Chungnam National University — An International Environment
Diversity at Chungnam National University is great. There are students from 51 different countries currently studying at the Daedeok Campus. It is therefore very common to see people from all over the world on campus, and this makes for a more international academic environment.

What is Worldwide CNU?
In Worldwide CNU, we interview one of our foreign colleagues. Through the interview, we share our common interests, feelings, and stories of our friends from the other side of the world.

Our Story for Today — Kia Kärkkäinen
In the 266th publication of The Chungdae Post, we interviewed our fellow CNU student Kia Kärkkäinen from Finland, over seven thousand kilometers away from Korea. Kia is a student in the Asia Business International Studies Department. In this edition, we will discuss what brought her to Korea, to CNU, how she feels about studying abroad, and other topics.
(The interview was conducted via KakaoTalk due to COVID-19 precautions, on August 30, 2020)
The Chungdae Post = CP, Kia Kärkkäinen = KK (Some of the text has been edited for legibility purposes.)

Please introduce yourself to our readers:
My name is Kia Kärkkäinen. I am 24 years old, and I’m from Finland. I’m an undergraduate student in Chungnam National University’s Department of Asia Business International Studies, and I’ve been in Korea for three years. I’m a junior student

How did you find yourself in Korea?
I kind of became interested in Korea during high school. I studied many languages, so I found myself studying a bit of Korean and becoming interested in Korean culture.
I always knew I wanted to study at a university abroad, and so [coming to study in Korea] just happened naturally. I had traveled to Korea a couple of times, and I really liked it here. So, I ended up picking Korea.
I had visited Korea twice on vacation. The first time was in 2014, and I enjoyed a three-month working holiday in 2016. [The working holiday] was a good experience because it allowed me to see more [of the] daily life in Korea. That kind of made me certain that I wanted to obtain my degree in Korea.

What was the thought process of deciding that your future academic career would develop in Korea?
So I started a university degree in Finland. I studied for two years, but then I realized that I wasn’t into my major, and also that I really wanted to go abroad to study. I took a year off to really think about it, and that’s when I enjoyed my working holiday [in Korea].
I just really liked Korea, and I felt comfortable here, so that’s why I decided to come here, even though it’s really far from my home country. I’ve been happy with my decision.

What made you transfer to CNU from your previous university?
Well, I got to know many students at CNU, studying all different kinds of majors. I feel like because it’s a national university, it’s very big, meaning we have a huge campus, and it’s nice to meet people who study different kinds of majors. My previous university was small, and so you didn’t have that kind of variety in a sense. Also, there are many events, clubs, and everything was much more diverse at CNU.
I’m probably one of the few international students who came to CNU and didn’t want to study in Seoul, because I wanted to have a different kind of experience in Korea. I had traveled around the country, and I kind of grew into my life in Daejeon, so it felt right to stay here to finish my degree.
What got you into Asia business international studies?
Actually, when I first came to Korea, I was enrolled in a different university in Daejeon. I transferred to CNU in the spring of 2019 after I got to know people at the university and looked into the majors offered by CNU. I came across the Department of Asia Business International Studies.
It was quite a new department, so that kind of caught my eye. I had met some of the s tudents who said they were having areally positive experience, and I liked the more intimate working environment. So the smaller class sizes and everything else was very appealing to me. That was my reason for choosing [to study at CNU].

You’ve been studying abroad for three years.
Do you recommend it? What are the positive and negative aspects of studying in an environment that you’re not familiar with?
I absolutely recommend [studying abroad], at least for people like me who really enjoy being in an international environment. I have been very fortunate. I grew up around people from different countries and cultures, and I have experienced living abroad before.
Even if people don’t go abroad to study for a full four years to get a degree, I recommend going at least as an exchange student because I think it’s really important to experience different things and interact with people from different backgrounds.
The good things … well I mentioned getting to meet all different kinds of people and learning a new language.
The bad things … of course, homesickness does hit you a little bit, but besides that, I haven’t experienced anything really bad. Of course, the language barrier can at times be a little bit troublesome, but I’m trying my best to improve my Korean.

What is it like studying, or attending a lecture that’s in another language that you’re not really accustomed to?
So I’ve had a few classes in Korean, and well, the professors have been great. Obviously, they do simplify some things for us international students because most of us don’t speak Korean very well. It’s been an interesting experience, but you do get used to it.

I want to ask you if you get along with your peers.
How do you get along, and what keeps you from being close with your peers?
I get along with my peers well, I think. Because my major is very international, we have people from quite a few different countries. It’s nice because you can relate to some people, especially international students because we’re kind of in the same situation: living abroad in a country very different from our own. The Korean students that are studying our major are very internationally-minded and very friendly, so I get along with them as well.
The only kind of downside I would say is that some people like to stick with other people from the same country. That can create a little bit of a divide between some of the students. But for the most part, it’s been a pretty good experience.

How do you cope with homesickness?
The main thing I miss from Finland is my family and being close to my family. So the one thing that helps is just keeping in touch with my family every day. I’m very close to my family, so we do chat daily pretty much, which does help.
Other than that, sometimes hanging out with people from your own country can be nice. I personally don’t have very many Finnish friends here because there just aren’t very many from Finland in Korea. But I have some close friends, so just meeting up with them every now and then makes me feel comfortable.

As a junior international student during the COVID-19 pandemic, how are you coping?
I mean, obviously, last semester was pretty tough compared to the previous semesters because it was a big adjustment for all of us, students and professors. I’m thankful that for the most part, I had great professors who organized things well and tried to make things as easy as possible for us during this difficult time.
The hardest thing is keeping a schedule because, in a way, you don’t have anywhere you need to be even during the semester. So just trying to meet friends, and trying to stay sociable to a certain degree, of course being careful, and just getting out of the house has been something I try to do.
It hasn’t been easy, but I try little things to keep myself motivated enough for the semester, and just to try to live as normally as possible.
Do you think that COVID-19 has impacted international students’ studying or living in general?
When it comes to studying, I don’t think it’s too different for us international students compared to Korean students because we’re all kind of in the same boat. The only thing I can think of is that maybe it has impacted new students who were admitted last semester or this semester more. I feel that for them, adjusting to Korea will be very different, and maybe a little difficult because they couldn’t have an orientation week, or a chance to meet the other students and professors.
Otherwise, I feel like one thing a bit tricky right now is getting a job. Trying to find even a part-time job as an international student was already quite difficult because of the language barrier. Now, with COVID-19, it’s even more difficult. I think many people are stressed out a little bit about work and money.

If you could bring one thing from home, or vice versa, what would it be, and why?
Food is very important to me, and although I can honestly say that I prefer Korean food over Finnish food, one thing I do miss from Finland a lot is bread. We have very good bread, especially our dark rye bread. It’s something I miss a lot, and something I get sent every now and then by my family, so I’d probably bring that over.
From Korea to Finland, I’m thinking of food again. (laughter) There’s a lot of food …
When I visit Finland, I miss Korean food a lot, even kimchi and just sticky rice, and things like that.
Do you have a favorite food? What’s your favorite food if you have to pick one?
Korean food?
Just any food in general.
Oh no. (laughter) It’s a difficult question. Well, the most difficult question so far.
As I said, I really do prefer Korean food for the most part, so it is hard to say. Even something simple like Dakgalbi (닭갈비) is something that I can eat often and not get sick of. So I’ll give this as my answer, even though I don’t have one favorite food.
So, if you had to pick any food, it would probably be Korean food?
Yes. Korean food.

Do you have any memorable experiences at CNU, like one thing that just pops into your mind?
I’ve been at CNU for three semesters now, so I don’t have a whole lot of experience in a way, but one thing that stands out is that I was part of the AFKN club, which brings Korean students and foreign students together, and organizes parties and events. So there were a few dinners and social gatherings that we arranged that were really fun, and through that club, I made many friends and other people that I became really close with.
I feel that joining that club was a big thing for me. With the people I met, I’ve had my most memorable experiences at CNU.

What do you think your future looks like after your time at CNU, and what do you hope to do in the future?
I’m actually very interested in working in Korea, at least for a few years. I do want to stay here after I graduate. I’m interested in embassy work and working with international companies in Korea. So yeah, hopefully in a few years, I’ll still be here, and have a nice job.
Do you think your time at CNU can help with finding employment in the future?
I think so, especially when it comes to Korean skills, because we’re still required to take Korean classes, and just in general, you know, most things are handled in Korean. I feel like it’s definitely going to help me when it comes to my language skills, and this will open up a lot more job opportunities.

Do you have anything to say to the readers?
I don’t have anything to say other than that I am really enjoying my time at CNU, and I would just like to encourage Korean and international students to interact more with each other because CNU does offer a good opportunity for that.