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A conversation with Kavya, a New Media Member

 

Kavya is an international student in Busan and a member of the 2024 New Media Members, a group that delivers local news and information on Busan City’s policies via YouTube and other social media platforms. She shared her life in Busan and her activities as part of the 2024 New Media Members team.

Please introduce yourself to the subscribers.

My name is Kavya, and I have lived in Busan for two years. Currently, I’m doing my master’s at Dongseo University as a computer science major. My field is prompt engineering, which is like a part of Chat GPT and different kinds of bots. Since I'm also interested in social media and computer science is my major, I try to connect both for my thesis. My thesis is how Chat GPT affects social media descriptions and posts.

Could you tell me about your life in Busan?

Since it's been two years in Busan, I think I'm having a pretty comfortable and happy life, I can tell you. So far, for my studies, I'm in my final semester right now, so I don't really have a lot of time because I'm concentrating on graduating. Other than that, I also do social media. I'm a part of the Busan New Media Members team, which is something that I really like to do on the side, and I'm really excited about all the activities this year. 

Tell me about your life as a New Media Member.

I started New Media Members last year. It is really well organized, and they give us lists of different festivals going on in Busan and what we can expect to happen in the next month. I had not seen a lot of places around Busan, so I think it was a really good opportunity since I just explored a lot more of Busan than I would have normally if I were traveling alone. So I got a lot of chances to participate in festivals and different events. I also got different activities, and there were a lot of programs that were catered to foreigners. So I think it was really a good experience. 

What are the good parts of living in Busan? 

I do think there are a lot more good parts than bad parts about living in Busan. I think the locals here have been really nice to me. Also, I really like the weather and the places. I like how transportation is really comfortable here. And it's not as crowded as Seoul or any of the bigger cities, so I can comfortably go somewhere and come back. I think Busan is good for solo traveling.

Where is your favorite spot in Busan? 

There are so many, but Dadaepo Beach is my favorite. I really like Dadaepo because it's not that crowded and also really perfect for seeing the sunset. It has such a nice atmosphere. I wish more people knew about Dadaepo. 

What do you think of Busan’s English Friendly City policy?

I do think it's a good thing. I agree with the concerns locals have about diminishing the Korean language. On the other hand, since I am on the other side of the story, and since it caters to international students living in Busan, it's a good thing. 

I do know that the Busan Global City Foundation and other organizations provide Korean classes for four days for free, and I have attended a few and I do think it's really good. That being said, I do know that Busan is really English-friendly. I can travel around Busan without knowing Korean or without having to ask someone for directions. 

Busan is becoming more global than in the past. Do you have any ideas on how to make Busan more global? 

I think most websites are all in Korean now. It’s not just basic Korean but really intermediate or advanced level Korean, so I wish they would concentrate a bit on changing that. 

Other than that, Busan City is hosting many global festivals and events. I think this is advantageous since a lot more foreigners will end up coming to Busan, and once they come here, I think they will fall in love with the city anyway. 

<Today's Vocabulary - 오늘의 단어>

thesis: 이론 affect: 영향을 미치다 crowded: 붐비는 cater: ~에 맞추다 concentrate on: ~에 집중하다