My name is Andrew Mingyu Kim. I am originally from Busan, Korea, a harbour city in the southern side of the country. As such, I am quite fond of water and fresh seafood, though I do despise smelly seafood. Unfortunately for me, such pickiness in seafood did not bode well for me in my immigration to Canada: I am currently living in a city called Calgary, in the Southern half of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is very land locked and obtaining fresh seafood is very difficult. However, that does not mean I do not enjoy living in Calgary.
My life in Calgary has opened up my worldview significantly. The change of culture from a collectivist to an individualistic one has been difficult to adjust to. However, having lived half of my life in a collectivist society and having spent the other half in an individualistic society, I have a mixed view on both systems that can be seen as unique. One aspect that I have had first-hand experience with, and that I have always been passionate about, is the education system.
I have recently completed my fourth year at the University of Calgary in the Bachelor of Science: neuroscience program. I will be graduating officially in early June and am hoping to continue my education to pursue my dreams of becoming a pediatrician some day. With the general lack of knowledge on proper education that extends beyond the little teaching experiences I had in my private clarinet lessons, you might question my qualifications in talking about such a topic. I believe that education is an aspect that effects everyone, as everyone continues to learn throughout their lives. People always learn, through trials and mistakes, and through the guidance of peers and other individuals. However, to be able to learn, one has to face and experience various parts of life, meeting new people and tackling new challenges. In this short trip to Japan, I wish to be able to experience first-hand, the education system of another culture. Learning about the differences in teaching methodology will be very interesting: it will be my first experience with the higher level education in a collectivist culture and I am hoping it will be able to broaden my views further. In addition to the broadening, I hope this experience will indirectly help me in learning more about my own culture through the examination of the many similarities and equally as numerous differences between my heritage and Japan.
Not many people are as fortunate as I am to be able to travel to a completely foreign country and spend a whole month amongst others with similar interests and objectives. As such, I am hoping to bring the experience I had in Japan to the readers of this blog site in an easy-to-digest, engaging manner, along with my 3 colleagues. Please do enjoy experiencing the various aspects of the university campus lives through the eyes, ears, and hands of us. Thank you.
大学生の生活 