From when I was little, I was a person who had to do what I wanted to do. I have lots of dreams and goals that I want to achieve. I grew up on a small island and had to leave for a while away from my family to pursue such a big dream. So, I came to Korea for my dream.

Now it's the time.

As soon as I arrived in Korea, the kindness of the Korean people welcomed me from the first moment. Comparing Korea and my hometown, Spain, Korea seems to be a “Bballi bballi” country, which means everything “in hurry” in Korean, while our country's people are more relaxed and calmer. I know that Koreans are busy, so I appreciate spending their precious time to help me. Thanks to lots of help from the university, my studying abroad experience was a lot easier than I thought.

Living in Busan, I fell in love with the city. Even in winter, the temperature of our island often exceeds 25 degrees. Nevertheless, I loved winter because of Christmas and Carnival Festival, and summer also, because it has good weather (because our country's summer is dry season) and long vacations. However, when I came to Korea, I found spring and autumn extremely attractive. One of the memorable moments is when people, regardless of nationality, race, or age, go to see the cherry blossom together when it blooms. They seemed very excited and cute, talking about the cherry blossoms, and the vibe surrounding us made me happy. Similar things also happened in autumn: fall leaves. The color of the leaves changed every day, and I felt like I was discovering new beauty every day. It was like a gift.  

One more thing that made me fall in love with Busan is the beach. Busan Beaches! As I mentioned before, because I was born and raised on the island, I can never imagine my life without the sea. Busan beaches are very attractive. I have two favorite beaches in Busan, and one is Haeundae. I can go there over a thousand times. I go there for a walk at night to see the beautiful night view. The other place is Illgwang Beach. One of the happiest moments when I stayed in Busan was visiting Illgwang Beach. Just visiting there makes me happy and sets me free from the stress I get from my studies. Moreover, when I miss nature, I run to Illgwang Beach, the place I love the most. 

Another advantage of living in Korea is that I can enjoy lots of hobbies. My middle and high school teachers always told me that I must find a hobby, enjoy, and play, and not just study. I like Pusan National University because there are so many things to do and play, such as a PC room, comic book rental shop, and karaoke. There is no time to feel bored. Personally, I love going to karaoke rooms. After I finish my hard work and studies, I say, 'Good work. So, let's go-to karaoke and have some fun!!!!' to myself. I also love reading, so I like that books in Korea are cheap. Even though university life as a student is hard and tough, I do love it here because I can do a lot of different hobbies. From a foreigner's point of view, this is like a university life that I've seen in the movies. Because there are no such things in my hometown, I felt like I was in a movie.

But not everything is about playing. One of the reasons why I decided to study abroad, leaving my hometown, is for more opportunities to grow. I like Korea because there are lots of chances and activities. I was able to do volunteer work that I craved when I was staying in Korea for one year. This made me feel like a true member of the Korean society. I wanted to be of help to this country because Korea offered me the opportunity to study what I wanted. I could experience interpreting and did a part-time job as an interpreter, the field I was interested in for a long time. Aside from these things, there are many other events and special lectures I could undergo. 

I like Korea. It's a place where I have lots of fun things to do and learn, and I can study what I want, offering lots of opportunities.

 Miranda Vega Silvia Maria (21, Dept. of Global Studies)

Translated by Lee Su-Hyun