EXPLO Junior Interview with Stephanie from Korea

Chinese, Korean, Japanese, English, and French. Stephanie will have no problem communicating with various people throughout the world. As an avid soccer player, swimmer, and artist, Stephanie is Numa-ing her way into becoming a more mature young adult.

If EXPLO were an animal, what would it be?
I think it might be a rabbit. I think that because at EXPLO we don’t use cell phones and on the campus there are a lot of trees and grass. Rabbits are also in nature so I think they are similar in that way. I really like it how EXPLO doesn’t allow cell phones. At first I was really worried because I use a cell phone a lot and I was a bit addicted, but now my brain is not getting so caught up in my cell phone. And I am more social because I am talking and not on my phone all the time.

How are you liking EXPLO so far?
I think it’s a really good program. It is very well organized and the teachers always find a way to make their classes fun. It makes it easier to learn because you get to learn in a more fun way.

What are some of your hobbies?
I like to swim! At home, I am on a swim team and my favorite stroke is butterfly. I really like to draw. I usually draw real-life things like fruits and nature. I am an outdoor type of person. I like to do sports outside, and I also like talking with my friends outside. I am a very social person.

How has it been making friends at EXPLO?
Before I came to EXPLO, I was pretty nervous. I was very excited, but also kind of scared. On arrival day, I was really worried, but I made lots of friends right away. I became friends with all of my hall mates because it’s easy to make friends here. Some of us have the same hobbies so it was easy to get to know people. We are from all over the world so I thought we might not get along, but everyone is really nice. It’s easy to make friends with the people in your courses because the instructors put you in small groups or partners so you can get to know each other better. Then once a friend of yours gets to know someone else, you can get to know them, too. Like for instance, my roommate has friends from last year so I get to be friends with them, too.

What about your roommate? Have you ever had one before?
No, I have never had a roommate before and it is going really well. We like to play cards together during “4-5 time” (which is when we have time to ourselves on our floors). I feel like she is a family member because we have been so close. We just met here at EXPLO, but we are already really great friends. We have similar hobbies and personalities and she is really nice and open-hearted. She has been at EXPLO for three years so she can help me when I don’t understand what is going on or if I am having a hard time with something.

So, you mentioned you have met people from all over the world, what has that been like?
It has been really neat because we all have different religions. My roommate celebrates Hanukkah and I celebrate Christmas and sometimes we talk about it before sleeping. That’s really fun because I get to know other people’s traditions.

Are you feeling comfortable here at Explo?
Yeah, at first it was a little hard because it was different from home. As the days go by, I have been feeling really comfortable here because the staff make me feel at home. The RA’s are really nice and they kind of act like our parents. Like at night, they always come and say lights out and it kind of feels like when my parents come and say good night to me.

That is so great! I am glad to hear it. What courses are you taking?
For my courses I am taking Crimes, Clues + Courtroom, which is a murder mystery. We have to go into the crime scene and find fingerprints and footsteps. Then we try to match it with staff members. My second class is (Ad)ventures (Marketing + Advertising), and we make ad campaigns in that class. For instance, we make posters and learn how to use pictures that stand out so people can see them and do what we want them to do.

What about your electives?
For one of my electives I am doing soccer. I like that because we do all sorts of drills. We learned that when shooting, you shouldn’t shoot right in the center, you always want to go left or right. We also learned that when you shoot, you can use your laces not just the inside of your foot.

What do you think about that synchronized dance we do here all the time?
Oh, the Numa? Well, I think at first I was really embarrassed to sing and dance, but when saw my friends doing it it seemed really fun. I tried it because they were all laughing and smiling and I realized that it actually is really fun.

Would you consider yourself a shy person or a more outgoing person?
I think now I’m more outgoing. Before coming to EXPLO, I was pretty shy, but by talking to people and playing with people here, I became more outgoing. I got more confident by dancing the Numa and meeting people here at EXPLO. I also think I got more mature here, too. Here I have to organize myself in my room and work with my roommate and I didn't have to do those things at home.

Do you have any hidden talents?
I speak five languages. I speak Chinese, English, Korean, Japanese, and French. I memorize language really fast. I am glad I can do that because when I grow up and travel around the world I will be able to speak with other people in different countries very confidently.