"The First Friend I Made at CMMS" by Eva (Taiwan)

Channy, a sweet college sophomore from Korea, was the first friend I made at CMMS. In her hometown of Seoul, she majors in both English Literature and Traditional Chinese. Since I come from Taiwan, where we use traditional Chinese, Channy likes practicing her Chinese with me. She also showed me pictures of her playing a traditional Korean instrument and of her dancing. How versatile she is! We often share about our ideas about learning English, our careers, and our lives in our hometowns. Channy was surprised with how popular Korean TV shows, singers, and food are in Taiwan. I think the similarities between our cultures are because both Taiwan and Korea have been affected by the Chinese culture for thousands of years. There are, however, some differences, such as job opportunities for women. I learned that in Korean society, if a woman hadn't gotten her first job before age 25, then it would become harder to find a job as she got older. When women are beyond 30 years old, there are fewer job opportunities. It's so different from my country. In Taiwan, women have equal chances to compete against men in the work force, despite age or background. Nevertheless, it's interesting to learn about the diversity of different cultures, and that's why I always enjoy my time at CMMS.