We are Rifat Tashnia and Nusrat Zahan Happy, students from the Department of BBA of Daffodil International University. Our entire student life we dreamt about studying abroad and finally, in the year 2015, DIU gave us the opportunity to study for one semester at the Department of International studies of Dongeso University (DSU), Korea. Let us tell you the most overwhelming story of our life, beginning from the very first day.
One day in our university mail, we got a notice to apply for the Korean government scholarship programme for one semester at Dongseo University, Korea. The very first requirement was good academic result and we both had a CGPA of 3.99 and 4.00 till our fifth semester. Without any delay, we both applied along with other students from different departments. After submitting our applications it didn’t seem like we had any hope to be selected. There were so many students who applied from all over the world, what were the chances of us being selected?
During the viva we were slightly nervous and noticed that lots of students were waiting along with us. Suddenly, Rifat noticed me waiting as well and asked me, "Did you apply for this scholarship too?" Before we knew it, we hit it off and ended up making it through the interview.
Soon after, she got a phone call from the Office of International Affairs, DIU and was given the good news that she was selected for the Korean Government Scholarship Program 2015. A while later, I got the same phone call too. It was the very first time that the Korean government selected two students from the same university. We felt on top of the world!
On March 5, after our initial excitement died down and we completed processing our visa, we finally felt like we had reached another milestone - one that took us closer to our destination. We never forgot how confused we were during our transit at the Thai airport. Nor did we forget how nerve wracking it was when our names were being announced when we couldn't be found. After our little hiccup, we reached to the plane and finally, it took off. Once we reached Busan airport in Korea and everything looked like a fantasy. We asked each other "Is this for real?"
As planned, Mr Dan from International Exchange Center of Dongseo University was waiting to receive us. After 20 minutes we reached Dongseo University. We felt slightly uncomfortable as it was difficult to cope with the weather. It was surprisingly cold. However, once we entered our dorm, all signs of tiredness vanished. We got the key to our room and that's when we realised that a new, exciting phase of our life had just begun.
At the fresher’s orientation the next day, we met students from different countries and were introduced to many students who were just like us. Mr Leo Choi did our registration and we selected six courses for the semester. We settled down and then began figuring out our meal plans. We bought the necessary utencils to start cooking and setting up our kitchen. Here we met another Bangladeshi named Rashid who was doing his PhD. He turned out to be of immense help guiding us through our trip.
Classes began on March 9 and that's when we noticed that the teaching methodology was totally different from that in Bangladesh. Each class didn't just comprise of one long lecture. We had time slots allocated for lectures, group study, discussion, and videos. We learnt so much, it felt like we could keep these lessons for the rest of our lives. Our classmates were very co-operative too.
Interesingly, we celebrated Bangladesh's Independence Day and Pohela Boishakh with our professors, our international friends and with other Bangladeshi students as well. On March 26, we met the Honorable President of Dongseo University, Jekuk Chang and gave him a Bangladeshi souvenir on behalf of our Chairman of DIU, Md Sabur Khan. To be able to showcase our culture in Korea gave us immense pride. Jakuk Chang too, celebrated with us and was extremely nice, praising us for our scholarship.
We traveled around Seoul, Jeju Island, Taejondae island, Geoge island, Nampodong, Somoyon and many other places. It really was a beautiful country with so much too see and experience.
We were there for one semester to enrich our knowledge and explore new experiences. After getting the opportunity to go there, we can easily say that our life has totally changed. We really feel like we have learned so much. So much more than what courses or class lectures can teach us. We've taken back experiences that we'll hold dear to us for years to come. We are grateful to our university for giving us this opportunity. We really feel like every student should be aware of these scholarships and should apply when given the chance. We cannot thank DIU and DSU enough.
