Happiest moments in Yonsei
IT’S ALREADY November, the last month of autumn, which means 2016 is now coming to an end. Freshmen are preparing to leave Songdo, sophomores are now adjusting to life in Sinchon, juniors are preparing for their last year in Yonsei and many seniors are busy looking for jobs. Also, graduate students are starting their studies in their graduate schools. Looking back at life in Yonsei, students have had various experiences and relationships. Among those, which do they remember as the happiest memories at Yonsei?What memories would give Yonseians energy whenever they feel weary and burdened? To find out various opinions of Yonseians, The Yonsei Annals asked Yonseians about their happiest moments at Yonsei in this month’s Voice on Campus.
Jung Hea-yun (Fresh., Dept. of Info. & Industrial Engin.)
Since I’m a freshman, every moment at Yonsei brings me happiness, but if I were to choose the happiest one, I would say the AKARAKA festival. I had a dream of entering Yonsei in my high school years and hoped to be in the Amphitheater one day, shouting Akaraka along with all the cheering songs. I really wanted to enter Yonsei and experience the blue wave during AKARAKA. Luckily, I entered Yonsei this year and went to the festival. On the day of the festival, my heart beat really fast from the moment I wore the blue T-shirt, entered the Amphitheater, and saw thousands of people singing the same cheering songs. All of the people seemed joyful and energetic, therefore their energy brought me strength. That day was truly my happiest day because the festival really made me feel that I am indeed a Yonsei student.
Lee Yong-chan (Soph., Dept. of History)
The happiest moments in Yonsei were moments when I participated in club activities. I searched for clubs because it was my dream to join one when I entered university. I signed up for a Christian club called JDM through school seniors whom I got to know during freshmen orientation. At first, I felt uncomfortable with having upper classmen who came to Songdo buy me meals and talk with me. However, as time passed, I opened my mind and started to form sincere relationships with them. After entering Yonsei, being together with people in a club brought me true happiness. Meeting club members, caring about each other, and doing club activities together made the happiest moments in university for me. I strongly recommend people who want to make sincere and close relationships with others to join a club.
Kwon Mi-jeung (Jr., Dept. of Economics)
It’s my third year in Yonsei, but the dormitory life in Songdo is still my happiest memory in Yonsei. I was thrilled looking forward to my university life, but at the same timeI felt unfamiliar with the new environment I would encounter. I was afraid because it was my first time living apart from my family, and my first time living in a dormitory. However, living in Songdo helped me overcome my fear and find an alter ego. Before I entered university, I thought I only knew how to study. This made me feel daunted and lose confidence in myself. However, having dinner with friends, having conversations in a café, and hanging out all night long with friends in Songdo brought me full energy. These moments made me regain my confidence, as I felt I was “certainly a person who can enjoy life enthusiastically.” Hanging out with friends in Songdo and meeting new people made me reflect on my high school period during which I thought I was selfish. I started to understand others and practice being considerate to others. Life in Songdo is the happiest memory for me since I became a better person and made lots of valuable friendships.
Jung Hyun-kyo (Sr., Dept. of Chemical & Biomole. Engin.)
As I look back on my university life, I recall lots of happy moments. There were moments when I studied with my friends, when I fell in love, when I went on a trip with money I earned… but I would choose when I was on stage as an actor as the happiest moment. I was once a person who felt afraid of standing in front of others. When I stood in front of others, my lips got dry and my heart beat fast while my face turned white. Therefore, I made a challenge to be a stage actor by entering a club called Gong dae geuk hoe (drama group in the College of Engineering). People’s gaze which seemed to question, “Will he be able to act?” motivated me to practice harder. Two months passed, and it was my first performance on stage. The lights came on, but I was so calm. All the scripts I practiced came clear in my mind and I was absolutely confident. The pleasure of finding a new self in my life was very thrilling and pleasing. My friends who at first asked me, “Why are you choosing activities like acting?” now get curious and ask me, “How do you act so well?” I hope all of you do not lose the chance to challenge yourself, which you can only enjoy when you are a student. A chance to verify your true self will give you beautiful memories in school.
Tark Eun-yung (2nd Sem., Dept. of Child and Family Studies)
Various scenes slide by as I think of the happiest moments in my university life. The time when I first entered school, when I took interesting classes, when I cheered at AKARAKA, when I watched the Yon-Ko Games and more! However, people’s faces come up to my mind even more than those scenes. It was difficult participating in three clubs since I didn’t have enough time, but the people I met there were very valuable. Thankfully, I met friends who had similar dreams and values, which made me learn a lot from them and gave me a chance to grow up. Now, as many of them have graduated, I am so sad that we won’t be able to gather as often as we did during our undergraduate years. I miss those days preparing for conferences all night long with my friends, having a meltdown together, going on a trip, and just being together.
Jo Eun-ho
eunho0504@yonsei.ac.kr