Xia Jingyi from Tsinghua University

I have joined “2024 Summer KAIST CAMPUS Asia Research-oriented Program” this summer from August 5th to August 30th, with the aim of broadening my international perspective and gaining in-depth experience and learning about South Korea's research environment and culture. Through this program, I hoped to gain valuable cross-cultural experience and enhance my research capabilities and academic level.

During my summer research program at KAIST, I have engaged in a variety of academic and cultural activities. I participated in group discussions with members of my research team, exchanged ideas with students from around the world, and maintained communication with my supervisor through online meetings. Additionally, I attended Korean language courses and experienced Korean urban life and culture, including participating in the Daejeon Midnight Festival and traveling to Busan. The program has also organized a one-day trip to Jeongu, where we had experienced Hanbok and Handmade leather. During the trip, we not only gained the experience of Korean culture, but also gained deeper friendship.

In Tsinghua, due to the particularity of the subject, we don't have a fixed office and workstation, which makes me particularly excited to have my own workstation in KAIST. Under the guidance of my doctoral sister, I came to the office and found my own station, feeling the environment full of academic atmosphere. Every time I communicated with the members of the research group, it was a collision of ideas, from which I got many valuable inspirations. Unfortunately, the supervisor of the laboratory was not in Korea because of his own arrangement, so we could only communicate regularly every week through online meetings. Although I couldn't meet offline, I could still felt his enthusiasm and support in communication with him At the regular monthly seminar of the research group, I showed my past research and future research plans and interests, as well as what I promoted during the summer vacation, which got positive feedback and suggestions from other lab members and gained a lot in the process of communicating with them. At the same time, I was fortunate to be able to understand the research being carried out by the members of the research group and learn their research methods and ideas, which has greatly broadened my research horizons and provided new inspiration for my own research.

Learning Korean once a week is the most impressive and unforgettable memory in the one-month summer research exchange. Like babbling children, we clumsily began to learn Korean forty tones and copy the words. From the initial vowel learning, to the following consonants, we could finally spell and speak simple sentences and dialogues. The process of learning a new language is extremely happy. In this diverse classroom, there are people from China, Japan and South Korea. We overcome language barriers and study together in various ways. From time to time, the Korean teacher explained the corresponding Korean sentences in Chinese and Japanese, and her efforts were intertwined with our laughter, which became the warmest moment in class. Although sometimes we couldn't communicate so smoothly, everyone was willing to let each other know what they meant through body language and more general explanations. At the end of the course, the teacher's words deeply touched me. She said that she hoped after 20 years, looking back on the experience of learning Korean in Korea this month, we could still proudly say the sentences we learned now. I think it will, and this memory has become a lingering beauty in my mind. I also hope that I can continue to learn Korean and reduce the distance between different cultures. I think this is also the charm of learning a language.

The summer research program at KAIST had a positive impact on my future studies and career from the following aspects. Firstly, my research experience and capabilities were enhanced, which will help me achieve better results in future research work. Secondly, through learning Korean and visiting Korean cities, I gained a deeper understanding of Korean culture and city construction, which will aid me in future international exchanges and collaborations. Lastly, the interpersonal relationships and cross-cultural communication experiences I built during the program will provide valuable networking resources and communication skills for her future career.

The summer research program at KAIST was a valuable learning and growth experience. I am so lucky to participate in this project, seeing different worlds and landscapes, and making friends with different people. I have benefited a lot both in my studies and in my life.

In front of the library