The Life of Nepali Students at Yonsei The Yonsei Newsletter interviewed three Nepali students at Yonsei, who played a major role in the opening of the event. They were Madhu Sudhan Atteraya (Doctoral program of Social Welfare, 31), Shraddha Palikhe (Masters Program of Architecture, 27), and Aastha Malla Bindu (Doctoral program of Atmospheric Science, 29).These three students are studying at Yonsei with the support of scholarships, which are given to outstanding students for their achievements. There are about 16 Nepali students in the Yonsei Graduate School, most of them majoring science and technology. All Nepali students in Korea are the members of SONSIK (Society of Nepalese Students in Korea), which currently has approximately 500 members. Madhu is one of the executive members of SONSIK. Nepal day was held with the help of SONSIK members. "The professor of my friend,” Madhu said, “who was a visiting professor at Yonsei from SNU (Seoul National University) offered me an idea of having a cultural event. After talking with him, I wrote a letter to the Office of International Affairs in Yonsei. It took a month to prepare the event." He also mentioned that NKCF (Nepal Korea Cultural Forum) had contributed to the arrangement of the event in many ways. "NKCF provided us with dancers and singers and gave advices on how to process the cultural event in general." The three interviewees have been in Korea at least for a year. The youngest, Shraddha came to Korea after finishing her undergraduate program in Nepal. "My sister was already studying engineering in Korea at that time. That’s why I naturally had decided to come to Korea. Moreover, Korean universities offer good facilities and programs in the engineering field." Aastha had already finished her master’s degree in environmental engineering at Ewha Womans University in 2008. She has continued her study atmospheric science at Yonsei. "I am a lot interested in this field but there was no such major in Ewha. Yonsei University is fully equipped with good professors and research environments in this area, so I applied for Yonsei." Madhu gave an interesting reason for staying in Korea. "I happened to watch a football game in 2002, which was the World Cup Football Game co-hosted by Korea and Japan. I was so moved by the cooperation of the two nations (Korea and Japan). I did not know the overall history between the two nations at that time. While watching the game, I hit upon an idea of going to Korea. I feel like coming to Korea was my destiny." Except for Aastha, two students have not returned to Nepal during their time in Korea. Aastha once returned to Nepal after finishing her degree at Ewha. Shradda’s mother visited Seoul. Madhu has been staying in Seoul for three years. "His parents beg him to come back to get married,” Aastha said. “Instead, he is being taken care of by his Hasuk Azuma (Homestay mother). She adores him like her child." But their lives in Seoul have not always been easy. They had difficulty adapting themselves to different life styles such as food and study environment. "We had difficulty in being accustomed to the taste and smell of Kimchi and Doen-Jang-Chi-Gae. We never tasted those foods in Nepal." Madhu remarked, "I did not like these foods at the beginning. But I have become fond of Korean foods. Especially Hasuk Azuma provides Korean foods every day." The other two students make Nepalese food by themselves where they live. Regarding campus life, the Nepalese have different study styles, they say. "The relationship between the professor and student is friendlier in Nepal. The university classes are given from 10 to 5 every day. By contrast, individual-based study is more emphasized here. While many classes are given in the lecture format in Nepal, lots of assignments and presentations are allotted to each student in Korea." Interestingly, the students finished their undergraduate courses at the same university, Tribhuvan University, but they did not know each other before coming to Korea. "Aastha and I met each other in the subway by chance. Whenever we see other Nepalese, we feel so pleased." The two girls are from Kathmandu but Madhu is from Dang, which lies at a distance from the capital comparable to that between Seoul and Daejeon. They have different future dreams and life plans. Madhu said he wishes to make a community group not only composed of Nepali but also with diverse cultural backgrounds. He wants to play an important role in connecting the two nations, Nepal and Korea. Aastha said that she wants to become a professor in Nepal. Shraddha expressed her wish to remain and work in Korea. "We truly feel appreciated to have an opportunity to study in Korea.” they all agreed. “Without the help of our colleagues and professors, our life would have been unsustainable."