YURI from SEOUL

I am 22 years old and am taking my third semester in Construction Engineering Studies. The completion of my studies will take 5-6 more years. Right from the beginning I received support from other students.
I believe the key to the enjoyment of life in a foreign country and culture is to be open-minded and gregarious. Instead of the 'shelter' of a Korean community I preferred to establish good relations with Germans. This was the main reason why I decided to live in a shared flat with German students – one of the best decisions I ever made during my stay in Germany.  In my experience: 'Asian' restraint and politeness are not as important as the direct expression of one’s own opinion.

Somehow I still   feel like  a foreigner, but feel much more relaxed in many situations and enjoy the freedom of life. Because of this freedom I don’t feel that I am missing out on the 'unlimited' opening hours for weekend shopping that I was used to.