[461 Path of an Exchange Student]

   Hello everyone, my name is Elio Lannoo, I am 20, from France and have been living in South Korea for 6 months. My dream has always been to leave my country to study abroad and discover new things, new people and a new part of the world. This is why I did not hesitate one second when I had the chance to come to Korea for a year as an exchange student.

   Ever since middle school, I have been interested in South Korea and its culture. I wanted to come to visit the country and discover the landscapes, as well as the lifestyle. I needed something different from what I have known my whole life, something refreshing and healing. I do not think I had tha many expectations before coming here—because life is not a fairytale obviously—I was just hoping to find what I have been looking for, something that would make me grow as an individual. I also wanted to see lots of snow. Ever since the climate change has been striking the earth more and more as years pass by, it does not snow as much as it used to where I live in France. This one was fulfilled easily, experiencing so much snow made me feel so much better and I cannot emphasize enough how pretty it is with the Korean landscape! I also feel more relaxed for some reason, more at ease and at peace with myself and the world around me.

   Nevertheless, one of my biggest fears was to not make many friends or to not create bonds with people (also regarding the fact that I am transgender), which turned out to be wrong because I met so many amazing people here. Furthermore, the fact that we all left our countries and lives behind, helped understand each other. I was also worried about not being able to understand the people or to not make myself understandable simply because I do not speak Korean. I know some words and understand some things but not enough to form a sentence or to have a conversation. However, there is always a way to get what you want in the end and Koreans are really the kindest and will do everything they can to help you.

   Concerning the school, this did not stress me out that much except maybe for the grades and the system they use here for this, which is a lot different from the one we use in France. Even though I still do not understand all of it to this day, I can tell that classes here are a lot easier than in my country, at least for a foreigner. I also like the closeness you can have with the teachers, it feels reassuring.

   One of the best things I like about Korea is the cafes. They are literally everywhere (we have three on the campus!), and it is perfect for coffee lovers or just to have a chat or hand out with your fiends in a nice place. It is the same for the convenience stores, they make my life so much easier. Also, the safeness of this country is unbelievable. I have never been scared to be alone at night or to pass by little narrow somber streets once and when we go clubbing with my friends in Korea. We still have to pay a little attention but not as much as we would have in Europe. It is one of the things I will miss the most for sure. I could not have been happier about my exchange year so far here, and it is going amazing and I cannot wait to see what Korea has in store for me. I do not want to go back home but I can easily tell, and without a doubt, that I will come back here for sure!