Being an exchange student in Europe

After the COVID-19 pandemic, borders of a lot of countries were closed and it became very difficult to travel. Travelling from an island country is even more difficult. South Korea is almost an island country because of North Korea, so it is impossible to move without taking a plane. I interviewed a Korean girl whose name is Chaerin. She had not been outside of South Korea for almost three years before she came to Munich. “I was super excited to be able to travel again so I decided to travel around Europe before the semester starts.”

She travelled to Switzerland, France, Spain and Poland for 45 days. Last semester, she felt overwhelmed with her studies so she wanted to get away from her life. And, travelling indeed helped her to take a rest. She added, “I’ve been experiencing severe cramps for the past few months. I used to take maybe like two painkillers during my period but at some point, I had to take even six. But, when I had my period for the first time in Europe, I didn’t have any cramps at all. It was so surprising.” A big benefit of travelling is that it takes our mind off studying or working, which helps us enjoy and relax more while travelling.

She says that her first impression of Portugal was really good so Portugal is one of her favourite countries. “I really liked Portugal. I was supposed to be there for seven days but I decided to stay longer because I liked it so much. The people were very polite and helpful. Even if they didn’t speak English, they helped me to reach my destination.” 

She had to pay a € 50 fine in Paris as she didn’t understand how the Parisian transportation system works. “I bought a weekly ticket when I went to Paris. They checked my tickets a couple of times and they said something in French but of course, I didn’t understand. I didn’t know there was a problem with my ticket. Apparently, I should have put my photo on the ticket but I didn’t know.” Language is the biggest struggle when you are travelling to a different country so I understand why she felt welcomed by the Portuguese who showed their willingness to help her even though they don’t speak perfect English. 

She always took her camera and tripod during her journey. “Some people say that it is weird to bring a tripod and take pictures alone but I don’t mind. I like travelling alone but I still want to take a picture of myself in front of beautiful places so I just set up a tripod and take pictures of myself.” She made Instagram stories with the pictures she took and short paragraphs of what she did and what she felt. It is in a way her public diary and that helped her to keep the memory of travelling. 

She is planning to go to the next destinations, which are Vienna and Budapest, and her adventure will never stop.