“If you keep the Korean manner, you will never be rude to any country.” -So Jung Kim
My friendship with So Jung seemed destined, from the first moment that we met as peers in our international group during orientation. We did not talk much back then, until later when we continuously bumped into each other during two common classes and one common friend. She is friendly, a little bit of craziness and wildness, but she is a very good friend. When I was thinking of a sophomore to interview for my post to generalize the life of a Clarkie sophomore, I thought of her.
So Jung is an international student from Seoul, South Korea. She majors in Biology with a Mathematics minor and is considering a Bioinformatics concentration as well. Although I have known her for a while, it was nice to get her interviewed so I can learn more about my best friend.
A: What activities are you involved on campus?
S: Classes mainly. I work for KSA-Korean Student Association. I call myself director of finance, because I basically do everything for the club; I hold events, advertise the club, take care of everything, so I should be the president. -laughs- I am currently a member of SURJ (Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal), and of a math club, Mathematical Society. I am also teaching for Splash in November.
A: Do you find yourself very busy?
S: Not really busy, SURJ and Splash are just one semester. KSA is the only busy thing at the moment. It is not busy because we have meetings every week; it is busy because it is a newly formed group so there are many things to organize. Also, because we do not have the ground to build up, we have to think of ideas for future events, so students can join the club, even when we graduate.
A: Do you have a favorite/least favorite memory at Clark?
S: It was not on campus, but it was when I, Anh, Ralitza, and Giulia went to New York during our Thanksgiving break. I really like the Spree Day held by Clark near the end of every year as a tradition. I felt really free, as a flying bird. Haha. Gala is also fun, but because I have to do too much of rehearsals. -laughs- My worst memories... I am not good at English, and I am not good now, but at least I improved. Also, the lecture style in American college is so different from that of my Korean high school, so I screwed my GPA. In high school, the teachers will help you review everything that may be on the tests, so all you need to do is studying the review and you can easily get an A.
A: Do you have any advice for freshmen?
S: Play hard and study harder. Enjoy freshmen year as much as you could because it literally flies by and never comes back. Playing is good and enjoying is good too, but don’t ignore your GPA. Try to balance your schedule. Wander around Worcester. The chance will never come again as you get older.
A: Do you find that the international status affects your life in the US, or at Clark? Any problems you encounter? How do you overcome it? Any suggestions?
S: Yeah, a lot. There are a lot of problems; it is so hard to go around to do stuff, especially with the bank. I have lots of troubles with it. Because I am an international student, I do not have a social security number, and when I called them, they asked for it so I have to walk to TD Banks so many times when I need something. Second, it is so hard to get a job on campus. This year, it is a little bit easier because they open application for both work-study and non work-study job.
Adjusting to American culture is also a huge test for internationals. However, time will save you when you try. If you try, the time it takes for you to adjust will be shortened, but if you don’t try, the time will be endless. If you have anything, just go and ask people, they will not say bad things about you.
A: Do you still keep your Korean culture, or you become more Americanized?
I got used to the American way because I still have to live here. I can’t force everyone to behave the same way as Korean would do. When I first came here, if someone did an action that is rude or out of manner to Korean, I would frown at them. But now, I just ignore it, because it is just an American thing. I still keep my Korean manners, because as the Koreans say, “If you keep the Korean manner, you will never be rude to any country”.
