Name: Liu Ting-wei
Nationality: Taiwanese
Age: 22
Major: Chinese literature
School: Tunghai University


1. Why did you choose Keimyung University?

I wanted to be an exchange student. That’s why I am here in Korea. I didn’t think too much when I made a decision; I just wanted to have a different experience during my school life. This is my first time to study abroad so I think its better to stay in Asia. Korean culture is quite similar to Chinese culture and it’s easy for me to get with it. I heard that KMU has a beautiful campus and had many foreign students, so I think it’s good for me to polish my English oral skill. Later, I joined the interview for the exchange student program, and I am happy that KMU gave me a chance to study here. I really like the life here in Korea.

2. Please introduce Taiwan and some differences between Taiwanese universities and Korean universities.

Taiwan is very similar to China. Many people ask me about my mother language. Some think that I speak English, and some think we have our own language. The answer is we speak Chinese. There’s no big difference between our universities. Only the educational system is quite different. In Taiwan, we start a new school year in September instead of March. The school life is not like here in Korea. Our students don’t like to join school activities, so there’s no strong relationship between the school and students.

3. What was the culture shock in Korea?

I think there’s no culture shock to me because the culture is quite similar. But there are also differences between the cultures. For example, in Korea, etiquette is very important. At first, I couldn’t understand why Korean people always ask our age when first we meet. After I started my Korean language class, I realized the reason. In Korean we have to add different honorific suffixes at the end of the sentence. So age is very important in Korean culture.

4. What do you want to achieve in Korea?

I like to experience different culture, so I want to know more about Korea. This semester I take the Taekwondo and Traditional Korean Dance class, and I hope after the end of semester, I can show these to my family and my Taiwanese friends. I also want to speak Korean well, not only to communicate with Korean people easily but also to know Korean culture directly.

5. Would you please say something to Keimyung students?

Don’t hesitate! Do it at once if you have the chance to be an exchange student. I learned many things here, like the respect between the different cultures, or even between people. If we know how to respect differences, we can get more friends.