OQEANOUS Plus ProgramOversea Quality-assured Education in Asian Nations
for Ocean University Students Plus

OQEANOUS Plus-IJP Report (KMOU 2022/Feb-Jun)

2022.10.04

Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology
Course of Marine Resources and Environment
First Year of Master's Program
M. K.

  I stayed at Korea Maritime and Ocean University (KMOU) for 5 months, from Feb/3/2022 to Jun/22. I hope this article will be helpful to many students, including those who want to study abroad, those who are unsure, and those who are interested in the OQEANOUS Plus program.

[Reason for Application]

 I had been thinking that I would like to study abroad someday, and a professor in my lab told me about the OQEANOUS Plus IJP Program's fall recruitment, so I applied for IJP. Furthermore, it was helpful that there was a KMOU alumnus in my lab who had come to TUMSAT as an OQEANOUS Plus IJP student, and he gave me a lot of information about KMOU.

 On the other hand, I had the following anxiety before applying.
・Since my study abroad period straddled the time of my graduation from undergraduate school and entrance of graduate school, I was concerned about whether I would be able to balance my life in Korea with the submission and presentation of my graduation thesis in February and the entrance procedures for graduate school in April.

・This was the first time in my life to be abroad for more than a week, and I had never been to Korea before, so I was anxious about whether I would be able to make it work for five months.

However, I was encouraged by the professor's words, "Don't get worried that you won't be able to manage both, but 'make it work'" and "Five months is just a blink of an eye." I had often put off the challenge and lost the opportunity (e.g., I had planned to apply for another study abroad program in my junior year because I was busy for intensive courses in my teaching program in my sophomore year, but the studying abroad program had all been canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic). I thought "I want to study abroad someday" will always be "someday" if I didn't challenge myself here, therefore I decided to apply.

[My Experiences of OQEANOUS Plus Program]

1. Support from Universities
With the support of OQEANOUS office staff at TUMSAT and KMOU, I was able to smoothly carry out quarantine, vaccination, course registration, alien registration, opening a bank account, health insurance premium transfer, SIM card contract etc., after traveling to Korea. I was also able to communicate with the OQEANOUS Office staff at KMOU and TUMSAT via Kakao Talk, an LINE-like SNS that is popular in Korea, and was reassured by their quick response to any small questions or concerns I had.

2. Support for Necessities of Life
I was able to live in the dormitory for free, and I was able to use the dorm cafeteria for three meals a day by paying for meals for one semester in advance, which was a relief in terms of accommodation and meals. In addition, hot showers were available 24 hours a day in the dormitory, and the washing machine was available for about 50 yen per load, which was very helpful. Furthermore, the dorm rooms also had WI-FI, so I was able to participate in online classes and online meetings from my dorm room.

Pic1） Yummy food at cafeteria. Spicy noodle and Korean style sweet and sour pork.

3. Support from Laboratory
Unlike undergraduate study abroad programs where there are no laboratory activities, I feel that being able to belong to a laboratory is also a very big support. Not only the fact that I could conduct research under the guidance of professors at KMOU, but also the fact that I had my own place (a place to belong) even when I had no classes was a great support.

4. Support for Korean Cultural Experience and Laboratory Activities
 During my stay in Korea, I had the opportunity to experience traditional Korean costumes and games with other international students. In addition, I was given the opportunity to present my graduation research at an academic conference on marine science and technology in Korea and I received support for travel expenses to Jeju Island, hotel accommodation and conference participation fees. I attended to the conference with all the laboratory members at KMOU and it was a precious memory for me, including the transportation and sightseeing after the conference.

[My Experiences of Student Life in Korea]

1. The Atmosphere of Korea Maritime and Ocean University (KMOU)
One of the most attractive features of KMOU is its livability. KMOU has an island as a campus, and on campus, in addition to the dorm cafeteria, there is a school cafeteria, hamburger shop, café, post office, bank, convenience store, bookstore, optician, barber, training gym, etc. There is also a bus stop on campus that connects to the city center, and it was very comfortable place to live within walking distance of various Korean restaurants, supermarkets, Daiso, etc. Moreover, Nampo-dong is located about 40 minutes by bus from the campus and is a representative tourist spot of Busan, where you can find a shopping mall, markets with various kinds of products, a movie theater, and so on. There are also stores that are familiar to Japanese people such as UNIQLO and I was able to get almost everything I needed there.

 The beautiful scenery was also fascinating. KMOU overlooks Busan Port, and we enjoyed the traffic of large ships during the day and the beautiful moonlight landscape at night. Furthermore, part of the campus is a geopark, where visitors can enjoy the geological formations, beaches, and other natural features.

Pic2) A View of the Coast from the Campus

The atmosphere among the students was serious, and I often saw them studying in the library or in the self-study areas at night. Lively group discussions were also taking place in various locations. On the other hand, I felt that many students love karaoke and were strong drinkers compared to Japanese students. I got the impression that they switched on and off very well; they truly enjoyed themselves when they had fun and making their dormitory life and island life not to get monotonous. During the test week, the university distributed hamburgers and chicken for late-night snacks, and it was fun to study together.

2. The Life in the Laboratory
The Multiphase Flow Lab I belonged to consisted of seven people: one professor, four Korean students, Ms. Mitsuoka from TUMSAT, and myself. The best memories of my stay in Korea are the days I spent with other students in my laboratory, and I was very happy to be a member of the Multiphase Flow Lab. Lab students live in on-campus dormitories or live by themselves near campus, so we spent a lot of time together, eating dinner together and studying late into the night. In addition, Lab students took me to Korean restaurants, downtown and tourist spots every week and taught me many things about Korea, so I was able to enjoy my stay from the bottom of my heart. I feel that being able to make discoveries even in trivial everyday conversations and enjoy cross-cultural exchanges while laughing with each other until late at night was all because I could get entered the lives of the local students. There are advantages to studying abroad where you can take classes designed for international students and deepen exchanges with other international students, but I would like you to experience daily life with local students at OQEANOUS.


Pic3) Nampo-dong with a lot of shops and stalls

3. What I Challenged
Throughout my five-month stay at KMOU, I have tried to do many things in a small way. I would like to share some examples, separately for academics and holidays.

<Academic>
I belong to the Marine Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory at TUMSAT, but in Korea, I was assigned to a laboratory that focuses on the design of FLNG (Floating Liquefied Natural Gas) production facilities and pipe transportation, which I had never studied before, and I took classes to design each FLNG facility. It was the first time for me to learn about oil and gas plants in detail, and the content was difficult, but I enjoyed learning with the help of lab students. I feel that the experience of glimpsing the role of each plant facility and the work of engineers will help me in my future studies of marine resource development. It is also recommended that you broaden your horizons by taking classes which are different from your field of specialization when you study abroad.

<Holidays>
A KMOU professor recruited participants to climb four mountains in Busan with an international group consisting of other international students and foreigners living in Busan. For me, hiking and participating in an international group were challenging, but I was able to enjoy the scenery of Busan and the temple tour while interacting with people from Malaysia, Spain, Georgia, the U.S. the Philippines, and many other countries. Afterwards, I had the opportunities to interact with them, such as eating together at school cafeteria and going to art festivals, and I felt glad that I took the plunge on my first hike and was able to expand my circle of friends. In terms of language, I had a hard time keeping up with the fast-paced English conversation, but I was able to learn from everyone's expressions, and I think I managed to acquire the ability to speak anyway. By stepping out of my comfort zone, I was able to receive a lot of stimulation.

 [Conclusion] 

　Through my study abroad experience, I have learned to take the plunge and try many things. Furthermore, I am most grateful to have met wonderful seniors and friends who would casually message me, "How are you?" even after returning to Japan. I look forward to the day when we will both be active in ocean-related fields and can talk together over a glass of soju in the future. Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the professor in my laboratory who supported my study abroad and carefully guided me through my thesis and other research activities after my trip to Korea, and to the study abroad support staff at KMOU and TUMSAT for their generous support prior to my trip. I am also grateful to the teachers and students of Multiphase Flow Lab who warmly welcomed me and made my stay in Korea an irreplaceable day of my life.