Daily Busan
A conversation with a professor from Youngsan University
With over 55,000 foreign residents, Busan is a multicultural city. Aulia Djunaedi, one of those residents, sat down with Daily Busan and shared her thoughts on living in Busan as a foreigner.
Ms. Djunaedi, originally from Indonesia, is a professor at Youngsan University and a member of the Busan Foreign Residents Representatives. She has 3 duties at the university. She is based in Yangsan campus but goes to Haeundae campus during semester break more. She is mainly in charge for GC Zone Yangsan, and also does regular classes and supports the Global Affairs team.
Q. How long have you been living in Busan?
A. For a year. Exactly a year now. I used to live in Gimhae, but I already worked in Busan at Youngsan University. That means every time I had to commute.
Q. Could you tell us about your life in Busan?
A. I have a group, Busan Gyeongsangnamdo Global. I am the founder. In this group, we travel around Busan and Gyeongsangnamdo. In my group, there are Koreans and native English speakers. We ride bikes, go hiking, go on coastal trails, and cook together. Next time, I want to add volunteering as well.
Q. What do you teach at Youngsan University?
A. I teach Eastern and Western reading, philosophy, and general English.
Q. Do you use any unique teaching methodologies or skills for your students?
A. The first day, I put students into groups, and then I ask them to build a tower over 2 meters using paper. And interestingly, depending on their nationality, they make the tower a bit different. For example, Nepali students like to make the tower like a cylinder. Meanwhile, Uzbek students make their towers like rectangles or triangles.
Q. What do you think about Busan’s English-Friendly City Policy?
A. I think it's about time. And even before that, Busan should have focused more on being English-friendly. And as I mentioned before, maybe with the volunteers in the tourism area, that kind of will encourage the students to try to speak English and meet new people. And then not just to students, but also other citizens. If Busan is known as an English-friendly speaking city, then foreigners will come here.
Q. As a foreign resident, do you have any recommendations for enhancing the city's appeal or amenities?
A. It would be great if volunteer programs in Busan were accessible to foreigners. Apparently, they accept foreigners, but in the volunteer portal, everything is in Korean.
◎ Busan Gyeongsangnamdo Global
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<Today's Voca- 오늘의 단어>
resident: 주민 commute: 통근하다 founder: 설립자 coastal: 해안가 volunteer: 자원봉사(자)
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