(My journey to Korea)

The moment I put my first step in the land of norms, of splendid behavior and marvelous system of belief, I had an immense feeling for the mighty Koreans who fought brutal wars and later out of scratches made the country number eleven economy of the world. During my first semester sojourn at GSIS, I have experienced the distinct pleasures of moving from a developing country to a developed country both of which are unique and great in their own way.

           

 I strongly believe that, love & respect for each other was the means behind making today’s Korea. One thing that always surprises me is despite the mandatory two years in military services, Korean students and other people are so downright soft in nature! Perhaps the value for family, society and humanity is the key mantra for mighty Koreans. Though we are culturally different countries, I have a feeling that we share the same value system of humanity which goes into the making of a peaceful and coherent society.

 

Korea has its unique culture of thousand years which reflects in its society, literature, language and food.  People are thoroughly disciplined and polite. One hardly finds annoying horns of vehicles moving around Seoul, one of the busiest cities of the world. The cleanliness of roads and other public places speak of order. Use of scare resources in most effective manner shows the love for the nation and mother earth in general. People are truly organized and the attitude of never giving up distinguishes them from other nationals. I was fortunate enough to find a good Korean friend from the very beginning.

           

I got an opportunity to visit some of the Korean provinces during my stay in Korea and was deeply touched by its natural splendour and highly improved world class infrastructure.”The land of morning calm” is justified by its splendid pollution free environment. The infrastructure built in the mountainous region depicts the determination and technological capabilities of the Korean people. During my visit to steel city Pohang, I had the opportunity to see the industrial development over the years and was astounded by the perceptive determination of people materialize into such gigantic economic proportions. The port city of Bushan, second largest city of South Korea is another hallmark of modern Korea. The tunnels through mountains without destroying their beauty and foliage establishes the passion of Koreans towards Mother Nature. The small villages in the country side are quaint & beautiful.

 

The journey from a small rural school from Kukudapali, Sambalpur to GSIS Korea University, one of the prestigious universities in Korea is a dream-come-true for me. I am really grateful to almighty and POSCO TJ park foundation for making this a reality. The course in GSIS is very well structured and internationally designed. With its quality curriculum, it enjoys being in the list of the five most famous top notch universities of South Korea. The distinguished team of faculty members consists of five permanent professors and several visiting professors. GSIS being one of the members of “the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs” makes me proud as a student and gives me a ‘far-above-the-ground’ feeling. I am truly honored to be a part of this intellectual community.  

 

The infrastructure and facilities are world class which set example for other institutes around the globe. Above all the opportunity of studying and interacting with students from different countries like China, USA and many European countries is a remarkable experience. Academicians of repute like Professor Jung-Ho Kim and professor Sung –Hoon Park not only help cast off my doubts but call for attention to improvised scripts, recitation and argumentative skills for effective participation in international forums. The teaching not only orients me to hone my academic skills but also makes me strive rigorously to put genuine efforts for activities which I would definitely cherish in the future. 

 

Most interestingly, the initial culture shock experienced by me as far as Korean food was concerned has been replaced by a genuine interest for the same. Though the food habit is entirely different from my mother land, Korea has some delicacies to offer to my taste buds. Rice is staple food for Korea. Beef and pork are very popular in Korean society and people are also fond of sea foods. 

 

Both the countries consume large amount of rice. Few of my favorite Korean foods are Phul thak (chicken) and Vivin phap (veg-rice). Apart from this, I have had the pleasure of visiting my classmate’s home on the occasion of Chusak' holidays and ate some delectable traditional food which is generally not available in the local restaurants. Due to religious restrictions, I have not had a taste of several cuisines but whatever I have tried, enhances my love for Korean food.

 

We also went on a POSCO visit with other Asian fellows. It was an immense pleasure and we all had a chance to witness hardworking employees and had a glimpse of values and vision of green POSCO. The vision of POSCO, “believe in creativity” speaks a lot without actually saying anything. The entire POSCO is driven by the punch line “resources are limited; creativity is unlimited”. The country especially, POSCO was built with the foundation of love, fraternity and equality among the workers. 

 

POSCO stands tall among Korean people as a symbol of “can do” spirit. The same “Can do” spirit is my mantra now which I learned from none other than POSCO. I feel proud to be in Korea for several modest and big reasons but being a POSCO TJ Park Foundation fellow gives me an edge over other students, among my peers and families in India.