An indonesian Muslim woman came to CNU on a snowy day in February. This was not her first visit to Korea. Two years ago, she participated in an international conference Daegu, She was impressed by the Koreans at the conference. They were kind and modest. So she decided to come to Korea last winter. I will now introduce Tiara to you.

- The Tropical Climate 
    "I usually get dry skin. It's hard. In my country, even when It's raining, the temperature is always in the thirties. People wear shorts, but it's not common to wear sexy clothes because of religious reasons."

- A Wide Variety of Tribes, Cultural Diversity 
    "Indonesia consists of distinct ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. There are many tribes. Each tribe has its own language and way 9of life. So sometimes. I can't communicate with other tribes. For example, people from the west tend to be stricter and more outspoken. Actually, we have so many conflicts between the tribes."

- Social Problems 
    "If you do something wrong, you have to go to the police. Then, die police take care of you based on the rules. In my country, if someone does something wrong, people usually punch him or her before taking them to the police station. I saw this situation many times in indonesia. It's wrong, I think. Development is also not evenly distributed in Indonesia. There are some developed areas like Jakarta, hut there are more poor areas."

- Wearing Scarves  
    "Muslim women have to cover their whole face and their hands, but I don't want to follow this convention. 

CP : Isn't it hot with scarves on in tropical climate? 
    I asked many women about wearing this, but they said it was no problem. They don't seem to have any problems. 

CP : Any color is okay?  
    Of course, you can wear scarves of any color. Especially these days, girls can be stylish. There are so many ways you can wear accessories to look beautiful."

- Boyfriends 
    "Actually having a boyfriend is prohibited in indonesia. Many Muslim girls meet their husbands only twice and then they gel married. Many people still follow this traditon. However, young people are beginning not to care about that because they have different a point of view. (CP : Do you have a boyfriend?) Yes! (Laughs) As I said before, I'm a bad example of Muslim." 

- No Pork, Never!
    "Muslim must nut ear anything containing pork, So it's really hard to live in Korea as Muslim, because Korean people like pork so much. Sometimes, when I don't recognize that it is pork, I eat it, but I feel guilty."

 - Drinking on the grass
    "I was shocked co see many students have picnics in the park during the cherry blossom festival and they even eat food and drink alcohol. There is no place to drink, on campus especially during the daytime, because Muslim countries prohibit drinking." 

- The Library's Study Atmosphere 
    "When students at home, it is easy to study elsewhere. In my university in Indonesia, however, the library is small and it is not open at night. So I like the CNU library very much. The facilities are good for studying."

By  Kim Rang CP Reporter
diana@cnu.ac.kr