2 Months at the University of Missouri-Columbia
The two months I had spent in the United States were just like a dream, an unforgettable dream.
The ‘English Proficiency and Internship (EPI)’ program is a school project that sends students to other countries to learn foreign languages, witness a different culture and gain work experience.
I took part in a program conducted at the University of Missouri-Columbia for six weeks.
Even though I wanted so eagerly to take part in the program, I thought it could be my last winter vacation as a student so, I wasn’t sure if my experiences abroad would be worthy of my this unique time in my life.
The main reason was that I didn’t like the United States because Americans always seemed to want to be the heroes of the world with such as Superman, Batman and Spiderman, as if they consider themselves the protector of the world and being its only superpower.
Nevertheless, I really wanted to know what parts of America made it the strongest country in the world. Therefore, I finally decided to go to America. Now, I am sure that it was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.
As soon as the CNU team, composed of ten students arrived at the University of Missouri-Columbia, we met other Korean students who came from five different universities. So we, twenty-three students, together formed a team called ‘EPI’.
Our team ‘EPI’ took part in every program together and we were headed by an American coordinator. However, we felt like a real family as we did everything and helped each other.
This program gave me many chances to meet lots of Americans, especially through an “Ambassadors” system where certain volunteers helped us to adapt to American life. Generally, they were students of the Missouri-Columbia University and I called them friends as well as ambassadors.
Although we are all about the same age, we have grown-up in totally different circumstances. For examples, whenever we put our spoons in the same dishes, they looked at us very curiously because they generally do not share any food with others.
Like this, we were so extremely different at first that it made it really difficult for us to become familiar with each other. However, as time went by, I noticed that American students were also putting their spoons in my dishes. We were all holding a spoon in one hand and holding a beer in the other hand, and eating together.
The ambassadors tried to do their best in order to understand and help us. When we said goodbye at the end of the program, all of us cried a lot. It was really unfortunate that our team had to leave the United Stage as soon as we were really just becoming good friends.
The program consisted of three big parts; English Class, Internship and Field Trips. We had English classes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning. At the class, I met a special teacher. As I was negative about America, whenever I had a chance to discuss the country, I criticized it a lot.
Nevertheless, he always understood me and accepted my opinion. Moreover, he used to say that American need people like me in order to realize whether they were doing well or not. With such as my teacher and my friends mentioned above, my perspectives about the United States have started to change.
Another impression I had was that most students of Missouri University wear clothing such as T-shirts, pants and caps with the word ‘Missouri’, printed on them. At first, I hardly understood why they wore such clothing instead of ones with other brand names.
The price was even similar to brand items. However, as I met more American people, I could understand them. As I guessed, they wanted to buy their school T-shirts because they were proud of their university. I supposed that many Americans were really proud of the groups to which they belonged like schools, companies and other organizations.
It is true that many American people have confidence in their country. Through this kind of self-confidence they sometimes even look like they are on the top of the world. I figured out the reason why America could be the strongest country in the world: their self-confidence.
As you know, it is really different from Korea. Many Korean people are likely to be unsatisfied with their life. For instance, we habitually complain and blame our government, situations and even themselves. Korean high school students feel bad if they enter local universities.
If people do not have a good job, they could feel ashamed about themselves. However, it is time to change our minds. If we start to love ourselves, we could better make our way in the world and improve our lot. That is one of the things I have learned through my diverse experiences during the ‘English Proficiency and Internship (EPI)’ program.
During my last winter vacation, I had met many good friends, learned a lot of valuable things and have precious memories. No doubt my decision to go to Missouri-Columbia University was one of my best ever.