Friendship Blooms on the Ice

KU IWC students skate together to build friendships.

Korea University International Winter Campus (KU IWC) students took a one-day skating lesson as part of the third session of the IWC Experience Program on January 10 at the Korea University Ice Rink. The lesson was attended by 110 students, many of them from countries with warm climates, including Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Once they entered the skating rink, they inhaled the cool air of the facility. Some of them jumped up and down to warm up their bodies or out of excitement. Renee Wye, from the National University of Singapore said, “Singapore is hot and warm all year round, so it’s rare to see ice. I’m so excited to have a good time on the ice with my friends.”

The lesson consisted of a 20-minute training session led by five professional skating coaches invited by the IWC for first-time or amateur skaters and a one-hour free skating session. At first, the students seemed afraid of the sharp ice skate blades and had trouble balancing on their skates. But by the end of the lesson, they had gotten the hang of skating without falling down.

Lillian Lei, from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, said, “I used to skate in New Zealand, so I was able to help other students learn skating, and I became friends with them.” She also expressed her love of K-pop and K-drama.

Do Yeon Lee, an IWC teaching assistant (’18, Department of Linguistics), said, “Before the lesson, we received training on safety and on the importance of interpreting between Korean and English during the lesson. I’m glad that the lesson ended safely and that the students had a great time.”

The KU IWC will also provide the students with other hands-on experience sessions, such as a Korean food culture experience and field trip to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).