[She felt in love with our country and in the future, she hopes to study a Master’s degree here.]
August 2nd, 2017
“Studying in Mexico and UPAEP has given me passion for my university life” said Soehee Park from the Catholic University of Korea; she came to UPAEP for a whole academic year.
“I chose this country because I look forward to indulge myself between Korea and Latin America commercial relations and to inspire the development in that part of the world; when I came here, I did not speak any Spanish, only “hola” and “gracias”; but with the courses, Tandem group and UPAEP, they really helped me to get better at it.”
Her dad and friends were really surprised when she told them that Mexico was her place to study abroad especially because the prejudices about the insecurity in Mexico. However, for her, she always trusted about a positive and negative side. That is why she told us: “being here has allowed me to get to know a little bit more about NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement); I do know the reality when it comes to Mexicans and the issues they have with the United States.”
Being in contact with the culture, seeing how colorful the streets are and listening to people made her perspective to change completely; she used to know the typical image of a person sit next to a cactus with a sombrero and a guitar.
“If you really want to come to Mexico, you have to forget about all that. I experienced three earthquakes and a volcano alert; I got pretty scared because Korea does not really have active volcanoes; and honestly, I am so sorry, but I do not wish to go back home; the weather here is amazing, studying Spanish is exciting; therefore, I hope I am back soon for a postgraduate program.”
When it comes to the academics, there are many differences between the teaching system in Mexico and Korea. “At the beginning, lectures are pretty much theory while in Korea they are always pushing you to solve problems. However, I really liked that here in UPAEP there are always conferences related to the classes; which fulfills the theory even more because you heard the speaker talking about his professional experience and the way a solution was found in the real life.”
Soehee had a really good involvement in Mexico. An unforgettable story that she had was that she lost her wallet in the cafeteria and she did not know until she saw a post on Facebook. Rodrigo González Díaz found it and he delivered it to the Internationalization office. “I am so grateful for it.”
Finally, she thanks all of her classmates and professors that made her stay in Mexico and in UPAEP easier.
Click here to read the text in Spanish.
