The Chungbuk Times prepared small tips for CBNU¡¯s exchange students to help them enjoy campus life in CBNU and Korea.
First, you should become friends with the leader of your major. All college schedules and meetings are communicated by the leader of each major. The fastest way to become familiar with Korean students is to get close with the leader of your major. If you befriend the leader of your major, you can attend many major and personal gatherings. Also, if you approach Korean students first, I¡¯m sure they will love it. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ll regret it if you return to your nation without making friends with Korean students? Whether you can speak Korean well or not, you should meet Koreans. I really recommend making Korean friends if you want to speak Korean well and make good memories and experiences in Korea.
Where should you go if you want to buy necessities? You can go to a market or a convenience store, but they are a little bit expensive. Therefore, I recommend the stationery store of the Gaesin Cultural Center store or Daiso at the Sachang intersection. The stationery store in the Gaesin Cultural Center is often used by CBNU students because of its location and its variety of goods. However, if the goods you want are not there or you want cheaper goods, I advise Daiso, which is located a little bit farther away from CBNU. Daiso is a store for household items at the Sachang intersection, and it will take about 15 minutes on foot from building N14 of CBNU. You may feel it is a little far from CBNU. However, it is famous for its cheap prices.
If you are bored with dorm menus or want to experience restaurants that CBNU students typically enjoy, then I will introduce you to delicious restaurants. Although there are individual differences in tastes, this article only features high overall reviews from students at CBNU. At the main gate, you can find Gyodong Kalguksu near the GS convenience store. Gyodong Kalguksu is a popular place for students as it has delicious kalguksu (noodle soup) and soup with dumplings, and it also provides generous amounts of soup at low prices. Another popular restaurant is called Well-Being House, which is also located at the main gate of CBNU. The main menu of this restaurant is kimchi fried rice, but there are a variety of other dishes such as fish cake soup and ramen. The restaurant offers kimchi fried rice for 3,500 won per person. The cheap price does not mean small quantities. The restaurantʼs other strong point is that its menus are also written in Chinese, making it easy for some exchange students who cannot speak Korean to order. The next recommendation is Hankki in Jungmun next to Jupiter Park. The main dish of this restaurant is dolsot bibimbap. The restaurant is known to be delicious among many CBNU students, so there is often no place to sit at lunchtime. There are many other eateries other than the ones mentioned here, so CBT hopes readers will find their own restaurant while looking around the CBNU area.
There are a lot of good chances to make new friends while starting a new school term. I really recommend making many Korean friends. Then, you can enjoy Korean foods and culture with them simultaneously. If you wait for Korean friends to approach you first because you are not good at speaking Korean, you are just wasting your precious time. Don¡¯t wait for them; make the first move. Then, you¡¯ll make good relationships. The Chungbuk Times hopes your first semester in Korea will be superb as an exchange student.
Lastly, the recruitment session for clubs will be held in the middle of March to target new students. It is a temporary entry into a club for freshmen who are interested, and students can see if the club is right for them. If students donʼt like it, they can leave the club without pressure. Since the student council of each department informs them of the recruitment periods, students should check the period before entering the desired club. Also, it is not a bad idea to give a club a try, as they will have to wait to apply again at the beginning of the next semester if they don¡¯t take advantage of the recruitment period.
By Nam Min-woo l mw38@cbnu.ac.kr
By Kim Chae-hyun l ch38@cbnu.ac.kr