AU French and Spanish major participates in South Korea student conference

Stefanie Stoops, a French and Spanish major, participated August 10-18 in a student conference in Daegu, South Korea through Daegu Health College. Stefanie reports, “It was exciting to interact with students from 10 countries (Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Thailand, and the U.S.). One of the most important things I learned at this conference was that different perceptions of an individual’s role in society lead to totally different views of the world. For example, Koreans have no problem eating from a communal plate or spontaneously eating off someone else’s plate. However, in the West, we would consider such practices rude and unsanitary. Koreans think more about the group, while Westerners think more about the individual.” Stefanie also got to experience Korean culture, including the food. She learned that Koreans LOVE spicy food, especially kimchi. The students visited the world culture expo in Gyeongju and learned about the Shilla kingdom, which lasted 1000 years. They also shopped at a traditional Korean market. Stefanie considers the conference a fulfilling experience, and  she feel s blessed that she was chosen to represent Ashland and the U.S. at the conference.