I went to UCO last semester though the visiting program at Gachon University. I've always dreamed of participating in Gachon University’s language program. Luckily I was accepted by a university for one fall semester. I was very happy. I thought if I go to America for the fall semester, I can experience Thanksgiving Day, Halloween, Christmas, and New-year’s eve. Before I went to America, I had decided to ‘always try something new’. I wanted to participate in every single event and program. And I did.

  First, UCO thankfully has the CRISP program which matches foreign students with local families. I signed up for that program before I went to America. My host family was very sweet and thoughtful. We carved pumpkins for Halloween, threw the host kid’s birthday party, had thanksgiving dinner, and prepared dirty Santa gifts. One time, I cooked Korean food for them. They especially loved Gim (dried seaweed)! They loved it so much that, the host mom even posted the gim pictures on Facebook. Last time we said goodbye, they wished me all happiness and good luck. From the first time we met, they had always been so nice to me. I was so lucky to have them.
  Second, I felt free and tried to become friendlier with people. Some of my friends had experiences related to studying abroad or school language programs. They told me there is no way to make friends by just staying in your dormitory. I listened to them and I tried to go anywhere and do something all the time. For example, I tried to make a bond with my roommate Abby the first time we met. I was nervous about communicating with her at first. But I tried anyway, and she was so kind to me. After we became friends, she gave me good tips about UCO and invited me to her family party. In class, I had nice friends, too. They helped me understand the class material and took care of my work. There were quite a few times that I got little help from strangers on campus. That could be a cafeteria or anywhere on campus or any place in the country. I want to tell you not to hesitate to talk to new people you meet. They will be nice to you and happy to help you.
  Third, UCO has lots of programs and facilities for students such as Parties & Events, Wellness center, the theater and so on. Especially in every new semester, the university throws many parties with different themes like a roller skate party, water slide party, EDM theme party, color party, and much more. The Wellness center is similar to a fitness center. They have all the work out machines and running machines and lots of fitness programs like yoga, Zumba, and kickboxing. Of course, these are free for UCO students. At the wellness center, I regularly worked out with climbing and doing Zumba with my friends. Besides, UCO also regularly presented theatre performances. I watched some plays and musicals there. They also had a Jazz Lab outside the campus.

  As I planned the first time, I tried to do something new and fun around the campus during the first semester. Looking back on my last fall semester, I think I had a really great time at UCO. If you try to be positive and passionate in a new environment, you will get more wonderful experiences than you can imagine.

Eun Yu Mi                       Dept. of                    Tourism Management