OASIS held its Spring Field Trip to Gyeongju on April 8. About forty international students and Korean volunteers joined the trip to one of the most famous historic cities in Korea, participating in a team-based competition throughout many different touristic spots in the city. The participants not only got to experience Korean history, but also put to practice their teamwork skills and were awarded one Leadership AU point at the end of the event.
The event consisted of a series of missions given to the student groups throughout the day. Each accomplished mission earned points to the team based on its performance and at the end of the day, the team with the best overall score won dinner coupons from Outback Steakhouse. The missions ranged from simple quizzes and games intended to break the ice within teams to a city-wide stamp rally on bicycles and go-kart racing.
One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Bulguksa temple and the Seokguram grotto, both sites that are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Bulguksa, built in the year 774, is also Korea’s number 1 historic and scenic site and it is home to seven national historic treasures. The grotto of Seokguram, located four kilometers away from Bulguksa, is both remarkable by its architecture and by the Buddhist sculptures within the grotto. Students also had the opportunity to visit Cheomseongdae, an ancient astronomical observatory, Anapji, an ancient artificial pond, and the Choi’s Clan House. A great majority of the visited historic sites are remains from the ancient Silla Kingdom.
Most of the students went back to KAIST with a good impression of the trip. "I enjoyed [the fact] that we had a competition. Playing games together was a nice way of getting everyone to bond. The crowd had a good mix and I really enjoyed meeting all the different people. However, I think it would be better if we had a bit more time to tour inside each touristic spot and got a guide to explain the key points it would have been more meaningful, like at the Choi's Clan house. But overall, it was a great experience. The coordinators were very friend and everything was put very well together. Oh, and it's nice to be on the winning team!" said Dennis Chen, a masters student of the EEWS program.
OASIS organizes various activities and trips for international students. For more information regarding upcoming activities, please visit the OASIS website (oasis.kaist.ac.kr) or contact Mrs. Lee at the OASIS office (International Center, building W2-1, room 104).