KU Insights

The country I went to as an exchange student was New Zealand, an island nation of grand nature located in Oceania. Specifically, I went to the University of Auckland. To be honest, I didn't have a big fantasy about being an exchange student. I just naturally prepared for it, swayed by what people around me said: "You should go on an exchange program at least once during university." If I had a goal for myself, it was to detach. Since I was leaving Korea anyway, I wanted to experience relaxation in a place that was the complete opposite of my busy daily life in Korea. With this determination, I chose New Zealand.

"Wow, an exchange to Australia? That's great."

This was one of the most common things I heard. It meant that New Zealand was a somewhat unfamiliar country to the people around me. To be honest, it was the same for me. Up until the day I boarded the flight to New Zealand, my knowledge about the country was close to zero. However, looking back now, it was precisely because it was an unknown land that it was even more appealing.

Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, truly a highly developed city with tall buildings, large supermarkets, movie theaters, and everything you could imagine. Frankly, this was a little disappointing. What I had expected of New Zealand was a magnificent natural landscape with vast green plains (I eventually got to see the grand nature I expected during my trip to the South Island!). The familiar yet unique scenery of Auckland, where city and nature coexist, is what I remember more now. Auckland has a harbor, and if you lie on your dorm bed and look out the window, you get an amazing view of the ocean. And just a little outside the city center, it's literally nature. Close by are Mission Bay and St. Heliers Beach, and on days when I wanted to go a bit further, there was Takapuna Beach. It was fascinating to be able to choose and enjoy a beach that matched my mood for the day, almost like a buffet.

Upper: View from Auckland Harbor, Lower Left: South Island trip, Lower Right: Picnic

Here, I learned about the Kiwi mindset. Kiwi is a term derived from the kiwi bird, New Zealand's national bird, and is used as a term for New Zealanders. Their representative collective spirit is generosity and leisure. The characteristics of being an island nation, European immigration, British colonial rule, and mild weather all combined to create their unique ethos. The level of leisure, which might even feel frustrating to Koreans accustomed to a "hurry-hurry" culture, was what I felt most strongly while living in New Zealand. It was about learning to enjoy complete relaxation, free from the pressure of assignments, exams, and various activities.

I have an anecdote related to this. I learned how to swim in the ocean from a friend I met here. You might think, 'What's so special about that?', but the Kiwi ocean swimming culture was different. In Korea, swimming in the ocean was an event enjoyed once in a blue moon during summer vacation, but for them, it was not a special event but an everyday activity. When the weather gets warmer, everyone heads to the beach and enjoys the daily routine of lying on the sand and relaxing. Here's how to enjoy ocean swimming:

1.The only thing you need is a beach towel. Wear your swimsuit under your clothes.
2. Play in the sea. (According to my friend, you just go with the flow of the waves.)
3.When you're done playing, roughly spread your beach towel on the sand, lie down, and dry your swimsuit in the sun. New Zealand has very strong UV rays, so it dries very well!

4. 4.Once it's sufficiently dry, get dressed and go home. If your swimsuit isn't completely dry, just put a light outer layer over it. If your shoes aren't dry, you can walk barefoot to the bus stop with your shoes in hand. No one cares. Everyone around you will be doing the same!

Swimming in the Ocean

The feeling I experienced while playing in the sea, lying on the sand to dry myself, and walking on bare and damp feet to the bus stop was simply happiness. I discovered that I like swimming in the ocean more than I thought, that New Zealand's UV rays are strong enough to dry swimsuits quickly, that walking on hot asphalt with cold bare feet makes for a perfect temperature, and finally, that I'm not as averse to getting dirty as I thought. These were moments where I truly experienced New Zealand. Someone reading this might think, 'Can't you do that in Korea too?' But for me, at least, it was an unforgettable memory where I could fully concentrate on the moment without a single worry or concern.

Picnic 2

Of course, the life of an exchange student is not always romantic. There were countless days when I missed Korea: when calling family or friends, when eating a 30,000 won kimchi chigae or when a wisdom tooth suddenly started hurting and I went to the hospital only to hear the shocking news that the consultation fee alone was 100,000 won. However, even if I went back, I think I would still choose to go to the University of Auckland. New Zealand, especially Auckland, seems to have similarities to Korea yet is completely different. True to its title as an immigrant country, you can meet people of various ethnicities. Moreover, if you feel stifled while studying for assignments or exams, you can grab a mat and run out to a nearby park or beach and just “zone out”, a country that fully allows for the leisure of everyday life. Even now that I've returned to Korea, I miss it so much that I think of it constantly.

I left for my exchange with the romantic notion of 'When else would I have an experience like this if not now?', and the result was quite satisfying. I also feel pleased, as if I've gained another hometown on the other side of the world, on the unfamiliar continent of Oceania. When the seasons change in my daily life, for example, when it's time to take out my long, padded jacket, it's fun to imagine my friends there swimming in the sea, and now that spring is approaching, to wonder what the weather there will be like. I think I'll feel this joy for the rest of my life. Finally, a new goal has emerged: to revisit that place after a long time and see what it's like and how I feel then. This has become another motivation to live my daily life diligently. With this alone, I think my exchange student experience was successful.