Miryung Lee

Korea University, Korea
Exchange to The University of Adelaide, Australia

Oh, my God! I cannot believe that I have already lived here for almost 6 months. Time goes so fast. My exchange to Australia in 2007 is one of the best times I’ve ever had in my life. During this time, I have made valuable friends and gone through a myriad of different experiences.

Australia is totally different from Korea in many ways. The weather is opposite because Australia is located in the southern hemisphere, while Korea is in the northern. In addition, the traffic direction is different. In contrast to Korea, Australia has wide open spaces. Moreover, there are so many people with different nationalities compared to Korea, which is a racially homogeneous nation. The first time I arrived in Adelaide, I was surprised by the various nationalities.

I have always lived in a big city that is crowded and noisy. Therefore, I have always preferred to live in the countryside, which is calm and cozy. Adelaide is similar to this; it is a place where I want to live. I strongly recommend you to come here if you want to feel relaxed and study hard at the same time. As Australia is well-known as a beautiful country, greenery can be seen everywhere. Do not forget to visit Torrens River if you come to Adelaide. It is amazing to see a river flowing through the whole city. Next to the river, there is also Elder Park, which is one of my favorite places. It is the perfect place to relax, feed the swans, and have picnics with your friends.

You can find a range of cuisines in Australia. If you go to Gouger Street near Chinatown, you can try restaurants with Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Indian food. Actually, I cannot find authentic Australian food; one of my Aussie friends said that ‘vegemite’, which is a kind of spread, is their traditional food.

I am a member of the Fencing Club, which is part of the Adelaide University Sports Association. It was not easy for me to make friends initially; I decided to join a sports club because playing sports is a good way to build a friendship. In fact, this was my first time fencing, and I am finding it so much fun and have met many nice friends.

It is difficult for everyone to live alone abroad. However, it definitely provides you with opportunities to build sincere friendships with foreigners and to go through memorable times together. I feel really blessed to be able to have this chance to study abroad. I have one more semester here; I will make the most out of the remaining time I have here.

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