspectives on American popular culture with the Korean professors and students, who showed their approval and appreciation of our presentations.

There was not only a harmonious and cooperative atmosphere for studying at Hanyang University but also a wide variety of rich and engaging activities. The university had a mid-semester celebration where Korean celebrities and actors would be invited to give a performance. On the day of the celebration, the school was more than lively, and Korean snacks could be found on campus.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to WTU for providing this exchange program, which allowed me to accomplish a unique challenge. Although Learning & Life were not always easy in Korea, I felt delighted whenever I completed a task. This experience was a significant turning point in my life, as it helped me to grow rapidly in only one semester. My proficiency in English has improved and I have been more willing to communicate and express my views. Besides, I have become increasingly independent and adaptable to cultural differences....... I would like to extend my gratitude to all the people who have helped me, and I wish this exchange program will continue to flourish in the future.