The best way I can think to start an article like this is to simply say “Thank you” to Keimyung University – to the students, to the teachers, to the friends I’ve made, the people I’ve randomly encountered – for making my experience studying abroad the best time of my life.

My name is David Mason, and I am an American exchange student here at Keimyung University. My home university is East Tennessee State University, otherwise known as ETSU, and my major there is journalism. A number of Keimyung students have travelled to America to study at ETSU, and meeting them is how I first found out about Keimyung. Even though I live in the United States, I have barely travelled outside my home state (Virginia) and the surrounding areas. Places like New York and Los Angeles are as foreign to me as they are to many of you readers.

Last year, however, I found out about a scholarship offered at my university that would allow me to study abroad. I slowly began working on the application. I applied to many schools in many countries, but because of my relationship with Keimyung students and the fact that they accepted me first, I made the decision to study here.

I arrived in Daegu on February 28, and I plan on staying here through July. Keimyung has been everything I had hoped it would be and more. I can feel a change in myself that is definitely for the better. Before I came to Korea, I thought I had an open mind, but being here and meeting not only Korean people, but other exchange students from all over the world has really opened my mind more than I could have ever imagined.

When speaking with some of my friends back home, they often ask me, “What is the best part about your experience?” That is not an easy question to answer. Just to name a few – I jumped off Woobang Tower on my 23rd birthday and spent that entire day in Woobang Land with my friends. Or all of the traveling I’ve done not only in Korea, such as Seoul and Busan, but to nearby countries like China and Thailand. I even consider going to the hwang-so jim-jeel-bang/sauna for the first time something that was really iconic, because a jim-jeel-bang is not something you find in America.

To put it in the simplest of terms, this was the best decision I made in my life. I can definitely say the thing that makes this trip the most special is the people I have met and the friends I have made. From my Korean “buddy” to my roommate to my Korean friends that I've known before and the new ones I’ve recently made, to all of my exchange student friends, to teachers and faculty of Keimyung – they have truly made my time here worthwhile, and I know I have some lifelong friends after I head back to the United States.

Even though my major is journalism at my home university, I have become more open to the idea of working abroad – such as here in Daegu or anywhere in South Korea. I feel as though Daegu is my second home now. I do miss seeing my family and friends back in the US, but I have settled into Daegu quite well, and I’ve learned that I can adapt to new settings easier than I thought I could. Whether I come back to Korea for a job or not, I’m certain that I will come back to Korea some time very soon.

In short – speaking as an American exchange student studying here at Keimyung – I can honestly say I love this place. The experiences I’ve had here in Korea and at Keimyung are things I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and will make me a better person overall.